Headphone sound quality degradation
Discussion
My Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones have recently developed a fault where I get a slight hiss and pop through one ear when noise cancelling is active, so I have bought a replacement pair of the latest XM5s.
When trying the new pair, I was blown away with how much better they sound than the old ones. In fact the effect was much the same as when I bought the originals having only previously used in ear headphones.
Having listened to both pairs back to back (with NC off to give a fair comparison without the fault) its clear that the older pair have lost a huge amount of clarify and detail compared to when they were bought.
Do the knowledgeable folk of PH think this is typical and just something to be expected or have they been failing for a while and I've simply not noticed as the effect has been gradual? It's starting to make me question everything now! Does my hifi now also sound crap and I've not realised? Should I be budgeting for a new pair of headphones every year?!
When trying the new pair, I was blown away with how much better they sound than the old ones. In fact the effect was much the same as when I bought the originals having only previously used in ear headphones.
Having listened to both pairs back to back (with NC off to give a fair comparison without the fault) its clear that the older pair have lost a huge amount of clarify and detail compared to when they were bought.
Do the knowledgeable folk of PH think this is typical and just something to be expected or have they been failing for a while and I've simply not noticed as the effect has been gradual? It's starting to make me question everything now! Does my hifi now also sound crap and I've not realised? Should I be budgeting for a new pair of headphones every year?!
audio quality is an extremely subjective thing. the mind plays tricks.
first of all, you're not comparing like for like. you're comparing mk3 headphones with mk5. the sound should have improved in the newer versions.
the only way to know for sure is to compare with another set of mk3s.
as to whether the quality degrades. unless there is something which has physically deteriorated (perished ear pads, blown drivers etc), then there shouldn't be a significant difference over time.
first of all, you're not comparing like for like. you're comparing mk3 headphones with mk5. the sound should have improved in the newer versions.
the only way to know for sure is to compare with another set of mk3s.
as to whether the quality degrades. unless there is something which has physically deteriorated (perished ear pads, blown drivers etc), then there shouldn't be a significant difference over time.
I appreciate there is an element of subjectivity but the difference is so stark back to back that I am sure there is a significant degradation. I don't remember reading anything in reviews for the XM4 or 5 that highlighted a step change in sound quality.
I took them apart a bit last night to see if there were any obvious mechanical reasons for the NC fault (corrosion, dirt build up etc) but they were clean and no obvious problems.
I took them apart a bit last night to see if there were any obvious mechanical reasons for the NC fault (corrosion, dirt build up etc) but they were clean and no obvious problems.
Perhaps whatever has caused the hiss has also affected the sound quality.
They were reasonably well rated for sound quality when they were released weren't they?
Also have you checked that the settings in the Sony Connect app are the same? I seem to recall changing the EQ settings reduces the quality for some reason.
They were reasonably well rated for sound quality when they were released weren't they?
Also have you checked that the settings in the Sony Connect app are the same? I seem to recall changing the EQ settings reduces the quality for some reason.
budgie smuggler said:
Perhaps whatever has caused the hiss has also affected the sound quality.
They were reasonably well rated for sound quality when they were released weren't they?
Have you checked that the settings in the Sony Connect app are the same? I seem to recall changing the EQ settings reduces the quality for some reason.
For sure, the fault could be related with the quality issue however that seemed to be come on much more noticeably. I can't rule it out though. As you say they are well regarded and when first bought I was impressed with the quality over the decent in ear stuff I'd been using before - the new to old Sonys give me the same effect, which just doesn't make sense as I'm now comparing like for like rather than a full size headphone with a tiny in ear one.They were reasonably well rated for sound quality when they were released weren't they?
Have you checked that the settings in the Sony Connect app are the same? I seem to recall changing the EQ settings reduces the quality for some reason.
Yep, been right through the Sony app and settings in android or the music apps - everything set to neutral. I'm pretty sure there is nothing untoward there. Might have a play with a direct cable connection later to eliminate any bluetooth related issues.
Seems to me entirely possible they are, what electrical engineers might call "broken".
One test might be to have a listen of the in-ear phones which they were originally superior to.
I think a lot of audio enthusiasts put a lot of faith in used kit sounding as good now as when it was new, this seems especially dubious with transducers like speakers having mechanical parts relying on the characteristics of rubber, paper and god knows what else?
One test might be to have a listen of the in-ear phones which they were originally superior to.
I think a lot of audio enthusiasts put a lot of faith in used kit sounding as good now as when it was new, this seems especially dubious with transducers like speakers having mechanical parts relying on the characteristics of rubber, paper and god knows what else?
OutInTheShed said:
Seems to me entirely possible they are, what electrical engineers might call "broken".
One test might be to have a listen of the in-ear phones which they were originally superior to.
I think a lot of audio enthusiasts put a lot of faith in used kit sounding as good now as when it was new, this seems especially dubious with transducers like speakers having mechanical parts relying on the characteristics of rubber, paper and god knows what else?
Yes, but are they broken broken or just worn out? One test might be to have a listen of the in-ear phones which they were originally superior to.
I think a lot of audio enthusiasts put a lot of faith in used kit sounding as good now as when it was new, this seems especially dubious with transducers like speakers having mechanical parts relying on the characteristics of rubber, paper and god knows what else?
I did a quick test against some of my old in ear ones (B&O, Bose and Shure, so decent enough although not at the price point of the Sonys) and I would definitely say the old XM3s are now down towards the bottom of those three. The sound is just flat and lacking detail rather than being muddy if you know what I mean.
Interestingly the B&Os in particular actually sound really good - much more competitive than I remember although the lack of noise cancelling is why I ditched them for travel at the time.
egomeister said:
Yes, but are they broken broken or just worn out?
....
Maybe degraded in the sense of not performing so well in a test that can be measured by Mr Hewlett and Mr Packard?....
No doubt resulting in the spaciousness of the soundstage being less colourful or similar old tulip?
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