my build + impressions

[denti alligator]

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[denti alligator]

So this was a tricky build. I would even say that for me it might have been the hardest. That has to do with the miniscule size of the wire. Getting the small TRS plug was tough. I snapped the right tab off with two successive plugs before getting it right. The third time I avoided bending it at all.

On the other end I had surprising difficulty getting the resistors to solder to the tabs. Even after several second to both the resistor lead and the tab, and then flowing, when I worked with the other end of the resistor the joint broke. Strange. Got it in the end, I think. Also, since the wire is so thin and small it was nearly impossible to get a mechanical connection to the resistor leads (on the other end).

The hardest by far was getting the adhesive strip off the back of the felt tape. I worked for about 20 minutes on it, then handed it to my wife, who took a layer off! but still didn't expose the adhesive. Finally after another 15 minutes or so I got it. Yikes, that's hard.

Everything done, tests fine. Now I'm breaking them in. Impressions to follow.

[denti alligator]

Over 100 hours of break-in...

These are some sweet-sounding cans! Really nice. Far better than I expected, or would be led to expect, from the price. They may not outdo my HD600s, but they have slightly more pronounced bass than those, and offer a different flavor to the music. Plus, they're nice for when I don't want to disturb others in the room.

[denti alligator]

Noticing a slight distortion in the right ear. Any possible cause for this?

It appears only to be at a particular frequency, though it's hard to say for sure. It certainly is not audible all (or even most) of the time.