JPF Home Page Forums Musician Gear and Techniques Recording Studio and Gear Forum A Technics Headphones Problem.

hi.

for the last 4 years i have used a pair of technics rp-f290 headphones, which have been really good in terms of their sound clarity and crispiness. but as they got physically worn out, i decided to find similar replacement. so the other day i bought a pair of rp-f300, which, according to the technical specifications, had absolutely the same parameters as rp-f290. however, i was terribly shocked to find out the sound coming through these new headphones had no quality at all! no high frequencies at all, just like an old radio!

what i'm now wondering about is whether these headphones are fake. or could two different pairs of headphones with the same parameters sound so different? can the design and structure somehow influence the sound? i'm both confused and furious. please help me deal with this. i'd really appreciate that. because if these headphones are fake and the sound of the real rp-f300 is normal, then i'll return what i've purchased. but if this is what the real rp-f300 sounds like, i'll just blame myself.

p.s. here are the techncial specifications of both technics rp-f290 and rp-f300.

1.
Quote:

Technics RP-F300 stereo headphones feature an ergonomically designed double headband and comfortable ear-pads. They're champagne gold in colour and offer single-side monitoring, ideal for DJing. They also feature XBS (Xtra Bass). Comfortable and easy to wear.

Specification
Drive Units
40mm (1-9/16in)
Impedance
22 ohms (1kHz)
Sensitivity
102 dB/mW
Power Handling Capacity
1,000 mW
Frequency Response
10 Hz - 27 kHz
Cord
4m (13.1 ft)
Plug
3.5mm (1/8 in)
Mass
275g (net), 220g (6.7 oz) (without cord)
Accessory
Plug Adaptor [6.3mm (1/4 in)]


Technics RP-F290 Digital Monitor Headphone
Single - Side Monitoring
Cord Length 4 m
Frequency response High 27000 hz
Frequency response Low 10 hz
Impedance 22 ohms
Plug size 3.5mm & 6mm
Sensitivity 102 dba

Headphones can sound as different as speakers. If you can go back to the store and try out some different brands you may find something that is more to your liking.

i know and agree. but how can headphones with the same parameters sound different?

Note that there is no +/- db specification in the frequency response. There's your first clue.

One set could be down 4db at 50hz and down 15db at 12K and they'd still be able to state those totally useless specifications.

Even if the specs stated +/- 2db, you would still hear a difference in tonal quality. There are other factors besides frequency response involved such as damping and various types of distortion that can mask certain frequencies.

The only useful spec I see there is the impedance, which is 22 ohms. That means it will be pretty darn loud compared to many other headphones. I have an older set of AKGs which are 600 ohms. I have to crank the volume on my headphone output to get them to a decent level. However, any headphone with an impedance of 100 ohms or less should go plenty loud with just about any headphone amp.

You really have to try several and see which you like as far as the sound goes.