Can the sound change in fixed earphones?

January 8, 2015 3:38 PM

I had my Brainwavz M3s fixed but now the bass is kinda heavier.

Yep, the guy had to open them up (the M3s are IEMs), but it was easy, he says. They do sound good now, but I wonder if it's not unusual for there to be a change in sound after a fix. I think he must have soldered the wires...that kind of fix. I could be wrong, I don't know what he did but he said it could have been too delicate but it worked out. So success -- but I notice the bass being more prevalent, sort of like they were three years ago when I bought them. The hit the perfect -- to my ears -- balance after a couple of years, or we got used to each other. Is it possible they can achieve that same balance after "burning them in" a while? Before I sent them in, the cable had to be moved around to bring sound from one or the other malfunctioning bud. Now that problem is gone, but the bass seems to be less quick and punchy, and more muddying.

posted by noelpratt2nd to Technology (1 answer total)

Best answer: If the connection was loose yeah that's something that is fixed by solderering it. But when he opened them up and did that it's entirely possible that somewhere in the process the diaphragm got bent or damaged by the heat. That's my guess. Which means they probably won't get better on their own. I'm not really a believer in "breaking in" stereo equipment, but I sure do believe your ear can grow accustomed to their characteristics. But I think you might need to write these off.
posted by aubilenon at 3:52 PM on January 8, 2015