Take pics. It’s a weak point in their yoke / hinge design but likely fixable.

/r/HeadphoneAdvice

If you ordered from an authorized dealer it should be legit. If you didn’t then that’s your goof.

That sucks but hopefully you’re getting a warranty?

Going out on a downvote limb here but I would say yes an amp and DAC will improve the sound. The 1990 is a pretty efficient / sensitive headphone so you may be able to make it work with an Apple dongle but I would recommend something with a bit more juice (could be a dongle too).

Do you have a picture of the broken screen?

Is the plastic overlay of the screen rekt or did you kill the electronics to make the screen work?

If it’s just the plastic you can probably peel it off with a razor and replace it.

IE200 maybe?

This is the fuel I need to climb K2 in winter

Probably take the magic line just to spice things up

Deal is dead, at least for now.

Just curious where do you draw the line?

Is there a point where you think “this looks like an absolute disaster” and change pads or you just keep going until they deteriorate into nothing?

This reminds me of too many Cops meth episodes

Yeah it’s a flawed design that Denon corrected with the X200 series but some say the X000 (with Fostex drivers) are still the better headphones.

I have a D5200 but have never used the X000 models so not sure how they compare. The build quality on the D5200 is really nice though.

In the checkout there’s a checkbox for the coupon. I just checked and it still works for me.

The Tripowin Amber and Mirage work without any modification and are cheap. A number of people in the HeadFi thread use the adapters though and like them. There should be links in that thread like /u/krona_castle mentioned.

Probably oily sweat from the sweat shop they produce the cables in.

The volume knob is R2R to control channel imbalance (basically eliminate) as step it up. I don’t think it’s a pot like the A90, it’s all digital. The relay volume knob isn’t the same as an R2R DAC.

The 6XX is the 650 with a different color. Up to you if paying +$150 for that glossy cobalt color is worth it.

Fosi K5 Pro has a good amount more power and mic input. Both use TI NE5532 op-amps, not sure about the DAC chips. IMO it looks nicer too.

AKG specifically calls them “wingfins”

I think generally you get what you pay for in eartips but sometimes it’s just luck and what fits for you. Spinfit and especially AZLA eartips aren’t cheap but they’re among the best (for silicone). I usually default to Final E silicone eartips for wired IEM’s but IIRC I had issues with those syncing in the case as well. Those are a little cheaper at ~$13 for the 5 pack of all sizes.

Quality foams like Comply and Dekoni are good but not cheap and unfortunately easy to rip, plus if you use them a lot you’ll need to replace them on a regular basis. You might want to check out the hybrid ones that are foam with a silicone layer around.

This is a good list about eartips but it’s primarily focused towards wired IEM’s so some of these may not work or may not fit in the case

I have issues with the A40’s coming loose as well but I love the fit and compact size of them. The sound is pretty good too but I mostly use them for podcasts and wired IEM’s if I want to listen to music.

Foams really don’t work for me so I default to silicone, but I found the Spinfit CP145’s worked great on the A40’s, unfortunately it had issues connecting in the case so I’m back to the stock silicone tips. CP145’s aren’t made for TWS IEM’s specifically but they worked great until I had to sync them in the case (TWS specific ones are usually stubbier with a larger bore and fit better in the charging case).

SpinFit makes some TWS ones that I’m planning to try next. Also if you want to go cheap there are a lot of generic budget eartips on Amazon, Ali Express, Ebay, etc.