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Headphone enthusiast thread! - Page 139
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Intox
Norway62 Posts
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TimoS1703
Germany250 Posts
About a year ago I bought a Sennheiser HD 202 (~30$) and fell in love with it cause it was such an improvement to the 5$-in ear-headphones I had all the time. But now I'm thinking about buying myself a HD598 cause I guess itll be even more awesome. Im buying CDs of my favourite music as well cause after years of downloading music Im sick of partially crappy MP3s (my internet is so slow it would last ages to download lossless  ) and actually want to support some artists.To my question: I guess it doesnt matter what CD player I use but actually I read that it would be good to have some sort of amplifier. Couldnt skim all the 140 pages but can anyone help me with that? Where can i read sth. about that topic or what amp would you suggest me? Thanks for your help! | ||
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Weson
Iceland1032 Posts
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/4HDmO.jpg) Got them a few days ago. I got a pair from some swedish internet retailer but the box had been opened and the serial numbers had been removed so i returned them and went and bought them from a physical store instead. I'm doing some burn in at the moment and i've noticed some slight changes in the sound. First it sounded really edgey and there were no bass, at all. I've read that some people said that they sound like crap when you first get them and that they will require 300hr to burn in before they sound as they should. Now after around 20 hrs they are starting to take shape, the bass have losened up a bit and the highs are much smoother. | ||
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Myrmidon
United States9452 Posts
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/measurement-and-audibility-headphone-break Testing conditions are obviously not perfect, but there seems to be some slight change. People acclimate to headphones more so than the headphones actually change. edit: the blind test referenced near the end has some significant confounding issues though (that's comparing two different headphones and there are often significant manufacturing tolerances, plus the guy giving Tyll the headphones knows which is which), so I wouldn't count that part as much evidence. | ||
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JoeAWESOME
Sweden1080 Posts
 ![[image loading]](http://www.shinyshiny.tv/33-beats.jpg) | ||
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Weson
Iceland1032 Posts
On January 20 2012 05:35 Myrmidon wrote: Here's an article showing the effects of break-in for Q701: http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/measurement-and-audibility-headphone-break Testing conditions are obviously not perfect, but there seems to be some slight change. People acclimate to headphones more so than the headphones actually change. edit: the blind test referenced near the end has some significant confounding issues though (that's comparing two different headphones and there are often significant manufacturing tolerances, plus the guy giving Tyll the headphones knows which is which), so I wouldn't count that part as much evidence. Interesting read. I do believe most of it is in my head. When i switched over to my k530 wich are considered a can that does not have extended bass i was chocked how much bass they had, almost too much. When i later switched over to my 701s i was very pleased with the bass and how detailed it was, but it needed a boost so i used a equalizer to boost the 30hz with about 8db and it did the trick. Then i had it running while i was at work and when i got home there was too much bass so i lowered the bass with 2db so right now it's at +6db on 30hz. He proved that the burn in are effecting the sound slightly, i was kinda shocked that there were not a greater difference cuz of the changes i think i've heared on my Q701's. Just goes to show how powerfull our mind can be EDIT: Worth mentioning is that i'm using my onboard soundcard to drive them at the moment. I've ordered a Asus Xonar Essence STX and that should improve the sound quality quite a bit. | ||
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Djzapz
Canada10681 Posts
On January 20 2012 05:35 Myrmidon wrote: Here's an article showing the effects of break-in for Q701: http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/measurement-and-audibility-headphone-break Testing conditions are obviously not perfect, but there seems to be some slight change. People acclimate to headphones more so than the headphones actually change. edit: the blind test referenced near the end has some significant confounding issues though (that's comparing two different headphones and there are often significant manufacturing tolerances, plus the guy giving Tyll the headphones knows which is which), so I wouldn't count that part as much evidence. I've been reading head-fi a lot, and pardon me if I'm getting it all wrong but those asshats say the darndest things. "Before the burn in I wanted to return them, but after 24 hours the highs got more clinical..." etc. They use nonsense adjectives to describe sound, it's disgusting. Do these weird terms hold any water or do they utter the first words that come to mind, whether or not they mean anything? That's why I can't get myself to go ahead and buy an amp, although I really want to try it out. They're basically the center of all information for headphone related stuff, and most of them are glorified rich imbeciles who use their infinite gullibility to perceive huge differences when they buy a $500 cable for their $500 headphones. That said, I'm still looking for amps around $200-250 for my HD650's. The Little Dot seemed like a great idea, but I'm thinking about getting a solid state amp since tubes break and I don't want something with consumables. I want something that sounds good, but looks are important too. Not to sound shallow, but it'll sit on top of my desk. Any options for me? I was thinking about the Schiit Asgard (which comes with a 5 year warranty and no tubes which is quite amazing). People say good things about it (but, turns out I can't trust anybody). The problem is that it's $250, but shipping to Canada is an extra $33 and the taxes+brokerage+fees might shag me for an extra $50-60, maybe even more. Life is tough as a Canadian  | ||
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Myrmidon
United States9452 Posts
I wouldn't necessarily dismiss a lot of the listening impressions on head-fi as nonsense, but then again, I tend not to look through most of the subforums where nonsense runs even more rampant. It's difficult to communicate some of the ideas about sound quality, but I likewise find some of the descriptions to go fancifully deep into the absurd. I'm much more used to the terminology used by musicians, which tends to be less BS since the language must be efficient and functional, to enable musicians to perform to expectations and keep their jobs. As long as you have no plans of super-power-hungry headphones like HiFiMAN HE-6, if you really want a solid-state amp with good performance, I'd get the Objective2. It's a DIY design but sold completely assembled by JDSLabs for about $150: http://www.jdslabs.com/item.php?fetchitem=O2Full You can find a lot of associated documentation (plus some lengthy commentary/ranting and a lot of very good technical information) about the design here: http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/08/o2-summary.html And extensive bench test results here, complete with a lot of graphs and explanations: http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/07/o2-headphone-amp.html I built one a while back. It's probably the best-documented open-source audio hardware ever, so you really know what it is you're getting. | ||
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Djzapz
Canada10681 Posts
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KayoDot
33 Posts
On January 20 2012 04:07 TimoS1703 wrote: Hi guys! About a year ago I bought a Sennheiser HD 202 (~30$) and fell in love with it cause it was such an improvement to the 5$-in ear-headphones I had all the time. But now I'm thinking about buying myself a HD598 cause I guess itll be even more awesome. Im buying CDs of my favourite music as well cause after years of downloading music Im sick of partially crappy MP3s (my internet is so slow it would last ages to download lossless ) and actually want to support some artists.To my question: I guess it doesnt matter what CD player I use but actually I read that it would be good to have some sort of amplifier. Couldnt skim all the 140 pages but can anyone help me with that? Where can i read sth. about that topic or what amp would you suggest me? Thanks for your help! If you're listening to music on your computer I would recommend a FiiO e10 which you can get for around $80, I personally use this with my HD 598 and it works very nicely. | ||
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maga33
United States247 Posts
I have the AD700 and the esw9a and I am thinking about upgrading the AD700. Any suggestions? My price range is around $200-$300 usd. I mainly listen to jazz and classical with some trance and alt rock mixed in. I really liked the sound of the esw9a. It had a bit of everything and nothing seemed too pronounced. If there is a full sized can that delivers a similar sound I am fine. Also, I do not have a dac/amp. I would much rather get a soundcard than a dac/amp combo. Are there any good ones out there for ~$100-$150? Thanks. | ||
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Myrmidon
United States9452 Posts
No really, typical recommendations for that music are things like Beyerdynamic DT880, AKG K701 and K601 (601 should be a bit under $200), Sennheiser HD 598 (though those should be under $200), Audio-Technica ATH-AD900. I haven't heard it but the ATH-ESW9 is supposedly the older version of the ATH-ESW9A, using different wood maybe? Both should be similar I think? Going by this: http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/AudioTechnicaATHESW9.pdf it's a little rolled off on the bass and has less treble than many other headphones including the AD700 by a bit. That should easily rule out the DT880, which has considerably more treble. Also that rules out the K701. I'd hate to predict beyond that level without having heard the ATH-ESW9A though, since it's hard to say just from the charts unless it's something obvious like having a lot more treble. Maybe it's worth saving up for Sennheiser HD 600 / 650? By "soundcard" is external okay, or just internal? If internal, PCI or PCI Express? Which could fit farther away from your graphics card? | ||
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maga33
United States247 Posts
As for sound cards. I will probably want an internal one cus I dont exactly feel too safe about DIYers from around the world making my amp/dac in their garages. Plus, my desk is cluttered as it is. I am willing to get an external one if it is considerably cheaper/better than internal ones. I have slots for any of those but preferably a PCI Express x1 slot because I am saving my x16 for my second video card. For this, the max I'll want to spend is no more than $150 And wait, from my understanding, dacs go from digital to 1/8 or 1/4 jack while amps just boost the sound levels because certain headphones have an impedance too high right? Theoretically you only need an amp if you have a pair of cans with high impedance right? Or am I way off. | ||
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Myrmidon
United States9452 Posts
Many amps and DACs (external ones) in that price range use surface-mount parts that are constructed by placing the components by machine baking them in the oven (more or less) to let all the solder flow in the correct places, and so on. i.e. it's automated, for the bulk of the process. It's the same process as for an internal sound card or graphics card. The low-volume boutique stuff is probably mostly or all by hand though. Many aren't large. You absolutely need a headphone amplifier. It's not just about boosting levels but being able to supply enough current to the headphones (and doing so without mangling the signal). However, everything with a headphone jack has an integrated headphone amplifier, including most sound cards, many external devices that are labeled as DACs, and so on. It's just not necessary to use a dedicated headphone amplifier unit. Generally lower-impedance (not higher) and lower-sensitivity headphones benefit more from a better amplifier. Higher-impedance, lower-sensitivity headphones will be quieter at a given output level and thus will need a more powerful amp to be sufficiently loud. Very high-sensitivity headphones--mostly just in-ear models--may benefit from an amplifier and DAC with lower noise levels, so you don't get loud static sounds in the background all the time. | ||
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Mordanis
United States893 Posts
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HalfnHalf
United States90 Posts
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seiferoth10
3362 Posts
On January 21 2012 09:33 Mordanis wrote: I'm looking to pick up some headphones for about $100 (US), and I'm torn between Sennheiser HD 448 and Grado SR 60i. The main thing is that I've never really like headphones that sit on my ears and I've never used open back headphones. I have never had decent headphones though so I'm not sure if that will make any difference in the feel of supra-aural cans. Could someone please advise me? Thanks a lot, I love you all <3333333333333 First thing's first, those Grados are supraaural, so you don't want them. Anyway, here's some terminology that you're asking about: Open [backed]- The back of the headphones are open, so sound escapes. Isolation is pretty bad. Typically soundstage is much wider, mids usually sparkle more as opposed to closed*. Closed [backed]- The back is closed, sound is kept in the ear cup. Isolation is pretty good. Typically soundstage is smaller, bass and treble come forward (mids suffer) compared to open*. Supraaural- Earpads are smaller in circumference and sit on top of ears. A lot of potential for discomfort, especially for long periods of use. Circumaural- Earpads are larger in circumference and sit on the side of your head, encasing your ear inside. Much more comfortable, but your ears will get hot and bothered eventually. *Obviously the sound signature comments are generalizations, and of course there are exceptions. And of course, I can make a general recommendation of the $100 allstars, the Audio Technica ATH-AD700. They are the first cans you should look at if you're around the $100 range. | ||
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Mordanis
United States893 Posts
On January 21 2012 09:47 seiferoth10 wrote: First thing's first, those Grados are supraaural, so you don't want them. Anyway, here's some terminology that you're asking about: Open [backed]- The back of the headphones are open, so sound escapes. Isolation is pretty bad. Typically soundstage is much wider, mids usually sparkle more as opposed to closed*. Closed [backed]- The back is closed, sound is kept in the ear cup. Isolation is pretty good. Typically soundstage is smaller, bass and treble come forward (mids suffer) compared to open*. Supraaural- Earpads are smaller in circumference and sit on top of ears. A lot of potential for discomfort, especially for long periods of use. Circumaural- Earpads are larger in circumference and sit on the side of your head, encasing your ear inside. Much more comfortable, but your ears will get hot and bothered eventually. *Obviously the sound signature comments are generalizations, and of course there are exceptions. And of course, I can make a general recommendation of the $100 allstars, the Audio Technica ATH-AD700. They are the first cans you should look at if you're around the $100 range. Could you then comment on my plan? I'm thinking of getting an upgrade to probably the ATH AD700 you mentioned (the site I was looking at called it a step up in price, so I hadn't even looked at them ), and then using my current cans, HD 202, as a pair for running early in the morning when earbuds slip out and my ears get cold. Would that ruin them? Thanks a lot again ! | ||
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seiferoth10
3362 Posts
On January 21 2012 12:29 Mordanis wrote: Could you then comment on my plan? I'm thinking of getting an upgrade to probably the ATH AD700 you mentioned (the site I was looking at called it a step up in price, so I hadn't even looked at them ), and then using my current cans, HD 202, as a pair for running early in the morning when earbuds slip out and my ears get cold. Would that ruin them? Thanks a lot again !I don't like that idea tbh. Exercise with circumaural, closed headphones = sweat, and a lot of it. That in combination with leatherette pads = a horrible situation. Leatherette pads crack eventually, and I think this would only accelerate that process. | ||
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b3n3tt3
595 Posts
but definitely epic IEM -> http://img1.gtimg.com/digi/pics/24932/24932999.jpg | ||
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