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$500 cans on, this is how you dream right - Official Headphone Thread

L

leng jai

Member
TheExodu5 said:
For what it's worth, I don't think I could A/B WASAPI vs. DirectSound either. I use WASAPI anyways, because, well, why not?

edit: still listening plenty to my new K702s. Man, these things are very, very recording dependent. They're not going to do poorly mastered recordings any favors. And shit, I'm reevaluating my position on the bass yet again...if you're playing material that is demanding bass, the K702 will give it to you. Electronic music sounds surprisingly fantastic on these. These headphones are quite nimble.

edit2: case in point, compare Radiohead's OK Computer to In Rainbows. In Rainbows is awful. OK Computer actually sounds pretty good.

edit3: actually, I can't believe I'd be saying this...I feel like the K702 have maybe a little too much bass (though that could very well be my Maverick Audio biasing things...). I guess that means I'm ready for Stax. :eek:
Click to expand...

You are a strange man.

And yes, it is painfully obvious how inadequate the mastering quality of most CDs are these days.
 
H

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
Hey all. Work on the PC Thread 2012 is being done and I was hoping some of you could share what you enjoy or recommend for PC headphones and headsets.

I'm currently using ATH-AD700's with a Xonar DG and those work well for me since I can wear them all day. Sometimes I'd like a touch more bass though. I think my other option was M-50's?

If any of you had good $20, $40, $60, $80, $100 recommendations that would be great.

Thanks.
 
T

TheExodu5

Banned
tokkun said:
Not sure this is an equipment issue...
Click to expand...

It's not. I've complained about In Rainbows mastering before. It's one of the most awfully compressed albums I have ever heard. OK Computer is actually mastered pretty well. The tone is neutral (doesn't have the warm shift of In Rainbows), and dynamic range is much greater. The compression is very telling on In Rainbows...whenever there's a bass slam, it's like the whole recording struggles and suddenly drops in volume.

LordCanti said:
You've lost your mind.

Unless the K702 is incredibly different than the K701. I've never heard the K702, but I'm pretty sure it's basically identical.
Click to expand...

It could be the recordings. Still, the bass felt...fatiguing. I felt like it was putting too much pressure on my ear drums. I don't think my HFI-580's are as fatiguing...maybe because of their "98% LFE reduction" or whatever.
 
L

leng jai

Member
TheExodu5 said:
It's not. I've complained about In Rainbows mastering before. It's one of the most awfully compressed albums I have ever heard. OK Computer is actually mastered pretty well. The tone is neutral (doesn't have the warm shift of In Rainbows), and dynamic range is much greater. The compression is very telling on In Rainbows...whenever there's a bass slam, it's like the whole recording struggles and suddenly drops in volume.



It could be the recordings. Still, the bass felt...fatiguing. I felt like it was putting too much pressure on my ear drums. I don't think my HFI-580's are as fatiguing...maybe because of their "98% LFE reduction" or whatever.
Click to expand...

In Rainbows is bad but you need to listen to more pop music before making such claims.

Exhibit A: Mylo Xyloto by Coldplay sounds like a cat being run over by a lawnmower.

Exhibit B: Californication by RHCP - amazing album just ruined :/

Exhibit C: The Suburbs by Arcade Fire - they funny thing is I remember these guys talking up the sound quality before release.
 
C

cloud_sleep

Member
The lack of dynamic range and general poor mastering of many modern releases is part of why I'm tending towards listening to stuff from the 70s these days, especially 24bit remastered stuff like the Doors perception box set, 24bit Beatles and Bowie remasters and Pink Floyd 'immersion' remasters. Love how how warm and deep some of the older stuff sounds through my Littledot MKIII tube headphone amp (with newly aquired Russian tubes). More recent stuff is relegated to my phone or car.
 
O

omgkitty

Member
FoxSpirit said:
Do you even know what the terms dynamic compression and mastering mean?
Click to expand...

Of course I do. Just the fact that someone will sit there and say "Oh well this sounds like shit because it wasn't mastered correctly, I can't even listen to this" just sounds stupid. I have never heard anyone complain about the audio quality of In Rainbows or The Suburbs before now. Maybe I am just an idiot when it comes to audio, but you guys just sound overly pretentious sometimes.
 
F

FoxSpirit

Junior Member
omgkitty said:
Of course I do. Just the fact that someone will sit there and say "Oh well this sounds like shit because it wasn't mastered correctly, I can't even listen to this" just sounds stupid. I have never heard anyone complain about the audio quality of In Rainbows or The Suburbs before now. Maybe I am just an idiot when it comes to audio, but you guys just sound overly pretentious sometimes.
Click to expand...
See, the thing TheExodu5 complains about In Rainbows is that the bass is compressed to hell. Audiophile means for you music isn't just melody and voice, it's an acoustic performance. Things have attack, timbre, slam. When you listen to an album that is partcularly badly mastered it can be such a letdown that you just can't get yourself to listen to it.

If something has a good dynamic drive from the melody and then the mastering is madem so that the song can't express that it's just maddening. But you have lots of other stuff to listen to and said album then is relegated to the corner of "mastering crimes against great music".

A 20 dB bass punch is a 20dB bass punch and simply compressing that to hell so $100 audio systems don't struggle is such an atrocity.
 
C

close to the edge

Member
I've been using my AKG K601s with the Fiio E9 for about two weeks now and they are quite awesome. The sound stage is much better than the Sennheiser HD 555's that I had before. The sound is very detailed and clean, I've been listening to Classical music mostly and they are great for that, they feel very neutral. They are very comfortable to wear as well, I can wear them for hours and not notice them. One little detail I like as well is the fact that you don't need to adjust the size, they will just fit. (the headband adjusts itself)
 
Bitmap Frogs

Bitmap Frogs

Mr. Community
omgkitty said:
The amount of audiophile wankery in the last 3 posts is confounding to me.
Click to expand...

You've never seen audiophile wankery lol. The complains about audio compression in modern mastering is a well known fact, acknowledged even by the guys doing the mastering. It sucks, period. If you want wankery, we've got a lot here on the "audiophile pc loudpseaker" (or similar) thread.
 
O

omgkitty

Member
Bitmap Frogs said:
You've never seen audiophile wankery lol. The complains about audio compression in modern mastering is a well known fact, acknowledged even by the guys doing the mastering. It sucks, period. If you want wankery, we've got a lot here on the "audiophile pc loudpseaker" (or similar) thread.
Click to expand...

Haha well I asked about some computer speakers in that thread and no one damn responded!!!
 
Bitmap Frogs

Bitmap Frogs

Mr. Community
omgkitty said:
Haha well I asked about some computer speakers in that thread and no one damn responded!!!
Click to expand...

You didn't give them enough data to answer you!

Did you inform them of the kind of sound you were looking for? What did you want, smooth but with an edge while undeniable classy and well paced or perhaps you fancied a silkier rendition but without losing on brute strength and electrical qualities?

You see, they need to know these things ;D
 
O

omgkitty

Member
Bitmap Frogs said:
You didn't give them enough data to answer you!

Did you inform them of the kind of sound you were looking for? What did you want, smooth but with an edge while undeniable classy and well paced or perhaps you fancied a silkier rendition but without losing on brute strength and electrical qualities?

You see, they need to know these things ;D
Click to expand...

Honestly I just asked if anyone had an opinion on these, which means that people just may not know what they are. So I wasn't very clear TBH.
 
S

sharkmuncher

Member
Here's a thought provoker.
I work in a lab, so I am moving around quite a bit. My set up right now is just a pair of Grado SR-80s into my iPod classic. Unfortunately, the weight of the cable (which I'm sure in Grado's case is normally a good thing) is problematic. I have already cut the cable and reterminated it once when the cable went out the first time, and I now have the end of the cable held in a loop with parafilm and rubber bands to keep the weight of the cable from pulling on the end and cutting out. Any advice for something similar that is not and IEM that can run without and amp (I clip my iPod onto my pocket and don't really want to carry around an amp all day too)? I really like the audio signature for the Grados, and the openness is also a plus since I can hear if someone needs to talk to me. Any suggestions in the <$200 range would be greatly appreciated.

So:
unamped
open
durable, but light weight cable
NOT IEM
 
T

The Big Rig

Member
Just got my package from frogbeats. The Fischer FA-006's are bigger than I expected, but sound great. They fit my fairly large head too. Treble isn't that great. but I'm assuming that will get better after burning in.
 
J

JackEtc

Member
My parents just gave me an amazing gift for my birthday:

kgwx6l.jpg


Only listened to a few songs so far, but holy shit, I'm in LOVE.
 
S

sharkmuncher

Member
JackEtc said:
My parents just gave me these for my birthday:

kgwx6l.jpg


Only listened to a few songs so far, but holy shit, I'm in LOVE.
Click to expand...

Sooo good. I love my A700s. [funny story. I ordered a pair of AD700s from amazon in spring '09 for like $79 and theirs 2° merchant sent me the A700s instead. At first i was rather annoyed, but in the end I got a great deal. I would recommend them to anyone looking for a good pair of home theater-like headphones] They are really nice for gaming/movies. (i prefer open for music, but the A700s do a decent job at that as well)
 
J

JackEtc

Member
sharkmuncher said:
Sooo good. I love my A700s. They are really nice for gaming/movies. (i prefer open for music, but the A700s do a decent job at that as well)
Click to expand...

I have a pair of HD555's that are open that I'll be using as well. But I'm loving these right now, they sound great.

I feel like I need to get an actual sound card though, and maybe the ASTRO Mixamp ASAP to really get everything out of these.
 
H

Helmholtz

Member
Hey guys, I'm thinking about getting my first pair of decent headphones for PC use.
Basically just want them for music and occasional gaming.
I'm really considering getting the HD598 for ~$170 from amazon at some point soon. I'm not looking to spend more than $200, but are there any other open headphones I should consider? Also, is an amp necessary, or would I be okay plugging directly into my PC? Thanks
 
T

The Big Rig

Member
zcc1h.jpg


I feel very satisfied with my choice. Well within my price range, and despite what the rest of the internet thinks, I think they look damn good.
 
E

ElyrionX

Member
So I went to listen to the Shure 535 LE yesterday. On the whole, I like it more than the Westone 4. It has better separation and doesn't sound veiled when running some complex and heavy music it. However, it doesn't sound as analytical or as balanced as I would like it and hence, I don't think it's good or different enough to justify switching from my current IE8.

I didn't have much time left after listening to the 535 but I managed to speak to one of the sales guy at the shop and based on his advice, I will be trying the Etymotic ER4S and the UE Triplefi 10 the next time I head down.

And then, as I was about to leave, he mentioned these to me:

AKG-K3003.jpg


The AKG K3003. A universal IEM selling for more than $1000. It has three different filters to adjust the sound signature and are supposedly as good as the JH16 customs.

In the first place, I'm not sure I am willing to spend so much money on a pair of IEMs, especially when I still have my eye on the HD800. And looking around online, I already see a few things I don't like about it, which is the lack of detachable cables and the volume adjustment unit on the cable. The shop does have a unit for audition though and I plan to give it a serious listen when I head down on Monday.
 
Keylime

Keylime

ÏÎ¯Î»Ï á¼Î¾ÎµÏÎγλοÏÏον καί ÏεÏδολÏγον οá½Îº εἰÏÏν
Does anyone know where I can get custom ear sleeves for my Sennheiser IE8s? The only places I've found are ACS which is based in the UK and AlienEars which look questionable as I can't find any reviews.
 
D

Dynamite Ringo Matsuri

Member
ElyrionX said:
So I went to listen to the Shure 535 LE yesterday. On the whole, I like it more than the Westone 4. It has better separation and doesn't sound veiled when running some complex and heavy music it. However, it doesn't sound as analytical or as balanced as I would like it and hence, I don't think it's good or different enough to justify switching from my current IE8.

I didn't have much time left after listening to the 535 but I managed to speak to one of the sales guy at the shop and based on his advice, I will be trying the Etymotic ER4S and the UE Triplefi 10 the next time I head down.

And then, as I was about to leave, he mentioned these to me:

AKG-K3003.jpg


The AKG K3003. A universal IEM selling for more than $1000. It has three different filters to adjust the sound signature and are supposedly as good as the JH16 customs.

In the first place, I'm not sure I am willing to spend so much money on a pair of IEMs, especially when I still have my eye on the HD800. And looking around online, I already see a few things I don't like about it, which is the lack of detachable cables and the volume adjustment unit on the cable. The shop does have a unit for audition though and I plan to give it a serious listen when I head down on Monday.
Click to expand...

You ought to look into the RE262/272, or the Fischer DBA 02. I don't think you'll like the Etys or the Tf10, since they are a real hassle in terms of fit, the Etys are more for stationary listening and the Tf10 has terrible ergonomics, but the Etys will give you that clarity and separation you're looking for. The Tf10 has a v shaped frequency, so If you enjoyed the mids on the 535, I'm not sure you'll like it since they'll sound distant and recessed in comparison.

And interesting, I hadn't heard of the AKG's til you mentioned them. At that price point though... You're stepping into custom range, which... You might wanna just go with customs overall if the AKG sound is all that. The UM miracle, and the Westone ES5 are supposed to be two of the absolute best phones around. There's actually a guy on headfi who's had the Beyer T1, LCD2, Senn HD800, and a $12,000 Stax setup, and he prefers the Westone ES5 to all of those. And of course Joker rates the UM Miracle on a whole other plane in regards to the 200+ other IEM's he's heard.
 
C

Chaser

Member
EDIT: Found a great deal on Sony MDR-V6's, and so I went for those. Had a pair of these before, really enjoyed them. Great price for the performance.
 
Keylime

Keylime

ÏÎ¯Î»Ï á¼Î¾ÎµÏÎγλοÏÏον καί ÏεÏδολÏγον οá½Îº εἰÏÏν
Jeeeeesus I don't know why I was so hesitant to give the included foam tips a try with these IE8s, but they just turned these IEMs up to 11.

Perfect fit in both ears, very comfortable...and the bass started having the body I was craving so much. Mmm mmm good. Probably have about 20 hours in these right now...but man do these rule.

Maybe I won't have to get custom molds afterall. I saw a set of Comply T400s at Radioshack in the mall, but according to their website I should be using the T500s anyways. May end up ordering a 5 pack of these babies. Not sure how long a typical foam tip lasts...hopefully more than a month!
 
X

X-Frame

Member
Can anyone find a frequency response graph for the JVC HARX700's?

I got them for my brother for his bday which is today and I want to tune his iTunes equalizer to work with his new headphones.

Thanks!
 
Z

zychi

Banned
Are there any headphones with the beats similar physical build that arent overpriced like beats are? I like the style of the headphones, but realize they are overpriced for the sound quality they put out.
 
H

HiResDes

Member
zychi said:
Are there any headphones with the beats similar physical build that arent overpriced like beats are? I like the style of the headphones, but realize they are overpriced for the sound quality they put out.
Click to expand...

M-Audio Q40, but you might need a small amp to drive them.
 
G

Geneijin

Member
Hazaro said:
Hey all. Work on the PC Thread 2012 is being done and I was hoping some of you could share what you enjoy or recommend for PC headphones and headsets.

I'm currently using ATH-AD700's with a Xonar DG and those work well for me since I can wear them all day. Sometimes I'd like a touch more bass though. I think my other option was M-50's?

If any of you had good $20, $40, $60, $80, $100 recommendations that would be great.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
The Samson SR850 is usually my go-to recommendation for budget gaming headphones (Semi-open $50). I think they're very comparable to the AD700 except half the price and more bass. They also are known to be very similar to the Superlux 668B (supposedly, rebranded), which is another good headphone.

It's harder to think of a better, cheap gaming headphone than the Samson SR850 at <$100 from my research. If there is, I would like to know.
 
Myoclonic Jerk

Myoclonic Jerk

Member
Hey guys,

I'm not sure if this is the thread for this, but I'm looking for the best surround headset for PS3/X360 with a mic.. is Turtle Beach the best out there?

PX5 MSRP$250

PX5_04.jpg


There's another one called EarForce, but I'm assuming that it's only a MW3 branded one with the same specs of PX5 (correct me if I'm wrong plz)


Thanks
 
F

FoxSpirit

Junior Member
Bitmap Frogs said:
I'm saying any sighted test is inherently biased and the smarter and non biased you believe yourself to be the easier the bias will hit you.

Have you read those two links?

Sean Olive's is particularly interesting: experienced listeners like Harman's own engineers displayed the same bias as inexperienced listeners. Any non blind test when comparing equipment is void.
Click to expand...
Late but relevant: I have done comparison between my 2 sources in a rapid switch test: both play the exact same material at the same volume. Actually, one source feed the other with the digi signal so that there won't be any differences from decoding or whatever:
Result with Focus 140 on PM-8003: zero. Whatever I thought I perceived as different vanished after a simple switch-cycle. I absolutely thought the CDP produced a harsher but more dynamic sound on the chain: No. Itested song that are only wild-punching bass for the dynamics, I tested chip tunes that us HF distortion where even the slightest difference would be glafring. And at least on my €3500 chain there was no difference.

Also0, I have been reading the design and tech documents of Günter Nubert, a well regarded German speaker manufacturer. I seriously have to get one of his speakers one day, there is so much serious science up in that bitch. Oh yeah, his blind-test results where very interesting, basically you must not even know what is tested, they use a wide mesh mosquito net bathed in light to make it impossible to even see the setup. No talking, everything is written and noone but the testee is present. He said even the presence of other people, who even unvoluntarily give off the slightest hint of approval or disapproval when you voice your opinion leads to complete blind test disasters. Extremely impressed. His findings: there is no cable, only Zool. No honestly. Though you CAN measure things they are so minute it's crazy hard to measure and so little the claim of audability is laughable.

The interaction of speaker and amp CAN influence the sound though. I wish he would post his test results, the only thing I got to see how an amp which was perfectly linear under 4 ohm load showed quite some 0-point distortion under a real speaker load. He also pointed out that over 40% of the tested combos were judged to sound completely similar.

I'll prolly write him a letter to hear about this issue, curious to hear from him.

Damn it Günter, start contructing amps >:<
 
X

X-Frame

Member
X-Frame said:
Can anyone find a frequency response graph for the JVC HARX700's?

I got them for my brother for his bday which is today and I want to tune his iTunes equalizer to work with his new headphones.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Did I ask the wrong question?

Basically, I am looking for something like this:

iconGraph.php


But for the headphones I quoted above.

Or maybe it doesn't exist for those headphones?
 
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