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[the_painted_bird]

Thread needs more pics. This is my iPhone/M11+ combo, sounds great, I'm looking to add to my collection soon. Probably some 325is or a comparable headphone.
Still no luck on finding J-Cord buds... amazing, it's like they don't exist anymore. Anyone want to sell me a nice pair?

 

[sixteen-bit]

Any suggestions on a preamp for an old-yet-pristine-condition Technics turntable my dad just gave handed down to me?

 

[Ceres]

TY FYI

I realized after that it sounded stupid :lol


Anyone here have the Phiaton MS400? I think they've been mentioned but I'm being lazy. I know someone just said they're looking to sell theirs. I might take them up if they're still available.
Basically, I'm looking for a set of closed headphones. I do listen to a lot of female vocals which they seem to go well with. Only problem I noticed is that a review said it has a strong low frequency punch ideal for rap, heavy rock, and electronic music. While I mostly listen to metal and electronic, I'm in no way a bass head.

I've got a pair of Grado SR80i as my headphones right now and for earphones MEE M11P, MEE M6, Audeo PFE and Ety ER6i which I'm probably going to sell just because I rarely use them.

The PFEs are by far my favorite.

 

[wandering goat]

I just got my Fiio E1 in, but it seems like it's basically DOA. The sound plays back only in mono for some reason. It's going to be annoying to send this back again and wait for a new one (ordered from Head-Direct, which I believe are in / ship from China).

 

[necron99]

My favorite right now are the ultrasone dj1 pros. I love them for everything from listening to music, to producing dubstep and dnb, and simply watching a movie. I favor there sound over any other headphone I have owned. ( which has been mostly sony cans, and a bunch of other weird brands when I was a broke dj fresh out of high school)

I'm a game sound designer and composer/producer( mostly of electronic music, but some orchestral type stuff. At work( besides my main and 5.1 monitors) I use a combo of SonyMDR7506, my ultrasones, to check my mix for problems. I also just received a pair of ASTRO gaming headphones, and one of there mix amps, to help me hear what "Gaming " headphones will do to my mix.

I just got the astro's set up today, and so far its been interesting to see what is considered pro gaming cans. I will report back when I have broken them in.

 

[SleazyC]

Just pre-ordered the Westone 4's after seeing that Earphonesolutions was running a 5% off coupon until the end of the month. Got in touch with the guy who sold me my UM3x's and it seemed Westone revoked his license because he was selling their products for too cheap :lol

Earphone solution still had a decent deal on them so I'm not really complaining.

 

[1stStrike]

Arg, they sent me an email today. Ear buds out of stock for 15 days...

Should I wait the 15 days or just cancel the order for the Victor FX500's and buy something from amazon?

 

[Witchfinder General]

Any suggestions on a preamp for an old-yet-pristine-condition Technics turntable my dad just gave handed down to me?

Phono preamp? Try either the Cambridge Audio 540p of the NAD PP2.

 

[SleazyC]

Arg, they sent me an email today. Ear buds out of stock for 15 days...

Should I wait the 15 days or just cancel the order for the Victor FX500's and buy something from amazon?

$58 seems shady to me.

This is where I bought mine and they still seem to be going for $125+.

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

$58 seems shady to me.

This is where I bought mine and they still seem to be going for $125+.

I'll vouch for Seyo as well. I got mine from Seyo for about $125 over a year ago. You can usually score a pair of FX500's second hand on Head-fi for as low as $70 bucks shipped.

What's your budget like if the FX500's fall through?

 

[1stStrike]

Okay, cancelled. I can afford the $125, so I'll probably go for that.

The FX500's sound perfect for my needs, and they match everything else I own (wooden headphone stand, wooden ear cups, etc.)

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

I know I'm caught saying this quite a bit in this thread but, I'd consider the Radius DDM's if you've got that much to spend. I largely prefer the DDM's over the FX500's in practically every genre, and especially if you enjoy instrumentally driven music that features guitars, piano, or strings. To top it off, the RE262's wallop either pair of phones but they have to be driven by an amp. I guess the only caveat with the DDM's is that their ergonomics might not be for everyone, and they are quite a bit more prone to suffering from microphonics than the FX500s as well as isolating less.

 

[HiResDes]

I know I'm caught saying this quite a bit in this thread but, I'd consider the Radius DDM's if you've got that much to spend. I largely prefer the DDM's over the FX500's in practically every genre, and especially if you enjoy instrumentally driven music that features guitars, piano, or strings. To top it off, the RE262's wallop either pair of phones but they have to be driven by an amp. I guess the only caveat with the DDM's is that their ergonomics might not be for everyone, and they are quite a bit more prone to suffering from microphonics than the FX500s as well as isolating less.

Hey I recommended those to him too just based on your previous review of them :lol

 

[1stStrike]

I know I'm caught saying this quite a bit in this thread but, I'd consider the Radius DDM's if you've got that much to spend. I largely prefer the DDM's over the FX500's in practically every genre, and especially if you enjoy instrumentally driven music that features guitars, piano, or strings. To top it off, the RE262's wallop either pair of phones but they have to be driven by an amp. I guess the only caveat with the DDM's is that their ergonomics might not be for everyone, and they are quite a bit more prone to suffering from microphonics than the FX500s as well as isolating less.

Yeah, I looked at those and then read this.

The "Fit 'n Sh*t" part in the beginning has me the most perturbed as I don't want awkward ear buds that are a bitch to wear.

How much truth is there to that review?

Edit: Also, can't find those hitman 262's anywhere. And that site you pointed out above seems to be the only other site selling the FX500's.

WTF?

Why is this shit so hard to find?

 

[Threi]

just my luck, when searching on google for Meelectronic M9 reviews i found that it just got back in stock on newegg, and is also cheaper than before :lol

ordered it right away. Why M9 and not M6? a)I don't have the money for M6 and b)M9 can be worn straight down, M6 has to be worn over-the-ear.

 

[HiResDes]

just my luck, when searching on google for Meelectronic M9 reviews i found that it just got back in stock on newegg, and is also cheaper than before :lol

ordered it right away. Why M9 and not M6? a)I don't have the money for M6 and b)M9 can be worn straight down, M6 has to be worn over-the-ear.

Worse comes to worse I believe they ship internationally straight from their site, and they often have as good of deals as any 3rd party distributor.

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

Yeah, I looked at those and then read this.

The "Fit 'n Sh*t" part in the beginning has me the most perturbed as I don't want awkward ear buds that are a bitch to wear.

How much truth is there to that review?

Edit: Also, can't find those hitman 262's anywhere. And that site you pointed out above seems to be the only other site selling the FX500's.

WTF?

Why is this shit so hard to find?

I honestly don't have any issue with the fit of the DDM's. I sold another guy on them by lending my pair out to him, and he had no issues either. I use a pair of MEElectronics M9 double flange ear tips with them though, which extend the phones out from your inner ear. Aside from improving the sound quality, it totally minimizes the contact of the phone's housing with the concha of my ear eliminating any fit issues. And it's not like I have super big ears anyhow, I'm a 5 foot, 7 in. tall Asian dude.

I just dislike the FX500's at times harsh nature, due to the treble sparkle. They also feel a bit congested and thin to me too due to the recessed mids and average soundstage. I don't have those issues with the DDM's. I'd say that the soundstage possesses a lot of depth so the placement of sound is a lot more satisfying to me, and the vocals sound a lot more forward and upfront which I prefer. I've spent a lot of time A-Bing the two phones for a review I wrote, and I found that with the FX500's I was constantly wondering what I was missing so I listened really intently and analytically, whereas with the DDM's, I just enjoyed the music. So the soundstage depth, more forward vocals, and the resonance of the piano and the organic quality of say an overdriven guitar playing a riff or the illusion of Miles Davis being smack dab in front of me on Kind of Blue really stuck out to me with the DDM's.

As for the hifiman RE262's, I don't believe that those are available for sale from Head Direct just yet. They were originally given out as freebies with the HiFiMan DMP. As such, you'll see them being sold on Head-fi periodically and in a lot of cases, unused. I've seen them go for as low as $140. The sound is truly AWESOME though, the clarity, resolution and attack from these phones is very good. The only thing is that you have to drive them with an amp to be suitably impressed. That and... the build quality isn't going to win any accolades. They look pretty ratty next to the DDM's and especially the FX500s. It could just be an isolated incident, but my pair went south roughly two weeks after owning them, and Head Direct have got a replacement in the mail for me as I type this. Luckily, the guy who sold them to me stood behind the warranty for me.

 

[1stStrike]

I honestly don't have any issue with the fit of the DDM's. I sold another guy on them by lending my pair out to him, and he had no issues either. I use a pair of MEElectronics M9 double flange ear tips with them though, which extend the phones out from your inner ear. Aside from improving the sound quality, it totally minimizes the contact of the phone's housing with the concha of my ear eliminating any fit issues. And it's not like I have super big ears anyhow, I'm a 5 foot, 7 in. tall Asian dude.

I just dislike the FX500's at times harsh nature, due to the treble sparkle. They also feel a bit congested and thin to me too due to the recessed mids and average soundstage. I don't have those issues with the DDM's. I'd say that the soundstage possesses a lot of depth so the placement of sound is a lot more satisfying to me, and the vocals sound a lot more forward and upfront which I prefer.

As for the hifiman RE262's, I don't believe that those are available for sale from Head Direct just yet. They were originally given out as freebies with the HiFiMan DMP. As such, you'll see them being sold on Head-fi periodically and in a lot of cases, unused. I've seen them go for as low as $140. The sound is truly AWESOME though, the clarity, resolution and attack from these phones is very good. The only thing is that you have to drive them with an amp to be suitably impressed. That and... the build quality isn't going to win any accolades. They look pretty ratty next to the DDM's and especially the FX500s. It could just be an isolated incident, but my pair went south roughly two weeks after owning them, and Head Direct have got a replacement in the mail for me as I type this. Luckily, the guy who sold them to me stood behind the warranty for me.

Ah, I see. Can't buy them yet.

Also, I cant't do that nylon cable on the Radius DDM. All that feedback would drive me nuts. Plus, everyone says they feel cheap as hell with the chinese plastic. So far nothing else (that's available) has really sounded really all that great.

 

[HiResDes]

I'll let you know how the Eterna V.1's turn out, next year when they finally arrive

 

[1stStrike]

I'll let you know how the Eterna V.1's turn out, next year when they finally arrive

:lol

If this will help you guys out a bit, I've noticed that I've been listening to a lot of orchestral type music (think Nier / old FF songs / Paul Schwartz) type stuff. Maybe there's a different category of earbuds you can think of, because the ones so far don't seem to be working :lol

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

Ah, I see. Can't buy them yet.

Also, I cant't do that nylon cable on the Radius DDM. All that feedback would drive me nuts. Plus, everyone says they feel cheap as hell with the chinese plastic. So far nothing else (that's available) has really sounded really all that great.

Yeah, the DDM's work better as a stationary phone. I usually use the neck cinch to kill off microphonics, and I've been out and about with the DDM's before. The long cord is more of an issue for really. I don't have any issues with the build quality of the DDM's but I will concede that coming from the awesome build quality of the FX500's to the DDM's plastic is a letdown. I guess it just boils down to your priorities. For me, sound quality is paramount, so I can live with those issues.

Edit: if you've got 300 to blow... Earsonic SM3's :lol

 

[1stStrike]

Shit, I could drop $1000 on ear buds and it wouldn't really affect my bank account, but I'm realistic with it. I'm not going to be living in these things like I do my D7000's. They'll just be for use during work/laptop time and the times I occasionally take trips and such.

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

That being the case. Earsonic SM3's. You're done :lol

 

[1stStrike]

That being the case. Earsonic SM3's. You're done :lol

Can you really justify $300 for ear buds? Like, how good do these things really sound?

 

[HiResDes]

You could wait for these to come out in a week or so, but you'll probably think they look too cheap and are too cheap :lol

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

Can you really justify $300 for ear buds? Like, how good do these things really sound?

I can easily justify $300 for earbuds because I enjoyed the sound of my RE262's more than my full sized Sony SA5k's which I bought years ago for $500. There was a time when iem's and canalphones couldn't ever hope to throw down with full sized cans, but a lot has changed in terms of driver technology, and a lot of these new, tiny phones with multiple driver tech can deliver amazingly satisfying sound. Of course they can't compete with the upper echelon of phones like electrostats or ribbon phones or whatever, but against the mid range of phones costing into the hundreds? I'd say they hold their own, and are a lot more convenient in a variety of scenarios (I can't really imagine taking the SA5ks out of my home for a walk for instance).

As for how good do the Earsonic SM3 sound? They have quite the following over at Headfi, and EricP who has owned the Sennheiser IE8, Miles Davis Monster, Radius DDM, FX700, Ortofon EQ7, along with several other top tier phones prefers them to all his other phones. Of course he's recently went the route of customs so... :lol But in terms of against all other universal IEM's, the SM3's were his favorite.

 

[SolidsnackooFoxhound]

I'm really loving my Nuforce Icon HDP. The amount of clarity on the HDP is absolutely stunning. I never realized the amount of distortion when listening to music at high volumes with a low quality HO and DAC (zunehd and DBA-02). A high quality amp/dac makes all the difference. I was just stunned. I always knew about headphones and blah blah, but when i got a nice high quality dac/amp it was like a whole new world.

 

[SleazyC]

Over on head-fi seems like the Westone 4's are getting a ton of buzz as to possibly one of the top universals out there. They ship sometime in February so if you are still looking around at the time I can give you my impression when I get my pair. Bit pricey at $449 though.

 

[LCfiner]

Can you really justify $300 for ear buds? Like, how good do these things really sound?

As someone who owned Westone3's a little while back I can tell you they sound amazing.

My only problem with IEMs is that they tend to make me feel a little congested. but for anyone who doesn't have that issue, you can get a better bang for your buck with high end IEMs

 

[ghostofsparta]

Alright so fuck it, I decided I'm keeping my MS400's, they have really nice mids and highs imo, and I'm going to buy the Sony XB500's. I NEEDS SOME BASS! I hope these don't dissapoint me!

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

Over on head-fi seems like the Westone 4's are getting a ton of buzz as to possibly one of the top universals out there. They ship sometime in February so if you are still looking around at the time I can give you my impression when I get my pair. Bit pricey at $449 though.

The only problem with being one of the top universals in the IEM game is that the tiers are continually shifting due to the race of packing in the most/better armature/drivers. It's an awesome time to be into universals for sure though, but it does absolutely nothing to sate my gear lust :l

 

[1stStrike]

I need to buy an SSD hdd for my laptop, so that's my next major purchase. I think I can swallow the $100 - $150 range for ear buds, but I'm not going to go over that right now. Maybe in a year or so if I decide I want to move up.

 

[Celcius]

After upgrading my pc sound card from an X-fi xtrememusic to an x-fi titanium hd, I am once again amazed by my AD700's. The clarity and sound stage is stunning, plus with this card I can turn up the bass and its smooth and natural.

Now my only question is: If I want to eventually hook my sound card up to my HK 3490 receiver, should I use the digital out (pass-through) or use the RCA outs?

 

[HiResDes]

I need to buy an SSD hdd for my laptop, so that's my next major purchase. I think I can swallow the $100 - $150 range for ear buds, but I'm not going to go over that right now. Maybe in a year or so if I decide I want to move up.

I hear the Fischer DBA-02's are basically the best you can find in that price range, but you probably don't want to hear the brand ever mentioned again.

 

[HiResDes]

Alright so fuck it, I decided I'm keeping my MS400's, they have really nice mids and highs imo, and I'm going to buy the Sony XB500's. I NEEDS SOME BASS! I hope these don't dissapoint me!

You could try to trade your Phiatons for DT770s or M-Audio Q40s on Headfi

 

[XMonkey]

Replacement Pads can be found here: W5000, AH900, AH700, and AH1000 all fit supposedly

Few days late on this, but the W5000 pads will not fit on the A900. I read on some forums that they would, but I found this out the hard way awhile ago when I needed replacements (and trust me, you're pretty much hosed if you import these from Japan and they don't work).

Best pads to get are the A1000, they're very comfortable and way more durable than that flaky shit that comes with the A900 (or 700).

 

[1stStrike]

After upgrading my pc sound card from an X-fi xtrememusic to an x-fi titanium hd, I am once again amazed by my AD700's. The clarity and sound stage is stunning, plus with this card I can turn up the bass and its smooth and natural.

Now my only question is: If I want to eventually hook my sound card up to my HK 3490 receiver, should I use the digital out (pass-through) or use the RCA outs?

I have that same soundcard in my PC. It's nice! Play around with the surround sound in the settings as well (need to install the software) as it works really well.

I hear the Fischer DBA-02's are basically the best you can find in that price range, but you probably don't want to hear the brand ever mentioned again.

>_<

I know the Fischer's are good, but god damn it...

 

[Hootie]

Alright so fuck it, I decided I'm keeping my MS400's, they have really nice mids and highs imo, and I'm going to buy the Sony XB500's. I NEEDS SOME BASS! I hope these don't dissapoint me!

You dont like the MS400's bass? I love these headphones so much. The bass seems great for me

 

[HiResDes]

I have that same soundcard in my PC. It's nice! Play around with the surround sound in the settings as well (need to install the software) as it works really well.




>_<

I know the Fischer's are good, but god damn it...

Here's the review thread to tempt you

 

[1stStrike]

Here's the review thread to tempt you

Yeah, I already ready it and added my email to the "notify me" on the fischer site. I'm not ordering something from them unless they have it in stock...

 

[swoon]

anyone know of another transport with usb and at least one optical that can output to 75ohms bnc?

m2tech evo is the only one i can find and it seems like there should be more, but everthing seems to be single input/output...

 

[1stStrike]

What do you think of the TripleFi 10's and the JH5Pro, HiRes?

 

[HiResDes]

What do you think of the TripleFi 10's and the JH5Pro, HiRes?

I've only ever heard UE3's, and although the clarity seemed slightly better than my PL50's I found them to be even more bass light. I've also never listened to the JH5Pro's, honestly though I'd probably lean towards the Triple Fi 10's just because they are so renown.

 

[swoon]

i wasn't asked, but i own the triplefi10s and think they are pretty good and better than rest of the stuff that i've heard in that range including the jhpro5s. they aren't as comfortable as the jh. both (if not all) iem have an very artificial sound stage and don't improve with amping all that much.

 

[HiResDes]

i wasn't asked, but i own the triplefi10s and think they are pretty good and better than rest of the stuff that i've heard in that range including the jhpro5s. they aren't as comfortable as the jh. both (if not all) iem have an very artificial sound stage and don't improve with amping all that much.

Hey swoon both the CEC DA53 and Overture from Headroom have both, but I don't think they are any cheaper

 

[1stStrike]

i wasn't asked, but i own the triplefi10s and think they are pretty good and better than rest of the stuff that i've heard in that range including the jhpro5s. they aren't as comfortable as the jh. both (if not all) iem have an very artificial sound stage and don't improve with amping all that much.

No worries, I'm open to anyone's feedback. There's so many different kinds of IEM's out there it's hard for me to just be like "Yeah I want those."

I guess I'll just hold off and keep looking around for the time being. Picking IEM's is harder then picking my Denon's was 0_o

 

[swoon]

Hey swoon both the CEC DA53 and Overture from Headroom have both, but I don't think they are any cheaper

the da53 is a dac which i don't want, just the transport. i don't see the overture the headroom site? but some dude is selling one pretty cheap on head-fi maybe that's an option.

i also found the firestone audio bravo and its cheap. i like the look of the m2tech but i didn't care for the build quality of their hiface and that stuff seems too power supply dependent so i don't really trust them to scale up well.


any good reviews of the overture? also the firestone bravo thread of head-fi is the worst fucking thing.

 

[LCfiner]

I'll pipe in, I guess.

I owned the triple.fi's as well and they were really clear and the detail was amazing. however, I was more of a fan of the Westone 3's as they had a bit more bass and the lower end of the midrange felt a bit more pronounced. it was a less accurate than the triple.fi's but i thought it was more engaging.

oh, and the triple.fi's look kinda ridiculous on a person since they stick straight out of your head. looks like a sci-fi prop.

 

[swoon]

No worries, I'm open to anyone's feedback. There's so many different kinds of IEM's out there it's hard for me to just be like "Yeah I want those."

I guess I'll just hold off and keep looking around for the time being. Picking IEM's is harder then picking my Denon's was 0_o

i would try to go to a local meet or something, it's impossible to know what to buy without hearing it i find.

 

[Alucrid]

I have that same soundcard in my PC. It's nice! Play around with the surround sound in the settings as well (need to install the software) as it works really well.




>_<

I know the Fischer's are good, but god damn it...

Just don't order from your BFF Demitri. I had a pleasant experience with Bugden Audio. They're a official retailer for 'em. Shipping was a tad on the slow side, but nothing awful.

No worries, I'm open to anyone's feedback. There's so many different kinds of IEM's out there it's hard for me to just be like "Yeah I want those."

I guess I'll just hold off and keep looking around for the time being. Picking IEM's is harder then picking my Denon's was 0_o

I already got it planned out for me. Hunt down ATH Ck-10s, then IE8s or perhaps those Weston 4s. Of course this is after a bunch of other shit too...so this might happen in a year or so. :lol