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[Alucrid]

Again, reminds me of when Bangraman of Head-Fi connected his Qualia 010s to his Ipod shuffle hahaha. But yeah, total source mismatch there man...

Saw that. The reaction was priceless.

 

[FoxSpirit]

Don't use t1s with an iphone. Heck I wouldn't even bring them outside the house

I am pondering to get LCD-II and use them on the go, I wonder if they like bagbacks

 

[LCfiner]

I am pondering to get LCD-II and use them on the go, I wonder if they like bagbacks

I would not recommend this. They are large, heavy and have a long default cable. Plus they are open so sound will leak in and out.

It's one thing to bring them to a hotel room for an extended stay but to use them portably on streets and subway would be more pain that it's worth.

 

[Dice]

Guys, portable is just an entirely different world from home listening. From source alone you're looking at a potential equivalent to $200-600 loss of sound quality depending on what you threw down for the cans, then you factor in outside sounds, then how much of a pain in the ass they are on the go from being so big, then how risky it is to haul around expensive equipment in the wild, then the potential of annoying the hell out of people near you with too much sound leaking, etc.

Really, your best bet is to find a good pair of IEMs. If you can't stand those, a decent isolating closed can. Ideally you'd want to keep it compact but if sound quality is so desired, the max I'd jump to are some TMA1s because they are built for a little abuse (replaceable cord is huge) and look cool.

 

[ElyrionX]

You guys misunderstood me about the T1 and the iPhone lol.

I'm using the T1 with my PC at home where I would listen to my music via iTunes. That same music library syncs to my iPhone where I use the Sennheiser IE8.

The problem is this: i wish to convert my collection to a lossless format but if I do, it wouldn't fit on my iPhone anymore and I don't wish to maintain two separate music libraries for home and for my iPhone.

Also, should I go for Apple Lossless or AIFF?

 

[Dice]

How do you listen on your PC, though? DAC or PC sound card? Amp? You'd be amazed at how much these change for an incredible set like the T1s.

As for our question, lossless is lossless. Differences are about how open the format is, space, and processing. AIFF like Apple's WAV format, the other is like their FLAC. Trying to get higher quality than those wouldn't make any difference until you start dropping thousands on studio reference equipment and listen to super high fidelity files that are 100MB+ per song.

 

[ElyrionX]

Currently using the T1 with a Peachtree Nova that acts as both the external DAC and the headphone amp.

I think I'm just going to go ahead and create a separate lossless library for my home listening. Seems like it's not as complicated an option on iTunes as I had originally feared.

 

[hockeypuck]

The problem is this: i wish to convert my collection to a lossless format but if I do, it wouldn't fit on my iPhone anymore and I don't wish to maintain two separate music libraries for home and for my iPhone.

Convert your collection to lossless, then when your iPhone is connected to your computer, check the option box that allows iTunes to sync songs in a lossy format (128 AAC, I believe). No separate lossy library maintenance required.

 

[ElyrionX]

Convert your collection to lossless, then when your iPhone is connected to your computer, check the option box that allows iTunes to sync songs in a lossy format (128 AAC, I believe). No separate lossy library maintenance required.

Interesting. Thanks for the tip. I've always wondered what that particular feature was for. Will check it out.

 

[mblitek]

Does anybody feel like buying my 2yr old HD650's? How much are they worth with no box and above average condition?

 

[FoxSpirit]

I would not recommend this. They are large, heavy and have a long default cable. Plus they are open so sound will leak in and out.

It's one thing to bring them to a hotel room for an extended stay but to use them portably on streets and subway would be more pain that it's worth.

I already carry K-240 Sextett with me, like I said, backpack guy. And they really don't insulate outside noise already.
I'd mostly use them at work in winter, when I have frequent "cold breaks" to warm myself up.

So the question is how they'd like to be carried around each day, my other headphones so far haven't minded but maybe orthos are more sensitive? Then again, they get shipped by mail which is a pretty rough process.

 

[LCfiner]

I already carry K-240 Sextett with me, like I said, backpack guy. And they really don't insulate outside noise already.
I'd mostly use them at work in winter, when I have frequent "cold breaks" to warm myself up.

So the question is how they'd like to be carried around each day, my other headphones so far haven't minded but maybe orthos are more sensitive? Then again, they get shipped by mail which is a pretty rough process.

they get shipped by mail but they’re extremely well padded and placed in a box where they can’t move. plus the cable is detached.

if you insist on carrying them around everyday, you need to look into a bag that has some cushioning separators for them to not bang around with other items and for the stiff cables to properly bend and loop without kinking.

in fact, you may be better off detaching the cables before storing the headphones whatever bag or sleeve you choose.

 

[Trojita]

When I got home last night I decided I would try out my ATH-AD700's with my pioneer receiver (VSX-21TXH) for the first time. I didn't realize it would use a 1/4, and I couldn't find my 3.5 > 1/4 adapter that came with the headphones

I don't know what happened to them after I moved.

After eating sushi for lunch today, I decided to check out the Radioshack next door from the sushi restaurant. They were asking way too much for one of those adapters, that I thought I might as well just search more in-depth at my home instead.

Also I can't help but comment that based on looking at the inventory in Radioshack and other stores I've been to, people have crap taste in headphones.

It's a curse to be one of the few that can tell the difference between crap audio and video products and good ones.

 

[FoxSpirit]

they get shipped by mail but they’re extremely well padded and placed in a box where they can’t move. plus the cable is detached.

if you insist on carrying them around everyday, you need to look into a bag that has some cushioning separators for them to not bang around with other items and for the stiff cables to properly bend and loop without kinking.

in fact, you may be better off detaching the cables before storing the headphones whatever bag or sleeve you choose.

They got a whole compartment of the bag for themselves. No way I'd want anything to poke at them.
So the cable is pretty stiff? Good to know but I think they'll have plenty of space. And I always properly roll up the cable before putting them into the bag, even do that with my buds. I take care of my stuff... better than of myself.

Btw, reauditioned the most expensive beats. What a giant ripoff. Plus I think they need amping, coming from the Archos-pmp it always sounded like the potentially massive and solid bass constantly faltered. But in the end, it's not worth it. Far too harsh. Get a DT-990, eq it and get overwhelming quality bass (if only that thing was smoother I'd love the hell out of it).

 

[Ashhong]

When I got home last night I decided I would try out my ATH-AD700's with my pioneer receiver (VSX-21TXH) for the first time. I didn't realize it would use a 1/4, and I couldn't find my 3.5 > 1/4 adapter that came with the headphones

I don't know what happened to them after I moved.

After eating sushi for lunch today, I decided to check out the Radioshack next door from the sushi restaurant. They were asking way too much for one of those adapters, that I thought I might as well just search more in-depth at my home instead.

Also I can't help but comment that based on looking at the inventory in Radioshack and other stores I've been to, people have crap taste in headphones.

It's a curse to be one of the few that can tell the difference between crap audio and video products and good ones.

lol, just buy it from monoprice.com for like 2 bucks shipped.

 

[LCfiner]

They got a whole compartment of the bag for themselves. No way I'd want anything to poke at them.
So the cable is pretty stiff? Good to know but I think they'll have plenty of space. And I always properly roll up the cable before putting them into the bag, even do that with my buds. I take care of my stuff... better than of myself.

One last thing I’ll mention about the cable. since it is detachable, you can get replacement cables for decent prices around the net. Now, I’m not one of those guys who think cables can really alter sound but you may want to look into something a bit more flexible here just for portability and packaging sake. There’s a lots of choices out there.

 

[Gila]

What other cables are there similar to control-talk for the beats?

I'm just looking for something that can pause, skip/reverse, and have volume controls. Don't necessarily need a mic

 

[Trojita]

Is there anything I could do about the sound quality on a work computer? Would a portable amp or something help or would it just sound as bad because the source (hardware) on the computer is bad?

Anyone have comments on this previous post I made?

I think I might get the Sennheiser HD 598's that I was talking about earlier and maybe a pair of Sony MDR-750's.

I have a set of ATH-AD700's right now. I was looking for a set I could wear most places that wouldn't look odd wearing in public. I was going to get the 598's for this, they look pretty stylish and not as big as the ATH-AD700, but I think I might also get the MDR-750's and possibly use them at work or something.

Or just not get the latter or put the money for the latter into an even better Headphones. I don't want to hemorrhage too much money out of my wallet.

I already have a more than adequate speaker system at my apartment, so I'm covered there.

 

[shira]

Nevermind, lol I just ordered the TMA-1's

did more research on that and it suits me better, much more aesthetically appealing also

Thanks again all. I'll let you know how it is post burn-in

Neither look aesthetically pleasing in a casual sense.

 

[Ashhong]

Is there anything I could do about the sound quality on a work computer? Would a portable amp or something help or would it just sound as bad because the source (hardware) on the computer is bad?

Anyone have comments on this previous post I made?

According to my limited knowledge, sounds like you need a DAC/amp combo such as the E7 to improve the actual sound quality from your computer.

 

[Gila]

Neither look aesthetically pleasing in a casual sense.

True, but the tma-1 is much more minimal, it's pleasing in that sense

 

[CPCunha]

Anyone heard anything about these?
http://goincase.com/collections/audio

....i know incase makes killer ahm, cases...and I've read that there was a looot of research put into the development of their cans...i wonder how would the Sonic one stack against the TMAs..i'm getting one in November.

 

[LCfiner]

Anyone heard anything about these?
http://goincase.com/collections/audio

....i know incase makes killer ahm, cases...and I've read that there was a looot of research put into the development of their cans...i wonder how would the Sonic one stack against the TMAs..i'm getting one in November.

I’ve heard nothing about these but I would love it if they were actually good and offered people in Apple stores (you know these will be in apple stores. just look at them) a better option over the overpriced monster beats and B&W P5.

 

[Ashhong]

Considering their cases are overpriced I cant see these selling in Apple stores at a good price. Meaning, if they are cheap, then they probably suck.

 

[FoxSpirit]

According to my limited knowledge, sounds like you need a DAC/amp combo such as the E7 to improve the actual sound quality from your computer.

Seconded, the E7 would be a really good choice for the price.

 

[Robobandit]

Seconded, the E7 would be a really good choice for the price.

I just received my E7 and my E9 today.. I have to say I'm quite impressed with everything that comes with the E7..

It has a rubber slipcase, a screen protector, a line out cable, industrial rubber band for binding to a portable mp3 player, and a mini usb cable.

Someone had said before that they didn't consider it to be portable.. looking at this thing I'm not sure how much more portable a DAC/amp could get.. maybe they confused it with the E9 or something..

 

[CRS]

So I just ordered a pair of Sony's MDREX600s. Decided to save up a little more and get these instead. Should get here in a week or so. I'm really excited. Thanks HiRes.

How would one go about to break them in correctly? Just use them?

 

[SteveO409]

I just received my E7 and my E9 today.. I have to say I'm quite impressed with everything that comes with the E7..

It has a rubber slipcase, a screen protector, a line out cable, industrial rubber band for binding to a portable mp3 player, and a mini usb cable.

Someone had said before that they didn't consider it to be portable.. looking at this thing I'm not sure how much more portable a DAC/amp could get.. maybe they confused it with the E9 or something..

Where did you order your E7 from?

 

[Recon]

My cans came it, i love them so far!

 

[Gila]

Just bumping this politely to see if anyone knows

What other cables are there similar to control-talk for the beats?

I'm just looking for something that can pause, skip/reverse, and have volume controls. Don't necessarily need a mic

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

So I just ordered a pair of Sony's MDREX600s. Decided to save up a little more and get these instead. Should get here in a week or so. I'm really excited. Thanks HiRes.

How would one go about to break them in correctly? Just use them?

You're gonna love 'em. And yeah, just use them, no need to buy into any of the burn in talk.

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

Just bumping this politely to see if anyone knows

The A Jays Four has the inline controls you're looking for.

 

[Keylime]

Dumb question that I think I know the answer to:

Is there any point to looking into all of this stuff if I use nothing but 256kbps MP3 files from iTunes? I'd assume you don't truly get to experience any of the major benefits of buying a dac/amp or reference level headphones unless you're using insanely high quality CD rips or something?

I love me some clean audio, but I'd be wary to get too deep into this stuff if it's not really going to benefit my main source of music listening.

 

[Davidion]

Dumb question that I think I know the answer to:

Is there any point to looking into all of this stuff if I use nothing but 256kbps MP3 files from iTunes? I'd assume you don't truly get to experience any of the major benefits of buying a dac/amp or reference level headphones unless you're using insanely high quality CD rips or something?

I love me some clean audio, but I'd be wary to get too deep into this stuff if it's not really going to benefit my main source of music listening.

Yes.

Even a halfway decent 128kbps mp3 will benefit from a solid pair of headphones. Ditch the shitty ass buds.

You might not want to invest in the $500+ stuff, but still.

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

Dumb question that I think I know the answer to:

Is there any point to looking into all of this stuff if I use nothing but 256kbps MP3 files from iTunes? I'd assume you don't truly get to experience any of the major benefits of buying a dac/amp or reference level headphones unless you're using insanely high quality CD rips or something?

I love me some clean audio, but I'd be wary to get too deep into this stuff if it's not really going to benefit my main source of music listening.

Most people can't tell the difference between lossless and a 256 Kbps rip. And good equipment scales anyhow. A lot of the truly reference level phones are going to have as close to a flat frequency response as possible. This isn't going to be the case for mid level phones in the $300-500 range so you don't have to worry about your files sounding lackluster. You only stand to benefit from better sound as far as I'm concerned.

 

[LCfiner]

Dumb question that I think I know the answer to:

Is there any point to looking into all of this stuff if I use nothing but 256kbps MP3 files from iTunes? I'd assume you don't truly get to experience any of the major benefits of buying a dac/amp or reference level headphones unless you're using insanely high quality CD rips or something?

I love me some clean audio, but I'd be wary to get too deep into this stuff if it's not really going to benefit my main source of music listening.

it will make a difference with 256 AAC.

absolutely. most of my my music is 320 mp3 or 256 aac and I can easily tell the difference between cheap headphones and the nicer stuff.

you'll see some people on head-fi scream from the rooftops that anything less than 24 bit FLAC is garbage but ABX testing has shown that an incredibly small number of people can reliably tell the difference between 320 mp3 and lossless even on really high end gear. even those who claim to be audiophiles mix it up sometimes and pick the "wrong" sample.

so, y'know, just start small with audio upgrades and see if you like the clearer sound. no need to go crazy and get super pricey stuff. a combo dac/amp and a nice set of headphones (total of maybe 300 bucks) can offer a big upgrade over computer output and ibuds.

 

[Keylime]

Right now I'm switching between two headsets that I'm sure you'll all love: Bose Triports and Beats Solo HDs!

I think my main problem is that my main source of headphones is Best Buy, and I prefer over the ear style mostly, but the Beats ones are fairly comfortable and I like that they offer pretty good noise isolation despite not being in-ear.

...I know...I know...

Just wondering if I dropped $300 vs. $150 if I'd have my socks blown off or if I'd just kind of say "oh...".

Tough to say I'm guessing.

 

[Davidion]

Most of the players in the $150 range will completely demolish the triports.

With the Beats it may less decisive, as I've never tried the cheaper solos. But unless you don't really have all that sensitive years I'd say chances are you would clearly notice the difference.

 

[Alucrid]

Right now I'm switching between two headsets that I'm sure you'll all love: Bose Triports and Beats Solo HDs!

I think my main problem is that my main source of headphones is Best Buy, and I prefer over the ear style mostly, but the Beats ones are fairly comfortable and I like that they offer pretty good noise isolation despite not being in-ear.

...I know...I know...

Just wondering if I dropped $300 vs. $150 if I'd have my socks blown off or if I'd just kind of say "oh...".

Tough to say I'm guessing.

Did you buy those before consulting the gaf headphone consortium?

 

[Gila]

The A Jays Four has the inline controls you're looking for.

My bad forgot to mention just need the cable alone. Looking to attach it on my TMA-1

 

[Robobandit]

Where did you order your E7 from?

I ordered it from bhphotovideo.com along with my E9 and my Shure SRH940s.

 

[LCfiner]

Right now I'm switching between two headsets that I'm sure you'll all love: Bose Triports and Beats Solo HDs!

I think my main problem is that my main source of headphones is Best Buy, and I prefer over the ear style mostly, but the Beats ones are fairly comfortable and I like that they offer pretty good noise isolation despite not being in-ear.

...I know...I know...

Just wondering if I dropped $300 vs. $150 if I'd have my socks blown off or if I'd just kind of say "oh...".

Tough to say I'm guessing.

dude….

DUDE!

OK, here would be my recommendation. sell or set on fire the two headphones you have now. you paid a lot of money for middling or downright poor performance.

If you only want to go to Best Buy, you have the option to get the Sennhesier HD-25 headphones. they will probably be adidas branded and cost 250 bucks. you can get the same pair without the adidas branding for 200 online. these have been around for ages and are super popular for people who want on ear portable headphones.

If you want something more detailed, better bass but (based on reviews) less “fun” and more precise, the Beyerdynamic DT1350 are portable on ear headphones that sell for 300.

A bass heavy headphone that is also available online and in some stores is the TMA-1 from AIAIAI.

If you want a taste of something fun and bright for 80 bucks, pick up a Grado SR60. it’s all mids and treble with very little bass but it has a sound that some people (e.g.: me) love.


I am looking to pick up some DT1350 headphones for myself in the next few months. I want something that’s a bit opposite of the grado cans I have that I can take out of the house and have good isolation.

after you’ve picked up one of these, you can think about getting a little amp or dac/amp combo for around 100 bucks. options include the Fiio E7 or the nuforce udac. these will help improve details, soundstage and bass for the headphones listed above but, from what I read, they will make a greater difference on the DT1350.

 

[Keylime]

Those headphones are all ugly, though

Any quality sets with some sex appeal? Like I want people to want to have sex with me because of my headphones...but have good sound as well!

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

Those headphones are all ugly, though

Any quality sets with some sex appeal? Like I want people to want to have sex with me because of my headphones...but have good sound as well!

You probably want a pair of AKG K1000's then. Women will throw themselves at you, and you'll be dripping in pussy juices cause your swagger will exceed 9000.

 

[LCfiner]

Those headphones are all ugly, though

Any quality sets with some sex appeal? Like I want people to want to have sex with me because of my headphones...but have good sound as well!

*SLAP*

if all you care about is looks, GTFO of this thread.

jk.


sorta.


(I actually think the DT1350 look good, fwiw)

edit:

OK, do you find these ugly:

Audio Technica ESW9

I’ve had those. they are good. dark sounding without a ton of treble but more detailed than the Beats. good bass

 

[Davidion]

Those headphones are all ugly, though

Any quality sets with some sex appeal? Like I want people to want to have sex with me because of my headphones...but have good sound as well!

I mean, the Grados and the Sennheisers aren't necessarily lookers, but the Beats and triports may ooze sex appeal...if you're 14.

You want to roll pretty? You find a pair of these.

 

[darkwing]

this looks pretty

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

I dunno why anyone would take a pair of pretty phones out anyway, I'd be dead scared of scratching the wood cups :/ and then there was the guy contemplating taking the LCD2s and tossing them in his backpack... I mean... Really? REALLY?

 

[Keylime]

:lol

Sorry! I'm not all about looks my any stretch. But some of those sets you mentioned seriously look like a cheap pair you'd expect to find at a Radio Shack in the 90s.

Those wood cups look decent, but not really my style.

Sounds like I've at least got the right brands to start checking out and see what I like.

...I'm not as terrible a person as I appear in this thread, I promise

 

[The Main Event]

Anyone heard anything about these?
http://goincase.com/collections/audio

....i know incase makes killer ahm, cases...and I've read that there was a looot of research put into the development of their cans...i wonder how would the Sonic one stack against the TMAs..i'm getting one in November.

Really interested in them. They look nice too.

Found a review here: http://core77.com/blog/exclusive/incase_audio_in-depth_review_20490.asp