T8SC
Member
This is my point to him and yet he pays more for less (quality) but still thinks it's the best option.
I can only assume it's the "I've always used this/done this so this is how it is" mentality.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Audiophile GAF
- Thread starter Maiden Voyage
- Start date
This is my point to him and yet he pays more for less (quality) but still thinks it's the best option.
I can only assume it's the "I've always used this/done this so this is how it is" mentality.TheHighFlyingBirds
Member
You can't get amazon easily on all devices. My pi streamer has the spotty app (run picoreplayer on my player with another pi hosting LMS). You can't use amazon with LMS.Here's one to ponder.
I had a discussion with a friend recently, he asked why I use Amazon Music Unlimited instead of Spotify, which he uses.
I said to him, how much do you pay, he replied £9.99.
I then asked, you have Amazon Prime yes? He replied, yeah why?
I then said, so you pay £2 more than me for Spotify, have no HD audio and a similar catalogue of titles.
To which I was met with "Yeah but Spotify is better".
How? I asked. Amazon is cheaper and has better quality audio.
To which I got back something like "Because it's Spotify, everyone uses it, its just better".
So can someone here please tell me why a person would choose Spotify over something like Amazon Music Unlimited?
I think Apple Music also does HD Audio, not sure of the price though. Others like Tidal do too but they aren't as well known here to the "mainstream".
T8SC
Member
Ok point taken, but this person in particular uses an Android phone, which has access to both apps.
TheHighFlyingBirds
Member
Not sure why they haven't changed if only using their phone.
T8SC
Member
Exactly my point. That's why I assume it's the "I've always used this/done this so that's how it is".
Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
Here's one to ponder.
I had a discussion with a friend recently, he asked why I use Amazon Music Unlimited instead of Spotify, which he uses.
I said to him, how much do you pay, he replied £9.99.
I then asked, you have Amazon Prime yes? He replied, yeah why?
I then said, so you pay £2 more than me for Spotify, have no HD audio and a similar catalogue of titles.
To which I was met with "Yeah but Spotify is better".
How? I asked. Amazon is cheaper and has better quality audio.
To which I got back something like "Because it's Spotify, everyone uses it, its just better".
So can someone here please tell me why a person would choose Spotify over something like Amazon Music Unlimited?
I think Apple Music also does HD Audio, not sure of the price though. Others like Tidal do too but they aren't as well known here to the "mainstream".
Spotify has a great interface and their recommendations are top notch. That said, I left Spotify in 2020 or early 21 for Appple Music after being a paid subscriber since 2011. No real reason for departing other than the bundle Apple has works out well for me. Hi-res is a nice bonus. And…
I finally got a pair of pink AirPods Max and spatial audio & Dolby Atmos is quite incredible when done well. These might be my favorite versatile pair of headphones. Don’t get me wrong, my DT 1990s sound better and are still the best sounding, they just don’t work well on the go. My somewhat recent purchase of great quality bookshelf speakers means I barely ever wear headphones.
I’m really looking forward to trying the Max on my next work trip in a few weeks.
Oh, and the ANC is quite good at least around the house.
Last edited:
Spukc
always chasing the next thrill
spatial audio
And dolby atmos is crazy.
i was never impressed by fake surround before..
i am now. And i agree on apple. It just works.
Last edited:
sankt-Antonio
:^)--?-<
Are there any Atmos Song demos out there? Only thing I dislike about the Max's are that I get mayor jaw pain when I have them on and... eat at the same time.
Turns out I eat a lot when I have cans on. Lol.
Battery time is also very bad, but pairing just works flawlessly with the phone and Mac.
Turns out I eat a lot when I have cans on. Lol.
Battery time is also very bad, but pairing just works flawlessly with the phone and Mac.
Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
Older/Gilmour-era stuff by Pink Floyd.
Gold-Diggers Sound by Leon Bridges.
Abbey Road 2019 Mix by The Beatles.
Apple has has specific genre playlists as demo of spatial audio. Lots to choose from.
macfoshizzle
Member
There are some crazy Black Friday deals going on now
Haint
Member
So for those of you who still buy into subjective audiophilia nonsense, how do you reconcile that this guy was allegedly hearing profound differences in all the $4000 DACs/AMPs/Streamers he's peddled over the years from an echo chamber so acoustically terrible, an average speaking voice is almost unintelligible?
Last edited:
sankt-Antonio
:^)--?-<
Only available on Apple music ? I don’t have a subscription (nor any other streaming service ). Is there any my thing I can buy or test elsewhere ?
Last edited:
sankt-Antonio
:^)--?-<
If he made his videos prior to this in that room he’s a clown. Also I don’t get why he’s on about only treating high frequencies. He sits in a box shaped room, low frequency standing waves will be much more of a problem. Diffusion is the most esoteric treatment ever. With the size of these blocks he’s scattering frequencies he can barely hear at his age.
Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
I'm not sure if anyone else has Dolby Atmos or Spatial Audio. Apple Music usually has a free month trial so you can give it a go. But...
The downside is, to my knowledge, only the AirPod Pros & AirPod Maxes support this feature so you're going to need a friend with a pair.
Last edited:
sankt-Antonio
:^)--?-<
I have a pair of the Max HP (overear). I’ll try it out.
Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
Hopefully there are some songs you know well & love. It’s easier to hear the difference if it’s music you’re familiar with.
Is this preferable to headphones that have good soundstage and imaging?
Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
I haven't put in nearly enough hours to really give a weighted opinion, but my first take is that yes, Atmos/Spatial Audio go to insane levels of imaging. Transparency mode makes them sound more like open-back / increase soundstage but again, I've not put in enough hours to truly weigh-in.
Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
Geared toward movie rather than music, but here’s a fun vid from LTT
Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
Golden Sound is back with more heat toward Tidal & MQA, if that's your sort of thing.
goldensound.audio
Tidal 'HiFi' is NOT lossless - GoldenSound
It seems that TIDAL's new 'HiFi' tier does not actually offer true lossless music for many tracks. I do some testing to show this.
goldensound.audio
For me its just a hobby with a budget. As long as I have a clean source (Lossless or AT LEAST 320+), quality DAC and Amp, and then quality headphones or speakers, that is enough for me.
I love listening to lossless audio on my various setups but also my setups are all usually under 1-2K (for everything) and I cant see myself going much higher than that.
Cyberpunkd
Member
Anyone has Mu-so QB2? I am thinking of making this my living room only speaker for streaming / vinyl player.
Ballthyrm
Member
My humble opinion as someone who has a beginner setup.
The biggest gap in quality that I have been able to notice once I had a DAC and powered speaker has been the mixing of the songs.
Some if not most songs nowadays are not mixed with high dynamic range and the stereo is often very basic.
The compression quality doesn't matter that much when the product itself is garbage to begin with.
High quality garbage is still garbage. It may be stupid but I started paying more attention to Bands that mixed their music correctly.
It bears repeating because it took me a while to really understand it.
The biggest gap in quality that I have been able to notice once I had a DAC and powered speaker has been the mixing of the songs.
Some if not most songs nowadays are not mixed with high dynamic range and the stereo is often very basic.
The compression quality doesn't matter that much when the product itself is garbage to begin with.
High quality garbage is still garbage. It may be stupid but I started paying more attention to Bands that mixed their music correctly.
It bears repeating because it took me a while to really understand it.
Last edited:
Con_Z_ǝdʇ
Live from NeoGAF, it's Friday Night!
Especially in the beginning of decent audio equipment, be it hi-fi or studio, the difference in clarity is staggering. But even on a higher budget there are a lot of options for sound conversion and the characteristics in sound that can feel like a revelation too. While i would admit that it is a huge step i would also say, from my personal experience, that it is also just the beginning. There is so much to discover in an completely oversaturated market.
I completely agree and sadly most music is recorded and rendered at 16 bit and 44100 Hz which is completely fine as long as it is recorded properly. Given a perfect recording the term compression surely gets religiously handled and i often found myself arguing between the capabilities of the human ear and raw file sizes.
Once i started to value sound quality and invested in, let's say average equipment, it rendered some of my favorite music from years ago useless because i realized how bad it was made. I really felt stupid for liking it in the first place. But it also opened up a whole new world. The human ear, just like the human itself is really slow in that regard and a creature of habit for sure.
Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
Sorry, I missed this comment somehow until I saw Grayson's reply.
Headphones remove the room from consideration. He reviews both headphones & speakers in addition to things like DACs. Keep in mind John is targeting a more general audience but is still targeting a minority of people. Either way, he typically lists out all equipment used in the chain on his reviews. If he swaps components, he lists out his perceived differences.
He's pointed out flaws in his listening environment before and has spoken about how he previously has done treatment to this environment. In fact, he's done Dirac room correction EQ before with positive results.
He's never, to my knowledge, said a DAC is more impactful that the room. The opposite from what I've watched of him over the past few years.
I have not but reviews seem favorable. I prefer stereo audio unless I’m passively listening and I don’t passively listen to vinyl most of the time. If it works for you, seems like a solid choice.
Naim Mu-so Qb 2nd Generation review
What Hi-Fi? Awards 2024 winner. Just a few tweaks make for a superb second version
Last edited:
Once you hear it, you can’t unhear it. If you like music pre-2000, your best bet is to find your favorite albums on vinyl or find a vinyl rip. For example, I have NIN’s “Broken” on vinyl which has a noticeably higher dynamic range. For being a violent industrial rock album, it still sounds leagues better than the CD.
Con_Z_ǝdʇ
Live from NeoGAF, it's Friday Night!
AKG K-872 or K-712 Pro depending on the mood.
ForAcademicPurposes
Member
Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
I dont use gaming headphones. Use my regular Sennheiser 660S for open listening or Beyerdynamic 1770 pros for closed. On my desk I have a Blue Yeti mic which is excellent for gaming, chat etc.
Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
If anything I’ll use my DT 1990 Pros or Sennheiser GameOne on Xbone for gaming. But I rarely play online multiplayer games. I usually either turn off game audio entirely or keep it low so I can listen to music.
manfestival
Member
I loved this video. I loved the comfort of the G cushion but I hated the way they sounded with my Hemp/ms2i. Mine were from geekria. What I use? Depends on the situation lol
My game one is like my most used headphone by far. Never use it with my ps4 but I should. Though I never use it for music.
Audeze had the best black friday/thanksgiving deals by far. I missed out on their $600 amp going for $100. I would've taken the dive but it was the only thing sold out when I looked at the page. Fantastic deals all around though
Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
Good pricing on Chord products too. I’m sad I missed it.
Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
Just getting around to watching this. Thanks for sharing.
Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
Korranator
Member
I would have preferred to seem him make comparisons to other Sennihisers models. In other words are they worth the upgrade?
Ironbunny
Member
Been using the 800s for daily use from 2016 and it is certainly the best sounding headphone I have. And the soundstage is something nothing else i've tried comes close to. Add a headphone amp and a modmic and you are set for life.
That said are those worth 1100 more then something like the akg k712 pro that you can get for 250? No. And there is lot of really good headphones at that lower range. From my point hd800s are the true end game headphones but for much fewer money you van be exceptionally happy.
That said are those worth 1100 more then something like the akg k712 pro that you can get for 250? No. And there is lot of really good headphones at that lower range. From my point hd800s are the true end game headphones but for much fewer money you van be exceptionally happy.
What’s your setup with the 800S? (Source/amp)?
Ironbunny
Member
On PC I'm running marantz HD-dac1 which to my ears somewhat narrows the soundstage of the 800's. In living room I use marantz PM8005 coupled with cambridge audio plus. That setup sounds nuts. Wider soundstage and warmer tone.
ForAcademicPurposes
Member
Korranator
Member
Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
I want one of those Kef cube subwoofers.
ForAcademicPurposes
Member
It's surprisingly tiny in person.
Haint
Member
The 600 sounds the most "right" and closest to the original recording by an incredibly wide margin, so much so it's not even a contest.
macfoshizzle
Member
I wish one of these popular youtubers will do a blind test of different speakers, dac/amp, and headphones. I want to know where is the diminishing returns.
Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
Diminishing returns occur relatively early in and the sweet spot will entirely depend on your budget and how much attention you give. You can easily spend $200 on a pair of headphones and feel pretty good about the purchase. Hell, people buy the Koss Ports Pros and swear by them and they're only $50.
I think this vid might be a good starting point if you want to figure out how much is enough for you.
NeoIkaruGAF
Gold Member
The HD 600 is amazing. Nothing I’ve tried on it sounds bad. It’s quite forgiving of low-quality sources, and it sounds fantastic with good-quality ones. Doesn’t require excessive juice to be driven well. And it’s terrifically accurate. I tried several full-size cans in the last 20 years. AKG K701 was too dry. Audio-Technica AD2000, virtually bassless and weird-sounding (fun with rock, though). HD650, too thick-sounding and slow. Massdrop x Fostex Ebony, phenomenal but the vocals are severely recessed. Then I finally tried the HD600, and I haven’t been wishing for something better since. It’s very light, it’s all plastic and plain-looking so I don’t feel like I have to baby it, and the music just flows on it.
I was in the market for a new IEM, so a few days ago I decided to pull the trigger on the Moondrop Aria and... wow. It’s absolutely insane what you can get for so little money these days. The Aria sounds like something you’d pay $500 for in the early 2000s, and it’s sturdier and comfier as well. Audio gear prices have gotten way out of hand in the last decade, and it’s all the more ridiculous considering what you can get for entry-level money. You could easily spend a grand for a DAP and several grands for headphones, but it’s hard for me to believe that it’s worth it.