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The Official Headphone Thread 2.5: We're Making WAVs and Catching FLAC

my6765490

Member
To be honest if I'm paying money to mod my TH-X00s I'm buying pads instead of cups. The stock pad's comfort levels aren't great, but then again I'm used to the gigantic H800 ones.

Massdrop won't even reply to my requests to refund my Purplehearts, terrible.

FYI changing pads make a pretty big difference to the sound of the TH-X00..
 
To be honest if I'm paying money to mod my TH-X00s I'm buying pads instead of cups. The stock pad's comfort levels aren't great, but then again I'm used to the gigantic H800 ones.

Massdrop won't even reply to my requests to refund my Purplehearts, terrible.

I want to try Zach's new Omni pads on the thx00 personally.

Massdrop has already stated that they will not be issuing refunds to purpleheart buyers who want to switch.
 

Jarmel

Banned
So is it worth buying an external portable DAC or amp? I heard the DAC/amp on the iPhone 6 is supposed to be stellar so not sure if that would make any improvement.

I have a RSA amp from back in the day I might try but worried about double amping.
 

leng jai

Member
FYI changing pads make a pretty big difference to the sound of the TH-X00..

Yep, which is another reason to buy another pair. I'm not convinced different cups changes the sound much.

I want to try Zach's new Omni pads on the thx00 personally.

Massdrop has already stated that they will not be issuing refunds to purpleheart buyers who want to switch.

I don't want to switch, just don't want them altogether. Guess I'll be selling mine.
 
I'm in the market for some new IEMs after becoming more and more annoyed with the tinnyness on my current pair, as well as some recent connection issues.

I've been using the Audio Technica CKR5s for two years now. They were great for $20, but I'd like an upgrade (~$150). The music I listen to spans through everything, so I can't say any particular points I'm looking for in a new pair, just something solid/standard that you would feel comfortable recommending.

I live in Japan so I don't know how helpful the price range I listed will be; I'll simply say that something by a Japanese company would be best, if that's possible. I know last time I looked into headphones Sony IEMs were highly recommended but I wouldn't know what to go with now. The XBA-40s are a little more than I'd like to spend.

I see Audio Technica CKR9s recommended in the OP--are those still recommended? They have pretty low review score over on Amazon Japan..
 
Yep, which is another reason to buy another pair. I'm not convinced different cups changes the sound much.



I don't want to switch, just don't want them altogether. Guess I'll be selling mine.

Let me know if you do. I plan on buying the purpleheart myself at some point and don't mind buying used.
 

Tommy DJ

Member
So is it worth buying an external portable DAC or amp? I heard the DAC/amp on the iPhone 6 is supposed to be stellar so not sure if that would make any improvement.

I have a RSA amp from back in the day I might try but worried about double amping.

Depends what we're talking about. The DAC on the iPhone 6 is good. The amp on the other hand is pretty wimpy though you can't expect much since its a phone. You're looking at an amp with relatively high output impedance and low output voltage and power.

High output impedance wrecks havoc with multi-armature IEMs as their frequency response will change in response to the output impedance due to their crossovers. Low voltage/power means certain headphones will not sound loud enough or sound really flat. Your mileage may vary as always.

If you want to try that RSA amp, there's no harm in double amping provided you aren't clipping the signal or whatever. Basically the amplifier is seen as a high impedance load, which will inherently generate less distortion and noise than if you were powering a headphone. Probably not as good as straight through the Lightning port but probably good enough that you won't not notice a difference.
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
I'm in the market for some new IEMs after becoming more and more annoyed with the tinnyness on my current pair, as well as some recent connection issues.

I've been using the Audio Technica CKR5s for two years now. They were great for $20, but I'd like an upgrade (~$150). The music I listen to spans through everything, so I can't say any particular points I'm looking for in a new pair, just something solid/standard that you would feel comfortable recommending.

I live in Japan so I don't know how helpful the price range I listed will be; I'll simply say that something by a Japanese company would be best, if that's possible. I know last time I looked into headphones Sony IEMs were highly recommended but I wouldn't know what to go with now. The XBA-40s are a little more than I'd like to spend.

I see Audio Technica CKR9s recommended in the OP--are those still recommended? They have pretty low review score over on Amazon Japan..

Zero Audio Carbo Tenore then. Or the Doppio, if you want something more high end.
 

LQX

Member
Selling a like new Massdrop x AKG K7XX Red Edition if anyone is interested. Have to make room for my Purple Hearts.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=210136020&postcount=2710


Also, I have to say I'm sort of disappointed with how Massdrop handled the variant releases of the TH-X00. They have the Ebony up for sale before even getting the Purple Hearts in peoples hands. But what is really fucked up is that they cant cant cancel or switch orders meanwhile they have the folks they send these to early for reviews touting the Ebony variant as having the most "refined" sound. And that is another thing, it was sort of expected the sound signature might slightly change with each variant but the changes seem drastic especially in the case of the Purple Hearts in regards to bass. More bass is not everyone's cup of tea.
 

Chittagong

Gold Member
Schiit new product announcement delayed until this week, but seems to be going ahead according to Jason on head-fi. Excited to see their first 2016 launch.
 
Selling a like new Massdrop x AKG K7XX Red Edition if anyone is interested. Have to make room for my Purple Hearts.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=210136020&postcount=2710


Also, I have to say I'm sort of disappointed with how Massdrop handled the variant releases of the TH-X00. They have the Ebony up for sale before even getting the Purple Hearts in peoples hands. But what is really fucked up is that they cant cant cancel or switch orders meanwhile they have the folks they send these to early for reviews touting the Ebony variant as having the most "refined" sound. And that is another thing, it was sort of expected the sound signature might slightly change with each variant but the changes seem drastic especially in the case of the Purple Hearts in regards to bass. More bass is not everyone's cup of tea.

Judes measurements of the thx00 is screwed up. Especially his purpleheart measurements.

Schiit new product announcement delayed until this week, but seems to be going ahead according to Jason on head-fi. Excited to see their first 2016 launch.

Is this supposed to be the Manhattan Project or the other thing (can't remember what they were calling it).
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
Cool. I wasn't familiar with that company, so I really appreciate the reply. Since they're only $100 over here I'm currently leaning towards the Doppios come payday.

Be warned that the Doppio is extremely neutral, which isn't everyone's cup of tea.

The Tenore is a guaranteed good time.

Selling a like new Massdrop x AKG K7XX Red Edition if anyone is interested. Have to make room for my Purple Hearts.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=210136020&postcount=2710


Also, I have to say I'm sort of disappointed with how Massdrop handled the variant releases of the TH-X00. They have the Ebony up for sale before even getting the Purple Hearts in peoples hands. But what is really fucked up is that they cant cant cancel or switch orders meanwhile they have the folks they send these to early for reviews touting the Ebony variant as having the most "refined" sound. And that is another thing, it was sort of expected the sound signature might slightly change with each variant but the changes seem drastic especially in the case of the Purple Hearts in regards to bass. More bass is not everyone's cup of tea.
I guess you can't cancel do to them already being in the production phase?

It's pretty fucked up, tbh, and makes me glad I never got involved. I'd be beyond pissed if you started marketing a superior version of something I have on preorder.
 

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
Though really, ashtrays take the "refined" version thing from audio companies with a grain of salt.

Oldest trick in the book.
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
Though really, ashtrays take the "refined" version thing from audio companies with a grain of salt.

Oldest trick in the book.

It just seems cruel to play that psychological game, when people are locked in for orders of a supposedly "inferior" version.
 
Is this supposed to be the Manhattan Project or the other thing (can't remember what they were calling it).

It's not any of the previous products announced. There is so little info about it that nobody has a single clue what the hell it could be.

Jason said something about being small in size, but potentially big in impact.

With such a generic statement, there is no point to even try to guess :p
 

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
It just seems cruel to play that psychological game, when people are locked in for orders of a supposedly "inferior" version.

Like I've said though, it's just marketing. So much about audio resembles snake oil salesmen that you have to evaluate every bit of marketing, especially when the community falls for it so easily also.

There's also a matter of personal taste. What does more refined sounding even mean? More treble? Less bass? People might not want that.
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
Like I've said though, it's just marketing. So much about audio resembles snake oil salesmen that you have to evaluate every bit of marketing, especially when the community falls for it so easily also.

There's also a matter of personal taste. What does more refined sounding even mean? More treble? Less bass? People might not want that.

Sounds like "closer to neutral" to me, but that'd kinda defeat the purpose of what the X00 is supposed to be.

Only blind A/B testing will truly answer the question.
 
Don't think it is, Jason called this a 'small product' whatever that means

It's not any of the previous products announced. There is so little info about it that nobody has a single clue what the hell it could be.

Jason said something about being small in size, but potentially big in impact.

With such a generic statement, there is no point to even try to guess :p

That makes it sound like that new product that will be an addition to our chains. Neither a DAC or amp.

Watch it be a multibit Modi at $250.

It just seems cruel to play that psychological game, when people are locked in for orders of a supposedly "inferior" version.

I would say the purpleheart is the most unique. If I wanted neutral I'd just buy an hd600. I think this ebony drop is the weakest of the three in terms of excitement and hype. The low numbers it's pulling seems to support that. The purpleheart sold a thousand in a couple days.
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
Maybe they've simply tapped out the X00 market. After selling thousands upon thousands of the other cups, how many headphone enthusiasts are left for the Ebony?
 

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
Man, looking at my collection now, and with the savanna coming in, I've realised I've gone way too neutral and don't have anything that assaults you with bass ever since i sold the 2.5. the harmony comes close but it's still more the hi fi kind of bassy.

Thinking of getting an asg 1.5 or jvc ha-sz2000 just to have my bass assault again. Miss my 2.5s in a way but not looking to spend too much.
 

Jarmel

Banned
Depends what we're talking about. The DAC on the iPhone 6 is good. The amp on the other hand is pretty wimpy though you can't expect much since its a phone. You're looking at an amp with relatively high output impedance and low output voltage and power.

High output impedance wrecks havoc with multi-armature IEMs as their frequency response will change in response to the output impedance due to their crossovers. Low voltage/power means certain headphones will not sound loud enough or sound really flat. Your mileage may vary as always.

If you want to try that RSA amp, there's no harm in double amping provided you aren't clipping the signal or whatever. Basically the amplifier is seen as a high impedance load, which will inherently generate less distortion and noise than if you were powering a headphone. Probably not as good as straight through the Lightning port but probably good enough that you won't not notice a difference.

Thanks. Yea unfortunately the problem with going through the Lightning port is from what I've read is that you need a DAC in the cable process/transition and that could be of questionable quality. So I guess it's take a hit on the DAC side or the amp side.

I have an old RSA Mustang laying around somewhere so I dig it out at some point and see how it compares. I really loved my Mustang back in the day but it's such a PITA to carry around all the time.

Any advice about audio going out of a MBP?
 

Sh1ner

Member
Anyone know why HiResDes was banned? :(

He advised me to pick up my aurisonics asg-1's in 2012 which became my favorite headphones. Unfortunately they got bought out by Fender in 2016.

I think my cable is on the fritz but I assume fender won't stock aurisonic cables, the fenders version use a different socket type. So I can't use em.

Anyone got any recommendations for replacement headphones or where I can reach HiResDes? My budget is around £200 to £300, I absolutely love the soundstage that comes with these headphones. The fit is great as well. The only downside is the treble isn't as amazing as other headphones I have heard.

Anyone knows how fenders lineup compares?
 

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
Just buy a standard 2 pin connector? That's what they use. New fender stuff is MMCX but third party 2 pin cables are everywhere.

If you want the asg house sound with better treble at that price probably look at the fender FXA6. I have the aurisonics harmony which is the equivalent of the fxa7 I believe and I love their sound.

Personally thinking of picking up a asg1.5 myself for that bass.
 

Sh1ner

Member
Just buy a standard 2 pin connector? That's what they use. New fender stuff is MMCX but third party 2 pin cables are everywhere.

I had no idea they were a standard 2 pin connectors. :eek:

Thanks, I might do or I might just upgrade to a new pair of headphones. Currently undecided.
 

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
If you want to stay within the same house sound I'd probably consider the FXA6.

Or find an aurisonic asg-1plus for a more neutral yet musical take or try to score a used asg 2.5 for DAT BASS.
 

andylsun

Member
Anyone know why HiResDes was banned? :(

He advised me to pick up my aurisonics asg-1's in 2012 which became my favorite headphones. Unfortunately they got bought out by Fender in 2016.

I think my cable is on the fritz but I assume fender won't stock aurisonic cables, the fenders version use a different socket type. So I can't use em.

Anyone got any recommendations for replacement headphones or where I can reach HiResDes? My budget is around £200 to £300, I absolutely love the soundstage that comes with these headphones. The fit is great as well. The only downside is the treble isn't as amazing as other headphones I have heard.

Anyone knows how fenders lineup compares?

Contact Andy Rowley at Fender, he just sent me some new tips for the rockets I have. They fully support the older products. He came from aurisonics.

arowley@fender.com
 

NotSelf

Member
^ The DT 770 PRO are good close backs but the 250 ohms ver will definitely require a headphone amp the 30 ohm ver is $10 more on amazon.
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
The bass on this Fischer FA-011 is immense, I've never imagined an open headphone being this monstrous.

It's definitely what I needed to break out of this all neutral all day box in which I woke up. Nice to have an earphone that can damage my hearing.
 
^ The DT 770 PRO are good close backs but the 250 ohms ver will definitely require a headphone amp the 30 ohm ver is $10 more on amazon.

That's a $250 headphone up here. Way over my budget.

The bass on this Fischer FA-011 is immense, I've never imagined an open headphone being this monstrous.

It's definitely what I needed to break out of this all neutral all day box in which I woke up. Nice to have an earphone that can damage my hearing.

Doesn't seem like this is available in Canada at all.
 

Whales

Banned
hey guys

I'm more and more contemplating buying new headphones. These 30$ sony ones were nice but the quality on them is bad and they don't offer any isolation (which is what I really want the most)

I'd like them to be closed, offer nice isolation from outside sound, and the most important would be them being comfy too. I don't think that with my budget I could get all of those qualities + great sound quality, but I assume that the audio quality will still be a nice jump from my current cheap headphones

I also have big ears, so bonus points if the headphones accommodate that. Portability is also nice, because I commute like 1 hour and a half every day in metro/bus. They're basically going to be for school and studying, so I need to be able to put them in my bag properly

My budget would be 150 CAD, and i'd be willing to pay 200, or even 250 if the jump in quality from 150$ headphones to 250$ ones is worth it

Here's a headphone model my brother bought and I tried:

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B005LAIEN4/

The quality on them and sound isolation is really nice IMO, but the problem with them is that they're pretty heavy.. Wearing them for a long time starts hurting my neck and since i'll probably be wearing them like 5-6 hours a day, they're not good to me

Thanks for the help guys.
 

Hattori

Banned
Just returned the he-400s. It's an amazing sounding headphone, but I just don't feel comfortable with the build quality.

Is the he-560 built better, or does it have that cheap feeling to it?
 
Just returned the he-400s. It's an amazing sounding headphone, but I just don't feel comfortable with the build quality.

Is the he-560 built better, or does it have that cheap feeling to it?

Welcome to Hifiman. Even their $1800 HEX is built poorly. They hold together pretty well though if you treat them right. If you liked the sound of the 400s you should have just kept those.
 

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
It's kinda hard to say because mojo is actually purely a DAC. The DAC signal is directed straight to the earphones. So you can't actually use it as an amp. It does not accept analog signals.
 

Onemic

Member
How good are Audio-Technica ATH-M50x relative to the Sony MDR V6 and the Sony MDR V55? I wont be using any kind of DAC/AMP and will be mainly using it with my iPod.
 
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