Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
Eh, with the focal stuff on the scene in not sure if I'll be down with paying that much for typical hifiman build quality.
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The Official Headphone Thread 2.5: We're Making WAVs and Catching FLAC
- Thread starter HiResDes
- Start date
Chittagong
Gold Member
Thanks! Well, damn. I just got my V1s a month ago. Fortunately those changes don't sound too drastic to me. Besides, the softness was the draw for me anyway as if I wanted sharpness I would just go HD800s. And V1 soundstage should still be good, right?
Chittagong
Gold Member
Finally got my Bifrost today for my office setup - now Asgard 2, Bifrost and Fostex TH-600s, fed over optical out from the iMac.
Couldn't really hear a difference A/B testing Optical and USB for Bifrost, so I went Optical because of superstition (Schiit guys like it more) and to save a jack.
I've been previously running the Asgard 2 off a Modi 2 USB as I have been pretty sceptical about the difference a better DAC can make. I rather invested to an upgrade from my Magni to Asgard 2, as I thought amp would do most of the work.
Holy shit have I ever been wrong. The sound is much more pleasant, fuller and weirdly softer (in a good way, as in, a bit less harsh). Not a night and day difference, and not necessarily one to justify an upgrade, but enough of a difference to make me happy I got it.
SolarMystic
Member
Finally got my Bifrost today for my office setup - now Asgard 2, Bifrost and Fostex TH-600s, fed over optical out from the iMac.
Couldn't really hear a difference A/B testing Optical and USB for Bifrost, so I went Optical because of superstition (Schiit guys like it more) and to save a jack.
I've been previously running the Asgard 2 off a Modi 2 USB as I have been pretty sceptical about the difference a better DAC can make. I rather invested to an upgrade from my Magni to Asgard 2, as I thought amp would do most of the work.
Holy shit have I ever been wrong. The sound is much more pleasant, fuller and weirdly softer (in a good way, as in, a bit less harsh). Not a night and day difference, and not necessarily one to justify an upgrade, but enough of a difference to make me happy I got it.
4490? I noticed a decent change when coming from the 4396 Modi 2 Uber as well. The 4490 has more bloom in the bass which makes the difference pretty noticeable. I even felt my upgrade from my Modi to Bifrost was more noticeable than the upgrade from my Vali 2 to Valhalla 2 surprisingly.
Chittagong
Gold Member
Sorry forgot to mention, Bifrost Multibit. Surprising indeed, and makes me pretty excited about my future Yggdrasil/Ragnarok home rig, whenever they get around shipping it...
DeathByBacklog
Member
Headphone Deal
Philips SHP9500 is on sale at newegg.ca for $75.
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produc...38190-L0G&_ga=1.168961958.66474720.1466467890
Philips SHP9500 is on sale at newegg.ca for $75.
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produc...38190-L0G&_ga=1.168961958.66474720.1466467890
Tony Iron Man Stark
Banned
DeathByBacklog
Member
On amazon.ca it's $160. Newegg.ca is $75 Canadian. That works out to $58.06 US.
SolarMystic
Member
I really liked my multibit bifrost for the brief time I had it. I sold it in favor of keeping my black 4490 bifrost and the hopes that a new upgrade would become available soon.
killertofu
Member
Headphone GAF: I'm looking for suggestions for a noise cancelling headphone.
I work at a production company and my trusty ATH-M50X has served me well for the most part but my office doesn't have a door and when our company has shoots over, the noise of everyone moving around is pretty annoying when I have deadlines.
Is there a set of headphones anyone can recommend? I'm not 100 percent sure how they work, I just remember a Bose set my sister had that had to be turned on? If there are sets that can flick a button and remove all the outside noise, that would be even better.
I work at a production company and my trusty ATH-M50X has served me well for the most part but my office doesn't have a door and when our company has shoots over, the noise of everyone moving around is pretty annoying when I have deadlines.
Is there a set of headphones anyone can recommend? I'm not 100 percent sure how they work, I just remember a Bose set my sister had that had to be turned on? If there are sets that can flick a button and remove all the outside noise, that would be even better.
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
Not sure how the exact sound situation is at your office, but noise cancellation is often more effective at blocking out constant drone noises (like day, an airplane) than noises that vary in pitches.
twinturbo2
butthurt Heat fan
So, I got the XL earpads for my V-Moda M100s, and I took off the old earpads and I see earwax on the drivers. How do I clean this off?
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
Does the Zero audio have a massive midbass hump? If it doesn't I would say that it sounds nothing like the shozy zero.
Sleeping Lesson
Member
Seeing a lot of complaints (and pictures) on Head-Fi too. Such a shame, I really like the look of the Purple Hearts.
SolarMystic
Member
The mahogany had this issue on some as well. I wonder if the emu cups are better coated.
Kudo
Member
I'm so glad now I didn't drop my mahoganies for them, dodged a bullet.
GUYS
GUYS
GUYS- the hype is real!!!!!!!!
I modified MY Philips SHP9500 with the Tulon cups and Alpha pads. In a word - these things have transformed. The headphones now have the sound signature of HE500s, the amazing vocals of the Shp9500, and a Soundstage even larger than the Fidelio X2s. The only downside is they have a slight unrefinement to them, and they look ugly as hell.
BUT I LITERALLY CONVERTED MY 50 dollar headphones into something that is quite similar to 400+ dollar headphones. It's blowing my mind. This is the greatest discovery I've made in headphones to date. I am. Legit. Blown. Away.
GUYS
GUYS- the hype is real!!!!!!!!
I modified MY Philips SHP9500 with the Tulon cups and Alpha pads. In a word - these things have transformed. The headphones now have the sound signature of HE500s, the amazing vocals of the Shp9500, and a Soundstage even larger than the Fidelio X2s. The only downside is they have a slight unrefinement to them, and they look ugly as hell.
BUT I LITERALLY CONVERTED MY 50 dollar headphones into something that is quite similar to 400+ dollar headphones. It's blowing my mind. This is the greatest discovery I've made in headphones to date. I am. Legit. Blown. Away.
For reference, yellow is the stock SHP-9500 and blue is the SHP-9500 with Tulon 3D printed cups and Alpha pads.
Measurements seem useful until 6khz, where there seems to be treble roll off in the measurements.
Its basically a Grado that doesn't use sandpaper for earpads. Make of that what you will.
Measurements seem useful until 6khz, where there seems to be treble roll off in the measurements.
Its basically a Grado that doesn't use sandpaper for earpads. Make of that what you will.
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
Goddamn at that 1k spike,
BTW Guys I just saw the review Zeos did on the SHP9500s - I can 100% backup what he's saying:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ET9TWgel7ec
I don't know if I'd honestly compare the sound to Grado's. I know the measurements are measurements, and I did a tiny bit of EQing (I know to some people it sounds like a cardinal sin - but sometimes a little EQ goes a long way)- but they legitimately are some of the funnest cans I have EVER heard. The bass is on point, the detail is there, and the soundstage is spectacular. Gaming on it is absolutely heavenly.
Are they the most accurate thing on the planet? Nah, but neither are the X2s. The craziest thing is the sense of detail these things can pull out. I'm legitimately suprised at how good they are in that sense.
Give it a shot anyway! The headphones are cheap as nails. To me- The vocals come in quite well actually, that's my favorite part of the headphone. They really don't sound like Grados which are sibilant to the point of irritation. Once again YMMV but this is essentially something like the Fidelio X2s on steroids with an HE500 sound signature.
The strangest thing though is - whenever I listen to these guys on a "headphone" amp - it really doesn't do much. They can be powered to near full effect on soemthing as awful as the Vita.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ET9TWgel7ec
For reference, yellow is the stock SHP-9500 and blue is the SHP-9500 with Tulon 3D printed cups and Alpha pads.
Measurements seem useful until 6khz, where there seems to be treble roll off in the measurements.
Its basically a Grado that doesn't use sandpaper for earpads. Make of that what you will.
I don't know if I'd honestly compare the sound to Grado's. I know the measurements are measurements, and I did a tiny bit of EQing (I know to some people it sounds like a cardinal sin - but sometimes a little EQ goes a long way)- but they legitimately are some of the funnest cans I have EVER heard. The bass is on point, the detail is there, and the soundstage is spectacular. Gaming on it is absolutely heavenly.
Are they the most accurate thing on the planet? Nah, but neither are the X2s. The craziest thing is the sense of detail these things can pull out. I'm legitimately suprised at how good they are in that sense.
Give it a shot anyway! The headphones are cheap as nails. To me- The vocals come in quite well actually, that's my favorite part of the headphone. They really don't sound like Grados which are sibilant to the point of irritation. Once again YMMV but this is essentially something like the Fidelio X2s on steroids with an HE500 sound signature.
The strangest thing though is - whenever I listen to these guys on a "headphone" amp - it really doesn't do much. They can be powered to near full effect on soemthing as awful as the Vita.
There's nothing wrong with liking them but proclaiming them as being as good as $400 headphones when all they're doing is boosting the mid-bass hump (i.e. creating impact) and creating a 1-2khz peak (hence Grado comment since they do that shit so their $1 drivers sound "hi-fi") is dangerous as hell. Dangerous in that you're giving people Head-Fi/Zeos level of advice.
I mean...if your argument is that they sound detailed, the bass sounds dynamic, and most importantly it sounds fun, you could make an argument that Koss KSC-75s with a $2 headband mod are as good as $200 headphones because they do all of that despite costing only $13 on Amazon right now. But we know that isn't true because more expensive headphones that are competently designed (real rare) improve in smoothness, timbre quality, positioning, decreased distortion, bass extension (not impact), etc. These are still SHP9500 drivers in the SHP9500 enclosure at the end of the day.
What you've found out is not that they're just as good as $400 headphones. You've found a sound signature that you prefer over the Hifiman you presumably own, which are far more linear in in their bass nor have 1-2khz peaks (actually the majority of their headphones have an intentional roll off from 1khz).
I mean...if your argument is that they sound detailed, the bass sounds dynamic, and most importantly it sounds fun, you could make an argument that Koss KSC-75s with a $2 headband mod are as good as $200 headphones because they do all of that despite costing only $13 on Amazon right now. But we know that isn't true because more expensive headphones that are competently designed (real rare) improve in smoothness, timbre quality, positioning, decreased distortion, bass extension (not impact), etc. These are still SHP9500 drivers in the SHP9500 enclosure at the end of the day.
What you've found out is not that they're just as good as $400 headphones. You've found a sound signature that you prefer over the Hifiman you presumably own, which are far more linear in in their bass nor have 1-2khz peaks (actually the majority of their headphones have an intentional roll off from 1khz).
Seems like the biggest issue is the bubble wrap leaving marks on the lacquer finish because it wasn't allowed to dry properly.
I'm staggered at how stupid that is, especially when half the selling point of the product is for the cosmetics. Tarnishing the cups with bubble wrap because the lacquer wasn't allowed to set, really?
EDIT: Someone on Headfi finally posted a pic that clearly shows it.
Embarrassing.
Kudo
Member
You'd think headphones of this price weren't made so carelessly but alas. That looks awful, have they told people how will they compensate it?
Yes, yes they are. Another of those cases where all the praise they get is not hyperbole.
I'm done with headphones after the thx00, though they leave me wanting to listen phones with sweater mids.
I've heard oppo pm1s, lcd2, lcd x and other expensive phones and I don't care about spending that much for what they're giving me.
Thx00 fulfill my basic requirements that I've been looking for a while, and that's good enough for me.
Ok GAF, I've think I've settle it down to three options for high quality, bluetooth (aptX) headphones with ANC:
A. Bose QC 35
B. Sennheiser PXC 550
C. Sennheiser Momentum 2 Wireless with ANC
As far as I can tell they rank in sound quality as:
C, B, A
And Active Noise Cancelation and comfort as:
A, B, C
Just how much worse will the PXC 550 sound than the momentum 2s?
A. Bose QC 35
B. Sennheiser PXC 550
C. Sennheiser Momentum 2 Wireless with ANC
As far as I can tell they rank in sound quality as:
C, B, A
And Active Noise Cancelation and comfort as:
A, B, C
Just how much worse will the PXC 550 sound than the momentum 2s?
Hows the sound stage on them? I was going to get the TX00's but the cables are non-removable and for that- I got wet feet. Is there any model that comes close to them that isn't "Massdrop" quality and offers a user replacable cable?
I sold my HD650s this year when I got my Fidelio X2s. Currently I'm in love with my Modded SHP9500s // Fidelio X2s because I can drive them out of a Vita, and they provide a amazing fidelity without dipping my toes into the "amplifier" territory. I'm one of those morons that loves buying big headphones and driving them out of portable sources (Fiio X3 is a beast btw) because I like listening and walking.
Current headphones I'm looking at are:
1) Anything Fostex, still learning
2) HE400s / HE400i
3) AD1000
4) K7XX
5) Anything under 500 that offers something unique / different.
All of those headphones...sound completely different. You don't even need to listen to them to know they're wildly different. You really need to figure out what you want exactly or you're just going to sit around in that Mid-Fi purgatory indefinitely.
Hifiman headphones are meant to provide linear bass, not thumpy midbass, which isn't what you want judging by your preferences.
Audio Technica? Forget about it. Same goes with that AKG.
It's why 99% of the time I only care about reviews that provide or reference measurements. Unless I know your listening preferences very well, anyone's impressions outside of stuff like comfort, build quality and ergonomics isnt terribly useful to base expensive purchases off.
Hifiman headphones are meant to provide linear bass, not thumpy midbass, which isn't what you want judging by your preferences.
Audio Technica? Forget about it. Same goes with that AKG.
It's why 99% of the time I only care about reviews that provide or reference measurements. Unless I know your listening preferences very well, anyone's impressions outside of stuff like comfort, build quality and ergonomics isnt terribly useful to base expensive purchases off.
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
Got my forza audioworks cable in. Other than the neutrik plug being too big for my phone's case (not a big deal to me), I seriously love it.
CarbonatedFalcon
Member
So I looked at some of the stuff in the OP, but still can't find what I want. Looking to see options for audiophile headphones in the $60-$80 range that I could combine with a V-Moda Boompro for a total cost of ~$100-$120. Some of the better ones I was looking at are closer to $150, but with the Boompro (and they'd have to be compatible in the first place with a detachable cable) as well I'd want something cheaper. So any suggestions for that?
Otherwise I was looking at getting a new gaming headset, maybe a Steelseries that would be about equivalent in price.
Otherwise I was looking at getting a new gaming headset, maybe a Steelseries that would be about equivalent in price.
There aren't many that cheap that are compatible, your best bet are probably a used pair of M-Audio Q40. It isn't enough that the headphones have a detachable cable if the opening is too recessed the cable still won't fit.
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
Seriously, this FAW cable is shockingly free of microphonics. None even when I deliberately rub it against my shirt. Quite amazing really.
Also man why don't more iem manufacturers use L shape plugs? They're so much more ergonomic.
Also man why don't more iem manufacturers use L shape plugs? They're so much more ergonomic.
hi guys, looking for a headphone stand for my new Bose QuietComfort 35's
Can I do better than this?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MCVOILM/?tag=neogaf0e-20
do you even need a stand for wireless headphones? lol D:
Can I do better than this?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MCVOILM/?tag=neogaf0e-20
do you even need a stand for wireless headphones? lol D:
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
I mean you can go ridiculous and get an omega stand for your Bose but yeah, it's a stand. There's not much to it other than looks really.
I use a cup holder fort mine.
I use a cup holder fort mine.
So I've been looking for an upgrade for my aging HD600. I've tested out the HD800 and while the sound-stage blew me away, everything else sounded pretty much equal to my HD600.
Instead of going for something bigger, I decided to look into IEMs instead. Does anybody here have any experience with the Noble Kaiser 10/10u? They're custom made, so getting my hands on them for testing in Malaysia can be difficult.
Instead of going for something bigger, I decided to look into IEMs instead. Does anybody here have any experience with the Noble Kaiser 10/10u? They're custom made, so getting my hands on them for testing in Malaysia can be difficult.
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
They're nothing like the hd600.
For something closer give the savanna a listen? Or the mee p1. You have a haven in majestatis right?
TH-610, but the price is crazy. thx00 has a weird soundstage. I've increased mine with alpha pads, depth and positioning of the pads relative to your ear affects soundstage a lot. It isn't as wide as open headphones and isn't as small as closed or most planar phones.
My thx00 complements my k7xx, but I'm too lazy to switch headphones around for games etc usually. All of the ones you've listed are very different. You have to narrow down your needs and demo more headphones.
Just read some reviews of the P1 and it looks really promising. I'll see if my local audio shop has some in store.
That said, I'm still interested in getting my hands on the cream of the crop. Back when I was poor I had to save for months to buy the HD600s and now I'm not holding back.
Is there something better than the K10, or are those the top IEMs available?
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
Goddamn at my autocorrect. Meant to ask if you can go visit jaben in malaysia for an audition.
Being honest with you, at some point it's more about the prefered signature than any technicalities. K10 is warmer and thicker than your average BA with a slight hint of sparkle on top. I kinda think the savanna is on equal terms with the K10 when it comes to technicalities, just if you prefer something neutral or something warm.
For thick and warm though my grail is the MH334. Lovely bass, lovely mids, lovely stage presentation, insane price. I'll have it one day though....
If you don't want to hold back you can also have a look at the campfire andromedas, which has been described as the HD600 with a subbass boost, and also has very good detail retrieval.
The P1 is pretty good but there's still that bit of upper midrange grain which holds me back from loving it.
For myself my daily driver is the aurisonics harmony, which is lovely in that it has great bass, great details and with vocal presentation only bested by the MH334 to my ears, but they can be hard to find. Apparently the Fender FXA7 is the spiritual successor to it.
Being honest with you, at some point it's more about the prefered signature than any technicalities. K10 is warmer and thicker than your average BA with a slight hint of sparkle on top. I kinda think the savanna is on equal terms with the K10 when it comes to technicalities, just if you prefer something neutral or something warm.
For thick and warm though my grail is the MH334. Lovely bass, lovely mids, lovely stage presentation, insane price. I'll have it one day though....
If you don't want to hold back you can also have a look at the campfire andromedas, which has been described as the HD600 with a subbass boost, and also has very good detail retrieval.
The P1 is pretty good but there's still that bit of upper midrange grain which holds me back from loving it.
For myself my daily driver is the aurisonics harmony, which is lovely in that it has great bass, great details and with vocal presentation only bested by the MH334 to my ears, but they can be hard to find. Apparently the Fender FXA7 is the spiritual successor to it.
Thanks for the recommendations! So much has changed since I bought my HD600 and it's overwhelming me
There's a small Jaben shop in Penang so I'll check that out.
Xander51
Member
The QC35's don't support AptX, so if that's an absolute must, you should take them off your list. They're by far the most comfy on your list though, easily the best for long-wearing/travel applications.
Dreams-Visions
Member
Got my Purple Hearts today. No finish issues here. They sound great. I can now give my D7000's a rest. They've been my daily drivers since what? 2010? Literally every day. God bless those cans.
edit: looked over them again. perfect.
edit: looked over them again. perfect.