oyoshimaru
Member
Im buying my girlfriend some earphones and need some recommendations. I wanna stay around 50-70 dollars but I keep reading about how good the Shure 215 is. Is it worth paying the extra 30-50 dollars?
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The Official Headphone Thread 2.5: We're Making WAVs and Catching FLAC
- Thread starter HiResDes
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PastorOfMuppets
Banned
Can anyone tell me some details on what those two things in the picture are? Reddit was no help and I don't feel like making an account on Head-Fi.
I picked them up along with a Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro on the cheap (not pictured) over the weekend along with an HD598 - which I already had, he just wasn't gonna sell me the entire thing without both headphones. Everything came out to $300. Everything works and it sounds great but there's very little info I can find on the other items I bought. The Amp on top is, according to the seller, a Chinese clone of the Beyerdynamic A1 Amp. It's called the FA-1 Pro and supposedly uses the most of the same materials made in the A1. The only significant difference is that it has two headphone jacks, one is labelled Low - presumably for Low resistance headphones and the other is labelled High. Googling didn't give me many results except a few short anecdotal experiences on some random forums with the amp and an Ebay listing that is selling it for £150.
The thing on the bottom is a giant DAC. The casing has the company logo Leming and the model is an LM-3. There's even less information on this thing, Googling yielded me a bunch of Chinese and Russian websites. The one English forum says it's a DIY DAC. My computer lists it as a 96 Khz DAC and it supports 24/96 Khz sound output. Beyond that I got nothing.
I was split between getting this setup or trying or buying a pair of HD600 on Craigslist for $300 and trying to power it on my FiiO e17. I ended up picking the more economical but risky option and buying the setup. I sold my HD598 and FiiO e17 to buy this and now I have a setup that includes an HD598, DT990 and these two unknown Chinese things.
Everything I bought works amazingly well. I'd just like to get some more details on the equipment. The headphones are easy to find information on, it's the amp and DAC. I actually prefer the DT990's, despite being way less comfortable than my HD598's and will probably end up selling the additional HD598's anyways since I don't need two headphones.
I picked them up along with a Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro on the cheap (not pictured) over the weekend along with an HD598 - which I already had, he just wasn't gonna sell me the entire thing without both headphones. Everything came out to $300. Everything works and it sounds great but there's very little info I can find on the other items I bought. The Amp on top is, according to the seller, a Chinese clone of the Beyerdynamic A1 Amp. It's called the FA-1 Pro and supposedly uses the most of the same materials made in the A1. The only significant difference is that it has two headphone jacks, one is labelled Low - presumably for Low resistance headphones and the other is labelled High. Googling didn't give me many results except a few short anecdotal experiences on some random forums with the amp and an Ebay listing that is selling it for £150.
The thing on the bottom is a giant DAC. The casing has the company logo Leming and the model is an LM-3. There's even less information on this thing, Googling yielded me a bunch of Chinese and Russian websites. The one English forum says it's a DIY DAC. My computer lists it as a 96 Khz DAC and it supports 24/96 Khz sound output. Beyond that I got nothing.
I was split between getting this setup or trying or buying a pair of HD600 on Craigslist for $300 and trying to power it on my FiiO e17. I ended up picking the more economical but risky option and buying the setup. I sold my HD598 and FiiO e17 to buy this and now I have a setup that includes an HD598, DT990 and these two unknown Chinese things.
Everything I bought works amazingly well. I'd just like to get some more details on the equipment. The headphones are easy to find information on, it's the amp and DAC. I actually prefer the DT990's, despite being way less comfortable than my HD598's and will probably end up selling the additional HD598's anyways since I don't need two headphones.
Looking for decently durable workout in ear buds. I had a pair of Thinksound MS01 I really enjoyed but they kinda wore out - the casing separated probably from sweat. Would be mostly used while running and lifting weights, I don't mind wires. Can spend up to 150 or so, could go higher for a huge utility boost. I don't mind a warmer sound and don't need huge bass. Really appreciate any suggestions!
For $300, what you got probably wasn't completely terrible. The Beyerdynamic A1 is pretty mediocre like a lot of high priced solid state amps out on the market. They sound "good" with Beyerdynamic headphones because the A1 has like 100+ ohms output impedance. This essentially serves as a EQ boost at 100hz for Beyerdynamic and Sennheiser headphones. Your Beyerdynamic A1 clone seems to have a low and high output impedance option (low and high output jacks???) so the Chinese have probably done one better than Beyerdynamic did.
The quality of Chinese clones are extremely variable so its hard to say if you got your money's worth. Really, the Chinese either clone things incorrectly (the infamous Krell KSA-5 clone that sounds nothing alike) or achieve questionable clones of overpriced solid state hardware, like your Beyerdynamics, Lehmanns and Violectrics. Sometimes the clones are bad and remain unknown while sometimes the Chinese actually do it better like with the Matrix M-Stage.
Generally, I don't see a point getting stuck in the mid-fi purgatory but $300 for all that isn't completely terrible.
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
Man, it seems like shit is going down with the light harmonic geek wave crowdfund.
That is going to be a pretty good deal no matter how you look at it. $300 for two decent pairs of hwsphobws, a DAC and an amp is peanuts.
Drama Zed Nod
Member
Boyz (maybe the odd girl?)
Are there any strong oppinions for / against the this:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0079KWSF4/
I will be connecting Philips Fidelo X2 cans to it (and the dac to my pc)
Are there any strong oppinions for / against the this:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0079KWSF4/
I will be connecting Philips Fidelo X2 cans to it (and the dac to my pc)
In short definitely not. The Shure 215 was once a great value, but now it's just kind of middling unless you need crazy good isolation, which the Shure definitely offers with its airtight seal.
I think there are quite a few IEMs that can compete with the Shure 215 or best it within your price range including things like: Ostry KC06a, Fidue A65, ADV Sound M4, Soundmagic E80, JVC HA-FXD80, Bette 1+1, Macaw GT100s etc.
If you're going to be working out in them I'd personally steer clear of buying anything that expensive as even the most durable in ear monitor can be damaged if something goes wrong in the gym or while running outside. With that being said I'd definitely pick something either extraordinarily cheap like the Xiaomi Piston 3 or something a little bit more, but not too expensive like the Fidue A65, Rock It Sounds R-30, or ADV Sound M4, which have really solid cables and strain reliefs.
Noise cancelling is good if you're constantly mowing the lawn or flying on airplanes, but if you're just out in public or on the bus or somewhere that doesn't have a lot of constant loud background noise the usual sacrifice of sound quality/clarity for noise active noise cancelling makes them a poor value compared to competitively priced passive-isolating closed headphones.
I'm surprised that there is a headphone thread.... but is just exactly what I needed.
Could I have some recommendations for good quality headphones specially ones that I could run with?
I used some old ones that kind of "clips" to your ears, they where OK but sometimes my ears would hurt...
Any recommendations? Thanks!
Could I have some recommendations for good quality headphones specially ones that I could run with?
I used some old ones that kind of "clips" to your ears, they where OK but sometimes my ears would hurt...
Any recommendations? Thanks!
opticalmace
Member
I don't know any but you should maybe specify your budget. I'm guessing no one wants to run with really expensive 'phones though, anyway...
True, then something about 20-50 bucks?
Koss KSC75, shrugs
My friend uses these, even they are over-ear and swears by their comfort and durability - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003VNKKV2/?tag=neogaf0e-20
My friend uses these, even they are over-ear and swears by their comfort and durability - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003VNKKV2/?tag=neogaf0e-20
oyoshimaru
Member
Thank you for the suggestions! I am gonna go for the Ostry KC06a for the price and the ability to place them over ear as well.
Got these today:
Sound very different to what I currently own (B&W P7 and Momentum S2). Looking forward to burning them in and seeing how they hold up, but the sound is extremely rich in the mid--range especially. Highs are realllllllly clean, but not as pronounced as my current headphones.
The packaging is probably the best I've ever seen for a pair of headphones too.
Sound very different to what I currently own (B&W P7 and Momentum S2). Looking forward to burning them in and seeing how they hold up, but the sound is extremely rich in the mid--range especially. Highs are realllllllly clean, but not as pronounced as my current headphones.
The packaging is probably the best I've ever seen for a pair of headphones too.
Its basically lh.txt at this point. The Geek Out is pretty sweet but man do they screw up every single crowdfund product they've done.
What's been going on recently? I've not seen much crazier than usual?
For gym use, I used a pair of Sony Vita earbuds. Sealed well, surprisingly good sound and only $20 if they get trashed. I also like the sennheiser adidas sports. Again cheap, sounds good and a 2 year warranty.
We have this one at the store. Amazing pair of headphones.
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
Huh, and they keep getting away with it?
It sounds alright if you EQ the bass down. Probably not worth $600 USD (seriously, headphones are poor value past $400 unless you absolutely cannot use speakers) but its actually good when you make sure the bass doesn't bleed into the midrange.
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
Eh, I just find my lifestyle not suited to speakers. I even prefer to listen on my portable devices at home.
Though by that token my life isn't really suited to full fledged headphones either.
Though by that token my life isn't really suited to full fledged headphones either.
Nad viso hp50 are like $250 here... Great value IMO.
We have that one for 299 euros. Every other shop too by the way, that's just the standard given by NAD. But yeah, that's a nice pair of headphones, though I'm not a fan of the design.
But that Viso 1 is just a terrible boombox imo. I demo that thing quite often and everytime I just get annoyed by how it sounds. But the people who buy that thing are mainly just about the design and having something to play music on trough bluetooth. They're not interested in speakers etc.
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
Although apparently there a mod out there for the oppo pm3 called the audio zenith pmx2 that is tuned to reproduce sound that is like a speaker in a well tuned room.
That's kinda how the NAD are designed. They don't exactly succeed, but great effort imo
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
They look so goofy though.
I use my X2s with the Micca OriGen which some have said
https://youtu.be/yxoU-oA6Z_c
I guess I'm all aboard the Z Reviews train - hope he's not a misguided shill anyway.
Went with the Xiaomi Piston 3. Thanks for the tip though.
Bought it at Merimobiles where I had some MM points to redeem, so price went down to $14.99 including shipping.
Basically Kickstarter is officially starting to cracking down on products that don't have a real working prototype. That is, consumers won't get charged if you haven't done fuck all to produce what you promised.
But guess what...Light Harmonic can continue their pyramid scheme because they're on Indiegogo and Indiegogo has a no refund policy when the goal and perks have been met. Same problem with that Audeze amplifier Indiegogo campaign where they offer a 30 day satisfaction policy but you can't return it through Indiegogo because...well you're not allowed to.
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
Is chord capable of creating anything that doesn't look ridiculous and chunky?
Feels like they could cut down over half the depth of the mojo if they stopped using those gigantic light balls.
Feels like they could cut down over half the depth of the mojo if they stopped using those gigantic light balls.
j0hnny_385
Member
What would be a good replacement for Apple Earpods?
I need something for my OnePlus 2 phone, ideally in the Earpod price range and feature set (volume control, answer call, etc.)
I need something for my OnePlus 2 phone, ideally in the Earpod price range and feature set (volume control, answer call, etc.)
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
Meelec M-duo if you want a bassier sound.
Meelec A151P 2nd gen if you a more detailed and balanced sound.
Trinity hyperion if you want something seriously tiny and low profile.
If you want earphones instead of IEMs then err... dunno.
Meelec A151P 2nd gen if you a more detailed and balanced sound.
Trinity hyperion if you want something seriously tiny and low profile.
If you want earphones instead of IEMs then err... dunno.
Bloodember
Member
Do you want an iem or ear buds?
What kind of music do you listen too?
Hmmm, seems like massively missed dates and not even a working prototype. My hunch: somebody underestimated the software side of this. Or maybe offering 5 models from the get go was a bit far reaching?
Who knows.
Btw, I am finally basically done with my DIY speaker setup at the moment and VERY happy. DSP plus going closed cabinet, some toeing in was the final touch that was needed. Awesomeness for 1200 :-D
Headphone wise, had a listen to the new Oppos, pretty neat. But will have to come back with my own stuff to audition, will report in time
j0hnny_385
Member
Earbuds definitely. No noise cancellation/isolation.
I listen mostly to movie/videogame soundtracks (so orchestral) and metal.
Been reading about Xiaomi Piston 3. Seem great for the price.
Trouble is finding one that's genuine.
Bloodember
Member
OK, the piston 3 are in ear though. Penonaudio.com carries them and many others. Check them out.
Those aren't ear buds as others have said. Tiny Deal is another site with legit ones.
j0hnny_385
Member
:/
Whoops.
They seem great for the price so I can look past that they're earbuds.
I think I'll order one. Its only $25 so might as well try them out.
Celcius
°Temp. member
Since this is basically the neogaf hi-fi thread, does anyone know of any good sites to buy FLAC music and only individual songs?
For example, let's say that I wanted to buy FLAC versions of "Downtown" by Macklemore and "Chandelier" by Sia without having to buy the entire album. Any ideas?
For example, let's say that I wanted to buy FLAC versions of "Downtown" by Macklemore and "Chandelier" by Sia without having to buy the entire album. Any ideas?
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
Bandcamp, but I don't think you'll find stuff like downtown on there.
Seriously though, I cannot tell the difference.
Seriously though, I cannot tell the difference.
I'm in the market for new quality headphones for work, currently I listen to metal music at high volume and I absolutely need that no sound is leaked to the outside since the office is very quiet and I don't want to disturb the people near me with my music.
What do you recommend guys? I'm looking to spend max 200$ but if there's a more expensive better alternative I would like to know about it as well
To resume, high quality headphones/earphones that leak as less sound as possible, thanks!
Edit: Not sure if it's relevant but I work in a Macbook Pro
What do you recommend guys? I'm looking to spend max 200$ but if there's a more expensive better alternative I would like to know about it as well
To resume, high quality headphones/earphones that leak as less sound as possible, thanks!
Edit: Not sure if it's relevant but I work in a Macbook Pro
Bloodember
Member
HDtracks.com is a good place to buy .flac, they just don't have the two artists you asked about at this time though. They are adding new artists and albums all the time.
HDTracks quality is quite variable. Someone said somewhere that HDTracks are basically selling premium brand cereals with zero consumer information on the box. So you could be getting repackaged Kellogg's Corn Flakes at 10 times the cost and half the weight and you wouldn't know.
Like if I'm searching for, say, a copy of Hotel California, I want to know if its using the original mastering tapes and who the producer and the mastering engineer are at the very least. I can't find any of this information on their website. Until they provide this information, I'm going to say that its not worth your money. What matters if the quality of the master and I can't find anything about this on their website so . . .
If we're going to be fussing about formats and bits and sampling rate, we might as well fuss about something far more indicative of sound quality like the actual master. Really, HDTracks gets whatever they get given and they will release that as the end product. So you might get something good, you might get something decent, and you might get something like Van Halen's discography whose 24/96 master is 100% identical to the 24/196 master (zero output when put through a null test), and does not exceed 22khz.
Like if I'm searching for, say, a copy of Hotel California, I want to know if its using the original mastering tapes and who the producer and the mastering engineer are at the very least. I can't find any of this information on their website. Until they provide this information, I'm going to say that its not worth your money. What matters if the quality of the master and I can't find anything about this on their website so . . .
If we're going to be fussing about formats and bits and sampling rate, we might as well fuss about something far more indicative of sound quality like the actual master. Really, HDTracks gets whatever they get given and they will release that as the end product. So you might get something good, you might get something decent, and you might get something like Van Halen's discography whose 24/96 master is 100% identical to the 24/196 master (zero output when put through a null test), and does not exceed 22khz.
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
I never get the point of going that high anyway. There's barely any useful audio frequency approaching 20kHz, let alone going over it.