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

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SolarMystic

Member
Just got my hands on the Oppo PM-3, will have these for about a week to demo and write a review. First impression, "Wow, these are tiny!". Wasn't quite expecting them to be so small.

Have only been listening for about 20 minutes, so I'll hold off on any impressions for awhile.
 
S

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
I listen to a lot of music and podcasts at night, and watch documentaries to lull me to sleep. With that in mind I just grabbed a pair of "sleepphones" and I'm astonished at how well they work. Good quality audio and ridiculously comfortable. Ususally something like this would be massively compromised, but they're great. However, you will look like a total dork. Or more accurately, like Vince Vaughn.

A3kPsjl.jpg
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Mine have a cable, but they come in wireless too.
 
S

SolarMystic

Member
Stinkles said:
I listen to a lot of music and podcasts at night, and watch documentaries to lull me to sleep. With that in mind I just grabbed a pair of "sleepphones" and I'm astonished at how well they work. Good quality audio and ridiculously comfortable. Ususally something like this would be massively compromised, but they're great. However, you will look like a total dork. Or more accurately, like Vince Vaughn.





Mine have a cable, but they come in wireless too.
Click to expand...

I never knew something like this even existed. Looks comfy and I wouldn't have to have the fear of strangling myself in my sleep from my IEM cords, Ha!
 
S

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
SolarMystic said:
I never knew something like this even existed. Looks comfy and I wouldn't have to have the fear of strangling myself in my sleep from my IEM cords, Ha!
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I thought about this at 7:38am this morning. "I wonder if there's such a thing as sleep headphones?" One google search later I discovered they existed. 38 minutes after that, thanks to the power of Amazon NOW, I was wearing them. That's right, 8:30am, on a Sunday.


WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE!!

The actual acoustic quality is great - nice midrange with surprisingly decent bass response. They're not exactly audiophile quality for obvious reasons, but they're honestly not far off. I'd LOVE to use them on a plane but I would look like an idiot. You can remove the phones and machine wash the band too. Only downside is very slight noise leaking, but no more than any other over-ear setup.
 
D

DagsJT

Member
Ultimadrago said:
The X2's are so comfy I almost feel like using them for giant earmuffs outside (you know, aside from the whole open ear thing).
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I keep reading about people saying how comfy they are but I've not got a large head and find them tighter than I'd like. Hopefully they'll loosen over time.
 
D

DagsJT

Member
HiResDes said:
I think you're in denial about your head size.
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Haha, honestly it's really not a large head at all. The X2's aren't tight as such, just tighter than I'd like. I'm pretty sure my old K612's weren't as tight but I could be wrong.

Does anyone have any thought on pairing a Mixamp with a Cayin C5?
 
H

Hazaku

Member
What are considered to be top tier portable cans nowadays? Have DT1350s, Amperiors and KEF M500s in my inventory.

Don't really have a preference for sound signatures. They basically need to survive in my backpack and be easily driven by my clip+ and phone.
 
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HiResDes

Member
Hazaku said:
What are considered to be top tier portable cans nowadays? Have DT1350s, Amperiors and KEF M500s in my inventory.

Don't really have a preference for sound signatures. They basically need to survive in my backpack and be easily driven by my clip+ and phone.
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Oppo PM-3 or the Mikros 90 in the sub 200 range.
 
S

SolarMystic

Member
DagsJT said:
I keep reading about people saying how comfy they are but I've not got a large head and find them tighter than I'd like. Hopefully they'll loosen over time.
Click to expand...

Don't ever buy the X1 then! If it is a clamping issue, it is safe to stretch out the headband on the X2.

SteveO409 said:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O2Y2MZG/?tag=neogaf0e-20


Several Amazon Warehouse Deals for the Philips Fidelio X2 for $147.34 and free shipping. Rated "Good" but I never had any issues buying from AWD before
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Item is under review for new product. The X2 has been having a major QC issue the past couple months. Though at $150 these are a steal and worth the risk, since amazon has such a great return policy.
 
Soodanim

Soodanim

Gold Member
Stinkles said:
I listen to a lot of music and podcasts at night, and watch documentaries to lull me to sleep. With that in mind I just grabbed a pair of "sleepphones" and I'm astonished at how well they work. Good quality audio and ridiculously comfortable. Ususally something like this would be massively compromised, but they're great. However, you will look like a total dork. Or more accurately, like Vince Vaughn.


Mine have a cable, but they come in wireless too.
Click to expand...
I went a different route that probably doesn't belong in this thread, but thanks to an Amazon Lightning deal I got a pillow with a speaker for £10. Obviously the sound that reaches your ears isn't quite audiophile level, but for sticking on a podcast at night it's ideal.
 
A

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
SixFourMike said:
I went a different route that probably doesn't belong in this thread, but thanks to an Amazon Lightning deal I got a pillow with a speaker for £10. Obviously the sound that reaches your ears isn't quite audiophile level, but for sticking on a podcast at night it's ideal.
Click to expand...

I find that just using my phone's speakers are adequate honestly.
 
S

Skel1ingt0n

I can't *believe* these lazy developers keep making file sizes so damn large. Btw, how does technology work?
What's the absolute best way to get pseudo surround sound out of my PC onto my Fidelio X2s?

I bought them a while back after reading the great reviews on Head-Fi regarding separation and the competitive edge they provide while still being fun. They're great headphones just running straight from my motherboard.

That said, I want to dive into Dolby 5.1 into these. I know it won't be as good as the "real thing," but I've read lots of impressions that it can be surprisingly decent and immersive.

Right now I'm looking at the Creative X7. Would you all agree that's my best bet shy of going with a real, high-end receiver? Or is there something out there I outta desperately consider?
 
W

Waikis

Member
Skel1ingt0n said:
What's the absolute best way to get pseudo surround sound out of my PC onto my Fidelio X2s?

I bought them a while back after reading the great reviews on Head-Fi regarding separation and the competitive edge they provide while still being fun. They're great headphones just running straight from my motherboard.

That said, I want to dive into Dolby 5.1 into these. I know it won't be as good as the "real thing," but I've read lots of impressions that it can be surprisingly decent and immersive.

Right now I'm looking at the Creative X7. Would you all agree that's my best bet shy of going with a real, high-end receiver? Or is there something out there I outta desperately consider?
Click to expand...

I recently dug out my old mixamp and tried it with my th x00. The sound quality is utter shit in the surround mode. Unfocused soundstage and everything sounds like you are in a cave. Immediately turned it off and went back to stereo.
 
D

DagsJT

Member
Waikis said:
I recently dug out my old mixamp and tried it with my th x00. The sound quality is utter shit in the surround mode. Unfocused soundstage and everything sounds like you are in a cave. Immediately turned it off and went back to stereo.
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See if think stereo sounds terrible on the Mixamp. I even bought a Sound Blaster G5 and can't get used to stereo on that even though the DAC and amp are far better in the G5.
 
A

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
You don't need surround for headphones though. Seriously. Natural 2.1 on headphones is more than adequate for positional audio.
 
W

Waikis

Member
DagsJT said:
See if think stereo sounds terrible on the Mixamp. I even bought a Sound Blaster G5 and can't get used to stereo on that even though the DAC and amp are far better in the G5.
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Fwiw my mixamp is 5.8 and I havent really kept up with dolby headphones, so maybe the latter models are decent enough in surround?
I also have the jvc su dh1 and that thing has a pretty good surround.


I wouldn't say that 2.1 is always the best choice in gaming either. Sometimes you want to have that bombastic bass in a cinema kind of feeling for some games (well at least i do).

The best way to achieve the above is smyth realiser which lets you record a room sound signature and process your audio output to simulate the room sound. Too bad it was too difficult for me to get a recording done in Melbourne.
 
D

DagsJT

Member
It's not so much the positional audio I like from Dolby, it's more the overall feel of the sound. The depth to it and feeling like I'm in the game. The cinematic feel as mentioned above. Hearing where steps and pings are coming from doesn't bother me as my gaming is for fun and I want immersion, no competitive play. Hence why I prefer my X2's over the K612's, I guess.

I have an old Mixamp, I think it's the 2011 version and I believe the older devices had better amps. But I'd still like something with more clarity to the Sound that the Mixamp offers, especially for music.

Really gutted the G5 doesn't have Dolby or at least can find a way of using their SBX on consoles. So really my only option for the cinematic feel is a Mixamp or crazy expensive X7.
 
B

Blitzhex

Member
I bought a Titanium HD for the CMSS 3D stuff a few years ago. It sounds super fake and unnatural. It makes some footsteps in cs go very quiet and some that aren't even close to you loud. I've tried every possible options configuration in the creative panel, windows sound options and ingame sound options and it sounds wrong everytime. I definitely prefer my K7XX with its huge sound stage in normal stereo mode for games and positional awareness.
 
H

Hazaku

Member
pislit said:
Any alternative within the price range? I am looking at Onkyo ES-HF300, is it good for gaming and Spotify music streaming?
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Noontec Zero II HD if you don't mind the looks. Can use a V-Moda Boompro mic with them too last I checked.

Not sure if they fixed it with the recent Iron Maiden edition of them but the Onkyos tend to die thanks to the MMCX connectors wearing out. But apart from that ... they're pretty good cans as well!
 
D

DagsJT

Member
Any suggestions on a good amp & DAC that will carry audio over USB from my PC and will use optical from my Xbox One? Already using the Mixamp and wondering what's worth looking at.

A lot of the combos I look at just have analogue or optical and even then don't always carry audio over USB.
 
RedAssedApe

RedAssedApe

Banned
anyone recommend some iems to drown out loud mechanical keyboards at the workplace? sub-$100.

not sure if active noise cancellation would be better or just some decent noise isolation. the keyboard noise isn't exactly constant. was looking at anc23 in terms of NC pricing but don't really know where to start with the non-NC iems. comfort is more important than sound quality.

thanks.

nevermind...found this great guide: http://theheadphonelist.com/headphone-list/#
 
K

Karish

Member
Seriously considering the X2 at 150 used on Amazon. I've never had open back cans, should I just do 558 instead for cheaper?
 
S

super-famicom

Member
Karish said:
Seriously considering the X2 at 150 used on Amazon. I've never had open back cans, should I just do 558 instead for cheaper?
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X2 is way better. Unless you're on a budget, then I guess you can get the 558s since I see they are $99 on Amazon now. Though there are other open back options at that price range.
 
M

Maaaaaardy

Member
Alright never knew this existed but hello all!

Basically, looking for recommendations for something sleek, stylish, not huge/bulky to walk round in to/from work, and maybe playing golf in. Wireless would be a nice bonus but not essential. I know they're pricey and bashed by all but the Beats 2 Solo were appealing to me, I like the look (Not overly bulky) and the audio quality has improved a hell of a lot in the latest offerings albeit still not brilliant.

Thank you! :)
 
J-Roderton

J-Roderton

Member
I hope this is the right place to post this. I'm a radio producer/jock and I need some new headphones. Aside from a pair of low end Sony studio monitors and some knock off Beats That's all I've used in the past 5 years and they've broken on me. Anyone have any recommendations for me for production work and live broadcasting? Preferably under $150. Not buds obviously.
 
S

super-famicom

Member
Karish said:
Like?
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Karish said:
I should say I'm mostly using these for gaming. Currently have UE6000
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Sorry for the late reply!

For gaming, look into the Audio Technica AD700x or Takstar HI 2050 (cheaper than the Audio Technica or Senns). I prefer the way the Audio Technicas sound, and the AD700x has a huge soundstage, great for gaming. For a bit more you can go for the AD900x.

The UE6000 should be fine for gaming, though. Are you not enjoying them?
 
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