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Those are really advanced projects to jump into if it's really your first time. Jeff at GlassJarAudio.com has some nice complete kits for some of the designs you mentioned, and a few others if you want a warmup.
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Nov 5, 2013 00:07
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I'm going through Glass Jar for the kits. I should clarify though: I've built and rebuilt crossovers before and have taken a high school electronics class based on building speakers and circuitry and whatnot. I've also rewired my car to support fuel injection and am decent diagnosing with a multimeter. I am jumping in the deep end with a b22 as an amp project but I figure meticulousness and careful planning should get me through without too much agony since I've done quite a few DIY projects of various sorts.  If I gotta do a project, I wanna do a project, ya know?
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Nov 5, 2013 01:49
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So, a DAC question. I had bought a Fiio E17, but am returning it due to it picking up a good bit of cell phone interference (at least, that's what my research has led me to believe, as I don't have the issue when plugged directly into the laptop). Noticing a good bit of noise for it, and it's pretty annoying. I'd like to find a replacement of some kind. I don't need a combo unit, and would like to spend around $250 or lower. I want something that's not going to heavily favor one genre of music, since I listen to anything from pop to electronic to metal to rap. I use Pioneer HDJ-2000 for my headphones. Much of my listening is at work, but I would like to be able to use my purchase at home, primarily on the weekends (I wouldn't be carting it home daily). From what I'm seeing a Magni/Modi combo would be a pretty solid bet, but am curious as to if there are other good ideas in this range. Doesn't need to be super portable like the E17 is, either. Appreciate the help!
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Nov 5, 2013 19:29
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On the subject on portable headphones amps, is there a shortlist that should be considered? The OP doesn't have much about them. I was eyeing up the E18, but found out my phone likely won't support Usb audio so there's not much point in shelling out that much for an portable external DSP.
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Nov 6, 2013 18:58
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I'm looking for a decent pair of bluetooth headphones to wear while running. I'm getting tired of cables slapping around me, or accidentally pulling them out of my ear. Budget - <$100 Source - Pairing to a Galaxy S4 Isolation Requirements - Not q requirement, but for outdoor running, it would be nice to have some audible environmental awareness Preferred Type of Headphone - Any that will stay put while running without me having to fiddle when them Preferred Tonal Balance - No preference Past Headphones - I had some etymotic ER-6i headphones that I loved, but my cat chewed through the wires. Right now I'm using the stock IEM Galaxy S4 headphones Preferred Music - Rock, alternative, some techno
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Nov 6, 2013 23:36
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Get the LG Tone or LGTone+ You can buy the Tone+ from BestBuy for $70, and show them the Amazon link at the register and they'll price match them down to $41: http://www.amazon.com/LG-Electronics-Tone-HBS-730-Bluetooth/dp/B009A5204K I run, lift weights, and bike in mine.
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Nov 6, 2013 23:59
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MrMoose posted:From what I'm seeing a Magni/Modi combo would be a pretty solid bet, but am curious as to if there are other good ideas in this range. Doesn't need to be super portable like the E17 is, either.
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Nov 7, 2013 06:01
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Alright I'm in the market for something new. Budget - If I can keep it under $150, I'll be happy. Could get to $250 if absolutely necessary. Source - iPod touch Isolation Requirements - YES YES oh god YES Preferred Type of Headphone - Over or on the ear is all I'll consider. Absolutely no earbuds or IEMs. Preferred Tonal Balance - Balanced I guess. Past Headphones - I have the iBeats earbuds because they came free with my phone (HTC Rezound). Preferred Music - Punk, hardcore, ska, and occasionally some random poo poo. There's a huge range in the recording quality, too. I have some major label stuff, and some snot punk recorded on a 4 track in a dude's basement in 1994. I play poker quite a bit (not professionally) and I usually wear my iBeats. But the earbuds flop all over the place and I'm sick of fiddling with them in between each hand. I want the over the ear a) so that I can move them on or away from my ears without worrying about them falling off, etc., and b) to drown out the incessant noise of the nitty tourists I have to deal with. I would also strongly prefer to get something I can pick up in a store. I live in Las Vegas so the only stores I have around are really Best Buy and Fry's (unless there's something else out here I don't know about). I could be talked into getting something from online but it would have to be something really above and beyond anything I could find in a brick and mortar.
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Nov 7, 2013 08:34
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bull3964 posted:On the subject on portable headphones amps, is there a shortlist that should be considered? The OP doesn't have much about them. Just look for something with a low output impedance. All of the FiiO products I've seen have low output impedances. Spike McAwesome posted:Alright I'm in the market for something new.
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Nov 7, 2013 15:51
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What are the main web retailers to keep an eye out on for black Friday headphone deals? Amazon for sure, obviously.
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Nov 7, 2013 22:23
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Midorka posted:You know, the Koss ProDJ100 may be for you. They can be purchased in stores and they have a cool feature which allows for mono listening, it'll mix the stereo into one ear. I think they sound pretty nice too. I'll take a look. What do you know about the Koss ProDJ200? I didn't see the 100 on the Best Buy site, but the 200 is there and it's right in my wheelhouse.
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Nov 8, 2013 02:33
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Spike McAwesome posted:I'll take a look. What do you know about the Koss ProDJ200? I didn't see the 100 on the Best Buy site, but the 200 is there and it's right in my wheelhouse. I know nothing about them, but go on and try them out if you can.
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Nov 8, 2013 03:04
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Well, yet another pair of cheapish headphones have bit it, so its time to buy something nicer. Budget $80-150, if they wont break within a year. Source Mostly a laptop with nothing special integrated audio. I'm not terribly opposed to buying something like a FiiO amp since they seem reasonably well reviewed and well priced. I'd rather spend the money on nicer headphones, though. Isolation Requirements At least some. I often use them loudly late at night and I'd rather not keep people up. Preferred Type of Headphone Over ear, closed. Preferred Tonal Balance Balanced. Past Headphones Right now, I have Monoprice 8323s. I'm on the third cable, and second major piece breaking, so while they sounded ok they have poor build quality and lasted a hair over a year. Before that I had Sennheiser 201s, which I preferred the sound quality of, but they broke quickly too. Preferred Music Electronic, Hip Hop, Yacht Rock. Will also be used for a decent amount of movie watching, and a little gaming. My main concern is durability/build quality. I use headphones at least a couple hours a day, sometimes in bed, and they get moved, plugged/unplugged, etc multiple times a day. I seem to toss at least one pair of headphones in the trash a year due to broken parts or cables. I went through 3 (admittedly cheap) cables this last year alone, so replaceable cables are a huge plus. I am hoping that jumping past the $20-30 price point will get a solid increase in build quality with better sound as well. Right now I'm considering (based on OPs guide): -KRK KNS6400 (these seem to have the least downsides of the three) -Fostex T50RP (some people think these aren't so great without multiple modifications) -Audio Technica ATH-A700X (apparently non removable cable is a minus, but they seem well reviewed) Anything major I'm missing? Headphone reviews are a little hard to navigate.
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Nov 11, 2013 10:04
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drk posted:Well, yet another pair of cheapish headphones have bit it, so its time to buy something nicer.
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Nov 11, 2013 15:05
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drk posted:Well, yet another pair of cheapish headphones have bit it, so its time to buy something nicer. I think the Brainwavz Hm5/NVX XPT100 (whichever is cheaper) is something to look into. They are comfy, provide good isolation and have sound that suits most genres.
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Nov 11, 2013 15:36
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drk posted:Preferred Music Electronic, Hip Hop, Yacht Rock. Will also be used for a decent amount of movie watching, and a little gaming. I really, really like my Audio Technica ATH-M50's. They're pretty much bulletproof, AFAIK, and they're decently semi-portable- which also makes them good for traveling (I would never take a pair of A700x outside my house) and bed/couch use where bigger headphones might get annoying and cumbersome. They don't need an amp to sound good and their sound quality keeps them competitive with my fancier (and more expensive) open cans. This might be heretical, but I'd probably recommend them over the A700/A700x because of their versatility. I don't think their sound quality is significantly worse either. If you find yourself getting into the hobby and looking to upgrade your 'phones in the future, then the A900/900x or higher are gonna give you a way better jump in quality for the money- and you'll still probably find a ton of uses for the M50's. But a lot of people also get the M50's and never feel the need to upgrade. They're like the BMW M3 of headphones. trilobite terror fucked around with this message at 20:36 on Nov 11, 2013 |
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Nov 11, 2013 20:34
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Jude, the owner of Head-Fi, has invited me and a few others to participate in a focus group for Monster, specifically the DNA and DNA Pro full-sized headphones. Our feedback, good and bad, will be written directly to the CEO of Monster. I find it incredible that a company as big as Monster actually cares what the users of Head-Fi think of their products. Many people write off Monster, hell the OP even recommends avoiding Monster, but that doesn't mean that Monster doesn't create good products. The Turbine line and the Miles Davis Trumpet headphones are two series of excellent IEMs. I will update when I get the headphones.
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Nov 11, 2013 22:00
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NVM, this is too stupid to comment on at this point.
grack fucked around with this message at 23:03 on Nov 11, 2013 |
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Nov 11, 2013 22:56
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edit: grack was wrong and edited poo poo out, I'll follow suit
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Nov 11, 2013 23:06
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Ah boy I sure wonder what criticism I received for my post! Likely because of me giving Monster a chance when given the opportunity. I have never once said that they do not make good products. I admitted early in the thread that the Tributes and Turbines are highly praised. I also said that in-general their products are not a great value compared to other companies. Skullcandy is on the avoid list as well despite me liking the direction they are progressing in. The fact is that there just is too much consumer level junk from these companies with little substantiated praise outside of a few products. I do hope that changes though since Skullcandy and Monster are in great positions to bring the average quality of consumer sound up. Grack since you don't have pms then you can reach me at isprettyrandom @ gmail . Com if you'd like to fully speak your mind in a non-public way. Midorka fucked around with this message at 00:08 on Nov 12, 2013 |
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Nov 11, 2013 23:36
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Midorka posted:Jude, the owner of Head-Fi, has invited me and a few others to participate in a focus group for Monster, specifically the DNA and DNA Pro full-sized headphones. Our feedback, good and bad, will be written directly to the CEO of Monster. I find it incredible that a company as big as Monster actually cares what the users of Head-Fi think of their products. Many people write off Monster, hell the OP even recommends avoiding Monster, but that doesn't mean that Monster doesn't create good products. The Turbine line and the Miles Davis Trumpet headphones are two series of excellent IEMs. I will update when I get the headphones.
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Nov 12, 2013 01:23
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Josh Lyman posted:If they are overpriced and/or crap, let them know. You must seize the moment when given the opportunity to change things for the better for everyone. My plan is to be honest. I already know that I loathe the aesthetics, then again it seems to be the style for some unknown reason. If they sound good then I'll give Monster credit where credit is due. They have the Mad Dogs, thinksound on1, and a few other headphones to be compared to though.
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Nov 12, 2013 05:16
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In case anybody was on the fence about those oft hyped Monoprice IEM's, I just wanted to weigh in with my experience. I've been looking for some IEMs for mobile listening, as my HD650s are a little unwieldy on the go. So on a whim I just grabbed a pair of the Monoprice 109927 for a whopping  along with a set of Comply T-400 tips. I'm completely floored by how good these sound for the price. Sure, they're dynamic transducers so the SQ can only go so far, but god are they detailed. I'd go so far as to say they sound better to me than any other dynamic IEM in the ~$100 range, some BA phones might have these beat, but for the price literally everybody should own a pair of these.
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Nov 12, 2013 20:44
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Budget - Somewhere between $20 - $50. Source - iPod Touch Isolation Requirements - Somewhat. I don't work in a noisy environment, but I also don't want to bother my coworkers. Preferred Type of Headphone - IEMs only. I'll be using these 90% of the time at work, moving around often, and I would like the portability and low profile of IEMs. Earbuds don't stick in my ear well because I have stupid ears, apparently. Preferred Tonal Balance - Balanced. Past Headphones - UE500, UE600, UE200, MEE Sport-Fi M6 (MEE was the latest one). Preferred Music - Folk, Acoustic, Rock, some Rap, Classical (usually classical guitar) The main thing I'm looking for here is durability. And I guess at this point some advice on how to make sure my headphones last, because I'm sick of having to replace them and I also don't have that much money anymore. I have a pair of SR80i Grados for home use, so this is mostly for on-the-go and work. I use a different, lovely sport one for exercising that works quite well for that, so these will be for use pretty much only at work and coffee shops and stuff. I would like something that sounds decent (the worst sound quality I'm looking to go to would be the MEE M6, which is serviceable but doesn't sound all that great). The UE600s were probably the best sounding ones I've ever had, but they gave out in one ear like the other UEs did. Chemical Shift fucked around with this message at 21:23 on Nov 12, 2013 |
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Nov 12, 2013 21:15
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Chemical Shift posted:Budget - Somewhere between $20 - $50. The Etymotic Etykids would probably work well for you, as long as you don't listen to music very loud. Good isolation, neutral, balanced sound (very similiar to your UE600s), and are $25-30 on Amazon. They also have Kevlar reinforced cables and long strain reliefs. The downside is that they have very high impedance (300 ohms) so they won't get very loud on your iPod, but you probably won't need them to get very loud anyways. Also, if you're not doing so already I'd suggest getting a hard case for your IEMs. Those cheap aluminum cigarette cases you can get at the dollar store work very well.
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Nov 12, 2013 21:39
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What is the preferred amp for the AKG Q701's? I'm seeing the E9 and O2 being thrown around as the two best, the E9 for bass, the O2 for more of the same transparent, cold, dead sound.
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Nov 12, 2013 22:19
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Pr0phecy posted:What is the preferred amp for the AKG Q701's? I'm seeing the E9 and O2 being thrown around as the two best, the E9 for bass, the O2 for more of the same transparent, cold, dead sound. Anything that can provide the juice necessary? If you want audio effects, use an equalizer or software to add it in; allows you to change it or turn it off when you want.
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Nov 12, 2013 22:24
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grack posted:The Etymotic Etykids would probably work well for you, as long as you don't listen to music very loud. Good isolation, neutral, balanced sound (very similiar to your UE600s), and are $25-30 on Amazon. They also have Kevlar reinforced cables and long strain reliefs. The downside is that they have very high impedance (300 ohms) so they won't get very loud on your iPod, but you probably won't need them to get very loud anyways. Thank you! Those look pretty nice, and certainly fit my budget well. And you're right, I actually listen to music fairly quietly most of the time, and limit the maximum on my iPod as well. I just don't need it that loud when I'm using IEMs, and when I want to listen to louder music I go for my SR-80is. I'm actually not using a hard case. I'm very sure that a lot of the problems I've had with headphones failing on my is from improper care more than anything. Besides a hard case, is there anything glaring that I'm probably missing that is likely damaging?
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Nov 12, 2013 22:45
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Case is probably the number one item to keep IEMs in good condition longer. A shirt clip is a good idea so you don't catch the cords on things, and making sure you pull on the body of the IEM/plug and not the cabling when you're removing them.
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Nov 12, 2013 23:19
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Putting some heat shrink tubing or electric tape around where the wire and jack meet will also improve the lifetime of your headphones as well, especially if they have thin wires.
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Nov 12, 2013 23:31
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Hey guys, just popping in to say thanks for the suggestions for headphones a few pages back and the guide. I snagged the momentums today and they sound really nice.
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Nov 13, 2013 00:02
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Budget - Preferably around $100 but I'll go up to $250 if the quality increase is signifigant Source - laptop Isolation Requirements - Complete, I'll be using these on commutes, so I'll be on a train in public. Preferred Type of Headphone - IEMs are fine but I really like both the look of over ear (I think that's the terminology?) and the usage. (slide on/off instead of pulling darts out of my ears) Preferred Tonal Balance - I like electronic, post-rock, and will listen to a lot of technical stuff/watch youtube videos.
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Nov 13, 2013 06:43
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^^^ Let's get a pair of Beyerdynamics as a pact  I've been itching to up my headphone game, since I've been spoiled with my Panasonic HTX7s which I found for $20 or so on clearance and they've been more than excellent for the price. I want to take that next step into something nicer, and I've looked at the Beyerdynamic Custom One Pros, which don't need to be driven at 16ohms, and seem to be perfect for what I'd want (computer, iphone usage). Anyone have input on the COPs? My friend had a pair of ATH-M50s, which although I felt were acoustically detailed, weren't very exciting for the music I listen to (EDM, hiphop)
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Nov 13, 2013 08:08
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Miko posted:^^^ Let's get a pair of Beyerdynamics as a pact They got Reviewed.com's headphones of the year, fwiw. Changing the frequency response on the fly is something that I had fun with, and especially good if you switch between podcasts and music.
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Nov 13, 2013 14:26
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Man if you felt the M50 were detailed then wait until you hear headphones that properly reflect the entire spectrum of the frequency with excellent instrument separation. When I listened to the M50 I felt as if the instruments were all blurred together. There's little to no differentiating instrument space.
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Nov 13, 2013 15:21
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I'm currently looking for some new headphones, so I hope you can help me. The only caveat is, I'd really like to buy cordless headphones: Budget - I guess, taking a conversion rate into an equation, it'd up to 150$, although I'd rather spend less unless the quality is really superb Source - I was thinking of using them with my TV and maybe with my laptop Isolation Requirements - I don't think I need to worry about isolation, since they would be mostly (or maybe even only) in-doors Preferred Type of Headphone - The ear-covering type Preferred Tonal Balance - I've no idea. I know I don't care much about bass and like vocals Past Headphones - I've been using Panasonic RP-HT 161 stereo headphones and Creative EP-630 in-ear headphones Preferred Music - well, I think I'd be using them mostly for playing video games, so a bit of everything, really. Now, after looking around a bit I've come across a few I'm interested in, namely Sony RF-810RK or RF-865RK. I've tried the 865 on and they seem very comfortable if a bit heavy. I've also looked at PHILIPS SHB7000, which are a bit more expensive (for comparison sake, 865 costs about 85$, 810 half as much and SHB7000 about 90$). But a quick search provided far more names and types that I can remember. Now, additional questions: 1) From what I understand, there are three ways cordless headphones might obtain a signal: Radio, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Sony's headphones I've seen use radio, the Philips ones Bluetooth. The Bluetooth, being a digital signal, is supposed to be better, but the obvious drawback is that my TV does not have a Bluetooth adapter that I know of, nor Wi-Fi - so unless there is some way to change that, I'm stuck with radio. Then again, Bluetooth ones would certainly work with my laptop, but I can use my MP3 player simply for music, and the Sony radio headphones don't seem to have a connection usable with the laptop - obviously I'd like to have one pair of headphones capable of being used with both, but it seems impossible. Is there more to those things, or is my understanding more or less correct? 2) About radio signal, I've read that it can be somewhat undependable - things like signal dropping or weird static heard when no sound is being played. For my purposes the headphones would be at most four to six meters from the transmitter, with maybe one wall in-between. Would any interferences occur in a situation like that? So far I'm leaning towards SONY RF-865RK, but the radio being a method of signal delivery has me somewhat worried - I like the headphones otherwise. But I don't really know much about those things. Thanks in advance for any help! Edit: well, I'm an impatient child and have bought 865s, since I've found ones that were a bit cheaper, and a test I'd found showed that they can actually be connected to single 3.5 mm jack, which I though impossible. Oh well, I don't think it was a bad idea. Szurumbur fucked around with this message at 10:06 on Nov 15, 2013 |
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Nov 13, 2013 21:33
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Pr0phecy posted:What is the preferred amp for the AKG Q701's? I'm seeing the E9 and O2 being thrown around as the two best, the E9 for bass, the O2 for more of the same transparent, cold, dead sound. As WugLyfe said, anything that provides the power. Any "this amp gives more bass" and "this amp is more transparent" talk you hear is gonna be 95% audiophile mumbo-jumbo when you're talking about solid-state stuff, particularly at this price point. More power gives you more headroom, which can give you better dynamics (which equals better highs and lows), but that's as far as amp coloration really goes unless you're getting into tubes or hybrids or other fancy jazz. And even then, I'd take every flowery opinion with liberal handfuls of salt. FWIW, I've heard great things about the Schiit Magni with the Q701, and it's cheaper and looks way better than the two amps you mentioned. And on that subject- I've got my own question about amping the Q701's. I have a pair that I've been using to listen to my turntables, and I wanna be sure that I'm driving them properly (if not power-wise, then with regards to impedance). I have two stereo setups that I use equally: 1) Bedroom- a circa-1990 Nakamichi 'Receiver 2' (55 WPC at 8 ohms for speakers) that has a headphone rated output of 129 mW at 40 ohms. 2) Living room- Yamaha CR-2040 receiver from 1979 (120 WPC at 8 ohms for speakers). I've been poring over the schematics and service/retail manuals but I haven't been able to figure out what the rated output for headphones is. The receiver has two 1/4" jacks ("Headphone A" & "Headphone B") which appear to be just another speaker output with a 220 Ohm resistor in series (or was it 120 Ohm?). As far as I'm aware, the Yamaha has no problem driving the Q701's at any volume (although I'm concerned about impedance) and it's probably got enough power to blow them up if I wanted to try. I can definitely notice the differences between using it with the 701's and using a different power source. The output from the Nakamichi, on the other hand, sounds indistinguishable to me from driving the Q701's directly from my MacBook Air. That seems wrong to me given that it's running them from the main amp, but I suppose it isn't following the 1/8 impedance rule (unless it is- someone told me that the "129 mW at 40 ohms" doesn't mean its output impedance is only 40 ohms). I'm debating picking up a Magni at some point and running it from the Nak's tape-out, but I'm not sure if this is worth doing or if it's all in my head and I'm turning into one of those Head-Fi'ers who swear that they need 10 different amps for different phones. All I want to do is listen to my LPs in bed at the best possible quality and without bugging my roommate (and maybe for an engineer to explain electronics to my idiot biologist brain). Are my amps good? Should I plug a headphone amp into my Nak receiver? I've been asking around online for the last 2 weeks and have even stopped by a specialty headphone shop and nobody's been able to give me a straight answer.
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Nov 14, 2013 00:05
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NFM has AKG K550's for sale at $139 right now for some reason if anyone is in the market. That's a crazy good price I don't think I've seen elsewhere. I'd be picking up a set if I hadn't already last time I thought they had them on sale at too good a price to pass up. Edit: so this isn't just a coupons post, does anyone have suggestions for compact (ideally folding) headphones? Something that gets flat-ish would be ideal. I have a set of AKG K26p's that are OK but have started to make creaky noises and get uncomfortable after a bit. powderific fucked around with this message at 03:31 on Nov 14, 2013 |
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Nov 14, 2013 03:25
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Is there any explainable reason why different headphones would reduce or eliminate noise from lovely onboard sound in a PC? A friend of mine was using some skullcandy headphones and plugging them into the front of her PC. She complained about noisy interference and I just assumed it was the onboard sound. She got some Audio Technica ATH-CKS55BK earbuds and claims the noise is gone. Would impedance have something to do with it?
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Nov 14, 2013 17:46
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| # ? Apr 24, 2024 22:39 |
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If they're harder to drive, the noise floor won't be as pronounced.
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Nov 14, 2013 17:51
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