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Harminoff posted:Looks like ATH-M50x's just went down to $129. Saw these here today (at the actual store in NYC): http://www.bhphotovideo.com/ The price was the same (129) and included a stand as well. For some reason online they're showing for 169 though. May be worth giving them a call if you're interested. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=audio-technica+ath-m50x&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ps Unexpected fucked around with this message at 05:35 on Oct 28, 2015 |
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Oct 28, 2015 05:25
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Has anyone with Urbanite XLs reported having problems with the audio cable? I love mine to death but I've gone through two cables this year, and I suspect my current cable is on its last legs too.
Alris fucked around with this message at 07:58 on Oct 28, 2015 |
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Oct 28, 2015 07:25
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Dr. Fishopolis posted:Why do you think there's a difference? What is the new DAC doing that your old DAC wasn't doing? The new DAC uses R2R multi-bit instead of delta sigma for conversion to analog output. R2R multi-bit relies on a series of precision resistors to achieve certain voltages, and the end result of analog output, while delta sigma toggles a low bit switch to achieve voltages. The 16 bit R2R multi-bit does not need to over-sample from a lower resolution, so the idea is that less noise is introduced and accuracy is higher. Two ways of delivering analog output. The Bifrost Multi-bit also uses Schiit's proprietary digital filter from their much more expensive DACs. Like most audio things, these come down to personal preference. I decided to take the leap because I was already sending in my Bifrost to have a USB port added. I wanted more portability and the ability to reliably achieve 24/192KHz playback, since my current optical connection was not able to break 96KHz. If I'm going to own a $1,500 pair of headphones, I might as well try both flavors and see what I like, don't you think? I simply described the differences I've noticed and won't make any claims beyond that. I will re-state that the depth of the sound stage definitely sounds different to me - that is one of the strengths of the HD 800s and any owner of those headphones would notice it if the sound stage changed on their favorite tracks. I'd describe it as wrapping more around the back of my head if that makes any sense. At any rate, I definitely don't disparage anyone who doesn't feel the need to try out some of these alternate solutions. If it is well within your budget and you have already spent the bulk of your audio budget on the more important components of your setup (headphones then amp), I don't see anything wrong with exploring some new DAC options. IMO, once you achieve a clean audio chain with an external DAC, anything beyond that goes into diminishing returns territory and you are looking to tweak your sound. If you are interested in the technical measurements of the new Bifrost, btw, feel free to check out this thread. Someone has taken the time to measure the sort of stuff I have no background in reasonably understanding. If you would like direct measurements as opposed to nebulous opinions on audio quality, you'll find them there. Incredulous Dylan fucked around with this message at 19:14 on Oct 28, 2015 |
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Oct 28, 2015 19:04
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I bought a set of Logitech G633 Artemis headphones for my birthday recently. They're pretty good, except the Windows Audio Service loving constantly crashes when I try and change songs. Is this a Windows 10 problem, a Logitech problem, or a hardware problem? I'm leaning towards it being Groove Music but it wasn't doing this with my non-USB headphones. e: It's Groove Music being loving garbage, imagine my surprise. Headphones are fine. ungulateman fucked around with this message at 08:12 on Oct 31, 2015 |
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Oct 29, 2015 08:11
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Apologies if this is asked constantly, but what's the go-to studio monitoring headphones these days that don't cost an absurd amount? I have sennheiser HD 280pros at the moment but they're old and kinda falling apart, plus over time I've grown rather dissatisfied with them as mixing headphones since a good balanced mix with them sound completely off on any regular speakers or headphones(obviously mixes will sound different on different speakers or headphones but I'm talking like "oh hey these drums are way louder on everything else except my 280s").
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Oct 30, 2015 00:30
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cat doter posted:Apologies if this is asked constantly, but what's the go-to studio monitoring headphones these days that don't cost an absurd amount? I have sennheiser HD 280pros at the moment but they're old and kinda falling apart, plus over time I've grown rather dissatisfied with them as mixing headphones since a good balanced mix with them sound completely off on any regular speakers or headphones(obviously mixes will sound different on different speakers or headphones but I'm talking like "oh hey these drums are way louder on everything else except my 280s"). HD650's are considered the gold standard, AFAIK. Do you have a budget in mind?
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Oct 30, 2015 00:41
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KillHour posted:HD650's are considered the gold standard, AFAIK. Do you have a budget in mind? Unfortunately I can only really spend $200-$300, I'm not a wealthy man. Looks like the 650s are open, what's the standard for closed headphones? They'll be used with drums and guitars and poo poo so I need pretty good isolation. Oh I should mention comfort is a hugely important thing since sometimes I'll be wearing headphones for 8 hours straight. cat doter fucked around with this message at 00:50 on Oct 30, 2015 |
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Oct 30, 2015 00:47
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Sony MDR 7506?
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Oct 30, 2015 00:59
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INTJ Mastermind posted:Sony MDR 7506? Seems those cost around $130 here in Australia, so I can actually afford something better. What about the ATH M50x? They seem affordable and people like them, but I dunno about their frequency response for my needs.
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Oct 30, 2015 01:20
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The philips fidelio x2 is $300 just about as good as the HD600 (which most people rate as neck and neck with the 650). It might even be better for monitoring than the HD 600/650 because its less laid back. e: If you want closed, think about the audio technica ath msr7 ($250). Its a step up from the m50x, but there are a lot of decent closed headphone competing with it so its a harder call.
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Oct 30, 2015 02:16
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cat doter posted:Seems those cost around $130 here in Australia, so I can actually afford something better. What about the ATH M50x? They seem affordable and people like them, but I dunno about their frequency response for my needs. The studio standard for what you're describing is typically the beyerdynamic dt770 (if you desperately want to spend more than just buying 7506's for some reason). In fact, in my brief stint in audio engineering I don't think I've ever been in a recording studio that had anything other than DT770's for drummers and 7506's for everyone else. The 7506 is a better can than the M50x for studio monitoring. It's far more commonplace and honest, so your mixes tend to translate better. They don't sound very exciting, but that's not really the point. Dr. Fishopolis fucked around with this message at 22:18 on Oct 30, 2015 |
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Oct 30, 2015 22:13
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Dr. Fishopolis posted:The studio standard for what you're describing is typically the beyerdynamic dt770 (if you desperately want to spend more than just buying 7506's for some reason). In fact, in my brief stint in audio engineering I don't think I've ever been in a recording studio that had anything other than DT770's for drummers and 7506's for everyone else. My main concerns beyond how they sound (which, like you said, how exciting they sound isn't important, I just want better headphones for mixing) are comfort and isolation, so if the 7506s are great for that then I'll grab them. I find the isolation on my 280pros to be kinda middling and they're kinda bad for mixing, that and their clamping force can cause me pain since I'm wearing glasses and it forces the arms into my head a bit too hard. Ergonomics are a big concern for me. I'll get whatever I can wear for a long time and mix with without wanting to smash my headphones.
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Oct 30, 2015 22:38
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cat doter posted:My main concerns beyond how they sound (which, like you said, how exciting they sound isn't important, I just want better headphones for mixing) are comfort and isolation, so if the 7506s are great for that then I'll grab them. I find the isolation on my 280pros to be kinda middling and they're kinda bad for mixing, that and their clamping force can cause me pain since I'm wearing glasses and it forces the arms into my head a bit too hard. Ergonomics are a big concern for me. I'll get whatever I can wear for a long time and mix with without wanting to smash my headphones. Dt770's are probably the most comfortable closed headphones I've tried. They get a bit sweaty, but that's going to happen with closed cans no matter what. I've worn 7506's all day every day for weeks at a time for video shoots, they're extremely comfortable until the pads wear out which takes about a year and a half. Then you order new ones for 10 bucks and you're all set. I would get the 7506 and save whatever money you have toward a pair of good, biamped nearfield monitors if you don't already own some. I've always found it much quicker to mix for speakers first, then tweak for headphone users afterward.
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Oct 31, 2015 01:02
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I'm wearing my DT770s at work right now -- I work 12 hour shifts on the weekend, they're pretty comfortable overall, depending on the version you get. The PRO has some strong clamping force, which can be alleviated by just bending the headband, but the earpads suck if they're not the velour ones tbh. They sound good though. The isolation drowns out all the office buzz around me.
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Oct 31, 2015 01:06
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Incredulous Dylan posted:I wanted more portability and the ability to reliably achieve 24/192KHz playback, since my current optical connection was not able to break 96KHz. If I'm going to own a $1,500 pair of headphones, I might as well try both flavors and see what I like, don't you think? Wait a sec, why would you need 192khz on playback? Where are you getting music that was even recorded with that resolution, let alone presented at it?
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Oct 31, 2015 01:07
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Incredulous Dylan posted:If you are interested in the technical measurements of the new Bifrost, btw, feel free to check out this thread. Someone has taken the time to measure the sort of stuff I have no background in reasonably understanding. If you would like direct measurements as opposed to nebulous opinions on audio quality, you'll find them there. I don't even know why I'm engaging with this, but why does any of this matter on playback? I can understand going with R2R over sigma-delta when recording music. You want as much resolution and dynamic range as possible because you can make much more detailed and minute choices when processing and mixing. But no matter how meticulous your signal path and expensive your processing equipment, every track is getting mangled and re-quantized a million times before it ends up a mastered downmix for the listener. Even if that's a pristine 24/96 FLAC straight from the analog golden master, encoded with an ADC made from angel's tears and the menstrual blood of the Virgin Mary. Spend your money however you want but as someone with experience actually producing music I promise you you're fooling yourself. edit: also just to be clear when I say resolution I don't mean audio spectrum outside the range of human hearing, I really just mean dynamic range without distortion. You can't hear past 20khz. There aren't "harmonics" and "air" that you're missing with 44.1khz audio. Ultrasonic intermodulation isn't magical, musical fairy dust that the truly special golden ears can enjoy, it's distorted garbage that needs to be filtered out. Dr. Fishopolis fucked around with this message at 01:43 on Oct 31, 2015 |
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Oct 31, 2015 01:20
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If it comes with my USB connection I've paid for, why not use the benefits? I'm an amateur musician/podcaster who does in fact record and master audio. My main vocal condensor microphone (Blue Yeti Pro) records in 24/192 and I compose with my synthesizer workstation and various other instruments. I appreciate you deigning to engage with my impressions and the different perspective you've provided. If it's the Schiit "comboburrito" digital filter resulting in the changes I have heard versus the multibit, I'm welcoming the change either way.
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Oct 31, 2015 01:44
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Incredulous Dylan posted:If it comes with my USB connection I've paid for, why not use the benefits? I'm an amateur musician/podcaster who does in fact record and master audio. My main vocal condensor microphone (Blue Yeti Pro) records in 24/192 and I compose with my synthesizer workstation and various other instruments. I appreciate you deigning to engage with my impressions and the different perspective you've provided. If it's the Schiit "comboburrito" digital filter resulting in the changes I have heard versus the multibit, I'm welcoming the change either way. Because there are literally no audible benefits. I promise you, you can't tell a difference if you do a double blind test. The only possible change to the actual audio in any of the components you're describing would be to noise floor, and those differences happen at under 100db under full scale. There's no possible way changing sampling rate, bit rate or whatever that filter does could affect stereo separation or "soundstage". My perspective isn't a perspective, it's reproducible science. edit: here i found a video of a smug neckbeard explaining all of this: http://xiph.org/video/vid2.shtml
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Oct 31, 2015 02:07
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Hell if you're nearly 30 and you've been an rear end in a top hat to your ears like me I'd be surprised if you could hear anything over 16khz.
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Oct 31, 2015 03:09
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Man, trying to hear the difference from one decent DAC to another is like trying to feel some talc powder under some gravel with your feet.
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Oct 31, 2015 03:18
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cat doter posted:Hell if you're nearly 30 and you've been an rear end in a top hat to your ears like me I'd be surprised if you could hear anything over 16khz. I can't hear anything above 8 kHz with my cochlear implant, so I don't think what equipment I use matters cause it's just going from source -> DAC -> AMP -> headphones -> microphone -> ADC -> DSP fuckery -> ??? -> brain matter. 
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Oct 31, 2015 03:49
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Odette posted:I can't hear anything above 8 kHz with my cochlear implant, so I don't think what equipment I use matters cause it's just going from source -> DAC -> AMP -> headphones -> microphone -> ADC -> DSP fuckery -> ??? -> brain matter. Really, I think being in that sort of position would probably highlight how important just liking how your setup sounds is over fussy technical details, and I say that as someone that produces music. Modern equipment is good enough that a lot of audio artifacts are inaudible even with really good hearing under even worst case scenarios. We should collectively stop caring about that poo poo. edit: I don't mean all technical details obviously, just the same tired old sample rate argument. cat doter fucked around with this message at 04:13 on Oct 31, 2015 |
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Oct 31, 2015 04:09
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pretty much the only thing that has mattered in terms of what audio sounds like in the last 20 years is physical speaker and headphone design. everything else is either so far into diminishing returns territory as to be pointless, or just made up audiophile nonsense.
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Oct 31, 2015 05:27
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I still don't know what the gently caress 'wider soundstage' is supposed to mean, is that $1000 cable adding reverb to people's music?
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Oct 31, 2015 05:50
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you can like, feel the musicians in the room, man.
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Oct 31, 2015 05:51
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cat doter posted:I still don't know what the gently caress 'wider soundstage' is supposed to mean, is that $1000 cable adding reverb to people's music? Like the difference between open and closed headphones?
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Oct 31, 2015 15:19
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Dr. Fishopolis posted:Because there are literally no audible benefits. I promise you, you can't tell a difference if you do a double blind test. The only possible change to the actual audio in any of the components you're describing would be to noise floor, and those differences happen at under 100db under full scale. There's no possible way changing sampling rate, bit rate or whatever that filter does could affect stereo separation or "soundstage". I know what video that is without clicking on it, and it's a fantastic video. The one thing you're wrong about is that you can sometimes hear the difference with stupid-high bit rates. The problem is the reason you can hear the difference is because ultrasonic sounds can cause artifacts in the audible range on certain setups. Like you said, it's garbage you want to filter out for that exact reason. You can use these test files to see if your system experiences these artefacts. Mine does if I put my DAC in 48K mode, but it goes away in 96K mode. http://www.audiocheck.net/testtones_highdefinitionaudio.php
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Oct 31, 2015 19:32
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Lowness 72 posted:Like the difference between open and closed headphones? Removing ambient noise = wider soundstage? It's still just nonsense.
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Nov 1, 2015 00:23
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Soundstage is a description of how well you can identify where the recorded instruments should be in 3D space. "Wider" isn't necessarily better. "Accurate" generally is. The dirty secret is that it has way more to do with how the track was produced than what you listen to it on.
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Nov 1, 2015 08:04
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Is there another portable amp ~$100 (or less) that is as small as the FiiO E6? I'm looking for something to give a significant bass boost on my Audio Technica M50s but I want something a lot smaller than the phone it's attached to. I have an E6 already but it's kinda broken and just wondering if I should get another one or if there's something better. Edit: Maybe the Brainwavz AP001? Monday_ fucked around with this message at 00:30 on Nov 2, 2015 |
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Nov 2, 2015 00:12
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The E5 was even smaller, but not widely available anymore. When it comes to cheap but decent small portable amps, FiiO really is pretty much the obvious choice. Beyer does make the A200p which is pretty small (but still larger than the FiiOs), but that's a DAC as well and costs substantially more.
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Nov 2, 2015 01:11
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Monday_ posted:Is there another portable amp ~$100 (or less) that is as small as the FiiO E6? I'm looking for something to give a significant bass boost on my Audio Technica M50s but I want something a lot smaller than the phone it's attached to. I have an E6 already but it's kinda broken and just wondering if I should get another one or if there's something better. Stick with the Fiio, the Brainwavz is a piece of poo poo that will pick up a lot of interference from your phone. You *could* look at something like the Creative E1 but unless you want sound virtualization options there's really no point in spending the extra money because the sound quality isn't any better. Otherwise there's not much on the market unless you're willing to look at a larger device (ex. Topping EX1) or need a DAC as well.
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Nov 2, 2015 03:40
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cat doter posted:Apologies if this is asked constantly, but what's the go-to studio monitoring headphones these days that don't cost an absurd amount? I have sennheiser HD 280pros at the moment but they're old and kinda falling apart, plus over time I've grown rather dissatisfied with them as mixing headphones since a good balanced mix with them sound completely off on any regular speakers or headphones(obviously mixes will sound different on different speakers or headphones but I'm talking like "oh hey these drums are way louder on everything else except my 280s"). I've been using Focal Spirit Pro's for about four months now. They're outside your price range unfortunately (regular $400 which is what I paid, but there are sales), but they're amazing. They've been picking up a lot of respect for people looking for accurate sound reproduction. They're a newer headphone, so less people talk about them. As far as I'm concerned, you won't find a better pair closed headphone monitors. I'd go more in-depth, but many other good reviews already have. These guys isolate absurdly well, well beyond what the HD 280s do. I actually used the 280s for around 8 years. Great headphones, but these blow them out of the water in every possible way. Unfortunately they have a huge drawback, however. The main flaw is the tiny space for your ears. They also clamp down like a motherfucker, but that helps a lot with the isolation, and can be stretched out to lessen the death grip on your ears. It's common that they will hurt your ears like a motherfucker for the first week. I used them extensively, but eventually the pain went away after breaking them in for exactly one week after having them. It hasn't been a problem since then and I find them comfortable, as much as closed headphones can be on my lovely glasses. Anyway, thought you would want to be aware they exist, in case your budget changes, or you want to save up for something better. The initial breaking in period for removing discomfort is a deal breaker for some people, however. Incredulous Dylan posted:If it comes with my USB connection I've paid for, why not use the benefits? I'm an amateur musician/podcaster who does in fact record and master audio. My main vocal condensor microphone (Blue Yeti Pro) records in 24/192 and I compose with my synthesizer workstation and various other instruments. I appreciate you deigning to engage with my impressions and the different perspective you've provided. If it's the Schiit "comboburrito" digital filter resulting in the changes I have heard versus the multibit, I'm welcoming the change either way. As someone with experience, it's hilarious how much money ends up being spent on useless products. Even if a lot of these things had measurably better quality, (they don't) it's all wasted money when people start hearing your stuff. The layman with their low-end audio setup, and no knowledge to spot flaws in audio, will never notice or care. Depends who the audience is, I guess. I will also point out that having all that overkill audio gear, and recording with a Blue microphone is really counter-intuitive. From a production PoV, your money would be better spent investing into a real microphone, and a better recording environment (assuming you don't have one, since most people don't). But I also realize that you say you're an amateur, and I'm thinking from a professional perspective. Regardless, it's just something I'd thought I would mention. Aside from USB mics in general being pretty poo poo-tier and lacking in features, recording virtually any source (especially vocals) beyond 16-bit and 44.1khz is overkill and doesn't really do anything under any circumstances I'm aware of. Especially when dealing with vocals, you should be doing very little processing to begin with, if you're doing it right.
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Nov 2, 2015 11:26
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Is there a gold-standard "just buy this to listen to Spotify/podcasts" set of IEM's? I'm cool with a budget of up to about $150/£100, and if possible would like a mic built in so I can answer calls with them. Anyone have any good recommendations/trip reports?
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Nov 2, 2015 15:18
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Cubemario posted:Aside from USB mics in general being pretty poo poo-tier and lacking in features, recording virtually any source (especially vocals) beyond 16-bit and 44.1khz is overkill and doesn't really do anything under any circumstances I'm aware of. Especially when dealing with vocals, you should be doing very little processing to begin with, if you're doing it right. I don't agree with either of these points. The Blue Yeti, first of all, is a surprisingly great mic and is perfectly fine if it flatters your voice. Second, I was working as an engineer when 24 bit equipment started to come out and it was a god drat revolution. Getting tracking levels right on digital gear is a mighty pain in the rear end. When you've got six bands a day coming through, banging out demos, you don't have time to make sure you're getting the perfect dynamic range on every vocal take. You either turn it down or throw a limiter on there, and neither of those options are very good. Tracking with 24 bits gives you enough headroom that you don't have to worry as much about clipping, and you can still normalize it later without bringing up the noise floor too much and having to gate it out. That's HUGE. Also, 96k files can sometimes help aliasing distortion from digital post processing. If you're running stuff through a plugin or processor that doesn't oversample internally or have a decent filtering algorithm, 96k can fix some issues for you. That said, just about everything does these days so it's mostly pointless. Also, you can get the same effect by converting the file after tracking anyway. The point of all this is: 24 bit is amazingly useful for recording professionals. 96k used to be somewhat helpful because plugins used to be crappier, now it's largely pointless. And none of this matters one iota on playback.
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Nov 2, 2015 16:40
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Dr. Fishopolis posted:I don't agree with either of these points. The Blue Yeti, first of all, is a surprisingly great mic and is perfectly fine if it flatters your voice. Second, I was working as an engineer when 24 bit equipment started to come out and it was a god drat revolution. Getting tracking levels right on digital gear is a mighty pain in the rear end. When you've got six bands a day coming through, banging out demos, you don't have time to make sure you're getting the perfect dynamic range on every vocal take. You either turn it down or throw a limiter on there, and neither of those options are very good. This post needs to be stickied in every goddamn audio forum on the planet. Source: producer right around the time you were an engineer.
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Nov 2, 2015 17:20
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I've got two questions. First - roughly how expensive a set of headphones would I need to own before it would be worth my time to start thinking about getting a sound card for my desktop? Second - can someone recommend a decent pair of earbuds or IEMs for use with my cell phone? The pair I own now are pretty bad - I mostly use them to listen to podcasts while I take walks or work out. Not a ton of music, but when I do it's generally either orchestral or synth-y stuff from some OST I enjoy.
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Nov 3, 2015 04:11
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Spiritus Nox posted:I've got two questions. First - roughly how expensive a set of headphones would I need to own before it would be worth my time to start thinking about getting a sound card for my desktop? An amp is the secondary concern, it will generally will make your phones sound a little better, a lot louder, and give you a volume control within arm's reach. You'll need an amp if you get some hard to drive headphones, but it's not strictly necessary with most cans because they're designed to run well off of phones/ipods. Again, most of the time it's not going to make as much difference to what you hear as the headphones themselves. It'd probably be worth the peace of mind of a $100 DAC/soundcard if you've already spent a grand on the amp and phones and want to be absolutely sure your signal is clear, but at the end of the day it's not critical like the other two pieces of the chain and you'll probably never notice the difference. quote:Second - can someone recommend a decent pair of earbuds or IEMs for use with my cell phone? The pair I own now are pretty bad - I mostly use them to listen to podcasts while I take walks or work out. Not a ton of music, but when I do it's generally either orchestral or synth-y stuff from some OST I enjoy. I've never heard them myself, but I always see the Shure 215 suggested as a very good value IEM, too. They have replaceable cables which is a nice plus if you're going to be active with them.
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Nov 3, 2015 18:32
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http://www.engadget.com/2015/11/03/sennheiser-new-orpheus-headphones/ lol, sennheiser's new ultra-flagship is $50,000
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Nov 3, 2015 22:46
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TheQat posted:http://www.engadget.com/2015/11/03/sennheiser-new-orpheus-headphones/ lol, sennheiser's new ultra-flagship is $50,000 That's basically as expected. Demand for the few Orpheus' that were produced previously was very high even after their performance had long since been eclipsed by cheaper pairs, and they keep their value/have a chance to even appreciate. I'll be shocked if they have any trouble selling out.
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Nov 4, 2015 00:38
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