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4 quick reviews for sub $100 BT sets for the gym. 1. Plantronics Backbeats ($65 on sale) These are pretty decent they are not fully noise isolating which might be good for say a runner or biker but I didn't really like them for the gym too much. Their sound is OK but nothing to write home about. Pros: I get the feeling that these will last forever they seem very sturdy and rugged and I don't have to think twice about throwing them around. Cons: Battery life sucks 5 hours at best. Not Noise Isolating. The chord that wraps behind your head is ridged which I don't like. The range on the BT really isn't that great. Can get uncomfortable for long periods of time. If you want a set of IEM's for the gym that will probably last you forever I'd get these. 2. Beats Powerbeats 2 ($85 on sale) Yes I know Beats suck but I got them on sale and I wanted to try them out. The included tips kinda suck rear end so you’d be best served by getting the comply tips. The included tips didn’t fit my ears very well so they weren’t very noise isolating. The sound is bassy but it isn’t bad for the gym and they get plenty loud. Pros: Decent sound for working out. Don’t have to worry about them falling out or moving around at the gym as the clips hold them in place very well. Very comfortable I had them in for a few hours with no issues. Excellent noise isolation with the comply tips. They have a big B on them so people know you are rocking the beats by Dre. Cons: Battery life isn’t great I’m getting about 5 hours a charge and they are larger than the Plantronics. Pushing that bass must use a lot of battery life. The BT range is poo poo. Possibly the worst range I’ve seen in a headset. Over priced even on sale. (shocking I know) The behind the head cable kinda gets twisted up and is kinda a pain in the rear end. 3.Jaybird X2 ($75 on sale) These are by far my favorites. They come with comply tips which have great noise isolation, are super comfortable, and they sound great. Pros: Amazing battery life for their size. They say something like 8 hours and I feel like I was getting about that if not more. Very comfortable. Great Sound. You can wear them multiple ways depending on what tickles your fancy. The behind the head cable is very un intrusive. Cons: None really that I can think of I just don’t use them as much as I should because I’d be real sad if I broke them at the gym. I use them when out doing other stuff though. 4.Skull Candy Hesh 2 ($65 not on sale) I bought these on the recommendation of someone in the general workout thread. These are supposed to be around ear but gently caress if they fit around my ears so maybe they are for little kids or something. Pros: None Cons: Everything. gently caress these things. They sound like poo poo and are super loving uncomfortable. I’ve spent a poo poo load of money on a poo poo load of headphones and these are possibly the worst I’ve ever bought. IMO stay away from these things I have no idea how they are 4.5 stars on amazon with 1300 reviews. If you can find the Jaybird X2s for $75 (which I assume will happen again soon) get them and be happy. I actually bought the SoundPeats Q9A a year ago from Amazon for $21.99 and they surprisingly weren’t terrible. So if you want some really cheap ones you couldn’t go wrong there. They held up for me for the 6 months I used them and they still work.
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Sep 13, 2016 18:28
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Actually, I'm returning my PSB M4U1. It sounds great, but a chunky plastic over-ear set just isn't worth it for portable, especially in the Texas heat. I purchased some nice IEMs and I'll stick with my HD600s for home listening. Also, the extendable headband slips position easily, and because of the plastic and the isolation it makes a loud noise when clicking into the next position. Extremely annoying.
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Sep 13, 2016 23:38
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REVIEW: ModMic 4.0 Convenient, but for $50 you'd expect at least a decent mic quality. Also it buzzes unless you buy the 3.5mm to USB adapter. Piece of poo poo.
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Sep 14, 2016 00:55
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The buzzing is your lovely integrated sound.
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Sep 14, 2016 18:25
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my modmic works fine tbh, except the sticky pad dried out after like 12 months
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Sep 14, 2016 18:26
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evil_bunnY posted:The buzzing is your lovely integrated sound. This I love my modmic.
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Sep 14, 2016 20:59
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evil_bunnY posted:The buzzing is your lovely integrated sound. I use a Xonar DG.
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Sep 14, 2016 22:12
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rear end posted:I use a Xonar DG.
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Sep 14, 2016 22:27
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Even if you fix your ground loop, the mic will still sound like a modmic, i.e. not very good. honestly even if you have to hack and solder cables to make it work just use a boompro for goodness sake.
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Sep 14, 2016 22:56
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lmao at this Why yes I do want to look like my head is strapped on
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Sep 15, 2016 14:21
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Dr. Fishopolis posted:Even if you fix your ground loop, the mic will still sound like a modmic, i.e. not very good. I don't get the hate. I own both, and they sound so similar the only reason to recommend one over the other is a) does your headphone have a detachable 3.5mm jack b) price.
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Sep 15, 2016 18:52
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On a whim, I dug out the Sennheiser HD25's that have been sitting in my video production bag. They've been sitting there for about a year, with a badly bent 3.5mm plug that, while technically still worked, annoyed me to the point of using other headphones. Well, I finally soldered a new plug on there and shortened the cable to a more reasonable 1.5m or so. This also gave me the opportunity to swap the channels, so the cable is left-sided now, which solves the other annoyance I had with them. Oh, and I threw on some new headband pads and aftermarket earpads for the Urbanites to replace all the janky old crap. Okay, yes, they're on-ear. And weird looking. And cheap feeling. And way, way, too expensive. But find a used pair as cheaply as possible, and you have an incredibly durable, lightweight headphone that isolates and kicks out fast bass as well as any fancy IEM i've ever tried. They're fun sounding, but not so much that they're inaccurate for monitoring. They're just absurdly good. If you need walking around cans that sound great and isolate better than most ANC cans, find a pair. But used, and under $100. If you can score a broken pair, even better because the parts are easy to find, relatively cheap and meant to be user-replaceable.
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Sep 15, 2016 22:10
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Just got my Carbo Tenores in the mail today, these do sound really great for how cheap they were. As expected the build quality is pretty flimsy though. I think these will stay at my desk at work and I'll keep using my RE-400s as my walkin' around headphones. Now I just need some closed back cans to double as earmuffs when the weather gets colder and I'll be happy with my headphone collection for another few months.
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Sep 16, 2016 14:44
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Budget - USD 50-100 Source - TV/Computer Isolation Requirements - Not required but sometimes my GF watches TV in the same room and it'd be nice not to hear that. Preferred Type of Headphone - Full Size, whichever. Wireless. Preferred Tonal Balance - whatever's best for movies/TV shows. Preferred Music - It'll be mostly for watching movies/TV but I mostly listen to EDM when working. Looking for some headphones to watch movies either from my TV or my computer while at home. They'd have to be wireless. TV has most standard outputs, computer has HDMI/3.5mm/Bluetooth.
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Sep 18, 2016 00:15
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MarcusSA posted:4 quick reviews for sub $100 BT sets for the gym. I have these and they're pretty good, weak bluetooth signal though. https://www.amazon.com/Vtin-Bluetoo...ooth+headphones Also using a pair of Oppo PM3s. Very nice sound.
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Sep 18, 2016 20:16
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I have an AK100ii and Westone 4 paired up and while I love them immensely, I feel like it could use a little more kick in the sub bass and maybe a bit more soundstage. Does adding a decent amp like the JDS Labs 02 (someone is offering it to me used for $70), add some considerable improvement or at this point I'm better off getting "better" IEMs or the Mojo?
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Sep 20, 2016 17:45
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Disharmony posted:I have an AK100ii and Westone 4 paired up and while I love them immensely, I feel like it could use a little more kick in the sub bass and maybe a bit more soundstage. Does adding a decent amp like the JDS Labs 02 (someone is offering it to me used for $70), add some considerable improvement or at this point I'm better off getting "better" IEMs or the Mojo? The AK100ii has plenty of power for something like the Westone 4. You'll see absolutely zero benefit from adding an amp of any type no matter the cost, unless you consider "introduction of audible distortion" a benefit. Also feel free to post in the audiophile thread.
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Sep 20, 2016 18:32
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Are there Bluetooth headphones that use USB type C to charge and can transmit sound over USB C? I basically want a Bluetooth headphone that I can listen to and charge at the same time.
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Sep 20, 2016 20:13
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I would like to hack apart the bundled lightning headphones to connect to my Shure S215 IEMs. I'm thinking I'd just hack off the earpod part, and then solder in some MMCX cable ends. Other than cost (the bundled headphones + $20 for a new MMXC cable) and the sub-par sound quality (I'm sure Apple cheaped out on the inline DAC as much as possible), is there anything else that could go wrong? I mainly use my Shures for noise isolation on planes and in the office, so sound quality isn't my first priority.
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Sep 20, 2016 22:08
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Soldering those thin cables are probably going to be a pain in the rear end. They usually have coating on the copper that makes tinning it with solder impossible unless you burn it off. This is with regular 3.5mm headphone cables. I'm not sure if the pinout will be similar for lightning cables. EDIT: Why don't you just use the included lightning to 3.5mm adapter?
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Sep 20, 2016 22:33
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Constellation I posted:
Question of the day here.
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Sep 20, 2016 23:02
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Budget - ~$300 (30,000-35,000 JPY) Source - Xonar U5, but willing to upgrade to a good dedicated USB amp if necessary (not keen on adding more wires with a mains-driven amp) Isolation Requirements - None, at home. Preferred Type of Headphone - Over-ear, I wear them for hours so comfort is a must. Preferred Tonal Balance - Clean, present bass. Clear midtone. Sharp treble. Medium-wide soundstage. Past Headphones - Sennheiser HD-590s - my first love, and still my true love. I adored these and wish I could have another pair. I've been told they are "bright"? Given to a friend years ago when I sold all my stuff to go backpacking. - Audio Technica ANC-9 - Noise cancelling, got 'em for the backpacking - lots of train and airplane travel. Not a fan of the sound signature but that's not their purpose. - Sennheiser PC-360 - generally unhappy, these are what I want to replace. the sound is flat and muffled to me, and has a narrow soundstage. I abuse the Xonar U5's equalizer to get them to sound OK to me, though I love the integrated mic with automatic mute. - Sennheiser HD-429 - my current work headphone. a bit low on bass (again I abuse an EQ to bump this just a bit) but I love love love love their sound otherwise. I love the mids and trebles they produce. They sound like the 590s I loved so much, but with less detail and skewed towards treble. Preferred Music: - Primarily this is for gaming at home - a headset solution would be great if possible, if not I have to pick up a ModMic sssssomehow? (I live in Japan and they don't sell them here) Positional audio and clarity/detail here is key - I play a lot of Overwatch and other competitive shooters. - Music I like tends to be pop/rock and/or game music, the benchmark music I use is U2, Stone Temple Pilots, and Foo Fighters for pop/rock and Jet Set Radio Future, Persona 4, Freedom Planet, Shatter, Ys, Grandia and others for game music.
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Sep 21, 2016 02:28
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I don't have any headphone questions, just one statement to make. I received the Fostex TH900s in the mail tonight, and they are the most amazing headphones I have ever heard in my entire life. I own the Ultrasone Pro900s, Shure 1540s, and Shure SE846s and the Fostex TH900s blow them all out of the water. The detail and impact is amazing, and the bass is really on another level for a TOTL headphone. Better more detailed and impactful bass than the previously mentioned gear. If you have a chance to listen to or buy them, do it, you won't regret it.
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Sep 21, 2016 05:21
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Constellation I posted:Soldering those thin cables are probably going to be a pain in the rear end. They usually have coating on the copper that makes tinning it with solder impossible unless you burn it off. This is with regular 3.5mm headphone cables. I'm not sure if the pinout will be similar for lightning cables. MarcusSA posted:Question of the day here. Curiosity, mostly. I am currently using the adapter, but I'm hoping that some aftermarket will pick up the slack and make an all-in-one cable without having to rely on the adapter.
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Sep 21, 2016 15:36
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So if anyone is still looking for some decent under $100 BT IEMs Amazon as these for 39.99 Phaiser BHS-730 Bluetooth Earbuds Runner Headset Sport Earphones with Mic and Lifetime Sweatproof Warranty - Wireless Headphones for Running, Blackout https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C228T7E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_GrR4xbWM4S21X 4.5 stars with like 2200 reviews. Probably a pretty decent set.
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Sep 21, 2016 17:26
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Apropos of nothing, I managed to score a good deal on a whim on some AKG headphones to replace my ancient Steelseries ones. I've never been much of an audio person but hey, a deal's a deal. This naturally got me looking for something cheap to hook them into instead of my rather poor onboard sound. Maybe I'm just a barbaric pleb on this audio stuff, but holy mother of God are there some mountains of snake oil out there. I can't fathom some of this nonsense with cables, adapters and whatever the hell else people and companies are going on with. 
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Sep 25, 2016 03:02
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Oh, I'm sorry, do you expect my $32,000 cables with dynamically charged dielectric material and active tesla coils to actually touch the floor? Sure, let me just get rid of the dozen $860 particle accelerator lifters I purchased with them. Maybe next I'll donate my $369 titanium-built mechanically tuned resonance control devices (sold in single units) to charity and just place my $48,000 amplifier on a table like an rear end in a top hat.
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Sep 25, 2016 04:26
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Just get a decent USB DAC
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Sep 25, 2016 08:20
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seravid posted:Oh, I'm sorry, do you expect my $32,000 cables with dynamically charged dielectric material and active tesla coils to actually touch the floor? Sure, let me just get rid of the dozen $860 particle accelerator lifters I purchased with them. That looks like the most inconvenient audio cable ever. Is it designed to be used while being suspended in a vacuum chamber? I've somehow been placed on a list where I get sent audiophile catalogs every so often. I love thumbing through them and looking at the $500 USB cables and such... Also an audio update: I just couldn't use the DT 990s, as much as I liked the sound. Headache after 15 minutes every time. I've settled on HD-650s (yeah a totally different price range) and they're loving awesome. Apart from the head crushing tension they have out of the box, I don't have anything else bad to say about them. I've been listening to a lot more non-metal lately too because everything just sounds so great. I'm glad I went with a dedicated amp too (Magni 2), not because of audio quality is any better, but the volume knob is solid and I don't have a mess of cables to gently caress around with. Thanks for the help goons.
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Sep 25, 2016 14:18
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So if I want to pick up the basic Schitt stack, but I also have a pair of powered desktop speakers (M audio av40) do I need the "uber" versions?
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Sep 25, 2016 16:50
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Wouldn't an active Tesla coil in your cable introduce a ton of noise to the signal?
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Sep 25, 2016 17:29
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El Scotch posted:Apropos of nothing, I managed to score a good deal on a whim on some AKG headphones to replace my ancient Steelseries ones. I've never been much of an audio person but hey, a deal's a deal. Get a Fiio E10k
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Sep 25, 2016 18:19
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That was my thought, too. Hows the dragonfly black for use with a laptop/phone? It's hard to find anything less than praise for it but I don't put much stock in the people generally doing the reviews.
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Sep 25, 2016 19:04
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The Dragonfly is a good DAC, and the output quality will be very similar (if not idential) to the E10k and both will work with laptops. The Dragonfly will work with smartphones, the E10k will not as it draws too much power.
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Sep 25, 2016 20:17
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So I'm thinking of buying new headphones and I have narrowed it down to the AKG k702 and the Sennheiser hd598. My previous headphones have been Sennheisers and my current one is a hd518. I like the comfort of the Sennheisers and I have had no problems with its sound. The AKG k702 and the Sennheiser hd598 are discounted to the same price in amazon UK (about 145 pounds) and i do have a fiio e17 so driving both of them shouldn't be a problem. I use my headphones mostly for gaming and watching videos and when I listen to music there is no preferred genre.
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Sep 25, 2016 20:23
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Going from the HD595 to the K701 was definitely an upgrade for me, but you might not like their sound (large soundstage, subtle bass, emphasis on the highs). If in doubt, the Senns are a good, safe choice.
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Sep 25, 2016 20:38
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snipermonkey posted:So I'm thinking of buying new headphones and I have narrowed it down to the AKG k702 and the Sennheiser hd598. My previous headphones have been Sennheisers and my current one is a hd518. I like the comfort of the Sennheisers and I have had no problems with its sound. The AKG k702 and the Sennheiser hd598 are discounted to the same price in amazon UK (about 145 pounds) and i do have a fiio e17 so driving both of them shouldn't be a problem. I use my headphones mostly for gaming and watching videos and when I listen to music there is no preferred genre. Can you try on the K702s anyplace? The way they auto-adjust was actually a deal breaker for me, although they were very comfortable. I just prefer a very snug fit, and that was difficult to accomplish with AKGs. Both sound great, though.
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Sep 25, 2016 22:11
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enojy posted:Can you try on the K702s anyplace? The way they auto-adjust was actually a deal breaker for me, although they were very comfortable. I just prefer a very snug fit, and that was difficult to accomplish with AKGs. Both sound great, though. I have had headphones with similar headband system (steel series siberia v2) and I had no problems with that so I don't expect that I will feel any discomfort using the k702. It's just that there are so many different headphones out there that I have really hard time choosing one. I guess I'll take the HD598 because I have been satisfied with Sennheisers phones in the past when it comes to comfort and sound quality. I think I value comfort more than sound, because I'm not that discerning when it comes to sound quality. EDIT: I also checked out the Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro and it also looks like a good choice. they are the 250 ohm version, would my fiio e17 be able to drive them? snipermonkey fucked around with this message at 13:48 on Sep 26, 2016 |
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Sep 26, 2016 13:18
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Okay I went and got me some of those ridiculous $5 VE monk plus earbuds. The hype is ridiculous, but what the heck they're 5 bucks. Turns out, they're a joke, how good they are. It's a silly joke. They have Serious Business imaging and soundstage. If you double up the little foam things they give you, they have fast, decently extended bass. They're on the warm side of neutral, but not crazy. They don't just sound great for 5 dollars, they sound great period. The only earbuds I have left from the Great Earbud Purge of the late 90s are Apple Earpods. It's no comparison. The earpods are scooped to gently caress. The bass is flabby and bleeds into the lower mids. There's a vague suggestion of vocals that give way to sibilant, peaky treble with a big fat 5k spike that overwhelms any sizzle or harmonics that might be present in the higher registers. Compared to my old standard favorite portables, the Sennheiser HD25's, they actually kind of hold up. Obviously there's no isolation, they're not as "aggressive in a good way", the bass isn't quite as deep or fast or accurate. There's no getting away from the fact that they're $5 plastic earbuds either, the comfort and build quality will never be close to the unkillable, industrial brutality of the HD25s, let alone a decent set of over-ear cans. They're no good for walking around outside, it's like trying to listen to HD598s in a crowded bar. You'll have to turn them up to dangerous levels for anything good to happen, so just don't. But in a quiet room, the soundstage is the widest I have ever heard in a portable format, and they have inarguably better mids. I'm listening to Goblin's Profondo Rosso and there are synth lines coming from another god drat room somehow.
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Sep 27, 2016 19:25
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I'm looking for some light-ish weight fairly compact headphones for use commuting and in the office. The last pair I had in this role was some lower-end Sennheisers that cost about £30 and were fine until the jack connector got busted. I've been meaning to repair the cable since then but  . If this new pair had a replaceable/detachable cable that would be great. It also would ideally have a slim jack housing as the cutaways on my phone case are quite small but I could always run them through a remote or slimline extension so that's not a dealbreaker. Budget - £50-100 Source - Primarily iPhone 6+ and MacBook Isolation Requirements - Yes Preferred Type of Headphone - On-ear or preferably Over-ear. I can't stand IEMs, they hurt my ears and they always fall out and are generally a nuisance. Between on- or over, I very much prefer over but I realise that for a smaller set of headphones I'm likely to have to consider on. Preferred Tonal Balance - Pretty much balanced? I don't really know what I'm talking about here but I listen to a really wide range of stuff so I need something pretty neutral that won't affect the far ends of the spectrum too much. Past Headphones - I have some Sennheiser 598s at home that are ideal for my listening, but they are a bit obnoxious for use to in public as they are open. Also quite big but as I said, not too bothered by mid-range size if they are the right headphones. I have the aforementioned cheaper Sennheisers which were perfectly decent but are busted and possibly not worth the effort to repair. I tried out the Xiaomi Pistons last year and they sounded good but, as I explained, I am not a fan of IEMs. Preferred Music - Really almost anything except for R&B. My Spotify Discover Weekly is almost all rock and metal so I guess those are my most commonly listened to genres, but I have lots of friends who are classical musicians and listen to that a lot, I love reggae, folk and jazz (both classic and contemporary revival kind of stuff) and sometimes spend a week or two at a time listening to Drum & Bass or some other absurdly named electronic subgenre.
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Sep 28, 2016 09:53
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