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NewFatMike
Jun 11, 2015

The M1060 listing only shows that they're 50 ohms - are those in drive range for most devices without an amp? I know they're open back, but it's still interesting from a travel pair protective.

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DancingShade
Jul 26, 2007

by Fluffdaddy

(and can't post for 26 days!)

NewFatMike posted:

The M1060 listing only shows that they're 50 ohms - are those in drive range for most devices without an amp? I know they're open back, but it's still interesting from a travel pair protective.

Very good question!

To test this I just pulled out my battle worn Sony MP3 player (doesn't have a name, just a long model number and I bought it about 5 years ago or so. Was premium at the time but nowhere near as insane as their current high end mobile devices)
It's an NMZ-S755 if that means anything to you.

It works surprisingly well! It's lacking a bit of the dynamic range my Jotunheim can provide because of course but will you enjoy it? Hell yes. Punchy bass, clear highs etc. Usual hi-fi lingo bullshit applies.

NewFatMike
Jun 11, 2015

Excellent, thank you! They have some other planar cans on the site that I'm interested in as well, mostly just kinda seeing what's out there and what's doable.

Thanks again!

DancingShade
Jul 26, 2007

by Fluffdaddy

(and can't post for 26 days!)

Oh the M560s? Yeah that was my original plan until I realised the M1060 release was imminent because I wanted to experience planar and I have a big fat head so large earcups are totally my thing.
(this is also why I admire the AKG7-whatever earcups so much)

So far I really like the planar sound signature vs dynamic. So tight. Or precise, whatever.

Fortuitous Bumble
Jan 5, 2007

Lowness 72 posted:

Unpopular opinion: my AD900x are very very uncomfortable. They put pressure on my jaw joint which is incredibly uncomfortable for me. Really a shame.

FYI these are the new models after they dropped the funky purple (or maybe 900 never was purple? Anyway they're all black).

I had that issue until I constrained the two head pieces with some string. After that they were comfortable enough for me to wear for hours at at time.

Cough Drop The Beat
Jan 22, 2012

by Lowtax
Just ordered Vivo X800s from the Rillpac store recommended on Head-Fi and I'm really excited to replace my Shure IEMs that are falling apart!

DancingShade
Jul 26, 2007

by Fluffdaddy

(and can't post for 26 days!)

Ok gently caress it, day 5 with the M1060s after very heavy usage. No cracks, the mmcx connectors are still rock solid, etc.

I think the initial scare reports were either the unlucky few with some defective units or the hamfisted headphone smashers / cord yankers who break literally everything not made of solid die cast spring steel.
You know the type. You see them on YouTube talking all about the things they keep breaking whenever they get a new thing to unbox.

Pretty confident my pair isn't going to fail anytime soon so I've ordered some Audeze leather pads because I hate synthetic leather in contact with my skin.
(don't get me wrong - stock pads are very comfy but I'm a leather & memory foam supremacy snob)

M. Propagandalf
Aug 9, 2008

THUNDERDOME LOSER
Anyone familiar with Audio Technica's warranty in Canada, which requires you send your headphones to JAM Industries in Quebec?

The arm on my ATH-M50x popped out of its socket, and pulled a bit of the wire with it. While the headphone still works without issue, the wire is getting increasingly stressed/exposed.

I've sent a Return Authorization Request, and they've given me a slip back, with the reply:

quote:

We will inspect the headphones and if it’s determine the damages isn’t covered under warrant we will advise on an estimate before we do anything.

Our labor cost is 65$/hr (+taxe) plus the cost of what the part is. If it’s under warranty, the repair and return shipping will be covered.

How lenient is their warranty? I'm wary that I'll be paying S&H to ship it, only to eventually be told "Nope, warranty won't cover this. That'll be $100, plus labour, parts, and return shipping, if you want it back." If that's the case, I'd be better off not sending it at all.

Here's how bad it looks:

http://imgur.com/a/NEPhK

I've tried to hold the wire in place with putty, but the arms still continues to pop off from time to time, pulling the wire.

DancingShade
Jul 26, 2007

by Fluffdaddy

(and can't post for 26 days!)

M. Propagandalf posted:

Anyone familiar with Audio Technica's warranty in Canada, which requires you send your headphones to JAM Industries in Quebec?

The arm on my ATH-M50x popped out of its socket, and pulled a bit of the wire with it. While the headphone still works without issue, the wire is getting increasingly stressed/exposed.

I've sent a Return Authorization Request, and they've given me a slip back, with the reply:


How lenient is their warranty? I'm wary that I'll be paying S&H to ship it, only to eventually be told "Nope, warranty won't cover this. That'll be $100, plus labour, parts, and return shipping, if you want it back." If that's the case, I'd be better off not sending it at all.

Here's how bad it looks:

http://imgur.com/a/NEPhK

I've tried to hold the wire in place with putty, but the arms still continues to pop off from time to time, pulling the wire.

No idea personally but it looks like a clear case of "not fit for purpose" AFAIK.

If you were in Australia you'd have zero trouble getting a new whatever it was with a picture like that. I hope you attached the picture with your RMA request.

I've RMA'd a logitech mouse with far less physical issues than your headphones without issue so as long as your warranty is still in date then I don't think you have anything to worry about except perhaps the inconvenience while you are lacking your headphones.
(To be specific I RMA'd it because the thumb grip rubber was getting worn. Which is petty but it was also a premium priced mouse at the time so I wasn't happy about it)

D1E
Nov 25, 2001


Earlier today I received a delivery from Amazon, which contained a pair of Monoprice Monolith M1060 Planar Headphones. After they sold out completely on the Monoprice web site, a small number of these appeared on Amazon under various authorized dealers, and all of them jacked up the prices:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N32N5DD/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

That listing is selling them for $399. I ordered my pair for $349 before the retailer decided to gouge interested buyers further (direct price from Monoprice is $299.99) - I figured that getting them at least a month earlier than otherwise possible was worth the $50 difference...

My pair does not exhibit any defects out of the box. If the wood cracking is goes to happen to anyone I would certainly expect that it would happen to me, as I live in far West Texas, which is literally a desert. The dry hot climate might affect the wood - if that is the source of the issue to begin with. If the issue is ham-handed owners on Head-Fi abusing their gear instead, then that's a different story. Me personally, I take autistically obsessively good care of my electronics. To be honest though, based on the number of reports on Head-Fi I do suspect that there might be a few quality control issues with the headphones, at least in the first batch. Most of the people who post over there take better care of their audio equipment than they do of their wives and kids.

I should note that I'm using an aftermarket MMCX cable, and haven't even tried the stock cable that comes in the box. The included case is huge and certainly more than protective enough. My pair feels solid in my hands and looks quite nice in my opinion. The stock earpads are pretty thick and comfortable, but the headband is thin and skimpy. That said, comfort is at least equivalent to my Hifiman HE-400i set, and those are my daily drivers. I have worn the M1060s for the last 3-4 hours and have no complaints.

Sound quality is definitely good. For reference I'm running these from a Mac Mini outputting via USB to an iFi Audio micro iDSD Black Label DAC/amp, and I have owned and spent serious time with the Audeze LCD-2 and Sennheiser HD800. My current other cans are the Hifimans, a pair of Oppo PM-3 portable/closed planars, Sennheiser IE80 IEMs, and now the Monoliths.

I would not say that these are the best sound I have ever heard, but for the list price they are a great pair of headphones. Nothing significant jumps out to me as being "wrong" with the sound, and they have excellent planar tightness, punch, and control. They are a fairly balanced headphone, in that they definitely don't seem to be artificially EQ'd in any specific direction. Bass is very good for an open headphone. I would definitely say that my Hifimans have better midrange and treble, but these are non-fatiguing. My DAC/amp definitely helps expand the soundstage "outside" the cans themselves, because it has a 3D+ digital signal processing function, but my Hifimans are wider and likely a tad more detailed.

The truth is that now is a great time to buy entry-level planar headphones from a variety of sources. My genuine opinion is that planars are technologically superior to dynamic headphones at this point, and this is born out by harmonic distortion figures. Electrostatics are almost certainly still the "best" technology for audio drivers, but their prices are also still beyond reasonable.

I like these, and will probably keep them.

DancingShade
Jul 26, 2007

by Fluffdaddy

(and can't post for 26 days!)

Ooh. A PM-3 owner. I have a question for you.

How well do your ears fit inside the cups? I've heard they can be somewhat on ear rather than over ear despite the largish looking cups because the pads are fairly wide.
Is that accurate?

I just ask because I can't stand to wear IEMs for very long anymore but I can wear comfy over ears basically all day and I don't have a good closed set.

D1E
Nov 25, 2001


DancingShade posted:

Ooh. A PM-3 owner. I have a question for you.

How well do your ears fit inside the cups? I've heard they can be somewhat on ear rather than over ear despite the largish looking cups because the pads are fairly wide.
Is that accurate?

I just ask because I can't stand to wear IEMs for very long anymore but I can wear comfy over ears basically all day and I don't have a good closed set.

I'm with you on IEMs. I bought the Oppos for that exact same reason, besides having perfectly competent IE80s for mobile use/outside my house. I have fairly large ears, and had the same concern when I saw the PM-3s out of the box. The earpads look tall and narrow, but they're entirely circumaural for me, and quite comfortable. Of course everything is relative, so you might have gigantic ears and they wouldn't be the best fit for you. They probably have the best build quality of any cans I own. That said, they also are decidedly the most neutral and have the narrowest soundstage - although that makes sense because they're closed. The sound is technically fine, but I have discovered I never choose them when I'm at home - I think I just significantly prefer open headphones now. They're great to have to take with me anywhere else though, as you and I both know that something like the M1060s would be like listening to a boombox in public.

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe
Re: IEM talk. I finally bit the bullet and picked up a pair of Westone W20s after reading about how comfortable they are despite looking very similar to Shure IEMs which I like alot but can't wear for extended periods.

Well I'm glad I finally did. They are waaaaay more comfortable. I think because the drivers are slightly smaller than the Shures. Sound is really good too. I just wish they were $100 cheaper. True test will be next flight I've got to take on Friday.

DancingShade
Jul 26, 2007

by Fluffdaddy

(and can't post for 26 days!)

D1E posted:

I'm with you on IEMs. I bought the Oppos for that exact same reason, besides having perfectly competent IE80s for mobile use/outside my house. I have fairly large ears, and had the same concern when I saw the PM-3s out of the box. The earpads look tall and narrow, but they're entirely circumaural for me, and quite comfortable. Of course everything is relative, so you might have gigantic ears and they wouldn't be the best fit for you. They probably have the best build quality of any cans I own. That said, they also are decidedly the most neutral and have the narrowest soundstage - although that makes sense because they're closed. The sound is technically fine, but I have discovered I never choose them when I'm at home - I think I just significantly prefer open headphones now. They're great to have to take with me anywhere else though, as you and I both know that something like the M1060s would be like listening to a boombox in public.

Good to know, thanks.

Constellation I
Apr 3, 2005
I'm a sucker, a little fucker.

Lowness 72 posted:

Unpopular opinion: my AD900x are very very uncomfortable. They put pressure on my jaw joint which is incredibly uncomfortable for me. Really a shame.

FYI these are the new models after they dropped the funky purple (or maybe 900 never was purple? Anyway they're all black).

I agree. The updated (X) versions of the AD700 and AD900 have trash build quality, cables and pads. Such a shame because the originals are so comfortable to me.

Mephiston
Mar 10, 2006

Getting in on IEM chat while it's hot..

Budget - ~$50aud
Source - Samsung Galaxy s5 or Ipod Touch
Isolation Requirements - I would prefer it, yes please.
Preferred Type of Headphone - IEM
Preferred Tonal Balance - I'd like a fair bass response, and as little muddiness on the mids as possible, but I know that my price bracket wont get me far.
Past Headphones - Creative EP-630 (they came with my X-fi 2, and they were loving awesome)
Preferred Music - Heavy metal, rock, ambient electronica (some sub-bass is involved)


Just a note. I loved the hell out of my EP-630s The sound quality wasn't fantastic on the mid and treble, but they were really decent for bass, and they lasted 6 years of daily use. I'm really just considering getting another pair, but I figure I'd pop in here and ask you folks first, in case you had a better suggestion. I did run through the thread, but a lot of the model numbers people are chucking out are just going over my head.

DancingShade
Jul 26, 2007

by Fluffdaddy

(and can't post for 26 days!)

Mephiston posted:

Getting in on IEM chat while it's hot..

Budget - ~$50aud
Source - Samsung Galaxy s5 or Ipod Touch
Isolation Requirements - I would prefer it, yes please.
Preferred Type of Headphone - IEM
Preferred Tonal Balance - I'd like a fair bass response, and as little muddiness on the mids as possible, but I know that my price bracket wont get me far.
Past Headphones - Creative EP-630 (they came with my X-fi 2, and they were loving awesome)
Preferred Music - Heavy metal, rock, ambient electronica (some sub-bass is involved)


Just a note. I loved the hell out of my EP-630s The sound quality wasn't fantastic on the mid and treble, but they were really decent for bass, and they lasted 6 years of daily use. I'm really just considering getting another pair, but I figure I'd pop in here and ask you folks first, in case you had a better suggestion. I did run through the thread, but a lot of the model numbers people are chucking out are just going over my head.

I don't know if I can be of much help but when I bought my Sony MP3 player some years ago the bundled IEMs were shockingly good at isolation and noise cancellation.
In fact I still have them to this day carefully stashed in a drawer.

Check out their online store because they have a bunch of IEMs at around the $50 AUD mark. See if the reviews are any good for your needs.

Mephiston
Mar 10, 2006

I found this link comparing a few different IEMs for around the same price. Any thoughts? I don't know if that site is any good, but it seems okay.

Just as an aside, could someone explain what the deal with speaker diaphragm is, if a bigger or smaller one is better for sound quality and, more importantly, whether its of any importance to non-audiophiles.

DancingShade
Jul 26, 2007

by Fluffdaddy

(and can't post for 26 days!)

Mephiston posted:

I found this link comparing a few different IEMs for around the same price. Any thoughts? I don't know if that site is any good, but it seems okay.

Just as an aside, could someone explain what the deal with speaker diaphragm is, if a bigger or smaller one is better for sound quality and, more importantly, whether its of any importance to non-audiophiles.

At that price point so long as you're not buying House of Marley you'll probably get acceptable sound quality (HoM are loving shithouse).
Audiophile stuff simply doesn't happen at the $50 price point so don't worry about any of that.

Worry about two things:

1) cable microphonics (does rubbing the cable make a ton of audible noise inside your ears?)

2) does it include alternate larger/smaller tips for the IEM so you can customise the fit a bit more for your personal ear canal size preference?

D1E
Nov 25, 2001


Update on my Monoprice Monolith M1060s: the wood on the right earpiece just audibly cracked (literally - I was listening to music and heard a snap) right the at point where the headband is joined to the earpieces. Only the rear joint of the right earpiece is cracked so far, and it's sufficiently small right now that you probably wouldn't notice unless you specifically looked for it.

That said I don't plan to return/exchange them unless the crack expands sufficiently that it becomes a real structural concern - at this point it is a minor aesthetic issue. However, I did want to clarify that the issues reported on Head-Fi do appear to be real. These headphones have literally only been in two places since I received them: on my head or in the included case. I haven't so much as set them down anywhere else, and I have been exceedingly gentle with them because I was aware of the concerns to begin with. To reiterate: I received them literally two days ago.

DancingShade
Jul 26, 2007

by Fluffdaddy

(and can't post for 26 days!)

D1E posted:

Update on my Monoprice Monolith M1060s: the wood on the right earpiece just audibly cracked (literally - I was listening to music and heard a snap) right the at point where the headband is joined to the earpieces. Only the rear joint of the right earpiece is cracked so far, and it's sufficiently small right now that you probably wouldn't notice unless you specifically looked for it.

That said I don't plan to return/exchange them unless the crack expands sufficiently that it becomes a real structural concern - at this point it is a minor aesthetic issue. However, I did want to clarify that the issues reported on Head-Fi do appear to be real. These headphones have literally only been in two places since I received them: on my head or in the included case. I haven't so much as set them down anywhere else, and I have been exceedingly gentle with them because I was aware of the concerns to begin with. To reiterate: I received them literally two days ago.

Well that sucks. Dry geographic location? I've heard the wood might not have been sufficiently treated for all environments.

If mine crack the plan is to put a tiny amount of wood putty into any gap then use a thin strip of roof flashing tape as a sealant/band aid. Into the second week of heavy usage with no issues though so my pair might be ok.

CongoJack
Nov 5, 2009

Ask Why, Asshole
Any consensus on good, cheap blutooth earbuds/IEMs? I'm talking like 50 bucks or less. Looking for something usable while running and working out.

grack
Jan 10, 2012

COACH TOTORO SAY REFEREE CAN BANISH WHISTLE TO LAND OF WIND AND GHOSTS!

Mephiston posted:

I found this link comparing a few different IEMs for around the same price. Any thoughts? I don't know if that site is any good, but it seems okay.

Just as an aside, could someone explain what the deal with speaker diaphragm is, if a bigger or smaller one is better for sound quality and, more importantly, whether its of any importance to non-audiophiles.

Diaphragm size doesn't matter nearly as much as the acoustic design of the earpieces, so don't worry about it. In your price range good options would be the Beyerdynamic Byron, Tennmak Crazy Cello, Tennmak Dulcimer and Urbanfun Hi-Fi.

grack
Jan 10, 2012

COACH TOTORO SAY REFEREE CAN BANISH WHISTLE TO LAND OF WIND AND GHOSTS!
I would also add the Senzer H1, which I just ran through the wash and seem to work just fine.

Mephiston
Mar 10, 2006

Thank you both grack and Dancing Shade for your suggestions, I really appreciate you offering me advice and alternatives.

Although the Tennmak Crazy Cello are comparable to what I had originally, I think I will still get a replacement set of EC-630s. They are still considerably cheaper ($30AUD off ebay vs $90), and I'm comfortable with them having lasted several years of regular use so it's a case of going with what I know.

Although I might upgrade to the Creative hitz MA500, since they are the same IEMs with a remote and microphone, so I can use them with my phone and ditch my Ipod entirely.

Plan Z
May 6, 2012

Anyone know any good PC gaming-friendly headsets for a large-headed goon? I got these Plantronics 760 that just exploded one day while just sitting and listening to a podcast. Same for a pair of Logitech G3-somethings before that.

Plan Z fucked around with this message at 23:52 on Mar 16, 2017

NewFatMike
Jun 11, 2015

Budget? I've been loving my AKG 7XX for gaming because I can actually hear where folks are coming up on me from in Overwatch
Not sure when they'll be up on a drop again and also there open back so unless there's a closed door between me and anyone else they can also hear the cans.

Plan Z
May 6, 2012

Yeah, sorry for not remembering budget. Looking for something not too far beyond $100 unless it's really worth it.

DancingShade
Jul 26, 2007

by Fluffdaddy

(and can't post for 26 days!)

Plan Z posted:

Anyone know any good PC gaming-friendly headsets for a large-headed goon? I got these Plantronics 760 that just exploded one day while just sitting and listening to a podcast. Same for a pair of Logitech G3-somethings before that.

Corsair Void. Good bass, good spatial awareness and comfy with a decent unidirectional mike.
Earcups are pretty deep and large.

It's great for gaming but terrible for music because it's simply not tuned that way.

Wired version should keep you under budget too.

DancingShade fucked around with this message at 07:19 on Mar 17, 2017

DancingShade
Jul 26, 2007

by Fluffdaddy

(and can't post for 26 days!)

Also if you aren't scared off by the dodgy quality control and bag yourself an M1060 in the next production batch in April don't be dumb and buy yourself a fancy custom cable just because the stock one is a mere 4ft long.

You can get a 3.5mm extension cable for the price of two take away coffees in most stores that sell electrical things that make noise. Mine is 4m long which is crazy too much so I looped most of it back up with the twist ties it shipped in.
(was about ten bucks Australian)

I guess I could spend a couple hundred on a fancy handmade cable from overseas with carbon fibre rare metal plugs and poo poo but I'm not sure I'm ready to be the kind of coffee shop / hipster bar wanker who has exotic cables plugged into their obscure portable music player.

DancingShade fucked around with this message at 08:53 on Mar 17, 2017

Starpluck
Sep 11, 2010

by Fluffdaddy
Budget - $300
Source - Computer/laptop and mobile. I have the FiiO E10K USB DAC and Headphone Amplifier
Isolation Requirements- Do you need isolation? Sure
Preferred Type of Headphone - Over ear
Preferred Tonal Balance - Would you prefer bass heavy headphones? Maybe one focused on vocals? Maybe balanced? Let us know. Balance, though I suppose some bass would be nice on the occasion I listen to music. I like what the bass can produce when I turn on the Bass feature for my Fiio DAC/AMP.
Past Headphones- Audio-Technica's ATH-M50. Dog chewed up the cable so I am using my lovely PS4 headset as I have no other sound.
Preferred Music - General. Sometimes EDM (but not frequent, quite rare), and guided mediation tracks. Most of my headphone usage is just so I can have sound for my PC. 90% of it is just for general sound, like watching videos if that make sense.

The guided mediation tracks are one of the reasons why I have ordered (pending, can still cancel) the Bose QuietComfort 25 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones

75% of the music I listen too is via my phone connected to my car's audio system so I do not often listen to music in my headphones often except if I am in the gym. I rarely listen to music on my headphones. Most of the music is in the car. I do need good headphones at home every day though for general sound (e.g. YouTube, videos etc.) as I only have a PS4 headset replacement.

I see the thread addressed the Bose brand I recently submitted on Amazon. I want to know if I am getting a rip off compared to the Sennheiser HD 600 that I can get at exact same price. I am not a hard core music listener, but that may change if the HD 600 can convince me with unparalleled sound. I live in a small house and it is generally noisy for me which always breaks my concentration which was why I chose the Bose. I want to listen to guided mediation tracks for both sleep and day and I figured noise-cancellation would be good for those tracks.

Am I making the wrong decision? Is the difference between the Bose 25 and HD 600 enough for me to reconsider? I do not listen to music often, not hardcore by any means nor an audophile. I do not think I would care enough about the difference, but I have never tried the coveted HD 600 so I cannot say for sure.

Further, is the AMP/DAC I linked above sufficient? I am not trying to spend more money on an AMP/DAC and want to know if what I have is sufficient.

Starpluck fucked around with this message at 19:07 on Dec 27, 2018

Samurai Sanders
Nov 4, 2003

Pillbug
I'm getting into headphone amps so I decided to try the smorgasbord option of a Soundblaster E3 so I can figure out what features I will use of something like this and what I won't. I use it with my PC, PS4 and iDevices but my question is, should there be any difference in sound quality between connecting it to the PS4 via USB or optical? USB would be the most convenient since it would power it too and could make use of the mic if I ever wanted to, but part of my brain thinks optical sounds better when I switch them back and forth. I don't know why that would be since they're both digital and transmitting uncompressed audio data, right? I've been using Audiotechnica Air 700 and Sennheiser 558 headphones.

edit: I'm not enough of an audiophile yet that I care about cosmic radiation interfering with the USB cable or whatever, just whether the PS4 would be compressing the audio data through the USB connection without my knowledge or something.

Samurai Sanders fucked around with this message at 17:16 on Mar 18, 2017

Sehvekah
Mar 14, 2010

I am not a clever pony
So I've had my KZ ZST IEMs for about a week, and as I said before, the TL;DR is really just "Better ATEs with replaceable cables", but there's some quirks to them to beware of.

So if you've never tried KZs ATE IEMs, there's a quick review of them here, or you can google some of the many others. The short version is that these are somewhat bass heavy IEMs that hit well above their budget price. Solid lows, clear mids and as nice of highs as you'll see in a single dynamic driver IEM made these my daily phones for a year, and they were further complimented by their light weight and superbly comfortable, and isolating, foam tips. If the cord hadn't started shorting internally I'd still be using them with little inclination to even look at anything else.

But, the cord did start to break, which left me wishing for something with a replaceable cord, and while the highs of the ATE were perfectly adequate, I occasionally wondered if adding some balanced armatures wouldn't improve an already excellent product. And lo and behold, someone at KZ had a damned similar train of thought when they designed the ZST. The whole reason I started off this ZST review with gushing over my old ATEs is because, near as I can tell, the ZSTs seem to use the exact same dynamic driver, and any alterations to the sound chamber have been only what was necessary to incorporate the BAs. Everything below the upper mids is indistinguishable from the ATEs without testing equipment I just don't have access to, and to my spoiled and possibly childish bass-head rear end it's fantastic!

And from the upper mids on? It's, for me, a simultaneously subtle and yet omnipresent difference. I should own up to my prior bias in saying that I've never really seen the highs as anything but a "nice counterpoint" to the bass, an ancillary detail to improve what I like, but of little inherent consequence. Said bias isn't dead, yet, but it's already on it's way out, and the detail the BAs in the ZSTs* are the cause. From simply helping distinguish individual instruments, to bringing out the their individual nuances, being able to hear the faint rasp of the singer's breath, I, for the first time, can actually understand why so many self proclaimed 'audiophiles' get their tits in a twist about the high end response. They're still often self-deluded, zealous fools of a hilarious order, but hosed dead, dry and sideways if I don't finally get what they've been going on about all this time.

I honestly wish at this point I'd had the money or idiocy to buy some ~$150USD+ IEMs, if only so I'd have some experience to compare the ZSTs against that wasn't KOSS SparkPlugs or JVC Marshmallows, so I could properly put into perspective not just how awesome the ZSTs are for their price, but also where they may be lacking or could have done better. As is, I can't find anything from an acoustic standpoint that can't be handled by a functioning EQ.

As for comfort? Well the ZSTs don't include any foam tips, but using some replacements I bought for my ATEs before they started dying, I got through a nearly 11 hour work shift, another hour of travel time and would have been good to leave them in till I sacked out. Literally the only reason I took them out was because I figured I needed to, not because I was uncomfortable. Moreover, the isolation is actually improved over the ATEs, meaning I can run them at a lower volume without loosing detail or having to listen to other people.

That wall of text out of the way, I paid about $17USD for my pair, and while that bought way more than it should have, you don't get what you don't pay for, and holy poo poo does this make me wonder what kind of ritualistic blood magic KZ uses to get their awesome sound profile, because the fit and finish of these is just... Ugh.

To start with the purple "backplates" that attach to the blue main housing(Yeah, I went for the candy colored ones, because loving synthwave, and I have a gods damned pony avatar how sensible do you really think I am?) are, well, they're attached, seemingly solidly, but with only nominal tactile or visual symmetry.

The cables are not attached during shipping, and while I did get them in quite solidly, it took a fair bit of force. Not "Am I going to break them?" force, but that I have to clarify that should indicate how much is needed. Additionally, while the right cable gave a nice, tactile 'click' when it slid home, the left was just "shove it till it don't move no more". I can't help but think the "cables fall out" problem some people have with the ZSTs isn't them "not shoving it hard enough" but more a "poorly made parts can't fit" problem. Would also explain the reports of "replacement KZ cables are incompatible across different KZ lines", and it may even extend to different production runs within the same line.

And holy poo poo, burn-in is loving mandatory with these IEMs. I don't know about the ATEs, I gave them a few days burn in before I listened to them, but I skipped that with the ZSTs, both because the shorting cable on the ATE wasn't going to last much longer, and I figured "Eh, it's probably all placebo". Two hours into my second shift with the ZSTs and the bass, mid song that I knew drat well didn't spike the bass there, suddenly went from "adequate, but a let down from the ATEs" to "KooAid Man just thundered in and slammed my old buds in my music holes". It wasn't unpleasant, or unwelcome, and it didn't distort anything else, it just plowed the gently caress in outta nowhere. This is also the main reason I wanted to wait to review the ZSTs, in case they decided to change their poo poo again. Just to be sure, I've been letting them burn in on my old minidisc player when I'm not using them, but at this point I think they've changed as much as they're going to.

And that's about all I can say about the KZ ZSTs. They're cheap, they're Chinese, and they have exactly some of the problems that come with that combo. But, they scratch my bass-head itch while also showing me I might be a bit too narrow in what I like, they're cheap, and when the time comes, I will have no problem at all paying more for the replacement cable that I did for the IEMs if it'll keep them working.

I may never own the perfect IEMs, but for now, these are my perfect IEMs.

*=Gods drat this review unending shitpost is turning into alphabet soup

Marxism
Feb 14, 2012
I need some headphones to wear while recording my voice and poo poo.

Budget 150 USD give or take
Source computer, via a yeti blue microphone
Isolation Requirements High, so I can tell what background noise there is on things I have recorded.
Preferred Type Over ear seems like the way to go.
Current Headphones are a pair of lovely 10 dollar at target IEM's that don't block much outside noise and are overall not very good.
Everything Else is far less important to me

Tell me what to do goons making choices is hard and I don't like it.

grack
Jan 10, 2012

COACH TOTORO SAY REFEREE CAN BANISH WHISTLE TO LAND OF WIND AND GHOSTS!
Burn in is 100% psychological.

Dr. Fishopolis
Aug 31, 2004

ROBOT

Marxism posted:

Tell me what to do goons making choices is hard and I don't like it.

audio technica m40x

Dr. Fishopolis
Aug 31, 2004

ROBOT

Samurai Sanders posted:

I'm getting into headphone amps so I decided to try the smorgasbord option of a Soundblaster E3 so I can figure out what features I will use of something like this and what I won't. I use it with my PC, PS4 and iDevices but my question is, should there be any difference in sound quality between connecting it to the PS4 via USB or optical? USB would be the most convenient since it would power it too and could make use of the mic if I ever wanted to, but part of my brain thinks optical sounds better when I switch them back and forth. I don't know why that would be since they're both digital and transmitting uncompressed audio data, right? I've been using Audiotechnica Air 700 and Sennheiser 558 headphones.

edit: I'm not enough of an audiophile yet that I care about cosmic radiation interfering with the USB cable or whatever, just whether the PS4 would be compressing the audio data through the USB connection without my knowledge or something.

Optical would bypass the E3's DAC since it's digital already. edit: lol nope. I'm surprised the PS4 even recognizes a USB DAC, so there could be some software weirdness going on there as well. Or, you're imagining it. Try and blind A/B it, if you can't tell the difference it's probably nothing.

Dr. Fishopolis fucked around with this message at 03:23 on Mar 19, 2017

Samurai Sanders
Nov 4, 2003

Pillbug

Dr. Fishopolis posted:

Optical would bypass the E3's DAC since it's digital already. I'm surprised the PS4 even recognizes a USB DAC, so there could be some software weirdness going on there as well. Or, you're imagining it. Try and blind A/B it, if you can't tell the difference it's probably nothing.
Yeah, the PS4 supports all kinds of USB sound devices...but aren't they also "digital already"? I don't understand what you're saying. I've been trying A/B tests (which turned out to be fairly easy since you can plug it in both ways but switch the PS4 back and forth between chat audio only coming out of the USB or all audio) but when I switch the volume level is radically different so I know which is which right away. It could be as simple as default volume higher for optical = sounds better to me immediately.

Samurai Sanders fucked around with this message at 23:06 on Mar 18, 2017

NewFatMike
Jun 11, 2015

Dr. Fishopolis posted:

audio technica m40x

Seconded. They're my travel pair due to high isolation and they really sound fabulous.

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Dr. Fishopolis
Aug 31, 2004

ROBOT

Samurai Sanders posted:

Yeah, the PS4 supports all kinds of USB sound devices...but aren't they also "digital already"? I don't understand what you're saying.

Haha good lord I somehow got the circuit flipped. Neeeevermind.

In any case, there's probably zero actual quality difference.

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