|
eames posted:This article claims that Bose spies on bluetooth headphone users via the Connect app and sells Music/Podcast listening data to/via a marketing company. I was really happy with my QC35. Sucks, but you can not use the Connect app. If you need firmware updates, they make a web enabled app to do that from Bose's support site. Beyond that, the app doesn't do much outside of switching devices easily. I'm annoyed, but I'm still going to use my QC35s. Seems like the last decade I've been in every class action (if this gets one too) under the sun. 
|
#
?
Apr 20, 2017 06:49
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 24, 2024 22:27 |
|
|
Is there such a thing as good ~$100 bluetooth headphones in the year of lord 2017? I already have HD280 Pros for homely listening and I absolutely love them, but they are pain in the rear end to take on the commute and I have 2 devices - work notebook with hosed up jack out and a phone (Lenovo Phab 2 Pro, do not buy) with a really really lovely sound out (the HD280s crackle in left channel with certain frequencies from the phone, but sound perfectly fine in anything else). I would prefer full over ear headphones, open or closed. Bias to bass if anywhere.
|
|
#
?
Apr 20, 2017 08:55
|
|
|
Teal posted:Is there such a thing as good ~$100 bluetooth headphones in the year of lord 2017? You might want to look into whether or not some kind of cheap ~$100 USB/mobile DAC/amp will be better than a $100 pair of BT headphones because BT adds a premium so I don't know what kind of quality you're going to get after that comes out. Your usage case is probably the best example of needing a USB DAC I can think of - your devices can't reliably output sound using the onboard hardware. A bottom dollar DAC should suffice for your notebook as a replacement for a stuffed 3.5mm port but when it comes to stuff you plug into a phone I have no advice to offer. Alternative: maybe give up entirely and buy a $100 digital audio player and just listen off that?
|
|
#
?
Apr 20, 2017 13:02
|
|
|
DancingShade posted:You might want to look into whether or not some kind of cheap ~$100 USB/mobile DAC/amp will be better than a $100 pair of BT headphones because BT adds a premium so I don't know what kind of quality you're going to get after that comes out. I like to commute relatively lightly, the idea is to haul less, not more. About where do the worthwhile bluetooth headphones start, cost wise? What's the cheapest you would recommend as worth the money? $100 was just ballpark for what I considered as "bearable but disposable", if $150 can get me "good and reliable" or $300 "great and will last for a decade" then that's all options I would consider.
|
|
#
?
Apr 20, 2017 14:50
|
|
|
eames posted:This article claims that Bose spies on bluetooth headphone users via the Connect app and sells Music/Podcast listening data to/via a marketing company. I was really happy with my QC35. Oh no, now 79 of the apps on your phone track you instead of the 78 you blissfully thought it was.
|
|
#
?
Apr 20, 2017 16:00
|
|
|
I got a pair of barely-used Sony MDR-ZX770-BN for like $75 on ebay. They're surprisingly good.
|
|
#
?
Apr 20, 2017 16:02
|
|
|
eames posted:This article claims that Bose spies on bluetooth headphone users via the Connect app and sells Music/Podcast listening data to/via a marketing company. I was really happy with my QC35. Bose could be in very big trouble in Europe because of this due to the various data privacy laws in every country. Users must give informed consent to this kind of poo poo. By big trouble the fines can be in the millions and the corporate liability shield doesn't exist for the data privacy laws so individuals can be fined and jailed as well.
|
|
#
?
Apr 20, 2017 16:33
|
|
|
Dr. Fishopolis posted:edit: also, don't use IEMs on a bicycle, ever. Is the concern here situational awareness or that somehow the headphone could injure me in a crash? If the former, note that these are mountain bike rides on wooded trails, typically at night. I see very few other people (and zero cars) and audio doesn't play a significant role in identifying threats. Anyway, I grabbed the Backbeat Fits; they look perfect for my application. Thanks for the help! Setec_Astronomy fucked around with this message at 19:49 on Apr 20, 2017 |
|
#
?
Apr 20, 2017 17:14
|
|
|
Teal posted:I like to commute relatively lightly, the idea is to haul less, not more. I spent years going to work with nothing more than a lightweight digital audio player and IEMs because I could compress the whole package into one pocket and forget it existed whenever I wanted. I've since gone right off IEMs though but I'll blame that on age and my ear canals getting more easily irritated. To be honest I don't have any strong recommendations for BT headphones because if I was at home I'd be using wired from an amplifier and if I was out and about I would want situational awareness and accept or even desire compromised noise isolation as a result. If I wanted BT IEMs I'd maybe get entry level BT Sonys? But in that price range I don't think it matters where you buy from. That being said the most important thing isn't build quality, sound quality or anything else like that. It's comfort and safety. How much do you like wearing a thing for 30-90 minutes? Or album/commute length? Is your intention to wear them all day at work? How about when you walk instead of sit on a train/bus? Is your physical safety an issue while you rock out on your commute? Then you need to factor in your physical ear size. Get a ruler and physically measure your ear height and width. You want earpads that are a few mm larger in all diameters if you're easily irritated by things touching your ears. (this is a huge issue for me personally so I spent some dollars building an earpad collection until I discovered the endgame wonders of ZMF oval cowhides). If your ears are going to be "cozy" or slightly squashed in your desired headphones earpads then that is a huge ergonomic red flag and you need to either make an alternative selection or look to aftermarket earpads. Oh - my policy would never be to buy high end portable headphones or IEMs. They're portable. They're going to be going through a lot of stresses in your pocket, bag, etc. Expect something nasty and unplanned to happen to them eventually. The nice things you keep at home and don't shove in a pocket will probably last many, many years and this isn't a factor for those sorts of purchases. Just assume anything portable is functionally disposable in the longer run but home stuff is for keeps. DancingShade fucked around with this message at 15:03 on Apr 21, 2017 |
|
#
?
Apr 21, 2017 15:00
|
|
|
Budget: none really Preferred: IEM Requirment: cable needs to be replacable I have one of those tiny pocket amps that were popular on here a few years back. I want to be in love with 1964's but they seem to be awfully pricey and have recently gone up in cost some as well. These will be used for travel mostly and working from home.
|
|
#
?
Apr 21, 2017 23:37
|
|
|
Even the Schiit guys talk about burn in for amps and dacs. It seems like complete bullshit. In fact, a lot of what the Schiit guys talk about seems like complete bullshit. I do not have the EE background to truly know though, or argue either way. I can notice a subjective difference between two different integrated AMP/DACs, when trying them side by side with a pair of HE-400i's ... I think. I'm pretty sure it's not just bias. Two different DACs interpreting digital signals in different ways makes sense to me. Although, the vast range in prices seems weird. And I guess I can sorta see burn in making sense on headphones and speakers which have diaphragms that need to move air (although I am suspicious). But burn in for solid state circuits seems silly. Nobody ever talks about burn in on their video cards. Or am I missing some kind of fundamental component here? I'm talking exclusively about objective differences.
|
|
#
?
Apr 23, 2017 02:44
|
|
|
How loud is stupid loud for headphones? I'm designing/building an amp and trying to figure out how much voltage swing I need at the output. Online stuff is saying 110dB, which seems painfully loud. If I can drop it to <100dB, I can split a clean 3.3V rail I already have to power the amplifier, otherwise I have to clean up a 5V rail and split that.
|
|
#
?
Apr 23, 2017 05:26
|
|
|
sink posted:Even the Schiit guys talk about burn in for amps and dacs. It seems like complete bullshit. In fact, a lot of what the Schiit guys talk about seems like complete bullshit. I do not have the EE background to truly know though, or argue either way. You are not missing anything. While Schitt started as anti-audiophile their main market is audiophiles and this stupid poo poo like burning in solid state components is expected so they have to pander to the market. Being careful at the beginning and not setting it to the max from the first switch on can make a catastrophic failure to a minor failure but that is about it.
|
|
#
?
Apr 23, 2017 11:08
|
|
|
Foxfire_ posted:How loud is stupid loud for headphones? I didn't take the time to look for the specific details you're asking about, but some dude who called himself nwavguy threw all of Head-Fi into a major tizzy when he designed and built the O2 amp, which was intended to be "all you need" to have good clean amplification for the majority of headphones at a very fair price. At the time all the audiophile were still claiming you needed $12,000+ headphone amps and all that other ridiculous poo poo they claim. He was banned from Head-Fi for his radical notions (and also due to the fact that website is sponsored by all the major companies selling their overpriced stuff to the gullible idiots) and disappeared from the face of the earth: http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/07/o2-headphone-amp.html You can buy the O2 amp in kit form or already assembled, and it is a very solid amp. I linked you to his blog(s) because I'm assuming he talks about the design decisions somewhere - the whole thing was intended to be open source. Hopefully you might find the information you're looking for there. As for myself, I currently have an iFi iDSD micro Black Label, and it's possibly the last DAC/amp I'll ever need. It has gobs of power, is small enough to be portable, works off internal battery when mobile, and has bass boost and impedance matching and a digital signal processor to support some cool sound filter options and 3D sound, and is around $500: https://www.amazon.com/Micro-Black-Label-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B01MTNK3ZT/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492949260&sr=8-1&keywords=ifi+micro
|
|
#
?
Apr 23, 2017 13:08
|
|
|
That guy gives the same peak 110dB SPL level, so I'll go with that. And there's some other useful design stuff on there. Thanks!
|
|
#
?
Apr 23, 2017 18:48
|
|
|
Foxtrot_13 posted:You are not missing anything. While Schitt started as anti-audiophile their main market is audiophiles and this stupid poo poo like burning in solid state components is expected so they have to pander to the market. After reading through the Head-Fi forums, stereophile, and other specialist review and forum sites online, the vast amount of written words on what seems like bullshit is staggering. And that's what gives me pause. These folks have insane amounts of disposable income, they've learned a very specialized and technical vocabulary. Far be it from me to correlate wealth and sperginess with intelligence, but ... they can't be this stupid. Can they? Or is everyone in the audiophile air-quote community really that delusional? I guess I'm just kind of astounded. I'm just on the spectrum enough to get a huge amount of satisfaction from obsessively researching my hobbies. There's a lot of really great eloquent posts about diminishing returns, and how audio is an inherently subjective experience. I believe all of those. But as someone who is curious about that last one percent, it seems to me that everyone in the mid to high level market is not just full of poo poo, but completely lacking the part of their brain which enables critical thinking. But I want to believe that I am missing something here. That I am not getting some fundamental engineering aspect that makes people need to ever sample audio at over 44.1khz. I don't want to be so arrogant to call all of these people, who have been listening to music for so much longer than I have, idiots. Apologies for the diatribe. I wish people who buy vacuum tubes would just give that excess cash to cancer research or something.
|
|
#
?
Apr 23, 2017 20:50
|
|
|
sink posted:Far be it from me to correlate wealth and sperginess with intelligence, but ... they can't be this stupid. Can they? Or is everyone in the audiophile air-quote community really that delusional? They're a bit like the most rabid Star Citizens, but instead of posting about how they have "invested" $25,000 in space ship .jpgs they brag about how many exotic cans they have and go on about how much better their new custom audio cables sound. In that crowd, they're trying to be cool by spending the most money. I will say that's not a true statement of everyone who visits Head-Fi. There are absolutely threads about budget and realistically-priced gear, as well as people who will disclaim believing in burn-in and cables making a difference, etc. But obviously the site is sponsored by the companies selling esoteric "high-end" stuff priced in the tens of thousands of dollars. Like any market, a commodity is priced at what the buyer is willing to pay. Let the idiots get fleeced.
|
|
#
?
Apr 23, 2017 21:12
|
|
|
D1E and Foxtrot_13, thanks much for the reassurance. I did submit an order for a magni and a multibit modi last week, so I guess I am in that category of idiots, too. I am reading a chapter of Schiit Happened every now and then, which if nothing else, is great fun and an amazing illustration of niche marketing. The story is so compelling, the author is so relatable, and so well does he reinforce the character of a brilliant engineer who wants to cut the bullshit and really level with you for love of audio while underdogging against the giant established audio companies and their marketing hype, that you can't help but believe his $2000 DAC is the portal to audio Nirvana. sink fucked around with this message at 21:58 on Apr 23, 2017 |
|
#
?
Apr 23, 2017 21:53
|
|
|
Look up the term "sighted listening". It'll answer a lot of questions.
|
|
#
?
Apr 24, 2017 18:59
|
|
|
Also see the placebo effect. A sugar pill is scientifically provable to be better than nothing, two sugar pills is better than one and a saline injection is better than pills. The same for audio equipment, fine wine and others. Most "experts" have a very hard time telling the difference between good and brilliant without seeing the packaging.
|
|
#
?
Apr 24, 2017 22:54
|
|
|
M1060s still in stock at monoprice
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2017 04:09
|
|
|
So I got a 250 ohm pair of DT 770s. I have an external amp, but I'm wondering how necessary it is, as even my laptop seems to drive it fine. IS there a good way to test if there is a difference? Like I seem to get more than enough volume and such.
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2017 04:21
|
|
|
Amazon has ruined me. Gonna be a long 5 day wait for my m1060's
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2017 14:58
|
|
|
Don Lapre posted:Amazon has ruined me. Gonna be a long 5 day wait for my m1060's Please share your impressions with us. I'm curious to know what others think of these, and what previous headphones they're coming from. For what it's worth, I do think that swapping out the stock ear pads for the Audeze vegans made for a slight improvement in the sound quality. They're also wonderfully comfortable. According to Head-Fi, Monoprice has already made some small improvements from the initial production batch as well.
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2017 15:04
|
|
|
D1E posted:Please share your impressions with us. I'm curious to know what others think of these, and what previous headphones they're coming from. Yea I just got some k712's a week ago which replaced some 558's and then saw these come on. So im gonna A-B them and send back what I dont like. Will be using a Micca Origin+ dac/amp. Five year warranty on the m1060's so ill prob end up keeping them. Plus was told by another 712 owner that they are amazing and while they weight more they carry the weight so well you don't notice.
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2017 15:05
|
|
|
I got my Massdrop Status Audio CB-1s and got to try them out a little yesterday. So far I really like them-- they couldn't be more different from my Sennheiser HD555s so it's nice that I now have an open pair and a closed pair. They seemed to sound pretty similar to my dad's m40x and were about a thousand times more comfortable, although the plastic seemed a little cheaper on the CB-1s. I have kind of a crappy ear for this kind of thing so I'm not sure my impressions are worth much, but for a starter closed headphone I would definitely not have any problem recommending these for the price. It'll be interesting to see how long they last. Edit: Massdrop not Monoprice you idiot RichterIX fucked around with this message at 18:36 on Apr 25, 2017 |
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2017 16:42
|
|
|
I've been using mine every day at work for a few months now and they are holding up fantastic. They seem pretty sturdy. Imo they are easily worth the price and might be the best in the range going up to $150.
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2017 16:57
|
|
|
Budget - $100 - $150 Source - PC or an iPad Isolation Requirements - Somewhat. I'll be using these in an office so I need to be able to drown out the conversations and noises around me but I still need to be able to have people get my attention if they need to. Preferred Type of Headphone - Over ear Preferred Tonal Balance - More flat than anything. I do not like bass heavy cans. Past Headphones - I'm thinking about replacing my ATH-M50s. I like the sound, it's a bit bass heavy for me though. I replaced the earpads with Dekoni Velour and they sound a lot better than with the original earpads. I find them uncomfortable for long periods of time though. I have a large head and they seem to clamp down a lot. I have a pair of DT-990s and I prefer the sound of those. I would like something similar to that. Preferred Music - I listen to a bit of everything honestly. Punk, Metal, Classical, Hip-hop I was thinking about picking up a pair of DT-770 32 ohm. Would that be a good pick? How about the AKG K553s?
|
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2017 02:03
|
|
|
I've heard good things about the AKG K550's. They're on sale for $90: http://www.harmanaudio.com/akg/K550MKII.html?dwvar_K550MKII_color=Black#start=1
|
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2017 15:22
|
|
|
Is there a definitive list somewhere of USB DAC headphone amps known to work with the PS4? I've found all kinds of messageboard discussions about it but that's all.
|
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2017 03:55
|
|
|
Hey y'all! I just broke my headphones and I need to replace them! Budget - $100 or slightly more, but preferably less Source - iphone mostly, occasionally my laptop Isolation Requirements - needed; I use these for studying in coffee shops and other public places Preferred Type of Headphone - in-ear definitely required Preferred Tonal Balance - anywhere from balanced to bass-heavy is fine Past Headphones - I had the NuForce NE800M, and I liked them! The only things I have to compare to are standard apple earbuds and a few bluetooth things that I've used in the gym Preferred Music - hip-hop, rap, the flavors of edm that are derived from hip-hop and rap, other non-genres like chillhop and ambient bass I'm pretty open to any suggestions; my only request is that they be black w/ black cord, or really dark gray or whatever. Bonus points for a little bit of gold/copper/rose gold in there. Something stealthy.
|
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2017 15:47
|
|
|
black.lion posted:Hey y'all! I just broke my headphones and I need to replace them! I've had a pair of Klipsch X10s for about 4 years and they've been really great all around. The X11s are about $90 on Amazon. Very good isolation with the stock silicone tips, even better with some Comply foam replacements.
|
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2017 16:02
|
|
|
sirbeefalot posted:I've had a pair of Klipsch X10s for about 4 years and they've been really great all around. The X11s are about $90 on Amazon. Very good isolation with the stock silicone tips, even better with some Comply foam replacements. Those look awesome but I forgot to mention an important part - I need a microphone remote thing on the cord, I have to take a lot of quick phone calls throughout the day. Single button is fine I don't need volume control and whatnot, but I do very much need the microphone.
|
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2017 16:38
|
|
|
Samurai Sanders posted:Is there a definitive list somewhere of USB DAC headphone amps known to work with the PS4? I've found all kinds of messageboard discussions about it but that's all. It's not USB, but you can use a Schiit Magni hooked into an Astro mixamp. https://storage.googleapis.com/cdn.head-fi.org/a/8265290.png
|
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2017 16:54
|
|
|
black.lion posted:Those look awesome but I forgot to mention an important part - I need a microphone remote thing on the cord, I have to take a lot of quick phone calls throughout the day. Single button is fine I don't need volume control and whatnot, but I do very much need the microphone. Ah. There is a microphone variant (X11i), but it's ~$50 more.
|
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2017 17:44
|
|
|
KingShiro posted:It's not USB, but you can use a Schiit Magni hooked into an Astro mixamp.
|
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2017 22:31
|
|
|
If you don't need the extra power, it should be fine.
|
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2017 22:41
|
|
|
KingShiro posted:If you don't need the extra power, it should be fine. But also I might replace it with a smaller, non-game related USB amp, if I could find a comprehensive list of what works.
|
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2017 22:55
|
|
|
How significant is the difference between the ATH-m40x and the m50x? Thinking of getting a nicer pair of cans to leave at home and have the 40s just live at work.
|
|
#
?
Apr 29, 2017 01:02
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 24, 2024 22:27 |
|
|
Samurai Sanders posted:About the Astro itself, I asked in the PS4 thread if those were still a thing people used and no one responded. How does the 3D sound on them sound? That's the only reason I'd consider replacing my Soundblaster with one I think, since I don't care about voice communication. I'm not sure about 3D audio (I only used the standard, no effects added sound profile), I used it for my Phillips SHP9500 + V-Moda Boompro setup, and had no audio issues outside of the astro volume knob being a little finicky.
|
|
#
?
Apr 29, 2017 01:07
|
|