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Sorbus
Apr 1, 2010

Krailor posted:

I've got a pair of ER3XRs and I'm thinking about getting a Bluetooth mmcx adapter for them. Does anyone have any experience with them or suggestions?

I have used https://www.amazon.co.uk/TRN-Wireless-Bluetooth-Extension-Earphone/dp/B07D9GY46P for few months (biking to work etc). Works fine for the price.

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Dr. Fishopolis
Aug 31, 2004

ROBOT
I picked up an LG V30 for cheap to replace my old dying nexus. I heard it had a fancy headphone amp so I grabbed my mayflower modded t50rps and holy living gently caress it drives them. I dunno what chip they're using but if they sold it in a little usb enclosure I'd buy 10.

I literally don't understand how this is possible. Desktop amps struggle and die with these cans.

DancingShade
Jul 26, 2007

by Fluffdaddy

(and can't post for 26 days!)

Dr. Fishopolis posted:

I picked up an LG V30 for cheap to replace my old dying nexus. I heard it had a fancy headphone amp so I grabbed my mayflower modded t50rps and holy living gently caress it drives them. I dunno what chip they're using but if they sold it in a little usb enclosure I'd buy 10.

I literally don't understand how this is possible. Desktop amps struggle and die with these cans.

It's more that most intergrated headphone amps in mobile devices such as phones or the old ipods are simply weak and don't deliver much power. Don't need a lot of juice to drive earbuds and with many people listening to itunes at 128kpbs well... you know. Plus some people equate loud to properly driven which isn't necessarily the case.

I have an iBasso DX200 for my portable listening needs and the single ended 3.5mm output delivers more juice than the balanced output on a lot of stuff on the market. Only thing I'm immediately aware of that has more juice on demand is the Astel & Kern KANN CUBE, which is in a class of it's own.

I've also never used a desktop amp that couldn't properly power a T50 mod (I have a ZMF Vibro Mk II). The Jotunheim was complete overkill and so is my newer Burson Playmate, despite it being unbalanced by design. I could see them being underpowered if using something strictly USB driven lacking a mains power source.

Buying a "desktop" solution like say a Topping NX4 is basically buying a portable solution with the ability to use it like a portable device removed.

codo27
Apr 21, 2008

Added the Fiio E10K to my amazon wishlist. Or is there something else I should be considering in that range? I've heard enough, I think I need a DAC for my desktop.

DancingShade
Jul 26, 2007

by Fluffdaddy

(and can't post for 26 days!)

codo27 posted:

Added the Fiio E10K to my amazon wishlist. Or is there something else I should be considering in that range? I've heard enough, I think I need a DAC for my desktop.

Pretty solid little device & great value for money.

I'd advise against using the bass boost switch - it works exactly as advertised but it adds a lot of bass. Quite a lot. Perhaps a bit much.

Nerobro
Nov 4, 2005

Rider now with 100% more titanium!

DancingShade posted:

Oh. What you meant to say was "they don't stop enough outside noise getting in, so I crank the volume"?

If that's all you really want wear regular IEMs with industrial over-ear hearing protection on top.

No. I don't crank the volume up at all. I'm sitting here, in the office, with the headphones set to volume level 1. I want like.. a volume level of 1/4 or 1/2.

Lowness 72 posted:

Ok. For Bluetooth, find the option to desync phone volume from headset volume. That way you can set both phone and headset volume separately. Then knock the headset volume all the way down and use the phone volume. See if that works.

Also on your phone you can usually change the step volume changes. I think the Samsung S9 can do it. PowerAmp can also do it on Android. Change the step so you can get a lower volume step.

Hope that helps.

That's useful. Both options. I'll give that all a go. I'm about to step into my S9. I'm really, really, annoyed at the world of digital volume control. Audio power is a cube, not linear, people. *shakes fist*

Wheeee posted:

Suck it up about using a cable and get some Etymotics, they attenuate most sound better than ANC and allow you to listen at very low volumes while retaining excellent detail.

Using a cable eventually leads to hardware failure. While i'm not entirely adverse to it, not having a cable really makes working on stuff a lot easier.

The trouble i'm talking about with volume stepping, is a problem that happens with corded headphones too. And isn't limited to my phone. Just the phone is the one I hoped to have a reasonable chance at fixing. :-) And... thanks to Lowness 72.. I think I may have that solution.

Edit: Here I thought I was going to need to buy something decent quality to get a decent sound curve. "Hey, disable the android/bluetooth audio volume link, and you might do better" .... well it did, and now I can get my headphones quiet enough. Thank you!

Nerobro fucked around with this message at 19:36 on Aug 5, 2019

ddogflex
Sep 19, 2004

blahblahblah
So. For the ~$200 Chi-Fi IEM I strongly prefer the Ikko IH-10 to the Moondrop KXXS. I have no ISSUES with the KXXS, but the IH-10 were just more fun? I wanted to listen to music constantly and I really don't feel the same way with the KXXS. So anyway, as soon as the IH-10 is back in stock these KXXS are going back.

I HIGHLY loving RECOMMEND the Ikko IH-10 if you like low low bass and just a crystal clear, non-fatiguing, sound. I haven't really heard any of the TOTL IEM recently, but they are better than TOTL IEMs I tested out 10 years ago.

trem_two
Oct 22, 2002

it is better if you keep saying I'm fat, as I will continue to score goals
Fun Shoe

ddogflex posted:

So. For the ~$200 Chi-Fi IEM I strongly prefer the Ikko IH-10 to the Moondrop KXXS. I have no ISSUES with the KXXS, but the IH-10 were just more fun? I wanted to listen to music constantly and I really don't feel the same way with the KXXS. So anyway, as soon as the IH-10 is back in stock these KXXS are going back.

I HIGHLY loving RECOMMEND the Ikko IH-10 if you like low low bass and just a crystal clear, non-fatiguing, sound. I haven't really heard any of the TOTL IEM recently, but they are better than TOTL IEMs I tested out 10 years ago.

I've considered those recently. Good to know.

sauer kraut
Oct 2, 2004

trem_two posted:

I've never heard them myself, but a budget option that people have good things to say about is the OneOdio Studio. They do ship with faux leather pads, but they probably could be replaced with foam or some other type of universal replacement pads. Might be worth looking into.

My Pro-50's arrived today and the youtube reviews are correct. The thick padding is super comfy for extended sessions and they block outside noise effectively.
Now I don't have other highend models to compare them to, but a good pair of cans ruthlessly expose poorly mastered albums.
What the heck happened between 'Ramones I' and 'Leave Home'? Or 'Kill 'em All' and 'Ride the Lightning' jeez. :unsmith:
Anyway if you got 40$ and fancy a pair of really thick and closed headphones with detachable cables, look no further.

hambeet
Sep 13, 2002

Hey this is probably a dumb question. I'm looking at getting a new set of headphones / headset, purely for gaming on the PC. I do want something a bit better than my current onboard sound, but considering I've been using onboard for years with some average cans I've not been super picky. That said, it's probably time for a change.

So to take the next step, should I be looking at something like the Fiio E10k or would an internal card, e.g. an Asus Xonar be fine considering the use case?

redeyes
Sep 14, 2002

by Fluffdaddy
I'm a big fan of this: https://www.amazon.com/EarStudio-ES...=gateway&sr=8-9

Pretty similar to the Fiio but maybe better sound quality. Also portable and is a bluetooth amp as well.

Wheeee
Mar 11, 2001

When a tree grows, it is soft and pliable. But when it's dry and hard, it dies.

Hardness and strength are death's companions. Flexibility and softness are the embodiment of life.

That which has become hard shall not triumph.

codo27 posted:

Added the Fiio E10K to my amazon wishlist. Or is there something else I should be considering in that range? I've heard enough, I think I need a DAC for my desktop.

I've never used one, but having done a bunch of research on DACs/amps, it's the most recommended unit in its price range. This review of an E10K alongside two more expensive dedicated DACs has fairly extensive measurements, and in terms of audible sound the E10K DAC is perfectly good. If you have extremely power hungry headphones the internal amp may not be powerful enough, but otherwise should be perfectly suited to your needs.

redeyes posted:

I'm a big fan of this: https://www.amazon.com/EarStudio-ES...=gateway&sr=8-9

Pretty similar to the Fiio but maybe better sound quality. Also portable and is a bluetooth amp as well.

I own an ES100, it has both killed any desire to buy more Bluetooth headphones and convinced me to buy a DAC/amp for my desktop PC as the tiny little fucker somehow sounds better on my HD6XX than my expensive motherboard.

Highly recommend the ES100 if you want something mobile.

Wheeee fucked around with this message at 16:25 on Aug 6, 2019

DancingShade
Jul 26, 2007

by Fluffdaddy

(and can't post for 26 days!)

Yeah computer motherboards aren't what I'd ever plug a pair of headphones into. Or speakers for that matter.

You might find one that actually has an okay amp but you're still parking that on a very electrically noisy bit of silicon.

Offboard everything you can. Though if it's purely a bluetooth thing it's probably not important so long as it's vaguely recent.

ddogflex
Sep 19, 2004

blahblahblah

redeyes posted:

I'm a big fan of this: https://www.amazon.com/EarStudio-ES...=gateway&sr=8-9

Pretty similar to the Fiio but maybe better sound quality. Also portable and is a bluetooth amp as well.

I cannot recommend the ES100 enough. I love it so loving much. It's also made me buy balanced cables for like everything which is $$$ hehe

Wheeee
Mar 11, 2001

When a tree grows, it is soft and pliable. But when it's dry and hard, it dies.

Hardness and strength are death's companions. Flexibility and softness are the embodiment of life.

That which has become hard shall not triumph.

It's also a battery powered device, not really what OP was looking for.

But yea I'll be selling my one expensive pair of Bluetooth headphones in the near future because of it, the noise floor alone is a huge improvement.

hope and vaseline
Feb 13, 2001

Wheeee posted:

It's also a battery powered device, not really what OP was looking for.

You can use it entirely as a dedicated usb dac/amp

Sri.Theo
Apr 16, 2008
Has anyone seen any video reviews of the Sony WF-1000XM3’s that actually test it’s ‘automatic’ adjustments? Unbox therapy showed the options in the app but didn’t test it. In particular I work in a noisy place but still want to be able to hear people when they talk to me. If it’s able to to automatically detect when people are talking to me and pipe voices through and lower ambient noise cancellation that would be fantastic.

Also they say they work with google assistant, does that mean that I can’t use Siri with them at all on my iPhone, or is there a work around?

Sacred Cow
Aug 13, 2007

hope and vaseline posted:

You can use it entirely as a dedicated usb dac/amp

One thing to keep in mind if you care about bit rate or "quality" is the DAC is limited to 44.1/48KHz 16-bit if you're using it as a USB DAC/Amp. It runs off of USB 1 so its a physical limitation rather then something that can be fixed with firmware.

Still an awesome device worth the price if you want to make everything wireless.

DancingShade
Jul 26, 2007

by Fluffdaddy

(and can't post for 26 days!)

Got to be the one to ask: Why not just buy a DAP? Aside from price that is.

A good one can give you wired, bluetooth, more storage than you'll ever reasonably need and also be plugged into your PC to function as a regular USB DAC/AMP.

Want on the go listening or while lazing around reading a book? Stick it in your pocket. Wireless? Sure they do that too.

This didn't exist on the market when I bought my DX200 but if you want a buy and forget about it solution Fiio's M11 (to pick an example) has a lot of features https://www.fiio.com/m11

Or you can go nuts and buy iBasso's latest flagship but much like Astell & Kern it's not a bargain value purchase proposition.

Wheeee
Mar 11, 2001

When a tree grows, it is soft and pliable. But when it's dry and hard, it dies.

Hardness and strength are death's companions. Flexibility and softness are the embodiment of life.

That which has become hard shall not triumph.

Can't speak for others, but I only listen to streaming music. I can't be hosed downloading and organizing poo poo when Spotify has almost everything.

Also that FiiO costs more than an ES100 for mobile use off your phone plus a D30/Atom for the PC, combined.

I get the benefits of a DAP but they aren't for everyone.

codo27
Apr 21, 2008

Then I gotta carry something else besides my phone? gently caress that right off.

you kidding me? That thing only has 32gb of storage? I have 21 on my phone at the moment just in audio, and I dont have a whole lot. Should have at least 64 and thats conservative. If you are paying that kinda cash for a dedicated music player in TYOOL 2019 you shouldn't have to stick sd cards in it

codo27 fucked around with this message at 12:53 on Aug 8, 2019

DancingShade
Jul 26, 2007

by Fluffdaddy

(and can't post for 26 days!)

codo27 posted:

Then I gotta carry something else besides my phone? gently caress that right off.

you kidding me? That thing only has 32gb of storage? I have 21 on my phone at the moment just in audio, and I dont have a whole lot. Should have at least 64 and thats conservative. If you are paying that kinda cash for a dedicated music player in TYOOL 2019 you shouldn't have to stick sd cards in it

You're supposed to insert micro SD cards and put your music on those. I put a 400GB one in my DX200.

The on-board is pretty much just for extra apps if you're keen to use it like an android computer. Or if you're some filthy lo-fi peasant with a library of 128kbps MP3s from the mid 2000s that fits into 500 meg.

Why? Let's put it this way a single album of 24 bit hi-res music is vaguely 1.5 GB. One album. If you're into exotic crazy high-res formats like MQA (if you're a studio mixer you might want this) then you might be up for ~300 MB per song.

That's why.

Of course if you're streaming then none of this matters apart from RAM, CPU and your connection which may or may not be a factor during travel, remote locations or blackouts.

DancingShade fucked around with this message at 14:30 on Aug 8, 2019

KozmoNaut
Apr 23, 2008

Happiness is a warm
Turbo Plasma Rifle


Sure, if you insist on useless audiophile nonsense formats for on-the-go listening.

For people with a bit of common sense, a good lossy format or CD-quality FLAC sounds exactly the same, and allows you to fit more music.

codo27
Apr 21, 2008

Everything that comes my way now is in FLAC, aside from downloads from google play that I buy with money from doing google rewards surveys. But I've gone back and ripped my relatively small library. Thats big enough. Especially on the go. Sadly, life seldom lets me even enjoy my music the way I'd like.

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe
Is FLAC that much better than mp3 v0?

KillHour
Oct 28, 2007


Lowness 72 posted:

Is FLAC that much better than mp3 v0?

No, it really isn't.

Fantastic Foreskin
Jan 6, 2013

A golden helix streaked skyward from the Helvault. A thunderous explosion shattered the silver monolith and Avacyn emerged, free from her prison at last.

Is there anywhere doing teardowns of DAPs to see if they're actually using better components than the average phone?

Wheeee
Mar 11, 2001

When a tree grows, it is soft and pliable. But when it's dry and hard, it dies.

Hardness and strength are death's companions. Flexibility and softness are the embodiment of life.

That which has become hard shall not triumph.

Lowness 72 posted:

Is FLAC that much better than mp3 v0?

Good comprehension is transparent, even AAC needs a trained listener on good equipment to discern from lossless.

FLAC is for archiving, not listening.

DancingShade
Jul 26, 2007

by Fluffdaddy

(and can't post for 26 days!)

Lowness 72 posted:

Is FLAC that much better than mp3 v0?

Do some A/B listening and make that decision yourself.

KozmoNaut
Apr 23, 2008

Happiness is a warm
Turbo Plasma Rifle


Lowness 72 posted:

Is FLAC that much better than mp3 v0?

Wheeee posted:

FLAC is for archiving, not listening.

Pretty much says what needs to be said. A lossless format lets you archive an exact original, which you can then transcode to the latest and greatest lossy format as needed.

Even a format as old and creaky as MP3 is completely audibly transparent at high bitrates, for most people listening to most music. Newer formats such as Ogg Vorbis, AAC and Opus are significantly better, most of them reach complete audible transparency around 96-128kbps in listening tests.

Opus is even servicable for music below 64kbps if you don't mind some pretty inoffensive artifacts, and produces completely intelligible speech as low as 6kbps, it's one hell of compression algorithm.

ddogflex
Sep 19, 2004

blahblahblah

DancingShade posted:

Do some A/B listening and make that decision yourself.

In blind tests almost no one can. Don't waste your time. CD vs AAC/v0 MP3 is imperceivable. A lot of people can tell the difference between higher quality than CD and CD though, so poo poo like Tidal MQA isn't COMPLETE nonsense.

KozmoNaut
Apr 23, 2008

Happiness is a warm
Turbo Plasma Rifle


ddogflex posted:

A lot of people can tell the difference between higher quality than CD and CD though, so poo poo like Tidal MQA isn't COMPLETE nonsense.

Nope, it's bullshit.

If you can't tell the difference between CD and MP3 (LAME -V0), you sure as hell can't tell the difference between CD and "hi-res".

wolrah
May 8, 2006
what?

KozmoNaut posted:

Nope, it's bullshit.

If you can't tell the difference between CD and MP3 (LAME -V0), you sure as hell can't tell the difference between CD and "hi-res".

It's my understanding that the Tidal poo poo is higher sample rate or bit depth. The losses caused by lossy compression (even at high bitrates) are different from what increasing those could theoretically offer.

I'm still not entirely convinced that 24/96 or 24/192 audio is actually worthwhile in any way to anyone but animals that can hear the higher frequencies, but if they are then Tidal MQA vs. CD is an entirely different comparison to CD vs. high-quality lossy compression.

Llamadeus
Dec 20, 2005
The difference in theory is that a lossy encoder might into some (very rare) edge case it can't/won't allocate enough bits to... whereas increasing the bit depth and sample rate beyond CD quality does nothing perceptibly.

Eurekapile
Jan 9, 2008

don't horace around
Are the wireless Sony h900n headphones still a solid choice? I see them on Amazon for about $90 used which seems like a good deal. There are also like 5 different listings on Amazon, is there just the one version of these headphones and Amazon is just weird like that?

I recently bought the ATH-m50xbt on a whim but they are a bit uncomfortable and lack bass when wearing glasses. Anyone have good luck with glasses getting a seal?

KozmoNaut
Apr 23, 2008

Happiness is a warm
Turbo Plasma Rifle


wolrah posted:

It's my understanding that the Tidal poo poo is higher sample rate or bit depth. The losses caused by lossy compression (even at high bitrates) are different from what increasing those could theoretically offer.

MQA lossily encodes the ultrasonic parts of the signal, "folding" them into the lower bits of a CD-quality file.

This raises the noise floor, arguably to audible levels, when played back on a non-MQA DAC.

With an MQA DAC, you get the same, but also the lossily encoded ultrasonic parts of the signal, which are inaudible anyway.

It's pure snake oil.

DancingShade
Jul 26, 2007

by Fluffdaddy

(and can't post for 26 days!)

Yeah I don't want to seem like I'm advocating for MQA. It's just a format I used as an example for potential file size.

I don't even know where you buy stuff in that format unless you're the studio person yourself.

FLAC (or any high-res storage format) I will happily advocate for but trust your own ears and if the music you like isn't mastered in a way where it matters then don't worry about it.

I can tell the difference with Daft Punk Random Access Memories between itunes and 24-bit FLAC but for a lot of the music I love (various synthwave) I can't tell the difference between 320 kbps MP3 and 16bit 44khz FLAC. Going to depend a lot on how much you like the specific album and if there is even a perceptible difference. Sometimes there is, sometimes there isn't.

DancingShade fucked around with this message at 08:19 on Aug 9, 2019

KozmoNaut
Apr 23, 2008

Happiness is a warm
Turbo Plasma Rifle


DancingShade posted:

I can tell the difference with Daft Punk Random Access Memories between itunes and 24-bit FLAC

Unless you know the provenance of the files is the same, and unless you've made sure to 100% level match everything, you're very likely just hearing a minute difference in volume.

Literally all 24-bit does over 16-bit is lower the noise floor, and it's already at -96dBFS for 16-bit, in order words utterly inaudible.

DancingShade
Jul 26, 2007

by Fluffdaddy

(and can't post for 26 days!)

KozmoNaut posted:

Unless you know the provenance of the files is the same, and unless you've made sure to 100% level match everything, you're very likely just hearing a minute difference in volume.

Literally all 24-bit does over 16-bit is lower the noise floor, and it's already at -96dBFS for 16-bit, in order words utterly inaudible.

That's always the risk yes. In the case of that specific album the difference is still minor but it's better dynamic range and separation. Slightly better. Would never matter normally except I like the album so much.

Another great thing about FLAC is it shits all over DRM. I like to have my critical essentials (gently caress games, give me the music) work when the rest of the world doesn't because infrastructure breaks.

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KozmoNaut
Apr 23, 2008

Happiness is a warm
Turbo Plasma Rifle


DancingShade posted:

better dynamic range and separation

24-bit doesn't do this over 16-bit, it literally cannot do that by simply having more bits per sample.

Either the master is different, the volume is different or you're imagining things.

Depending on the settings, the iTunes version could also be less than ideally encoded to AAC. In that case, the CD-quality version would be a better comparison against the "hi-res" snake oil version.

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