Let's Talk Headphones IV: Should I get Beats? Do I need Noise Cancelling?

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Inspect Your Gadgets > Let's Talk Headphones IV: Should I get Beats? Do I need Noise Cancelling?

«‹›2 »

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

I walked into a Best Buy to purchase a new mouse to replace my dying Logitech and walked out with not only a new mouse but also a set of B&W P7 headphones from Best Buy's Magnolia substore.

I usually use my Shure 420 IEMs to monitor audio and a set of B&W C5 IEMs for day to day commuting use. I really like the Shures. On the other hand, while I really like B&W's high end speakers, the B&W C5 IEM were decent but not great. I really felt like the C5s were sold on the name far more than the sound quality. The C5s ended up with a loose connection in the wire at the microphone and so I replaced them with a cheap UE 350vi which have pretty middling sound quality. I still wanted something for listening to music so when I walked into Best Buy for the mouse I figured I'd listen to a few headphones while I was there. The Magnolia substore had a selection of headphones including AKG, PSB, Sennheiser, B&W. Unfortunately they didn't have the KEF M500 or AKG on the demonstration rack. Also, because of my cauliflower ears, I found all the on ear headphones uncomfortable. My favorites for both sound quality and comfort were the Sennheiser Momentum and B&W P7.

I thought the P7 was significantly better than the P3 and P5 headphones in sound quality and also liked it better than the Sennheiser Momentum which were also very good. While I feel that most of the B&W mobile products carry a somewhat undeserved price premium because of the name, the fancy design and the reputation of the high end speakers, I felt that the P7 actually are very good with respect to sound quality, build quality and comfort. In addition, you can drive them adequately straight from a phone/mobile device without the need for an amp. I'm quite happy with them so far. I think they're worth a look for anyone looking for non-IEM headphones in the Sennheiser Momentum, KEF M500, PSB M4U range ($250-$400).

EDIT: I know this thread states that you don't really need a separate DAC/Amp but I get too much interference noise from my Xonar DX front panel connectors and the headphone out on my B&W MM-1 is allegedly not very neutral. Any thoughts on the NAD D 1050 especially as it compares to the O2+ODAC, the Fiio E17, or the Schiit Magni/Modi or Bifrost? (Note that the impedance of the P7 is 22 ohms)

Yuns fucked around with this message at 04:34 on Nov 1, 2013

# ¿ Nov 1, 2013 03:23

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 03:27

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

While searching for test tones for my headphones, I came across audiocheck. I looked through the thread and did not find any reference to this site.

They have test for headphones
http://www.audiocheck.net/soundtests_headphones.php

As well as blind tests for checking the thresholds of your hearing
http://www.audiocheck.net/blindtests_index.php

I found it pretty useful. I was surprised at my blind test results.
I can detect a 0.5 change in db consistently. I can detect a 10 hz difference in pitch but cannot identify a 5 Hz change in pitch. I don't have sensitivity to polarity changes in headphones. My high frequency hearing has deteriorated significantly and I have lost 18k+ frequencies.

Yuns fucked around with this message at 15:11 on Nov 3, 2013

# ¿ Nov 3, 2013 15:05

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

Hippie Hedgehog posted:

Congratulations on your good results! I'll have to try myself when I'm home alone. But surely the pitch test is using cents, not Hz? A cent is 100th of a half-tone interval, the size of which (in Hz) varies depending on the note. At A=440, a cent down would be 0,247 Hz, if I understood it correctly. 10Hz would be very easy to detect compared to 10c.

you are right. It is 10c and 5c not hz. I feel a bit better about my results but the loss of 18k+ scares me

# ¿ Nov 3, 2013 18:01

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

MrMoose posted:

From what I'm seeing a Magni/Modi combo would be a pretty solid bet, but am curious as to if there are other good ideas in this range. Doesn't need to be super portable like the E17 is, either.

Appreciate the help!

I don't have any personal experience with the following and each is a touch out of your proposed price range but people seem to like the Meridian Explorer ($299) https://www.meridian-audio.com/en/collections/products/explorer-1000/4/ and the O2+ODAC ($279) http://www.jdslabs.com/item.php?fetchitem=48 I just got a NAD D 1050 and am pretty happy with it so far though its quite a bit out of the range ($499).

# ¿ Nov 7, 2013 06:01

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

Tactical Lesbian posted:

I have the B&W P5s and to me they sound very colored. Sure they're punchy but for the price they are muddy

As an aside, for just a bit more the B&W P7s are much better than the P5s. I didn't like the P5s when I auditioned them but liked the P7s even better than the Momentums so I ended up purchasing them.

# ¿ Nov 17, 2013 18:13

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

I don't have any experience with the EPH-100s but I am very curious about the condition you got them in. Was there any indication that they might be counterfeits? Were they purchased from Amazon or through another vendor on Amazon?

# ¿ Nov 23, 2013 23:29

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

I need a earphone recommendation. I lost my favorite Shure SE425 and want to replace them with top of the line IEMs. I was considering replacing them with the Shure SE846 because I've been happy with the ShureIEMs but I see a lot of people recommending other ones over the SE846.

I have been looking at Shure SE846 or KSE1500, Audeze LCDi4 or iSINE20, Campfire Andromeda or Dorado or Vega, UE Pro Remastered or 18+ Pro, Etymotic ER4SR or ER4SR. Any thoughts on these choices or other top of the line IEMs. I use them commuting so noise isolation is important. I like the Shure sound even though its not the most neutral but all else being equal I prefer the sound to be neutral and accurate.

# ¿ Sep 23, 2017 14:45

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

The funny thing is that I always just put in my Shures without looping the cable over my ears for years until very recently when I started using them the right way. I won't be using the earphones for exercising so a little microphonics is ok but there will be movement as I ride the train.

# ¿ Sep 23, 2017 15:30

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

I finally got around to replacing my lost Shure SE425 after a year or so. I went with the lazy choice of the SE535LTD. I know there are better reviewed IEMs at that price point but I definitely like the Shure sound and I love the fit and the degree of passive isolation that the Shures give me because I use them mostly on commuter rail and subway. I just got them and so far they seem quite decent. Nothing mind blowing but certainly meets expectations for their price range. I decided not to get the SE846 or KSE series because I have a tendency to lose IEMs.

I'm still using my B&W P7 for wired over ear at home but I recently got some cheap KEF Q350 as bookshelf speakers (NAD 1050 DAC to an older Nakamichi receiver) and the sound from the loudspeakers is so much better than any headphones that I rarely use headphones/earphones at home now.

Yuns fucked around with this message at 01:31 on Aug 16, 2018

# ¿ Aug 16, 2018 01:27

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

Mooktastical posted:

It is super cool, friend.

- Sound quality is great. My current headphones are a pair of Audio Technica ATH-M50's that I modded to have a standard 3.5mm jack. It's similar to the M50x jack, only generic TRS 3.5mm. Source is (mostly) 320kbps mp3's coming from a rooted Xperia XZ1 Compact. I previously EQ'd the gently caress out of everything via Viper, with large emphasis being on the low and medium-high bands. The companion app for the ES100 breaks Viper entirely and doesn't really allow for that level of manipulation, so I've settled for a sound that's still got a decent bump from especially bass heavy songs, but not nearly as heavy as my previous setup. The overall clarity has definitely improved compared to what I had before, but how much of that is EQ and how much is the upgraded internals I can't say. BTW, previous BT receiver was an Mpow Streambot. When it comes down to it though, a test is worth a billion posts.

- Battery life is pretty good. It says it'll last 14 hours of usage, but I haven't tested that. I know it lasts much longer than my Mpow did. I can listen to it on an hour lunch, 2x 15 minute breaks, then come home and spend 5 hours pausing and unpausing w/e is on, and it'll end up at 35% power or something like that when I go to plug it in to the charger. The companion app comes with a battery % gauge that measures down to the 1's place, and it seems pretty accurate, so it's not exactly a mystery when it's about to die. It's also got an option to just stop charging at 90% to extend the overall life of the battery, which I find ingenious. It doesn't support any quick charge technologies, which means using a QC1/2/3 charger instead of a non-QC charger is not only pointless, but potentially destructive.

- Compatibility is definitely the biggest thing that drew me to it. The ES100 and XZ1 both support Apt-X HD and LDAC, which is pretty rad. My old Mpow only supported non-HD Apt-X. If you've got a phone that supports Apt-X HD or LDAC, it's deffo worth considering. If you're on an iPhone, you could probably find cheaper BT receivers that still support AAC. I absolutely do not claim to understand everything about the differences between the different bitrates, nor am I even a remotely elitist w/r/t lossy vs. lossless. That said, I do think that with my setup there's a perceptible difference between the different codecs, because I've switched to different codecs and listened to a difference, but I've not done A/B/X testing, so I'm open to the possibility of it being confirmation bias.

- Complaints: There is a discrete volume control for the ES100 that's separate from the basic bluetooth volume bar that you raise and lower with the phone's volume buttons. It's so you can give 100% control of the DSP to the software on the ES100, which should improve the sound. The downside is that you then have to use the volume control either in the app or on the ES100 itself to raise/lower the volume if you want to maintain that setup. Given that the volume buttons are on the same side as the 3.5mm jack, there's no really great way to do that. The clip is really lovely, which doesn't matter to me thanks to the magic of velcro, but I bring it up in case you plan on actually utilizing it. It should've been made detachable like the one for the A&K XB10. The usb charging port is Micro USB rather than USB C, which is BS in tyool 2018, but it doesn't really need mid-day charging anyway so it's not that big of a deal. Another NBD type thing is that it doesn't also double as a BT transmitter like the Mpow does, so if you need that specific functionality, look elsewhere.

- Nerd poo poo: EQ and other such settings are pushed from the companion app to some non-volatile memory on the receiver itself, so any change made will be in effect whether the app is running or not, and will persist after it's powered off. The beeps and boops can all have their volume levels adjusted independently of anything else. It can be used as a USB DAC/Amp with a USB OTG cable or a regular USB cable coming from a computer. When hooked up in this way, it'll power itself off of the charge it's receiving, not use the battery while it's charging. It can also be told to not charge itself from a host device, as well. It can be configured to power on when connected to power, and power off when disconnected. I'm too cheap to use it as a car-only device, but that one feature means that it'll behave more elegantly in a car than any BT receiver that can't do that, which IIRC is all of them. It's also updated by EarStudio in the form of flashable firmware updates, which I believe is something that no other BT receiver can say, as well.

- TL;DR: It's a good little gadget. If you've already got a decent wireless setup, maybe wait for it to go on sale. Amazon had it as a daily deal last week for $75, so it was a no-brainer for me at the time. I don't regret the purchase at all. If you've got a wired setup that you've been thinking about converting over to wireless, and you can afford to throw $100 at the idea, then go for it.

Thanks for posting about the ES100. I was resisting wireless for a long time because either the quality was poor or if the quality was good the amp was too big but I ended up picking an ES100 up because of your review. I use it with my Shure SE535 Ltd for working out.

# ¿ Sep 15, 2018 21:30

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

Left my Shure SE535LTD and Radsone EarStudio ES100 in my pants which went through the washer but not the dryer. I gave them 3 days to dry out and they are working fine. I thought for sure that I would have to replace them and wanted to share this info in case anyone else is ever in the same position.

# ¿ Jan 3, 2019 19:09

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

I recently replaced my Radsone Earstudio ES100 with a very similar Qudelix 5K bluetooth receiver for my Shure SE535 Red iems that I use for the gym and commuting. The Qudelix has a mobile app with a parametric equalizer as well as a graphical equalizer that has allowed me to play around with equalization more. I used Oratory1990's PEQ settings for the 535 to listen to a close to Harman IE target peq setting as well as oratory1990's own preferred settings. The source is a Galaxy S9+ via LDAC.

I've come to realize that although I've always stated a preference for neutrality and transparency that's not actually my subjective preference. The Harman target is not a totally neutral target but is one derived from subjective testing but is a flatter frequency curve that the unequalized 535. Equalized the 535 sounds like the instruments are louder and more detailed and midrange singing voices are less prominent. However, I've realized that I like the slightly boosted midrange, human voice forward sounds of the unequalized 535 especially in loud environments like the subway or at the gym. Though not neutral, the stronger vocals are subjectively more pleasant to me especially when ambient noise is high. I think this might be common in older people like me. It was sort of a wake up call to not stress so much about chasing neutrality and just listen to what I subjectively prefer for the sources and environment that I'm in.

EDIT: after some more consideration, I do like the Harman target more in quiet listening environments at home and it's closer to my regular KEF loudspeakers which I really like but it's on the road, in the subway and in the gym where I prefer the unequalized 535s.

Yuns fucked around with this message at 14:07 on Dec 9, 2020

# ¿ Dec 9, 2020 13:56

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

redeyes posted:

Nice to finally get to this point eh? Flat balanced sound is boring sound. Harman is pretty decent though I prefer something between Harman and Etymotic DF tuning with bass in between both as well. To me that is the best combo of realistic and 'audiophile'.

Yeahhhh.. That graph would sound like a V shape and quite boring to my ears. Almost no pinna gain around 2.5k? Count me the hell out. Also that is FAR off of either DF or Harman. I know that that graph looks nice, flatish.. but human hearing does not work even close to that.

Yes, I'm going to do more experimentation with both equalization and different IEMs and seeing what I subjectively like. It's definitely freeing to not worry about trying for some impossible objective perfection.

# ¿ Dec 9, 2020 22:04

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

Even though I'm happy with my Shure SE535 LTD, there are great sales on some more mass market IEMs so I ordered a set of Etymotic ER4SR for more than 50% off from an authorized dealer. I just wanted to try out a set of IEMs that are tuned for ostentible flat neutrality as opposed to the warm and enhanced mids sound of the Shures. There is also a nearly 50% off deal on Shure SE846 (like the 535 but supposedly much better bass and generally superior) that I'm tempted to take. At full price on the 846s I might be looking at something else but at nearly half off they are really tempting.

Yuns fucked around with this message at 22:52 on Dec 24, 2020

# ¿ Dec 24, 2020 20:49

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

Adorama had the ER4SR and XR for $139 so I couldn't resist picking up the SR. At that price I should have picked up both. I skipped the B&H deal on the Shure, I think it was $549 or $599 for the SE846 including the bluetooth module if you bought on Christmas eve.

I'm not ready to splurge on anything like the Sony IER-Z1R but I keep looking at the Moondrop Blessing 2 and S8, the Campfire Andromeda 2020 and the Thieaudio Monarch.

Yuns fucked around with this message at 20:04 on Dec 25, 2020

# ¿ Dec 25, 2020 19:59

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

Just got my Etymotic ER4SR and have been testing them back to back with my Shure SE535 LTD. One note is that nominal impedance of the Shure are 36 ohm and the Etymotic are 48 ohm. Despite this small difference I found that the Etymotic needed a lot more power to drive than the incredibly easy to drive Shures. As far as tips, I use the large olives on the Shure and the large triple flange on the Ety. Etymotic were incredibly dependent on making sure you have right fit and seal and require insertion so deep that I've had less invasive endoscopies. Also it seemed pretty susceptible to cable noise so I wouldn't use them for running or the gym.

Because I love the warm mid forward tuning of the Shures that really enhances vocals, I was worried that I'd find the neutral tuning and weak bass of the Etys weird and unpleasant. I listened to the Etys directly connected to my phone Galaxy S9+ and through my Qudelix using LDAC. With the Qudelix I used both unequalized and PEQ equalized against the Harman target as suggested by Oratory1990. I was surprised to find that I found the tuning of the Ety's totally fine. Tuning did not have the boosted mids of my Shures but wasn't unpleasant in any way to me. Detail was great. For lack of a better word, it sounded cleaner. It lacked some of the mid bass of the Shure but seemed more accurate for more sounds. I actually like both IEMs. Each has its strengths and I will continue to use the Shure when I am at the gym and commuting and use the Etys when I'm at home and can't listen to my speakers. At the black Friday cost of $139 at Adorama, the ER4SR/XR are no brainers. I have a hard time thinking of a set with a better price to value.

Listening to the Etys and Shures in a way though has made me want a set of IEMs that could replace both sets. I'm probably going to get a set of Hidition Viento-R, or Thieaudio Monarchs or Campfire Andromeda 2020 this coming year. Preferably a set of custom molded Hiditions. For now, I'm waiting on a set of Kef LS50 Meta bookshelf speakers to use as my primary music speakers in my home office to replace my Kef Q350s which I love.

Yuns fucked around with this message at 01:27 on Dec 31, 2020

# ¿ Dec 31, 2020 01:23

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

redeyes posted:

Shuoer EJ07. Look up a graph. (I am fully on board with Ety tuning) This is why I recommend the EJ. These iems are expensive and the best natural sound you can buy.
[edit] The clair is almost as good... almost. I prefer the EJ.

Thanks for the recommendation. I'll add them to the list to research.

# ¿ Dec 31, 2020 04:49

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

One annoying thing about the Ety ER4SR is that the connector is an MMCX but with a little proprietary tab that it snaps into so no guarantee that a 3rd party MMCX connector will be stable. I'm running Etys own 2.5mm balanced cable to my Qudelix 5K but I wish I could use an aftermarket braided cable to further reduce microphonics in the gym. Does that Aliexpress cable have a tab on the connector or if it doesn't is it a stable connection?

# ¿ Jan 12, 2021 16:45

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

Does anyone know how to order anything from the Hidition web site? I'm trying to use the cart to order but nothing seems to work normally.

# ¿ Jan 15, 2021 02:52

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

I got the Viento ordered so I can share my experience if anyone has any questions about ordering from Hidition after I go through the process. I wanted the CIEM version but decided to go with the universal instead of the custom. I grapple so I have cauliflower ears that can swell and change shape so a custom designed to fit absolutely perfectly could be super uncomfortable and not fit another day depending on my ear injuries.

Yuns fucked around with this message at 01:10 on Jan 17, 2021

# ¿ Jan 16, 2021 16:41

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

I'm curious about whether most of the people here equalize their IEMs/headphones or if they just run them as is. I used to just run my headphones and IEMs as is. I worried that equalization would end up with more artifacts or noise despite a better looking curve. But since I've been using the Qudelix 5K as an LDAC bluetooth receiver, I've used its parametric equalizer to set everything closer to the Harman targets using Oratory1990s settings. Everything sounds fine but I'm wondering if I should just be running for example my Etys as is for its DF tuning rather than trying to use the Harman target.

Yuns fucked around with this message at 15:42 on Jan 18, 2021

# ¿ Jan 18, 2021 15:36

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

I think I have my go to portable audio set up now. I found an actual use case for a DAP as well since I dropped a large weight directly onto the face of my cell phone in the gym while lifting and listening to music. As a result, I decided I want to separate out my media from my phone. So I now have a Astell&Kern SR25 with either a 2.5mm balanced wired connection to my IEMs (SE535LTD and ER4SR) or LDAC wireless going to the Qudelix 5K and the same IEMs. My Hidition Viento are in production and those will become my primary IEMs once I get them. I almost went with the LG G7 ThinQ as a media player but like most cell phones it tries to detect what kind of output device is attached to the headphone output and will adjust voltage in some ways that may not play nice with all headphones. I know FiiO, iBasso, Sony, Cowon etc all make good DAPs and that even good DAPs aren't much better than many cell phones but the SR25 had the combination of features that I wanted. I went with the Hiditions since they are described as an even better Ety with really great tuning.

Yuns fucked around with this message at 00:14 on Jan 23, 2021

# ¿ Jan 22, 2021 16:58

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

I know you don't need audiophile equipment for this but this amp should work and is not too expensive. What price range were you considering.
https://jdslabs.com/product/objective2/

# ¿ Jan 23, 2021 01:22

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

Wheeee posted:

that's a deprecated product, the current one is https://jdslabs.com/product/atom-amp/

the Atom will drive basically anything that'll plug into it

Thanks for pointing that out. The atom seems like probably the most reasonably priced decent headphone amp too.

# ¿ Jan 23, 2021 02:43

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

I just noticed that Adorama has open box Ety ER4XR for $119 (Adorama says they still have mfr warranty) and so long as you are ok with the deep fit and Ety tuning I have a hard time imagining a better value in decent IEMs.

Yuns fucked around with this message at 16:00 on Jan 25, 2021

# ¿ Jan 25, 2021 15:54

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

This is a really dumb and specific request but my kid loves collecting 80s stuff and I've given her stuff like a turntable. Recently I gave her my old Sony Walkman and I wanted to get her a set of retro appearance headphones. It'd be nice if the sound quality wasn't complete trash acknowledging of course that the source of vintage cassettes will be pretty poor.

# ¿ Feb 8, 2021 20:37

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

Thanks for all the recommendations. I didn't realize that there were so many decent options that still kept a retro look.

# ¿ Feb 8, 2021 22:14

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

Thanks again for the recommendations. I think I'll leave the larger over ear retro styles for the record player and get her those Koss for the Walkman.

# ¿ Feb 9, 2021 04:03

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

Got my Hidition Viento and they were so worth the effort to get. This is obviously my ignorant subjective opinion but they're gorgeous to look at, super comfortable in UIEM form (as a grappler my ears get too damaged for CIEMs since they can swell and change shape) and the sound is great. They are also easy to drive. Definitely easier than my Etys. I got the normal cable as well as an extra upgrade cable. The upgraded cable is from Nobunaga Labs in Japan. They also came with a case with my name on it and other accessories as well as an actual frequency response chart of each side of my IEM. I'm keeping my Shure and Ety IEMs so I can have pairs for the gym and commuting and other situations where I would have to worry about losing or damaging them. For portable use I have them connected via balanced 2.5mm to an Astell&Kern SR25 since many phones no longer have audio jacks. I also have a Qudelix 5K in case I do want to use my phone as a source.

EDIT: I think these could be high end IEMs for people who like the ER4SR or Blessing 2. I know they aren't some crazy top of the line 64 Audio/Sony Z1R etc IEMs. In fact, Vientos aren't even Hidition's top of the line those are the Violet and NT8, but I'm really loving these.

Yuns fucked around with this message at 20:08 on Feb 10, 2021

# ¿ Feb 10, 2021 16:27

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

As an addendum to my IEM purchase, I decided to get a DUNU cable, not because I believe that cables make any sound difference but because DUNU has a quick change system that allows you to swap out the plug between 4.4mm, 3.5 mm (unbalanced and balanced) and 2.5mm as well as USB-C. Since I switch a lot between 3.5mm and 2.5mm depending on the device, this will greatly reduce the number of times I have to remove the MMCX connector and the chance that I damage the MMCX connector or port. It'll also allow me to replace the 2.5mm plug if I bend it.. (I've already killed a bunch of Yinyoo MMCX/2.5mm cables by accidentally bending the 2.5mm plug.

# ¿ Feb 11, 2021 00:31

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

redeyes posted:

Another option for this TOTL level stuff is the Shuoer EJ07 which is drat near the same as Ety tuning but better, more slamming bass, more 3D stage, more everything but still, very reference.

I am jealous though, those are right in my favorite tuning range and also hard to get. Bravo!

Yes there are quite a few awesome IEMs in this range with neutralish or Ety like tuning: the Thieaudio Monarch, the Shuoer EJ07 etc. I went with the Hidition not just because of the awesome audio performance but also their ability to make incredible unique art for each set of IEMs so that none are ever alike. There is no real "base" model/graphic. Coming from my current Shure SE 535LTD, ER4SR and B&W P7, I'm blown away by the Viento. I'm sure there are IEMs that are just as good or better, but the Hiditions are the first earphones/headphones that I'll actually listen to at home instead of just when I'm out. Typically I'll just use my stereo running Kef LS50 Metas when I want to listen at home, but the Viento are so fun to listen to I find myself reaching for them when working at home. I tried Oratory1990's Harman target PEQ settings but I like the Hiditions just fine without any EQ. If anyone is looking to buy a used Shure, Etys or the B&W for a decent price, let me know.

Yuns fucked around with this message at 02:03 on Feb 11, 2021

# ¿ Feb 11, 2021 01:55

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

Following up on my earlier post here is probably my endgame portable. Hidittion Viento B and an Astell & Kern SR25. I got the DUNU Blanche cord because of DUNU's awesome quick change plug system not because I believe that cables change sound. I know it's not a Lootoo Paw Gold Touch feeding a Z1R but this is pretty much as far as I'll go on portable audio.

Yuns fucked around with this message at 22:31 on Feb 12, 2021

# ¿ Feb 12, 2021 22:28

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

You can get the same sound quality of the SR25 for far less depending on your IEMs/headphones and your needs. In fact many phones like the LG G and V series have good sound. While I do want excellent sound quality, that is not why I chose to go with the DAP. It was mostly prompted by my killing my cell phone by dropping a weight onto it while I was using it as a source in the gym.

I chose to go with a separate DAP because I wanted to separate out my music from my phone (for safety as well as battery life reasons) and the SR25 besides having good sound quality had the features that I wanted including:

being able to drive more difficult IEMs/headphones than a phone can,
super long battery life (21 hours).
LDAC/aptX-HD wireless support,
support for formats including FLAC and MQA,
support for DSD,
support for hi res streaming services,
built in PEQ,
ability to act as a source to another DAC,
ability to act as a DAC through USB-C,
ability to work with AK's AK Connect DLNA control app
2.5 balanced out as well as 3.5mm out
ability to switch the outline to line output instead of headphone output.
support for micro-SD cards,
ability to watch youtube, .

Lastly Samsung and Apple abandoning the headset jack also played into this.

# ¿ Feb 13, 2021 00:54

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

I haven't used either so I'm sure we'll have more experienced voices contribute but they seem very similar and I'm sure your father in law will be happy with either but the Fiio has a 3.5mm jack but not a balanced 2.5mm jack (no normal people will care) and the Hiby has both 3.5 and 2.5mm and the Hiby claims 20 hours of battery life vs Fiio claim of 13+.

# ¿ Feb 13, 2021 01:21

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

Wheeee posted:

all IEM cables should be Sony's IER cables, biggest thing i miss about the M9 are the cables

they the best

The M9 cables can be ordered separately as replacement parts:

z1r cables
https://sony.encompass.com/item/12434619/Sony/1-912-774-21/
https://sony.encompass.com/item/12434618/Sony/1-912-775-21/
M9
https://sony.encompass.com/item/12319321/Sony/1-912-704-11/
https://sony.encompass.com/item/12617876/Sony/1-912-703-11/

Pricey but within the range of other premium cables.

Yuns fucked around with this message at 02:02 on Feb 13, 2021

# ¿ Feb 13, 2021 02:00

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

Wheeee posted:

Another plus to a DAP is that unlike phones they don't really go obsolete, so while $700 is a lot the thing will also be a good piece of audio gear for like a decade unless the battery shits the bed

Yes, there's a whole community of people still using Zunes.

# ¿ Feb 13, 2021 02:05

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

eddiewalker posted:

Got a link?

This is it. No other info.

https://drop.com/buy/our-most-requested-headphone-launching-2-18-21/talk

# ¿ Feb 17, 2021 19:12

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

It's the Drop Sennheiser HD8XX based on the HD800S but for $1100 instead of $1399

https://drop.com/buy/drop-sennheiser-hd-8xx-headphones/talk

# ¿ Feb 18, 2021 23:16

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

Although you can't take any specific reviewer's opinion uncritically, I like crinacle's reviews as he gives you a response graph and his rating for tonality and technical grade. I also liked Tyll Hertsens at Inner Fidelity before he retired. Although I didn't necessarily agree with all his choices, he used a combination of objective measurements and subjective listening in a way that would give you a good idea of whether to try out an IEM or headphone.

# ¿ Mar 4, 2021 14:27

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 03:27

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

I'm reducing my headphone collection down to my Hiditions for home and a set of Galaxy Bud Pros for travel. I'd like to sell my Ety ER4SR, Shure SE535LTD and B&W P7. Is there a thread in Inspect Your Gadgets for audio equipment sales? Or do we just post it to SAMart?

# ¿ Mar 5, 2021 18:37

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Inspect Your Gadgets > Let's Talk Headphones IV: Should I get Beats? Do I need Noise Cancelling?

«‹›2 »