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Dogen posted:I guess that explains why the HD650 has gone from $500 to the 6xx model being like $200ish frequently (I paid less for mine with a coupon, even). They've recouped those design costs since it came out in 2003 and the thing itself isn't expensive. Pretty much. Broadly, Drop used to be MassDrop and their whole gimmick was in getting people to sign up to do a bulk buy direct from a manufacturer at a discount, and the HD6XX was originally a one-off collaboration which just loving exploded, being as you noted the famous high-end HD650 suddenly available new for $200. There were a handful more drops after that before they just sort of turned into a regular product they keep in stock. Since then Drop has leaned in heavily and they have some unique Drop-branded products as well. Drop has actually had a pretty sizeable impact on the headphone world, the HD6XX then HE4XX and then later products have basically reshaped the reasonably-priced market and made a lot of previously decent budget headphones obsolete. GreenBuckanneer posted:What's the "go-to" poor person DAC to get? Apple USB-C dongle for $9, I poo poo you not. If you listen loud it may not provide enough power, but there are other dongles which output more power for higher resistance headphones like the DT990, measure extremely well and run like $40-60. You can feed these into an external amp as well if you need the power. If you want a discrete DAC, Topping E30 or previous model D30 which can probably be found a bit cheaper. Best amp on the market all in all is the JDS Labs Atom at $99 direct from their site, it provides extremely clean audibly perfect power that's sufficient for any headphone on the market outside of some weird exotic poo poo you'll never see let alone buy. yea or that Wheeee fucked around with this message at 04:35 on Jun 10, 2020 |
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Jun 10, 2020 04:06
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priznat posted:Nice did you try the jabras too? They seem to be highly reviewed by tech sites but user reviews make them sound kinda sketchy. I've never heard them so can't offer specific experience, but broadly speaking do not trust tech sites with regard to audio reviews.
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Jun 12, 2020 19:58
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Hamelekim posted:I usually use an audio specific site to sell my headphones. canuckaudiomart in Canada is great for that if you are Canadian. Probably something similar in the US. Oh poo poo thanks for that reminder about Canuck audio mart, I've got a bunch of headphones--and fuckin weed vapes--i want to sell off but I've been way too lazy and not wanting to gently caress around on reddit
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Jun 15, 2020 17:14
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I'd avoid Schiit in general, they've had a long history of misleading claims, horrific build and quality problems like improperly grounded cases, blowing headphone drivers, solder failures, literally catching fire, and so on. Their support is also not the best, but if you don't give a poo poo the Magni Heresy and Modi 3 are their good models. It's a brand that was built on social marketing and shilling, even disregarding the above major problems that most units won't experience their products are mediocre; the Magni Heresy measures completely transparently, but are known for have scratchy volume pots, etc. Basically the standard for headphone amps right now is the JDS Labs Atom, it measures superbly and JDS Labs have some of the best QC and CS in the industry, unless you have specific input/output needs it's the only amp you'll ever need; ASR review. It's what I'm currently using, and not selling. Only other amp I have right now is an ES100, not sure if I want to get rid of it tho and it's a very different product type. Amps amplify an analog signal, hence the analog inputs; DACs will generally have digital input options like optical or USB. Basically if you need a desktop amp, Atom is the one unless you need more power--outside of some exotic poo poo you don't--or want balanced, in which case the Drop THX 789 is the one, and beyond that you're pissing money down a hole.
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Jun 16, 2020 06:08
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Dr. Fishopolis posted:that whee guy is a lunatic. I've been ignoring your repeated shitposting out of fury that someone dare speak ill of your beloved consumer products in an effort to not derail this thread, but you really need to just loving drop it, this thread isn't your clubhouse.
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Jun 16, 2020 17:21
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seravid posted:Any European alternatives for the Atom? One of these tiny combos would be perfect for my desk to replace a dacmagic + Little Dot amp. Not a European brand but should be more widely available, Topping has a new amp coming out very soon, the L30, and preliminary measurements are excellent. Their previous standalone amp, the A30 measured excellently, better than its budget competition, with the exception of a high output impedance of ~10 ohms, which isn't a concern for most headphones but can cause issues with more sensitive headphones and IEMs; the L30 preproduction units rectify that issue and measure ~0.06 ohms output impedance, which is in line with the best amps. Topping makes excellent DACs as well, the E30 being their most recent. Only real catch with Topping is that they're Chinese so if you do have a warranty issue it can be a hassle with shipping compared to a local alternative.
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Jun 16, 2020 18:13
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Uuudar posted:I'm looking for something to for casual PC gaming that has a mic that doesn't suck and won't break easily. Circumaural, ideally under $50. the secret of gaming audio is that all of the directional audio processing and poo poo is being done by the game engine, the headphones don't actually matter much, to the point that pros playing live on stage use IEMs under noise-canceling headsets for the isolation without hampering performance. HyperX and Cooler Master seem popular Wheeee fucked around with this message at 02:39 on Jun 20, 2020 |
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Jun 19, 2020 18:26
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Hikaki posted:Are there any better alternatives to a Schiit Fulla 3? I keep seeing Schiit being poo poo on but I can't find much else with the same features at the same price point. The Soundblaster G5 looks like a contender, but I think it requires some terrible software? I also don't like the gamer gear look of it. Can't find info on the Fulla 3 but the Fulla 2 was a turd and I've never heard anything good about them. If you have a 3.5mm mic input on the back of your case near USB ports I'd just get an Apple dongle for $9, it's no poo poo a better DAC than a lot of $100+ stand-alone DACs and while it is definitely under-powering them it can get my 300ohm HD6XX pretty loud so should be sufficient for the DT770, and if not welp $9 and still a very good DAC. That said, if you're set on the Fulla 3's features, it'll almost certainly be better than your motherboard audio and I imagine the most egregious problems with the Fulla 2 have probably been resolved; when people talk poo poo about Schiit it's in regard to there just being better competitors at basically every price point more so than them being so bad their gear is trash worse than your motherboard, but unless you're married to the 'gamer' style unit with a mic jack I can't see any reason to consider a Fulla. Wheeee fucked around with this message at 03:06 on Jun 20, 2020 |
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Jun 20, 2020 03:03
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Hikaki posted:I didn't know the Apple dongle was so good. The audio gear industry, at least at the consumer level, is almost entirely bullshit and once you move beyond the lower end stuff pricing becomes based entirely on intended market positioning rather than performance. Wheeee fucked around with this message at 23:26 on Jun 20, 2020 |
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Jun 20, 2020 23:19
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redeyes posted:Don't forget raw power. Thats the one thing the Apple dong does not have. Yea, there's actually better dongles that output more power from like Meizu and Musiland and cost ~$40, what makes the Apple dongle so great is that's widely available and costs $9; on an Android phone which caps the output power for some bullshit reason I can power any of my IEMs adequately with the Apple dongle, but out of an Android phone it won't power a lot of full size headphones and even out of an Apple device or PC you're correct that it won't feed hungry hungry headphones. Anyone here listen to the Focal Clear much? I've figured out my IEM situation for the foreseeable future but since it's increasingly looking like I'll be able to work from home beyond the pandemic situation I'm considering getting some new open-back headphones, and from what I've been able to read/see the tuning of the Clear and sound presentation sound like it'd be way more up my alley than the HD800 or Audezes.
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Jun 23, 2020 01:27
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jojoinnit posted:I hope this is the right thread for this; the op makes it sound hardcore enough that I initially backed out and went looking further. Galaxy Buds are slightly above budget at $108, which is a substantially lower price than they launched at as there's a new version out, and they sound better than most wireless IEMs, including more expensive models.
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Jun 29, 2020 21:18
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Bronze Fonz posted:I'm sorry if this is answered a million times already but I need a recommendation for a headset with mic that's fairly inexpensive but not absolute poo poo either... Assuming she's stationary while using it, a discrete compact USB mic like a Samson Go or Blue Snowflake would be far superior to a cheap headset mic, and allow her to use whatever other headphones or earbuds she had/wanted. Did a quick look, and found two cheap headsets with not too terrible mics, videos recorded via the headset: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbweOuwm3eM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTWVmLbQBSg Otherwise I'd look at Plantronics, this is basically their wheelhouse. Wheeee fucked around with this message at 22:10 on Jun 30, 2020 |
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Jun 30, 2020 22:04
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Mindblast posted:Hi thread! Looking for iems to use with my galaxy s10e but don't know enough to make an informed decision. For my desktop I use the sennheiser hd6xx with a schiiit dac and atom amp and pretty much like how that sounds. In that price range the two IEMs that generally stand above the rest are the Etymotic ER2XR and the Moondrop Starfield. Having owned multiple Etymotic IEMs over the years as well as the Moondrop KXXS upon which the Starfield is based, my preference is for Etymotic but both are good; Etymotic basically have a more 'correct' neutral sound tuned off Etymotic's in-house DF target, whereas the Starfield/KXXS will have a wider perceived soundstage with most music, but with a relatively 'hollow' sounding midrange ime. Look up some reviews of both, and always buy from a store that allows returns Wheeee fucked around with this message at 19:42 on Jul 3, 2020 |
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Jul 3, 2020 19:03
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In that price range Koss KSC75 or Koss Portapro are the poo poo; I was actually looking for my KSC75 the other day since they're great for use on like bike trails where you don't want sound isolation. Koss also has a lifetime warranty.
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Jul 6, 2020 04:05
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VikingofRock posted:Quoting myself here for context. Does anyone know if Sennheisers are having distribution issues or something? The HD 569 seems to be on back order everywhere I look. I was hoping to get them over the ATH-M50x because I've seen reviews that say that they are significantly more comfortable, especially if you wear glasses, which I do. I guess if I can't find them soon I can always just order a pair of ATH-M50x and swap out the pads if they are too uncomfortable. No idea about Sennheiser, but in your research did you stumble upon the AKG K371? It's a relatively recently released headphone, came out last year, and is tuned almost exactly to the current Harman OE target which is close to perceived neutral with a large sub-bass boost; it's commonly recognized as the best closed headphone near that ~$150 price range by those who've heard them, and I'd agree having owned a pair. There's also the Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro in that price range, which I've talked mad poo poo about due to Beyer's weird tuning making them polarizing, but having had a pair in the past they are also in my experience better sounding than the M50X, which when I briefly listened to it sounded muddy with harsh treble. Personally not a fan of the DT770 but lots of people are. I'm just some rear end in a top hat on the internet, but check those two out as well, especially the K371, and if you can't try before you buy always buy from a store with a return policy since audio gear is highly subjective. Between the two I mentioned the K371 will have a harder time getting a good seal with glasses, which may be an issue, whereas the DT770 has large ear cups that are easier to get a seal with. Also in general pads actually have a fairly large impact on sound quality, and in a lot of cases aftermarket pads will gently caress up the sound of a headphone; exceptions exist but you'd have to research to find them.
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Jul 7, 2020 17:08
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I have never heard PC sound out that wasn't poo poo, from generic work computers to my stupid gamer motherboard with hyped headphone sound output with ~*dual amplifiers*~ to expensive laptops they all use Realtek garbage and sound like poo poo; Apple are the only company I'm aware of that always has good audio in their devices. Apple dongle is a sufficient DAC for most efficient consumer headphones but may not put out enough power if you're using studio headphones or 'audiophile' market stuff, in which case I'd suggest the Tempotec Sonata HD Pro which is this in a different shell and is measurably superior to most $1000+ discrete DACs. I haven't done any obsessive volume matched A/B testing but imo the Tempotec which I bought for use with my laptop sounds at least as good as my Topping/Atom stack on my PC desk and will power even the 300 ohm 6XX to a level I find painful. Unless you have some extremely power-hungry boutique headphones or are a loving idiot hell-bent on destroying your hearing you don't really need a standalone headphone amp these days due to how good some dongle-style DACs have become. The most important thing about my desktop amp and reason I'll always use one at my PC is that it has a nice analog volume dial on it.
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Jul 31, 2020 16:56
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Ok Comboomer posted:If you have money for outboard gear get some good, convenient Bluetooth cans for out-and-about and listen to your nice wired phones with a headamp at a desk or couch. If you have a bunch that you “really want to use” keep one or a couple at work/desk and one or a couple at couch. Get some extension cables if you need them. fuckin telling people to run extension cables in the same post as claiming that a USB dongle is just way too much extra poo poo and effort lol as to 'those fancy Drop phones' i assume you mean the Panda, which have not had positive early reception despite having some early hype over being based on the Oppo PM-3 design, and in wireless IEM land the Galaxy Buds sound better and cost substantially less than the Apple lineup
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Jul 31, 2020 17:55
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Ok Comboomer posted:for a phone? Yeah. Not for a PC or even desk bound laptop. I have a DAC on my computer. i actually edited that post down before hitting submit to be less of an rear end in a top hat, you're posting bad advice and have no idea what you're talking about if you think running extension cables across the room is way better than having your music source sitting in your lap then more power to you, but you're being weird and stupid endlessmonotony posted:... I wouldn't necessarily go with an AliExpress answer with a Mirco-usb prot but honestly it's just up to finding reviews you trust. Powering off USB is fine in most cases, especially with USB 3 Read the linked measurements and review of that device, passing it over because 'AliExpress' is dumb as hell; Topping, another Chinese company, puts out products that murder similarly-priced items from companies like Schiit in terms of objective measurements. Source gear engineering is pretty well understood, unlike headphone tuning there's not much art to it, and in this age of cheap mass manufacturing audio source gear is just another market that's being hit hard by cheaper Chinese products offering similar and sometimes superior performance and quality to established names. When I say the Tempotec dongle sounds as good and clear with an utterly black background as my desktop setup I'm talking about use with Etymotic ER4XRs and Focal Clears, not gaming headphones. It doesn't have the power of a desktop solution for harder to drive headphones, and for some people won't be sufficient for things like the HD6X0 series, but it outputs the full 2 volts that desktop DACs do and so for $40 can literally replace a $100+ desktop DAC. With regard to Bluetooth, I've owned or tried a bunch of Bluetooth earphones, and the ES100 Bluetooth receiver/amp is the only thing that had no audible hiss despite not having great power out; it has great software however, and I really appreciated the output level estimation it provides if you punch in the resistance and sensitivity of your headphones. Galaxy Buds, the original which are now available for around $100 USD, are amazing for use out and about but no Bluetooth headphones actually sound as good and clean as a dedicated solution powering wired headphones, yet.
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Jul 31, 2020 18:40
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VelociBacon posted:Do you think using an external amp would solve the problem? An external amp will just amplify the lovely motherboard sound, as noted what you need to fix the sound quality issue is an external DAC, which may or may not have an integrated amp; a DAC converts a digital signal to analog and is essential to any digital system, every device you've ever used since CDs became a thing has a DAC in it, whereas an amp simply amplifies an analog signal and so operates on ye olde garbage in, garbage out principle, and similarly every device technically amplifies the output signal. You need both, and your motherboard technically is both, it's just that it's a poo poo quality example of both and so if you care about audio quality you'll want to bypass it entirely via digital connection--USB or optical--to a different DAC/amp. Depending on your headphones, something like the Tempotec Sonata I linked on this page may be all you need/want, though if you want something with a nice volume knob on it you'll have to spend more. In terms of integrated units JDS Labs' Element II is good but also costs $400 so it fuckin better be, and Topping's DX3Pro measures phenomenally and is quite popular; it'd probably be my choice for that type of product based on price/performance. You can also mix and match a 'stack' of separate DAC and amp if you want. Of course do your own poking around on recommendations and ensure that if you have any specific connectivity requirements etc that a unit meets them, but in general for discrete desktop solutions JDS Labs and Topping are the two brands I'd shop being a picky rear end in a top hat with no tolerance for bullshit. fwiw i noticed an immediate and clear leap in sound quality moving away from my motherboard audio whereas the differences between competently engineered audio gear are minimal if even audible blk posted:Any recommendations for AirPod-style earbuds that have both prev/next track and volume controls on the bud? As noted you can control AirPods like that, but if you want something else the original Galaxy Buds run around $100 USD these days and are still one of the best sounding true wireless IEMs on the market. Wheeee fucked around with this message at 10:59 on Aug 1, 2020 |
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Aug 1, 2020 10:56
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seravid posted:Jumping up on this, do these true wireless IEM's actually sound good or just good enough if wireless is your main concern? I'm looking for buds that could replace my current wired IEM's for 1) music on the go, 2) at the gym and 3) discreet enough to use at work to listen to audiobooks, but I'll keep two pairs if I'm compromising too much wrt sound quality. At $100 they're actually pretty good; if you can find the ER2XR around that price, and it sometimes dips that low, it's better sounding but also isolates far too much for safe use walking/riding outside imo. Moondrop's Starfield will also have a slightly clearer sound based on my experience with the KXXS which the Starfield is basically a newer cheaper clone of, but they're heavy with a shallow fit and don't stay seated well in my experience, and still have cables. I wouldn't use the Galaxy Buds if they weren't wireless, there's still some compromise with today's tech, but they are and the wired IEMs I'd use over them also cost more. As to Galaxy Buds Plus, I have no experience but my understanding is that they're more just different than an upgrade, and when it comes to TWS I wouldn't spend a lot of money as these things are disposable battery powered tech gadgets that'll be obsolete by better tech in a couple years, unlike analog headphones. Check out Crinacle's TWS list, he's basically the IEM guy and even if I don't quite share his preferences he's extremely consistent and my experience with IEMs tends to align with his observations; check his larger list for IEMs as a whole as well. While the Galaxy Buds and other TWS IEMs still aren't as good as good wired IEMs in similar price ranges, they're close enough imo to make the convenience worth the trade for mobile use. I've got a Bluetooth receiver amp, the ES100, which I bought to use my good IEMs and headphones at work without being tethered to my phone or desk, and I ended up not using it anymore just because of how loving amazing having no cables anywhere is. Wheeee fucked around with this message at 20:13 on Aug 1, 2020 |
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Aug 1, 2020 20:08
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Ott_ posted:Hi, I'm looking to buy some IEMs. When my old pair broke I switched to headphones, but I just can't stand the pressure on my head for long periods of time. Also I tried to listen to some music in the airplane and it didn't work. I'd buy another pair of my previous ones but they don't seem to be available, plus I'm sure there's better deals now. Etymotic ER2 series are currently $100 on Amazon which is an absurd deal relatively speaking--at their old price ~$160 they were one of the best IEMs for the money--and and if you want flat tuning Etymotic is the king of IEMs; they invented modern IEMs in 1991 and have only mildly iterated on their diffuse field target since then as they did the research to get it right the first time. Etymotic's SE variant tuning is as flat and neutral as earphones get, whereas the XR variants are more broadly popular despite being less 'accurate' as they have elevated bass. Etymotics have a pretty deep fit which takes some getting used to and forces you to pay a little attention when inserting or removing, but once you adapt to the feeling they're also the smallest and most comfortable IEMs I've ever used and disappear in my ears like no others. Due to that deep fit they are also the most isolating earphones on the market, effectively acting as earplugs, making them phenomenal for office and commuting use in my experience; by wrapping the cables up around behind your ears you can also eliminate microphonics. Do some poking around on the Etymotic ER2XR and ER2SE, and if you're wanting flat tuning the less popular SE may be a better bet despite not being talked about nearly as much. There's also the ER3SE and ER3XR which are currently available for $130 on Amazon and use balanced armature drivers which are more traditional for Etymotic; they're basically a little more detailed and 'clean' sounding than the ER2 series but lack the bass punch that dynamic drivers as in the ER2 offer, so they're more of a side-grade to the ER2 series than a strict upgrade. fwiw i've kept my Etymotics over any other IEMs i've tried or owned, including some well-regarded high-end stuff that costs substantially more, as Etymotic is unique in what they offer
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Aug 7, 2020 07:41
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Ott_ posted:Thanks! I actually bought both of these since the Chinese ones were so cheap. The expensive ones look a bit more involved so I imagine I'll use them for more "serious" audio needs. Cool; if you have the ability to hearing some different sounding stuff is the best way to figure out what you like! Did you go with the SE or XR variant? They're different enough that if the one you get has too much/too little bass but is otherwise to your liking, the alternative would be a pretty safe bet.
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Aug 7, 2020 08:47
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"Etymotic solved IEMs in 1991" is a meme for a reason. With regard to their fit, I have fairly narrow and extremely sensitive ear canals leading to my not even attempting to use IEMs until a handful of years ago, and having used a bunch of IEMs of all shapes and sizes no other IEMs are as comfortable or fit as securely as Etymotics with the small frosted triple flange tips, when properly inserted. When inserting them, open your mouth and insert at an angle with the tip touching the bottom of your ear canal, smoothly curving them upward into alignment with your canal as you press them into place so that they fully seal at the very end; just shoving them straight in results in uncomfortable pressure and friction. If you do it right they slide in easily and comfortably and you have a good time.
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Aug 7, 2020 20:57
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redeyes posted:The ER2XR is their first IEM with proper bass and even then it can be a lot better. lol no, quite the opposite in reality: the ER2XR is the one substantial outlier in their lineup in terms of severely deviating from a linear neutral frequency response to bass boosted near Harman IE target levels, it's a product they tuned specifically to appeal to people used to and expecting typical consumer tuning while sacrificing sound quality as little as possible. Etymotic uses a modified in-house variant of a diffuse field tuning developed as part of their research into human hearing as a medical device OEM, and their IEMs couple with your ear canal beyond the second bend directly aimed at your eardrum, which allows their extremely flat and consistent frequency response. if you're used to bass boost, and everyone is because almost all consumer targeted audio gear is bass boosted to hell to make lovely pop music thump better, then actually linear correct--in as much as it can be from an IEM--bass won't sound 'proper' at first due to it not matching expectations based on experience with other products most IEMs are tuned like poo poo, with ludicrously boosted bass and terrible mid-range in an attempt to compensate for the inherent limitations of earphones and to make them 'pop' on first listen, and most IEMs sound like poo poo because of it no other IEMs i've listened to, including $1k+ hype train bullshit like the Andromeda and IER-M9, are as flat and clear as Etymotics; even the ER2XR has more masking effect and thus less clarity than their other models what you personally enjoy is up to you, but your interpretation of 'proper' is off
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Aug 8, 2020 18:07
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ughhhh posted:So i have a pair of Sennheiser HD280 Pro that is +10 old still running great as my daily use PC headphones. Replaced the ear pads with better ones and had to replace the top band cushion after a while. Daily uses include listening to music and movies and most importantly interview transcribing for my research where i have to spend alot of time listening to audio with alot of background noise and people with strange accents. K371 as noted is probably the 'best' closed back headphone in that price range, only the DT770 is really competitive and the K371 has a more balanced tuning, it's extremely well balanced and clean sounding for a closed back despite having an exaggerated sub-bass boost. In that price range the best sound quality you'll find is with Etymotic, and for your listening preferences the ER2SE would be perfect if you're down to adjust to a neutral tuning with basically flat bass as they have extreme clarity through the mid-range for hearing speech; otherwise, the much more popular ER2XR has a sub-bass boost that'll sound more in-line with most people's expectations while still being clearer than alternatives in the price range. As to DAC, just get a $9 Apple USB-C dongle.
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Aug 13, 2020 19:00
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oh Yea if open backs work for your use case the 58X--and 6XX if the extra cost isn't much of a stretch--are basically the best deal in full size headphones and are greatly superior to the closed backs discussed; there are things they could do better, but nothing they do poorly or offensively, and have been a standard reference point for headphone quality for decades. Sennheiser just nailed the tonality with this series.
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Aug 14, 2020 00:49
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DancingShade posted:Incoming wall of text, no apologies. this post reads like you were paid for it, it's just re-writing their marketing bullshit with your own words quote:What makes these different from any other reference monitor? They're flat as a board  source, from an acoustic engineer who keeps an updated database of headphone measurements taken on his professional equipment at work They appear to EQ pretty well tho quote:and.. you know how you get a certain pleasurable feeling from a headphone with a good bass response with regards to how the air moves within the cups? The Hi-X55 does that with all the frequencies because of it's fancy pants "actually a new design" drivers. those massive humps in the tuning, especially in the bass, are largely what is responsible for the perception of 'slam' that you reference. i haven't dug too much but from their own marketing video the driver unit appears to be the typical flexing poly plastic membrane found in most headphones, just with a higher excursion motor unit; Focal's headphones have been using loudspeaker style high excursion driver designs for a while now, and they have extremely low distortion with amazing dynamics, so i am curious to hear these X55's or see distortion measurements. Headfi opinions on the X55 are split largely based on tolerance for the wonky tuning, with them failing to generate any hype on a hype-driven board. With regard to the buying 'reference', monitoring headphones are almost never actually tuned neutrally, long-running popular models used broadly in the professional world like the DT770 and M50 have aggressively v-shaped tuning, they're used because they're durable and comfortable. If high excursion loudspeaker style transducers are something you're interested in, the Focal Elegia has been hitting ~$420 in online sales now and then as it appears they may be phasing it out.
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Aug 16, 2020 21:39
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Dr. Fishopolis posted:can we all just agree to stop saying "flat" and "neutral" because those mean totally different things depending on what compensation curve you're talking about and there's literally no such thing as a "neutral reference" ideal curve. diffuse field and harman don't exist because they're the "perfect most accurate tuning" they exist as a reference point for comparing frequency graphs, that's it. Harman only exists because literally nobody sticks to diffuse field and graphs just make more sense when everything doesn't look like the sub-bass is boosted off the charts. you are correct about semantics making people talking about these concepts almost useless in general but there are in fact objective empirical truths in audio, once of which being that the ideal and correct frequency response is a flat line when dealing with speakers and rooms, and targets such as the free field, diffuse field, and now Harman are attempts to create an objective baseline to give that perceived flat response via headphones "an acoustic engineer on Reddit posted:I could write a long article about this (and I already have as part of my thesis), but I'm gonna try and keep it short, so it's more easy to understand. Yet all three are relatively similar in the mids and upper mids with the disagreement largely coming down to bass response since, as noted above, the free field and diffuse field targets are fairly abstract and developed to deal with the specific resonances encountered in the upper midrange using methods which necessarily result in a less 'natural' sounding bass level; there's a reason even Etymotic in their 'reference' SR line tune the bass up to a more or less flat level. There's no single 'correct' target with headphones since a truly flat response isn't quite possible at this time but things like that wonky rear end X55 or v-shaped consumer tuning are very much incorrect. That there is no single absolutely correct answer right now does not make every answer equally valid. quote:e: yeah the Elegia's going for $399 on adorama right now and i'm having a very hard time with that fact. they appear to be back to $690, when they hit $400 again you totally should Ott_ posted:Update: The right cable on my ER2SE's broke 5 days after getting them lol. What's a durable replacement to get? well that's some bullshit; aggressively pursue a warranty replacement while you shop AliExpress
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Aug 16, 2020 22:56
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Al-Saqr posted:Put in an order for the motherfucking Sony Wh-1000XM4 Noise Cancelling Headphones, the store I ordered from put in a free wireless earbuds as a pre-order bonus, it's the first time in my life I spend this much on audio anything, so loving excited and I hope it lives up to the hype. they're the best noise cancelling headphones on the market and their app has built-in EQ so you can tune them to your preference i've used the previous XM3 generation and the noise canceling is impressive
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Aug 19, 2020 22:05
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Demon_Corsair posted:Is the HD6XX a better option then the DT 990? One big advantage of the DT is I could go pick it up tonight. The next 6xx drop ships mid Sept, so I probably won't have them until October. For listening to music, I and most others would say yes, the 6XX is better. For gaming, it doesn't really matter, and the horribly bright tuning of the DT990 that makes them rather controversial as a recommendation for listening to music won't be as big an issue, and may in fact help highlight sounds you want to hear like reloads. As others have noted, the 58X is also a popular choice and is lower impedance than the 6XX meaning it'll run as loud as any sane person should need off an Apple dongle, which yes has a USB-C version as you noted. Drop shipping to Canada sucks and you'll eat import fees but my 6XX still worked out cheaper than buying a domestic 650 or 600; the 6XX aren't generally hyped for gaming but they work fine in my experience and are surprisingly detailed headphones given how relatively dark their tuning is. I just end up using isolating IEMs more often than my technically superior open-back headphones for games and have no issues with sound location. quote:I saw the JDS Atom posted a few pages back, is that a good option? If you're going to spend the money on a discrete desktop amp, that's the one to get, yes. Try the Apple dongle first though.
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Aug 25, 2020 23:44
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Demon_Corsair posted:So I can just use my eytimotic 4s? And don't need new headphones? Just a dongle and an 3.5mm extension cord? That's fantastic news! yep, those are what i use much of the time for games and they're incredibly accurate Dr. Fishopolis posted:i say this without a shred of irony: a set of etymotics and an $8 apple dac are legitimate endgame hifi. due in large part to the isolation, i use my Etymotics more often than my Focals; Etys aren't perfect but they're as close as IEMs currently get
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Aug 26, 2020 17:57
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Demon_Corsair posted:So an amp isn't necessary? An amp is absolutely not necessary, the Apple dongle is more than sufficient. 'Endgame' is an arbitrary personal valuation, but basically yes if your 'endgame' is neutral clear sound.
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Aug 26, 2020 19:23
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Demon_Corsair posted:Now that I have gone down this rabbit hole, I'm thinking about just using the etymotics for games, and grabbing a pair of 6xx for music. Yes, the JDS Labs Atom you asked about earlier is ideal; in that price range there's also the Topping L30 and Schiit Magni Heresy, there's no audible differences between them and JDS Labs tends to have the best/easiest customer service and build quality. And the 6XX is totally fine for games too.
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Aug 26, 2020 23:10
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Ok Comboomer posted:Is the consensus that the Magni Heresy is superior to the Magni 3? https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/schiit-magni-3-and-heresy-headphone-amp-reviews.10311/ tldr: yes it is measurably superior and was Schiit's response to being repeatedly called out for relatively poorly measuring products, whether you care about measurements is up to you, and consensus depends on who you ask since there's still a large number of people out there pissing money into tube amps and fairy dust
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Aug 26, 2020 23:29
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lovely cable aside I think I may actually prefer my ER2SE to my ER4XR due to the timbre and bass dynamics, and while I haven't had them long enough or done any serious A/B comparing I think they actually have a more 'open' and less compressed sound than the BA Etymotics with better imaging and layering; with music like Meshuggah there's no issues with smearing and the ER2 have fantastic detail for games. moving coil uber alles
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Aug 27, 2020 22:00
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If it sounds good out of the receiver you're good to go External DACs and amps for headphones are only 'necessary' because the audio out on most laptops and motherboards, even the expensive ones, is the cheapest poo poo they could source and implemented poorly.
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Aug 27, 2020 23:18
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trem_two posted:In the end I guess I shouldn't complain about getting duped about the cable construction. This cable along with the dual flange tips is despite liking the classic frosted small Etymotic triple flange tips, and still having a bag of replacements, holy poo poo are the new dual flanges ever an improvement. having a greater variety of sizes allows a better, more consistent fit and seal, and having them butt up against the second bend in the canal gives a hard stop point in insertion, which is again nice for consistency having had them a while now, i think the ER2SE may actually better than the ER4XR. there's less bass in the frequency response but it sounds more detailed, and in general they seem to be more dynamic and open sounding, with greater separation between sounds. it's kind of impressive they managed to make such a tiny full-range DD sound so good, and if they gave it the ER4 treatment with a more expensive version people would totally buy it Wheeee fucked around with this message at 00:10 on Sep 5, 2020 |
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Sep 4, 2020 23:59
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I think I've come around to the point where I like the ER4XR more than the ER2XR, when I first got them I thought the opposite, but the extra detail and clarity on the 4 has won me over.
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Demon_Corsair posted:I never got a good seal with the triple flange, so I always cut the smallest one off. Now they make double flanges, so I guess I wasn't the only one doing that. Their new dual flange tips come in four sizes, most people should be able to get a better fit with the new duals than with the old triples, and I prefer them despite liking the triple flange. Wheeee fucked around with this message at 17:09 on Sep 9, 2020 |
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Sep 9, 2020 16:53
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Dr. Fishopolis posted:i'm increasingly convinced that the "etymotic solved IEMs 20 years ago" meme has a kernel of truth to it. because it is truth Yuns posted:Also it seemed pretty susceptible to cable noise so I wouldn't use them for running or the gym. the secret to eliminating cable noise with Etymotics is to wear them with the cable wrapped up around your ear like pictured below:  by wrapping the cable around your ear any vibrations coming through the cable are damped
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Jan 9, 2021 07:37
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McFlurry Fan #1 posted:Sorry to post a very basic question but I’m looking to replace my in ear headphones - I’ve just worn out a pair of kz zsn’s prior to them I’ve really liked (and lost) about 3 pairs of soundmagic e10. Being in the UK, do you mean £50? If so, the Etymotic ER2SE/ER2XR are generally around $100USD on Amazon, sometimes dropping to like $70, and absolutely none of the chifi poo poo can touch them in terms of sound quality. If you can swing them the Etymotics are strictly superior to anything else anywhere near in price, things like the KZ and Blons are not in the same league of quality.
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Jan 12, 2021 05:56
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