/hpg/ - Headphone General

The new Schitt amp looks neat

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Nice to see more of these, always interested in what other anons in the threads have.

What happened to HD800/SE535 measurebro

I was thinking about picking up a K612, but that Adorama deal for the HD600 is pretty tempting. Both would need an amp anyways right? Has anyone used both of them to compare? I'm looking for something neutral.

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Reminder to have good source audio components.

>>56297390
>wireless is frowned upon
>headset requests are frowned upon
>asking for an opinion is frowned upon
For what reason?

>>56298948
Stop

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What's the best chink shit IEM and what's the best place to order them (Gaybeast, Ali, Amazon)?

Lads help me out

I wanna buy new headphones since my HD555's are starting to wear down

Don't have a set up at all, but I'm thinking of getting the HD650's or 600's (just really love the feel of the Sennheisers over AKG's)

Which do I get? What kind of amp or anything else will I need?

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>>56299111
piston 3, gaybest and ali high rated and used sellers.

>>56298270
what's the deal? hd600 you should get an amp but as long as you're ok with listening at lower level you could get by with onboard audio. k612 really needs an amp. dunno what the other AKGs cost but they don't need an amp like the 612, they about as hungry as the hd600, maybe a bit less to my ears.

>>56298948
just dont

>>56299137
hd600 + e10k is great, I use that. you don't need anything else, though personally I got a shorter chink cable from amazon.

>>56299182
>what's the deal?
It's $234 for the hd600.

>>56299182
I'm genuinely curious why they're frowned upon.
>>56299092

I use my headset pretty much all the time on my pc, except for when watching a movie so I switch to 5.1 surround sound.

>>56299491
Where tho

I dont see this

>>56299514
The reply you typically get is that headsets are overpriced and poor quality. This coming from the same people who unironically suggest you buy a 50 dollar tumor to glue to the side of your 150 dollar headphones, I know.

>>56299544
It's on Adorama, you have to use some 1LENSSAVIN code when you check out apparently.

>>56298948
FUCK YOU!
Headsets are shit!
Wireless is shit!
Your opinion sucks shit!

A true Audiophile avoids inferior audio technology like you normie cucks. Get the fuck out of my hpg if you don't like it.

>>56298948
Op enjoys the shitposting it encourages. He gets off on watching people on an anonymous image board bickering because that's the closest he's ever going to get to having sex

>>56298948
Is there anything wrong with http://personal.audioquest.com/nighthawk-measurements/

I went through as many of the citations at the bottom and it seemed very convincing as it doesn't appear to be cherrypicking.

Not going to immediately go out and buy it, but it really did dispel a lot of what I know from my university (and intuition) are myths but it just seems so different that I need a lot of proof.

>>56299771
Didn't mean to quote you by the way.

Im about to buy a pair of headphones.

AKG 702s or Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro

>open/semi-open is must
>primarily for electronic, gaming, movies

Powering it with SMSL SD793ii DAC/amp so <250 ohms

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>>56297390
ay

Anyone have suggestions for someone who likes the signature of ATH M50s but finds them too uncomfortable for longer use? I'm looking to try out open backed headphones

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>>56299491
pretty good, sale used to be less though iirc, $226 or something a year or two ago. I'd have waited but I snagged one for really cheap used. I have to replace the pads but the chink silver ones I got are great, and it came with a nice aftermarket cable.

>>56299771
nighthawk isn't bad, it's just overpriced for what it is and how it measures.

>>56300029
k702, if you want more bass get an X2, dt990 is just asking for pain imo

>>56300077
why would you use an external amp with a player that can already easily handle all those headphones?

>>56299632
Kys op

>>56300135
Absolutely sure about the 702s? I hear the bass is lacking, yet I hear the 990s are great in that alley. Philips X2s?

>>56300135
I got it way before I had the DAP. Though you are correct, I hardly use it with that amp.

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>>56300183
personally I think the bass on the k702 is great, it needs a tad of eq boost but it has a good body and impact, a bit better than hd600 imo. but you will find them light on bass if you're used to outright bassy headphones with electronic that makes use of it. problem with the 990 is it's extremely v-shaped. too much bass, and contender for beyer's most intense treble peak, it makes them fatiguing to listen to. the X2 is v-shaped too but much more mildly, it's closer to a dt770 or an m50, meybe even tamer then those. but it still gives a nice bassy sound which you might like with electronic music. it also doesn't need an amp at all which might be a plus.

>>56300207
what's the battery life like?

Hey guys. Are ATH-M50x's appropriately quiet to be used in a dorm room at night?

Thanks

>>56299771
>it doesn't appear to be cherrypicking.
There is some misreading of the data.
i wouldn't call it cherrypicking. I would say instead that dubious conclusions are being drawn from the data.
I could write a critique if I have some time. I was going to compose one back when it was announced, but the interest in that vein of discussion, as well as in the Nighthawk, shriveled up.

>it really did dispel a lot of what I know from my university (and intuition) are myths
Such as?

>>56300077
What is your favorite headphone out of all of those?

>>56300259

I appreciate the advice, I think i'm gonna jump the gun on the 702s. I think in the long run it would be better if i had a pair of headphones that would work well across all ranges of sound. The look of the black and white 702s is a plus as well, matches my battlestation and the amp

>>56300295
I use the 702's the most, though 600's are a bit nicer for just music. I don't EQ with the 600's whereas I do with the 702's

>>56300259
Specs say 10 hours, but I've had it go about 15 to 16.

reminder that Snapheiser has updated

>HD-598
>HD-800
>Orpheus

but the HD-600 their most talked about headphone by far still looks like it's made from a retro countertop

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>>56299771
>http://personal.audioquest.com/nighthawk-measurements/
first off, never trust manufacturer mesurements. second, everything in there is PR material to tell you that they put a lot of effort into designs that theoretically reduces distortion (an improvement which is probably inaudible) and retain clarity. the reality is they made a headphone that heavily favors the bass and lower mids and then pretty much tanks the upper mids and highs, which is detrimental to clarity and overall fidelity. it's not even a question of sig preference at that point I think, since it's not really a proper warm headphone either. it measures like a tamer m100 which has the same problem. they try and justify this by saying their research indicated the perceived response will sound closer to flat, and just mildly warm. there is some truth to the idea of a warm headphone being perceived as more neutral or "pleasing" than a DF neutral or bright headphone, but that only works when you make a properly warm/bassy headphone which they have not done. they have made something that sounds significantly rolled off which is a complaint people have expressed in many reviews. not getting real leather pads in a $600 headphone is shitty too.
tl;dr - the hp50, mad dog, even fostex purpleheart or r70x do warm better for less. this measures like ass for $600.

>>56300404
>reminder that Snapheiser has updated
??

>>56300404
they just colored the 598, it's not really different. and I have yet to see justification for the new orpheus costing such an outrageous amount when the original was and still is less. the original still measures as one of the best headphones ever. that diy one the chink guy made measures even better.

>Budget
$100 tops
>Location
USA
>Source
Samsung Galaxy S5
>Preferred type of headphone
IEM
>Open or closed
I'll be outside(campus), so closed
>Comfort level
Atleast 2 hours of comfortable use
>Preferred tonal balance
Neutral.
>Past headphones
Just basic IEMs that come with phones. I've never needed more until now.

>>56300377
>Specs say 10 hours, but I've had it go about 15 to 16
pretty good, any software complaints like not sorting or reading things properly? what's the max card size support?

>>56300505
I've got 2 128GB cards in it right now. Software-wise it can be a little laggish in the menus and the initial music scan takes ages and freezes with large libraries, otherwise though it's pretty good. Newest firmware for it fixes a lot of the the issues.

>>56300503
If you can nudge your budget up another $20 you should look at he MA750.

>>56300642
I'd be willing to do that. I say tops, but always end up over spending.

>>56300581
no video playback right?

>>56300713
>>56300642
be warned the ma750 is pretty bass boosted, not neutral

>>56300743
nope. only audio, though it supports quite a few formats.

>>56300768
I just find it weird that cheapo players from china support so many more features than the expensive PMP's. though I guess the idea is that their software is much tighter and actually supported well.

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Would an e10k be enough to drive a DT880

>>56300971
It should. Probably won't have much headroom if you EQ, though.

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Postan from last thread, since it never got answered :(

Budget: ~ $50, (a little bit flexible, if they’re gonna last)
Location: US
Source: My HTC 10, which has a pretty decent DAC
IEM Preferred.
Comfort level: something I can wear while getting /fit/, probably. I don’t need to fall for the “sports earbuds” meme though.

I haven’t owned anything noteworthy in the past.
Thanks fag/g/ots

>>56301028
e10

>>56301028
E10 for cable down.
IM50 for around ear loop.

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http://nanaimo.craigslist.ca/ele/5716948756.html
thoughts? not really a fan of the design and i'll never use the portable amp feature but i might go for it to power my k7xx at home; idk if there are better options for the price, could probably ask for less since the ad is 20+ days old

>>56297390
Huuur that picture is gay af

>>56297390
There is literally nothing wrong with wireless or headsets.

>>56301133
Fuck off, jackass.

Are we in the next arc of /hpg/ shitposting?

>>56301276
Still less retarded than Belgianposting

>>56301305
you mean dumb k702 shitposters claiming everyone who disagreed with them was belgian?

>>56301253
FUCK YOU i USE WIRELESS ALL DAY EVERYDAY AND MY BRAIN STILL WALKS GOOD

>>56298799
But I do anon. Any source after 2008 year using same internals and if they use different, impact is so small and applied to the range you will never hear.

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>>56301790
Forgot a pic

Just noticed today my headphone right ear cutting out and staticy when I move the cable around. This means replace the cable right? (It does have a detachable one so this should be easy.)

I'm looking for advice on earphones

>Budget
around 50 EUR

>Location
Netherlands

>Source
My laptop audiojacket

>Comfort level
high (I'd say around 52)

>Preferred tonal balance
my music taste varies a lot so something that would do OK with everything

>Past headphones
Senheiser something, they were terrible build quality (cord broke) but the audio was ok

>>56297390
Schitt stack over the odac or even the e10k.

Why.

Give me a reason.

>>56303231
performance(probably not audible), looks, build quality, country of origin, feel good factor, some features

>>56303231
Uber versions have more inputs, a preamp (as compared to ODACs lineout) and more power while still being cheaper than O2 ODAC (based on JDS Labs with rear mounted power, RCA, and 1/4 jack)
Better build quality than E10K
A E S T H E T H I C S

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>https://www.amazon.com/Caeden-Linea-Headphone-Faceted-Ceramic/dp/B015JGW7N2

but theyre so pretty

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Anyone here tried one of those high end earbuds from china? I'm interested in pic related, but I'm not sure if it's worth going through all the trouble of importing a pair. So far I bought only the VE Monk and I haven't regretted it, in fact I bought 4 more pairs so that I could have spares.

Is "burn in" a meme that basically means the time they need to convince themselves that their outrageously expensive gear wasn't a complete waste?

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>>56304195
Most of it likely, it's you getting used to the sound and fit.
Many manufacturers already make the headphones play for a while before shipping.

>>56300439
There doesn't appear to be significant roll off in the highs at all. Just the mids which they claim to be purposeful.

I don't really trust their measurements, but it corresponds very well with innerfidelity measurements so it seems truthful.

There is some data which seems weird. But I highly doubt the data is just post-hoc explanations because of just how prevalent it is.

>>56300288
The myth of diffuse and free field loudspeakers sounding significantly more 3D than others. I took a few acoustics class and we discussed loudspeakers. He had loudspeakers set up in a free field and fucked with equalizer settings and it sounded similarly far out.

The whole class was about what cues we use to give the illusion of depth.

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>>56300439
>>56304882
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/AudioQuestNightHawk2015.pdf
and pic related for comparison of measurements.

>>56303890
>that cable

HNNNNNGGGGGG

>>56299607
>>56299182
thank you fellas

bought the 600 and e10k

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>>56298948
to see how many idiots will ask.

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>>56305837
That's my end game too. You wont be disappointed ;)

when I wear my shitty $40 earbuds outside, the noise isolation is great except any movement I make nudges the cable and I get a really loud noise coming in from the cable physically rumbling.

wat do

>>56297390
Daily reminder that OP is a shitposter.

>>56306020
>daily reminder
so are you.

>>56302794
Koss PortaPro

Pardon my autism, but what's the difference between the soundmagic E10S and the E10C

>>56301804
>ywn listen to the sweet sounds of your controller

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Does anyone have these?

>>56309918
Nobody has them.

>>56310064
Sorry I meant anyone here

I dont get it. What's the purpose of a DAC and Amp?

How is the Sennheiser Momentum?
Might get them after my good experience of the HD 202-II, but they finally broke down after years.

Do you guys exclusively listen to FLAC or do you guys listen to v0 as well?
Also, is there even a point to listening to 320?

>>56310271
320 is wasted space, offers nothing over V0.
I use FLAC for archival, encode to Ogg Vorbis to portable devices.

>>56310190
DAC does digital to analog conversion which is a necessary part of any digital audio system if you want it to output sound to be heard.

Amplifier increases the signal power so you can actually create sound with a transducer. It's also a necessity if you actually want to have sound coming out from your system.

That said, your motherboard likely is both already: a headphone amplifier and a DA-converter. Whether you need a better performing DA-converter and/or amplifier depends entirely on how well the one you have right now performs with the load(headphones) you have. Not all electronics are made the same and loads can vary a lot too.

>>56310271
I tend to stream music from Spotify but when I download something, I opt for the highest quality option as I'm not constrained by file size at home. For mobile use I re-encode local files to Opus or just use Spotify there too.

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How many here have listened to an electrostat? If you are looking for a system, why aren't you considering a stax system first? All the engineering manuals denote it as the superior scheme.

>>56310071
He's taking the piss m8.

I can't help. i've never heard of them.

>>56310190
Dacs and amps are something that you don't NEED. They do however increase performance slightly.

If you're curious and seriously want one then buy an e10k. It's a dac and amp in a tiny package. It's also very cheap as far as amps or dacs go. Never mind two in one combined.

>>56310656
>How many here have listened to an electrostat?
I have, some here own them.
>why aren't you considering a stax system first?
Because I don't buy technology for the sake of it. Being an electrostat doesn't really mean anything. Transducer type is a design choice, a means to an end. While you can generalize some aspects of transducer types, it doesn't have some inherent properties which would be meaningful in terms of audible performance or universal to all models using the same type of transucer or even the exact same transducer. Real world performance is separate from how it was achieved. As for why not an electrostat for myself:

-Requires a special amplifier, adds to the cost but for nothing else. I'd rather have a small amplifier which can be used with everything as opposed to something only meant for one purpose with one pair of headphones.
-You need to be a bit more careful with them, humidity is a concern.
-I don't like the response of a single electrostatic headphone on the market. Lambda Pro with the ED-1 is nice but then again, I could do that response with any pair of headphones and with superior software EQ instead of hunting for something extremely rare and likely unobtainable.
-Lambdas(which would be the only electrostats I'd consider) are a bit finicky with bass leakage and aren't consistent with their response in practical use.

>>56306016
try over the ear

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Etymotic ER4 SR/XR from Seeko:

https://www.seeko.co.kr/zboard4/zboard.php?id=cool_review&no=507

Shure KSE1500 from Goldenears:

http://goldenears.net/board/GR_Earphones/6015682

Universal Fit Noble Kaiser 10 with comply tip in pic related, measurements by the guy over at Clarityfield headphone measurement blog. Can't give a direct URL because of the link filter so for the rest of them use Google or check the wiki.

Some of these were posted in a previous thread. Figured not everyone who was interested saw them so here they are again.

>>56310967
>it doesn't have some inherent properties which would be meaningful in terms of audible performance or universal to all models using the same type of transucer or even the exact same transducer

The stat transducer does have inherent properties, or rather the existing stat headphones all have similar properties: full bandwidth with distortion below the analyzer's noise floor, superior power handling, clean high frequency dispersion with minimal position dependency, and a super clean listenable sound.

All the stuff that the kilobux bits get assessed for and fail to produce.

>Budget
£50 - £80
>Location
eng
>Source
mid level desktop mortherboard
>Preferred type of headphone
full sized
>Open or closed
slight preference for closed
>Comfort level
important, i'll wear these for hours a day
>Preferred tonal balance
neutral with a slight preference for treble
>Past headphones
shit ones

i have been considering the NVX Audio XPT100 but have been hesitant since they are supposedly slightly bass focused and are difficult to buy in my country. what are the other options for me?

>>56299567
this was solved long ago by the $15 sony lavalier are you guys even fucking kidding me? Or do you not wear shirts when you're in the music lab with your tendies?

>>56306016
That's called microphonics. Two easy and cheap way to address them is to get a shirt clip and wear them over ears rather than down ears.

>Budget
$50-100
>Location
US
>Source
Laptop, Phone, Desktop
>Preferred type of headphone
Full-sized
>Open or closed
Closed, but I like passive noise to hear outside
>Comfort level
Hours
>Preferred tonal balance
If it can do all music clear and well like my past headphone I'm good.
>Past headphones
HD 202-II
Great headphones, left ear dead. Need something better, I miss my music now.

>>56311324

bumping for this because I'm also interested in suggestions.

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About to pull trigger on SHP9500 for funsies, best price I can find is 55 euro on Newegg, is there any better deal going? I live in Ireland bear in mind

So what was that that breakthrough product that Schiit was supposed to release?

>>56311324
>>56311578
MDR 7506.

>>56312670
its too expensive

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>>56312610
http://schiit.com/products/jotunheim

>>56312167
ill be asking this again every sort while so if you still want an answer it will be here somewhere.

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>>56310656
I own some, and I don't think I could go back to regular dynamics or planar magnetics anymore. Eventually I plan on buying a pair of SR-Ωs. Dem gold plated copper mesh stators.

>>56304882
Audioquest's white paper[1] does not address the conventional loudspeaker in a room, but the speakers placed next to the ear, headphones.

The article itself:
1.1
>It is neither by accident nor coincidence that so many of today’s headphones are plagued by this fatiguing upper-midrange/high-frequency emphasis. These headphone designs were influenced by free-field (FF) and diffuse-field (DF) “correction” curves, developed in the mid ’70s and early ’80s—attempts to avoid in-head localization (IHL)

-Whatever claim a manufacturer can make about the tuning of their product may not be borne out by the device itself. That is, a headphone that purports to be equalized after a certain fashion often makes gross variations from the target. The highly varied responses captured by headphone measurement databases[2-4] serve to reinforce this notion. Excerpts from audio research on the deviation of response:
>From a comparison between the design goal and the measurements on claimed diffuse-field-calibrated headphones it is concluded that seven commercial headphones used in the study fulfill the design goal rather badly. Users are advised not to rely on a manufacturer's specifications without verifying them in a well-controlled measurement procedure [5]
>While most loudspeaker manufacturers today aim to achieve a flat frequency response on-axis, headphone manufacturers seem to be aiming at a target response that is as variable and random as the weather[6]

1.2
This misrepresents arguments made in favor of diffuse field equalization, at least of those articles cited by Audioquest. As stated by Audioquest, critical factors in the externalization and localization of sound are in ITD and ILD, factors that headphones simply cannot preserve accurately. The researchers in question were likely aware of this[7, 8], and their proposals for diffuse-field equalization were made in close work with dummy heads to attempt to provide a facsimile of human localization cues.

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>>56313186
She's definitely the prettiest. Pity she's $4-5k didgeridoos and a little fragile.

>>56313280
The last one I saw for sale on head-fi was 8k freedombux. Fucking wiktor levels of price gouging. If it were only 3k I'd have grabbed it without hesitation (which used to be the average price for one a few years ago).

>>56313306
Have you heard the new lambda range?

>>56313326
Nope, but the changes to the earpads are neat. If I didn't already own the omega the L700 takes its stators from I'd probably pick one up.

M50X pleather earpads are starting to go to shit, what are some nice soft velour earpads I can replace them with?

>>56313528
I've heard good things about the Shure HPAEC940.

>>56313623
those look pretty comfy, thanks Anon

>>56304882

#2
>the use of FF and DF correction curves in headphone design has been perpetuated by the assumption that sounds presented through headphones bypass the filtering properties of the head and ears
This goes back to Theile[8].
You can roughly decompose the response of the ear into a part that is independent of direction and a part that are highly dependent on position. This is shown by Moller[9], comparing the transfer function at different points within the ear canal and concha from various directions. The transfer function obtained shows a low dependency on direction until the one of the probes is pulled out of the ear and placed within the concha.


Theile's assertion of the diffuse field as proper headphone equalization rests on his "Association Model" of hearing and the minimized importance of the direction dependent component of the ear. An overview of the association model of hearing:

-The ear/body affects input sound signal dependent on position of the sound source relative to the subject
-The brain recognizes spatial qualities based on correlation of the signal between the ears, spectral features, and prior information
-The brain applies spectral filtering dependent on how the subject has recognized the spatial quality of the sound source
-The subject experiences the sound's spectral and spatial features. Influences of anatomy upon tone color are removed

Theile also puts forth that headphones subvert directional cues from the pinna. Working through the association model, this property and other lack of spatial features in headphones lead to ambiguous localization limited to each capsule and phantom center, the in-head sound.

>>56313907
>>56313215
I think this is talking past the paper a bit.

Audioquest is saying that headphones simply cannot make up the localization cues of a loudspeaker setup due to their design. Its saying its pointless to try.

The whole point of the nighthawk I think is saying that the headphones shouldn't do this at all and head tracking should do it.

The point I got was if you used the nighthawk with a head tracking setup it will approximate loudspeakers much better than a DF setup.

I mean, it just seems obvious that soundstage isn't real. Microphones aren't placed far away from the source. Its an intentional effect of headphones to try to mimic loudspeakers which the research says.

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I just bought this for $209. It's the second edition M-Stage that retails for $279, the one with the included and improved DAC.
>AMPS AND DACS ARE SNAKE OIL REEEE
I used to be skeptical too, but honestly no one should listen to /g/ about anything. My previous amp wasn't some brandless Chinese shit (in fact the M-Stage is a Chinese amp lel) so that's not the issue here. Yet there is an immediate and noticeable change. I can easily tell the two apart in a blind test.

No, it's not a night/day difference and you really should never buy $4000 amps or DACs and yes, the headphones themselves are far more important, but AMPS DO MAKE A FAIRLY LARGE DIFFERENCE. People who say they don't are deaf, have never tried different amps, or are trolling you.

You don't really need an amp for <$200 headphones, but if you have fairly high end ones, fucking do yourself a favor and at least get a $200 combo. By the way I had the Modi Magni combo before and for being $200 it sucks cock for anything besides Audeze headphones.

>>56315281
It's almost as if people can be partially objective & subjective. Shocking. Just don't tell the turbo autists on /g/.

>>56315350
>Audio-Technica ATH-A900X

are these good? they look pretty good

>>56315281
u r a liar, o2+odac, e10k, shit stack r all the same thing

>>56315281
I went to a meetup once and tried a bunch of amps from $99 to $2999 in a quiet room. I used to also think amps only changed volume but yeah they do make a difference. There was a pretty huge difference between $99 and $500. But I couldn't tell with the $500 and the $1500+ ones at all. If I could, it was tiny and pointless.

>>56315411
They are good. But get the updated A990z, those are even better.

Continued from >>56313907

If the direction dependent component is considered minimally important for headphones, the response measured within the ear should be be made equivalent to that created by a sound field that has no direction dependence, a diffuse sound field. This will not present loudspeaker-mixed audio signals with conventional stereophonic separation and localization, but it would remove coloration from the sound.


>References

1. Measurements: Advancing the State of Headphone Art. personal.audioquest.com/nighthawk-measurements
2. innerfidelity.com/headphone-measurements
3. soundstagenetwork.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=263&Itemid=203
4. seeko.co.kr/zboard4/zboard.php?id=m_phones
5. Moller, H., Jensen, C.B., Hammershoi,D., et al. Design Criteria for Headphones. J. Audio Eng. Soc., Vol. 43 No. 4, pp. 218-232, April 1995
6. Olive, S.E., Welti, T., McMullin, E. Listener preference for different headphone target response curves”. 134th AES Convention 2013
7. Georg Neumann Gmbh. The Dummy Head - Theory and Practice
8. Theile, G. On the Standardization of the Frequency Response of High-Quality Studio Headphones J. Audio Eng. Soc., Vol 34, No. 12, pp. 956-969, 1986
9. Moller, H.. Fundamentals of Binaural Technology. Applied Acoustics, 36(3/4), 1992 171-218.

------------------------


There are many more problems in the Audioquest paper (and my sloppy references), but I don't want to write more at the moment.

>>56315422
I hope you're trolling but actually yeah the O2+ODAC and the M&M are really similar.

>>56315453
i can't these ones are on clearance, i might have to go into store and try some on because I don't want badly fitting headphones

>>56315493
>I don't want badly fitting headphones.

The thing about the A990x and all AT Xs series was that they fit too loosely on the the head and droop down. They were comfortable, but it didn't clamp hard enough to stay on head securely. The new Z series (supposedly) fixes this and sound better.

But if you got a sweet deal on the 900x's then go right ahead, just have a spare rubber band laying around somewhere.

>Budget
£50 - £80
>Location
eng
>Source
mid level desktop mortherboard
>Preferred type of headphone
full sized
>Open or closed
slight preference for closed
>Comfort level
important, i'll wear these for hours a day
>Preferred tonal balance
neutral with a slight preference for treble
>Past headphones
shit ones

i have been considering the NVX Audio XPT100 but have been hesitant since they are supposedly slightly bass focused and are difficult to buy in my country. what are the other options for me?

What's the difference between the AKG K240 Studio and the AKG K240 mk II?

>>56301049
>http://nanaimo.craigslist.ca/ele/5716948756.html
I have the e7k which is decent. Be sure to use it as a dac/amp and not just an amp because there is a bunch of hissing. From what I've read the e9 is pretty great and pairing it with an e7 makes it better. At $100 you can't go wrong

>>56315281
Yeah some amps do add coloring to the sound. That's why people get tube amps to try different tubes. Most people here prefer a more neutral sound from their amps which is why the O2 and Shcitt stack are usually recommended since they aren't crazy expensive and are mostly neutral. You can do whatever you want with your money. Some people just don't feel the need to spend more than $200 for a slightly different sound signature while others do.

>>56315281
>"Reminder to have good source audio components."

It's not a meme.

Finally someone sees the light.

>>56311578
>>56312670
I'm late, but I'll look into those.

Any other suggestions from anons?

>>56315725
I believe you, but personally I haven't encountered any amps that noticeably change frequency response. Maybe slightly but not by much. The two biggest things amps change that I've personally noticed are power and warmth.

I don't mean power as in AUTHORITATIVE BASS AND DYNAMIC HIGHS but in the sense that some soundcards and amps just aren't strong enough to drive headphones correctly. And there's really more to power than just volume. I'm not an electrical expert so I can't explain it, but even though my Magni drove all my headphones to painful volumes, the sound itself felt flat and congested like all the different instruments were smashed into one layer. Maybe it's lack of current or something? I have no idea. Anyway a good amp will change this and most people will appreciate that.

Warmth is the other thing. Some amps really do sound colder and sharper than others. The Magni and O2 are known for being so, the O2 slightly less IMO.

By the way the M&M is $200 plus shipping and the Objective combo is $279 plus shipping. That's not super cheap and people should know there are a lot of options now by this price range.

>>56314235
Talking past it? Maybe.
The Audioquest paper has many, many problems with it, the logic it uses, the consideration of hearing, and how it presents the problem with current methods.
It seems to have sensible mechanical design, linear motor with controlled break-up modes and the like, but then completely dropped the ball when it came to anatomy and perception (and the target response that would follow from that).


>headphones simply cannot make up the localization cues of a loudspeaker setup due to their design
Pretty much. Simply not realizable by mechanical means.
The mind is a flexible thing however, and listeners who are prompted in a certain fashion can externalize headphone audio without the benefit of a head tracker or even binaural recording.
>point of the nighthawk I think is saying that the headphones shouldn't do this at all
That wasn't the goal of DF equalized headphones to start with. The goal was to minimize perceptual coloration. Dummy head recording was intended to fill in some blanks before the development of head tracking. More recently they have been used together.
>if you used the nighthawk with a head tracking setup it will approximate loudspeakers much better than a DF setup
Depending on the method used for virtualization, the magnitude transfer response of the headphone is simply adjusted out. Smyth Research does this with some of their virtualization technology.
>Its an intentional effect of headphones to try to mimic loudspeakers
That's kinda sorta -completely missing the point-. The point is to create a convincing stereophonic illusion, loudspeakers and headphones are means in which this can be realized.
Music is mixed for loudspeakers first rather than headphones; the conventional discrete 2-channel loudspeaker setup is considered better with 2 channel loudspeaker media, but it is still limited in what it can sound like.

>>56315281
Nice, I used to have the M-Stage. Really good amp for the price but the slight warmth put me off cause I'm a fag who loves his metal and EDM.

Speaking of warmth that thing runs hot hot hot, that was my one other complaint.

Is the ATH-M50 good for audiophiles?
If not, what are some good similar price range headphones that are good for audiophiles?

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Do I need an amp for the ATH-MSR7GM?
http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/headphones/38ef8b91d4f4d4f6/index.html

also, is it a good audiophile headphone

>>56316152
Not recommendable at MSRP.

>>56316186
Depends on the source but probably not.

>>56316152
Not a bad deal at $80 or under. Purely sound wise? Nah. I've moved on to big boy headphones but I've wanted to try the M50 ever since I first got into headphones around 3 years ago. I got to try them last week and honestly I was surprised at how bad they sound.

I think the HD558 is a lot better, I'm sure there are others in the price range.

>>56316032
I'm not defending the paper, just trying to understand it and understand diffuse field equalization's purpose

Lets start with what I feel are logical conclusions (greentexted just to separate from my personal thoughts.

>Headphones do not bypass the ears and partially the head's filtering adjustments. Those can still happen with a headphone.

>Headphones do bypass body's filtering properties.

>Low distortion, extended highs, and minimal internal reflection and ringing are what constitute "real" detail but not necessarily perceived detail.

>Soundstage illusion doesn't adequately answer the problems faced by music being mixed for loudspeakers being played on headphones.

now here are the more "iffy" to say the least conclusions

>Diffuse Field is only used because we assume that the ears and head are bypassed by

>The primary "transfer curve" curve we should look at are the HATS effects and that's it.

To be honest, I just want to try it. Because there's lots of things that do seem to be just very sensible design with lots of real answers to common issues and minimal problems that I see. The issue is whether the tuning is right.

>convincing stereophonic illusion, loudspeakers and headphones are means in which this can be realized
This is the part where I take issue with. I don't want a stereoimage because that isn't real and the ones produced by headphones don't match with a real one in any way. I already have a headphone with a good one anyway. I just want a headphone to be as flat as possible with the only adjustments being for perception of specific frequency ranges based on in ear resonances and body/room reflections in order to make sure some of the dynamics of listening to a recording how they were mixed is retained. Head tracking can take care of the rest I'd think.

Not saying the nighthawk is this, but do you know of a headphone that offers a better experience with this goal?

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Where can I get headphones like these? Are they just AKG? Do they come in pink?

>>56316709
Who gives a shit like lmao just print them out.
IT'S 2D!!

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>>56316760

>>56316760
TRUE DAT MA NIGGA 100%100%100%100%

>>56311277
There are mechanical properties you get, but trade offs are everywhere.

>full bandwidth
Not much of a problem with conventional headphones, although most electrostatic amplifiers will puke at you if you tried to subject them to a typical full scale CCIF IMD test (slew limiting).
>with distortion below the analyzer's noise floor
Not always low, and definitely not below the noise floor, lazy techniques of THD+N notwithstanding. Symmetric drive can present certain advantages with linearity with careful implementation, but we still need to consider compliance variation and the like.
>superior power handling
Yes/no. If you're being terribly literal about the word power, electrostatic headphones consume barely any power but are naturally wasteful of voltage anyway.
If you mean linearity with increased SPL, see before.
>clean high frequency dispersion with minimal position dependency
Not always, and typical electrostatic headphones are more susceptible to leakage effects, much like closed-back headphones.

These can suggest planar dynamic headphones, which can present many similar benefits.

>>56315976
If it were actually being compressed, that would be non-linear distortion. The current is extremely unlikely to be an issue.

hoping to get an answer from something that's been tickling my autism.

current setup is asus sound card (spdif out) --> amp/dac combo --> headphones

am i getting any color/dac from the sound card, or is it purely a pass through?

I bought akg 240s because anthony fantano told me to, after my tolerable on-ears died.
They were 60 bucks on amazon and thats really all I would have wanted to spend.
did I do good /g/? they co me tomorrow.

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>>56316709
Anime isn't real

>>56302488
Went ahead and same-day'd a replacement cable from Amazon and yeah, fixed it right up.

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>>56317075

I'm currently using a pair of Meelectronics m6 pros for general music listening and gaming. As I'm planning on buying some sennheiser hd598, would plugging them to a decently modern laptop ( about 1200$ last year ) cost me significant quality?

>>56316960
There is a chance that it might. Soundcards more often than not don't remove noise from you pc, despite being advertised that they will.

Try doing something graphically and CPU intensive, both separate and at the same time. Hear any noise, then you need to move your audio completely away from your PC. If not then don't worry about.

Should I bother with an amp for a sony mdr 7506? Would I even notice a difference if my source is a cheap laptop?

>>56317146
No, you'd be just fine for the most part.

>Budget
£50 - £80
>Location
eng
>Source
mid level desktop mortherboard
>Preferred type of headphone
full sized
>Open or closed
slight preference for closed
>Comfort level
important, i'll wear these for hours a day
>Preferred tonal balance
neutral with a slight preference for treble
>Past headphones
shit ones

i have been considering the NVX Audio XPT100 but have been hesitant since they are supposedly slightly bass focused and are difficult to buy in my country. what are the other options for me?

Looking for IEMs with a budget of 50 US dollars. I fell for the zircon meme and, while I'm satisfied with their sound quality, I know they're going to abruptly crap out some time in the future.

Basically, I'd like something similar to those but without the official /csg/ seal of QUALITY. What would you suggest?

>>56300971
It depends on how loud you want to go.

For me, 4/8 at low gain was more than enough with the DT 880 250Ω. I think it can go loud *enough* even with the 600Ω version.

>>56317146
I lost my mind a few years ago and bought a $500 amp. There's a big difference when I use more expensive headphones because they need more power, but with the 598 it's very slight.

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These shits blow the fuck out of the sr80s and I got them for only 47 bucks openbox from newegg

>>56317738
Grados are garbage-tier if you aren't hearing-impaired so that's no surprise

>>56317748

dude, naw

>>56317738
Good to know that I'm not the only one who's upgraded from Grado SR60/80's to SHP9500's.

>>56297390
>wireless is frowned upon
???

>>56317846
audiophile community

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>>56304882
this isn't rolled off? by the time you even approach the upper mids you're down 5db, by the time you get to the highs you're down like 15db. a gentle sloping down into the upper mids is fine, even going down as much as 10db into the highs can sound good. but when you tank that much before even reaching 2k all you're going to hear is hazy mud with the detail and clarity somewhere hidden underneath. I don't think the hd650 is a good buy, it has some of the same problems, but it's much better than this and costs half as much.

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>>56311466
>>56310974
also running the cable under your shirt, front or back helps.

>>56310247
treble pretty rolled off, small earcups. if that's what you like though they're good.

>>56311201
very interesting. think I'm going to try out the mk5 first to see if I can stand the ety deep insertion and/or foams.

>>56312178
not bad, any higher and I would say don't buy it though. newegg seems to put them on sale periodically. they had them for like $40 one time

>>56315281
pretty sure you're just hearing coloration. there is no point in paying for hardware coloration. and yes, all transparent dacs and amps sound identical to the user. if it doesn't it's not transparent.

>>56316152
>what are some good similar price range headphones that are good for audiophiles?
v6, xpt100, m40x, 558/598, 668 or 681 even. v-shaped headphones can't really be considered "audiophile". you might be an audiophile and like them, but you accept them as colored, and accept that more accurate headphones are superior overall in their level of fidelity, detail, and balance which is truer to the music. the m50 isn't even a good v-shaped headphone. if you can afford m50 msrp you can get a better dt770.

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>>56318090
derp

>>56297390
Hi /g/

Should I be buying Audio Technica ATH-M30X or Koss Porta Pro? Or are there other good AKG/Sennheiser headphones in the same price range that are better?

P.S. I wear glasses if that's relevant.

>>56318090
>₩
I could tell this was corean shit from the first panel.

>>56318329
I find it strange that a company like Audioquest that loves to talk about getting the most fidelity/clarity/detail with their products to come out with a headphone that is heavily rolled off in the top end.

>Budget
£50 - £80
>Location
eng
>Source
mid level desktop mortherboard
>Preferred type of headphone
full sized
>Open or closed
slight preference for closed
>Comfort level
important, i'll wear these for hours a day
>Preferred tonal balance
neutral with a slight preference for treble
>Past headphones
shit ones

i have been considering the NVX Audio XPT100 but have been hesitant since they are supposedly slightly bass focused and are difficult to buy in my country. what are the other options for me?

>>56297390
Hey guys what is your opinion on the 558s?
I'm also wanting a wireless gaming headset for under 50 bucks can anyone shoot me some suggestions?

>>56318300
Thoughts on
>>56316186?

>>56318554
very good, one of the best closed headphones out there. every so slightly on the bright side of neutral. if you want something on the warm side of neutral get the hp50. it also has ath comfort problems like the m50 does, but stretching the headband and using bigger pads pretty much fixes it. hp50 has better comfort and fit but it looks stupid when you wear it. if you're looking for an "audiophile" closed headphone this is one of the best.

'sup /hpg/

>Budget

max $500, preferred $200-$400

>Location

USA

>Source

o2/odac

>Preferred type of headphone

generally I prefer open...

>Open or closed

but I'd like a CLOSED headphone with an extremely good seal

>Comfort level

don't care

>Preferred tonal balance

neutral -- my favorite headphones so far are the k702

excess bass royally pisses me off

>Past headphones

k702, k550 (which have an utterly crap seal), etymotic hf5, many other cheaper things

>miscellaneous notes

I'm up for trying something new (planar magnetics like the oppo pm-3)

thanks /hpg/ !

any tips on loosening a very tight clamp? already tried by keeping them extremely stretched overnight twice now

>>56318994
I had to stretch out a pair of headphones for around 4 or 5 days straight one time.

>>56319008
is it possible that they might get too loose if i keep them stretched for as long as you did? i read somewhere that keeping headphones stretched overnight can break them so i didn't even want to try it for that long but did it anyway

>>56319113
Two ways to do it.

If the band is metal, overstretch slightly and let go. Repeat slightly wider until when you release it, it's at the right size.

If the band is plastic, then stretch to the right size on something and gently use a heat gun to thermally reset the plastic. Use a freezer to cool it to set the plastic so it won't warp afterward. Just leave it in long enough to cool, no longer or you might cause damage. Then just take it off the object you're using to stretch it and you're golden. You could also use a bag of frozen peas or something if you're too scared of tossing the whole thing in the freezer.

>>56319222
thanks

>>56315281
If you don't mind, can you post your blind test results.

>>56300077
>Nagato
What's the name of the album anon?

>>56300077
Are you the Eesti fag?

>>56318994
do it like tyll did in his old videos. as long as the internal band is metal, forcibly bend it yourself like you were bending any thin metal bar with your own strength. you have to be careful when you do it and know how to hold the headphones but this is much better than trying to slowly stretch them over an object. it's quicker, you have much more control over how it's bent, and it doesn't flatten the pads.

>>56318976
PM3 would be your best bet

>>56318496
get the xpt100, if you can't get that try the hm5, it's basically the same thing. I would not say it's bass focused, mid focused if anything. m40x has a slight bass tilt and it's still pretty close to neutral

>>56319860
> PM3 would be your best bet

hmm really? that frequency plot looks weird as fuck
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/OppoPM22014StockPads.pdf
"the fall-off is real"

>>56319919
that's the pm2, not the pm3. still, it does have a 5k dip, so does the msr7, hp50, a lot of the "best" headphones on tyll's rig do. it's not bright sounding, but it is very balanced.

Haven't been on /g/ for a couple years, do you guys hate the ATH M50's yet because of how popular they've gotten?

>>56301276
Yes, it's a bit more meta than "Beyeremorse vs. Mudheiser", but it's still a very clear shitposting

>>56319989
Okay, thanks for the advice!

Any comment on whether the pm3 are really that much better than the ath msr7? I'd save the 150 bucks if possible, but can buy either.

between the xpt100 and hm5

which is better, what are the differences between the two, etc?

i ask since i have heard they are pretty similar. and one is a lot easier to get in my country.

They seem to be only available in the EU, but does anyone have any experience with Teufel headphones, specifically the Real Z?

>>56320013
More lime because of how overpriced they got thanks to popularity (although it's currently a bit cheaper then back when M50X came out), also, not everyone of us hate it, it's being too long, some weren't even here when the hate begun.

>>56316844
So, no trade-offs then? Is this a case of

>electrostatic headphones are mediocre if you design a bad one!

Do you believe that the need for an acoustic seal on a stax headphone is equivalent in a trade-off to the tight positioning requirements of a dynamic driver?

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>>56320367

>>56316473
>a better experience with this goal
>The issue is whether the tuning is right.
These issues are very similar. The matter of tuning target is dependent upon perception and anatomy, the tuning used in the Nighthawk is a product of what they feel they need to provide to the listener and their ability to deliver.
Audioquest takes a unique stance regarding headphone transfer functions, so if you think that they have the right idea, you should make it a priority to try them or approximate by EQ. The equalization is core of the argument for and against the Nighthawk.


>bypass/interact with outer ears
Specifically, the argument made for DF is the direction-dependent of the component of the outer ear is bypassed whereas the independent-of-direction component is preserved. The headphone does not present direction specific cues to the ears...so the argument goes.

>HATS effects and that's it.
Head and torso effects are broadly encompassing, the head, ears attached to the head, and torso. That makes up most of the listener, and the complete mannequin. You intend to remove the mannequin effects because we are only really interested in measuring the transfer function of the headphone, the HATS is a necessary tool that has its own response. Measuring at the eardrum equivalent includes the product of the mannequin and headphone response.
If you mean to refer to the head beyond the ear and the torso, those are expected and considered to make minimal difference to the headphone.

>I just want a headphone to be as flat as possible with the only adjustments being for perception of specific frequency ranges based on in ear resonances and body/room reflections
I didn't get to explaining the part about how Audioquest messed up their own implementation, just a little bit of the problems with their critique.

>>56319607
Suzamiya Haruhi no Gensou. Its good.

>>56319739
No.

>>56310974
>>56311466
alright thanks lads

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Anyone uses something like on the right pic?

I need good running headphones, but there's nothing available except for those shitty earbuds which hurt my ears, fall out, sound like shite, and I hate them

>>56316473
>Head tracking can take care of the rest
No.
Head tracking is a secondary component used to improve localization accuracy and externalization, but you still need to have the interaural differences and directional notches introduced at some point in the audio by human head or a model of one.
>I don't want a stereoimage because that isn't real
What do you mean by that?

>>56320514
A lot of flaws seem possible to be engineered out to some degree, whatever the driver type.
Most headphones built around moving coil drivers do not fully optimize their drivers for maximum linearity, potential turbulence issue in motors, rocking modes and the like. A more general problem with headphones is that they're not centered at the most linear point of the force factor, the stiffness is not constant with heat and excursion of the driver, and that sort of thing.
If you want specifics besides the usual suspects of variation of BL-product/E-field and stiffness variation, I would probably have go look that up, (eg. the HD 800 driver).

>Do you believe that the need for an acoustic seal on a stax headphone is equivalent in a trade-off to the tight positioning requirements of a dynamic driver?
The resistance to leak that most open backed coil sets have comes from a deliberate choice to integrate leak into the design, usually in a way that minimizes the effect of additional earpad leak. Comes at the obvious price of losing the extreme bass extension.
A lot of e-stat headphones have issues suppressing nodes around 9-10 kHz, but so do a lot of other headphones. There are also some moving coil drivers with a very uniform sound in the enclosure.

Do anyone still sell legit Piston 2s? I love mine and have had them for 2 years already but I would like a backup just in case.

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Any of you getting these?

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I just bought an ODAC.

Am I an audiophool?

>>56319373
>believing him

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>>56297881
>What happened to HD800/SE535 measurebro
I'm here Kiwiguy.

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>>56302794
I just got these wireless Spigen R12E and they're doing great. Good audio quality, long range, the hook system is strange but efficient now that I've got the hang of it. Maybe too big for being earphones, though.

They're on sale right now.

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should i get these or are they a meme?

>>56317738
They're so fucking comfortable

>>56322817
I have a combo. I love it. Its great for headphones and line out to speakers

>>56323259
ever tried or thought of modding your hd800?

>>56324386
Nope. I don't see the point.

Does anyone here has ever tried the ISK HP2010? They are a rebrand of the Takstar Hi2050's. Cost only 40 bucks and should be exactly the same as Hi2050's, right?

At what point does it make sense buying a DAC?

I understand that the headphones can bottleneck the signal, making a DAC useless.
If I get Etymotic MK5 IEMs, will getting a portable dac improve my listening experience?

>>56324965
You won't know if you don't test it. I don't know where the threshold lies: my onboard vt2021 reported -70 dB THD + N and I just ordered an ODAC

Mistakes into miracles bruv

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After seeing how Goldenears measured Ety Kids with filters smoothing out the 5 KHz peak neatly, I decided to try the same filters on the same earphones. I didn't really get the same effect at all. The Accufilters meant for MC and ER -series just level out the upper mid response and make these in-ears sound dark. The treble notch is also made larger which is more problematic imo.

Raw responses, averaged from three insertion depths and with 1/24th octave smoothing. Frost tri-flange tips.

>>56325161
I am right in my understanding that DACs also generally improve the accuracy ("quality") of the sound, right?
It seems like people are mostly buying them to give their expensive headphones more voltage.

I just really want a reason to buy a portable dac.. ;_;

>>56325314
You should read into the definitions of DAC and amplifier

Also, DACs and amps only improve the quality of the sound if either: the existing dac introduces distortion, or the amp is slew rate limited / adds distortion.

>Budget
£50 - £100
>Location
England
>Source
Phone use mainly
>Preferred type of headphone
Over ear
>Open or closed
Closed
>Comfort level
Enough to be used for outdoor use. Couple of hours max
>Preferred tonal balance
Not too bothered
>Past headphones
Apple earpods.

Suggestions please.

>>56325166
>Goldenears measured Ety Kids with filters
Did they? Where? Not here:
http://en.goldenears.net/GR_Earphones/11246

>>56325437
Slew limiting is a non-issue for pretty much everything headphone besides electrostatic headphone amps. Even then it is questionable when used with music.

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KZ ATE once again. Measures like ass, sounds like ass, is too large for comfortable fit.

>>56324965
>I understand that the headphones can bottleneck the signal
Headphones' limitations are mostly in fairly different domain to DA-converter performance. DAC has all sorts of measurable qualities such as frequency response, distortion, jitter, noise and so on but likely the only reason to upgrade your DAC for sound quality improvements is noise. This is assuming that your current DAC is noisy enough to be audible in the first place.

>>56325314
>I am right in my understanding that DACs also generally improve the accuracy ("quality") of the sound, right?
In many ways that can be measured but with modern DA-converters any kind of audible issue past noise is extremely unlikely. DA-conversion is a solved problem and rarely becomes audible in your system.

Problems with interference might be a reason to consider getting a new DAC but this is once again dependent on the gear you have now and how it performs.

>It seems like people are mostly buying them to give their expensive headphones more voltage.
That's a headphone amplifier.

>>56325571
>Did they? Where?
http://goldenears.net/board/GR_Earphones/1885141

Just above the comment section.

i have a superlux hd668b, i really like everything except sometimes my ears hurt when there's lots of hissing(?) in the music, will i like the hd598 or he400s better? I'm only looking at these two for next upgrade and am new to headphones i will be your friend forever if you have heard any of these headphones before and help me

>>56326437
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Stax-SRS-2050A-SR-202-SRM-252A-System-/252511871157?hash=item3acae160b5:g:tlcAAOSwEjFXfUrp

>>56325700
Where did you get the curves from? Headroom doesn't load and only displays "under maintance".

>>56306613
>>56323689
Thanks!

>>56326596
I did the measurements myself just a moment ago.

Are the dunu titan 1s really that amazing for the price

>>56326666
make another one with a proper compensation curve and channel matching

>I paired that cable with the hd800 and thought it sounded wonderful. It added a warmer tone that worked very well.

What did he mean by this?

>>56327524
it means

lielielielie

>>56327524
One thing I noticed about placebophiles is they never have a negative opinion when they claim they hear a difference in a more expensive amplifier/dac/cable whatever

>>56327670
That quote was for an absurdly expensive Kimber cable too

>>56326666
Damn.. But is there a working site like headroom graphs?

between the xpt100 and hm5

which is better, what are the differences between the two, etc?

i ask since i have heard they are pretty similar. and one is a lot easier to get in my country.

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>>56319373
Sorry for the late response. Here's a wall of text as compensation.
I got my flatmate to help me out for the test. I don't have a splitter so we used a really primitive method where he plugged the headphones out after every go and reinserted it randomly. I didn't want to annoy him with my turbo autism so we just tried 8 times, 2x each on 4 songs I'm familiar with.
I didn't write anything down, just listened and tried to differentiate the two. I got 8/8 right. I thought it was pretty noticeable because I knew the songs well.

Are you asking me to write about what each song sounded like in a Head-fi style? I'm not sure if I should do that here, all I can say is that the Magni sounded significantly flatter and duller. I have a Beyer T1 and the Magni made them sound like $300 headphones. What I empirically noticed for sure were better volume dynamics, detail retrieval, less grain, better instrument separation, more accurate timbre and a warmer sound. Transient decay was pretty similar, Magni's good in that regard. Volume output is similar too, the Magni WILL make your headphones loud if you need.

These results should be similar for other bright/neutral types. It paired well with my HD600, but both components are rather sweet sounding so don't expect to listen to things like metal unless you want it to sound like J-Pop. I also have an LCD-2 I tried, the M-Stage did make it fuller and more dynamic and whatever but the warmth made it sound fuzzy and awkward. Prefer the Magni for it.

Actually the most important part is that the DAC on it blew out 2 days after I got it lel. I have to use it with my Modi in this fucking disgusting looking setup now. Be careful with eBay sellers dudes.

>>56328291
If you didn't volume match by measuring voltage at the output you fucked up and your results are meaningless. Not to mention 8 trials is not enough.

>>56328346
Again, it was a primitive method, but I equalized the decibel output as best as possible beforehand with available means.

And I disagree, 8 trials is enough to ascertain that I wasn't guessing by random and noticed something empirical. I have less than a 0.3% chance of guessing 8/8 correct by random. For layman purposes, what I did is plenty IMO. I'll get back to you if I ever have to write a formal analysis on sound though.

>>56328291
What if I'm a weeb who actually guzzles jpop and anime music? Is that amp good with the HD600?

>>56328535
Well Ken-sama, I would guess yes as long as you're okay with spending $280 retail for a headphone that you can buy for $200 used. Then again that's how much the O2+ODAC combo costs. up 2 u

>>56328433
You might as well have not even done it, you gleaned nothing factual from your "experiment". If you're not going to do it correctly just don't do it and then delude yourself into thinking you've made a determination. If you think 8 is enough trials you obviously don't know or care about statistics and probability--it seems like once you came to the conclusion you wanted you stopped which is not how blind trials are conducted.

>>56297390
Hey guys, what's your opinion on beats wireless headphones?

>>56328291
Maybe the reason you could tell a difference is because the units weren't volume matched properly. But maybe those units do sound different. I'd be interested in comparing the measured performance of both.

Also, I recommend having a read of this article
http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2012/04/what-we-hear.html

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>>56315281
>>56328291
>>56328433
>it's a retard fucks up a blindtest and claims he can hear a difference episode

>>56328734
>>56328954
>>56328734
I'm honestly curious, is it really that hard to believe that two amps sound different? People act like someone is asserting existence of God every time the topic even remotely comes up.

I used a fairly good decibel meter I have lying around from uni to equalize the two. Obviously it's not going to be 100% accurate but again, it's close enough for layman purposes. I doubt you'd ever believe any sort of determination on this subject but I assure you volume was not a significant part of the test.

Oh and as far as 8 tries not being enough, go ahead and fill up a blue cup and a green cup with the same water, the same Coke, the same Sprite, and the same lemonade. Have someone pour them out into one container each and try to taste test them. You really think it's feasible for someone to get an experiment like that 8/8 correct, if there's no empirical difference between what's being tested? Are you actually an idiot? If you can guess 8/8 correct between the taste of air in your lawn vs the taste of air in your lawn after someone played Beethoven in it, or anything else that doesn't have a difference, I'll give you my entire life savings over PayPal.

This community is so horrid now, it's like you're trying your hardest to combat audiophilia and nonscientific methods while being equally biased the other way. If someone who was nearly deaf blind tested something and claimed he couldn't tell the difference, you'd probably believe him straight away without questioning his method at all. Think about it for a second. I'll stop replying now since I've explained myself fully.

>>56328773
Maybe this but maybe that but maybe that other thing. Anyway I've read some of his stuff, he makes good points but he's basically a disgruntled audio worker who seems to have a slight vendetta. The two units sound different, you can take my word for it or you can ignore what I say.

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>>56297390
Why is wireless frowned upon? Just got pic related a few days ago. Build quality is fantastic, sound quality is really nice, battery life lasts me 2 days per charge, and they weren't expensive at all.

Really enjoying them so far, so what's the fuss over wireless that you feel the need to include that in the op? I just don't understand it.

Sound quality isn't as nice as my vmoda remotes, but these were a sixth the cost too so I wasn't expecting that at all. The gap between them is surprisingly small though, only advantage the vmoda remotes have is stronger mids.

And what's wrong with headsets? I've got a cheap one from my local chink shop, works great for skype calls and in game chat. Microphone is much better quality than I would have expected for $10.

>>56329159
Just ignore them, you hit the nail on the head with the bit about the equally biased anti-audiophile mindset. It's just as bad as headfi if not worse. Let the poorfags be happy with their 'end game' O2.

>>56329159
You're exactly like that other poster who claimed to have done a ''blind test'' comparing an o2 and a fiio. Later he came back and admitted the units sound the same. I'm looking forward to that.

As for the shit about anti-audiophile bias, I agree with you. There's a lot of false information here about phones, motherboards(some bastard even uses a ds4 controller) performing incidentally. But I believe in acoustic transparency, and for the ''mid-fi'' headphones that most of us use the o2 is transparent.

>>56329241
It's a holdover from earbud days. IEMs are efficient enough to make wireless alright.

>>56329484
I know I said I'd stop replying but I want to add a few more things for clarification.

First off the O2+ODAC is a great combo and I never said it was bad. Secondly, I have an HD598 that I compared the M-Stage and the Magni on, and I cannot reliably tell the two apart on them. It's only on my more expensive, higher resistance headphones that the differences become notable.

I wish I knew what Fiio product that is. The ones I've seen are relatively cheap and assuming that it sounds the same as an O2, I imagine that would make the O2 obsolete.

>>56329722
Not him but I remember he was comparing the O2 with the Fiio E10K.

Why hasn't anybody jumped on that stax listing it's like $150 for a headphone that trounces any dynamic in raw performance REEEE

And you call yourself objectivists!

>>56329722
Yeah it would seem that your more expensive, harder to drive headphones require greater amplification. Honestly it's surprising to me that you had multiple high end headphones and only used a magni for them.

>>56329628
It says 5 hours battery life on the box, but over 2 days I'm getting a little over 7 hours.

Pretty comfy actually
>phone charging on desk
>Bluetooth earphones in
>candle on (on desk, for low light)
>reading book in bed
>listening to music
>no speakers, no complaints

between the xpt100 and hm5

which is better, what are the differences between the two, etc?

i ask since i have heard they are pretty similar. and one is a lot easier to get in my country.

soundmagic e10 best bang for your buck?

I'm looking for a new pair of headphones. This will be my first pair of good headphones and I want to be completely happy with them. Any recommendations would be very appreciated.

>Budget
Around $100. I can go over as much as I need to, but I'd like to stay as close to $100 as I can.

>Location
USA

>Source
Computer and 80s receiver for vinyl.

>Preferred type of headphone
Full.

>Open or closed
Closed

>Comfort level
As comfortable as possible without sacrificing sound quality. I wear glasses if that factors in.

>Preferred tonal balance
Neutral. This is probably the most important factor to me. I absolutely don't want anything boosted or recessed.

>Past headphones
I've only ever used cheap earbuds that aren't worth noting.

Also, I'd prefer either a Japanese or a German brand.

>Budget:
$60(hard limit)

>Location:
Canada

>Source:
OnePlus 3 (Android Phone)

>Preferred type of headphone:
IEMs

>Comfort level:
Comfort over quality

>Preferred tonal balance:
neutral

>Past headphones:
Apple earbuds. Didn't like how easily they broke, constantly falling out of ears, and poor sound quality.

>>56317738
pleasantly surprised with these, though i got sent the 9500S, rather than 9500. wish it had a little more clamping force 2bh

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>>56331194
Chink earphones would be what I'd recommend for you if you go through them fast. You can get some fairly solid build quality and sound quality at an excellent price.

For wireless, bluedio would be the best value brand, for wired you have a large variety to choose from. Kz, Rock, Xiaomi, Meizu, etc.

>>56331241
Try changing the earpads there's lots of suggestions on google. Though you have to destroy the stock ones

>>56331194
I have two >$1000 headphones and I think Apple buds sound alright for being stock accessories. Mine haven't broken in 3 years.

>>56331296 has some good recommendations, you can also check out this article http://theheadphonelist.com/holiday-buyers-guide-best-earphones-under-50/

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>Budget: $70-$100
>Location: U.S
>Source: S7 Edge
>Preferred type of headphone: Must be IEM
>Open or closed: Closed
>Comfort level: Medium - high
>Preferred tonal balance: Neutral or warm
>Past headphones: HiFiMan he-400i, DT770 Pro.

I need something to toss in my bag that sounds better than my current razer gaymer earbuds.

>>56327250
What do you mean by proper compensation curve? That was the quality of channel matching of the KZ ATE I have. It's just poor or non existent QC. I don't cover up the performance of headphones or earphones I measure.

>>56327791
They've been gathered to our Wiki.

>>56330661
MDR 7506 + Auray Sheep Skin pads is the closest to neutral you can get around that price.
DT250 is probably the closets to neutral you can get on a closed-back, but it usually costa much more than 100 bucks.

>Budget
$100 CAD
>Location
Canada
>Source
Desktop
>Preferred type of headphone
Full size, prefer over ear
>Open or closed
Doesn't matter
>Comfort level
Medium - High, I'll be wearing them for hours at a time
>Preferred tonal balance
No preference
>Past headphones
A shitty $20 headset and cheap IEMs.
I'm mainly going to use them for gaming and music. I don't know much about headphones so I'm just looking for entry level ones.

between the xpt100 and hm5

which is better, what are the differences between the two, etc?

i ask since i have heard they are pretty similar. and one is a lot easier to get in my country.

>Budget
$80
>Location
USA
>Source
Phone/home amp/laptop
>Preferred type of headphone
Over ear
>Open or closed
Either
>Comfort level
X-tra comfy(wears glasses comfy)
>Preferred tonal balance
Good bass, preferred soundstage. Don't want treble to sound tinny.
>Past headphones
Last gen and current gen Sony XB headphones, meme solo 2's, Koss UR-40, and Porta Pro's.

Really, the headphones will be for home use, not on-the-go stuff.

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Is there a better iem that I can get for under 50$? I'm looking for a balanced or slightly warmer sound. Thanks

>>56332405
Same thing, based on the same headphone being OEM-ed out to a lot of brands, Jaycar, Yoga, it has a lot of names.
There should be some other rebranded versions around, the Lindy HF100 in the UK.

I got new shiny headphones. Give me good music to listen to, I don't care about the genre.

>>56332662
https://youtu.be/wJzoos4rE_o
What music do you normally listen to anon?

>>56328291
Damn that does look bad. It sounds random but have you tried reinstalling drivers? I had a dac problem with a chinese amp too and reinstalling the driver worked for me.

>>56328291
how did the dac blow up?

>>56332718
Basically everything except country and hardcore noise metal. I like ambient stuff and random bands I can't find a common link on. I like the song you gave me, thanks dude.

>>56332662
see if you can hear the location of the instruments https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8tYm4XkVT8

Anyone have any dunu earbuds? How are they

>>56332746
Hey you know what, I actually tried doing that right before I read your post and I got sound back. It's weird though, the driver said it didn't install properly and the sound I'm getting is extremely quiet. I'm gonna have to look into this but anyway thanks a lot for the suggestion.

>>56332778
I'm not sure. When I got it, the sound would periodically cut off randomly. Turning it off and on fixed the issue, but eventually it cut off for good. I'm guessing it's either because of the heat as the amp runs REALLY hot or because of shitty drivers.

Also I don't wanna be an ass and say it's a Chinese amp but it's a Chinese amp.

The V6 are still better, with wider response. The 7506 is just something that should never have been produced honestly.

>>56332815
If you like ambient stuff you should definitely check out the Late Night Tales compilations. I found out about many great artists through them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoEeHHnI06E

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>Budget
>under $20
>Location
USA
>Source
LG G2
>Preferred type of headphone
IEM
>Open or closed
>Comfort level
Medium
>Preferred tonal balance
idc (good bass if you can)
>Past headphones
Klispch s4, sennheiser cx 300-II, KZ ATE, Panasonic RP-HJE120-K.

Mainly for Future Bass and some classical music.

>>56333020
Xiaomi piston 2 or lg quadbeats 3

>>56332839
Heh I see a lot of Hirasawa fans on /g/

>>56333096
there is one resident on /csg/, myself, you
havent seen any others desu
guess we'll have to have god tier taste alone

What are some good earbuds for around $100?

I've been using some HiFi RE-0s for the last few years and theyve been amazing. But theyve ran their course and I don't think they're made anymore. So I need a new pair asap

hey guys whats a good headphone?

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>paying any amount of money above $10 for a hiss cleaner and a volume knob

How do you justify your dac or amp purchase? You can't.

>>56333892
Not everyone has 20 dollar headphones.

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>>56333598
I recommend Beats by nigger.

>>56333598
Fill out the form, fag.

>>56331747
Maybe the 1More triple drivers?

>>56332517
I think those would be a great choice, just be weary about the burn in period; the highs will be moderatly stronger when you first start using them but they mellow out and become really nice.

>>56333978
O_O

uh...

You do realize that what you just said is EXTREMELY offensive to people of color, right?

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>>56334232
fresh meme friendo

Anybody here try the Shure SE215's? There more than a few pairs going for around $60 on ebay

>>56333598
Can't think of any at the moment but I'll get back to you.

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>>56334232
Found the nigger

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What does this chart mean

Is one better than the other?

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>>56334358
It means that two sets of headphones that come off of the exact same assembly line wont sound exactly the same if you have robot ears.

between the xpt100 and hm5

which is better, what are the differences between the two, etc?

i ask since i have heard they are pretty similar. and one is a lot easier to get in my country.

>>56334358
What do you mean "what does it mean"? The red one is a little louder at 2K-3K and 9K-10K and a little quieter at 11K. If you want more of those frequencies then it's better, if not then no. This is basic stuff, come the fuck on.

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>>56334232
You forgot this

>>56334358
It means Asuka > Rei, which should already have been obvious to everyone.

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>>56334408
Stop posting the same question you massive faggot.

They are so similar. Get whichever is easier for you to get.

>>56297390
Why is that junk still in the op?

>>56334454
thanks for your response but i'll need a second opinion before i am satisfied.

>>56334408
>>56334481
They are very different.

>>56334492
looks like there are differing opinions. i'll have to collect lots more information before i can be done here.

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>>56334443
Shit taste. I bet you're a trump memer too

New non shit thread.
>>56334521
>>56334521
>>56334521

>>56334532
Thank you

>>56334532
Thanks for not fucking up the op

>>56334271
fake?

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>>56334523

>>56334214
How are they with bass? I'm not looking for basshead type iems but a lack of bass is always a bummer.

>>56334564
I don't think so? They just don't have a box

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Shure-SE215-In-Ear-Headphones-Black-NEW-/262580036649?hash=item3d22fd6429:g:MyMAAOSw6n5Xsshq

NIB pairs go for around $85, so it doesnt seem outrageous

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>>56334670
Nah

You can make a killing in money too. Btw Aliexpress stores photoshoped the Shure logo out.

>>56334721
Damn, almost got bamboozled. Thanks for the heads up