>Headphone purchase advice
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>Sup Forums wiki headphone FAQ:
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ELDER WIZARD BE PRAISED
Dear lord. At that age he will have lost a significant portion of his hearing range. What's the point.
OP girl has excellent taste in headphones.
i just got the hd558s and they have great resolution and would be clear if not for the mid bass which is just too much, it seems to kind of bleed and drown the rest of the music into a haze. i'm not sure if it's because of the impedance hump. i'm using the smsl m3 (10ohms)... good, bad? btw it's not awful or anything and i think it could be worse, but would another amp improve it?
Just EQ the mids down.
A better amp would improve it, but not get rid of it. Your current amp is just making your muddy headphones muddier.
A better amp would def improve it. I used them with a Schiit stack and they sounded great. A more sensible option today is the Fulla2.
Could someone explain to me what a preamp does? Why is it necessary? And what's a difference between a speaker amp and a headphone amp? And how do I tell if an amp can drive my headphones?
Sorry for so many questions but this is a black art to me and I've been reading so much on this but couldn't figure out the gist of it... it all gets too technical too fast.
>And what's a difference between a speaker amp and a headphone amp?
Power, to put it simply.
Not necessarily and the critical band is not in high treble. How old do you think the man is?
EQ, try:
-3dB @ 200 Hz Q0.6
10ohm is real shit... these phones have a stated impedance of 50Ω, meaning the damping factor (headphones/output) isn't even 10 (recommended).
I'd grab a fulla2.
I have to bend the headphone jack(or the part that the jack is near) so I can have the sound normally. Is there anything to do about it?
What headphones? Where are you attaching the jack?
They are some generic gaming headphones.
>Where are you attaching the jack?
I just meant that after bending the jack the sound comes back
>
Just get a cheap USB DAC/AMP device, like the fulla2. They do two things:
The DAC: Converts digital to analog. Your computer does this already if it has an analog output. So does your phone. Generally, this is a well understood problem that's more than solved by now, and cheaply so. Some people prefer to do it externally because it ensures that the result is the same regardless of the source.
Generally, your computer will have a DAC chip that is definitely good enough, but many motherboards will fuck up on the surrounding electronics, and you might hear noise as you, say, move a window around in the screen. A decent external DAC is a portable way to solve this. An internal sound card will solve this too. A bad (classic chink) USB DAC will actually make things worse, as USB power is low quality and chink cheapen on filtering it to an usable state. A good one will do its job and that's it, you'll typically forget it's there.
The AMP: Provides power as necessary, a little gain (a few more dB top volume, unnecessary unless music mastered at crazy low volume, or you're deaf), and a convenient knob to decrease the gain. Typically, your headphones receive audio as an analog signal (AC). Voltage represents the amplitude of the wave. Your cans will output more or less volume at a given voltage (so called "sensitivity") and pull more or less current (amperes) to actually move the driver (active component that makes the sound). Some headphones are more efficient than others, unrelated to sound quality.
Generally, your source can provide more than enough volume, so the added volume (the "gain") will likely be superfluous. A knob is nice. You'll need an amp only if your cans pull more current than the source's builtin amp provide, which results on distortion (muffling).
* nwavguy.blogspot.ie
* audiobot9000.com
Best budget headphones coming through.
You are either exaggerating the resulting shift in response or simply not understanding the effects. 10 ohm Zout is rather mild. While the uneven voltage division will cause a boost at the driver's resonance it's nothing major and can be fixed with an equalizer. In this case the result is about 1 dB of added gain around 100Hz. The 1/8th or 1/10th or whatever rules are borderline useless. They are almost certainly safe values but if you don't understand where they are derived from they are more confusing than helpful.
Probably a broken wire at/near the stress relief.
Cheapest option would be to cut off the end of the wire, enough where it includes the portion that's wonky and solder on a new terminal/jack.
Next option would be to replace and solder in a new cable itself, assuming that these 'generic gaming headphones' don't have a detachable cable.
Why everyone hates DT990?
But that's not DTX 910 user
>(((beyerdynamic)))
>it's nothing major and can be fixed with an equalizer
If it's perceiveable, then it's bad.
EQ is workaround territory. I'm on HD600 and I never needed a damn EQ.
What's the objective difference between a tiny DAC chip on a phone and something massive like a Schiit Modi?
I could understand an amp since that delivers more current to the headphones to drive them better but a DAC?
It's nice and it fits so well under a magni2.
I think that about sums it up. OK, I'm lying, it needs to be slightly bigger than your phone's because of input being AC and needing filtering, if anything. But it does not need to be modi big.
I suggest getting a Fulla 2 rather than anything else from schiit, btw. Or starting with a Fulla2 if anything. Chances are that's all you'll ever need.
I got a Fiio Q1 and I'm pretty happy with it. I'm just genuinely curious as to why a DAC needs all that space.
The short answer is it doesn't.
AIUI they just made it that size because that's magni's size.
Even with the uber version, there's still extra room where they could have even more inputs in the back. (I have a modi2uber...)
So it's just a jewish trick to sell you the amp that sits nicely on top of it.
Really gets the noggin goin
In my case, they managed to get me to buy the DAC that goes under it.
Sadly my onboard doesn't sound anywhere as good as the fulla2 I tested or the modi2u I ended up getting.
>Budget
250 can strech to 300 usd max
>Location
Usa
>Source
Phone, PC via SMSL M6 and Riuzu x2
>Type of headphone
Over
>Open or closed
Will be used on the train, plane and some use in my pc so dont really dont know if open or closed
>Comfort level
Very
>Sound signature
Neutral or bassy
>Past headphones
KZ ATE and Cloud II
Is the K240 any good?
Is there a such thing as durable, comfortable and good sounding ear buds? I'm getting sick of mine breaking all the time.
If they break often you are the problem.
Best thing you can do if you want to continue being retarded is to buy something with a replaceable cable like the Shure SE215s since I'm pretty sure that's where you fuck your IEMs.
Anons I have a serious question
I got myself some old HK360 but literally 95% of capacitors leaked thus sound sucks hard.
Is repairing this shit worth it or should I buy new one.
If new one please tell me the good ones. Can be from ali, don't care.
It's not ideal, that's what it is.
>workaround territory
More like making your headphones better territory whether they have glaring problems or not.
>needed
It's not about need if your headphones are decent.
>damn EQ
You scary.
Modi isn't massive and the PCB inside is left mostly unused. The reason for size on some devices is the necessity to fit in all the different input options(which often use different DACs each), power filtering circuitry, controllers, analog output stages, controls, displays etc. High DACs can use multiple converters per channel in balanced configuration and sum the outputs for increased SNR and lowered distortion. Some are just massive poorly engineered mess. There are many types of DACs and topologies which offer different features and level of performance. Many DACs are big just because audiophiles like discrete components that make a statement on their looks. It sells.
If you just want to convert stereo sound from digital to analog with support for all common formats and an output stage capable of driving most headphones, a chip about the size of your fingernail can do it at very high quality.
It's been a long time since I've heard something this awful. Looks cool enough though I'll use it on streets
One version of the wired editions of those sounded decent to me with very little expectations. Felt like a toy though.
>I'll use it on streets
I hope a nigger steals them off your poser head
>Looks cool enough though I'll use it on streets
They're on-ear headphones. They're meant to be used on the go.
M40x or m50x for general computer use, gaming, watching movies, listening to music?
No soundstage.
Literally zero bass.
There's better options for the price ranges these are at. If I had to pick between the two, M40X's with HM5 pads because the stock pads are garbage.
>soundstage
>real
Why did he let his beard grow so long?
What is that? I'm a pleb.
What are the better options then? I have about ~150€ to spare.
>Budget
300€
>Location
Europe
>Source
E10K
>Type of headphone
Full sized
>Open or closed
Either
>Comfort level
Sound over comfort
>Sound signature
Honeslty, kinda hard to drescribe. I want a pair of headphones that doesn't have peaks in the trelbe (like the hd650) but has a really "fast", snappy, hard hitting bass.
>Past headphones
HD650
I love these 650 for almost everything but EDM and anything that's energetic just feels boring as shit. Increasing the bass via EQ on these just makes them sound boomy and even duller.
>Increasing the bass via EQ on these just makes them sound boomy and even duller.
Learn how to do it properly then.
HD600 is where it's at.
HD650 are colored shit for the riffraff. Make everything sound good to them, or boring to the rest of us.
>What is that? I'm a pleb.
Music appears to come from instruments positioned at a distance, instead of right on your head.
> What are the better options then? I have about ~150€ to spare.
Amazon has nice sales (99€ recently on .fr) of Sennheiser HD598se, which are pretty damn good.
You already look like a fucking dork with headphones on.
>Tells user to get open headphones.
>user probably doesn't know that open headphones are.
Most people use headphones on streets in my area. I live in Georgia
>any good?
In terms of what?
I would probably dislike it, same as open headphones, it's personal preference I guess, but if I wanted to listen to music from a distance I'd either buy speakers or go to a concert.
> if I wanted to listen to music from a distance I'd either buy speakers or go to a concert.
wut
>What is that? I'm a pleb.
Something you don't think about when choosing headphones.
Soundstage is a product of stereo mastering. It refers to different sounds appearing to come from spatially different locations in a recording. Where they come depends on where they were mastered. How coherent the image is depends on your loudspeaker setup. Headphones are incapable of presenting the soundstage without additional signal processing and on headphones the only thing altering it is the frequency response. You should care about the frequency response because it dictates the sound signature, not because of the soundstage.
I think soundstage is the just the lack of blurring of the source caused by sound bouncing in the ear cups.
I think soundstage is poorly defined and often confused with directional localization.
My Memelio X2 got delivered today. I though these were supposed to be bassy and fun, they're pretty anemic overall and there's something unnatural about the sound.
What did you use before?
Isn't that purely subjective though? Some people like it, some don't?
Also, Sennheiser HD598se or m40x? Is it worth the extra money?
I've got HD-25-1-II which I use at work (open office, so they're pretty much a necessity). X2 have a bit more detail and way more comfort, but that's about it really.
>I though these were supposed to be
>bassy
They are.
>and fun
Entirely subjective term, also in the world of headphones.
>they're pretty anemic
Use a PEQ to get rid of the treble spike centered around 9 kHz.
>there's something unnatural about the sound
They aren't exactly super accurate headphones.
There's just no point trying to vaguely shift the perception of soundstage as it's something headphones barely touch on and when you will have to sacrifice the response accuracy for it.
>Also, Sennheiser HD598se or m40x?
Very different headphones.
>Is it worth the extra money?
Not up to me.
We have the template for these but if it were my pick the HD 598 wins in just about every area. It's open back so it leaks sound, wont isolate and its too big for mobile use. If these aren't a concern it's the better headphone imo.
HD 25-1 IIs have a prominent bass boost with proper seal. X2 isn't quite like that. It has a warm response with the highest amplitude centered around 80 Hz. Overall it's more balanced and less colored than the HD 25-1 and as you are somewhat used to bass boost already I doubt the X2 will sound like that bassy. Do you use glasses? If you do try listening the X2 without them on.
Closed -> lose quality in exchange for isolation.
Good for office use, bad for enjoying music alone.
>Why everyone hates DT990?
too expensive for what it is plus too sibilant. there are better options in that category. unless the dt990 sound is what you like... in that case, rock on.
Can you name better options?
>Do you use glasses? If you do try listening the X2 without them on.
That actually seems to have made some difference.
if you really like Beyerdynamic, I'd go with DT880. I've had them for a year and liked them a lot.
I meant other manufacturers.
Well what is it that you like about them? If you want bassy open back you've got X2's, of you want treble that makes your ears bleed you've got Grados. If you want both of those the 990's are perfect.
>Budget
100-150 CA
>Location
Canada
>Source
PC
>Type of headphone
Overhead / Full sized
>Open or closed
Open
>Comfort level
Not a knife. I'd want to wear them for 3-4 hours not wanting do die.
>Sound signature
Neutral
>Past headphones
Logitech G35. Dropped them once from a medium height and they fell apart. I'd like something more durable than an Iphone.
X2 is x2 the price.
I have $1,000 to spend at Best Buy (mom is letting me buy whatever I want on her credit)
Should I just buy the $290 HD 600?
buy me an hd 600 too
Probably leakage. X2 has a low driver resonance at around 80 Hz where the highest bass boost is located. Open back headphones have a fairly reliable extension up to that point. Below it headphones have to achieve a seal around your ear in order to maintain pressure. Open back headphones leak a lot of this pressure out by design which is why you see almost all of them rolling off in the low frequencies if you look at frequency response measurements. Additional leak is caused by the earpads not sealing properly on your head and glasses often increase this effect. You are basically venting the little acoustic space between the headphones and your ear, letting pressure out which results into increasingly lowered bass level.
Pic related is a collection of probe microphone measurements on real ears using different headphones. Each column is a different headphone, each row is a different person and each little plot is a new measurement after putting the headphones on again. The bass response is sometimes drastically altered depending on who's wearing what. Bad headphones can't even seal consistently on one individual. You can find the paper on the Wiki.
If you heard something else than bass after taking your glasses off, blame your brains.
smart choice
Different how, can you elaborate? The Sennheisers are twice the price, that's why I'm asking.
If I have a media device output audio to my TV through HDMI, then configure my TV to output all audio out through a optical Toslink port, will this signal the TV received over HDMI be processed by the TV's DAC before being converted back into digital to be sent along the Toslink cable? Or will it be passed along completely unaltered?
I know earbuds are shit tier but recommend me some for around $40
Is it normal for in-ear headphones to get clogged up with wax very quickly as you use them for a while? Or do I just have shitty ears or something? Have never been able to get much use out of them for this reason.
Depends on what sound signature you want. 600's are very neutral/flat with some roll off in bass and treble.
i want it for electric guitar monitoring
M40x
It's more neutral and almost guaranteed to be much more comfortable.
EarPods. One of the better ones. On non-Apple devices the remote controls don't usually work or work as intended.
Will I need a sound card or no?
If the one you have works, no.
Amplifier/DAC checklist:
-Is it too quiet?
-Is the output impedance too high (fixable by equalization)?
-Is there noise/EMI or hiss to it?
-Does it sound distorted as you start to crank up the volume?
If the answer is no, don't get one.
HD600.
DT990 are HD600 wannabes. They obviously fall short.
DT880 try the same against HD598, without much luck either.
DT770 are just bass cannons for the riffraff. 'Nugh said.
HD600 are legendary headphones, considered the best sennheiser makes by most reviewers that have them.
I have them and love them. You can't go wrong with HD600. Just be aware these will definitely need a headphone amp (like the fulla2) and that if you're not used to neutral headphones, it'll take you days to a couple weeks to get used to them.
I was thinking of the o2/odac. i'd be coming from 668b's
I currently don't have a sound card, just the basic on my mobo.
It's nice that it's open hardware, but otherwise overpriced; doesn't compare well with shit at its price.
There's some fun story between its designer and schiit.
head-fi.org
Chapter 12: Schiit Goes Evil?
That is the same thing, just happens to be embedded on your mobo. If you are worrying about your budget already, don't go out and buy a new device if there's no problem with what you have. The checklist is there for that.
t. senior real life poorfag money spending advice expert
It compares really well in measured performance. Noise spectrum is exceptionally low among all amplifiers.
Why is Schiit, specifically the Fulla, getting nonstop shilled so hard here lately
>It compares really well in measured performance. Noise spectrum is exceptionally low among all amplifiers.
The ODAC likely does fine; DACs aren't that hard to do right.
But the O2, for something AC powered, doesn't really provide much power. Try pairing some HD600 with it and other devices (fulla2, magni2, fiio e10k...) on audiobot9000.
audiobot9000.com
>Peak SPL 119.9 dB
More than you could ever want.
HD 600 doesn't need much current at all and O2 can swing 7 Vrms on the right gain setting. Do you really feel like its the power you are limited by?