Check out this comparison. This guys does alright comparison stuff. He's definitely no audiophile but again, right now wireless buds are more about the functionality and technology.
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Headphones Era lOTl Even Through The Distortion We Remain Lossless
- Thread starter HiResDes
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Check out this comparison. This guys does alright comparison stuff. He's definitely no audiophile but again, right now wireless buds are more about the functionality and technology.
Yeah, I was thinking about the same thing (except HiFiMAN, I still have doubts about their build). But it'll be a while before I reach the flagships, they don't come cheap.
I guess I'll upgrade my DAC/Amp first. My ODAC/O2 could have last me forever if not for its lack of connectivity.
I'm looking to upgrade from my Audio Technica ATH-A500X headphones. I'm currently viewing the ATH-MSR7NC as a potential upgrade. Recently got the FiiO k3 too.
Recently picked up a pair of Sony WH-1000X M3, the audio quality is fantastic (although I still prefer open sound stage and love my HD598, but had to go for noise cancelling while on the go). It's incredible how much calmer I am walking around public areas when I only hear familiar sound. It takes a huge edge off and let's me actually relax while I walk and explore my city. Forests still get explored with no headphones and the accompaniment of my dog though, lol.
Coldest I've used them in is 30-40 F, they kept my ears warm for the most part and showed no other issues. Is there something specific with cold weather you're wondering about? It's terribly cold where I am with a ton of snow around so I may be able to answer something for you.
Yea, the cold weather glitch is making me hesitant to buy them, Sony needs to say if they think its fixable or not
I keep a pair of QC35s at work and really like the comfort and convenience of wireless, but it's not a particularly noisy environment so I don't often need ANC. Any ideas for an upgrade pair that emphases better audio quality and is also wireless? ANC not needed, don't want excessive noise bleed, and would spend up to $300.
I've been thinking the same with regards to not necessarily needing ANC but looking for better sound quality. From what I've seen, the options are the B&W PX's or the Sony XM3's for the sound quality aspect.
The Sonys seem like a lateral move from the QC35s, but the PX's weren't previously on my radar. Will have to look closer at those.
Beyerdynamic Amiron Wireless is reportedly great if you need wireless for indoors use.
Beyer Lagoon is coming out soon and is aimed as a high sound quality alternative to the XM3/QC35, so that's portable and has ANC.
One more choice is to get a chargeable BT mini-receiver and use any easy-to-drive headphones with a 3.5mm jack.
Bought XM3s today, I'm sitting in a loud mall food court and hear nothing other than my music.
Sound quality is pretty good too!
Got them 100 dollars off after trade in too!
Sound quality is pretty good too!
Got them 100 dollars off after trade in too!
Those Beyer's are super expensive, especially in comparison to the XM3 and QC35. Shame.
I picked up some QCs after all. The XM3 was awesome too when I tried it but the QCs were just a little more comfortable for me.
I do find myself wondering if I really need the ANC even though it's awesome. I suppose I could have gone with the Soundlink and still had a hood pair while saving some money...
I do find myself wondering if I really need the ANC even though it's awesome. I suppose I could have gone with the Soundlink and still had a hood pair while saving some money...
Other than Tidal, what apps or sites stream in .flac/lossless? Now that I have higher end cans I want to see if I can hear the difference between the highest Spotify quality and Flac.....
I will when it's available in Canada
I started a Tidal trial, sounds better than Spotify but I won't be keeping it after the trial is up, too expensive :(
Ah right it's still not available everywhere, kinda like Tidal in my case. :' D
What are the good open back options on the market right now? I have a pair of the original Sennheiser Momentum (On-Ear), which have served me very well for the past 4+ years but are quite uncomfortable to wear over long periods of time. Primary use would be for gaming.
Any good open options that are comparable (or better, duh!) quality that won't break the bank? I don't even know how good those Momentums are considered in the first place. Also, I wear glasses and would prefer pairs that don't pinch them off my face lol
Any good open options that are comparable (or better, duh!) quality that won't break the bank? I don't even know how good those Momentums are considered in the first place. Also, I wear glasses and would prefer pairs that don't pinch them off my face lol
I'm so in love w/ my MDR1R's that I couldn't ever imagine grabbing a pair that isn't Sony.
I've heard stellar things about the WH-1000X though. How would you describe the sound? I may have to snag a pair later this year out of curiosity.
If you wanted to stick with Sennheiser the HD 598's used to be very good value for money, I used them for gaming some years back, the only downside of them was they were a bit lacking in bass(didn't personally bother me, but it may some). They were also very comfortable even when I had my glasses on. Unfortunately they did come out with a new model of them called the 599 which is very very similar from what I understand but that pushed the price up(probably why they did it tbh lol). So whether you can get them for a good price is kind of up in the air.
Otherwise I've always heard good things about the Beyerdynamics dt 990 pro's and the AKG K701's, both of which have pads that seem cushioned enough for glasses to be fine.
I've been eyeing the 598's pretty closely -- are the 58x and 6xx good options too? Very temped to pull the trigger on the 58x, but curious to see if there are any drawbacks considering the price seems great. I read that it has a pretty narrow soundstage and I'll be starting out without an amp (relying on mobo's built in one for now), though I have no issues getting one down the road.
It almost seems too good to be true for its price. Ditto the 6xx (and k7xx). Having a hard time picking through all three. Guidance is welcome lol
If you live in the US the massdrop ones are good options yeah (as someone who lives in the UK they're not quite as much of a steal due to customs/duty being lopped on :P). I have the 6xx now and I still enjoy them for gaming. Their soundstage isn't as wide as my old 598's but overall I do enjoy the sound signature a bit more. That said I do personally have them amped with a Modi 3/Magni 3. I can still use them with my phone and they do get loud enough, but they don't feel quite as, i dunno, full in their sound. Course that could say more about my exynos S9+ than their the headphones drive-ability.
The 58x should be easier to drive than the 6xx so I'd imagine you'd be fine using them without an amp. Since I don't own them I can't really comment too much on what they sound like. As far as I understand despite them sharing the 5xx model number, they are more like the old 580s which aren't really like the 598s. Sound-stage probably won't be as good which is a tiny bit of a negative for gaming, but as someone who did move onto headphones which has less of a soundstage, it can't say I missed it too much for gaming since I tend to use surround virtualisation anyway which increases soundstage a bit regardless(i'm not massively competitive though, I do play apex and fortnite but I'm not some pro). Considering you're coming from some old Sennheiser Momentums, it probably won't bother you as they don't have the best soundstage themselves.
I've heard the K7xx is similar to the Q701 which is an upgrade of the K701 which means it's likely got a really good soundstage if you absolutely must have that, that said they may not be quite as exciting for music since I think they're a bit neutral? (don't quote me on that one)
Honestly you probably can't go wrong with any of them really since they're all well regarded. Just people have their preferences due to the different nuances of them all. It's just a shame with massdrop you can't try before you buy to see which you like most.
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Right now I'm looking for an open-back set of cans to replace my 598c's for pc gaming. I'm going through a Sennheiser GSX-100 amp which supports a maximum impedance of 150 ohms.
It looks like the best choice for me is the Sennheiser 58X from Massdrop. If anyone disagrees your thoughts are welcome. Also I have a large head so many sets have too much clamp force for me. The 598c's are about as tight as I'd go.
It looks like the best choice for me is the Sennheiser 58X from Massdrop. If anyone disagrees your thoughts are welcome. Also I have a large head so many sets have too much clamp force for me. The 598c's are about as tight as I'd go.
Hello, does anyone have the Fiio M6 or Shanling M0? How good are they compared to a classic iPod? I want to buy a new one.
Fiio M6 is eeeehhh, any player using Android will have some degree of annoying jank. Shanling M0 is pretty alright as a iPod Nano with a lot of storage space but the UI still kind of blows. The Classic iPod has relatively high noise and output impedance compared to the Shanling but if you don't know or notice either of these things, you're still kind of better off just using a Classic iPod with the relevant storage mods.
The only two lower cost DAPs I think that are decent are the Shanling M0 for the size and clean sound output and the Sony NW-A55 for the UI. Everything else, you're still kind of better off with the Classic iPod.
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What does the impedance mean? I don't mind dealing with jank if it means I can get rid of iTunes. Also, Spotify on a DAP!
Anyway, Fiio has an event this 16th, can't wait!
Very full, everything sounds really clean and I'm able to easily hear more nuanced sounds in tracks. The only headphones I have to compare them to are Sennheiser HD 598, I'm partial to open back headphones but that isn't realistic for travel. The only sound issue I've had is phone calls sound terrible, but that's unsuprising since horribly compressed sound is always awful on a nice set.
Received both my Hifiman HE4XX and My Parrot Zik 3 this week.
Very surprised by the Parrot, it has some very good options and for the price I got it, it's pretty amazing.
Forgot my DAC at home, so won't judge the HE4XX for real at the moment, but it's pretty pleasing to the ear, and is really well built.
Very surprised by the Parrot, it has some very good options and for the price I got it, it's pretty amazing.
Forgot my DAC at home, so won't judge the HE4XX for real at the moment, but it's pretty pleasing to the ear, and is really well built.
My K7XX just bit the dust.
Kind of want to just replace it as I like the aesthetics and I'm used to it, but is there a better consensus option for around $200?
Kind of want to just replace it as I like the aesthetics and I'm used to it, but is there a better consensus option for around $200?
Massdrop's HD6XX. Smooth and comfortable sound, great aftermarket support.
I recently bought a pair of Corsair Void Pro's on recommendation from a friend, and I'm curious if I should be using them just as stereo headphones or if I should actually engage virtual surround sound. The headphones own software has "Dolby Surround" built in, and can be changed to that or just stereo with a push of a button. Is this the same technology as Dolby Atmos for Headphones, or a more archaic version by Dolby? And ultimately, are these VSS options actually good or should I just use stereo?
Dolby Headphone 7.1 is the predecessor to Dolby Atmos for Headphones, but it has one advantage - the headphones should appear as a 7.1 audio device in Windows, which means that Virtual Surround Sound (VSS) should work in any game that supports multichannel audio.
Dolby Atmos for Headphones works differently, and some older games only detect it as a stereo device - so it doesn't work with them at all (but it won't do any harm - DAfH passes through stereo signals untouched).
Personally I was not a fan of Dolby Headphone compared to other VSS technologies at the time, but quite like Dolby Atmos for Headphones.
Most implementations of virtual surround are preferable to stereo sound in the majority of games in my experience. Few games do a good job with headphone audio processing themselves, in my opinion.
DAfH is another $15, but it sometimes goes on sale, and Windows Sonic is free. Windows Sonic does not sound as good as DAfH in my opinion, but there's no reason not to try it.
Turns out, these headphones have a major flaw... They require their proprietary Cue software running in order to modify any part of the headset, such as turning off the battery draining lights and adjusting the sound mixing. But if this software is installed, Windows Sonic and Atmos are disabled for them in Windows. You can have the software closed and it won't work, you actually have to uninstall the software. Thinking I should return these...
Hey guys, if anyone's interested, I'm selling my barely used Fiio E17K Alpen 2 DAC/AMP, $85. Thanks.
https://www.resetera.com/threads/bu...ew-rules-in-the-op.454/page-365#post-19065803
https://www.resetera.com/threads/bu...ew-rules-in-the-op.454/page-365#post-19065803
That's the same as my corsair mouse. The worst part is that they used to release unstable updates to the software so I'd get issues like my binds just randomly disappearing, or worse the software would keep repeating the button I'd press(I was playing Destiny 2 at the time and my ultimate key would get jammed causing me to waste it a lot). I've since turned automatic updates off on that software on a stable build so I don't get these issues anymore.
If you wanted to try other surround options there's also Out of Your Head, which has a 25 dollar gamer preset along with a free trial(there's other presets but they're significantly dearer) and Waves(used to have a free trial and costs $10 for the full version I think?). OOYH probably does the best job of actually making it feel like you're listening to speakers, something which many virtualisations struggle with, but the application itself isn't the most robust. I've not personally tried Waves, but it's basically the software version of the surround used in the well loved Mobius gaming headphones.
My HD800S finally arrived. It sounds amazing, and the soundstage is unreal! I'm waiting for JDS LAbs Atom to arrive to complete my new stack.
Need a new headphone amp, have the Magni Gen 1 as of right now.. My headphones are AKG Q701s, HD 6XX and HD 58X. The HD6XX in particular isn't getting enough power. I have to dime the volume knob to get enough volume and its just barely enough, some songs not enough. Would the Magni 3 be a big enough upgrade to power them? Or would the Asgard or Valhalla be a better option for future proofing?
Not at all, I honestly wouldn't go for anything lower. I have Gen 1 Magni and it barely gives me enough power for the 6XX. Not sure how the Magni 3 performs, but I wouldn't consider anything lesser, especially for $99
Not at all, I honestly wouldn't go for anything lower. I have Gen 1 Magni and it barely gives me enough power for the 6XX. Not sure how the Magni 3 performs, but I wouldn't consider anything lesser, especially for $99
The high-end Schitt stuff measures worse than their low-end gear besides power. I don't even know why people buy their stuff. Get the JDS Labs Atom. For $100 you get the cleanest single-ended amp under maybe $500.
Well, I'm not married to Schiit by any means, so if JDS makes a better headphone amp, I'll take a good luck at that one. Thanks :)
edit: Oh man, they're backordered. :(
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Yeah, it's very popular. From what I've read, low gain mode is enough to drive HD6XX.
Edit: It's here!
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