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DildenAnders posted:Anyone have a good, cheap (~$20 or less if possible) turntable needle recommendation? Probably better to ask in the Vinyl thread.
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Dec 30, 2020 02:02
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So, it turned out that finishing off my student loan payments + pandemic boredom = too much time on head-fi and waaaaaay too many IEM purchases. Here's the good stuff I bought this year. Tanchjim Oxygen - Superb imaging, separation and sound stage. Bass is really well done, musical, good sub bass extension and slam. Mids have good bite/texture. Not a detail monster, but I never feel like I'm missing out. Kind of blew my mind when I first got them. NF Audio NM2+ - A bright/neutral monitor tuned set that is extremely well done. A single direct driver set that delivers loads of detail and, I dunno, "tonal color" representation? Imaging and separation are not as good as the Oxygen, but this sounds more full and vivid than the Oxygen in terms of microdetail and correct tonal representation of how instruments sound. Wonderful for vocals and acoustic heavy recordings, but good at everything if you're able to handle the bright nature. LZ A7 - 1 DD/4 BA/1 Piezo hybrid, but still sounds incredibly coherent. Best set I own in pure technical terms, detail retrieval and imaging are better than anything else I own. Has a filter system and switch to modify the tuning quite a lot. The filter/switch combination that sounds best to me also is a bit intense in the upper midrange, but once I let my brain adjust to it, it's killer. Sony XBA-N3 - The best bass-heavy set I own, but thinking of it just in terms of the bass sells it very short. Very much a "consumer friendly" Japanese tuning, but done extremely well. Vocals and instruments are very natural and tonally correct, sound stage isn't the biggest, but imaging is good, and it has a superb "black background". The cable sucks and I had to swap it out because it was very microphonic and attracted static. Also not a detail monster, but just sounds "correct" and is addictive. Yamaha EPH-200 - Underrated single DD set. Kind of like a baby version of the XBA-N3 to a certain extent. Less bass heavy and vocals/treble aren't quite as good compared to the Sony, but still has that classic Japanese tuning, and really excellent separation. If I'd bought the Sony first there'd be no need to get the Yamaha too, I don't think, but now I can pamper the Sony set and use this as a (relative) beater set. IMR R2 Aten - I got a b-stock set on final clearance (paid $150, original retail was closer to $500) when a newer version was being rolled out. Bit of a controversial brand, because the owner was involved in a previous brand that screwed over some people on a Kickstarter deal. Has a convoluted double filter system to adjust the tuning. Big selling point is that it's fully open backed, and has by far the biggest sound stage in each dimension of any IEM I've heard. Fit is a bit awkward, the base tuning is way too mid-bass heavy for my liking, and the midrange is a bit smoothed over. Still, the immense soundstage is very unique for IEMs and brings me back for more. Fiio FH3 - 1 DD / 2 BA, big bass emphasis in the tuning, but the DD is very quick and agile. Doesn't have the big upper midrange boost that most of my other good sets have, so it's a bit relaxed and a nice contrast to all my other IEMs. Pretty good all-rounder, not outstanding in any area but very easy to listen to. Unfortunately a lot of people have have quality control issues with this set, thankfully I haven't so far. Technics AZ70 - A TWS set that I'm really quite happy with, and probably won't replace any time soon. Fairly balanced tuning, but not boring, sort of a balanced-but-exciting approach. Surprisingly good detail retrieval and imaging. Tight bass with good slam, but can't really be driven into basshead levels. Really good for rock music. Noise cancelling is only ok and the app/EQ features are nothing to write home about. Wouldn't be suitable for intense workouts/running, but as my walking-the-dog set they're superb, and the tops of my ears are far less irritated now that I'm not always walking with over-ear IEM cables. I honestly haven't used my Radsone ES100 once since I got these Technics.
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Dec 30, 2020 03:45
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DildenAnders posted:Anyone have a good, cheap (~$20 or less if possible) turntable needle recommendation? That’s not how turntables be. Your turntable stylus (needle) is part of a cantilevered assembly that is attached to/part of a cartridge. That cartridge is then attached to the headshell of your turntable. Both cartridges and styli are replaceable. You need to figure out what cartridge is on your turntable. Then you can figure out 1) whether replacement needles are available 2) whether you even want to replace the needle or whether you’d rather just upgrade/replace the whole cartridge A lot of vintage tables have cartridges that aren’t being manufactured anymore and don’t have easily available replacement needles. A lot of new tables have entry-level or budget carts and a stylus breakage is a good opportunity to upgrade to something nicer.
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Dec 30, 2020 04:00
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I was annoyed by my mic picking up too much and the wrong things, and I needed really good audio, so I did it all piecemeal. Polar condensor mic, pre with optical compression and gain/cut controls, RME ADI-2 Pro for absurdly overkill mastering grade AD/DA with an inbuilt 3w headphone amp for my HE6se. Then adding in a rode arm and XLR cables and I've got a neat two box flexible setup with the best possible audio and control. Just cost the price of a small car, and not like my friends can likely tell the difference from a lapel mic with NVIDIA RTX Voice. I seriously recommend it as a software solution, AI can do it better than you'll ever do yourself.
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Dec 30, 2020 08:24
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Honing on my needs for headphones... unfortunately I my needs are all over the place: - I was looking at the Drop + Sennheiser PC38X, but might be leaning toward Cans + attachable bluetooth mic like the Antlion Modmic. - I game and do a ton of conference calls and work from home (post-COVID as well) - I would not qualify myself as an audiophile but I do know when poo poo is poorly mastered or is low bitrate. - I primarily listen to Metal - I'm told I want something that emphasizes 'highs' (guitar) and 'lows' (double bass, fast drumming)... I can spend up to $300. I currenly use Hypercloud II and Brainwave HM5's. Munkaboo fucked around with this message at 01:18 on Dec 31, 2020 |
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Dec 31, 2020 01:14
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Just got my Etymotic ER4SR and have been testing them back to back with my Shure SE535 LTD. One note is that nominal impedance of the Shure are 36 ohm and the Etymotic are 48 ohm. Despite this small difference I found that the Etymotic needed a lot more power to drive than the incredibly easy to drive Shures. As far as tips, I use the large olives on the Shure and the large triple flange on the Ety. Etymotic were incredibly dependent on making sure you have right fit and seal and require insertion so deep that I've had less invasive endoscopies. Also it seemed pretty susceptible to cable noise so I wouldn't use them for running or the gym. Because I love the warm mid forward tuning of the Shures that really enhances vocals, I was worried that I'd find the neutral tuning and weak bass of the Etys weird and unpleasant. I listened to the Etys directly connected to my phone Galaxy S9+ and through my Qudelix using LDAC. With the Qudelix I used both unequalized and PEQ equalized against the Harman target as suggested by Oratory1990. I was surprised to find that I found the tuning of the Ety's totally fine. Tuning did not have the boosted mids of my Shures but wasn't unpleasant in any way to me. Detail was great. For lack of a better word, it sounded cleaner. It lacked some of the mid bass of the Shure but seemed more accurate for more sounds. I actually like both IEMs. Each has its strengths and I will continue to use the Shure when I am at the gym and commuting and use the Etys when I'm at home and can't listen to my speakers. At the black Friday cost of $139 at Adorama, the ER4SR/XR are no brainers. I have a hard time thinking of a set with a better price to value. Listening to the Etys and Shures in a way though has made me want a set of IEMs that could replace both sets. I'm probably going to get a set of Hidition Viento-R, or Thieaudio Monarchs or Campfire Andromeda 2020 this coming year. Preferably a set of custom molded Hiditions. For now, I'm waiting on a set of Kef LS50 Meta bookshelf speakers to use as my primary music speakers in my home office to replace my Kef Q350s which I love. Yuns fucked around with this message at 01:27 on Dec 31, 2020 |
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Dec 31, 2020 01:23
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Yuns posted:Just got my Etymotic ER4SR and have been testing them back to back with my Shure SE535 LTD. One note is that nominal impedance of the Shure are 36 ohm and the Etymotic are 48 ohm. Despite this small difference I found that the Etymotic needed a lot more power to drive than the incredibly easy to drive Shures. As far as tips, I use the large olives on the Shure and the large triple flange on the Ety. Etymotic were incredibly dependent on making sure you have right fit and seal and require insertion so deep that I've had less invasive endoscopies. Also it seemed pretty susceptible to cable noise so I wouldn't use them for running or the gym. Shuoer EJ07. Look up a graph. (I am fully on board with Ety tuning) This is why I recommend the EJ. These iems are expensive and the best natural sound you can buy. [edit] The clair is almost as good... almost. I prefer the EJ. redeyes fucked around with this message at 02:16 on Dec 31, 2020 |
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Dec 31, 2020 02:12
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redeyes posted:Shuoer EJ07. Look up a graph. (I am fully on board with Ety tuning) This is why I recommend the EJ. These iems are expensive and the best natural sound you can buy.
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Dec 31, 2020 04:49
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Well, my decade-ish old Creative Aurvana Live! headset came apart on my head today so I guess I should replace it. I'm looking for something similar since it looks like these were discontinued. I mainly use it for PC gaming and I dont want to fuss around with anything more than just plugging it into my computer. I'd appreciate some recommendations for gaming headsets, no mic necessary. I tried reading some of the thread but I'm not an audiophile and most of it went completely over my head. Budget is around $150, ty for your help
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Dec 31, 2020 05:43
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ScootsMcSkirt posted:Well, my decade-ish old Creative Aurvana Live! headset came apart on my head today so I guess I should replace it. Important question: Do you need it to keep out outside sound? Also since you probably listen to music, what kind of music?
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Dec 31, 2020 06:01
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endlessmonotony posted:Important question: Do you need it to keep out outside sound? its pretty quiet where I game so no need to worry about outside sound I mostly listen to music with my speakers so I'm not too concerned about the headsets music quality. That being said, mostly listen to funk, jazz, synthwave, instrumental stuff *edit* I would prefer it to not bleed sound since I use a desktop mic and don't want that picking up my headset
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Dec 31, 2020 06:04
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Apologies in advance if this is frowned upon In here: I have an old pair of AudioTechnica 900s and I just want to vent about how hard it was to change the goddamn pads. Broke the tool they came with and just gave up in defeat after like thirty minutes. My wife somehow forced them on with some sewing tools. I was ready to say “gently caress it” and buy a newer set; was on Amazon researching newer models when she fixed them. It was almost disappointing she got them on.
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Dec 31, 2020 06:22
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Don’t worry, we do a lot of casual headphone chat here, the previous few pages with a ton of formal requests were an anomaly. In other news, I got a pair of LCD-1s for Christmas. I love them very much and I am fascinated how easy they are to drive, even straight from my iPhone. The sound I can describe only as crisp, if that makes any sense. I find they work the best with genres that have a lot going on at the same time like metal, funk or really busy jazz, that’s where they truly shine. I still prefer my old Sennheisers for sparse vocal arrangements. The only possible objection would be a definite lack of bass, but that’s not that important to me. They are also very comfortable and don’t clamp, although the cups are a little bit on the small side.
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Dec 31, 2020 09:53
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ScootsMcSkirt posted:its pretty quiet where I game so no need to worry about outside sound I wish they still made the original CAL, it's a great sounding headphone that was not built to last. Your closed options would be: Beyerdynamic DT770 (the 80 ohm version) - Good technical performance, very V shaped, extremely deep and impactful bass and highs that are just too sharp for some people. I love mine, but they're a mood. Beyer Custom Studio 80 ohm - Better in every way than the DT770 but hard to find. AKG K371 - Harman tuned, okay build quality, good all-arounder if you like that straight harman tuning. Meze 99 Neo - Sort of like if beats were good. Very consumer tuning, but well executed and very well built. Shure SRH-840 - Plastic, heavy and boring but extremely comfortable and technically competent.
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Dec 31, 2020 19:42
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I bought a pair of Shure SRH750DJ-E headphones a few years ago and they're definitely solid in terms of audio quality. A bit creaky maybe, not the most expensive-feeling make, but they're very comfortable to wear. The 840s seem to be in a very similar range.
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Dec 31, 2020 19:53
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Munkaboo posted:Honing on my needs for headphones... unfortunately I my needs are all over the place: Adding on to this - call me crazy but I generally prefer the sound that comes out of the Hypercloud II's vs the HM5... does that just mean I don't like 'neutral' cans?
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Dec 31, 2020 19:56
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Munkaboo posted:Honing on my needs for headphones... unfortunately I my needs are all over the place: I’m in a similar spot due to my Jabras breaking. I was looking at the 38x or a Philips set with a vmoda microphone but I’ve never used open back and I’m kind of worried about noise leaking out and being picked up by the mic on work calls.
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Dec 31, 2020 20:36
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TheManWithNoName posted:I’m in a similar spot due to my Jabras breaking. I was looking at the 38x or a Philips set with a vmoda microphone but I’ve never used open back and I’m kind of worried about noise leaking out and being picked up by the mic on work calls. I think you would have to be listening to something really really loud, or a very sensitive condenser microphone to pick up noise from your headphones. I believe the vmoda is more of a dynamic mic, so it shouldn't pick up background noise nor your headphones unless you put the right next to the headphone grill.
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Dec 31, 2020 23:18
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I am sad because my trusty pair of Bose AE2 that I got over a decade ago are finally starting to die. I have replaced the cord and ear cushions multiple times over their life and it's finally happening that even when I put in a new cable the jack inside the headphones must be loose, as I frequently lose sound out of the left ear unless I fidget with the connection. This sucks because these were literally the most comfortable and high quality sound headphones I've ever owned. I could work for hours with them on and suffer zero ear strain. Plus they have very little noise bleed. I want to look into replacing them, but I'm worried I'll never find another pair of over-ears that are as comfortable. I also want to find a pair that don't have a disconnection between cord and headphone, but am worried there that my cats will chew the cord and ruin the headphones permanently. I don't need anything noise-canceling, but am curious about Bluetooth and whether that's reliable these days. It would be pretty neat to connect to my pc or iPhone interchangeably. Do you gurus know of something in the 200-400 price range that ticks the over ear/reliable connection/low bleed boxes? I'm going to go cry some more.
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Jan 3, 2021 03:07
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Are there any preferred solutions to reduce volume in line? With either set of headphones that I have (Audio technica m-50x and hifiman re-400) my phone output is too loud on anything but the two lowest settings. The same thing happens if I connect directly to my computer's output instead of running it through my speakers.
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Jan 3, 2021 03:29
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Neither of those things you described needs to ruin your headphones permanently. Redoing the connection within the headphones isn't trivial but it's not hard either. And since they're already ruined, no better time to learn than now.
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Jan 3, 2021 04:03
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You could also pick up a set of AE2s on ebay for like $60 or something, though I made a list earlier in the thread of much better headphones.
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Jan 3, 2021 04:24
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I was stupid and bought one of the Aliexpress Chifi "goodie bags" for $30 on a whim on 11.11, and I've been bombarded by posts on facebook over the last month by people who bought the same bags (wooeasy) and basically got scammed with $20 worth of crap. I just got back from holidays and the parcel was on my porch and I honestly didn't expect anything (hence letting it sit on my porch in the rain for a fortnight) but I opened it up and it had a dark blue pair of BGVP DMG with a matching aftermarket 4.4mm cable? That was unexpected. It'll go with my other free china gift LZ A5 for cool, filter tuning IEMs I would've never bought intentionally
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Jan 3, 2021 14:20
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BurritoJustice posted:I was stupid and bought one of the Aliexpress Chifi "goodie bags" for $30 on a whim on 11.11, and I've been bombarded by posts on facebook over the last month by people who bought the same bags (wooeasy) and basically got scammed with $20 worth of crap. I just got back from holidays and the parcel was on my porch and I honestly didn't expect anything (hence letting it sit on my porch in the rain for a fortnight) but I opened it up and it had a dark blue pair of BGVP DMG with a matching aftermarket 4.4mm cable? That's cool, the DMG is totally decent. I do think that the bass is way too bloated with the stock filters, I found my DMG to be a lot more listenable with this aftermarket filter.
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Jan 3, 2021 16:08
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So, I managed to acquire a set of Sony WH-CH710N headphones. They're nice, except for a couple issues. The current most pressing one is that things were working well today until I started trying to play a game and do voice chat in Discord. Now, I have a wired microphone that I'd like to use instead of the built in mic in the headphones. However, me loving around with the settings for the damned things has resulted in no sound at all coming out of the headphones, while the wired mic currently seems to work well. What did I gently caress up here? What settings am I looking to uh, set, to try and get the headphones playing sound and my wired mic working? googling around gives lots of results for if you have a bluetooth headset and need to get its mic working, but I have the opposite problem. EDIT: Nevermind, I got it sorted, as does happen when I ask a question. Turned out unpairing and repairing the headphones reset the settings to defaults, and then what I had to do was go into the device manager and disable the headset. That made it work. Hooray! neogeo0823 fucked around with this message at 03:09 on Jan 4, 2021 |
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Jan 4, 2021 02:45
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My headphones are falling apart after about a year, so it's time to get new ones. This time I'd like to get something with a nice microphone. I've never noticed much difference in headphone sound, but boy can I tell when someone is using a bad microphone and I'd rather not subject other people to that. Budget - $300 Source - PC, so USB probably. Isolation Requirements - Sound canceling is very nice but not essential Preferred Type of Headphone - Over-ear Circumaural Use case - These will primarily be used for work video calls with a little gaming on the side. Past Headphones - Favorite headphones I have ever had are Apple's airpods pro. Mostly because they are convenient and the noise cancellation on them is excellent. Unfortunately, when paired to any of my Windows PCs there's a lot of static and people tells me the microphone sounds awful as well.
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Jan 4, 2021 04:15
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LLSix posted:My headphones are falling apart after about a year, so it's time to get new ones. This time I'd like to get something with a nice microphone. I've never noticed much difference in headphone sound, but boy can I tell when someone is using a bad microphone and I'd rather not subject other people to that. The Logitech G Pro X has a very good microphone / software combo. Bought one this year after we went to perma-WFH and everyone I've had a conference call with has commented on the quality after I turn on their post-processing software.
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Jan 4, 2021 09:07
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Would a FiiO E17 be enough to drive the DT990 Pro 600 ohm version, or would I need to go with the 250 ohm version? I'm still undecided where I want to go... I go back and forth between this and the 58X. edit: Guess not... maybe I'll go for the 250 version. Munkaboo fucked around with this message at 04:18 on Jan 8, 2021 |
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Jan 8, 2021 03:55
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Budget - $175 or so? I can budge a little more if there's something great just out of my range Source - Mostly a PS5. Isolation Requirements - No? Preferred Type of Headphone - I don't like buds, prefer cans Preferred Tonal Balance - Balanced or bass heavy for vidga games Past Headphones - I'd like them to be wireless, and USB is nice. 3.5 jack is on the controller too as an option, needs to be under 32 ohms. I don't think I'm ready to use a dac. Preferred Music - Essays, podcasts, synthwave, video games Please help audiogoons! Note: A mic is nice, but If I had to pick, I'd prefer the sound to be better than the mic. I can put up with a lovely mic. I'm mostly immersed in 3d audio soundscapes single-player than chatting online. I've done precisely 0 competetive or multiplayer poo poo where that matters. Firstborn fucked around with this message at 05:53 on Jan 8, 2021 |
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Jan 8, 2021 04:10
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Anyone rocking a DT 990 pro/premium, 58x, or a Hifi that can chime in on gaming and Metal music performance? I may spring for a Sundara but I'm not sure if I'll like it. Never actually heard a Planar can before.
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Jan 8, 2021 13:32
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Probably gonna go with either a X2HR or DT770. I wish the TYGER was not sold out. I don't see the point in buying that combo if I never use the mic.
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Jan 8, 2021 13:47
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Munkaboo posted:Anyone rocking a DT 990 pro/premium, 58x, or a Hifi that can chime in on gaming and Metal music performance? I may spring for a Sundara but I'm not sure if I'll like it. Never actually heard a Planar can before. I have the 58X and HE-4XX that I use for gaming and music. If I had to pick one I’d go with the 4XX before the 58X (but still get the 58X/6XX later). To me it has a better sense of space or soundstage for games and music. You’ll need an amp for the 4XX which is part of the reason I still keep my 58X. They’re stupid easy to drive so it’s my headphones of choice when I use my Oculus or Switch. Haven’t heard the Sundara and have considered buying them but it doesn’t sound like a big enough jump from the 4XX to justify the price.
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Jan 8, 2021 13:49
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Sacred Cow posted:I have the 58X and HE-4XX that I use for gaming and music. If I had to pick one I’d go with the 4XX before the 58X (but still get the 58X/6XX later). To me it has a better sense of space or soundstage for games and music. You’ll need an amp for the 4XX which is part of the reason I still keep my 58X. They’re stupid easy to drive so it’s my headphones of choice when I use my Oculus or Switch. Hmm.. would my fiio e17 be enough to drive the 4xx?
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Jan 8, 2021 14:34
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I just want a pair of low latency wireless headphones to replace my wired Sennheiser, and it seems like the only options are gaming headsets. Is that true? I don't need a mic, I am just sick of wires and only use the headphones for FPS gaming.
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Jan 8, 2021 17:57
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Rusty posted:I just want a pair of low latency wireless headphones to replace my wired Sennheiser, and it seems like the only options are gaming headsets. Is that true? I don't need a mic, I am just sick of wires and only use the headphones for FPS gaming. Pretty much yeah. We kinda had this discussion a page or two back, bluetooth is dogshit for gaming. Audeze just released the Penrose, which is probably your best sounding low latency wireless option. e: I posted a combo earlier that is cheaper and will get you down to two or three frames of latency, but may still have to deal with a wire from your headphones to the receiver.
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Jan 8, 2021 18:08
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They also make rf-wireless headphones for TV viewing (Sony and avantree seem to be the biggest brands), though I think they’re aimed at an elderly/hearing loss audience, I’ve never seen a serious ~audiophile~ review of any of them, and they aren’t much cheaper than  headsets anyway
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Jan 8, 2021 18:08
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Dr. Fishopolis posted:Pretty much yeah. We kinda had this discussion a page or two back, bluetooth is dogshit for gaming. Audeze just released the Penrose, which is probably your best sounding low latency wireless option.
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Jan 8, 2021 18:10
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Munkaboo posted:Hmm.. would my fiio e17 be enough to drive the 4xx? Barely. I would look at something with at least 1w output at 32 ohms.
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Jan 8, 2021 18:21
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LLSix posted:My headphones are falling apart after about a year, so it's time to get new ones. This time I'd like to get something with a nice microphone. I've never noticed much difference in headphone sound, but boy can I tell when someone is using a bad microphone and I'd rather not subject other people to that. Open back: Sennheiser 38X Closed back: Beyerdynamic MMX300
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Jan 8, 2021 18:27
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Need a comfortable usb headset for work. over eared and open back if possible.
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Jan 8, 2021 22:36
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