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RandolphCarter posted:Anyone know of a good, cheapish, wireless set of bone conduction headphones? Clark Nova posted:I don't know if anybody is doing reviews and recommendation specifically for bone conduction headsets. Your options basically come down to the name brand, Shokz, at $80-180, and Chinese knockoffs around $30. I have an Aftershok Aeropex (now sold as Shokz OpenRun Pro) and while it is nice, I can't imagine it is six or seven times better than the no-name headphones. None of these are ever going to sound truly good for listening to music, but they're fine for podcasts and audiobooks, and mine have a surprisingly good microphone for phone calls Yea, it's basically Shokz and a hundred no-name Chinese competitors. Shokz OpenMove will almost certainly go on sale for Black Friday in the US, if not before, which puts it in the price range where I think it's worth it to just spend the extra money for something from a brand with an actual warranty, etc. Otherwise, you could just play Amazon roulette on one of the Chinese brands with decent reviews and return them if they suck. wolrah posted:IMO "true wireless" earbuds are the stupidest example of the market following Apple in to style over substance. Worse controls, worse battery life, worse wireless performance, requiring a special charging system rather than just a standard cable, infinitely easier to lose/damage, etc. all just to get rid of a wire you can barely feel on the back of your neck. Is that wire really that bad? Probably an unpopular opinion in this thread, but TWS were a complete game-changer for me. I never wanted to gently caress around with my wired IEM's, but TWS buds take less than 5 seconds to put in or return to the case. You never get the wire caught on something and yank it out of your ear. Having the case makes it super easy to just drop them in your pocket. I just put them in the pocket with my keys, which makes them easy to keep track of. Features like transparency mode, ANC are significant advantages over wired or almost all wired-together bluetooth models.
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Sep 25, 2023 21:10
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wolrah posted:Definitely agreed on standard charging versus proprietary nonsense. Proprietary charging should never exist except where standards simply will not do what needs to be done. I suspect a magnetic charger was used on the wireless adapter I linked to due to concerns that a USB connector would corrode when exposed to sweat or humidity. I think I still prefer that solution to a cheap silicone port cover that eventually breaks off or won't stay on.
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Sep 26, 2023 00:16
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TWS are more prone to connection issues since both buds have to be connected wirelessly but you get the benefit of having the buds charge when you're not using them since they're in the case. I'd often forget to charge my neckband earbuds.
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Sep 26, 2023 00:49
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BeastOfExmoor posted:Probably an unpopular opinion in this thread, but TWS were a complete game-changer for me. I never wanted to gently caress around with my wired IEM's, but TWS buds take less than 5 seconds to put in or return to the case. You never get the wire caught on something and yank it out of your ear. Having the case makes it super easy to just drop them in your pocket. I just put them in the pocket with my keys, which makes them easy to keep track of. Features like transparency mode, ANC are significant advantages over wired or almost all wired-together bluetooth models. Features like transparency mode, ANC, etc. could be implemented equally well, but unfortunately development of high end products went pretty much exclusively to full wireless when Airpods came out. There's nothing inherent to that format which makes those features possible or even easier, but people are willing to pay a lot more for earbuds if there's not a wire connecting them so those features haven't moved downmarket enough for what's being sold with a wire still. shrike82 posted:TWS are more prone to connection issues since both buds have to be connected wirelessly but you get the benefit of having the buds charge when you're not using them since they're in the case. I'd often forget to charge my neckband earbuds.
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Sep 26, 2023 02:26
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shrike82 posted:TWS are more prone to connection issues since both buds have to be connected wirelessly but you get the benefit of having the buds charge when you're not using them since they're in the case. I'd often forget to charge my neckband earbuds. That's actually one of the gripes I have about TWS. There is no way to store them without also charging them. Constantly topping off lithium cells isn't exactly good for them, and ones small enough to fit into earbuds don't have a great shelf life to begin with (doubly so if they're from Sony). I'd at least like a way to limit charge to 80% temporarily or to cancel charging when they're in the case. Zorilla fucked around with this message at 06:06 on Sep 26, 2023 |
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Sep 26, 2023 06:03
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Can headphones go into an iPhone usb-C to usb-C now?
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Sep 26, 2023 07:45
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Dr Tran posted:Can headphones go into an iPhone usb-C to usb-C now?
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Sep 26, 2023 09:31
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BeastOfExmoor posted:
I'm on this team too I don't know what it is with my standard doorway entry method but it caught headphone cords all the fuckin time, I'm TWSpilled and won't go back.
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Sep 26, 2023 17:40
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I hated the idea of TWS for a long time but dipped my toe in with Powerbeats pro (the first Apple ones, with the W1) for bike riding and I liked them ok. Now I have a set of 2nd gen AirPods pro and I’d say I use them about as much as I use my ER4s.
Dogen fucked around with this message at 17:49 on Sep 26, 2023 |
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Sep 26, 2023 17:44
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Zorilla posted:That's actually one of the gripes I have about TWS. There is no way to store them without also charging them. Constantly topping off lithium cells isn't exactly good for them, and ones small enough to fit into earbuds don't have a great shelf life to begin with (doubly so if they're from Sony). I'd at least like a way to limit charge to 80% temporarily or to cancel charging when they're in the case. This is why i won't buy expensive ones. I'm fine trading off sound quality for convenience since I already have good wired options but I won't spend more than I have to on devices with tiny, non-replaceable batteries. That said, most devices will manage the battery so as to avoid the "last 80%" problem automatically.
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Sep 26, 2023 17:58
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Clark Nova posted:I don't know if anybody is doing reviews and recommendation specifically for bone conduction headsets. Your options basically come down to the name brand, Shokz, at $80-180, and Chinese knockoffs around $30. I have an Aftershok Aeropex (now sold as Shokz OpenRun Pro) and while it is nice, I can't imagine it is six or seven times better than the no-name headphones. None of these are ever going to sound truly good for listening to music, but they're fine for podcasts and audiobooks, and mine have a surprisingly good microphone for phone calls I have repped Shokz (and their predecessor, AfterShokz) this in this thread as good office/exercise/yard work headphones for when you need situational awareness while listening to podcasts and whatnot. I should probably come full circle and say that I've finally gone off them for 3 reasons: 1) I broke two pairs in 3 years in the exact same way (snapped band). I don't break stuff often so that probably says something about durability 2) One of the big selling points for me, multipoint, was OK on the first but absolute dogshit on the second one 3) The TWS earbuds I just got to replace them (Beats Studio+) have much better transparency than my old ANC headphones that I almost forget I'm wearing them. Although if I was cycling on a highway or something, I'd probably stick with open ears.
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Sep 26, 2023 21:07
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Did they go back to plastic for their newer models? I'm still using an older Trekz Titanium set that has held up to all the abuse I put it through over the years.
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Sep 26, 2023 23:05
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Both of mine were Aeropex which apparently uses a rubber-coated titanium for the band. Last one failed at the joint between the band and the ear pad. Also: very annoying discovery about my Studio Buds+. If the case is dead, they will not connect to anything, even if the buds themselves still have a charge. They need the case to tell them to connect. What a bizarre design decision.
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Sep 27, 2023 06:59
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we got a headphone to line-out question in the rPi thread. Anybody know how the tech works? https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3468084&perpage=40&pagenumber=261&noseen=1
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Oct 2, 2023 19:34
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Techmoan did a whole video on the subject a few months ago since the modern Sound Burger record player only has line out, not headphone out. The most simple version is line out is expected to connect to an amp of some kind (either standalone or powered speakers) since it doesn't have one built in, while a headphone jack will have an amp and DAC implemented into the device for boosting the volume. Headphone jacks will function as line outs, but it doesn't go the other way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rLwqQE3DJA njsykora fucked around with this message at 19:59 on Oct 2, 2023 |
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Oct 2, 2023 19:57
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njsykora posted:Techmoan did a whole video on the subject a few months ago since the modern Sound Burger record player only has line out, not headphone out. The most simple version is line out is expected to connect to an amp of some kind (either standalone or powered speakers) since it doesn't have one built in, while a headphone jack will have an amp and DAC implemented into the device for boosting the volume. Headphone jacks will function as line outs, but it doesn't go the other way. no we get that, but why does it work? I had always heard that on many modern devices a circuit detects the impedance of a line input and adjusts output accordingly, but I’ve also heard that device manufacturers just try to max out around the correct voltage and maybe you gotta dial down a little bit if it’s too hot or dial up the volume on the amp end to compensate if it’s too quiet depending on where you’re at
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Oct 2, 2023 20:56
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Ok Comboomer posted:no we get that, but why does it work? I had always heard that on many modern devices a circuit detects the impedance of a line input and adjusts output accordingly, but I’ve also heard that device manufacturers just try to max out around the correct voltage and maybe you gotta dial down a little bit if it’s too hot or dial up the volume on the amp end to compensate if it’s too quiet depending on where you’re at in simple terms line out is 2vrms (although usually it's more like 1 these days) at around 100 ohms. headphone out is run through an opamp and typically optimized for more power at less impedance so it'll be noisier if you use it as a line source but if you dial the volume correctly it'll work in a pinch. if there are devices trying to combine those two concepts in a single output port i wouldn't buy them, it's either overengineered or lying. e: to clarify, you can't really use impedance detection here since there are plenty of headphones with impedance greater than line level, and conversely if the detection failed with very low impedance headphones it could blow them out. Dr. Fishopolis fucked around with this message at 21:11 on Oct 2, 2023 |
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Oct 2, 2023 21:07
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Dr. Fishopolis posted:if there are devices trying to combine those two concepts in a single output port i wouldn't buy them, it's either overengineered or lying. well alright, but you’ve just eliminated all smarphones, tablets, most laptops, etc and also stuff like the Apple DACs which pretty much everybody here recommends for a bunch of different applications
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Oct 2, 2023 21:12
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Ok Comboomer posted:well alright, but you’ve just eliminated all smarphones, tablets, most laptops, etc and also stuff like the Apple DACs which pretty much everybody here recommends for a bunch of different applications no, please read the sentence directly previous to that one. they're not selling those as line out devices, they're headphone amps which is fine. like i said, it works in a pinch. the apple dac works well as a line out because even if you max it out at 1vrms it's still way cleaner than it needs to be. it's just not designed expressly to do that. none of these devices do any sort of impedance detection. afaik. except those new apple laptops with the high impedance headphone out. Dr. Fishopolis fucked around with this message at 21:53 on Oct 2, 2023 |
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Oct 2, 2023 21:17
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I’ve used a few combo jacks but I feel like they’ve all been manual switch and not any kind of impedance sensing
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Oct 3, 2023 00:05
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The Sony XM4s being able to connect to 2 devices at once sounded like the coolest feature but it's the absolute worst.
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Oct 4, 2023 07:37
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Looking for: Over-ear Wireless Headphones Budget - $200 or less Source - Android Phone Intended Use Case - Listening to podcasts and ebooks while I'm doing chores, cooking, running errands. I listen to about 850 hours of podcasts a year, which is why I'm so normal! I also listen to music on occasion. Features: - Comfort -- something I can wear all day without much strain, and either has good cups out of the box or has aftermarket ones that come highly recommended. Also, don't know how much it factors, but I have kind of a big head.  - I like ANC after having it on my Sony WHH900Ns, but I'm under the impression that well-fitted over-ear headphones don't need it? - "Decent" sound quality is acceptable since I'm not listening to music all that often. I would like something that's not total garbage though. - Controls that aren't a pain in the rear end. The touch stuff on the Sony WHH900N was fine but could get annoying with accidental touches, and also bizarre features like "reverse noise cancelling" and a ridiculously loud ringtone that I couldn't turn off while it was connected to my phone. Alternatively: hook earbuds for a similar purpose Has anyone tried the Soundcore Sport X10 earbuds? They're about $70 which is around what I'd want to pay for an extra set of listening devices, mainly for when over-ears would be too bulky or it's hot out and I don't want to deal with a bunch of foam squeezed to my head. Reviews seem to check all the boxes but I haven't seen them mentioned here. Related: do any of you swim in IPX7s?  It says they're good for 30 minutes in 3 feet of water, dunno if that means they can take a few laps around the pool on a weekly basis.
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Oct 5, 2023 23:20
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Appoda posted:- Controls that aren't a pain in the rear end. The touch stuff on the Sony WHH900N was fine but could get annoying with accidental touches, and also bizarre features like "reverse noise cancelling" As a fellow WHH900N owner I agree about the touch controls, but... are you talking about transparency mode? Because any ANC headphone is going to have that, it's super useful and not at all bizarre
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Oct 6, 2023 03:29
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Appoda posted:Looking for: Over-ear Wireless Headphones TBH, since you're not super picky about sound quality there's probably dozens of over-ears that would be just fine. I personally struggle to wear over-ears for long periods of time because my ears heat up too much, but if you have experience with the Sony's you seem to not have that issue. Anker/Soundcore has a couple models, the Q30 and Q45, that are well regarded and can be found well inside your price point. I have the Q30 and my only complaint is the ANC doesn't work in wired mode, but the Q45 apparently fixed that. Appoda posted:Alternatively: hook earbuds for a similar purpose Bluetooth can't really penetrate water, so bluetooth headphones won't really work for swimming no matter how waterproof they are. Swimming headphones generally have storage and an internal player built in for solve this. I have not tried the X10s, but I've had my eye on them since they were released so I've read a bit about them. What's kept me away is that the ANC is supposedly pretty mediocre and sound quality is bass heavy and nothing to write home about. In theory the clips would be nice for running, but I apparently have the shape of ears that take TWS buds well and I run literally thousands of miles over the last couple years with my Samsung Buds+/Buds2 and they've never come loose much less fallen out. On another topic, AliExpress was offering me some Lenovo X3 Pro bone conducting headphones for like $10 and I was just too curious to see how $10 bone-conducting headphones could compare to my Shokz OpenRun Pro ($180 MSRP, I paid ~$100). They arrived today and honestly they do pretty well. The Shokz sound better, which isn't a surprise, but the difference when listening to podcasts is minimal. Music is a bit more pronounced, but music sounds mediocre on bone-conducting headphones in general. The only major issue I had was that the Lenovo doesn't sit as well on my head and loses contact with my bone a bit more often, especially if I chewing gum or something. Comfort is also worse, but I'll have to see how wearing them all day goes. Charging is microUSB, but Shokz uses a proprietary magnetic cable so you need to carry a non-USB-C cable either way for travel, etc. For $10 though they're a steal for someone looking at bone-conducting for occasional use.
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Oct 6, 2023 05:10
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BeastOfExmoor posted:Lenovo X3 Pro bone conducting Have you tried out the microphone on these? How is it?
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Oct 6, 2023 22:47
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BeastOfExmoor posted:TBH, since you're not super picky about sound quality there's probably dozens of over-ears that would be just fine. I personally struggle to wear over-ears for long periods of time because my ears heat up too much, but if you have experience with the Sony's you seem to not have that issue. Anker/Soundcore has a couple models, the Q30 and Q45, that are well regarded and can be found well inside your price point. I have the Q30 and my only complaint is the ANC doesn't work in wired mode, but the Q45 apparently fixed that. Thanks sounds great, I'll give both of those a look. And lol I didn't even think about bluetooth:water. I was pretty sure it wouldn't work but thought I'd ask.  On TWS: I guess I like being able to just pop the earbud out but leave it dangling if I want to listen closely to something. It's been a minute since I've used in-ear earbuds tho, so I'd take any rec you've got for the same points I listed for headphones. Worst that happens, I send em back. Discussion Quorum posted:As a fellow WHH900N owner I agree about the touch controls, but... are you talking about transparency mode? Because any ANC headphone is going to have that, it's super useful and not at all bizarre Mine calls it "ambient sound." Maybe I'm not using it right but whenever I turn that on, all I hear is whooshing noises, car engines, HVAC, wind, the noosphere, etc. I don't really have a use case for that. If I need to hear something I just pull a cup off.
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Oct 6, 2023 22:51
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True, the H900N's transparency (ambient) mode isn't great (they're pretty old and the ANC struggles sometimes too), although when it's picking that stuff up I don't notice it so much with music playing. The idea is sound though - transparency on my Studio Buds+ is miles better and is really a killer feature if you need some degree of constant situational awareness (and don't want to listen one-eared the whole time). I call it "parent mode."
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Oct 7, 2023 02:59
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yeah the Apple ANC (AirPods Pro and various newer Beats models) is really a gamechanger it’s insane how much both Apple and Beats have seen their respectability shift when it comes to sound quality from where it was 10-20 years ago (I know Apple had some decent-ish buds in the mid 2000s, I had a pair and they were only ok albeit an improvement from the early pack-in EarPods), but having nigh-unlimited money and scale and resources and actually giving a poo poo about something will do that for a company
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Oct 7, 2023 03:14
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Apple is one of those cases where there's clearly people in the audio department who massively give a poo poo about what they're doing. You see it in the Macbook speakers too.
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Oct 7, 2023 03:24
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njsykora posted:Apple is one of those cases where there's clearly people in the audio department who massively give a poo poo about what they're doing. You see it in the Macbook speakers too. I have two old Macs that have a TOSlink built into their analog combi-jacks it rules and I wish Apple would bring it back IIRC a lot of the audiophile-friendly stuff that Apple did back in the day came direct from Steve
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Oct 7, 2023 03:41
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i would not be surprised if the guy who died because he tried to "magical thinking" his otherwise treatable cancer away was also an audiophile
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Oct 7, 2023 06:28
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Clark Nova posted:Have you tried out the microphone on these? How is it? I tried them last night with a test call to my wife's phone. I'd say the mic is mediocre at best. Muffled compared to the Shokz and no apparent noise rejection. About what you'd expect for the price I guess. I still need to take them for a run to see how well they stay put and transmit sound during movement.
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Oct 7, 2023 18:16
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Ok Comboomer posted:yeah the Apple ANC (AirPods Pro and various newer Beats models) is really a gamechanger The big difference between headphones and IEMs released under the Beats brand and Apple directly beyond Beats caring about Android compatibility is that the Beats devices go for a more V-shaped sound signature:  My AirPods Pro 2 review after spending most of this year with them: I regularly think about selling everything except for my AirPods Pro 2, and Sennheiser HD600. Broadly speaking, APP2 moved to a more modern tuning inspired by the Harman in-ear research as opposed to the Etymotic/diffuse-field tuning of AirPods Pro 1. The audiophile meme of "veil lifted" does apply when moving from APP2 from APP1. Treble goes from kinda non-existent to noticeable, and the bass went from polite to something that's emphasized. The bass emphasis does not mean it bleeds into the mids like with the Sony-WH1000XM* headphones, nor is the sub-bass exaggerated like it is on AirPods Max. The two standout sonic qualities are the DSP tricks, and the mids. APP2 are great for listening at lower volumes as they dynamically adjust bass and treble with volume to achieve equal loudness. The mids are flat-out great, sounding a lot more speaker-like than many current consensus well-tuned IEMs, e.g. the Truthear Zero Red I use as my IEM for when I'm in the office. Those IEMs sound like they have a hole in the mids now, resulting in electric guitars and male vocals lacking body. Rather interestingly APP2 is more target-compliant in the mids with the newer targets developed in the community following people getting their B&K 5128s than IEMs developed with previous-gen measurement equipment. While I'm not sure if the 5128 is really an advancement over previous-gen measurement equipment for headphones, it does seem promising for better-sounding IEMs.
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Oct 8, 2023 01:14
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Can anyone recommend noise-cancelling headphones for around $300-$400? Preferably with a large/wide headband (and maybe larger cans) so they don't slip off if I'm leaning way back / dozing off at my desk. I got Bose quietcomfort 35 ii's a few years ago and the noise canceling worked great, but they slip off easily and they're kind of falling apart.
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Oct 8, 2023 18:32
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Cheston posted:Can anyone recommend noise-cancelling headphones for around $300-$400? Preferably with a large/wide headband (and maybe larger cans) so they don't slip off if I'm leaning way back / dozing off at my desk. Did the clamping force just diminish over time? I've had QC 35s and 45s and they've always been pretty snug for me, even when laying down. Then again, I have a big head and the headphones were all pretty low mileage. You can get replacement earpads for cheap and even headband upholstery that velcros into place if you're primarily interested in restoring your current set. I still think the QC 35 ii's are the best choice at almost any price point (even beating out the QC 45s, which are arguably a downgrade). I personally think they sound slightly better and are better built than anything from the Sony 1000X product line. Still, at $300-400, most people are going to bring up the Sony WH-1000XM5 and maybe the Sennheiser Momentum 4. They both have pretty thin, spindly headbands (which should still be comfortable), but even the best ANC headphone is going to prioritize noise cancelling performance and comfort over durability and sound fidelity, and I'm not aware of any with chonky, studio headphone-like build quality that aren't also heavy and likely to cause more of the problems you're trying to avoid.
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Oct 8, 2023 21:38
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Cheston posted:Can anyone recommend noise-cancelling headphones for around $300-$400? Preferably with a large/wide headband (and maybe larger cans) so they don't slip off if I'm leaning way back / dozing off at my desk. do you have/want ANC buds? You can do ANC in bud form for $150-200 otherwise yeah I kinda recommend fixing up the cans that you have, or you can look at the Senn/Sony that were recommended Not rly as much movement on the full size ANC can front these days as on the earbud side of things. That said, the ANC in the new Apple/Beats stuff is really really good
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Oct 8, 2023 21:55
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Studio Buds+ are on sale for $130 right now
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Oct 8, 2023 22:00
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I have a pretty big melon and the clamp on my Focals is just at the limit of what I would want. That said the isolation is so good I could at times barely hear the Blue Angels practicing over my apartment this week.
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Oct 8, 2023 23:18
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my WH-1000XM3 i bought used for $70 was barely loud enough for content in a boeing 787 at max volume even with ANC on
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Oct 9, 2023 17:14
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Ok but my XM4s did just fine on a transatlantic flight on a 777.
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Oct 9, 2023 18:43
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