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Not really, but make sure you take steps to minimize the need for maximum backlight on your iPad- that'll be your biggest worry as far as battery life goes 
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Aug 6, 2013 15:11
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Lowness 72 posted:Are Complys really that great? As much as I like listening to my Shure 215s - they're not that comfortable to wear over long periods. Hit or miss. They're certainly comfortable, but it's sometimes tough to get a good fit depending on the width of the nozzle.
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Aug 7, 2013 00:42
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Dogen posted:They have different models for different makes, and different sizes for different ear canals. I think they're pretty great for the most part, it just sucks that you have to replace them periodically. Yeah, the sheet was handy, but they didn't do so hot for me with V-Moda remix remotes.
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Aug 7, 2013 04:50
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A quick note on isolation: Know thy enemy: How auditory masking makes high-end headphones useless on-the-go I've been seeing a lot of people on the subway and even on airplanes with open-backed headphones, and really, I have only one question about this: Why?! If you've read the OP, you know very well that what is going to work best for you depends entirely on how you're going to use it. In the case of high-end open-backed headphones, you're cheating yourself if you listen to them in anything but a low-noise environment because what you end up hearing from the cans will be very different from what it should be in the presence of outside noise. One of the most prominent biological phenomena that you've never heard about is auditory masking. While that link can tell you just about everything you need to know, the Cliffs' notes is this: With sounds that are close in frequency, your brain will disregard the sound with the lower volume, leaving you to only hear the louder one (for all you nerds out there, the sounds have to be within the same critical band) while the quieter sound is muted. So what does this mean for the casual listener? Well, mostly that isolation is probably one of the most important things to look at when buying a set of cans to be used on the subway/airplane/outdoors. In short, outside noise will make your brain toss out a lot of the music that you're listening to in favor of the louder (and most often garbage) noise. Even if it isn't "muted," many of your music's notes will sound quieter than they should due to this same biological response, thereby impacting how you hear the sound. This, in turn, will cause you to do one of two things: crank up your volume to "drown out" the noise (thereby potentially subjecting yourself to hearing loss), or suck it up, get pissed, and look for better headphones. Really, the best thing you can do for smartphone or mobile use is to get a pair of in-ears, or well-attenuating on/over-ears. Active noise-cancelers work well too, but physically blocking the noise out is usually easier and cheaper. You can find reviews online with isolation tests that should give you a better picture of what you need. Essentially, if you insist on using open-backed headphones in the wild your music will sound like poo poo in a high-noise environment-it'll be a lot like a telephone making your voice sound bad, but with different sounds. Sure, high-end headphones may ace all the tests of reviewers and come with glowing praise from everybody, but if you don't use them as they're intended, you're just screwing yourself. No portable amp, "can openers," or other placebo will make them sound better in a safe way. Buy a set fits your needs in order to get the best results—there is no such thing as the "best headphones," just the "best headphones for you." Hippie Hedgehog posted:Hey, Midorka, the new OP doesn't warn users off of Beats. Is that intentional? In other words, did they start making some headphones that are not terrible? Their reputation online seems terrible. Beats draw a lot of flak for claiming things like "studio sound" which couldn't be further from the truth; I imagine part of the disdain for those cans is also their loyal following and perpetrated myth by schoolchildren that they're somehow the "best." Some of the hate is warranted, but a couple of models are... well... at least understandable in some sort of sense. Beats are status symbols first and foremost, so sound quality isn't always their main concern. They've got the branding and the rep, and that's largely how they make their money. However, they do have a sort of trick up their sleeve that has to do with masking, so this is an opportune moment to yak on about this. Beats bump bass. To a stupid degree- most often to making your music sound kinda bad, to be honest. However, when you're wearing your status symbol outside and the city street is loud, those headphones don't sound quite as terrible-they're masking engine noise with that absurd bass. Because most cheapo headphones at the drugstore don't block out noise (nor work well to begin with), recent converts to shelling out a bunch of cash for headphones will hear the difference—it is there, after all. However, I'd caution against actually buying headphones that do that—bombarding your inner ear with more noise to drown out other noise is dangerous to your health, and can lead to acceleration of noise-induced hearing loss. In every scenario, if you can block the noise instead of mask it, do that.
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Aug 7, 2013 18:28
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I wish I could PM you  On the whole, bluetooth headphones are usually fine, but many are fairly overpriced for the sound quality they produce. I've seen $300+ BT headphones completely suck, but cheaper ones do okay before, so it is a bit tough without a ton of objective reviews out there. Aaaaanyways, you should email me- GonadTheBallbarian fucked around with this message at 02:02 on Aug 9, 2013 |
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Aug 9, 2013 01:57
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E: disregard this post This is a safe space for people with questions about headphones and headphone-related items.
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Aug 10, 2013 00:04
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Protons posted:If the resident headphone experts in here were to bet money on the Creative Aurana LIVE! or the Grado SR80i, which would win? The difference on Amazon is about 17 bucks, which is not significant at all. I'm willing to buy the Grado, but will it be worth it? Depends on where you want to listen and how noisy that environment is, really. The grados have open backs, so their isolation is fairly poo poo. However, they do have an speaking sound quality if isolation isn't a concern.
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Aug 11, 2013 15:41
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Protons posted:When you say isolation, do you mean sound will spill out of these into the room, and will I hear everything going on around me that I would have to max out the volume to an uncomfortable level? The latter. The former refers to something called leakage, but with open backs the two often go hand in hand. However, a sound source so close to your ear will mask most quiet environmental noise in a house, not so much outside.
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Aug 11, 2013 17:11
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Protons posted:Ahh, but the grados are on ear, which makes them like bear traps on your head after an hour of use. I guess I'll get the CAL! I can't go wrong with either can I? The ear cups on that are a little on the small side, so it'll still touch your pinna inappropriately, but it's hard to go wrong with either, really. If you're using these by the computer, you'll notice audio quality more, but it's tough to pick wrong between those two. 75% of what makes a "good headphone" is how it works for you in particular.
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Aug 11, 2013 17:50
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Lbeuol posted:My v moda lp2 is dying and hoping to get something new and comfortable. Pretty open to anything new to try as long as they're. Comfortable. I'd love to get thé hd 650 but costs too much, looking for under 300. I have a fiio e9 and e17 setup amp wise. How are you going to be using them?
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Aug 31, 2013 23:53
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Esroc posted:What's the most durable pair of headphones I can buy? I can't seem to keep a pair of headphones functional for more than a month or two before I inevitably get the cord wrapped around something and lose sound out of one side. In ears? Over ears? Sounds like you could benefit from a model that has a removable cable.
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Sep 1, 2013 14:39
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grack posted:Etymotic Etykids. $20 off of Amazon, some of the best noise-isolating headphones you can get. Ignore the stupid name (they just don't get very loud) Honestly though that's a blessing in disguise. You don't want headphones that isolate well to get that loud, especially when the source of the force acting against your eardrum is so near your inner ear. Noise-induced hearing loss is something that a huge number of people have, and it's very easy to inflict on yourself. I have a special place in my heart for headphones that clip the max volume like that.
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Sep 7, 2013 01:28
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Jose Pointero posted:Going on a 14-hour flight in a couple weeks, so I'm looking for a decent portable headphone amplifier to be used with an iphone 5. Searching on Amazon, I see a lot of FiiO brand amps, and the prices look decent, but are they actually any good? Recommendation for a specific model or brand would be very helpful. This one looks neat and I like that it can be used as a DAC as well, but something tells me it won't last long on battery power. The amp I get will hopefully be able to last for most of the flight. If I can get a decent one for about $100 I'd be very happy. What kind of headphones will you be using that necessitates the use of an amp? What is their load capacity and impedance?
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Sep 10, 2013 03:15
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Jose Pointero posted:To be honest I probably don't actually need the amp, but I have noticed that the output on the iphone 5 I have isn't all that great, especially when it's cranked up (comparing it to my old ipod 5G), so I was thinking that using an amp with the phone driving the amp at about 1/4 volume would be more ideal. Isolation will have the biggest impact on perceived sound quality on an airplane due to high outside noise levels masking most notes to varying degrees. In the end it's up to you what you spend your money on, but if you have more questions we can help you bang out specifics
GonadTheBallbarian fucked around with this message at 05:48 on Sep 10, 2013 |
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Sep 10, 2013 03:41
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Midorka posted:Maybe it's your source, not your headphones. Have you tried different sources? That was my thought as well. Are the headphones' cables Y-shaped or I-shaped? You might be able to repair them, but it sounds like the problem is independent of the headphones themselves.
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Sep 11, 2013 15:12
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The March Hare posted:Budget - Ideally I'm spending around $80, but I can go a bit higher (120 is probably a hard cap) if I'm going to see huge gains in comfort or quality. Do you mean flat frequency response (i.e. all sounds the same volume) or do you mean even tracking (all sounds come in each channel at the same volume as they do the other)? There isn't such a thing as "tonal balance" in audio despite its presence in the audiophile lexicon. It's purely marketing-speak. GonadTheBallbarian fucked around with this message at 21:04 on Sep 11, 2013 |
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Sep 11, 2013 20:59
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Removing the "tonal balance" from your post seems to indicate that you want something with a flat frequency response. Though those are fairly uncommon in that price bracket, you're going to be looking at things like the Sony MDR-V6 (and variants thereof), Superlux HD668B, Audio-Technica ATH-AD700/x, and maaaayybe the Koss PortaPro, though that last one isn't quite up to the mark. There's a somewhat narrow field of headphones below $200 with a flat frequency response. If isolation will ever be important to you, the Sony MDR-V6 (and variants) are closed-back, while the others like the Superlux and Audio-technica are open. Those last ones will leak sound as well as let it in. GonadTheBallbarian fucked around with this message at 22:17 on Sep 11, 2013 |
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Sep 11, 2013 22:15
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Would you like to know more?
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Sep 13, 2013 19:18
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Fire Safety Doug posted:Any opinions on Sennheiser Momentums? My requirements are a few posts above. They follow an equal loudness curve fairly closely, but they all but mute the highest note on a standard 88-key piano. Aside from that they're pretty nice. Low distortion, decently comfortable, etc. You just have to decide of that's worth the money to you. I'd see if you could try 'em out first.
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Sep 16, 2013 20:08
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MasterBuilder posted:I'm looking at the beyerdynamic custom one pro at 169CAD$ as a general use computer/gaming/movie headphone. What I like is the big over the ear cups (I have huge ears), detachable cable with the possibility of adding in an attached microphone to the set up. See: eddiewalker posted:take headphone nut sites with a grain of salt. Also, you can change the frequency response of those on the fly, so if you personally don't like any of the four settings after trying them, THEN worry about whether they're a bad bet (return). It sounds like those headphones fit your likes quite well, so as long as they make you happy that's all that matters. Those will last you a long time. e. Just a heads-up: if you don't want to sink a bunch into Beyerdynamic's mic, know that you can use any 3.5mm male to male cable with an in-line mic that'll fit in the jack on the headphones themselves. It looks like V-Moda's stupidly durable cable will fit. GonadTheBallbarian fucked around with this message at 03:09 on Sep 22, 2013 |
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Sep 22, 2013 02:58
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What kind of current do they all draw?
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Sep 23, 2013 03:35
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shymog posted:The brand frightens me, but they're basically Denon internals? Interesting. How are they with highs and mids? Depends where you are, actually. In Boston/surrounding areas, this exact type of headphone store is getting big traction. I mean, you're still listening in a higher-noise environment, but comfort is a lot more important that people think right away.
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Sep 27, 2013 16:12
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ful posted:Hey, looking for some advice here. Amps don't help anything unless the headphones require a higher current. What are you going to use these with? Where are you going to be listening with them? Do you like a bassy response or do you like to equalize your music? What's your price ceiling?
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Oct 6, 2013 18:45
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ful posted:These would cost me about £130/$200, I wouldn't really want to go higher than that. Okay then- the sound requirement puts the DT 770 at somewhat less desirable compared to the rest: they emphasize bass sounds more heavily than the other two sets of cans. After that, the K550 and HD 598 are a tossup and come down to mostly what's gong to be more comfortable for you. However, I will say this: the HD 598 has the opposite problem of the DT 770--they underemphasize the lowest bass notes, while the K 550 does not. This means that the K550 is better at keeping rumbles, super-low notes and other sounds at the lowest frequencies where the mixer intended. All that said, if you get a great deal on any of these, you'll be happy with 'em. All of these are good headphones, and you should go with your gut; you'll probably be happy with any you pick up. GonadTheBallbarian fucked around with this message at 21:17 on Oct 6, 2013 |
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Oct 6, 2013 21:10
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Xovaan posted:That said: what am I really gaining by upgrading? Can the quality be that much better? Would it "wow" me in a way that my current headphones wouldn't? Upgrading from MDRV6's unamped to Grado SR-60i's with an Avenue pocket amp was "wow" for me. Going from that to an Asus Xonar STX with ATH-AD700's was wow for me. Going from this setup to the one I have now definitely had the wow factor as well. Really, how long will it last before I should basically give up, curl up, and die as a human being, knowing anything past a point is psychoacoustics? They'll sound great, but an order of magnitude greater than what you have currently? Absolutely not. You'll marvel at your purchase, and sure, it'll sound better to you (a bit of a performance bump in signal decay, and because you're happy), but that's more pride at your acquisition than performance. That said, home audio is a hobby like anything else, and is no crazier than fixing up a junker car or collecting old photography equipment or what have you. Only you can decide what you want to do with your money, but just be aware that the ratio of price:performance increase tends to rocket down once you pass $400 or so. GonadTheBallbarian fucked around with this message at 02:19 on Oct 8, 2013 |
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Oct 8, 2013 02:14
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El Spider posted:Budget - ~300$ An amp is only to power your headphones appropriately if the source can't. Sometimes amps add noise or whatever, but for the most part it usually doesn't do much if it's a transistor amp. If it helps, the HD558 has some funky impedance (resistance to current) things going on, meaning an amp would definitely help, while the ATH-AD900 does not—that can be run off just about anything because it also has a lower power requirement, so no amp necessary. As far as the Momentum goes, it almost mutes the highest note on a standard 88-key piano, which will sound really weird if you have high notes in your music, or electric guitar solos that have really high-pitched arpeggios etc. However, that was intentional in the design, so it's not like this is an unintentional fault or anything. The most important thing is whether or not YOU like the sound. Cyber Monday is a PERFECT time to hunt Amazon deals, because they usually have a lot to offer. As far as sound goes, the HD 558 is mostly flat (all notes same volume) though the lowest bass notes are quiet in comparison to the rest of your music. The ATH-AD900 is all-the-way flat with super minor shifts that you won't hear, but some people don't like this kind of sound because it doesn't emphasize any note over another. the Momentum's frequency response (how loud each note is in relation to all others) is closer to what's called an equal loudness contour, which means heavy bass/cymbal/hi-hat emphasis. You said you like their sound, so looking for headphones with similar performance like the V-Moda M-100, Audio Technica ATH-M50, Bowers & Wilkins P5, etc. might reveal a set of headphones that are more comfortable for you, or durable, or have features you like. Review sites like the following will show you graphs so you can see roughly what each headphone sounds like: Innerfidelity (innerfidelity.com) Reviewed.com (headphones.reviewed.com) headphone.com (HeadRoom) Golden Ears (en.goldenears.net) Hope that helps a bit, if you have more questions, let 'em fly. GonadTheBallbarian fucked around with this message at 19:15 on Oct 17, 2013 |
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Oct 17, 2013 19:04
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Electric Bugaloo posted:Does anybody have any experience with Sennheiser factory refurbs? My dad's been looking at getting a set of Momentums and checked out the "outlet store" on the company website- they've got them in "like new" condition for $70 off the normal price ($280 vs $350). Usually active noise-cancelers are best. Many people suggest in-ears if you don't have a lot of money, but if you don't get a perfect seal that engine noise will be annoying as hell.
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Oct 17, 2013 21:45
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Ultimate Mango posted:IEMs with foam tips. Midorka has recommended several reasonable pairs in this thread in your price range or below. ANC is pretty much designed to do one thing and one thing only (cancel out a constant drone), but there's so few sets that work well enough that it's usually best to avoid 'em if you can, but airplane use is not one of those times. However, IEMs do not always seal well, and even the foam tips aren't perfect. It also depends on what kind of materials the IEM bodies themselves are made out of, because it's not always the sleeve that's the weak link in the chain. That absolutely has a tenuous correlation with cost. GonadTheBallbarian fucked around with this message at 22:55 on Oct 17, 2013 |
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Oct 17, 2013 22:46
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Midorka posted:Point is, unless you have a problem with IEMs... A super common occurrence.
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Oct 18, 2013 01:46
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Pr0phecy posted:What is the preferred amp for the AKG Q701's? I'm seeing the E9 and O2 being thrown around as the two best, the E9 for bass, the O2 for more of the same transparent, cold, dead sound. Anything that can provide the juice necessary? If you want audio effects, use an equalizer or software to add it in; allows you to change it or turn it off when you want.
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Nov 12, 2013 22:24
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Miko posted:^^^ Let's get a pair of Beyerdynamics as a pact They got Reviewed.com's headphones of the year, fwiw. Changing the frequency response on the fly is something that I had fun with, and especially good if you switch between podcasts and music.
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Nov 13, 2013 14:26
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djfooboo posted:Anemic yet punchy bass? I'm not sure what that means. Disregard it, is my best advice. Etymotics typically shoot for a "flat response," meaning that all frequencies are roughly the same volume. However, most people don't like to listen to music that way, and when they move to a flat response from something else that boosts sounds like bass, it sounds weird and bad to them. If you want to know more, I did a stupidly huge post on sound a while back. A lot of these terms exist because there's a need to discuss and identify characteristics of sound when buying headphones, but unless you've got a certain level of education in the subject you're going to be grabbing at straws trying to make your points relatable to your audience. Ergo, unquantifiable and nebulous descriptions.
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Nov 25, 2013 17:06
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sharktamer posted:I'm sure it's already been discussed in the thread, but does anyone have any tips for dealing with earwax? Not for getting rid of it, since that's probably both impossible and damaging, but more for just stopping it getting in the way, clogging up the earphones and then having to clean them afterwards. You could plunk a couple bucks down for an ear canal irrigation kit from the drugstore. Just be sure you follow the instructions to the letter. It won't solve all your problems, but it might prevent excessive wax buildup.
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Nov 29, 2013 13:34
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The Biggest Jerk posted:So as a person who has a V-moda m80 and mid-tier IEM and not some studio quality stuff, is buying an amp/dac a good idea if I use my laptop / iphone 5 for music? Doubtful. Not sure about the IEM but the M80s don't draw a ton of current.
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Nov 29, 2013 19:37
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You can get sub-$70 amps if you're handy. But that's a road you don't want to go down if you aren't comfortable with a soldering iron. spasticColon posted:What's a good headphone amp that would be good for my Audio-Technica ATH-AD700 cans? I would prefer to keep it under $50 if possible. Or should I just start saving up for a pair of AD900 or A900X cans in order to get more bass? None. The power requirements lend themselves well to your basic headphone output/mobile—32Ω/ 98db/mW / 500mW max input is low enough to forget the amp entirely; it's not going to change much except cost you money. If it's bass you're after, you'll either have to equalize your music or get a set of headphones with a different frequency response. I will say that the ATH-AD900s have a very "flat" response, meaning no range of sound is emphasized over another. I'd suggest equalizing if that's the route you'd like to take. GonadTheBallbarian fucked around with this message at 15:33 on Dec 3, 2013 |
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Dec 3, 2013 15:30
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Shogunner posted:Am I just on some head-fi audiophillery fucboii poo poo? From FR charts I can find, it looks like the "mids" drop in relation to the range of a normal 88-key piano only about 5-7dB, which is easily erased by dropping the levels from 0-1kHz down on an equalizer about 3-5dB if you want a flat response. You'll probably want to drop the peak it has at 7-10kHz down ~10dBish too. Turn master volume up to compensate, and you have a (mostly) flat response. GonadTheBallbarian fucked around with this message at 18:12 on Dec 3, 2013 |
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Dec 3, 2013 18:02
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e/o. Even one earbud is a bad idea as it fucks with your perception of space auditorially. A lot of people do it but don't realize it can be deadly. Please stick with your speakers, at least in the car.
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Dec 6, 2013 03:55
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Tactical Lesbian posted:what No, it's just you. You have two ears to give you a sense of parallax when hearing things, but only one ear open to the elements means you have a hard time figuring out where a noise is coming from in any sort of quick fashion. Though it may not put you in as much danger as say, holding a conversation on a cellphone while driving, it's still dangerous and an avoidable hindrance while driving a car.
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Dec 6, 2013 04:11
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Tactical Lesbian posted:Yeah I know what you were referring to, but I'm not going to be able to audibly locate something outside of my car anyway because either my speakers will be playing pretty loudly, and the few moments I take a phone call on a wireless headset isn't going to be an issue, because when am I going to need to know if there's a screaming child under my back right tire on the highway Interstates with merges/exits should still be a problem, and any intersection with traffic or pedestrians at all will be. Regardless, whether you think it's OK is irrelevant, reducing your reaction time to obstacles on the road is a dumb idea no matter what—buses can lose brakes, trains can derail, you can look the wrong way at the wrong time and miss something. It's possible for anyone—I've seen people die over stupid poo poo on the road. \/\/ Can you see horns? It's not like they were added only to annoy others in gridlock. GonadTheBallbarian fucked around with this message at 04:51 on Dec 6, 2013 |
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Dec 6, 2013 04:23
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Midorka posted:I don't see how IEMs are more dangerous than a Harley's engine, wind noise when riding a motorcycle or someone blasting the radio in their car. Either way you're not going to hear audio queues. Even though wind noise is loud enough to cause permanent hearing loss even with some form of protection, there's also a kinda cool physiological thing that happens to the tympanic membrane where it tightens up and actually enhances hearing in the presence of so much low noise. So yes, an emergency vehicle/horn can be heard assuming a certain level of noise-induced hearing loss hasn't occurred yet. kedo posted:I'm looking for a solid pair of circumaural headphones that'll primarily be used for listening to music and also watching movies. I've bought Bose headphones in the past (mostly out of ignorance) but am looking to make a smarter purchase this time around. I was looking at Sennheiser HD 558's last night, but am unsure what other brands I should consider. Sounds like you're looking for a set of closed-back set of over-ears that is a bit dynamic in its frequency response, possibly something close to an equal-loudness contour. The HD 558s are certainly good headphones, but they're open-backed, meaning they'll let in (and out) a ton of sound, making them a poor fit for airplane use. The Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro is on sale at Amazon for under $200, and you could also like V-Moda Crossfade LP (or LP-2). Though technically circum-aural, the Audio-Technica ATH-M50s fit the bill extremely well, but some have complained about it touching their pinna inappropriately.
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Dec 6, 2013 20:22
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