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Welcome to the 5th headphone thread! This thread is the hot new hangout to discuss headphones, earphones, and all manner of personal audio products. This thread is the old thread to discuss personal audio ear-hugging devices. 1.  Housekeeping: There are a few things that everyone should know before we launch into anything else. Word choice You may see a lot of discussions around headphones use words like "dark" and "shouty" and "warm" elsewhere on the internet. While these may seem a little intelligible, they're from an expert consensus lexicon that is very, VERY easy to misinterpret if you're not familiar with it; so instead avoid this where possible. Say what you mean, mean what you say. If you want more bass, or you're tired of having a hard time hearing vocals, say that! Because each person asking for help finding headphones could potentially help someone else with similar needs, let's try to keep this as easy to read and approach as possible. The former iterations of this thread saw countless posters telling the thread they wanted "balanced sound" but had no idea what that meant in practice (or didn't actually want that). Let's do better this time. Also, if you don't want to find yourself potentially getting mocked in the Audiophile thread, please remember that you're posting on a public forum in response to someone trying to help your understanding about something— you could be wrong! Don't white knight products, they're inanimate objects! Headphones are a tool Though there are those in the audio junkie community that are into the whole conspicuous consumption thing, headphones aren't an experience: they're a tool. Different headphones and earphones are built with different users in mind, so it's no surprise that some people will choose certain products over others for completely valid reasons. If you needed a chop saw, and you went to a tool forum and the posters there convinced you to get a belt sander instead: you'd be rightly pissed that you were misdirected right? Try to listen to other posters, and give relevant advice. At the end of the day, we're shooting to help each other after all— believe someone if they tell you they don't want something. Everyone's different Your own individual biology is enough to make or break different types of headphones, or even make different headphones sound awful (or good). That's because we all have different ear shapes, ear canal shapes, bone density, pinna gain, you name it! Some people can't wear AirPods. Others can. Some people can't stand a certain sound, others love it. There's no such thing as "perfect" for everyone, just what fits your needs and what doesn't. Don't feel bad if you like a different sound than what your friends like: it's normal! Additionally, fit is everything. If your headphones/earphones don't fit you (read: make a seal if they're intended to), you will notice issues like "missing" bass, lower sound quality, poor comfort, earbuds falling out all the time, or even poorly-functioning noise cancelation. If any of these describe your experience, chances are good that your audio product doesn't fit you. There's a few things you can do, but make peace with the possibility that AirPods aren't for you, for example. Measurements are your friend Now that the barrier to entry on measurements is so much lower than it used to be, you can find a bevy of measurements online to help you get context on how headphones actually sound— and not rely on weird descriptions from internet marketing folk. Remember, these primarily serve as a reference point and not gospel because your head isn't the measurement apparatus that these nerds are using. Instead, they either use a B&K 5128 (the new hotness dummy head), a GRAS 45CA (the ol' standby type 711), Head Acoustics HMS 2, or some other type 711-based measuring rig. Results from the newer heads (Crinacle, Headphones.com, SoundGuys, and RTINGS at some point in the future) will not be compatible/comparable with measurements taken on other measurement fixtures. Though they're quite technical-looking and a bit scary, using frequency response charts are the best way to compare how headphones sound to one another. Once you're comfortable reading these plots, you can do some sleuthing on your own about which headphones you'll like. Guide here. 2. Let's talk headphones! Here's what you should do before buying headphones. Find a retailer with a good return policy FIRST If you're spending a lot of money here, there's a good chance that you may find your first buy to have something you really don't like. It's normal to not be satisfied every so often. Check with your vendor before buying to make sure that you can swap out your purchase if you need to bail on your investment right away. Additionally, you should also look up what their policy on parts failure or repair look like just in case. Post here: What headphone should I buy? Recommendations from us goons are first and foremost our opinions on what best fits your needs. Like any other goon advice, you may know a little more about your needs that isn't getting communicated or understood by your fellow posters. It happens! In order to get the best conversation going about what you might be happy with, please post the following information: Budget - Tell us what you're willing to part with. It's extremely likely that goons will tell you to stretch your budget, however. Source - What will you be connecting these to? A smartphone? Turntable setup? What connection do you need? Intended use case - Are you using these at a computer only? Do you need isolation/ANC for your commute? Are you going to be mixing music with these? Tell us everything. Preferred Headphone features - Let us know specific products you’ve used in the past and what you’ve liked/disliked about those products. 1. What did you like about their sound? 2. What did you like about their fit? What did you hate about it? 3. Are there any must-have features you can think of? Voice assistant? Wireless? Touch controls? 4. What are you willing to live without? Types of headphones There are many types of headphones and earphones, typically referred to by the way they are worn by their users (or the technology used to create audio). In-ears This design is shared by wireless earphones, neckband earphones, IEMs, and AirPods Pro (not AirPods, those are some of the last of the dying "earbud" type). These will create a seal in your ear canal, usually with a silicone or memory foam tip that holds the bud in place. You might have a model with additional features to secure the buds to your ears, like a concha fin or ear hook. On-ears These headphones sit atop your outer ear, and often don't create a seal. While a poor choice as far as isolation is concerned, on-ears are a favorite of people who really hate heavy headphones. Over-ears These headphones are defined by the fact that they encircle your entire ear. By sealing around your ear, they are able to make use of much more space, and distribute their higher mass over a larger surface area. These use the largest diaphragms/elements, and are often regarded as Bone conduction For those that need to hear the world around them that don't want to have awkward interactions from blasting their Bluetooth speaker in public, bone conduction headphones are designed to send vibrations through your skull to your inner ear bones, and make you hear your music while bypassing your ear canal entirely. By leaving the ear canal unoccluded, you can still hear things going on around you. Neat! Sound quality is hit or miss, but being able to hear a car coming while you're on a bike is a pretty big check in the plus column. Open or Closed? In the world of high-end audio, you will notice that a lot of headphones are what's called "open back" headphones. These products do not seal the back part of the ear cups, in hopes that an unsealed rear chamber will allow better movement of the driver element at the expense of isolation. For keyboard warriors and sound quality chasers this is a good option, but don't take them outside— they're really not meant to be portable. 4. Myths and other bullshit Should I buy an amp? Do I need a DAC? No! I mean, probably not, anyway. When you poke around forums and enthusiast spaces, you'll see a lot of people using extra bits of equipment you don't understand. That's fine— remember when I said so much has changed? Well, one of those things is the chips required to recreate an analog signal from a digital file (a DAC) have gotten so good that the "cheap" ones are almost indistinguishable from the "perfect" ones... and consequently just about every computer and mobile device has a good enough chip to not be the source of audible errors. You only need a DAC if your setup is introducing noise, or it can't output the files you want to listen to. If you don't want to take my word for it, here's a fun, nerdy video about the subject: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIQ9IXSUzuM If you need to troubleshoot whether a DAC really is for you, 9/10 times the Apple USB-C to 3.5mm dongle will perform as well or better than more expensive units. At about $8, it's not a huge loss if you try it and then don't need it after all. If a DAC improves the sound, it fixed an error— spending more money here no longer gets you better results. Headphones nowadays are made primarily for mobile or computer-bound listeners, so the days of needing a huge stack of HiFi equipment are also largely over. Similar to DACs: You only need an amplifier if you can't get a usable volume level out of your headphones when they're connected to the device you're trying to listen to (hereafter referred to as: "source device"). Though there are some edge cases where you will need an amp, those are most commonly reserved for those using very expensive headphones with an equalizer. Cables You don't need new cables unless they break or something. There's a lot of snake oil out there, so don't let the dweeb at the A/V store upsell you on gold-plated anything. The product works or it doesn't. Brands to Avoid? Much like the "era of needing a shitload of amps" is over, so too is the "era of complete dogshit brands." Beats have a lot of good models. Bose, once maligned for lacking bass and treble simultaneously: also good now. We're treading into the era of understanding that personal fit and preference matters way more to the individual than meeting one universal benchmark. And even then, there is no correlation between how a headphone sounds and its price. That said, don't be a fool! If you spend $5 on cheap earbuds on Amazon, you will likely get what you pay for. No-name brands are a bad bet. Burn-in isn't a thing. It's not impossible that you'll hear a difference in sound over time, but it's most likely something else. Or your brain is getting used to the sound. There's no hard evidence that burn-in is actually a thing. Target curves are not gospel If you're looking around at review sites, you'll notice that a lot of what people consider to be their "target" performance varies a lot. A target curve is usually only what that outlet or person feels is what good sound measures as. Just because something doesn't meet a target does not mean it's bad! In fact, a lot of things measure "poorly" that sound fine. Target curves should be used as a reference to compare headphones, little else. While there's a tendency to look to the Harman Target as a gold standard for a target, that's not necessarily what you'll like. 5, Resources This thread is not an exhaustive compendium of headphone knowledge, so definitely look around for more information as you need it. More to come after I step off the plane Measurements (alphabetical order): Headphones.com (youtube) In-ear Fidelity LTT (youtube) RTINGS SoundGuys Squiglink Educate thyself: Digital music is really awesome, your ears are not (READ THIS ALL THE WAY THROUGH) Headphone amps and impedance (NwAvGuy) Power (NwAvGuy) Mr. Mercury fucked around with this message at 23:59 on Sep 11, 2023 |
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Jul 13, 2023 22:09
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Hello new thread. Has anyone been able to try the new adaptive noice cancelling on the AirPod pros 2, via the new iOS beta? Any good?
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Jul 14, 2023 10:48
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In on the first floor of an epic thread. My new Arias sound like $70 should have no business of sounding like. The age of Chinese IEMs is a truly blessed era.
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Jul 14, 2023 18:52
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My Airpods Pro gen 1 with wireless charging developed crackling in the right bud. Replaced under warranty. Then the replacement bud started crackling four months later. Out of warranty. Also, it's not from the batch Apple said would get an additional year of coverage just for this issue. :-/ Beats Powerbeats Pro: lovely isolation, wouldn't properly contact the pogo pins sometimes for charging, great battery life and sound. Batteries started to fail around the third year. Think I'm gonna go back to Anker for my next set, ata quarter of the price. Mister Facetious fucked around with this message at 00:31 on Jul 15, 2023 |
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Jul 15, 2023 00:29
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Hello headphone thread! I've got a request for a very specific use case where I know what I need, but have no idea where to start looking. I work in a jewelry production facility and I'm looking for overear headphones that have noise cancellation qualities but preferably no disposable/removable batteries. Dock recharging is fine but Bluetooth is completely forbidden. Budget - Like a hundred bucks. I know this is low for a lot of things but actual sound quality is not a huge deal because: Source - SanDisk Clip Sport full of mp3s, with a lot of hand tool noise and ventilator hum in the background Intended use case - At my bench, to listen to low quality mp3s and podcasts and to tune out other people talking. Preferred Headphone features - . 1. I've never owned a pair of overear headphones before 2. I've used and hated earbuds or having anything inside my ears ever. I have a big noggin (and proportional ears) and have no issues with heavy cans 3. Wireless and Bluetooth aren't allowed at the facility because people apparently just use it to talk on the phone they have to keep in their locker. I'd rather not talk at all or hear it. 4. I can live without sound quality. I'm not trying to capture rich warm tones, just listen to [metal/jazz/pop/r&b/voice] that I've already heard a thousand times Happy to answer any other questions and follow up. Thanks for any advice!
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Jul 15, 2023 14:58
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Get yourself some AKG K361s. You're not going to get active noise cancelling without wireless so get stuff from a place with a decent returns policy and try things until you find a pair that fit you well, the K361s would be a solid place to start.
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Jul 15, 2023 15:02
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Yup you’re just looking for wired closed back over ear headphones. Senn 559 or 569 would be another choice in and around that range.
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Jul 15, 2023 15:17
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Dogen posted:Yup you’re just looking for wired closed back over ear headphones. Senn 559 or 569 would be another choice in and around that range. 559 are open back
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Jul 15, 2023 16:38
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Take the plunge! Okay! posted:559 are open back Ugh, drat it.
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Jul 15, 2023 17:16
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Went with the Senn 569s on sale for a hundo. It would have taken me forever to find brands and sort through unnecessary features -- I love this gay dead forum. Thanks y'all!
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Jul 15, 2023 18:02
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I want to say thanks to this thread for advice (that I lurked to get). I got a pair of HD 599 SE on bezos day for cheap and I think I’m understanding what I want out of audio better. They solve all the comfort issues with my older headset and sound fantastic to me. Also big thanks for the Qudelix-5k recommendation for a wireless DAC amp. It solved my silly motherboard blue screen issue driving headphones directly and sounds great.
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Jul 15, 2023 23:29
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I've had a pair of AKG K550s for about 8 years, that are getting to the stage where they need to be replaced, ideally with something of a similar sound. £200 budget, need to be over-ear and closed back. Mainly listen with my PC as the source, running the Peace app. Thanks
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Jul 15, 2023 23:39
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In the market for new headphones and looking for recommendations. Budget - Multiple hundreds USD is fine. Not gonna do a thousand though. Mostly looking for best price/performance anywhere in the 3-digit range. Source - Bluetooth (presumably; must be wireless either way) from an iPhone or (relatively rarely) a Macbook. Intended use case - Wireless music listening late at night when I want to be in my living room and not in my office anymore. Preferred headphone features - I'm really just looking for the best possible sounding wireless headphones that'll work with my phone so I can listen to music in my living room while my girlfriend is asleep (which is the only reason I wouldn't just use my stereo instead). I want wireless just so I can not worry about a cable knocking things off the coffee table as I move from the couch to a chair or walk into the kitchen to get a glass of water or whatever, and because wireless sound doesn't suck anymore it seems like. I do not need a voice assistant, ANC (there isn't any noise to cancel), any particular kind of controls (though I guess physical volume adjustment would be nice), or really anything but good sound. I don't even care about latency since this is just for music. At the moment I have Sony MDR-7506s in the office and I love them; they're very comfortable and sound good and if they were wireless I probably wouldn't be looking for additional headphones. I've also got Beats Fit Pros for the gym and love them too for that purpose (I think they sound significantly better than the Airpods 3rd gen I also have and now mostly use for work calls). I listen to lots of genres of music but most of my more frequently-listened genres are electronic and not acoustic (though I will still listen to small jazz combo/solo piano/string quartet kind of stuff occasionally). From reading the end of the last thread it sounds like Sony XM4 was the standard rec for things like this. Am I right? What else should I look at, if any?
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Jul 18, 2023 21:10
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You could just get a Bluetooth receiver like the Fiio BTR series or Qudelix. That would only make the 7506's cord slightly less unwieldy, though. I still like those other than the cord and having to replace the pads every few years. Wired plus a device might be the way, though. I am entirely satisfied with my Elegia and BTR7 combo for desk and couch listening. Plus you can shop for headphones without worrying about your budget going towards noise canceling and mics and such. That said you would still be dealing with a cord to some degree which definitely changes the vibe.
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Jul 18, 2023 23:44
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Bought an Audeze Maxwell off ebay because I was tired of the pain in the rear end that is bluetooth audio, could just unify my steam bigpic/pc/sim racing setup with some big rear end 90mm planars. Lets see how they hold up to my AH-D5200's and if they pulled off the wireless solution.Soul Dentist posted:Hello headphone thread! I've got a request for a very specific use case where I know what I need, but have no idea where to start looking. I work in a jewelry production facility and I'm looking for overear headphones that have noise cancellation qualities but preferably no disposable/removable batteries. Dock recharging is fine but Bluetooth is completely forbidden. This was so oddly specific i had to find if they exist and they do, Bose QuietComfort 25. It's wired and the ANC is powered by an AAA battery lol. You're not getting a dockable headset without bluetooth/wireless, i think. they do say one battery last 35 hours so just buy some cheapo rechargeable you goddamn goon. They're a few years old now so I'd just look on ebay, probably way cheaper and in line with your budget.
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Jul 20, 2023 04:01
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The Grumbles posted:Hello new thread. Has anyone been able to try the new adaptive noice cancelling on the AirPod pros 2, via the new iOS beta? Any good? Yeah it's pretty cool and there's a few different modes.
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Jul 20, 2023 04:10
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Scythe posted:In the market for new headphones and looking for recommendations. People seem to really like the AirPods Max. If you feel comfortable and happy spending that much, they're worth a look in, especially if you're in the Apple ecosystem. They're comfortable and well tuned. They've got a big ol' physical volume knob too. The Sony XM5s are another close contender. Both have do have ANC, although you'll probably struggle to find a well reviewed set of premium wireless headphones. You could also pick up a bluetooth receiver for your current wired headphones, if you like them. If you really don't wanna splash out on ANC you don't feel like you'll need (I was the same but am now an ANC convert - I can use them as earplugs to get to sleep if there's noise outside! I can listen to music on public transport at a sane volume! etc), just bluetoothing up your wired headphones might be a good bet. Especially if you're set on only using them around the house.
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Jul 20, 2023 09:36
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Hello! I'm also in the market for some new headphones and could use a recommendation. My previous pair which I deeply loved was a set of Beyer Dynamic Custom One Pros, but after many years of use they finally blew out. Budget: $300 Source: wired 3.5mm jack, usually my laptop but also sometime my phone Intended use: listening to music while I work Additionally: over ear design, closed operation I bought a pair of Beyer Dynamic BT 770 Pros, but the ear cup size is smaller than the Custom One Pros and it hurts my ears so I'm going to return them. I'm looking for a cup size around 65mm or so. e: Regarding closed vs. open back – I tend to look for closed because I share office space with others and I want the least amount of sound leaking out. My understanding is that locks me pretty solidly in the "closed" category, but if there are any good open back options that don't leak much sound, I'm open to that as well! kedo fucked around with this message at 14:57 on Jul 20, 2023 |
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Jul 20, 2023 14:47
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I ended up keeping my Audeze Maxwell set, but only just. 6 weeks into ownership, my opinion hasn't really change: They sound great! Their software features are dogshit. Their input priority makes no sense and in a constant source of frustration. The wireless is impressive for receiving, but is very spotty for sending. I can walk around the house and hear output all the time, but I can't go more then 20ft before I can no longer talk in Discord. Oh, and speaking of Discord: The mic sounds terrible in Discord. I've fiddled with that poo poo so much, and they even have documentation about making it sound better, but hours and hours of messing with it and it's still easily the worst sounding (and most expensive) mic in my collection. I've resigned to just using my old HyperX Cloud IIs for games where latency matters (GGST, SF6, etc.) and also for games where I have to talk (WoW, Dota) then manually switching back to the Maxwells for everything else. As a *gaming* headset, the OG HyperX CLoud IIs are just better for less then a 1/3rd the price. I'm still on the hunt for someone to actually do a Wireless headset right. 
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Jul 20, 2023 16:18
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qirex posted:You could just get a Bluetooth receiver ... Wired plus a device might be the way, though. I am entirely satisfied with my Elegia and BTR7 combo for desk and couch listening. Plus you can shop for headphones without worrying about your budget going towards noise canceling and mics and such. That said you would still be dealing with a cord to some degree which definitely changes the vibe. The Grumbles posted:People seem to really like the AirPods Max. If you feel comfortable and happy spending that much, they're worth a look in, especially if you're in the Apple ecosystem. They're comfortable and well tuned. They've got a big ol' physical volume knob too. This was helpful. I think a cord at all is just going to be too annoying in this use case, so I'm gonna have to deal with ANC/etc. I'll take a look at the Airpods Max and the two generations of Sonys. Thanks!
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Jul 20, 2023 16:50
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Canine Blues Arooo posted:I ended up keeping my Audeze Maxwell set, but only just. yep, mostly the same experience i haven't noticed the mic issues in discord though or the mic range issues. do you use yours in xbox or pc mode? the mic on mine acts weird in pc mode, but fine on the xbox setting (and also fine on my mac in PC mode). i do notice that it sounds like the mic volume is tuned poorly and clips a lot unless i keep the boom pretty far from my mouth. probably all of this stuff could be fixed with a SW/FW update, but not holding my breath because of how janky it is right now. overall i'm happy with it because it's a big step up from my hyperx cloud flight, and i'm never going back to a wired PC headset so this is probably as good as it gets for the time being
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Jul 20, 2023 16:53
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Bad Purchase posted:yep, mostly the same experience I have a PS5 set, but I've toggled it between PS5 and PC with no audible difference .
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Jul 20, 2023 16:59
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Canine Blues Arooo posted:I ended up keeping my Audeze Maxwell set, but only just. I'd long abandoned all in ones as the dedicated solution. boom+mic ftw. I had an actual mic but it died like a year ago and replaced it with a hyperx solo and frankly its hard to beat a trash 20 boom/40 solocast imo. tho maybe not for the goons who love their clackety keyboards
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Jul 20, 2023 18:00
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Scythe posted:This was helpful. I think a cord at all is just going to be too annoying in this use case, so I'm gonna have to deal with ANC/etc. I'll take a look at the Airpods Max and the two generations of Sonys. Thanks! There's a lot from the usual suspects in headphones like AKG, Audio-Techinca, Sennheiser, etc. as well I just have no experience with them. If you're looking at the Airpods Max maybe give the Focal Bathys a glance as well, they're very well reviewed and just got a $100 price cut.
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Jul 21, 2023 17:52
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the XM5 earbuds just launched so keep an eye out for XM4 firesales if you're on the market for earbuds
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Jul 25, 2023 01:27
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Is there such a thing as a gaming headset that is both foldable and has a retractable mic? For <= $150, bonus points if it has bluetooth. (Do people talk headsets here, or is it just headphones?)
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Jul 25, 2023 02:15
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I don’t think you want Bluetooth for game audio, still laggy I think.
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Jul 25, 2023 02:18
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Agreed, these wouldn't be used exclusively for gaming, the bluetooth functionality would be used for trips, it can be nice to have fewer cables e.g. on a plane. edit: I guess the no-name brands on Amazon have me covered, would rather go with a reputable brand though - https://www.amazon.com/COOSII-Microphone-Conference-Bluetooth-Retractable/dp/B0B76F1YS8 Cicero fucked around with this message at 02:35 on Jul 25, 2023 |
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Jul 25, 2023 02:31
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Scythe posted:From reading the end of the last thread it sounds like Sony XM4 was the standard rec for things like this. Am I right? What else should I look at, if any? Personally, I think it's between the XM4 and QC45 still, and it's really just a question of which is more comfortable on your head.
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Jul 26, 2023 17:59
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Take the plunge! Okay! posted:In on the first floor of an epic thread. My new Arias sound like $70 should have no business of sounding like. The age of Chinese IEMs is a truly blessed era. i don't want to break your heart but I honestly think the kiwi ears cadenza are just as good at $35
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Jul 26, 2023 18:01
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Dr. Fishopolis posted:i don't want to break your heart but I honestly think the kiwi ears cadenza are just as good at $35 Don’t worry bud, I am enjoying what I have and the price difference is basically a round of beers with the prices we have around here. Next stop will probably be some IEM planars so if you have an opinion on that I would appreciate it.
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Jul 26, 2023 19:33
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Added some more links to the OP; if there's any explainers you particularly enjoy or resources you use for reviews/information/etc, feel free to post here! I'll add more to the OP as time goes on, now that I'm back
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Jul 26, 2023 21:01
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Take the plunge! Okay! posted:Don’t worry bud, I am enjoying what I have and the price difference is basically a round of beers with the prices we have around here. Next stop will probably be some IEM planars so if you have an opinion on that I would appreciate it. I'm still daily drivin the original 7hz Timeless and loving the heck out of em. They do have some spicy treble wayyyyyy up top that messes with timbre a bit, but I like the effect a lot. Shouer S12 is also very good in that department and cheaper. forum user redeyes has had great success modding them, perhaps shoot them a pm or something if you're interested. I've heard good things about the zetian wu heyday as well but haven't listened to them.
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Jul 26, 2023 21:20
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I have a request for you all that's pretty general. Price: $50, but really I'm just posting to ask how cheap you're willing to go with a recommendation. Because we all know you can get that one brand of Sony headphones for ten bucks, but then a wire comes loose after a week and then you have a lump of plastic you need to throw out. Source: A basic 3.5mm headphone jack, either from a laptop or a usb-to-jack dongle on a phone. Intended Use: Very generic daily use. Something I can use at home so I can listen to things without being as actively loud as if I just had my speakers blaring and something I can wear on a walk for the same purposes, as long as it doesn't sound like complete rear end. Preferred Features: Over/On Ear over In Ear, but that's a light preference. I'm tired of having things in my ears all the time, but I have to assume the form factor of headphones adds to the cost. If something good and in-ear is that much cheaper than something over-ear, I'm willing to deal with it. Also, wired over wireless. Wireless just doesn't seem like it'd be nice enough to make up for the costs, and keeping a wireless device charged is a pain in the rear end. (Besides, I want my audio devices to die because something physically broke, not because a built-in battery inevitably stopped charging.) tl;dr, I have one question for the Headphone Thread: how low are you willing to go for something that will work long term? $30? $15? Are the modern $5 ear buds they sell next to the cash register good enough for a sufficiently casual listener in 2023? (I'll be honest, a big part of why I'm asking is because I'm sure there's going to be other goons who want to know what the minimum acceptable standard is at some point.) Lurks With Wolves fucked around with this message at 23:49 on Jul 26, 2023 |
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Jul 26, 2023 23:44
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If you're willing to go with IEMs you can get a ton of mileage out of $20. My current beaters are a set of Moondrop Chus, but there are a number of other options in the same price range.
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Jul 27, 2023 00:28
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Lurks With Wolves posted:tl;dr, I have one question for the Headphone Thread: how low are you willing to go for something that will work long term? $30? $15? Are the modern $5 ear buds they sell next to the cash register good enough for a sufficiently casual listener in 2023? The really great sounding stuff under $50 is all IEMs, but the good news is that price point is getting a lot of love these days. kiwi ears cadenza, moondrop chu 2, crinacle zero red, or even just the good ol 7hz zero are all excellent. the modern $5 earbuds are kind of pointless now imo because at $20 you can get something actually good with a removable cable you can replace if it breaks.
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Jul 27, 2023 00:29
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I recently picked up some barely-used Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2 headphones as an upgrade to some 1st gen M50xBT's I've had for 3 1/2 years now. There doesn't appear to be anything objectively wrong with the new ones, but I'm having the fuckiest issue where my left earlobe is pressing/rubbing up against the inside foam of the earcup. This is despite their design being 100% identical to my old headphones in every way that matters. The earpads on my old headphones seem to be a tiny bit more plush (possibly on account of them being OEM HP-EP replacement pads), but when I tried swapping them out, it made no difference. It's not due to the higher clamping force of the newer headphones either because I can still feel my earlobe pushed up against the inside even when I hold the earcups slightly away from my face. At this point, I'm stumped. These new headphones come with a ton of quality of life improvements over the old ones (USB-C, dual connection, better volume control precision, built-in EQ, low latency mode), but none of that matters if I can't wear them comfortably. I'm leaning towards going back to my old headphones at this point and reselling the new ones. The most compelling feature, low latency, causes too many dropouts to be usable without being annoying anyway. I hope this is a one-off issue because my old headphones aren't going to last forever, and by the time I'll be needing to replace them, M50xBT2s are likely all that are going to be available in decent condition anymore. Zorilla fucked around with this message at 05:59 on Jul 27, 2023 |
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Jul 27, 2023 05:13
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Zorilla posted:The earpads on my old headphones seem to be a tiny bit more plush (possibly on account of them being OEM HP-EP replacement pads), but when I tried swapping them out, it made no difference. It's not due to the higher clamping force of the newer headphones either because I can still feel my earlobe pushed up against the inside even when I hold the earcups slightly away from my face. At this point, I'm stumped. there are a TON of aftermarket pads for the m50s as the stock ones famously suck rear end. honestly just grab whatever looks good on amazon. brainwavz and dekoni are both good brands.
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Jul 27, 2023 21:29
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Dr. Fishopolis posted:there are a TON of aftermarket pads for the m50s as the stock ones famously suck rear end. honestly just grab whatever looks good on amazon. brainwavz and dekoni are both good brands. I went through that whole song and dance when getting the first set of headphones back in 2020. As it turned out, the previous owner sold them at the perfect time because the earpads and headband started deteriorating right after I got them. The first replacements I tried were BRAINWAVZ velour earpads, but they did that thing that so many headphones do that I hate and put stitching around the inner rim to give it form. This creates a pressure point that rubs against my skin, causes irritation, and is really bad for long term comfort. I also discovered how sensitive the M50 series' sound profile is to earpad sizing and isolation because these pads completely destroyed the bass response. The second set was a pair of generic velour pads matching the size of the stock ones. I absolutely loved the comfort velour pads gave my DT 770s and these were also very comfortable, but just like the BRAINWAVZ, they ruined bass response and provided zero isolation. The third set were some knockoffs resembling the stock ones. They lacked a foam liner and the headphones had very noticeable internal reflection (that "listening through a straw" effect) as a result. It vanished once I cut out the foam liners from the failed OEM pads and stuck them inside. Once I did that, these sounded nice and provided good comfort, but the vinyl was made of pure, horrible Chinesium and turned hard and cracked after a month. After that, I caved and got the OEM replacements and was trouble-free ever since. At this point, I'm just about willing to tolerate how these M50xBT2's fit. While these sound almost identical to my old M50xBT's, the tighter fit does seem to have restored a small amount of midbass that they lacked and wearer comfort is about the same after the first few minutes anyway. Zorilla fucked around with this message at 23:03 on Jul 27, 2023 |
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Jul 27, 2023 22:36
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| # ? Apr 29, 2024 18:50 |
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anyone have a pair of bluetooth over-the-ear headphones they like for working out? My budget is ~$250, but since I'm gonna be sweating all over them, I would also be fine with lower-end recommendations. I just need them to be light I suppose.
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Jul 27, 2023 23:58
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