|
I've been using some steelseries headphones on my PC for a few years and they've been fine. Recently the pleather on the padding has started to shred, which while unsightly doesn't affect the performance. What is weird however is I've just noticed that certain frequencies are almost totally inaudible - I'm trying to create a music round for a pub quiz I'm writing, and I've discovered that the opening guitar in "Wish You Were Here" is quiet to the point of being almost undetectable. I turned them up as loud as they'd go and then nearly burst my eardrums when the second guitar comes in after a minute. Now I'm wondering how long they've been hosed. Is this a common problem with headphones or am I just unlucky? Is there anything to do to fix them or are they just hosed? What should I be looking at for replacing them in the €100 - 150 range? (I hate gamer aesthetics but I'll be using them for everything I do on my PC so listening to music, podcasts, gaming etc)
|
#
?
Apr 15, 2024 18:53
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 29, 2024 19:08 |
|
|
Butterfly Valley posted:I've been using some steelseries headphones on my PC for a few years and they've been fine. Recently the pleather on the padding has started to shred, which while unsightly doesn't affect the performance. What is weird however is I've just noticed that certain frequencies are almost totally inaudible - I'm trying to create a music round for a pub quiz I'm writing, and I've discovered that the opening guitar in "Wish You Were Here" is quiet to the point of being almost undetectable. I turned them up as loud as they'd go and then nearly burst my eardrums when the second guitar comes in after a minute. Now I'm wondering how long they've been hosed. Is this a common problem with headphones or am I just unlucky? Is there anything to do to fix them or are they just hosed? What should I be looking at for replacing them in the €100 - 150 range? (I hate gamer aesthetics but I'll be using them for everything I do on my PC so listening to music, podcasts, gaming etc) Do you want something with an attached microphone?
|
|
#
?
Apr 15, 2024 19:02
|
|
|
MarcusSA posted:Do you want something with an attached microphone? Yeah, my current pair has the microphone on a 3.5" jack which I like because then I can remove it when it's not in use. I can see that other steelseries headphones have a retractable microphone which I would also like but I'm slightly wary of the brand now.
|
|
#
?
Apr 15, 2024 19:38
|
|
|
Butterfly Valley posted:Yeah, my current pair has the microphone on a 3.5" jack which I like because then I can remove it when it's not in use. I can see that other steelseries headphones have a retractable microphone which I would also like but I'm slightly wary of the brand now. I’m a big fan of these for your price range (they can actually be found cheaper in the warehouse if it’s available to you). https://a.co/d/2MWbfpV EPOS H6Pro - Closed Acoustic Gaming Headset with Mic - Over-Ear Headset – Lightweight - Lift-to-Mute The mic actually comes off so they look like normal headphones as well. I like the open version personally but it depends on your use case.
|
|
#
?
Apr 15, 2024 19:44
|
|
|
I have a pair of Sony WH-1000XM3's that have seen near-constant use for about 4 years. They're perfect but they're dying (I've replaced ear pads and battery at this point, but now the ANC is failing and causing loud random crackling). I'm looking to replace them and I assume that the answer is WH-1000XM5's, but I wanted to check whether there is anything else out there that fits the bill now in a similar price range. What I care about: - Wireless - Over-the-ear - Fast charging - Microphone sound quality (XM3's are awful for this) - Audio pass-through To clarify the last point: I want to be able to chat with my wife and hear what's going on around me while wearing these. The XM3's have an "ambient sound" mode that works quite well for this. If there are open-back headphones that do this better I would be interested.
|
|
#
?
Apr 17, 2024 17:50
|
|
|
Setec_Astronomy posted:I have a pair of Sony WH-1000XM3's that have seen near-constant use for about 4 years. They're perfect but they're dying (I've replaced ear pads and battery at this point, but now the ANC is failing and causing loud random crackling). You may want to check that you actually want the XM5s and not the XM4s, which are also still for sale new. The XM5s can't fold, the earpads are thinner and less comfortable (in my experience), and the adaptive ANC is obtrusive and can't be set to manual. It backs off the strength at inopportune times, effectively making it worse than its predecessor. On the other hand, the XM5s finally ditch the creaky, failure-prone slider trim pieces, but the horizontal earcup pivots are slightly worse and more prone to rubbing and chatter. The Bose QC 45 are a bit more barebones feature wise, but they are way more comfortable and more portable due to their slim profile and foldability. They have an "Aware" mode that the previous generation (QC 35 II) didn't have, but they took away the ability to disable ANC (why???). The sound quality is also a bit worse than the QC 35, putting it back down into the same territory as the Sony WH-1000X series.
|
|
#
?
Apr 17, 2024 20:16
|
|
|
Zorilla posted:The Bose QC 45 are a bit more barebones feature wise, but they are way more comfortable and more portable due to their slim profile and foldability. They have an "Aware" mode that the previous generation (QC 35 II) didn't have, but they took away the ability to disable ANC (why???). The sound quality is also a bit worse than the QC 35, putting it back down into the same territory as the Sony WH-1000X series. How are they for audio pass-through? I don't actually care about noise cancelling except when flying, which I do like 2x annually. Any open-back wireless headphones I should be considering that would be better for this?
|
|
#
?
Apr 17, 2024 20:47
|
|
|
Setec_Astronomy posted:How are they for audio pass-through? I don't actually care about noise cancelling except when flying, which I do like 2x annually. I found my own voice to still be somewhat muffled with Aware mode enabled regardless of strength set in the app. I can't remember how it was with the XM3/4/5 (I've owned all of them at different points), but I think it was a similar story with Ambient Sound enabled. I've honestly been disappointed by the passthrough mode of just about everything except the demo unit AirPods Max I tried out at Best Buy briefly. Apple seems to be the only ones who can do this convincingly for the time being. Even open backs will still block out the highest frequencies when wearing them, so I still find myself taking them off to hear certain things better. Maybe that's just me. I didn't even know open back wireless headphones were a thing, but I guess a few models do exist. As you can imagine, most Bluetooth headphones are marketed towards people who are on the go or work in an office--places you really wouldn't want to be using an open back. Zorilla fucked around with this message at 22:20 on Apr 17, 2024 |
|
#
?
Apr 17, 2024 22:11
|
|
|
A small note on mic quality: Bluetooth mic quality is (near?) universally poo poo. This has nothing to do with build quality as the mics themselves are fine, but the audio quality gets murdered because bluetooth is very specifically terrible when mics are involved.
|
|
#
?
Apr 18, 2024 00:07
|
|
|
Zorilla posted:I've honestly been disappointed by the passthrough mode of just about everything except the demo unit AirPods Max I tried out at Best Buy briefly. Apple seems to be the only ones who can do this convincingly for the time being. Hmm, maybe I should consider a set of AirPods Max then. If the passthrough is noticeably better it's probably worth the extra price to me. Thanks for all the info; I'll do a bit more research and see if I can find some direct comparisons.
|
|
#
?
Apr 18, 2024 00:21
|
|
|
Helter Skelter posted:A small note on mic quality: Bluetooth mic quality is (near?) universally poo poo. This has nothing to do with build quality as the mics themselves are fine, but the audio quality gets murdered because bluetooth is very specifically terrible when mics are involved. See: every DankPods headphone review. Wade commenting on how cheap wired earbuds' microphones often surpass expensive, name brand Bluetooth headphones is a recurring theme in his videos. A lot of it has to do with headsets using aggressive noise reduction filters and limited sample rates for the microphone inputs. Setec_Astronomy posted:Hmm, maybe I should consider a set of AirPods Max then. If the passthrough is noticeably better it's probably worth the extra price to me. If over-ears isn't a hard requirement, you could save a ton of money by just going with AirPods Pro 2s instead since they also apparently do passthrough really well. Obviously, you're going to want at least one Apple device in your household in order to configure it and use "Find My" if necessary regardless of which one you go with.
|
|
#
?
Apr 18, 2024 01:51
|
|
|
Tried out the AirPods Max today. The passthrough is incredible; SO much better than the XM3's. Ordered a set when I got home.
|
|
#
?
Apr 19, 2024 08:23
|
|
|
Setec_Astronomy posted:Tried out the AirPods Max today. The passthrough is incredible; SO much better than the XM3's. Ordered a set when I got home. I’ve been tempted but I’m waiting to see if the update it with usb c
|
|
#
?
Apr 19, 2024 13:18
|
|
|
Setec_Astronomy posted:Tried out the AirPods Max today. The passthrough is incredible; SO much better than the XM3's. Ordered a set when I got home. They do look nice, and my AirPods Pro 2s have really impressed me. I hear a lot of grousing over the weight of the Max's though. I realise everyone here will have an enormous Goon head, but what's people experience with comfort/weight?
|
|
#
?
Apr 19, 2024 14:09
|
|
|
The Grumbles posted:They do look nice, and my AirPods Pro 2s have really impressed me. I hear a lot of grousing over the weight of the Max's though. I realise everyone here will have an enormous Goon head, but what's people experience with comfort/weight? I found them comfortable for hours and the weight wasn't much of an issue. Once the AirPods Pro 2s came out, I found they surpassed the Max's in noise-cancelling for me and were obviously a lot more portable, so I handed them off to a family member.
|
|
#
?
Apr 19, 2024 14:21
|
|
|
Dr. Fishopolis posted:Nah, get the 80 ohm version and the apple dongle will be more than enough. I'd also consider the AKGs if you find the beyerdynamic treble to be a bit much, it can be intense even on the DT770 which is the least "beyer treble" beyer. I ended up with the Artti T10 and Apple dongle, cannot believe what I have for less than $80. I was skeptical unpacking the T10s because they look and feel kinda cheap but they immersed me into Dune Part Two. Cable feels really nice but on the short side for me. While I'm more than happy with how things landed...still have an itch to try out the DT 770 Pro X. Really appreciate the help headphone thread
|
|
#
?
Apr 23, 2024 17:00
|
|
|
The level of audio quality you can get even for sub-$50 right now is absolutely crazy and it rules.
|
|
#
?
Apr 23, 2024 17:43
|
|
|
homeless posted:I ended up with the Artti T10 and Apple dongle, cannot believe what I have for less than $80. I was skeptical unpacking the T10s because they look and feel kinda cheap but they immersed me into Dune Part Two. Cable feels really nice but on the short side for me. yeah the driver in those is the same as the letshuoer S12 which is pretty legendary and twice the price, so i really don't mind the cheap-looking shells. i can't see em when they're in my ears anyway! the cable being very nice helps too. glad you're enjoying em!
|
|
#
?
Apr 23, 2024 18:24
|
|
|
njsykora posted:The level of audio quality you can get even for sub-$50 right now is absolutely crazy and it rules. even the samsung buds FE i got for $35 new is shockingly good and the convenience and usability is so top notch im pretty much stopped using my 3.5mm apple dongle + truthear red afterwards
|
|
#
?
Apr 24, 2024 02:31
|
|
|
has the ANC on earbuds surpassed headsets? took my WH1000XM4 for a vacation after a year in the closet and found its ANC to be worse than the Bose QC ultra earbuds i've always assumed headsets to do better at noise cancelling but is that not a thing anymore?
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2024 00:16
|
|
|
It's possible that the earbuds just fit you better. ANC requires a good seal for best results, so if your jaw, glasses, or ears interrupt the seal on over ears; it's definitely realistic to think that a pair of well-fitting earbuds would outperform headphones
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2024 00:28
|
|
|
Mr. Mercury posted:It's possible that the earbuds just fit you better. ANC requires a good seal for best results, so if your jaw, glasses, or ears interrupt the seal on over ears; it's definitely realistic to think that a pair of well-fitting earbuds would outperform headphones buds are much better from a convenience standpoint too my WH-1000XM3 i bought used for $70 is so cumbersome that its sitting dust after bringing it to my air trip last year, not to mention its godawful SUPERZ BASSZ tuning and the stock pads are awfully uncomfortable in a tropical climate
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2024 02:00
|
|
|
shrike82 posted:has the ANC on earbuds surpassed headsets? I have experience with the Bose QC Earbuds II (which as far as I can tell are exactly the same as the Ultras except for the lack of spatial audio support). The ANC is impressive, but it cheats a bit by giving you the impression that it's stronger than it is. When putting them in, it starts off in Aware mode at full strength, then transitions to maximum ANC for extra "wow" factor instead of just starting off in that mode. The adaptive nature of it also seems to back off the ANC strength after a couple minutes because I notice it is much stronger if I take out the buds, wait a couple seconds, and put them back in. Definitely some smoke and mirrors going on. In practice, they aren't much better at ANC than the Sony Linkbuds S I paid $50 for aside from not having to violate your ear holes the way they do to get a good seal for maximum ANC performance. Mr. Mercury posted:It's possible that the earbuds just fit you better. ANC requires a good seal for best results, so if your jaw, glasses, or ears interrupt the seal on over ears; it's definitely realistic to think that a pair of well-fitting earbuds would outperform headphones I'm not a glasses wearer, but the vinyl padding on the Bose QuietComfort series was soft and pliable enough to handle the chunky pair of anaglyph 3D glasses I had lying around when I tried them out of curiosity. ANC performance was hardly compromised at all. I'd imagine it's a similar story with the Sony XM3/XM4 as well because those pads are just as soft. I'm not sure about the XM5 since those feel more artificial and plasticky. Zorilla fucked around with this message at 04:08 on Apr 27, 2024 |
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2024 04:01
|
|
|
About three years ago, I bought the FiiO FD5 earbuds (after previously owning a different FIIO set which also lasted for three years), and now the left driver just died. Is there something comparable that can hold up to the shaking and ear sweat from regular workouts, or is three years a normal lifespan under those conditions?
|
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2024 04:47
|
|
|
Cockmaster posted:About three years ago, I bought the FiiO FD5 earbuds (after previously owning a different FIIO set which also lasted for three years), and now the left driver just died. Is there something comparable that can hold up to the shaking and ear sweat from regular workouts, or is three years a normal lifespan under those conditions? Honestly yeah, I'd get something much more durable and much less expensive to work out with.
|
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2024 05:25
|
|
|
Rec me some headphones, please! Budget: roughly $150 Source: desktop computer, wired, 3.5mm Intended use case: primarily gaming and watching video, very occasional video/audio editing Preferred features in rough order of priority • Comfortable for large head, ~26 inches wide. (NOT optional, I will go outside of budget if needed to ensure this!) • Usable with glasses. • Durable enough to survive an occasional three-foot drop onto carpet. • Cable on the left, to suit the physical constraints of my room, unless Windows 10 has an easy way to reverse stereo I'm not aware of. • Easily-cleanable surfaces • Audio at least tolerable
|
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2024 20:53
|
|
|
Captain Walker posted:Rec me some headphones, please! My recommendation is the same as it always seems to be here: Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO 80 ohm. They check every box (except maybe the first one because I'm not aware of any headphones that will accommodate Stewie Griffin proportions. I'm going to assume 26" was a typo. I come close to maxing out most headbands and I'm measuring 5.5" between earcups during wear). The cable/connector on the left earcup is pretty standardized and I think I've only seen one headphone that put it on the right (it was a wireless consumer model and I don't remember which one). The DT 770 is one of the few models that can be worn backwards if necessary because they don't angle the headband forward like most do. While they sound fantastic for the price and are very well suited to gaming and critical listing while editing, you may wish to apply a few dB of attenuation around the 10kHz band if you listed to a lot of music and are treble sensitive since these headphones have that characteristic Beyerdynamic peak in that region. Equalizer APO is the usual recommendation for this if you want system-wide EQ in Windows. These are $170 new, but can regularly be found new open box or Amazon Renewed for $135, or even cheaper used. Zorilla fucked around with this message at 21:28 on Apr 28, 2024 |
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2024 21:24
|
|
|
26" is a big head but not like, super abnormally so. dt770 should do just fine. also check out the akg k371 / 361.
|
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2024 21:35
|
|
|
Dr. Fishopolis posted:also check out the akg k371 / 361. Aren't these really finnicky about seal? These seem to do very poorly with glasses from everything I've read. They also have widespread issues with the headbands cracking, so they're a miss on durability as well.
|
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2024 21:48
|
|
|
Zorilla posted:Aren't these really finnicky about seal? These seem to do very poorly with glasses from everything I've read. They also have widespread issues with the headbands cracking, so they're a miss on durability as well. not from my personal experience, no. glasses will break the seal on every headphone, dt770 especially, unless it has exceptionally large and cushy pads. if you don't want to deal with that then use iems, or get an open back planar where it doesn't matter as much.
|
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2024 22:02
|
|
|
6XX is a good option for just a little more money. Mine have probably fallen from my desk to my floor uhhhh more times than I can count and they’re fine. They’re semi retired because I mostly use my LCD X now but they still get some use. Good all rounders good price. I have a large ish noggin (25) and they’re fine.
Dogen fucked around with this message at 22:12 on Apr 28, 2024 |
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2024 22:08
|
|
|
I did a quick test fit on my pair of DT 770s with glasses on before writing my recommendation just to be sure and found the sound profile to be completely identical to how they sounded without. Since these are designed with velour earpads in mind, they're much more tolerant than other headphones like, say, the ATH-M50X where experimenting with different, non-stock earpad materials and dimensions usually wrecks the isolation and sound profile. With earcups as large as they are on the DT 770, I think you're more likely to run into issues getting a seal around your jaw. Being circular instead of oval, the earcups are much wider than they need to be. This was a problem for my brother, who can't wear them for this reason. Dogen posted:6XX is a good option for just a little more money. Mine have probably fallen from my desk to my floor uhhhh more times than I can count and they’re fine. They’re semi retired because I mostly use my LCD X now but they still get some use. Good all rounders good price. I have a large ish noggin (25) and they’re fine. Closed backs are best suited to the use cases Captain Walker mentioned (gaming and editing) due to their their bass reproduction and isolation, but I wouldn't rule out a good set of open backs either. Zorilla fucked around with this message at 22:25 on Apr 28, 2024 |
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2024 22:22
|
|
|
Zorilla posted:Closed backs are best suited to the use cases Captain Walker mentioned (gaming and editing) due to their their bass reproduction and isolation. that's not remotely true. open backs usually have a more accurate and cleaner bass representation with fewer resonances, it's inherent to the design. if op is gaming and editing in a reasonably quiet room, they're a better option. i'd second the 6xx rec, check out the 560s for something with better subbass extension at the cost of slightly less magical vocals.
|
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2024 22:58
|
|
|
By bass reproduction, I should have specified "more of it", not necessarily better quality bass. Not that I'm sure it makes much of a difference if we're only talking about games. If he's listening to a lot of music, sure, but HD 6XXs are 300 ohm headphones, so now we have to start talking about amps/DACs to adequately drive them. I'm not sure that's a step he's willing to take or budget for. And with games, I generally find open backs to be pretty gutless unless I EQ the sub-bass back to somewhere close to the target curve. This may be fine, but if the OP is after a simple, plug-and-play solution, this may be one more strike against it. I haven't tried the 560S, but those and the HD 58X seem like good open back choices to try if you don't want to mess with DACs. Zorilla fucked around with this message at 23:27 on Apr 28, 2024 |
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2024 23:21
|
|
|
okay so a lot of things can drive 6xx, nobody really needs a separate DAC for much of anything and i think you're making a whole lot of assumptions about people that aren't warranted and seem to be based on your personal preferences? maybe ask what people are looking for instead. like, i get that you had that experience with whatever open back headphone you tried but it's not remotely universal.
|
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2024 23:37
|
|
|
Dr. Fishopolis posted:okay so a lot of things can drive 6xx, nobody really needs a separate DAC for much of anything and i think you're making a whole lot of assumptions about people that aren't warranted and seem to be based on your personal preferences? maybe ask what people are looking for instead. like, i get that you had that experience with whatever open back headphone you tried but it's not remotely universal. If you're accusing me of making recommendations to others based on my own preferences and experiences, I plead guilty, I guess? Open backs are great and I'm not trying to talk anybody out of buying anything outside my own personal recommendations, but I still think it's in the best interest of this thread to advise caution and present the drawbacks of going with any given option. If you're suggesting I ask what someone is looking for: the guy literally gave us a bulleted list. One of those items was a $150 budget. Obviously DACs and amps are not cheap and would wreck that budget pretty quickly if it turns out one is needed. Until Captain Walker gets back to us with more information, what he has told us already is all we have to go by. If he's lucky, maybe a DAC won't be necessary, but I generally find that roughly 1 in 5 headphone outputs have issues driving headphones far less demanding than HD 6XXs. For instance, the rear output on my PC struggles with my DT 770s and the sub-bass gets compromised, but the front output is almost overpowered and anything beyond 20% volume is uncomfortable. He may be fine directly plugged in, but it's a roll of the dice I'm not sure he would be comfortable with. Maybe you would consider that to be another unwarranted assumption of mine, but I think it would be reckless not to at least consider it. Zorilla fucked around with this message at 00:27 on Apr 29, 2024 |
|
#
?
Apr 29, 2024 00:19
|
|
|
A DAC isn't necessary in this day and age. There is something wrong with your computer, though, so that is one of the vanishingly small situations where it'd be warranted. Captain Walker posted:Rec me some headphones, please! Any Beyerdynamic headphones will fit this set of needs, but the DT 770 PRO is probably your best bet. Unless, of course, you want open backs, in which case the Massdrop x Sennheiser HD 6XX is good. Both have easy clean/repair options, and have velour pads that handle glasses well
|
|
#
?
Apr 29, 2024 02:10
|
|
|
edit: double post
Dr. Fishopolis fucked around with this message at 02:24 on Apr 29, 2024 |
|
#
?
Apr 29, 2024 02:22
|
|
|
Zorilla posted:If he's lucky, maybe a DAC won't be necessary, well he's very lucky, a dac isn't necessary. my issue isn't that you're giving recommendations based on your preferences, you're just saying stuff that's wrong. there are plenty of open backs with sub bass. nobody needs a dac.
|
|
#
?
Apr 29, 2024 02:24
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 29, 2024 19:08 |
|
|
Yeah it seems most modern PCs (motherboards) have decent enough audio that a DAC isn't needed. I've A/Bd several different motherboards with my D10 and can't tell the difference.(Granted I am a nobody) I only still use it because why not, and the stack looks nice.
|
|
#
?
Apr 29, 2024 02:49
|
|
