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The Official Headphone Thread 2.5: We're Making WAVs and Catching FLAC

Jay Sosa

Member
I'm not sure the isolation is gonna up to the standards you need, I gave you some good high isolating picks. I think the etymotics would have been best for you...

Yeah I know, but the build quality seems to be horrible..the other problem is that where I live most of your suggestions are not easy to get (except with horrendous shipping costs). I bought some double flanges I hope that will help with the isolation.

Wait a minute..didn't you list the Yamaha EPH-1000? I could get those for 60€...shhhhheit I hope I can cancel my other order.
 
The build quality thing is weird. I've had my Tenore for about a year now. They still function perfectly and look the same as when I got em /shrugs

I've had over engineered $1,000 IEMs that have failed on me, meanwhile my EarPods are the MOST abused pair of phones I've ever owned, and yet they still function perfectly fine. It just seems to be the luck of the draw really
 

Jay Sosa

Member
No doubt, plus everyone handles them differently. But I read a lot of complaints about the etymotics especially..and as someone who puts a lot of strain on his IEs (so far every pair I owned gave out on me after a year or so) they have to be at least somewhat durable.

I think I'll wait and see if the tenore's isolations is good enough and if not try the yamahas. Btw: do you know which foams fit? some say the tx200 some say the t400..
 
Same deal with Etymotics. I've had a pair of ER-6is that are like 10 years old that aside from discoloring, still function perfectly LOL. The thing about Etys is that they don't have any form of strain relief at the housing. That, and they really, actually look like they're built like shit (similar to Earsonics IEMs really). I think the only pair of IEMs that are actually engineered to address the issue of wear and tear are the Aurisonics Rockets, which are unfortunately, out of the price range of what your casual listener is willing to spend.

But yeah, sometimes freak incidents just occur no matter what. I had a pair of FX500s that I could swear were bullet proof that just suddenly gave out one day. My sister had a pair of Panasonic HJE900s that somehow just failed one day, even though those took replaceable cables. Years later, I'd come to understand that phones that utilize the MMCX cable termination are prone to failure. I also had a pair of K3003s that I babied like hell, still died on me. Had a pair of HiFiMan RE262s that somehow, inexplicably shorted out after one week of ownership. Sometimes shit just happens unfortunately.
 

HiResDes

Member
Yeah I know, but the build quality seems to be horrible..the other problem is that where I live most of your suggestions are not easy to get (except with horrendous shipping costs). I bought some double flanges I hope that will help with the isolation.

Wait a minute..didn't you list the Yamaha EPH-1000? I could get those for 60€...shhhhheit I hope I can cancel my other order.
Yeah the Yamaha have good isolation... You have to be okay with basically having in ear plugs with both those and etymotics.
 
It's honestly going to find another closed headphone that matches those soundstage expectations... NAD Viso hp50, AKG K553, and Focal Spirit Classic, and KEF M500 are all easy to drive closed headphones with fairly big soundstage though maybe not quite as wide.

what about something like the Shure 1540 or the MrSpeakers Alpha Dogs?
 
You're gonna want a better setup to drive the Alpha Dogs. The Shure might be a good pick too though.

hmmm.... well what about something like a Modi 2 and Magni 2 to drive them from the soundblaster? (it was recently suggested to me.)

The Shure could be driven by my equipment yes?
 
I believe so. Also I know they look funny, but the nad viso hp50 are also an incredible value.

no more than the wings i have been wearing all this time.

Well the Alpha Dogs seem like they are quickly moving out of my budget with the need for upgraded equipment. Maybe the shures or the NAD will be a good fit for me. Or just an upgrade to a higher end AT if they keep the same characteristics...
 

HiResDes

Member
no more than the wings i have been wearing all this time.

Well the Alpha Dogs seem like they are quickly moving out of my budget with the need for upgraded equipment. Maybe the shures or the NAD will be a good fit for me. Or just an upgrade to a higher end AT if they keep the same characteristics...
KEF M500 are godlike too, but might bore you if you don't favor a really balanced sound. They're probably the most comfortable on ears in existence too, so really portable. Those would be my three the NAD, Shure, and KEF.
 
KEF M500 are godlike too, but might bore you if you don't favor a really balanced sound. They're probably the most comfortable on ears in existence too, so really portable. Those would be my three the NAD, Shure, and KEF.

the KEF would definitely have to be a try before by. I despise on ears typically (except for clip ons...). I will have to check them out in case the other 2 don't work out though.
 

HiResDes

Member
the KEF would definitely have to be a try before by. I despise on ears typically (except for clip ons...). I will have to check them out in case the other 2 don't work out though.
Check out the Shure frequency graph, it's pretty similar to NAD, though obviously I think the Shure 1540 look way better and are a bit more comfortable.

LL
 

danthefan

Member
So guys, could anyone shed some light here please.

I got a pair of VModa XS recently. Overall I'm very happy with them, but when using the button on the cable along with my Xperia Z1 it essentially doesn't work most of the time. Like it often won't pause or restart playback, or answer a phone call. Would anyone know does this sound like an issue with the cable or with the phone?
 
So this ordeal with JH Audio just got even more infuriating:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/746964/jh-audio-layla-and-angie-head-fi-tv/1590#post_11557032

The crazy thing? That second pair sounds night and day better compared to my first. After two weeks with the first pair of Angie, my brain had somehow wrapped itself around the signature and it started sounding practically normal to me. UNTIL I compare it to a second set in which the channel imbalance would AGAIN become glaringly obvious. The sole silver lining in all of this is that the new Angie sounds god damned brilliant. It annoys me so very much that such a superb sounding phone comes out of a company that literally gives no fucks about quality control. It's practically like playing Russian roulette with JH. I'll be returning my pair though Astell and Kern and they'll be opening the box and snapping pics for me before I approve at least.
 
Check out the Shure frequency graph, it's pretty similar to NAD, though obviously I think the Shure 1540 look way better and are a bit more comfortable.

LL

well that's pretty interesting. Especially for the price difference.

Using the Shure 1540s right now and so far I am pretty happy with the sound, I have still yet to compare them to the NAD or the Alpha Dogs (hopefully my father has a headphone amp lying around for me to use). The soundstage feels smaller than the A900s but not in an apprecialbe way, and really the other characteristics are so much better I don't feel I am missing that aspect nearly as much as I thought I would.
 

Westonian

Member
I've had some Sennheiser HD280s for years now, but I want to get a DAC/AMP combo for portable listening. I'm looking at the Fiio E17K, but I'm not sure how to handle the connection to the amp from my iPhone. I imagine I'm better off letting the Fiio handle the DAC, so am I right in thinking I can just run a lightning to usb + usb to micro cable combination to run sound to the Fiio?
 

HiResDes

Member
Upgrade your headphones before you think about upping your source. As is you definitely don't need anything to power the rather efficient 280s. In fact even if you decide to upgrade their are tons of efficient options. Why get worry about a portable AMP/DAC if there are better headphones that will sound just fine right out of the iPhone.
 

Kermy

Member
Long time reader, first time poster...

Anyone know of any IEMs (custom or universal) that has the same sound as the NAD HP50?
 

Dead

well not really...yet
Picked up the Momentum M2s today:


They'll be replacing my B&W P7s. I originally wanted the Momentum's but the small ear cup size made them a no go. The new ones sound phenomenal, hitting the heights of the P7s in terms of highs and mids, but with a more pronounced bass performance without going over the top. Incredibly well balanced. And they redesigned the ear cups so that they can now fit over the ear, you know like its supposed to, and compared to the P7s they are much lighter, so more comfortable. Only downside is they removed the pivoting 3.5 jack, which was a neat idea.

Highly recommended.They were about $350
 

Tommy DJ

Member
The crazy thing? That second pair sounds night and day better compared to my first. After two weeks with the first pair of Angie, my brain had somehow wrapped itself around the signature and it started sounding practically normal to me. UNTIL I compare it to a second set in which the channel imbalance would AGAIN become glaringly obvious. The sole silver lining in all of this is that the new Angie sounds god damned brilliant. It annoys me so very much that such a superb sounding phone comes out of a company that literally gives no fucks about quality control. It's practically like playing Russian roulette with JH. I'll be returning my pair though Astell and Kern and they'll be opening the box and snapping pics for me before I approve at least.

The funny thing is that these sort of issues are way too common in the headphone industry. Literally every Beyerdynamic headphone that isn't part of their ancient DT series literally sounds different from the next. Same goes for Audeze headphones until very recently (?). There should be an expectation that a product at pretty much any moderately high price point should have the raw basics done competently. I'm glad you're making a fuss about it because some people probably wouldn't notice some of these issues like channel imbalance and wouldn't put these guys in the spotlight for being so shit.

Sort of why impressions without measurements are sort of unreliable at times. Two people can say completely different things yet be completely right. Its not because of subjectivity but rather the products themselves have so little quality control that they actually are different.
 

Ullus

Member
Heads up if you are planing to buy the Philips Fidelio X1, I'm on my third pair and all of them have the same problem where the pillows leaves behind colour on white surfaces.

Pictures here.
 

HiResDes

Member
Heads up if you are planing to buy the Philips Fidelio X1, I'm on my third pair and all of them have the same problem where the pillows leaves behind colour on white surfaces.

Pictures here.

Yeah it's a known problem. You should probably get the X2 if you're even considering them or another pair though. I actually don't even think it's that big of a deal.
 

Ullus

Member
Yeah it's a known problem. You should probably get the X2 if you're even considering them or another pair though. I actually don't even think it's that big of a deal.

Probably gonna keep them, love the sound and i can just place them on a stand. So like you said, it's not really that big of a deal.
 

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
Reaaaaaaallly tempted to go for the vmoda m100 over the sennheiser momentums. Kinda feeling like having a bass can.
 

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
That's what I'm trying to decide right now. I'm kind of leaning towards the m100 but I can get the momentums 1.0 for a $100 less.

edit: oh whoops, looks like the ones I were looking at are the on-ear ones.

edit2: And now I'm super tempted to get in on the K553 massdrop even though I already have a K551.

Someone drag me away from this hobby pls. ;_;
 

Sesuadra

Unconfirmed Member
That's what I'm trying to decide right now. I'm kind of leaning towards the m100 but I can get the momentums 1.0 for a $100 less.

edit: oh whoops, looks like the ones I were looking at are the on-ear ones.

edit2: And now I'm super tempted to get in on the K553 massdrop even though I already have a K551.

Someone drag me away from this hobby pls. ;_;

your avatar makes me so sad I have tears in my eyes ;_;...

but to something more joyful TODAY MY FORZA AUDIOWORKS CABLES ARRIVED, huzzaaaah.

the one on the Philips Fidelio X2 is a half silver half copper Hybrid Series HPC Cable and ViaBlue 3,5mm jack with length 1,5m and the one on the Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 i over ear is a Copper Series HPC Mk2 Cable with multifilament sleeve and ViaBlue 3,5mm jack length 1,25m.

I wanted cables that have a good quality, especially the one for the sennheiser needed to be sturdy. I use those headphones everyday and throw them in my bag without thinking twice most of the time...the fidelio I use on my desk while studying ^_^

 

HiResDes

Member
That's what I'm trying to decide right now. I'm kind of leaning towards the m100 but I can get the momentums 1.0 for a $100 less.

edit: oh whoops, looks like the ones I were looking at are the on-ear ones.

edit2: And now I'm super tempted to get in on the K553 massdrop even though I already have a K551.

Someone drag me away from this hobby pls. ;_;
The K553 and K551 are really gonna sound exactly the same from all reports. The Momentum 1.0 over ear don't cover most people's ears and don't forget sound as good as the new version. So I'd definitely pick the M100 or P7 over them if those are on the table, but if you can afford the new Momentums definitely go with those unless you mainly listen to hard Rock and metal.
 

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
I know the K553 is the same, but it's so cheap on massdrop!

I think I'm going to cool my head though and search for deals for a few weeks. If I can get the Momentums for less than $150 I'll go for it but otherwise I'll go for the vmodas.
 

FoxSpirit

Junior Member
your avatar makes me so sad I have tears in my eyes ;_;...

but to something more joyful TODAY MY FORZA AUDIOWORKS CABLES ARRIVED, huzzaaaah.


the one on the Philips Fidelio X2 is a half silver half copper Hybrid Series HPC Cable and ViaBlue 3,5mm jack with length 1,5m and the one on the Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 i over ear is a Copper Series HPC Mk2 Cable with multifilament sleeve and ViaBlue 3,5mm jack length 1,25m.

I wanted cables that have a good quality, especially the one for the sennheiser needed to be sturdy. I use those headphones everyday and throw them in my bag without thinking twice most of the time...the fidelio I use on my desk while studying ^_^
If you are investing this much into cables, get rid of the Dragonfly asap and change to a GeekOut. That thing is measured garbage compared to everything else you can buy.
http://mustgeekout.blogspot.co.at/2013/09/geek-vs-others-v2.html

Still happy with my MDR-1A, if I ever upgrade it would be to high end, everything else appears to be only sidegrades at this point.
 

HiResDes

Member
Added these to the OP, they seem pretty cool and are getting a bunch of good reviews:

LL
LL
LL


ljokerl of headfi said:
Frequency Response: 20-20,000 Hz | Impedance: 32 Ω | Sensitivity: 100 dB SPL/1mW
Form factor: on-ear / over-the-ear | Space-Saving Mechanism: Collapsible
Cord: detachable dual entry (2.5mm connectors), 4.5ft (1.4m) length, 1-button remote and mic
Accessories: hard carrying case, soft pouch, airplane adapter, ¼ (6.3mm) adapter, and two sets of earpads


Build Quality (9.5/10): The Xiaomi Mi Headphones are quite unique in that they can be converted from supraaural (on-ear) to circumaural (over-ear) by simply swapping between the two sets of factory-supplied earpads, which twist to lock in place. The earcups are machined aluminum with metal mesh grilles, and have a decidedly Grado-like aesthetic – except that metal Grados cost upwards of $250. The earpads are of excellent quality and there is ample padding on the headband as well. Hinges below the headband allow the Mi Headphones to collapse for storage and transport.



The cord is detachable, but dual-sided, with a recessed 2.5mm connector on each earcup. It is well-made – TPE above the y-split and nylon-sheathed below. The y-split is also where the microphone and single-button remote control are located. One minor issue I found is that during active use, the cloth-covered bottom portion of the cable carries microphonics (cable noise) into the microphone, which can affect voice transmission quality for the other party.



On the whole, the Mi Headphones are well-made all around - many of the parts are metal, and those that aren't are made of heavy plastics, giving the headphones a very solid feel. What impressed me even more, though, is the superb attention to detail – for instance, the cable connectors have raised L/R markings, but there's also color-coding on both the connectors and their jackets, as well as the corresponding jacks on the headphones. The inclusion of both a hard zippered case and soft pouch is welcome, too.


Comfort (8.5/10): The soft padding on the earcups and headband, together with moderate clamping force and pivoting earcups, make the Mi Headphones comfortable for hours in on-ear mode – more so than, for instance, the V-Moda M-80 or Sennheiser HD25. The over-ear pads are large enough to be fully circumaural, but may be a touch shallow for large ears. Still, for a portable headphone, they are among the best I’ve tried.


Isolation (7/10): The Mi Headphones are designed to look like open headphones, but the grilles are largely decorative. Inside, the earcups are heavily damped and more akin to semi-open - or maybe even closed - headphones. Combined with the soft, well-sealing on-ear pads, this leads to very decent noise isolation and low leakage. They may not be the perfect set to use at the library, but for everyday applications they are equivalent to small closed-back headphones.


Sound (7.5/10): The two different pad options of the Mi Headphones change more than just the fit and look of the headphones – swapping the pads also changes the sound pretty drastically. The on-ear pads have a bassier sound with a more pronounced “v-shape”, meaning the bass and treble sound elevated compared to the midrange. This tuning is punchy and fun, and easily competes with consumer-class on-ears like the original Beats by Dre Solo and the Monster DNA On-Ear.



The over-ear pads provide a less bassy sound, reducing both impact and depth compared to the on-ear configuration. Bass bloat is also diminished slightly. Perhaps the over-ear option was tuned for less bass on purpose, in order to compete with more balanced, higher-end full-size headphones. In any case, the lower bass emphasis draws more attention to the forward upper mids and prominent lower treble of the Mi Headphones, so the over-ear tuning ends up sounding like a more neutral Monster DNA PRO – not that the $280 Monster flagship is poor company for Xiaomi’s freshman headphone effort.



The v-shaped sound signature of the Mi Headphones means they have more bass punch and power compared to flat/reference sets. For instance, there is more of both depth and impact compared to the Sennheiser HD428 and HD429 (much more with the Mi Headphones in on-ear mode). It’s definitely not a basshead level of slam and rumble, but casual listeners won't be left wanting for bass.



The punchy bass of the Mi Headphones gives them a warmer tone and more full-bodied sound compared to sets like the Sennhesier HD428, but also a little less clarity. The mids of the HD428 – and other flatter headphones – seem more forward in comparison, thanks to lack of bass and treble emphasis. Clarity is similar to the V-Moda M-80, though the M-80 is even warmer, smoother, and more forgiving (significantly more expensive, too). In over-ear mode, the Mi Headphones lose some of that warmth as the upper midrange/lower treble emphasis becomes more audible.



At the top, the Mi Headphones can be a tiny bit harsh, especially compared to notably smooth-sounding sets such as the M-80. Even the similarly-priced HD429 can sound more refined, albeit less lively and dynamic. However, the treble energy does help the Mi Headphones maintain a solid all-around presentation for an on-ear portable headphone – neither too forward nor too laid-back, and no more congested than the M-80.


...I really like the design and ability to change from over-ear to on-ear
 

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
Xiaomi has been crushing it for awhile now. Really like my xiaomi pistons.

Also depending on how things pan out I think I might go for the Kef M500s. So the options I'm thinking off right now are the VModa M100, the Kef M500 and the Sennheiser momentums, with the preference going M500 > M100 > Momentums.
 

HiResDes

Member
K500 are not bassy at all if that's what you're looking for. They might be too similar to your AKG 551s honestly. I'd be considering the Sony MDR-1A as well if I were you.
 

andylsun

Member
If you are investing this much into cables, get rid of the Dragonfly asap and change to a GeekOut. That thing is measured garbage compared to everything else you can buy.
http://mustgeekout.blogspot.co.at/2013/09/geek-vs-others-v2.html

Still happy with my MDR-1A, if I ever upgrade it would be to high end, everything else appears to be only sidegrades at this point.

Stereophile also found high THD when the dragonfly was at full output but reducing the output by a couple of ticks brought the THD right down.

I would have thought 4% THD would clearly be audible.

http://www.stereophile.com/content/audioquest-dragonfly-usb-da-converter-measurements
 

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
K500 are not bassy at all if that's what you're looking for. They might be too similar to your AKG 551s honestly. I'd be considering the Sony MDR-1A as well if I were you.

Huh, weird, from reports it sounds pretty similar from what people are saying about the momentums, with a warm, mid-bass tilt and slightly rolled treble.
 

FoxSpirit

Junior Member
Stereophile also found high THD when the dragonfly was at full output but reducing the output by a couple of ticks brought the THD right down.

I would have thought 4% THD would clearly be audible.

http://www.stereophile.com/content/audioquest-dragonfly-usb-da-converter-measurements
It is. People called it "bright and a bit harsh" for that reason.
But yeah, simply shows how audible distortion is to people. Hell, if I hadn't heard better the Clip+ sounds mighty fine.
Also, I might add those values are into 100kOhm, so 0 load. They should have done that with 100 Ohm and 200mW output, I wanna see what this little devil produces then.

Get a GeekOut1000 and be happy.
 

andylsun

Member
It is. People called it "bright and a bit harsh" for that reason.
But yeah, simply shows how audible distortion is to people. Hell, if I hadn't heard better the Clip+ sounds mighty fine.
Also, I might add those values are into 100kOhm, so 0 load. They should have done that with 100 Ohm and 200mW output, I wanna see what this little devil produces then.

Get a GeekOut1000 and be happy.

Looks like the Dragonfly v1.2 may have fixed it. That's the version I have.

http://archimago.blogspot.com/2014/08/measurements-audioquest-dragonfly-v12.html

Edit: I have access to some schiit, HRT and tascam DACs so time for some A-B testing. When I tried my dragonfly against the schiit fulla through headphones (not at max volume) I couldn't tell any difference.
 
Any prospective geek out buyers should wait it out for V2. It's supposed to be even better than V1 SE, and offers a balanced DAC if you're into that. The Pirates at Changstar seem to be really impressed, most of them thought it crushed the HUGO TT ( I was never impressed by the Chord stuff TBH) Preorder pricing is $225. Should crush everything in the $500 and under range If the GO V1's performance is anything to go by.
 

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
Yeah but I'd be using those at home anyway so whatever.

Actually sounds like they're similar to the Alessandro ms1 i had which I mostly got rid of because grado pads are the most scratchy, uncomfortable things imaginable. I would be into a more comfortable one of those.
 

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
I just talked about those, they're pretty good, but nothing like the X2/X1....More balanced, treble forward, sporting less bass and a smaller soundstage. They sound more like grades and aren't nearly as warm.

Yeah that was the impression I got reading reviews. Honestly like that sort of aggressive signature, but grados have such terrible pads. Hard, scratchy foam that just irritates your ears.

Sound stage has honestly never been big of a selling point to me. As long as the instrument separation is good I don't see the appeal of big sound stages, especially for the type of music I listen to.
 

HiResDes

Member
Yeah that was the impression I got reading reviews. Honestly like that sort of aggressive signature, but grados have such terrible pads. Hard, scratchy foam that just irritates your ears.

Sound stage has honestly never been big of a selling point to me. As long as the instrument separation is good I don't see the appeal of big sound stages, especially for the type of music I listen to.
I don't get why you'd get them off of Massdrop though when they cost less than five dollars more on Amazon and will get shipped much faster...
 

andylsun

Member
Sennheiser IE80's are on amazon (shipped and sold by amazon) for $257 down from $449. That's awfully tempting. IEM's are the only headphone I don't have a good quality pair of (Sony Ericsson MH1's are great, but the cable is appalling)
 
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