audio-tech

[cosmic wraith]

Meze

[lean grove]

Cracker bargle

[livid ruin]

hifim

[frosty ocean]

https://image.email.sel.sony.com/lib/fe8b12737d63067577/m/1/US_FY24_PE_Headphones-Announcement_090624_11.jpg

Oh shit! They say Professional on them!

[wise bane]

what is a cheap but acceptable mic for less than 50 usd, preferably around 25 usd?

My cheap ass usb mic is dying (after a long life RIP)

I would also like to have a physical mute button if possible

[lean grove]

Fifine am 8 with a boom arm

[frosty ocean]

Playstation Eye. $5

[molten lotus]

Hey guys! What's a good USB to 3.5mm adapter for a Pixel 6a? I used the Ugreen one but it seems to kill any and all bass, it sounds almost too harsh.

The apple one doesn't work either

it's too quiet

[neat wolf]

What's a good pair of wireless earbuds right now? My budget is around a $100 and I've been using a WH-1000XM3 for the past 3 years now, and got a Nothing Phone 2a - so was considering the Ear(a) since that has decent quality for the price. But I'm still confused on if there are better options that are cheaper....

[molten lotus]

What's your priority? Sound quality/NC/Mic?

[neat wolf]

audio quality mainly, then battery life, and the other features like NC/dual pairing/etc

[molten lotus]

then yeah I think your best choices are Nothing A or the Oneplus Buds 3

if you like bass then the Oneplus

I would have recommended the Sony C700N but the battery life on that may be tricky

That's what I have right now

it sounds fantastic but the ANC is very weak

[neat wolf]

I'd prefer if they had a stem based design

[molten lotus]

Then yeah Oneplus Buds 3 or Nothing Ear A

Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC is an option too, but from what I hear the sound could be better.

[neat wolf]

the Ear(a) costs around $30 more than the OnePlus Buds, does it have any upsides compared to the OnePlus? One would surely be better integration with a Nothing phone... also is there an EQ for the OnePlus?

[molten lotus]

yes there's an EQ

integration is mostly irrelevant with these buds

these two options specifically I mean

[neat wolf]

Got it yeah thats true

[molten lotus]

I almost bought the Oneplus myself

[lean grove]

https://tenor.com/view/nuts-anton-cigurh-no-country-for-old-men-gif-27499167

[molten lotus]

but I decided to cut back on spending and resist all my temptations hahaha

[molten lotus]

someone's got a take

inb4 someone starts pushing for IEMs

[lean grove]

Take a look at the qudelix 5k.

[neat wolf]

Okay I have one last question: would either the OnePlus or Ear(a) be comparable to AirPods Pros?

[molten lotus]

I could use something more portable and less bulky

more like the usual Apple or Ugreen dongles

[molten lotus]

Honestly can't answer that, never owned Airpods

[lean grove]

How is it not portable enough

It's the size of a mini candy bar

The disappointingly small ones

[molten lotus]

yeah but connected to my phone and on the bus it would be bulky hanging right out of my pocket

the dongle ones look like an extension of the wire

either way, thanks for the recommendation, I'll look into it

[lean grove]

It's Bluetooth

Put it in any pocket you want

[molten lotus]

forgive my ignorance, but doesn't Bluetooth defeat the whole point? The main idea behind wired buds is not having to charge anything and to have a direct connection?

doesn't Bluetooth also limit the data transfer in terms of audio?

[lean grove]

You can use it wired too.

And yes it does, in theory

In practice unless you're using lossless audio it's not gonna matter since streaming is gonna add its own compression anyways

And if you're out and about are you really gonna be able to tell the difference between lossless audio and lossy audio when there's cars driving by or people talking or you're riding the train

[molten lotus]

true

thanks for the info then!

Much appreciated!

I'll add it to my list of options

[cosmic wraith]

?

[tired crown]

whats a good 150 +/- interface for a q2u

i would like it to be as simple as possible

[haughty girder]

No interface is the best interface for Q2u

[tired crown]

wdym

it sounds 1000x beyyer with xlr

[warm scarab]

no?

[tired crown]

all the sound tests ive heard its really bad with usb

[warm scarab]

grab an um2

[rain urchin]

Guys how do I test my new earbuds?

[elder mural]

Listen to whatever your are intending to listen to

[haughty girder]

^

[jovial cliff]

Just looking for suggestions. I have a pair of Audio Technicas that have their silly lock on them. Anyway, Ive had issues with the default wires just stiffing up and becoming hard/brittle which lead the solder joints failing eventually . Tried the cheapo Chinese braided ones which work on not stiffing up but quickly fail at the same point (headset aux solder joint) So.. I guess Im looking for a good braided aux cable

[wintry mirage]

it also has a buzz when it's on now and it wasn't like this yesterday

does anyone know what could be causing this noise when adjusting the volume

I haven't actually used it since yesterday and it was fine then

ive tried the lfe in and line in

tried both phases

its less than a month old

is this something i should use my warranty for

[steel escarp]

The sound you're hearing when rotating the volume knob on your subwoofer is likely due to dirty or worn contacts inside the potentiometer (the component behind the volume knob). This issue is commonly referred to as "scratchy potentiometer" noise.

The most straightforward fix is to use a contact cleaner spray (such as DeoxIT). Spray a small amount into the potentiometer (behind the volume knob) and rotate the knob several times to clean the contacts.

If the amplifier's circuit design is sensitive or has degraded, electrical noise from the potentiometer’s movement can be picked up and amplified, creating a wind-like or brushing sound.

I don't think it should be happening on a new product @wintry mirage

[wintry mirage]

should I just take it back

it only happened after I plugged in my new coax cable

I changed back to the old cable and the issue still exists

I made sure it was unplugged when I did

it also has a slight buzz that wasn't there before even when not using the volume

[wintry mirage]

the coax doesn't actually work I just checked

[wintry mirage]

the actual sub works fine its just the coax input and the volume

[raw loom]

If i have my speakers above my monitors, would i be committing an audio atrocity?

[lean grove]

The volume knob is normal for anything using a cheap potentiometer. If it's only a problem when you're adjusting the volume then it's not gonna be a problem for 99% of the time.

As for the coax, that might be an issue if you plan on using coax.

[true egret]

Connected my earbud via bluetooth, sound doesnt work it still use laptop speaker but i can use the earbud to play and pause video. I tried to set it as output but unfortunately it maybe doesnt recognise it as output device. Any idea what happened?

[wintry mirage]

i dont really care about using it but it would just be nice to use sub out on my amp

i rarely touch the volume so idk i dont think its an issue

but its under warranty still i could see if i can get it fixed

[wintry mirage]

ignoring the sub issues my new speakers sound good

[warm scarab]

what did you get

[wintry mirage]

cant remember the model but i have a pic of the box

[warm scarab]

tf are these

[wintry mirage]

i dont think its well known

[warm scarab]

yeah ive never heard of them

[wintry mirage]

sounds better than my old speakers

they get loud enough too which i didnt expect

considering they are replacing 4 speakers which were the same size

they are rated really well online and i was in a store when i bought them

they have a demo room and i used them on a £5000 amp

i know the guys who work there and they know whats good usually

i was going to buy something from a brand i know but these did sound better in the demo room

the amp they use is a cambridge audio edge A

it looks like an apple product

[gentle quiver]

What could i buy to strip my aux to rca cable so that i use it for a amp. And do i need anything special to change the awg12 end bit so that it can go in my speaker and amp

[wise bane]

what is a cheap but acceptable mic for less than 50 usd, preferably around 25 usd?

[warm scarab]

in what conditions do you need to strip an rca for an amplifier

like there is a good reason why rca is not stripped on one end

[gentle quiver]

Wdym what conditions. The amp gets connected by the copper part of the wire so the aux side of the cable is useless for it

[warm scarab]

your amplifier outputs to speakers from the rca ports?

[gentle quiver]

Well no the rca to aux cables are for sub. The speakers ill buy soon and want to make sure i got everything to connect them to amp with sub

[frosty ocean]

"aux" means...3.5mm?

it really depends on the sub, and if the Sub is for LFE channel, or just supllement to range

what model amp?

[stoic jewel]

idk if this is the right place but for somereason my audio has an absurd amount of bass, it is a new pc thats had 100 problems all of which have been fixed (hopefully) just this one remaining if anyone has any ideas it would be much appreciated!

im just using a headset if that helps

[spark phoenix]

I wanted to buy some new earbuds, preferably the new airpod pros 2. My cousin said not to buy those due to the fact the later down the line I would start to get stuck in the apple ecosystem, I wanted to buy them due to the fact that they had pretty good tracking of individual earbuds and of the case and all of the other features that come with it (noise canceling, transparancy mode, etc etc). Instead he gave me a recommendation for some nothing earbuds, at the same time with the new airpods coming out, I can wait until the prices drop for the second gen. My point is what should I do?

[lean grove]

APP2 are pretty good. you can use them with android and windows, but with two ceveats.

1. you cant change the settings. personally i just went to walmart and used an ipad there in the tech section to change the settings and never touched em again.
2. no battery life status. this one is just annoying to circumvent. you can use an app and it will just have it as a notification.

so if those arent dealbreakers, get the APP2

to my knowledge theres not any better TWS out there.

all things considered

[spark phoenix]

and tws is?

nvm

[lean grove]

Truly WirelesS

[spark phoenix]

thx

[lean grove]

or that

[spark phoenix]

yeah lmao

[spark phoenix]

should i wait till after the airpod pros 4 drop tho?

[lean grove]

APP4?

you mean 3?

[spark phoenix]

yup

3, 4

same thing

actually wait

i take that back

i mean because of the airpods 3

those ones

[lean grove]

the pros are the ones you want

[spark phoenix]

i know

[lean grove]

but should you wait? idk. the airpods pro 2 are good as they are now

[spark phoenix]

the silicone cover makes it so noise canceling can actually work

[lean grove]

and that they actually have bass

[spark phoenix]

im saying for possible price drop

[lean grove]

¯_(ツ)_/¯

[spark phoenix]

kho

[lean grove]

see if there was a price drop of the APP 1 after the APP2 came out

and expect the same

[spark phoenix]

aight

my only reason im asking

that might actually be a good buy

but if anyone else wants to give me some recommendations

[spark egret]

could someone help me with my headset?

i bought the hyperx stinger 2 and audio quality is fricking terrible when im using the mic and sound spliter and the mic doesent even work

[sleek lily]

Just get a proper headphone and desk mic

[spark egret]

Knew someone would say sth like that.. idc all that much tbh i just wanted sum decent for the price and its terrible.

[elder thistle]

have you tried the headset without connecting the mic

and on the green jack on your motherboard, with the splitter connected

[spark egret]

When u dont use splitter sound is alr but with is bad

[spark egret]

I did that too

And i hsve weird glitch on mic

When im speaking it doesent work but when i play some video or song it plays thst song on mic

Iykwim

[elder thistle]

honestly it could be a wiring defect in the headset

though it would take a lot more troubleshooting to determine that with certainty

mic should not interfere with headphone's sound. failed soldering and wires touching things they shouldn't / not touching things they should is a common way that this happens

[spark egret]

I JUST BOUGHT THEM😭

I got some code

Btw

[elder thistle]

it is the way of the dud

I would try it on another pc and then return it as defective if it has the same issue

[spark egret]

Ion have another pc

[spark egret]

Will phone work

[elder thistle]

yes that should be fine

[spark egret]

Alrr

yeah the mic is f#cked

atleast sound is now decent

its not

[spark egret]

bro wth is wrong with theese headphones

i plugged them back in motherboard and they working just fine now???

the mic sounds kinda quiet tho

[merry hill]

Desperate for someone to point me in the right direction please.

I have a Yamaha RXV4A AV receiver. It fully supports 5.1 and when I use my ps5 through hdmi pass through it works perfectly. But when I play anything on my pc (hdmi from GPU to AV receiver) it only passes through stereo audio. When I select 5.1 on this menu it automatically jumps back to stereo. Please someone put me out of my misery here, I don't get it 😭

[weak kraken]

as much as people are rightfully making fun of the airpods max update it is enough for my needs—i just needed that lightning port gone

couple oddities i noticed on the store tho: the smart case is gone, the lightning max's earcups are listed separately and as incompatible with the USB-C's, and there is no USB-C to 3.5mm cable like there is a lightning to 3.5mm cable

apparently the apple USB-C to 3.5mm adapter is bidirectional tho wtf

all that leaves now is finding out whether there's latency when plugging them into aux with ANC off...

[sleek lily]

Did a pretty cool mod that fixed up high pitched sounds on lucky 65

I wanted to reinforce the stock plate so I tensioned a andesite copper foil sheet on then cut out all the holes with an exacto knife then put a sheet of the same thing (with painters tape between them because it's conductive on the sticky side too)

[haughty girder]

wrong chat...?

[sleek lily]

Actually yea lol

M ant to post in #peripherals

[weak kraken]

[unique wind]

$1k for a dac is so crazy

[sleek lily]

Meh, $1k for a DAC at new pricing isn't too bad but if it is their usual spammed design again just in a new chassis it's probably not worth it

Yea, like this doesn't look like a $1k dac

Looks like a $100 DAC power delivery shared with 2 $100 DAC chips and 1 $100 DAC output stage

I also doubt having 2 of the same DAC chips instead of 1 does anything

So the 1 thing that at least looking at it differentiates it it from a $100 DAC is probably doing nothing other than wasting resources

I also don't get marketing it on using discrete components

Only way it could have fewer discrete components would be using a chip amp for the output

Which I can't even say it doesn't cause they covered it

[unique wind]

yeah i’m not sure why they even made this thing

it’s a waste of resources (both material and human time)

the cheaper d70 pro dac is better

[warm scarab]

they needed to sell d70s but earn several times the money

[unique wind]

sounds about right

when the a70/d70 pros came out i was wondering how they could possibly one up themselves with a new 90 series

the answer is they can’t

xd

[lean grove]

How do you sell measurebait when you max out a apx555

[white gate]

https://wadax.eu/reference/

This is $160,000 😛

[unique wind]

100lb $160k dac xddddd

i’d love to see how that measures

[white gate]

I'd be very curious too

Though Wadax actually does have SOME reasoning for costing an insane amount. They're one of the only DAC manufacturers using actual custom silicon rather than an FPGA, Discrete circuit or OEM chip

Developing an ASIC is NOT cheap

[steel escarp]

weight: 1000kg

welp

I guess I die

[lean grove]

Grey you might not know this but most of the civilized world uses a . To signify decimals

[steel escarp]

we don't in the netherlands

we use , for that

but I guess you have a good point

but why include 3 decimals?

I will forget I ordered this headphone and see it arrive in 2 weeks

and then EQ it to death

idc if its shit, bc its 170 after taxes and shipping

[tribal oxide]

do you guys know any reliable headphone review sites besides rtings

[lean grove]

Headphones.com has a YouTube channel and a blog and they're pretty reliable.

[fathom condor]

could anyone recommend me a good pair of either iems or headphones? budget would be around 200 usd

[livid ruin]

magnetz

[livid ruin]

what kind of usage? music, gaming?

[fathom condor]

mix of both really

[livid ruin]

hd560s preferably the old version with a 1.8m cable, hd 6xx, he400se or sundara (if you find a pair at $200), uhh

[sleek lily]

Basically have a perfect he6 clone now besides the trace being 60 ohms instead of 50

[sleek lily]

Id take he560v4 over all those tbh

[livid ruin]

which headphone

[sleek lily]

Better generalist than all of them and specifically over 6xx and the modern 600/650 even wins in timbre

Falls behind the black silk versions though

[livid ruin]

out of stock at the $170 price

[sleek lily]

6xx would still be better for pure vocal listening though

[lean grove]

https://youtu.be/eOXCEsTyv7s

[sleek lily]

Did it sell out?

[lean grove]

https://tenor.com/view/spongebob-how-many-times-do-we-need-to-teach-you-old-man-slow-thick-gif-12272188

[livid ruin]

i’m not sure about the v4’s i know fr isn’t everything but that 3.5k is too much

[lean grove]

They're pretty mid.

Standard hifiman experience which is shockingly cheap and unsurprisingly the same.

[sleek lily]

Here's how they measure

They're basically standard hifiman late ear gain tuning

They are kinda like taking a 560s and doubling its stage and imaging performance, giving it pretty similar timbre to modern 6x0 but still worse than old ones, and giving it more impact but similar dynamics

Layers much much better too

And I'd say stage is more circular on it

Where 560s struggles more in rear stage

[livid ruin]

i’d personally just take he400se’s over them

[sleek lily]

Why?

400se are much worse

[livid ruin]

they’re 1/2 the price and not that different

[sleek lily]

They're literally nothing alike...

In design or sound

[livid ruin]

both have the 2k drop

[sleek lily]

Almost all hifiman are tuned for late ear gain

Would you say susvara and 400se are basically the same

[livid ruin]

no, but that 2k drop does make them sound a bit off

[sleek lily]

what hifimans have you used?

400se sounds off cause its 400se

not cause its tonality

all that late ear gain does is amke tracks sound less busy

if anything it can for some tracks make them less fatiguing

[livid ruin]

just the 400se

[sleek lily]

yea, its not a tonality thing

its just 400se is an off sounding can

which tbf it is what its priced for

[lean grove]

You should take what you currently have over a similarly costing minor improvement yes

[sleek lily]

nils, he560v4 sounds nothing like 400se

stop playing dumb

[lean grove]

They're both hifimans

[sleek lily]

also you didnt just drop into the convo 2 seconds ago and read everything with an eye closed and out of order

kvetinky isnt buying he560v4

[lean grove]

Nor should he

[sleek lily]

we are discussing a headphone for someone else

[livid ruin]

welp, he cannot buy it anyway

[lean grove]

Thank God

[livid ruin]

it’s no longer 170 bucks

[lean grove]

Liquidation finally ended?

[livid ruin]

out of stock

[sleek lily]

@lean grove have you heard he560v4?

[lean grove]

Yes. Like I said it's mid.

[sleek lily]

describe how it compares to a random headphone

[lean grove]

🦍

[sleek lily]

any random headphone

to be clear all the he560 are not the same

[livid ruin]

welp, mid in the audiophile space or mid as mid

[sleek lily]

incase youre having that misconception ive seen a few people make

[lean grove]

I had a 560v1 and it was pretty good but the cable sucked.

The v4 is laughably worse

And somehow the cable is still shit but in new ways

[sleek lily]

he560v4 is basically a stealth v1

same trace and structure but stealth magnets

[livid ruin]

yeah, i wonder why did and why does hifiman put such meh cables with those headphones

[sleek lily]

its probably the closest design to original

[lean grove]

Despite being built like a plastic toy and being overtly thin sounding

[sleek lily]

they likely are just designing them to be rugged to avoid needing to replace them

[lean grove]

Rugged

[sleek lily]

rather than to be premium

[lean grove]

My guy the cable slips out of whatever I plug it in

It's not sized correctly. The 3.5 mm is slipping out of everything I plug it into

Memory makes it curl like a pigs tail whenever it's on my desk

It's not rugged it's CHEAP

[sleek lily]

hifiman uses 3.5mm connectors and sockets made by some other oem

theyre all going to be the same as all made by that oem

so given i dont have that issue and i havent heard of someone else having it it isnt an issue

it might be an outlier

might be you being you

either way non issue

[lean grove]

Sounds like cope

[livid ruin]

i mean, giving the headphones some paracord-like cable isn’t expensive

costs like the same

[sleek lily]

i think its mroe about ease of assembly without failures

they dont want to have a susvara sent back and to have to test it because a cable failed

but they also need to be able to maintain mass production

from business side it makes sense

but it isnt a decision made with passion or care in mind

[lean grove]

The business tactic is called "race to the bottom" and it really helps by improving margins while delivering worse products

[livid ruin]

i think it’s just not thought properly or it’s slightly cheaper for them

[sleek lily]

cable doesnt really affect the product besides comfort

but its replacable

[lean grove]

They did a number on the headband too

V1 had a great headband

Arya style

[sleek lily]

that headband also costs more to make

[lean grove]

It was also way more comfy

[sleek lily]

the current gen headband is less comfortable

but again that doesnt hurt sound

and its also not terrible

[lean grove]

Race to the bottom

[sleek lily]

just not as good as te original or the arya style in comfort

[lean grove]

I completely agree

How much was the 560v4 at MSRP again

[livid ruin]

like the same

as v1

[sleek lily]

msrp is $900

[livid ruin]

tho inflation plays a small role

[sleek lily]

its a big quality drop from v1

[livid ruin]

and also, msrp in china or msrp internationally?

[sleek lily]

but its basically a stealth v1

[livid ruin]

it’s the same $899, unless they dropped the price silently

[lean grove]

It's basically hifiman using their old reputation to sell an inferior product at the same price.

[sleek lily]

its going to be the better audio product but lower quality

its again the same thing but with stealth magnets

if you want quality without the audio sounding good though just look up fancy wood headphone on amazon tbh

[lean grove]

I think I can find some wood textured duct tape and do some arts and crafts

Would be much cheaper

[livid ruin]

not sure tbh, personally i’d probably pick the older 560s over the 560 v4’s prob just me

[lean grove]

They're more comfy and sound better so yes that would be a good call

Only problem is that they have a terrible cable

[sleek lily]

they also cost a lot more

[lean grove]

I think when I bought my v1s from the liquidation they were $200 or $250

[sleek lily]

560v4 has been selling for $169 while they were clearing stock

[lean grove]

I don't remember

[sleek lily]

which tbf to you they may have just finished

[livid ruin]

i meant the 560s sennheisers, yeah the cable was also meh

[sleek lily]

560s is kinda just all round worse

[livid ruin]

the newer version they ruined the padding

[sleek lily]

like i cant think of something it does better

its good still

but doesnt compete here

id take comfort of he560v4 over hd560 though

neither was great in comfort imo

but even there i wouldnt take hd560 over it

[short iris]

Hey chat I need some help finding a 20 channel speaker zone selector for a PA system basically I'm doing a school and I need to have each class on channel so the principal can call the specific classes he wants. Preferably with physical toggle switches and they're gonna be 70v speakers I need about 100W per channel. Greatly appreciate the help. I'm in Canada if that makes a difference. Thx

[livid ruin]

also, the build quality is also starting to be a bit questionable on my pair of he400se’s the left hinge started to creak every time it moves a bit left or right, even on my head someone when i slightly move it makes a tick

[lean grove]

This channel typically handles consumer and hifi audio. You might have advice if you find a discord meant for pro audio

The best advice I can give is check out parts Express

[short iris]

Thx I appreciate it

[livid ruin]

i think the biggest complain i have is the lack of 2k, it makes the headphones sound something i can’t describe

@lean grove if you had to choose he 560v4’s or sundaras

[lean grove]

I haven't heard sundara

[livid ruin]

560 v4’s vs sennheiser 560s (old)
for example

[lean grove]

Why am I being forced to pick between bad headphones.

Just get a 6xx

[livid ruin]

picc

one

[unique wind]

all of these would sound bad without eq :/

[livid ruin]

what if the 6xx was out of stock everywhere, which one you’d pick 560 v4’s (if they were still in liquidation sale) or the hd 560s (ignore all other headphones)

[sleek lily]

if you only care about tonality and not performance and harman is the only thing you can listen to yes

any other scenario no

[unique wind]

tonal balance is very important

[sleek lily]

the graph doesnt give you the info needed to make any other conclusion

[unique wind]

less important than technical performance because you can eq a technically competent headphone

but all of those would sound bad to most people without eq

[sleek lily]

you cant eq a headphone into performing a way it doesnt

[unique wind]

i dont disagree

[sleek lily]

also to most people tonality isnt too important within reason

some people are more sensitive to non x target tonality tbf

[unique wind]

ideally a headphone has good stock tonality and good technical performance, but if you have to choose then pick the technically competent headphone and then eq it

[sleek lily]

but most arent

the tonality there is just late ear gain harman

thats what hifiman generally tunes for

which compared to normal harman just sounds less busy

not less detailed

[unique wind]

the lack of proper ear gain compliance murders center imaging and clarity

[sleek lily]

cause its not like you get a 20db drop

but less busy

[lean grove]

@unique wind what do you count as bad technical performance for a headphone

[sleek lily]

nope

not where imaging comes from

imaging comes from ild and crosstalk mainly

not from the volume of a random frequency

[lean grove]

Imaging is stored in the balls

[unique wind]

high distortion, audible resonances, big changes to bass response with a less than ideal seal on the head, high-q peaks and dips in its response that couldnt be fixed with eq

[livid ruin]

don’t most hifimans have mediocre distortion

[sleek lily]

not really

[livid ruin]

in the mids range

[unique wind]

the egg shaped ones do pretty fantastic for bass in terms of an open back headphone

[sleek lily]

I think there are some with resonance issues loke anada

[unique wind]

they basically get linear extension to 20Hz with not too much distortion

sundara doesnt

[lean grove]

Some of them do have some resonances in the mids and treble yeah

[sleek lily]

but like he6 has next to no distortion

and he560v4 also has pretty little distortion

[unique wind]

but yeah agitating treble is a signature of hifiman headphones

my sundara has a big issue with sibilance that ive never managed to fix with eq

[sleek lily]

@livid ruin but you need to realize hifiman is a brand. not a single headphone

even if they almost all target a similar tonality they dont at all behave the same

its like asking "arent sennheisers super wide"

[livid ruin]

i meant as of average hifiman headphone

[sleek lily]

most are really well behaved

[unique wind]

the upper midrange is not "a random frequency", and tonal balance does play a significant factor in having a clear center image

[sleek lily]

some are really resonant

[unique wind]

imaging is not some magic unquantifiable phenomenon that is entirely separate from frequency response

[lean grove]

Nah Michael. The 20hz-100hz is the most important frequency range because it's the only area where planars have an edge over dynamics.

[unique wind]

[sleek lily]

it has 0 to do with imaging and if you think of it from a common sense standpoint why would it... why would how loud a headphone is at 2khz change if i get a good center image for a sound playing that isnt that frequency

I can send you an article that goes over some of the real causes for percieved distance and direction in audio

but its not volume at x random magic frequency

[lean grove]

Target curves are a myth created by big harmen to sell more HATS

[unique wind]

ah yes the entirety of the upper midrange ear gain region is a magic random frequency that is unimportant

put a ravine there to get some fake soundstage

who cares if it murders vocal tonality and clarity, and obscures center imaging

it's definitely a coincidence that arguably the most popular "hifi" realm headphone of all time has correct ear gain compliance

because nobody cares about that surely

and it's definitely a coincidence that it is touted for its excellent rendition of vocals

[lean grove]

Keep in mind that when you're banned from most of the civilized servers your perception of "the most popular hifi headphone" changes very quickly.

[unique wind]

totally unrelated to the correct eargain for sure

[sleek lily]

has to do with hrtf what is actually accurate in ear gain but ignoring that yes, it is not a magic frequency that controls unrealted aspects that have nothing to do with that frequency

[unique wind]

xd

[sleek lily]

all it means on a frequency response graph is what was measured

relative to the rest of the frequency it is x amount louder or less loud

[livid ruin]

it does have to do with imaging, around 2-8k is where the most of soundstage, imaging stuff happens no? all matters how sounds gets into your cochlea

[unique wind]

no no youre right bio, your "common sense" approach is more credible than audio science and countless happy customer reports

[sleek lily]

nope. if you believe so and wont think otherwise i wont try to change your name but that belief goes against the current scientific understanding on stage and imaging

[lean grove]

Big brain time

[sleek lily]

your approach isnt science... the current scientific understanding is it comes from ild and crosstalk for imaging

[lean grove]

There isn't any of that inherent in most headphones

[sleek lily]

I can send you a research paper on this very topic

[sleek lily]

there is

[lean grove]

How are you getting crosstalk in headphones

[sleek lily]

no headphone has a linear load to volume curve

and some headphones actually do get a small amount of crosstalk but I left it out at first cause its less relevant in headphones than ild

[unique wind]

there is variance in hrtf from person to person, but nobody on earth needs a ravine in the upper midrange response of their headphones to mimic how they hear flat-on-axis monitors

[lean grove]

See man you're doing this thing where you're disagreeing and saying "it's science" and then not explaining anything

[unique wind]

that's just a bullshit stylistic choice that hifiman and other manufacturers make

that i think is stupid

[sleek lily]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4744263/

is this just marketing?

[livid ruin]

isn’t sound just about molecular vibration at different frequencies, power and time? the lower frequency the slower sound travels and such

etc, that gets processed by our brain

[sleek lily]

nope

read teh article

but its mainly from difference in the input between the 2 ears

a comple neuralogical processing system much like how you need 2 eyes to properly tell distance

same apples to how the ears process distance

it mainly comes down to ild and itd

[unique wind]

i should buy 6xx at some point just for culture sake

i might like it at low volumes with eq

im sure the treble is a lot less annoying than my sundaras, and the subbass distortion would be less of an issue at low-moderate volumes

[sleek lily]

if you listen to a lot of vocal music its great

[unique wind]

i wonder why

[sleek lily]

although the older versions are a lot better if you can go used

[unique wind]

[livid ruin]

isn’t auditory distance perception just about higher frequencies lose energy quicker and how the waves bounce off our pinna and into the ear?

and lower frequencies travel slower

[sleek lily]

mainly because it gives a sense of body and size to vocalist

not becuase tonality ironically if thats what youre implying

[unique wind]

tonality explains both of those though

[sleek lily]

there are more linearr to harman mids headphones id say 6xx does vocals better than

[sleek lily]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4744263/

nope

read

[unique wind]

the 6xx has a small lift in the upper bass to low midrange region which is the source of that "body", in combination with the drivers being close to your ears

[sleek lily]

please read before spreading nonsense as science

[unique wind]

as for the clarity and scale those are because of the correct eargain and extended treble without any major peaks and dips

[sleek lily]

or send a countering article

a study stating the contrary

[steel escarp]

I did not like the vocals on 6xx

[sleek lily]

cause rn youre doing the whole "im gonna magically attribute everything to this easy to understand graph cause its easier than research and ill call it science"

[steel escarp]

Adele sounded bad

[sleek lily]

kinda like people who think reads and writes equal load times

cause its easier than getting how things actually load

[unique wind]

nah

[sleek lily]

there are headphones with more of that too with terrible vocals

so no'

[unique wind]

i am portraying you as the 100iq raging soyjak in the center of the inverse bell curve meme

i am the hooded 200iq chad on the right side

[sleek lily]

youd get how its nonsense to attribute every aspect to random frequencies if you read the article I sent twice

but you arent going to do that

and you arent going to change your mind

or what youre doing

[livid ruin]

welp, is there anything in the arcticle from you could point out what i said wrong about sound getting into our ears and how brain processes sound, that includes visual cues

[sleek lily]

so im not gonna try to convice you any more

[unique wind]

good

your unfounded pseudoscience bounces off of me

im wearing my bullshitphobic poncho today

[sleek lily]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4744263/

this is pseudoscience?

send me real science then

[unique wind]

im not reading your article

[sleek lily]

if a peer reviewed article/research paper is not science

[unique wind]

you are incorrectly oversimplifying a topic that which you do not truly understand

[livid ruin]

what’s the conclusion of this arcticle, i’m still trying tof igure out what you’re trying to say ;-;

[unique wind]

and im not saying that tonal balance and lack of peaks and dips are the only things that matter when it comes to how a headphone sounds

[sleek lily]

stage is mainly ild and itd with some other small variables (none are frequency response related), and imaging is mainly ild and crosstalk

[unique wind]

however you are saying that tonal balance does not affect perceived imaging at all

which is blatant misinformation

[sleek lily]

i recommend reading it though

its very insightful

will keep you from choosing a random frequency to attribute magic to cause you decided so on your own and calling it science like some people

[sleek lily]

it doesnt

read and youll see

if you disagree with the science make your own paper

and have it peer reviewed and do your own research

then itll be science

until then its pseudoscience and you making things up cause sopurce you made it up

Also stop claiming a literal research paper is pseudo cause it doesn't agree with your head cannon

[unique wind]

you are playing the card of "my side is objective science", but in reality your argument is incomplete and largely pseudoscientific

[steel escarp]

Frequency response contains a lot more information than just tonality

[unique wind]

i am an audio objectivist more than anyone else who is active in this channel

[sleek lily]

It contains volume per frequency per 1 input level

Nothing else other than things directly tied to that

[livid ruin]

i’m still trying to figure out how fr would not that have effect or both of delays frequencies and when the sound gets into the cochleas

[steel escarp]

I didn't pay enough attention to the headphones.com podcast to tell you otherwise. But they were discussing this.

[sleek lily]

Then be an objectivist and read the article instead of making stuff up in your head and calling it science

[sleek lily]

There are things tied to tonality it can tell you so it isn't just tonalit in a sense

Like how hifiman late ear gain makes things sound less busy

Or like how a sudden spike in treble often means it's resonant and gonna be sibilant beyond just being loud

[livid ruin]

uh, still you ideally don’t want a 2k drop, which does affect the soundstage/imaging, your brain may get used to it but it’s not good

[sleek lily]

It doesn't

What it affects is how busy a song sounds

[unique wind]

youre not gonna change his mind tinky

we're just flooding the chat

[sleek lily]

But it has no impact on any aspect that's believed to relate to distance or directional perception

[white gate]

They don't need it, but there is reasoning as to why it helps produce a more spacious effect

[sleek lily]

@unique wind you can test it yourself by playing with that region in eq

On any headphone it won't change how it behaves for imaging or staging

It'll change how busy it sounds though

[unique wind]

i have bio

[livid ruin]

even if you’d eq down 2k entirely

for example

[sleek lily]

Then you should write your own research paper

Cause what you're saying goes against the current science

[unique wind]

no it doesn’t

[sleek lily]

Until you do that though don't call the science wrong while masquerading what you say as science

[sleek lily]

Read the article

It does

[white gate]

Gunther Thiele has written some good papers which discuss the topic of spaciousness and tone colour. As well as some other resources covering similar topics and directional HRTF effects.

But the TLDR is that for headphones, there is a somewhat direct tradeoff between spaciousness and timbre accuracy. Of which that 2khz dip is a significant factor.

I've been working for a few months on a headphone and the level and profile of that 2khz region has been something that was fussed over a LOT as it's not a simple "should it be there or should it not" question

[sleek lily]

@white gate if you get a chance could you pm me the article

I'd actually like to read it. Been reading into audio research papers and they're usually pretty insightful

[sleek lily]

Thanks 🙏

I'll read through it later

[elder thistle]

I can hear how 2k being dipped sometimes but not always relates to spaciousness in a cheaty way

and I have had headphones like the behringer alpha go from imaging mostly behind my head to more spherical, but it's rare

timbre however is a joke

I have never fixed timbre by eqing up 2k

maybe if there was like no 2k

[sinful wasp]

One message removed from a suspended account.

[elder thistle]

generally timbre for me is a combination of actual headphone behavior plus treble FR. sometimes one or the other, sometimes a mix

mc450 vs he400se is a stark example, at least to my ears

there's also closed backs, where 2k dips in measurements are common but not always audible or "real"

neumann ndh20 is an excellent example. I havent met anyone that thinks measurement based eq sounds normal at 2k

[scarlet wing]

What are good wireless 2.4 headsets for pc gaming under $125? I have a seperate mic, but I'd like to have one built in just in case.

[untold moon]

Hi, can anyone tell me if there's a good free noise cancellation software?

[lean grove]

Nvidia broadcast

[untold moon]

Will it work with a gtx graphics card?

[lean grove]

What does Google say

[untold moon]

Says it doesn't 😥

[whole zodiac]

I just found out why the audio quality always sucks in calls when I'm using a bluetooth headset. Apparently it's because there's not enough bandwidth for both the microphone signal and high quality audio simultaneously. I figured out a workaround that involves selecting a different mic than the headset's, but for whatever reason it no longer works. It doesn't output anything anymore if I try it now and when I switched speakers and mics around a bunch, I got the audio driver to crash and my headset to totally lock up, forcing me to reset it

The workaround works in the preview that you get before joining a Teams call but as soon as I join the call, silence...

[frozen yoke]

Does LDAC have a straight difference compared to other sound codecs? Asking cause I want to get new Over-Ear headphones and just seeing if that's something to look out for

[white gate]

LDAC has a much higher bitrate than other codecs, meaning it needs to lose less information and the end result means you're closer to a lossless transmission

It's definitely a feature to look out for imo

[frozen yoke]

aight

cause I ain't np audiophile, so I'm asking if it's noticeable when hearing

[haughty girder]

If you have another mic you can just choose the other mic in sound settings

[ionic egret]

One message removed from a suspended account.

[haughty heath]

I have the Sony Linkbuds S and I love them I got them Refurbished for $70 (US) you can get them new for $200 (US) on amazon you could also get the Sony Wf-1000XM5's Refurbished on Amazon for $150 US

[haughty girder]

Galaxy buds FE

oh wait you use iPhone I assume?

[warm scarab]

yes but i wouldn't use it as a determining factor in buying a bluetooth item that's not a desktop dac

[reef pollen]

i have 300 dollars. what is the best day to day headphones i can buy?

[warm scarab]

for what purpose

[reef pollen]

music, and maybe gaming? if i get rid of this horrible razer kraken id like something that can do the role of both audio on the pc and on the go

i have a sound card btw

[warm scarab]

if you had to prioritize gaming vs music which would it be

[warm scarab]

doubt its relevant enough to determine anything

outdated since 2010

[reef pollen]

probably music.

[warm scarab]

is 300 a hard budget or can you stretch a bit maybe

[reef pollen]

got one cus mb audio stopped working

[warm scarab]

fair but id get an external one

[reef pollen]

how stretchy?

[warm scarab]

330ish maybe idk

[reef pollen]

potentially

[warm scarab]

I have two recommendations for your budget, first is an edition xs b stock should be like 230$ and an ifi zen can air which is like 100$

second suggestion is to get an hd6xx

[reef pollen]

i knew sennheiser would come up

https://drop.com/buy/massdrop-sennheiser-hd6xx

theyre on sale??

[warm scarab]

they got like 3 headphones worth buying maybe

senn isn't that big as it was years back

[warm scarab]

seems so

ball is in your park either path is a good one

[reef pollen]

if i said i was more gaming focused

would that disregard open back headphones?

[warm scarab]

nah

open backs are just better than closed backs

gaming performance is related to the headphone itself not whether its open or not

you can get r70x second hand for like 160$ish if you want

best imaging you can get below hd800

great for games

pretty nice for music

but they can squeeze your ears if you have large ears

[reef pollen]

ooohhh that design is a no go for me

yeah im gonna need oval headphones

[warm scarab]

you have razers rn man

like

[reef pollen]

💀

ngl

i was thinking about the sony XH1000

xm5

[warm scarab]

not good

its an alright travel headphone with bloated bass

has decent noise cancelling thats about it

[reef pollen]

anc is not gonna be important for me at all since im just at uni or at home

[warm scarab]

decent is an understatement honestly its really good anc

but overall sound wise its nothing special

hard avoid unless you want it for travel

[reef pollen]

yee

what would you say to an hd518

on the cheap

(if the guy selling it agress)

[lean grove]

Hd6xx

[warm scarab]

hard no

[lean grove]

Hard yes Klaus you eat bugs

[warm scarab]

sennheiser has like 3-4 headphones worth buying and hd518 is not one of them

[warm scarab]

im not talking to you

[lean grove]

Oh you're talking about the 518

[warm scarab]

who even are you

[lean grove]

Well I wasn't talking to you either, idiot

[warm scarab]

leave this place

stupid

[reef pollen]

now kiss

[lean grove]

Okay I will but not because I like him or anything

[warm scarab]

mods dont allow me to post my gay black men kissing gif

[lean grove]

https://tenor.com/view/kiss-gif-11816971814746635421

[reef pollen]

massdrop is US focused right?

pls dont tell i need to pay import tolls

[warm scarab]

you do

get it second hand maybe

[reef pollen]

😭

oh wait

214dollars including shipping

let me check the toll price

oooooffffff

267 dollars including tollls

53bucks

[lean grove]

Still worth.

Cheaper than the hd650 and hd600

While being pretty much a 650

[reef pollen]

that steep import tax is crippiling

[mellow basin]

?

My uncle has used Bowers and Wilkins; an entire speaker set he got for only $600 USA

[mellow basin]

They’re worth nearly $1000 each and he got it on eBay. It’s the best sound I’ve ever heard.

[lean grove]

If it makes you feel better it's still one of the best headphones you can get for that money.

Heck I've got a handful of $1000 headphones laying around I still use my 6xx the most

[reef pollen]

hnnnnnnnnnng

that import tax

Wait a fuxking sec

A sale on the HD650

For 299 including shipping

@lean grove @warm scarab

[warm scarab]

thats way too much

[reef pollen]

Brand new tho

[warm scarab]

the key point is "best sound ive heard"

i think nils is overhyping a mediocre headphone tbh but people like it

[lean grove]

Send it.

[reef pollen]

yeah fuck it.

ill bite

[warm scarab]

300$ man

half of it gone to taxes

[reef pollen]

(ill double check the used market before i open the box)

if i find anything ill return it

https://drop.com/buy/dekoni-x-hifiman-cobalt-closed-back-dynamic-headphones

wtf are these??

[unique wind]

you should avoid closed back hifiman headphones like they’re a deadly virus

that one included, it’s a horrendous headphone

[lean grove]

Bad

[livid ruin]

time to buy one

[steel escarp]

buy fiio ft1 instead of that

man honestly, expected more out of a dekoni collab. that headphone was such a letdown

[lean grove]

I know. You'd think the double negative would cancel out

[elder thistle]

what kind of music will you listen to most, can you use free eq software, and do you know anything at all about what you want the headphones to do or sound like

the conversation shouldn't have gotten this far without anyone knowing the basics

[reef pollen]

Hint. My favorite band is kglw

[elder thistle]

hm

gooogling

[reef pollen]

Rock, psych rog and rap

Throw in other stuff every once in a while

[steel escarp]

the only thing wrong with dekoni is their measurement rig

[reef pollen]

That really got me to notice how shit my headphones were was listening to dna or humble and hearing the vocals being washed back by some really bad bass

[lean grove]

It's the tyl measurement rig

The first one that mattered

[steel escarp]

their pads are nice

[lean grove]

Yeah I have some for my hifimans too

Since hifiman uses glue that's precisely calibrated to fall apart after 2 years

[steel escarp]

lol

my edition xs pads did not give out

[reef pollen]

Planned obselscense

[steel escarp]

they have worn in even more by now

changes the sound a bit

[elder thistle]

I wonder if one of the stellar 45 driver beyers is a good fit here

I haven't heard any yet

[steel escarp]

3.5k dip is audible unfortunately

messses with the vocal timbre

[elder thistle]

but theoretically that covers deeper bass for rap, high instrument separation, and precise imaging

[reef pollen]

Precise imaging would be good for games

[steel escarp]

I am actually excited for the ft1 if it sounds better than azurys

and if it has the same driver as ft1

I liked the sound

[elder thistle]

yes, probably would be

[reef pollen]

I want something thatll last me say 10 years

[steel escarp]

well good luck with that

[elder thistle]

nah that's a reasonable goal

[steel escarp]

no headphone lasts 10 years without pads needing to be replaced

[elder thistle]

oh

[reef pollen]

Pads are aight homie

Im a tinkerer so i fix my stuff but still

[elder thistle]

are you afraid of eq, or would you be able to use that most of the time to balance the sound and do things like boost bass

[reef pollen]

If i learn how to do it ill set up profiles

Tho for refrence

All i got is a soundcard in my pc

So no preamp or external amp

[elder thistle]

ye

[reef pollen]

I havent bought the 650 yet and ive put out a listing for used headphones

Like 6xx or 660 or another brands

[steel escarp]

plastic headphones

[reef pollen]

Ones with spongebob on them

[steel escarp]

dt900 pro x are nice if you want open and can EQ

[elder thistle]

my main concern there would be the bass extension on the 6xx/650/600, as well as the imaging for games

[steel escarp]

its just a single area that is a touch spicy

[elder thistle]

a mackie mc450 alongside gvoears fabric m50x earpads is another one I would consider

because,

[lean grove]

I still say a Sennheiser 6X0. There's plenty of old ones kicking around. People get to pick and choose between revisions across the years.

[elder thistle]

it's got very high potential for free bass volume and low distortion when paired with earpads like those, but will warrant some cleaning up with eq

the imaging is extremely precise

they're able to keep each instrument a little more clear than an hd600 or 6xx when a lot of sounds overlap at once (like in rock/metal music, or some moments in games)

and there's something I just love personally about how tight everything sounds and how snares and kickdrums feel

mind the headband though, it's no sling headband and folds out rather flat

[reef pollen]

Explosions on top of explosions in battlefield 4

God i love my ptsd simulator

[elder thistle]

the hd600/650/6xx kind of headphones are still close with keeping things more clear, but instead are more smooth sounding and perhaps more cinematic

[reef pollen]

Thats not bad.

Wont hurt games much

[elder thistle]

the imaging isn't nearly the same, but I wouldn't call the hd600 or 6xx worthless there either

[reef pollen]

Tho now im curious

The hd series have bad imaging?

[elder thistle]

6x0, which in the modern market only consists of the hd600, 650, and 6xx

I don't have a genuine hd650 but I have the other two

[reef pollen]

Heres hoping someone sells me thier 660 then

Havent made up my mind on the 6xx cus of import taxes

650 seems like a good candidate tho

[lean grove]

People complain about them a lot because they sound narrow.

I have no issues pinpointing people and sounds while gaming with them.

Also maybe don't get the 660 if you care about bass...

[reef pollen]

Unless someone would like to recommend beyer dynamic or audio technica now

[lean grove]

The dt880s are good

Not as good as the sennys but you're gonna find them for $200 or less probably

[reef pollen]

Ive seen alot of images of the dt990

Dt990 pro

[lean grove]

Very popular for gamers. Very unpopular for audiophiles

[reef pollen]

Oof.

Yeah fuck i need one that fits both

[lean grove]

Dt880 is that

Jackson likes it for gaming

But like I said. I have zero problems with the 6xx while gaming.

Most of the issues you'll have while gaming are gonna be part of the game engine anyways.

[reef pollen]

Meh. As long as sounds are clear and dont get mushy or faded we gucci

[elder thistle]

the

[reef pollen]

Probably wont eq alot

Will learn to anyway

[lean grove]

https://youtu.be/eOXCEsTyv7s

[elder thistle]

out of 51, the two headphones I actually reach for when going for competitive gaming are the m50x and mc450. both stock pads and no eq

they each cover different bases sort of

I get poor rear imaging from a lot of audiophile open backs, presumably because of my earshape. the mc450 is at the top for me with that, but it's still pretty mediocre in strength

in games like apex and valorant, this would once in a while cause me to look the opposite way

the m50x solves this problem and also provides sound isolation

granted the m50x is a weird headphone with very different experiences given to different people

[lean grove]

I do not like the m50x

[elder thistle]

ye

[reef pollen]

Sound to me like the sennys are the best all rounders

[elder thistle]

where the mc450 is basically unstoppable for me is in games like cs2 or r6s

[reef pollen]

Keep in mind im coming to this from a fucking razer blackshark v2

[elder thistle]

I've heard sounds in situations many times that were not possible to hear in an old hd560s or dt880 600r

[reef pollen]

Ive quit siege dawg

[elder thistle]

I'm not sure what games you play or if you're referencing the video or my rear imaging statement

for what it's worth I get actually zero rear imaging from the hd560s

but I don't count that as meaningful since it's an uncommon experience amongst other people

[reef pollen]

Lets see. I most play fps, shooters and racing or new stuff rarely

But yeah so far im leaning towards senny 650

As an allround all media headset

[cloud stratus]

I got Kay-Zeds yesterday

[elder thistle]

I also no longer use my hd600 or 6xx outside of testing. I listen to a lot of rock and edm, and I just liked the impact and detail retrieval on the mc450 more anyways

but I do have a hifiman edition xs coming in a couple days

[reef pollen]

Damn you audio nerds really do spend alot

[elder thistle]

gear acquisition disorder

[reef pollen]

Im a student dawg. Trynna min max my shit

[elder thistle]

it's not that I think the hd650 is a bad choice for your situation, it's a pretty good fit

but you've also expressed things about your use case and music that would let you refine that choice further

also to clarify, just because I like rock music on the mc450 more doesn't mean you will

preference cannot be fully predicted

and it's not just mc450 of course, the dt880 600ohm could be more your thing with it's soundstage and silky, less revealing treble

and other headphones I haven't tried yet, like that dt900 pro x or edition xs

[cerulean shoal]

Do you think it's worth waiting for cyber Monday or like Christmas sold for buying wireless earphones around or under 300€ or like it won't go down?

[reef pollen]

These and a guy offered his 6xx too

[prime violet]

are headphones like hyperx clouds actually better for gaming? ive always thought it was stupid that headphones could help in a game but with multiple pro players wearing them and a bunch of people saying they help with hearing footsteps ive been starting to wonder if its true

[warm scarab]

x4 and r7dx are shit

k361 is only a rational choice if you can exclusively chose between closed backs

no idea about the athenas or ar5000

[elder thistle]

I don't read italian

but I also don't like the k361 because of how much it smears sounds together

[elder thistle]

there are aspects of sound, such as more accurately telling the angle sounds come from horizontally 360 degrees, that make the cloud II's more useful than most headsets in competitive games

angle of sounds is basically called "imaging". many headphones and headsets exist, and they all image at least slightly differently

sometimes the back half and therefore distinguishing frontwards sounds from backwards ones is weak or literally missing

sometimes a headphone is more of a spray of possible locations on the sides rather than angles towards the center, or vice versa

this also depends on your exact earshape. I personally have a harder time telling front from back with more headphones than most people do

[stone quartz]

What do these height and wide channels do?

[lean grove]

For making things sound higher and wider

Basically extra extra surround

[stone quartz]

Like primitive Atmos?

[lean grove]

Idk maybe

[reef pollen]

Thoughts on the ar5000?

[reef pollen]

Reviews are praising it both for games and music

[steel escarp]

sounds thin

I had one

[reef pollen]

someone is offering me an hd700

and an hd660s

tempting ngl

[sleek lily]

For how much

[reef pollen]

clueless. gonna ask him now

[sleek lily]

Neither is really worth even their used price imo

[reef pollen]

im waiting for the -

[sleek lily]

660s was just bad and hd700 is terrible and unusable for most music but okay for some but good for gaming

[reef pollen]

im waiting for the ar5000 guy to respond

[sleek lily]

I'd maybe pay $300 for the 2 of them together

So like $150 each

And even then I could justify better cheaper stuff

So it'd still be a hard sell

[reef pollen]

ar5000

pls

respond

they seem good. gaming and listening wise

ar5000 guys responded

we are so getting tit

he want 195 plus shipping for it

gonna get it down to like 190 total including shipping

got them

for 195

[main halo]

anyone know a good budget mic and interface which sounds smooth

[lean grove]

Xm8500 a m-track solo

[reef pollen]

somehow im not surprised

[half fog]

😭

[prime violet]

if i bought the cloud II’s would i notice a difference in sound quality when not gaming? like i listen to a lot of music, would it be a noticeable difference from someone that isnt an audiophile

right now i have the audio technica m30x which ik isnt the greatest but id imagine the sound quality is at least a little better than “gaming” headphones

[sinful inlet]

anyone know good pink headsets, my sister wants something and i have no idea what to get her

the only one im familar with is the kraken razer ones, but the last time i had kraken headphones i want to get rid of them so fast

[half fog]

get something that doesnt suck and paint it pink

[warm scarab]

trash

[warm scarab]

dont watch zeos man

there isn't a single headphone this guy hasn't shilled

[elder thistle]

not sure. I have the m20x and m50x, and I would say a lot of what the cloud 2 does is somewhere between the two

there are also m50x clones that can be paired with different earpads and detachable mic/headphone cable for about the same price

I found those to have a slightly more accurate sense of direction than my old cloud 2, but also let me hear details through overlapping sounds better

m50x design though seems to be pretty hit and miss in what sound someone hears from them. or rather human earshape variance

and whether someone enjoys what they hear with different music is another matter

but I am a fan. mainly listening to edm and rock

[river hemlock]

So, I'm debating between the NZXT Relay and the Kanto YU2 for some speakers. Ik it's not anything super fancy but they both currently fall in my budget for what I'd be looking for. Any real pro's or cons with going one vs the other?

[elder thistle]

I didn't know nzxt made speakers

I doubt they're as well-tuned or nuanced as the yu2's, which I had and liked

but clearly the nzxt's will have more bass

outside of guesses I can't really compare the two

[river hemlock]

https://nzxt.com/collection/audio

May go with the yu2's and then grab the sub from nzxt

[elder thistle]

I didn't realize the sub wasn't included

then yeah maybe

[sinful inlet]

i think theres bigger reasons not to watch tbh

[wind ember]

hey, i need to upgrade/fix my headset i am rn using a set of DT1990 pros with a UMC22 DAC.

the headset has basically fully fallen apart so im either looking to upgrade the components (cable and headband) and keep the drivers and stuff.

or just buy something new and waay more durable headset to go with the UMC22

when i mean durable i am using the headset for 40hrs a week 40 weeks a year and i need it to last at-least 3-4 years, and i am a very oily person, so fake leathers and stuff are useless.

i was thinking of 3d priting some headbands and stuff, with a fexi plastic maybe

but idk if thats a good idea

rn i have been using a set of these https://truthear.com/products/hexa

i kinda like them but my ears are kinda a fucked up shape

so they dont really sit well

oh and i dont like the open back

[haughty girder]

how has the 1990 fallen apart?

[wind ember]

oh just repeated use, the padding went within about 8 months, all the plastic housing and screws went eventually as well and the cable currently has tape to stop it from disconnecting

currently i have a microfiber cloth zip tied to it as padding and its all held together with some hemp wick stuff and zip-ties

[haughty girder]

The cable is removable

screws can be retightened

the padding can be replaced

[wind ember]

the default padding will just fail again, and the other mods i made to it have lasted way longer than the standard screws and plastic that come from factory

the microfiber cloth can be washed easily as-well

just looking for the think-pad of headsets really.

[haughty girder]

that's the issue....

Beyers are essentially the thinkpad of headphones

[wind ember]

their quality is really shit for long term repeated use

[haughty girder]

not really

that's why I'm so surprised you managed to pretty much kill one

[wind ember]

yh idk i think im going to just have to keep the drivers and mod the hell out of it

the actuall ear cups and drivers are fine its just all the headband and cable that has died on me

[haughty girder]

cable headband and earpads can be replaced pretty easily

[wind ember]

il probably find a way to make one myself thats a better quality

[haughty girder]

the headband and cable sure

the earpads affect the tuning of the headphone

[wind ember]

they are fine actually

not had a problem with them

effectively this bit has died on me https://europe.beyerdynamic.com/bow-assy-t1.html

il probably end up just soldering the cable in permanently

[elder thistle]

that,

that is unusual yes

well there are a lot of gaming headsets that use one very close to this

I would look to buy one of those and steal that part

or a genuine beyer that's broken

[reef pollen]

was thinking about getting an amp dac combo for my new headphones

just checked and my soundcard already has both in

we gucci

[reef pollen]

260 EUROS????

FOR A FRAME???

[wind ember]

yup

thats why i am runngin this thing

lasts longer than the frame ever will

[scarlet wing]

What's a good option for over ear headsets with Active noise cancellation for flights? I am looking at the Sony WH-1000XM4 or XM5, Bose QC Ultra, or the Soundcore Q45 or the new Space Pro

[white rampart]

How can I get a good 5.1 surround sound setup for my PC without drilling into my wall to mount things?

[buoyant vale]

speaker stands

[white rampart]

Do you have any recommendations on stands and speakers?

[buoyant vale]

no

[warm scarab]

how much money do you have to spare

[white rampart]

None at the moment, but I believe i can save up 500 USD in a few months after rent and other stuff

[white rampart]

.

[warm scarab]

you might be able to get decent surround if you find good second hand deals

[gentle quiver]

Was looking for some 2 aux to 1 cables and found this. If it works could i use it to power my sub and speakers with 12awg cables. Its ancient so its a long shot but still

Kenwood amp. Idk the actual name tho

Or this

[warm scarab]

I wouldn't dare plug that in

[gentle quiver]

i cant even find a place to connect my pc or phone into

[haughty girder]

You're missing the receiver it goes with

[gentle quiver]

ahhhh

hmm ill try finding one tmr will probably just end up throwing the amp in the garbage tho anyways

especially since i ordered a amp today lol

on one of my powered speakers the amp got fried can i just plug the speakers into a amp or do i have to remove the amp inside of them

(r33bt)

[buoyant vale]

you're going to have to bypass the fried amp

wait is it left or right one that died?

[haughty girder]

I actually did this before I got around to replacing a blown diode on a pair of mackies

I just soldered two wires to the driver and ran it out of the reflex port

hooked it up to an external amp

[gentle quiver]

Interesting

[gentle quiver]

Right one. But im pretty sure the left one doesnt even have a amp

[reef pollen]

fuck yall

i bought a dacamp

😭

[lean grove]

Is the person who told you to get a DAC in the room with us now

[scarlet wing]

Which do you all prefer out of these: Sony WH-1000XM4, XM5, or Bose QuietComfort Ultra? This is mostly for plane travel so I suppose comfort and heat are pretty important

[livid ruin]

none really, at that price you can get better, unless you want anc

[scarlet wing]

I do want anc, it’s for the ANC as it’s for flying

[livid ruin]

welp, then probably? unsure about wireless headphones at that range tho, i know about jbl headphone but they’re decent under $100

still better sound than xm’s

but your budget is higher so, i’ll let the recommendation to someone else. i don’t recommend sony nor bose

prob the bose more but i’d still not pick either as there could be better options, unless there are no headphones with half way good anc at that range