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h264

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Everything posted by h264

  1. I've totally walked into airport headphone shops with my O2+ODAC and plugged them into the laptop on the counter and listened to headphones. I don't think the owner likes me much for that, though.
  2. headphones make this much difference: >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> amps make this much difference: >>>>>> DACs make this much difference:> Most of the "differences" people hear are just differences in volume and impedance matching, which is fine if you want it louder. For the average listener this is SLIGHT, though. Basically unless you're crazy like me and own 20 headphones, you're better off just to use your onboard and not worry that you're missing out. Trust me, you're not. I can't put it any more simply.
  3. Planars aren't as hard to drive as you might think if their impedance is low, such as the HE-400/400i/500/560 and the Fostex headphones. For instance, I can get my Audeze LCD-2s pretty darn loud on my TINY Sansa Clip. Not really loud enough for some people, but still even an iPod would be able to handle any of them alright (even says so in the Audeze manual until they start to go on about needing a more powerful amp to get the "most out of them") I will second the HE-500 recommendation if he REALLY wants to spend that much money, with the caveat to hold off a bit and see if the price on either the 400i or 560 causes further drops in either the 500 or 560's price point. The E10 and O2 (with a 1/4" to 1/8" adapter keep in mind) will be PLENTY for any of these though, in fact I recommend you request the 1x/2.5x gain option on the O2 (the "snipped O2" option). what bout dat AMAZING soundstage?!?
  4. h264

    Audiophile Myths

    about 10 years ago mp3 really did suck until the LAME encoder came along. Especially if you still have anything from Napster or Kazaa. You know, the good old days of pirated music. That's where the myth really starts since modern high quality iTunes mp3s are indistinguishable from their CD counterparts (unless they've been mastered differently ... ugh). If you can't hear a difference it doesn't matter if it exists or not.
  5. The DT-990 is a very comfortable, durable headphone, which is why so many people like it, but the v-shaped response can be harsh for some people.
  6. I have both a pair of HD650s and a pair of HD558s. They are extremely similar, but the 558s are not as detailed. Fit and finish is nowhere near as good, but the earpads are just as comfortable I'd go with the DT990 if and only if you don't mind the louder high frequency response. Also, there are the Custom One Pros to consider.
  7. I bet if he listens to them for another month religiously he'd change his mind and swear they sound better. Just saying.
  8. Tell him to keep what he's got unless one of the headphones in his collection doesn't get loud enough. Link him to the FAQ and point out the first FAQ question.
  9. I changed it to "bass biased" to remove the confusion. In order of exaggerated bass it's DT990/COPs > ATH-M50 > HD558 and HD650 > AKG K240 >>>> AKG K701
  10. some people (like myself) listen between 65 db and 75db. Others listen at 85db to 95db. I won't say those people are suffering from hearing loss, sometimes environments (like cities) wear out people's ears at a much faster pace though. If you are relatively confident in your hearing, you'll probably find onboard is enough even for 250 Ohm headphones like the Beyers. Also keep in mind sensitivity plays a major role in how loud a headphone gets at a given output power. My AKG K240 (55 Ohm) is as hard to drive as my Beyerdynamic DT990pros (250 Ohm) for instance.
  11. Those are COPs and I actually prefer them for the short cable. That's just my opinion, though. The whole post is, really.
  12. How much time do you think I put in? I started about an hour ago...
  13. http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/107275-an-overview-of-practical-headphones/
  14. So, I think a lot of you have seen these headphones in the above image posted in this forum numerous times. Also, you might have seen my headphone guide image in the FAQ. It was a response to a general outcry for an image with a list of headphones. I thought this was silly at the time since /g/ usually puts these out, not to mention because they’re fraught with the Anon’s own opinions on different headphones that they own or would like to own. In my frustration, I created an image with what in my opinion I thought were the definitive headphones at their respective price points in terms of sound quality and comfort. I didn’t do much explaining though. This is something I’d like to correct now. So let’s take a look at that image again, and I’ll go over each of these headphones and try to explain why they stand out so much: In step one, I just list a bunch of headphones with one of Microsoft Word’s fancy new process flow graphics to try to describe the general type of sound signature that each headphone produces. The term “fun” basically describes a sound signature with both exaggerated high and low frequencies. Most of the casual listeners love this style of headphone since it makes their music sound punchier and crisp, especially if it’s especially complex. Chart nerds like me will call this headphone style “v shaped”, since the frequency response graphs will tend to rise in both the lower and higher frequencies with a bit of a sag in the midrange. The two Sennhseiser headphones in the middle have a signature known as “bass heavy biased”, “bass weighted”, or as is so often used “veiled”. This means the bass response is somewhat louder than the treble response and higher frequencies roll-off. Some people like this style, some people don’t. The two AKG headphones on the right are known as “flat” or “analytical” headphones. This does not mean they do not exaggerate any frequencies, but compared to very colored headphones, are designed specifically to reproduce all frequencies as equally as possible. Thanks to the AKG K240s design, there is still very much a bass complement, but it is simply meant to reproduce a speaker in a private environment as accurately as possible. Note that either open or closed headphones can have flat frequency responses, but it’s definitely easier to create a flat sounding open-backed headphone. Beyerdynamic DT990pro One of the sturdiest, most comfortable headphones I’ve ever purchased, this solid headphone has ridden in my luggage back and forth to work each week for over a year without a significant piece of damage to report. Only the earpads have started to wear out, which are easily replacable. This headphone is open-backed and produces some of the punchiest bass and the shrillest highs of any headphone I own, and I must say listening is a lot of fun. At $150 in the US, you can’t beat the price either. I’ve started to replace this headphone with the Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro, so I’d recommend them interchangeably if you’d like a more portable, closed headphone. Audio Technica ATH-M50 So much has been said about this headphone (all the reviews are listed on the FAQ) I really don’t need to repeat after everyone else. Really wanted Beats by Dre but can’t afford them? Get this headphone instead. You may find the earpads uncomfortable, but they are replaceable with other sorts of pads. Either way it’s a solid performer and has excellent isolation, perfect for a studio or an annoying sibling or roommate. Most people won’t need all those degrees of freedom in the headband, though. The Monoprice 8323 is a good replacement if you'd like to go even cheaper, but it doesn't sound quite as good. Sennheiser HD558 and 600/650 These two headphones get a lot of mainstream spotlight due to Sennheiser’s post-WWII influence over the North American headphone market (along with the original US WWII producer, BOSE). Sennheiser, despite their big corporate marketing wing, still features competent engineers who can put out mostly pragmatic designs (those $1500-$2000 amplifiers being a recent audiophile market exception). The HD558 is a very comfortable headphone, with its only major issue being the long, ¼” terminated cord. The sound is slightly less detailed than the HD600 and HD650, but then again it’s only $150 whereas the HD600 will cost you at least $250 on a very good day in the US. Both feature removable cables, so replacing either’s cable is not a big deal, and you really can’t go wrong with either as your first nice headphone. The HD600 and 650’s high impedance makes a lot of sense with the stable of modern soundcards out there that you might already have, so this is worth considering if you already have a Xonar or Soundblaster card you’d rather not part with yet. AKG K240 This is pretty much THE headphone of the 20th century right up there with the Sony MDR series (a possible replacement for this recommendation). If you actually believe the notion you should hear your music the way the artist did, then this headphone is your answer since this and the closed-back K271 is way many artists originally monitored their own tracks in the studio. Most of the most popular 70s Rock, 80s pop music, and everything produced by Quincy Jones was monitored on these headphones. The Quincy Jones line of headphones was no doubt a rebuke from AKG “Hey! WE actually own a large chunk of the recording market.” It’s for good reason, this is one of the most balanced headphones you can get for under $100. Its “sextet vented” design has been copied and mimicked over and over, which such brands as Superlux making very similar designs. This was actually my first expensive headphone. One of the things about it as a first time headphone was that it didn’t get quite loud enough on my very old onboard audio chipset back then, which led to me looking at headphone amps in the first place. It therefore, should come as a first warning to anyone considering either the K240 or the newer K242 is that it can take a bit more to drive than you think. It features a detachable cable, but unfortunately the durability has suffered in recent years. My pair started to crack after about a year of moderate use. The newer K242 looks like a sturdier home-use styled model, but I haven’t pulled the trigger just yet, so I can’t tell you at this point. AKG K701 This headphone’s claim to fame was not exactly alone borne of recommendations or a nice review on respectable audio magazine, but also because of a certain appearance in the popular anime “K-On” on the head of the show’s most popular character, the bass guitarist Akiyama Mio. Nevermind that the anime “has as much to do with music as a chainsaw has to do with cooking”, the Mio fanboys bought this particular headphone in droves (along with that left-handed Fender). If you ever happen across a /g/ headphone thread, you’ll probably see that the opening post probably is a picture of a scantily-clad Mio with the AKG K701 on her head. So, despite the taunting of “Miophones” I’d say this is one of the most detailed headphones at any price point for serious music analysis. Also, if your thing is the cutesy sort of JPOP that I’m sure most K-On fans are into, you’ll actually find this sound signature complements the high pitched female vocals and electronic instruments present in many tracks very well. Please do take note that this headphone has absolutely no punchiness in the bass, but this does not mean there is no bass response at all. There are many versions of this headphone in the K7 category, all with the same drivers. None of them look as nice as the K701 though. Just saying. Conclusion OK, I think that pretty much does it. Any questions? Post away!
  15. I always thought it had a bit more pronounced bass.
  16. AKG K240 and Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro
  17. I wouldn't use onboard with a 300 Ohm headphone. It gets louder than you think but when you run across a youtube video (like one of Linus's!) you'd like to get a bit louder you'll wish you had the extra headroom. I'll jump on the O2+ODAC bandwagon since that's in fact what I use with my HD650s, but I'll note that since it's such a high impedance headphone, just about any soundcard, amp, or dac will have a proper damping factor. So the Xonar DG would also work if your really strapped for cash. Even the Beringer UCA202 with its very high 50 Ohm output impedance would be alright.
  18. The ATH-M50 is very good in my experience at picking up hum and other interference. Even touching the tip of my 1/4" jack on my O2 produces audible static. It's the only headphone I have that does this. yes, you'll probably want to keep your EQ totally off first to make sure your onboard is operating properly. If it still sounds terrible, you can try re-installing the driver which might reset a bad setting or something, but if it's something like a hum or hiss, it may very well be that your onboard is bad.
  19. Not much of a difference, as far as the specs go.
  20. h264

    Lol...

    So, do it like this then? Repost the whole article in the thread?
  21. h264

    Lol...

    You can do 10gigabit over a cat5e cable, just not for as long of a distance. It's the distance that you need to do a run that will determine the sort of cable that you need to use. Of course, Cat5e is the best option for most small houses even if it's run 50-100 meters. Your average consumer switch can handle moderate signal loss with no noticeable effect on your overall performance. Unless your doing video editing or something, but then, like Linus, you're probably using local 10gigabit or local scratch drives to handle that load. Please note that ethernet cables carry no analog signal (unless there's interference of an enormous scale!). I'm not sure what you mean by frequency, but all ethernet frequencies are constant height digital pulses (square waves). There is NO loss and all errors are corrected at the network layer (AND the application layer in many cases!) There is noting important about this cable to audiophiles except to confirm their biases about digital signals. Nothing really, but there are three glaring issues: 1. That network setup makes no sense. All the switches should go through switch1 to reduce hops. Amateurs. 2. Anybody who's taken any sort of network theory class understands and respects the details and beauty of the CSMA/CD protocol and how it, with segmented switched links, eliminates any notion of performance loss over a single link. Sure, there are issues with switch firmware causing increased latency ACROSS the switch (the proverbial "stuffed port") and cables CAN and DO go bad (usually at the connectors!). However, I've tied cables in literal knots in the lab and gotten absolutely no performance loss. All the hard work by my forbearers is apparently lost in a single moment when a tweako cultist who KNOWS better than someone like me who actually MAKES cables decides the multiple theories and years of work behind modern networking is a giant lie. You might think they are cute, innocent or harmless, but unscience is the biggest threat to the advancement of understanding, and money aside, is damaging to public understanding and removes focus from actually pressing issues we need to solve in science. 3. Dear moronic reviewer, It's a digital signal. Even if you buy into the notion that the "BITS are BORKED" across a cable, you still have to square with me the concept of how that matters more than either the NAS server, the computer you play it on, or the actually DAC on your end that decodes the signal from the NAS to an analog signal. Now he's just an OLD fool, I see. :rolleyes: Although in this case, he's definitely NOT a fool, he's actually a shrewd businessman that knows how to push the latest wonder-crap to the sheeple to keep up his blog's financial interests. Might I add he's quite good at it, too.
  22. Sounds like a great way to eavesdrop on your friend's raid audio to me.
  23. Parts of it are, sure, especially the parts that formed changstar. I'm still confused at how something measuring the same as an O2 makes the O2 obsolete (protip: it's been pronouned "obsolete" six times by purrin since last year. U mad bro?), but it's their little fanclub so their rules I guess. On the flipside, it's also a bit of an underground hit on the site, especially among the sound science forum and the less "wealthy" (read: actually save money for things) members. evidence here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/616331/o2-amp-odac p.s: fun game: count the number of banned members in that thread.
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