How Do You Test Heaphones

[Khanzi]

THIS IS NO A QUESTION - IT IS TO SEE HOW OTHER PEOPLE RATE HEADPHONES

 

I use 5 songs to test the range, response, and also richness of headphones

 

1. Frederic Chopin - Nocturne in C Minor - I use this to test for over responsive bass and also the mids and highs

 

2. The Smashing Pumpkins - Bleed - This is a superbly well mic'd song; I use it to see how well headphones respond to acoustic instruments and voice. 

 

3.  Daft Punk - Human After All - This is my overall electronics song, it shows of how well the headphones interpret electronic music. My baseline for synthetic sounds.

 

4. Savant - Bada Bing - Best song to test responsiveness. It cover a humongous range of sound and has very sharp stops and starts with choppy parts to test the responsiveness. However I don't use this for bass.

 

5. NOISIA - Tommy's Theme - I don't use dubstep to test bass because it just rapes your ears with bass. This song has definitive bass that also covers a good range. There is also a metric shit ton of modulation in this song, so it's easy to check for any sticking or bad bass reflex.

 

Please post the methods you use to test cans

[EmoRarity]

I put them on my head, and play something. Sometimes I bother to plug them in too. 

[EmoRarity]

5. NOISIA - Tommy's Theme - I don't use dubstep to test bass because it just rapes your ears with bass.

Bass

Bass

Bass!

I think that you haven't listened to legitimate dubstep or you would understand that Noisia produces brostep, and that there is no real mid or sub bass.

Case and point being.

[Khanzi]

I put them on my head, and play something. Some time I bother to plug them in too. 

K.

[helping]

Bass

Bass

Bass!

I think that you haven't listened to legitimate dubstep or you would understand that Noisia produces brostep, and that there is no real mid or sub bass.

Case and point being.

awww sheit, +1 for that song.

If you just want to test raw bass, one of the songs I like:

That and maybe duck sauce has one of the hardest bass lines I've heard so far.

[Khanzi]

Bass

Bass

Bass!

I think that you haven't listened to legitimate dubstep or you would understand that Noisia produces brostep, and that there is no real mid or sub bass.

Case and point being.

The thing is, I have listened to that song like a bajillion times. I know how it's supposed to sound. BTW that song you linked is bawssss. Think i'll add it to my list as  THE ULTIMATE GET RAPED BY BASS TEST SONG. No but seriously. thats a tasty jam. 

 

EDIT: One problem I have with this song is that the bass doesn't go anywhere. It's mostly wvoooaaaaaaaaaaaw wvoooaaaaaaaaaaaw wvoooaaaaaaaaaaaw throughout the entirety of the song.

[Khanzi]

awww sheit, +1 for that song.

If you just want to test raw bass, one of the songs I like:

That and maybe duck sauce has one of the hardest bass lines I've heard so far.

Good song too. The best thing is to use a song that you know very well. 

[EmoRarity]

awww sheit, +1 for that song.

If you just want to test raw bass, one of the songs I like:

That and maybe duck sauce has one of the hardest bass lines I've heard so far.

Get on my level.

[EmoRarity]

awww sheit, +1 for that song.

If you just want to test raw bass, one of the songs I like:

That and maybe duck sauce has one of the hardest bass lines I've heard so far.

Picture makes me wish I had my reggae and dub library on the trusty rusty iPhone.

[EmoRarity]

The thing is, I have listened to that song like a bajillion times. I know how it's supposed to sound. BTW that song you linked is bawssss. Think i'll add it to my list as  THE ULTIMATE GET RAPED BY BASS TEST SONG. No but seriously. thats a tasty jam. 

 

EDIT: One problem I have with this song is that the bass doesn't go anywhere. It's mostly wvoooaaaaaaaaaaaw wvoooaaaaaaaaaaaw wvoooaaaaaaaaaaaw throughout the entirety of the song.

I use it as a general "This is kinda what dubstep should sound like, get your labels right" song. Though if I was at home I would link the more better stuff.

[ShearMe]

I just use them.  :rolleyes:

[Khanzi]

I just use them.  :rolleyes:

Soooo.... You just put them on and listen to some jams and determine if you like them or not. You don't actually evaluate them?

[Stonep11]

Listen to these songs with the COPs and changing the Bass port really highlights how different that little feature can make songs sound.  I usually use the song Aja, by Steel Dan to test the mid and high range of headphones.  I use Godwhacker to test bass, I make sure I can differentiate the notes of the bass in the background.

[EmoRarity]

Soooo.... You just put them on and listen to some jams and determine if you like them or not. You don't actually evaluate them?

Its like having friends, you don't find a person and do the same things over and over again. 

Each headphone is different so there is no point in playing the same songs through every headphone, you will end up missing what they are good and bad at.

[ShearMe]

Soooo.... You just put them on and listen to some jams and determine if you like them or not. You don't actually evaluate them?

 

I don't "evaluate" them with a mere handful of files, nor will I pretend it is possible to do such testing scientifically with the human ear.

[Khanzi]

Its like having friends, you don't find a person and do the same things over and over again. 

Each headphone is different so there is no point in playing the same songs through every headphone, you will end up missing what they are good and bad at.

These is my baseline evaluation. Not like.. Listen to these and determine if I like the cans or not. Headphone are audio equipment. Test them like equipment. Cherish them like companions.

[Khanzi]

Listen to these songs with the COPs and changing the Bass port really highlights how different that little feature can make songs sound.  I usually use the song Aja, by Steel Dan to test the mid and high range of headphones.  I use Godwhacker to test bass, I make sure I can differentiate the notes of the bass in the background.

 

Thank you for contributing and not arguing.  :wub:

[Khanzi]

I don't "evaluate" them with a mere handful of files, nor will I pretend it is possible to do such testing scientifically with merely the human ear.

k.

[Crossedbow]

As someone that composes soundtracks and also does sound design, I wear headphones almost every day.
The way I test my audio equipment is:
 

1. create a sound around 10-20hz to test the bass
2. for mid range sounds I use any kind of music/game

3. for the higher sounds I do the same thing as in step 1 but with a higher freq. 

[EmoRarity]

These is my baseline evaluation. Not like.. Listen to these and determine if I like the cans or not. Headphone are audio equipment. Test them like equipment. Cherish them like companions.

Well I determine if I like the headphone before I find out more about how it sounds.

Back to the friend analogy, you find out if you like a person before you ask about their childhood.

[Stonep11]

Thank you for contributing and not arguing.  :wub:

I like your focus on bass, because the levels of bass and the way it reverbs really makes or breaks cans to me.  Even a pair with great mids and highs, btu overpowering bass will ruin the experience, but a weak high range really won't ruin the other ranges.

Ha ha, I do realize half the comments on the majority of these forum threads is just attacking some guys post, telling someone asking for advice that some unrelated part of his build is stupid (What new GPU? GO SSD... not the damn question), or REPOST on a Tech News thread WITH NO LINK!

[Khanzi]

I like your focus on bass, because the levels of bass and the way it reverbs really makes or breaks cans to me.  Even a pair with great mids and highs, btu overpowering bass will ruin the experience, but a weak high range really won't ruin the other ranges.

Ha ha, I do realize half the comments on the majority of these forum threads is just attacking some guys post, telling someone asking for advice that some unrelated part of his build is stupid (What new GPU? GO SSD... not the damn question), or REPOST on a Tech News thread WITH NO LINK!

 

There's more bitching that actual technological resolve or innovation for a majority of the time

[TheProfosist]

I dont up youtube to test tge tgats forsure

[Stonep11]

There's more bitching that actual technological resolve or innovation for a majority of the time

 

It is the internet, no matter where you are on the internet.

[ShearMe]

 

There's more bitching that actual technological resolve or innovation for a majority of the time

 

How dare you equate my high-brow demeaning attitude towards this testing of yours to mere bitching.