swag edition▶ Request purchase advice headphones>location>budget>open/closed back>sound signature (favorite music)>previous equipment (DAC/amp/cans)▶ Request purchase advice speakers>location>budget>room size/listening position distance>stereo/multi-channel>subwoofer Y/N▶ Measurements speakers https://www.spinorama.org/https://www.erinsaudiocorner.com/https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?Audio+Reviews/
Why are planars better than DDs?
>>108311249Better bass. Flat sensitivity curve removes source impedance as an error term.
>>108311249Better: max SPL to make you deaf, sub-bass performanceWorse: mids, treble, channel balance, unit variation
Why are discrete amps better than opamps?
>>108311000the koss portapros my beloved
>>108311563They're not.
>>108311392>channel balance, unit variationThis isn't an inherent problem with the technology so much as there aren't a lot of serious planar mfgs.Planar is best for home theater in a can. It can do heavy bass hits like nothing else and has the dynamic range necessary for virtual surround. E-stats have treble. DD has cost and portability.
>>108311614There are unserious DD manufacturers that don't have the same issue. It is inherent with the technology or current manufacturing processes, but some manufacturers are better at mitigating it than others. Estats do not have treble, they are all tuned horribly with very few exceptions. DD wins everything except sub-bass which it loses to both planar and estat.
>>108311000assume I'm a retardI want pc speakers to put on my desk next to my monitors. I'm not an audiophile but I'd like something that sounds nice. It's my living room and I'm sitting right in front of my deskMax budget is $500idk what's stero or multi channel. I like nigger rap music and I play stealth games (hearing where footsteps come from is important)
>>108312020>idk what's stero or multi channelstereo = left and rightKali LP-UNF with the desk switch on should be good enough
>>108311000what are the best headphones between the AIAIAI TMA-2, Tago Studio T3-01, Hifiman Sundara, Meze 105 AER? They all catched my eye
>>108311000>FIRMYou're a small guy.
>>108311570This. They're far from being HIFI but for some reason they're absurdly comfy in how they sound and feel on the head. The only shame is that the headband loves to eat your hair but I fixed it with a sleeve I made.
>>108312201>Kali LP-UNFthanks for paying attention to my poorly written post anonunfortunately those speakers look really big. the space I have available on my desk is limited, I have two monitors on it and it's already cramped with the keyboard/mouse. I used to have to small logitech speakers from 15 years agolooking for smaller sized speakers I stumbled upon creative pebble v3 but every review out there says the audio sounds like shit
>>108312362Adam Audio D3V
>>108311563An opamp is just a discrete amp circuit, but miniaturized, all made from the same piece of silicon, and fully thermally coupled so there's almost no output voltage drift with temperature.Their only downsides are heat dissipation and maximum power supply voltage, so if you want to push very power-hungry speakers you're gonna have to resort to discrete components.
>>108312400Thanks this seems to be exactly what I'm looking for
>>108312511thanks. so as long as they both have enough headroom, their voltage and current delivery (attack and decay) behavior are exactly the same at the output?
I have dunu titan S and KZ ZSN pro IEMsis there any headphones around or less than 100 pounds (OK buying used) that would be worth to buy (compared to these IEMS)location is UK. some musics I like:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iul9cFmE-1g&list=RDIul9cFmE-1g&start_radio=1https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKcpv05bHbc&list=RDPKcpv05bHbc&start_radio=1https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmvsw2ILX5k&list=RDPKcpv05bHbc&index=3https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAQ4W4ew9is&list=RDWAQ4W4ew9is&start_radio=1
>>108313108CCA Hydro. ez
>>108312836Opamps can be made even more precise than discrete designs. A well-implemented opamp and a well-designed discrete amp with the same design parameters should perform very similarly, with the opamp likely even having a slight edge.For basically all headphones, going discrete isn't worth it purely from a performance standpoint.
>>108313388okay, thank you for confirming that. it has been quite the rabbit hole.
purchased fiio FT1 + K9, tidal subscription and a custom made hart audio cablewhat's the next step in the rabbit hole
>>108313997Enjoy, EQ if you feel the need.
what is the most powerful usb-powered dac amp?
>>108314170At what load? Low impedance (<15 Ohm) stuff takes a hit with most chi-fi dongles.
>locationBrazil>budget500~600usd>open/closed backI don't know the difference>sound signature (favorite music)Most listen to the same musics over and over, deftones and linkin park>previous equipment (DAC/amp/cans)no equipment
>>108314630you don’t need to spend 500+. get some SHP9500‘s and call it a day
>>108314708500 brazilian bucks is like 95 USD
>>108314744oh. then my recommendation is even more accurate
>>108314630PortaPros and a cheap amp with like -12dB gain
>>108314630>I don't know the differenceopen means the sound leaks, you'll hear more of the environmental noise closed attenuates the noise, usually more bass if you don't have any leakage (glasses, long hair)used sennheiser hd600/6xx/650 on olx for open-backor fiio ft1 for a closed-back is good enough
>>108314630cheap audio endgame:kph40 and an apple dongleor ksc75 if you want ear clips (you can also buy both and swap the band with the ear clips on them, theyll both sound better)+ yaxi pads for comfort and slightly better soundbut if you really want to spend more then go with what the other anon said and get an hd600/6xx/650 with a cheap dac amp like ifi zen can or whatever is the hype rn
>>108311563neither is betterthere are discrete amps specifically designed to distort like crazythere are op amps that have the head room of a PA system
>>108312836depends on the circuit design
>>108315171>>108314979>>108314823>>108314708Thanks, I will go with the Philips one, I just need something comfortable that's not terrible quality wise and I dont want to get dac/amps
>>108315208None of those need a DAC/amp, but all of them would show noticeable improvement vs most PC sources.
>>108315171>HD 6xx and a bunch of other well regarded drop collabs dead& buriedUnironically set the budget headphone market back by like 10 years, especially Sennheiser, now they have mo 600 series headphone in the price range and only have chink made 500 series.
Is the D1 actually good or is it just a reviewer/youtuber hype/meme train?
Having used these for a few weeks now I can safely say I love these. Incredibly painful to wear for the first couple of days but it was totally worth it. They should have used a more rigid clip like the ksc75 though.
nth for Uli
>>108311249Tighter bass, typically less distortion so better to EQ without negatives.Tradeoff is cheap chink drivers/build quality typically, and you usually need gear to actually drive them.Also worthless with OTL tube amps because of linear impedance
>>108315731It sucks.
>>108315731DDs with velour pads are a complete waste of money. No bass tactility whatsoever. Might as well use IEMs.
>>108315731Overhyped trash, don't fall for the bait
>>108315731Amazing. HD600 with subbass. Made in Germany. What do you want more?
>>108316207thats a shoop, right
is the 560s the best I could get for around 100-130 european dollars?
>>108316707*HD600 but shittier in every way except subbass
>>108311000i am trying to decide between getting either the Koss KSC75 or ATH EQ300Mare the KSC really as good as people say they are or am i basically comparing dogshit to dogshit anyways? i never used open back headphones so i am curious, how much they might leak sound. is it like when i take my closed back headphones off or louder than that? would all headphones in this form factor leak sound anyways because of the lack of tight seal, or maybe the Audio technicas are better in that regard?
>>108317690KSC75 is good for the price but it has a few flaws. I've never seen anyone talk about the audio technicas. Why not just get both since they're so cheap? Leakage isn't really significant with clip ons compared to over ear open backs, your comparison with closed backs off your head is pretty close.
Just blew out the right speaker my ATH-M50X's while mixing some music. Should I try a new pair of cans or just buy the same ones? Need something for mixing, gaming & working remotely for 10+ hrs a day.
is Edifier stuff any good?
>>108317690I fuck with the Koss. Get a headband and swap the pads out for Yaxis and they're the greatest budget headphones.
>>108312785Edifier QR30 if you want gay RGB lighting or Kanto Ora are something you could consider as well.
any reviewers that take into account how comfortable headphones are when you wear glasses?
>>108318361just stop wearing problem glasses quirk chungus
>>108318377>just be blind
>>108318361>>108319029Any reviewer who wears glasses themselves? https://youtu.be/dI_jsE2eyjc
>>108319029Think he means get some wire frames or at least not thick plastic.
>>108317996>Get a headbandThen you'd just turn your KSC75 into PortaPros? What's the point? KSC75 and Portas have the same exact internals.
If i want .flacs should i get qobuz and download my playlists through it? Just 1 month and get rid of the sub?
>>108315985These are so good, they sound like a full sized headphone.
>>108321786Yes qobuz is based
>>108320111I stopped wearing headphones because i can feel them clamp on my cheap plastic frame glasses and twisting them.It is unfortunate
>>108311000Is there any reason why amplifier manufacturers haven't tried to milk audiophiles by selling them SiC JFET class A amplifiers? Before the advent of SiC transistors, power JFETs were hard to find, but now, there are quite a few manufacturers making them. I'm sure that audiophiles would enjoy that sweet tube-like distortion that these things provide. After all, there is a good reason why guitar pedal enthusiasts swear by vintage Motorola JFETs. Conidering that these power JFETs have a pretty low R_DS(ON), I'm sure that it would even be possible to design an amplifier that can switch between class D and class A at run time by putting a switchable low-pass network in the output path.
>>108321639>the Porta pro, KPH40, KPH30I, and KSC35 use the same drivers.>The KSC75, KTXPro1, and UR40 use the same Titanium coated driver. idk if titanium is objectively better or just tuning prefered by majority.
>>108314708What's the closed-back equivalent to the SHP9500 as a go-to rec for people just looking for "good enough for non-audiophile" cans? I just want something with a detachable cable so I don't have to replace the entire thing when I bork the cable.
>>108322194My guess is that most audiophiles are groomed into belief that tubes is the coolest thing to ever exist so they simply don't care. Also it is not expensive, and things need to be expensive to be cool. I use an old JFET Class A amp from the 80s and this thing is amazing but gets really hot to the point I am considering to put a fan for the hot summer months to come.
>>108322194Those are not meant for audio use. Performance is horrible.
>>108322194GaN is the new hotness.
>>108322194Nelson Pass made a go of it for a while and there just wasn't that much interest. I think most people who buy tubes don't actually care what they sound like.
>>108321639>>108322966They have noticeably different tunings within the same product line as well. In theory you can turn KPH40 into PortaPros, but in practice it's a lot of work to save $40.
>>108321786Qobuz is the best quality wise and artist share wise, it just has the smallest library. Don't know if they've expended on it over the past 4-5 months, but I didn't swap off Tidal when I saw how many songs I was losing in playlist transfers.Tidal is 2nd best, but it still has the ruins of MQA depending on if alternates were uploaded or not. Need to tick that shit off on Roon to dodge it.
>Head-Fi CanJam impressions>it's just 'woah it sounds so good it was mindblowing!!'>one dude who criticised Immanis and Fugakus got dog piledI spent a fair bit of money on audio gear (and the Ulis) but I cannot fathom getting sucked into whatever alternate reality Head-Fi users live in. I'd take the Topping shilling 10/10 times over being told the $10k headphones only sound good on a $20k amp.
new abyss diana TC with AI art on the earcups.. five thousand dollars..
>>108323489That's the whole point. Audiophiles love the distortions that tubes produce, so why wouldn't they love the distortions produced by JFETs?>>108323069>Also it is not expensive, and things need to be expensive to be cool. I guess that you could manually pick matched pairs to make them more expensive. Besides, even tubes aren't that expensive. It's just that audiophiles are paying a huge markup on them.>>108323637GaN transistors are a lot more linear, so they wouldn't produce interesting distortions.>>108323638Damn, I guess that my audiophile gadget idea wasn't as good as I thought it was.
>>108323982Genuinely cattle if you're buying these
Do the Creative T40 still make sense for €100,-? I'm seeing a lot of dated reviews so I have no idea how they compare with modern sensibilities in mind.I'm looking for any sort of small desktop speaker without subwoofer for under €150,-. Something I will listen to up close at my desk, and ideally occupies little desk space (height is fine).The other two options I'm seeing are the Edifier MR3 (€89,-) which is a little on the big side for my tastes, and the Edifier M60 (€143,-) that I think is a little bit more expensive.I don't like having to use an app to tweak the sound, very much prefer having knobs on the front or the back, and the retro aesthetic of the Creative T40 really appeals to me, but I just don't know if I'm missing out on anything by going for them. Ideally whatever I get won't have any weird bass boosts that can't be properly tweaked (saw someone complain about this with the M60).
Not sure if it's the right thread, but /csg/ isn't up yet so this the next best place to ask.Looking for a sub-$100 bluetooth speaker I can use to watch movies and listen to music on my desktop with passable audio. Anyone have suggestion?
>>108324526google nest
>>108323874Audiophiles live in a paradigm that if your source is rated with more current or power then you are always massively from benefitting from it. Regardless of the listening volume. If you dare asking a simple question why not to use speaker amps, all you get in response is silence.
>>108324701The speaker amp question is always weird to me because running estats through a speaker amp when using a Lundahl energizer is pretty standard shit, and I know a lot of headphone amps could run pretty low-end speakers (Ele 4 and some Schiit stuff can run bookshelf stuff, and tubes typically run everything).Head-Fi is a whole other can of brainworms though: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-canjam-new-york-2026-impressions-thread-march-7-8-2026.979675/Just nothing of substance in 11 pages.
>>108324466If you want something tiny, these are decent.
>>108315731I actually have a Hedd D1 here with my right now. After over a week of testing, I have pretty mixed feelings about these headphones. I'll use this as an excuse to dump my drunk ramblings about them here. I don't think they're a clear "HD600 BUT BETTER". Whether they are this for you pretty much depends on what exactly you appreciate about the HD600. The Hedd D1 do have extremely detailed mids which manifest in great timbre and details for voices and such. It's definitely on par with the HD600 here if a track plays into that. However, they're also neutral AS FUCK. They don't push the vocals forward in the way the HD600 do AT ALL.So the D1 end up sounding amazing for music that is naturally extremely mids-focused and in some cases really do sound superior to the HD600 here due to the (slightly) expanded stage and much better bass. Shit like instrumental/a capella tracks are excellent on these. However, any track that I like with the HD600 because of how they "help" the vocals forward falls completely flat on the D1. Stuff like JPOP or other shit that's not that well mixed but benefits from the HD600 pushing the vocals above everything end up sounding somewhere between "mediocre" and "utter shit" with the HEDDs. In the worst case, everything's just mushed together in the still pretty shallow stage these have with absolutely nothing standing out at all. I guess an audiophile would call that "revealing". Comfort is excellent. Though, when I unboxed them they smelled like absolute SHIT. They reeked like complete plastic cancer chemicals more than the worst chinkphones, which is apparently a pretty common issue with the D1. I still have a few days left but I'll likely send them back. I can see why some audiophile would like these but I'm really missing the vocal-forwardness of the HD600 too much for these to be a proper upgrade for me. So you could say that I'm too plebeian for them? Might try to EQ but that shouldn't be necessary for 700 bucks.
>>108325100>Might try to EQ but that shouldn't be necessary for 700 bucks.Wait till you find out people spend thousands on LCD-5s because 'they EQ better' lmao
What is my best option for reducing external EMI/power noise? I've got a DAC that uses a usb power brick adapter and I think that's causing noise (I can hear some high pitched thing coming from the power brick) and I needed the usb adapter to power the unit since it's connected to my PC via toslink because there is for sure emi coming from the gpu. So far the only thing in my cart is an isobar ultra powerstrip. I kinda want to replace the dac and amp (schiit modi 3 and schiit magni heresy) with a single combo unit to make things cleaner and hopefully use an actual power cable and not wall plugs and usb adapters. Any recommendations bros? With no LCD panels and as little LEDs as possible ideally. Budget would be $400 but I would like suggestions/advice on the power/emi nonsense too.
>>108325572JDS Synapse and ask John to take the LEDs out of it, they'll do it if you ask.
>>108325579I'm raped and re-read your post and saw the actual power brick is spazzing and it isn't a ground loop issue, this won't fix it gomen
>>108325008I guess it's settled then. Thanks!
>>108325100>Might try to EQ but that shouldn't be necessary for 700 bucksThreadly reminder that EQ is always necessary because headphones remove your head and shoulders from the equation. There's no such thing as objectively neutral headphones. Only headphones which sound neutral to certain people depending on their body shape and hearing damage.>>108325114They have headroom out to 140dB. They objectively EQ the best.
my 490 pros only have sound coming out of the left cup...that's annoying
>>108325671>There's no such thing as objectively neutral headphones.bullshit. the less coloration a speaker adds, the more neutral it is.
>>108325579>>108325593Thanks for trying at least bro. I might get the asgard x and plug it into my ups
>>108324719tbf how are you supposed to hear anything at canjam with all the noise and commotion. it seems to me its mostly a social thing now
>>108325776everyone there listens at 140 dB
>>108325679swapping the input to the other side fixed it so it may not have been totally securely out of the box
>>108325743You're talking about FR vs distortion. Some headphones have unfixable problems and some don't. Neither is neutral for all listeners.
>>108325795Probably just a loose connector.But they should repair it under warranty - for that amount of money it must work flawlessly for many years.
>>108325671>Threadly reminder that EQ is always necessary because headphones remove your head and shoulders from the equation.So? You want DF along with a room curve for headphones rather than directional HRTF as a tuning goal. So having a shoulder diffraction dip is dumb, as the spatial cues will already be in the binaural/atmos mix/game engine. >Only headphones which sound neutral to certain people depending on their body shape and hearing damage.Bro solved subjectiveness. The brain can relearn a new HRTF and normalize many flaws given enough time. You can improve things with EQ, but it's not a must if something is reasonable enough for you.
>>108324466>>108325639these are really overpriced for what they are.save up for iloud micro, kanto ora, adam d3vor make space for mr3
>>108324719Energizers are a completely different thing as estats exist in their own universe which I am happy to be a part of, but that's a completely different conversation.In this case it is literally the "oh look this headphone amp sounds so much better because it has more power" situation. Kind of like another ASR Topping post suggesting you buy new shit because it has SINAD of -125 instead of -115. >>108325100I have a sentiment to appreciate any new solid releases made by a small enthusiast-oriented company, but in this case it is probably more of a sidegrade rather than an upgrade.
>>108326274kanto ora is not available in my country, and the other two are €278 and €298 respectively. Surely that's not also overpriced for tiny speakers? Like if I'm spending that kind of money I'm sure I can get more bang for my buck with bigger ones. Or is the difference in audio quality between the T40 and iloud micro really worth the extra €178?
>>108326355i'm just speaking for US prices. 100 euros is $115 here and that's a bad price for T40s. the MR3 is better, though they're not always selling for $99 and aren't really worth it at $150, at all.those T40s, and other "computer speakers" seem to die pretty regularly, so not only are you getting a worse sound, it doesn't seem to last as long either, so you end up spending the same money anyway.and bigger speakers, like 5-8" speakers = higher volume before distorting & slightly lower bass response. they're made for proper treated studios and huge rooms. you pick the speaker size based on your room. big speakers need to be placed further away from each other and from you to sound right. it's not bigger = better. if you want low bass, you need a subwoofer. all of these monitors i'm mentioning reach 85dB and 50-60Hz, which is plenty for using at your desk.look at used/refurbished optionsthis guy compares the T40s to iLoud Micros. you will need headphones to really hear differenceshttps://youtu.be/NsHfnfUf-Sc?si=Eye6NehvX75K7t8NFWIW, the T20 costs less and AFAIK sounds basically the same and are smallerhttps://youtu.be/orRVNNbNEQ4?si=ysPNSQPAJiNBFIgvyou could just buy T20s and Adam D3Vs and return them if you think they aren't worth it. or maybe make space for MR3s if they're $100 where you are.
>>108326355They don't even make the Creatives anymore. I wouldn't buy old computer speakers.
>>108325671>There's no such thing as objectively neutral headphones.I wonder if anyone has ever proven/disproven this with an experiment?I imagine an experiment where you have a singer in a room.The test subject is blindfolded and wearing open back headphones.At random either the singer sings or a recording of the same singer is played back over the headphones.This gets repeated something like 100 times.Will the subject always be able to distinguish the live singer from the recording?Shouldn't be too hard to do but I know audiophiles hate any kind of blind testing.
>>108326580this isn't a Turing test.
>>108326541Thanks for the detailed explanations! I'm aware of the bigger != better thing, but I do figure that some sacrifices are being made at these super small form factors, are there not? I also find it a bit of a shame that the slender form of the T40 is shared by basically nothing these days except the logitech Z207 which I read are garbage. I really like it from an aesthetics perspective.I will listen to those comparisons you provided, see if I can spot any difference I care about. And the used/refurb search is a good idea, I nearly forgot about that.If I had to pick from your options, I'd almost just splurge on an iloud micro. I really care about keeping my use of desk space low, as I move around a lot, and am primarily a laptop/minipc person for that reason.I'll report back with what I get and other findings.>>108326552They still sell 'em new on a site I trust, and I have read a lot of reviews of people using them for like 8 years, so if it's truly 'ol reliable, I figured why not?
>>108326652Well, the smaller speakers have external AC adapters, when on a bigger speaker like a T5V will keep them internal. bigger speakers also assume they're on stands and you have an audio interface to adjust volume, while smaller ones will have a volume knob on the front since they know you're using them on your desk(which isn't ideal since speakers on your desk creates resonance and early reflections but w/e)in terms of sound, larger woofers can handle more power and get louder, and have lower bass because sub-bass is what requires all of the power. tweeters don't require as much. larger cabinets also allow lower bass.it's really just more volume and slightly lower bass. you're not sacrificing anything in reality. if you're in a bedroom or living with other people, you want smaller 3-4" speakers. they are perfectly adequate.
>>108326580The real singer is the one that sounds muffled because you're wearing headphones.Harman studies already disprove the hypothesis.
>>108326242>having a shoulder diffraction dip is dumb>the spatial cues will already be in the binaural/atmos mix/game engineAll these do is use some generic head shape / shoulder dip approximation, and it usually sucks. You can model your real bust and feed it into sofalizer if you want it done correctly.>reasonable enoughThat wasn't the stated requirement.
>>108326652>but I do figure that some sacrifices are being made at these super small form factors, are there notSmaller woofers sacrifice clean volume, so they noticeably distort at a lower volume, like 90dB instead of 100dB, mostly in the bass. Smaller cabinets sacrifice bass response, so you'll only reach down to 50Hz instead of 40Hz, or whatever. Small spaces don't need all of that headroom and it's likely you can't have boom boom bass in that case anyway. That's why options like the Micros are so popular. You actually gain some benefits with smaller speakers too; because the tweeter & woofer are closer together, they have a better off-axis response and are more forgiving when you move your head. They're also easier to place in the ideal position, obviously, and they cost less.I cringe when I see people post pictures of their speakers, and it's like 8 inch monitors one foot away from their seat, in their bedroom. It's the obvious tell that they had no idea what they were buying.
>>108326788>Harman studieswhich ones? which papers?
>>108326580>>108327083https://seanolive.blogspot.com/2010/07/why-live-versus-recorded-listening.html
What is the proper way to use one of these?
>>108327186Selling them to an audiophool.
>>108326580sounds that you hear from natural sources, like a violin or a singer or anything else, will always be colored by the room, boosting bass, tapering treble, and adding reflections. We don't live in an anechoic chamber or a recording studio. This is why speakers sound more realistic. The intended sound is not "neutral". You want it to be neutral from the source obviously, but then colored by the room.
>>108327186angle them till it sounds good
>>108327169>seanolive.blogspot.shut the fuck up
>>108327083'Harman studies' is a series of papers worked on by Sean Olive, funded by Harman, published by the AES.https://acousticstoday.org/he-perception-and-measurement-of-headphone-sound-quality-what-do-listeners-prefer-sean-e-olive/Walks through the full development of the idea. >>108328321idiot
>>108328385techs are stored in my balls, I don't need to read any AES mumbo jumbo. I accept your concession
>>108325572Use TOSLINK and power the DAC through a power bank with usb pd adapter of appropriate voltageThat or get a DAC that operates on battery but the results tend to not be as good as just powering a proven good DAC off of a power bankIt's what i do and i get no emi noise bullshit or 50hz hum from hellIf you want something cheaper and latency is a non problem then a bluetooth dac is the next best solution if you use LDAC
