Headphone lovers, what do you love, what do you have, Head-Fi fans 2019-21 edition.*

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by RJL2424, Aug 19, 2019.

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  1. all24bits

    all24bits Mature Adult

    Location:
    USA
    My heritage headphone amp I plan on keeping until I die. I can only think of one "upgrade" to do over this amp, which would be go to a Xi Audio Formula S. (built specifically to run Abyss headphones) A guy who's ears I trust has compared both the SPL Phonitor (pictured) and the Xi Audio, and stated these two amps were the best solid state amps he had ever heard. (#1 Xi Audio, #2 Phonitor)

    A seller four hours away across the state recently sold a Xi. I messaged him and offered to drive all the way to his city so I could audition and possibly purchase it. He didn't take me up on it, so I haven't had the pleasure of having my hands or ears on one yet.

    excuse the temporary COVID mess in the background.
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  2. dolsey01

    dolsey01 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston, MA
    [​IMG]

    I've bought both the NightHawks and NightOwls in the last month, and I can't stop. I look forward to going to bed to listen to the NightOwls and I use the NightHawks all day while working. Best thing I did during this stay-at-home lockdown.
     
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  3. ogdens_sliced

    ogdens_sliced Walnut Plug

    Location:
    Albion
    I only really use headphones when working or relaxing on imac.
    I listen to a pair of Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro - 250 ohm, open - running off of a Schiit valhalla 2 (stock tubes) in high gain mode.

    Music wise it's either CD ripped to lossless through an itunes library or streaming from Googleplay music & YouTube.

    I find the DT990 and Valhalla 2 to be a great combo. The cans are super comfy to wear for extended listening periods and can wear them all day long without any discomfort. I like the sound signature; nice separation and dynamics and non-fatiguing. I often forget I'm wearing them as there is no head in vice effect.
    The DT990 are great value for money for the comfort and sound signature you get. But as stated, I don't have other pairs so have no real comparison to make.

    Only downside on the DT990 is that the headphone lead is fixed. I've seen a couple of hacker vids to make it replaceable and will attempt such hack if the lead ever breaks.

    Have been curious about planar magnetics by Audeze but even though I understand the sound to be killer, especially bass performance, the weight aspect would be a primary deal breaker for me as a working session can be 12 hours plus. The cost would also be a challenge as the price difference between high end cans and the DT990s is a stack of records.
     
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  4. John Buchanan

    John Buchanan I'm just a headphone kind of fellow. Stax Sigma

    What happened to the volume control? It isn't the original.
     
  5. bcaulf

    bcaulf Forum Resident

    Pretty much the same impression I have. Similar tuning to the HD650 (probably closer to the HD600 actually), but the HD650 just have the magic the K371 doesn’t. Then again, the HD650 is a very special headphone that still stands the test of time.
     
  6. all24bits

    all24bits Mature Adult

    Location:
    USA
    Not sure. That was what the seller provided me and used with it.
     
  7. Sckott

    Sckott Hand Tighten Only.

    Location:
    South Plymouth, Ma
    AKG K550, here.
     
  8. John Buchanan

    John Buchanan I'm just a headphone kind of fellow. Stax Sigma

    The original volume control is a two piece knob, allowing balance and volume to be altered with the same knob. I have a Stax SRM-Monitor with a similar sort of knob.
     
  9. RJL2424

    RJL2424 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Go figure. I just tried the DT-990 Pro on my desktop computer, and it was much louder from my computer than any of my low-impedance closed headphones from that same jack. As such, the DT-990 Pro will be my new critical-listening headphones for the computer. My closed-back headphones will revert to on-the-commute use with my smartphone.
     
  10. rockin_since_58

    rockin_since_58 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Simi Valley, CA
    Just received an open box pair of Quad Era-1's from Music Direct and they are fantastic! Much better than my Senn HD-600's.

    [​IMG]
     
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  11. RJL2424

    RJL2424 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    I went back and revisited my other wired headphones in my new phone. After listening to my now-seldom-used Audio Technica ATH-M50x, I can now understand how its sound quality is polarizing. Whereas it sounded boring out of my old smartphone, the bass - especially the midbass - became too overbearing to my liking out of my newer smartphone - the epitome of being "painfully woofy," in my book. The highs are both tinny and lacking in definition at the same time. Some people might like that kind of sound - but I don't care much for it.

    The same headphone out really brought out the screechiness from my Sony MDR-7506, with most of the mid-treble response emphasized and a peak between 9 kHz and 10 kHz. (Again, that type of response is useful for recording, but for pleasure listening it's not my cup of tea.) My older Sony MDR-7509, however, while it sounded boxy out of my older smartphone, didn't sound quite as bad out of my newer smartphone; however, my new tests revealed that the 7509 would have been respectable if it weren't for the lack of mechanical resonance damping inside the earcups (and yes, it came like that brand new out of the factory).

    Despite the significantly lower volume, I now prefer to listen to my open-back Beyerdynamic DT-990 Pro 250-Ohm headphones to any of my closed-back circumaural headphones.

    So, it's back to the old drawing board again (closed-back circumaural headphone-wise). My in-ear true wireless buds (the Samsung Galaxy Buds) are now my primary on-the-go listening device to go along with the smartphone. The cheapo Koss KPH-30i is my secondary portable listening output device.
     
    Last edited: Jun 6, 2020
  12. John Buchanan

    John Buchanan I'm just a headphone kind of fellow. Stax Sigma

    I'm seriously thinking of getting some Mysphere 3.2 headphones. Any one with experience with these?
     
  13. Claude Benshaul

    Claude Benshaul Forum Resident

    I had a pair of ATH-M50x that I bough based on recommendations and I was tempted to return them the after first time because I thought they were defective. It took me some time to realize that they sounded the way they did on purpose.

    Right now I'm considering changing the set of headphones I'm using at the office to Focal Elegia. If they are truly a closed version of the Clear and can get me at least to the level of the Elex I have at home, then it's a serious win. However the question I must ask myself is whether I really need a new headphone set for the office as post-corona I don't spend a lot of time there anymore.
     
  14. RJL2424

    RJL2424 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    I agree there. The other ATH-M series headphones that I tried all had a similar sound signature albeit to varying degrees - mainly a boosted low end and a boosted lower treble. As one goes lower in that line, the detail begins to get lost. That's the primary difference between the various models in that line.

    So, given that, I have now narrowed down my choices in $200-ish closed-back headphones between the Beyerdynamic DT-770 (in various guises) and the AKG K371 (successor model to the K553 that I liked). Though I might rule out the 32-Ohm version of the DT-770 in favor of the 80-Ohm version as the 32-Ohm version is actually less sensitive (in terms of voltage sensitivity) than the higher-impedance versions of that same headphone.
     
  15. bcaulf

    bcaulf Forum Resident

    The K371 is awesome, surprisingly good for its $150 price. It's probably not gonna wow anyone but it does so little wrong it's kind of hard to be disappointed in it unless you just want a more exciting sound signature...

    ...which is where the DT770 comes in. I personally wasn't a fan of the 770 (just too bright for me) but it certainly still has its place. It has quite a bit more gusto than the K371, and beats it in soundstage and possibly detail as well, at the expense of being more v-shaped. It's built quite a bit better, but is less portable and harder to drive.

    So to narrow it down I would say...

    K371 if you want: Balanced and friendly sound signature, portability, easy to drive

    DT770 if you want: Slightly aggressive but powerful v-shaped signature, soundstage, solid build

    You're pretty much in the sweet spot for closed backs in terms of price to performance. I've learned in these last couple years that closed backs don't really scale in performance like open backs and IEMs. A lot of the more expensive ones do some things better, but also some things worse.
     
  16. marcfeld69

    marcfeld69 Forum Resident

    Hope it's O.K. to piggyback on this thread rather than starting a whole new one. I just got my MDR-1AM2's. I haven't had time to really break them in but can anyone tell me what to do with the balanced cable? Is it safe to use the balanced cable straight into a hi-fi system (i.e. into the amp)? One reviewer says that is their purpose. I keep reading the source has to be balanced. What does that mean in terms of connecting to a hi-fi system? [I actually have to buy an adaptor for the amp as the the balanced cable jack is something like 4.00 mm, too big for a normal small hole and too small for the large ones in most hi-fi equipment. And too big for the usual adapter.] Sorry for the untechnical nature of this post!
     
  17. Ham Sandwich

    Ham Sandwich Senior Member

    Location:
    Sherwood, OR, USA
    The balanced cable with that Sony headphone is a 4.4 mm pentacon TRRRS connector. It is 4.4 mm so that it won't fit in a standard unbalanced headphone jack. That's by design so you don't make a mistake of trying to plug it in the wrong jack.

    If you want to use the balanced cable you'll need to get a balanced headphone amp that has a 4.4 mm pentacon female jack. Or buy an adapter that can convert the 4.4 mm male jack to a 4-pin male XLR if your balanced amp has a 4-pin XLR connector.

    With balanced headphone amps the cable from the jack all the way to the ear cups needs to be all balanced with four separate cables all the way to the ear cups.

    Use the unbalanced cable with regular unbalanced headphone amps. Use the balanced cable with balanced headphone amps.
     
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  18. marcfeld69

    marcfeld69 Forum Resident

    Thanks. I was OK till the end of your second paragraph: how do I know my amp is balanced? I don’t have a headphone amp, just an integrated amp, and I also have an SACD player.
     
  19. John Buchanan

    John Buchanan I'm just a headphone kind of fellow. Stax Sigma

    See post #201 - note the 4 pin XLR output? That's the most common balanced output. There is also the Pentaconn balanced output as well, which Ham Sandwich explained above. Most headphone amps have only single ended outputs (the standard old headphone jack we've all used forever).
    Have a look at the Fidelice D/A and Headphone amp which has 1 single ended and 2 different balanced outputs (4 pin XLR and the TRRS Pentaconn).
    The Fidelice Precision Digital-to-Analog Converter — Fidelice
    The Burson I use has one single ended and one 4 pin XLR ouput.
    Conductor 3X
    The original Phonitor only has a single ended output
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jul 20, 2020
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  20. marcfeld69

    marcfeld69 Forum Resident

    Excellent. Thanks.
     
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  21. Mister Pig

    Mister Pig I didn't Choose Farm Life It Chose Me

    Location:
    Olympia, WA
    I am not a headphone guy, and never really owned good heaphone equipment. I decided to give them a try in the bedroom. I went to the used market and found a pair of Denon ADH5000 headphones. I then bought three headphone amps, a Woo WA6, a Beyerdynamics T20, and a Chord Mojo. I found the Denon was a great combination with the Beyerdynamics, and that is what I use. The Woo would never bring any magic with those phones, and so I sold it. The Mojo is here for portable use, and while it sounds good its also in second place.

    Now I also decided to experiment a bit with phones from East Asia. I ordered a pair of KZ ZS10PRO IEM phones. These are not terribly expensive, right around $43 with shipping. But you know the build quality is really nice! Stainless steel and plastic housing, 4 armature and 1 dynamic driver per side, and braided cable. Not the most neutral of voicing, but the bass response and top end are killer! Its amazing what you can do for less than $50. Works great off an LG20 ThinkQ smart phone, but really comes to its own off the Chord headphone amp.

    Also I would like to try a pair of Sony WF-1000XM3 ear buds for portable use.

    So I don't have any high end headphone gear, but I do enjoy listening to what I have. The Beyer and Denon sound so nice together, I feel like I could stop here and be content.
     
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  22. marcfeld69

    marcfeld69 Forum Resident

    Addendum: do you have to get a headphone amp? Can you not do the same as you are recommending with an integrated amp (assuming I have an 4-pin connector, which I still have to check). Why do we need headphone amps, anyway??
     
  23. Ham Sandwich

    Ham Sandwich Senior Member

    Location:
    Sherwood, OR, USA
    You don't necessarily need a home headphone amp if your integrated speaker amp has a headphone jack. The advantage for dedicated headphone amps is that they can be designed for the low power needs of headphones rather than high power needs of speakers. A well designed dedicated headphone amp could/should sound better than the headphone jack in an integrated speaker amp.

    An integrated amp is very likely to be using a resistor network connected to the speaker taps to power the headphone jack. The resistor network is to lower the power from the speaker amp to make it safe for headphones. The disadvantage of doing it that way is that it makes for a high output impedance. Not ideal for low impedance headphones. The speaker amp is also going to have more noise than a good headphone amp. Not ideal for sensitive headphones, because with the sensitive headphones you're more likely to be able to notice the noise as audible hiss.

    The use of a resistor network is described here in the description for the Robinette Box: RobinetteBox
    The plans for the Robinette Box include a 4-pin connector which will let you use a balanced headphone cable with it.

    Balanced headphone amps can be neat because they allow for some special balanced amp designs that may be a little bit better sounding than some single-ended amps. But just being balanced doesn't automatically make the amp better than a single-ended amp. It depends on the amp. Balanced amp designs also generally require more parts so end up being more expensive. For the same cost a good amp designer could likely design a better sounding single-ended amp than a balanced amp.

    A big advantage for balanced amps is in portable use with battery powered amps. A portable balanced amp can have almost twice the output power of a similar single-ended amp powered by the same battery. So a balanced portable amp can have more power and potentially longer battery life. Good benefits for portable use. Not really factors in desktop/home use where the amp is plugged into a wall socket and can get all the electric power it needs.
     
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  24. marcfeld69

    marcfeld69 Forum Resident

    Well, you're speaking more my language now. Not that I understand the science of it. I realise now my questions about balanced amps are simply the result of Sony's gimmicky (?) promotion of their Walkman, which has a balanced and an unbalanced connector. I was assuming that I could just take advantage of using the headphones to get a hi-res listening experience with the phones via my hi-fi. But it seems that is a massive detour to actually be able to do that. I think I understand the logic of having a headphone amp better now.

    My remaining question is: if you do buy a headphone amp, this runs through the integrated amp, right? Or directly into my SACD player or even my CD player? They all have headphone jacks. They are all of course connected to the integrated amp and speakers.

    It's almost academic now as I have sent back the phones for a totally different reason: they are just too tight. I have these on the way, an upgrade on my previous MDR-1Rs:

    https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B00NW353KE/ref=pe_492632_159100282_TE_item

    Sorry for being such a (relative) newbie. I mainly use headphones on my TV, Macs, and with my Oppo for Blu-Rays, whereas I hear most of my music on my Denon hi-fi. I just thought that if I could take advantage of using the phones on the hi-fi as well, it would be neat.

    Last thing: I do have a budget NuForce uDAC, which I have hardly ever used. I can't detect much difference on my computer:



    I'll check out the Robinette. Thanks for the link.
     
  25. shug4476

    shug4476 Nullius In Verba

    Location:
    London
    Audio Technica ATH-700s with Graham Slee Solo SRG-II and PSU-1.

    Used to own a pair of Sennheiser HD700s, but they cost a fair whack and I never used them! Was madness.
     
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