Can an Audio Noob Even Tell the Difference!? - HD6XX vs. K7XX vs. DT990 vs HE4XX vs. M50x Shootout!
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All these headphones are great but can a person who doesn’t really have an interest in high end audio really hear the difference in good headphones? My wife tries out some of the most popular headphones out there to find out!
Buy the headphones! Or at least, the headphones the Massdrop cans are modeled after!
Audio Technica ATH-M50X - amzn.to/2L8cFML
HifiMan HE-400i - amzn.to/2wcUsZ6
Beyer Dynamic DT990 - amzn.to/2ORFWOj
AKG K702 - amzn.to/2N44rr7
Sennheiser HD650 - amzn.to/2vU2pDm
Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 - amzn.to/2N3kFR0
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Have you tried this with any non-audiophile friends? Were they able to tell the differences between the headphones?
I'm curious to know what you personally would choose between the 6xx and the 4xx! I'm trying to find something good to listen to vinyl on my old 90s Technics integrated amp, and at first I was going to go for the 6's because everyone says they're so high-res, euphonius and "musical, but your wife and so many other people seem to love the 4s for how fun they are. I'm a newbie to this stuff so I don't know which I would prefer, but I do want to preserve my hearing and avoid listening fatigue, and that had me thinking I wanted the 6's for how "relaxed" and supposedly intimate they are. Now I'm tempted to get the 4s since it seems they might be better for more energetic music like electronic and rock, and they're available right now instead of having to wait a month! So hard to choose without having heard either of them. Do you find the 4s to be pretty comfortable to wear, after you get used to them? The lightness and comfort of the Senns is the one other thing that made me think I might prefer them...
Okay, so this will be a bit of a spoiler to an upcoming video...but...For long term comfort, the 6XX's are the way to go over the 4XX's. If you want to listen to vinyl, I would probably lean toward the 6XX as well. They've probably the most well rounded pair. The 4XX's are phenomenal and the detail and clarity they have is just ridiculous but they are heavy and can get pretty warm on your ears. You can't go wrong with either pair, really. I would just worry that the sharp clarity of the 4XX's wouldn't mesh well with vinyl. Let me know what you decide and keep and eye out for our next video where we go through the three Massdrop headphones featured here today.
Thanks for your thoughts! I may just wait it out for the 6XX, as they do sound like the best fit for most of what I'm doing. One last question though, since you've tried them both: do you think the 6's would sound as good as the 4's with a track like this? th-cam.com/video/8FT-1bCoS6c/w-d-xo.html The best headphones I've owned are a pair of Koss Porta Pros, so I imagine the 6XX would amaze me no matter what, but I wonder if they would seem lackluster or blurry with the kind of treble detail you can hear at the start of that track when compared to the 4XX. In any case, I'll watch for that next video. :)
Honestly, you should be fine. The 6XX's are great headphones and are no slouch when it comes to high end. The 4XX's can even feel like too much sometimes. You'll be super happy with the 6XX's.
Sweet!
You blew the experiment when you mentioned you were starting from least expensive to most.
Yes! That was the most retarded thing to say if he wanted an unbiased opinion!
Yeah wtf was that about
totally.
Totally agree. I couldn't believe he said that.
stopped watching after that haha
I tried this on my wife and she realized how much I spend on my gear so the next day we were out shopping for makeup and clothes and stuff to "even out"
Ouch! We pressed "F" to pay respect.
This. This wins all the prizes.
Never confess your sins my friend. God I got so many. Audio gear, tech gear, bikes and cars. Never will I complain about those red bottom shoes again.
Haha this made me laugh. Nice!
But our shit is functional, not shallow. They just buy shit to look cute to other women and gain status. We buy this shit for ourselves. I could give a fuck if someone likes my cans.
When she has “drummer” on her shirt and mentions pro tools when describing the sounds you know this might not be the “audio beginner” we expected.
My thoughts exactly lol
This confirmed my theory. The best head phones are the one that sounds the best to you.
AKA Sennheiser HD 58x ;) Hehe
Thats not true by any means. Since hearing and ears adapt and learn. If you test headphones just once, some might sound really good to you if they have say certain frequencies boosted artificially (Bose) to make them sound better to an untrained ear.
@@Ex0rz nope...yes our ears adapt and learn...but you need to know every person sight, hearing, taste or maybe even smell is different..the way our eye control the light into the retina define how we see the colour...so almost everyone will see color a bit differently but not entirely different..the with the taste and hearing...we can train our ear but we cant never be the same taste as the other person...maybe almost the same but not entirely the same...take example of Nuraphone...how they analyze our hearing and tune the music to suit our hearing...everyone who try nuraphone personalized to their ear always said its nothing like they ever listen before...because for some people their ear catch more bass than mid or high..some catch more mid and high..when we listen to headphone that suit our ear we will start to like it while some other will not like it since it lack of what they want to listen
Slyztercore Veanged I’d give you a Platinum on Reddit if I had money
And the less you know, the happier you are and less money you spend :)
I've done this before and I'll I got was "you spent how much on headphones, you should've just got beats" I haven't talked to then since
Are beats that bad? I don't own any so...
@@MrSplattman honestly I'd prefer to strap trashcans to my head than beats.
@@MrSplattman beats are 17$ headphones marked up a shitload cause of dr dre's name.
@@MrSplattman They dont sound awful, but theyre no where near as good as what you should get for their price
id say theyre worth maybe 50$
She did an excellent job with descriptions (sound stage) without the wordy BS that irks me to no end. Reviews were simply stated and i immediately understood what she meant.
I know right, so nice to hear a review where you hear what they feel rather than jumping to the tag lines and saying “oh I need to comment on sound stage” etc.
Was she describing soundstage or was that either imaging or seperation?
finally someone who thinks the same! It just gets confusing after a while.
Great video. IMO audio noobs are in some ways even more reliable than experienced listeners.
Experienced listeners often fall into the trap of focusing on certain aspects of the sound at the exclusion of everything else, and will end up with rigs that do well in that one respect but overall don't sound good. On the other hand, a noob will generally focus on the overall sound first and specifics second. They are usually a good reality check, and it's a very good habit to give your rig to others to listen to and see what their feedback is, though you have to be careful to not influence their perception of it. Which, I noticed, you were quite careful to not do.
Detail freaks are a pretty good example of this. Many people chase detail at the exclusion of everything else, and often end up with something that sounds bright and shrill, and while it gives them the ability to tell how much saliva is at the back of the vocalist's throat, or how long it's been since their last cigarette, overall it might not actually sound all that pleasant. And for the record... been there, done that.
The counter argument to this rule is that certain things are psychoacoustically likely to produce preferences in people, and an experienced listener knows how to spot those things and avoid them. By this I mean things like: if something is louder, it sounds better, and an experienced listener knows to volume match. Also if something is brighter, it will sound better on first listen, but will be grating over time, etc.
This is sort of why consumer gear is pre-tuned to take advantage of those psychoacoustic phenomena and is designed to appeal on first listen, this way if someone is in a store checking out a bunch of gear at the same time, it stands out. On the other hand, professional gear is usually made to NOT have those kinds of tricks and instead is made to fulfill a role, i.e. neutral gear for mixing/mastering, bass heavy for drum and bass recording, mid-heavy for vocals, etc.
TL;DR noobs are a good reality check and us audio nerds often live in a bubble, but a clever manufacturer can use psychology to make some headphones more enticing to noobs even if they're not technically better.
Interesting view.
Love this. Couldn't agree more!
Agreed
Wonderful comment. Insightful, coherent, efficient. Well done good sir.
Now get a room of 10 or more non-audiophiles and hand them around to see which they prefer.
@ here we go, one of the speaker assholes again. Go somewhere else. Thanks.
@Ezugo Obuekwe Yes. The one simple fact that out a bunch of trained listeners you will find very waried opinions on one thing: bass. Some people naturally like a lot of bass, some people naturally hate bass.
@E. O. "But I don’t really see the point of spending any grand on gear when there’s other things I could be using that money for."
You must not have a serious hobby. The same can be said for cars, photography equipment, golf clubs, etc.
@Detroit Tech, fascinating evaluation. I wish you’d not told your wife that the headphones went from cheapest to most expensive as this introduces bias. It’s obvious that she equated price with quality, as many under informed consumers do. I was also impressed by her ability to describe what she was hearing and what her preferences for sound were. She didnt know the word for separation (“piecey”) but described it beautifully. I also wonder if she happens to be more informed because she’s married to an audiophile. Might be really cool to run this type of experiment on another 4 people and present a roll up episode with some footage from each of the participants but mostly focus on the analysis of the experiment. Cheers
“...She’s married to an audiophile”
First thing I thought when I saw the title and first few seconds of this video: My wife and all my friends willing to humor me (and even some of their parents) all have been “used” as “noobs” but now have enough experience and familiarity with audio that they’re not noobs anymore. I recently rattled off a bunch of audio acronyms and sonic descriptions to my wife, and realized that she understood every word. I mean, she’s definitely a keeper, but I also feel kinda bad that I’ve forced my hobby on everyone I know over the years XD
@@evshrug Is listening to music for the sole purpose of enjoying what the music actually sounds like really such a horrible thing to force onto people?
What the fuck are you doing reading my username? • That was definitely the goal, it’s just she’s heard me talk about it or work through describing it in reviews enough that she picked up a lot. But yeah, she got good headphones, a nice home theater/HiFi setup (which she uses more than me), and a Bluetooth speaker that her fitness class can hear better than the gym’s PA system :D
Her evaluation is spot on.
just amazing actually, give her a hug for us Audiophiles....
her words described Soundstage, Separation, Depth, Width et el.
and imaging
I love how the ATH M50 got 6 in sound and ALL THE REST of headphones got a 10! .... brilliant!
Cause shes not a beginner
@@mushroom5912 well i think she isn’t an overall casual listener, considering she said she regularly uses ath m50. that by no mean is an audiophile headphone, yet definitely not casual usage focused, being some of the most popular fans you see in studios for recording and stuff.. i’m not saying they’re bad, finneas and billie eilish use them, finneas said it, but in my opinion she definitely was new to the open back feeling, which in my case, was a mindblowing experience.. technically not an audio noob, audiophilly, yes
Her descriptions were pinpoint, she’s a keeper! I like how she picked out the vocals on the 6XX (my headphones) but preferred the v-shaped 4XXs.
Actually the 650/6XX's are more mids-oriented, while the HE4XX is more "painfully flat" if you will :P
"It's all relative."
It was a little strange that he wanted that much the win for the HE4xx.
Every headphones one time but atthe end lets listen to the HE4xx again... :D
Yeah.. I had the HE400's a while back, and they sure as F were crazy flat. To the point of being boring as F. I have a pair of DT770's and their Sub-bass is insane. If you listen to post malone, it's like having a pair of subwoofers on top of your ears.
Look at the frequency response on both. They are fairly similar, but the HD6XX is a tad flatter than the HE4XX.
For a "noob" she did a really good job on describing what they felt like. I think that's the best video for someone that isn't experienced with the audiophile world but still want to enjoy good sound.
That's fair.
Dillon Bray how are you certified with 0 subscribers???
@@davidm3743 Eon's ago I provided youtube/google with my personal information via some sort of verification portal. I think they provided that service because I used my real name, and could prove my identify.
Oh, and it might of had something to do with verifying my identify with google+, and linking the two together. The requirements are obviously different now.
I literally came to the comments just now to see how far down a "that's fair" comment would be.
@@KennethAndrews That's fair
"I must really have long ears". "That's fair". OK. That's fair.
Yup. Mhhmmm. Ok. Ok. Ok. Ok that's fair.
She gets what sound separation and sound stage is without knowing the terms which is dope.
TH-cam recommended it and I loved it! She didn't sound like a "total noob" as you stated earlier. Nice video, even nicer with the Tolkien's dedicated bookshelf!
To start, I wouldn't have let her know that certain cans were more expensive, or even allow her to see them. Just put them on her head and see which ones she thinks sound the best.
My wife is like this and will give a very honest overall impression. She'll say things like "that sounds too sharp", but she doesn't get into the specifics too much. She could easily hear differences in speakers when we went shopping, and (luckily) agreed with the speakers I was interested in buying. I think women's hearing is different than men's, and a bit more sensitive to the higher frequencies.
John Hildebrand I went through a similar experience when I was shopping for an amplifier a few years back. My (then) girlfriend could tell the difference from amp to amp, as could I. But she preferred the bass heavy NAD. I ended up with the Rega: she liked it, too, but behind the NAD. We both agreed that the Yamaha sucked.
Yamaha is pretty lifeless, It's way too neutral. Yamaha is known for being very exacting. Nothing too spectacular. So if you want accuracy, then yes, yahamah is very good.
Try Yamaha A-S1100. Best amplifier I heard in 2500 USD price range. Own one now.
John Hildebrand Women can also be good at subtly picking up on what you want them to favor, and if the relationship is going well, you’re likely to magically be on the same page. 😁
I wish... she's very capable of telling me when she doesn't like something. ;)
In 2008 my girlfriend, who never listened to any hi-fi, once asked to listen to her favorite, russian singer Pavel Kashin (there are a lot of live instruments). When she listened to 5-6 songs with pleasure through famous Philips SHP895, I wanted to surprise her and offered Sennheiser HD650. She didn’t even listen to one song, frowned, took them off and said - these headphones play bass very badly, some messy, and the vocals are worse. In short, then I sold them - because the unreal rise on the mid-bass also interfered with me (especially when the double bass played). By the way, this is a common problem with Sennheiser - with a low sub-bass, many models have an emphasis on mid-bass, which interferes with the low-mid.
I thought she needed to be blind to tell a difference
We weren't concerned about a super scientific test here. Just getting a feel for what she thinks. Thanks for watching!
Scientific or not, just knowing the price of each one may cause bias on her opinion to not look too noob ;)
And how do you suppose he should do that? With Bleach??
She know what headphone are putting on her ears, blind test mean BLIND, so she can't not know what it's hearing, then she can make an opinion on A or B product, after that reveal what product is A and what is B, that is a real comparation without bias and more "neutral" opinion.
If the person who will put the headphones talk loud telling "Ok this are the expensive headphones, let's try" ... a blindfold do nothing ;)
HD6xx, the way she mentioned "when the vocals comes in" i got that too, i got that feeling of being mind blown. hehe
I appreciate what you've done here, but what we need to see if a blind test that starts with a pair of KSC-75 and ends with a pair of Stax SR-007 MkII. I just want to see if the latter has the same jaw-dropping impact on someone outside the hobby as they do on those of us who've heard umpteen dynamic/planar headphones. Thanks for the vid.
Yeah, definitely use the KSC75 too next time. :) Maybe after the Massdrop one starts shipping, just to stay in theme.
If she's already listened to the 6XX she wont be blown away by anything. The law of diminishing marginal return doesnt work that way, shes already made the big jump in quality, so her wow factor is over. The difference between the two headphone you named are minor at best. The KSC-75 are a bad example cause theyre on ear clips, but Ive listened to $2000 Focals on $3000 equipment and it's 3% better than my $29 Koss KHP30i on a $200 Dac Amp at best. And 1% better than my 4XX. Hardly noticeable to be honest.
The "jaw dropping" impact you're referring to is called snake oil. You've convinced yourself that a $2000 headphone is worth the price, but it's not. There's one "jaw dropping" moment you have with headphones and that's the moment you jump from like a $9 throw away ear bud or Beats audio to something good with soundstage like a Koss. There are no headphones on the planet that are jaw dropping after listening to the 6XX or 4XX. None. Better? Yes. Jaw dropping? No. You're fooling yourself cause you want to justify that one slightly cleaner cymbal makes your $2000 purchase worth it. It doesnt.
Man your wife is really sweet and patient
6:17
didn't she give the last pairs comfort 5/10 and those 9/10?
7:56 she did a great job here describing imaging and sound stage. Amazing haha.
root9065 I thought the k712 had a large soundstage though, been thinking about getting them for 90% gaming and 10% music.
Nice Video! This is watching someone with a great ear without the audiophile pretense. Hearing her descriptions match up with audio reviews of the products is great! Per her review, it makes total sense that the HE4XX won due to the "fun" factor.
Great job, just tell her next time that she can use tenths in her ratings....
That MKBHD shoutout was so random but I got you man 😄 We all like the man Marques.
I've been reading/watching headphone reviews for the last week, and THIS was the most helpful. Such a good idea to bring it down to laymen's terms. Just purchased a pair of 4XX's, thank you so much 👍
Wow I thought her analysis was really impressive! She even accurately described things like imaging and soundstage between headphones without even knowing the terms. :P
I can understand that she didn't care too much for the 6xx, but I'm glad she at appreciated the amazing vocals.
Yeah, the Germans have certainly nailed vocals. Even on the 58X Jubilee, vocals sound fantastic.
The HD 6xx is definitely not mind blowing at first listen.
With a mini star quad cable, and over time however, you will notice the extremely natural sound that they have, when you put on of those other headphones from this video on.
She had a really impressive description of the soundstage. She maxed out the points scale pretty quickly. Think you should have gone through all the pairs with her before rating, so she'd have a better chance of setting a baseline.
I came across your video purely by accident,. I thought the reviews of all the headsets were brilliant, very well done. It was a true and honest review. I really liked it. If I was looking for a headset these quick reviews, would actually be very helpful. Good job.
she said the Hifimans were like 5/10 in comfort and the 990s were 9/10 in comfort, yet she said the Hifimans were more comfortable?? huh??
horses for courses my friend. Not everyone has to agree with you
Ice Invein what? Did you even read his comment? She contradicted herself so hes confused.
Exactly, I'm still confused about why she said the Hifiman is more comfy in the end ?
She nailed it.
Man right off the bat I think she totally gets it lol "it sounds like the sounds are coming from different places"
Great review and video. It's interesting hearing your wife's opinion without outside influences. A great idea would be to have a stack of headphones and prices on the table. She would look and listen then place them at the price she thinks they would cost. Interesting to see if they matched up.
next: please do blind test!
oh and add m40x to the line.. just curious tho
nice video!
This was amazing. i was just sad that you didnt use the M40x's instead of the 50's :P
She did a great job in her descriptions. Thanks for sharing
I do not have the best hearing, but I love music. I do not hear a big difference between dacs and amps, but here is my opinion about headphones. I have 6XX, HE4XX and Bayer DT770, and I love them all different. My dac/amp combo is audio gd r2r 11, also I have darkvoice amp and fiio x5 II dap. HE4XX is super detailed, wide soundstage, good base. Wow effect guaranted. Less comfortable compared to 6ХХ and beyers, but still very comfortable, not heavy. Best with fiio x5 in my opinion (because it produces more details compare to r2r 11, more sharp I guess). DT 770 closed back, more V-shaped, awesome sub bass, very detailed highs, good soundstage, great for office use, great with r2r 11. 6XX is darker sounding overall, less details to me, but they are so sexy with the darkvoice... (I have only stock tubes). They are great with r2r 11 too, but more soundstage with darkvoice. It may seem ridiculous, but most of all I like them when listening to audiobooks and watching TH-cam videos. Don't get me wrong, the music also sounds great (little bit dark to me), but the voices are so intimate.. most used headphones
I have the 400i. Definitely a great product.
You should let the cat judge about the sound. Her little ears and instict will tell which ones are more better. ^^
Fan of Beyerdynamic's hehe.
She's a great sport for agreeing to do this. It was actually pretty insightful too
The cat observing you like humans are weird 😄
Love the Community reference at the end by the way
Which Post Malone track were you listening to? I'd like to try to find the spots in the music she's talking about.
Congratulations
Thank you, . . for the name of the song.
It's just clipping
Ha! It’s like you copied my headphone collection. Change to the DT 990 Premium 600 ohm. Add a DT 880 Chrome Edition. Remove the AKG. Add a Sennheiser HD 58X. There are a few others but these are the best for now. Great channel!
Joe Rico good idea
58x, 6xx, 598, 600 the difference is subtils for someone not used to the exercise.
what I noticed ,, you are very respectful for your wife AND your cat
you could do this experiment with almost any item. tell the person the most expensive is the last item and they will pick it everytime. regardless which is actually better. in 2021 far too many people associate price with quality. not saying expensive things are bad or low quality, just not all inexpensive things are trash
It's just a cat video disguised as tech stuff.
You found us out!
"But I don't think they're very cute." Pro headphones review!
Nice . There is a difference. She did good noticing the changes . Get her a pair of the Hifiman's . She earned it
I use a Sennheiser HD555 (games and music), I forgot when i bought them, it's been more than 10 years ago. Also over the years I've mod them, removed the tape from inside, changed the cable, replaced earpads a few times. The thing is I never had to buy anything else all these years....they are so good.
It would have been more interesting to feed the cans with cd quality and up music files...
Best review ever! Your wife is brilliant! I think this was spot on 👍👊
She uses noob terminologies, but her observations are quite mature. I have at one point owned every pair (except the Beyers) and I agree with her observations except that the AKG is a bit better in separation than how she described it. But overall, spot on. Maybe you can do another video that includes Beats and Bose to see how she would describe compare them to the lot.
But great video and she did an awesome job.
I'm glad I found this video, as someone whos never bought headphones over $50, even though I do "basic" audio mixing - its nice to see what others who are not headphone/audiophiles think of the crazy priced headphones and how it matches up with reviewers/forum posters thoughts.
She's perceptive. The only thing that struck me as odd was her description of the bass on the HE4xx pair. They are notorious for bass rolloff.
Depends on the amp. I own a pair of HE-400i, and definetely noticed the difference while changing the amps.
Well, every review I've read and every frequency response graph I've seen has shown a lack of bass. And I have a powerful JDS Element headphone amp. My BeyerDynamic DT1990s blow the HE400is away on bass. What amp would you recommend for the HE400is?
Michael Gilbert every frequency response list does show significant bass roll off as do most open midfis in that range but from what my first impressions of my 400i new connector was that the bass was significantly more noticeable than my mdr-v6s even though they technically have more and get deeper. The bass that is there is a bit more dynamic and seemingly coming from a big portion of your hearing, imo this gives you an illusion that there is a lot more bass than there really is. I'm talking about maybe mid-upper bass, sub bass on these headphones are present but just barely.
My first impressions were straight off my phones dac and amp, since then I use a magni 3 amp. I've owned the 400is for about 2 years now.
What the HE4XX have in their bass that the other "dynamic" headphones don't is speed. The way Planar's speed at which the driver can produce sound, helps you hear a separation in the different "tones". Yes there is less overall "sub" bass when compared to other headphones... BUT there is a whole lot more "punch" to the way bass hits with Planar. I listen to a good mix of music, and anything with "electronic" music tends to be very "exciting" in my Planr's, for the most part. My Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro's can produce stupid levels of deeper bass, to the point it can hurt, when you set the bass port wide open. The bass in that "setting" even muddies the mids a bit (no where as bad as other bass cans)... BUT there is something special about the way the Planar produces those same sounds, that Dynamic drivers just can NOT do.
Agreed. I love planars, and would love to have a pair of open planars that actually have flat bass, with no roll off. I have a pair of the Beyer DT 1990s. The bass is flat on those, and they sound great, but they would never be mistaken for the transient response of planars.
basically, planar is the answer.
Dat planar bass tho. Nothing better than planar bass.
Not really, only a few planar having a real good sound, most of them suffering from poor highs, and lacks dynamic impact.
Zoltan - Wow, you must have only listened to old crappy low sensitivity planar from a few decades ago. Most newer planar headphones from multiple manufacturers (Hifiman, Audeze, Mr Speakers, etc) have been higher sensitivity and more balanced curves including the highs.
Almost all of the planars have problems with the high frequencies, thats why they cut those frequencies to hear less from the strange high frequency response.
Especially Audeze doing that strongly, the LCD 4 missing a full octave in the top end.
Also the sensitivity is not necessery the problem, the Hifiman HE6 is very hard to drive, but still one of the best planar even nowadays.
I dont say that planaras are worse than dynamic, im just saying both side has strengths and weaknesses.
Zoltán Katona - that proves the point since those examples are all old. I did say newer ones didn’t I? I’m talking about ones made in the last few years like the Hifiman Edition X v2’s, HE-1000 v2’s or Hifiman Ananda’s. It’s like I’m talking about Tesla’s solving problems with cars from the last decade and you’re bringing up examples of those problems from a ‘57 Buick.
I've done this with my AKG K550 MKIII, Massdrop x AKG M220 Pro, Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro 250oHm, and Massdrop x HiFiMAN HE350(swapped pads for Brainwaves angled pleather pads + done the bass mod that they list on Massdrop). Most people like the HE350's best with music, as they have the most bass response, with the DT990 Pros close behind. Alot of people don't really like the M220 Pro, as it lacks alot of bass, and seems to solely focus on the high end. *Thank you TH-cam for fudging up and making me retype half of this(it deleated itself)
I have been looking at the HE4XX, it was nice to see that a newbie ( llike myself ) was able to pick them out of these headphones. No tech talk, just real world explanation. Although I agree telling her the price range right off the bat was a mistake, that didn't seem to sway her, even her thinking that one should have sounded better to her knowing it was more expensive. I think I am sold on the 4xx now...
I really love my DT990!
I own all these expect the M40x because they are better than the M50x. I like the HE4XX the best out this gorup.
I need to check out the M40x. I've heard good things about them.
Detroit Tech it's true they are better. For this series it almost gets worse as the model number goes up. Everybody and their mom swears this and I been convinced myself.
I have both the m50x and m40x, and he speaks the truth, the m40s are in another league.
I A/B compared M40x and M50x last year and came to the same result. All that before I ever looked up comparisons between the two.
My biggest complaint with the 50x was muddy bass and poor soundstage.
Would've been neat if it was a blind test and she had to guess which were more expensive. She had really good insight for somebody who hasn't spent a bunch of time comparing listening devices. Good video.
I guess people are never satisfied. Me i have to thank u for this great video. Dont forget music its all about happiness and love. Not audiophile serious situations.
Good video man, Btw your wife/girlfriend is beautiful. Seem like a awesome couple!
Do a blind test.... close her eyes and put on the headphone..
Mohd Hafiz she pretty much was blind to them since she hadn’t heard all but one pair
Yes force her eyes shut.
Can't wait for my HE4XX to be delivered !
I just ordered the HE4XX as my first pair of decent (ie non-gaming) headphones. Glad to see more reinforcement that I made a good purchase :D
You should not use Google Music for audiophilic requirements..... Please use a more genuine listening experience... FLAC or go home...
Sorry, no gatekeeping allowed here.
@@DetroitTech its not gatekeeping to expect quality recordings to be used in an audio comparison. when you said you were using streaming i grimaced for a few seconds. also this should have been a blind test.
She has great incite to your hobby. Really perceptive hearing .....Shes a great catch......and very attractive shes a keeper!
She didn’t even look bored or annoyed to be dragged into the video as “a handy noob.” Dedication! Hopefully they trade hobbies ;)
I have to say that I really enjoyed this video. Listening to a "audio noob" describe things rather well was enjoyable. Also the video quality and editing is great. You guys are doing a good job.
Ayyy I have the HE4XX and it's a great headphone. It's super clear but has a nice little bump in the low end, and also has the "fun" factor that you get with V-shaped headphones. Plus they can be driven with a phone, which is awesome.
Okay, this is pretty much a good way to recommend the HiFiMan HE-4XX. I returned the AKG K7XX because of build issues and the sound was just not exciting. Might jump on the HE-4XX train.
Hifiman has the worst built though...
@@DrinkWater713 touché. But if it's a toss between the K7XX and the HE-4XX, maybe the HiFiMan can make up for it in sound. Or not, I'm just gonna save money for the next three years and get an HD 800 S
Jad Yassine The 4XX have a lot of metal and not a lot of plastic to them. I can't speak about them long term but they seem like they'll hold up pretty well.
@@DetroitTech that is good to know. But there have certainly been enough people experiencing build issues and they don't shy from commenting that on Massdrop. I still wanna give them a shot. Might be my next pair. Cheers.
Jad Yassine Oh yeah, no denying that. I do really love them, though.
this test is done wrong, if you really want a true opinion then this test has to be conducted without knowing whether it's cheap or epxensive headphones...
Would have loved to see the X2's in here not a very natural sound but so much fun. Would have been awesome to see her reaction if any to them. Great video overall and really helpful especially if you're not looking for too much technical jargon.
Rocking job Emily (and Jeremy), I'm going to listen to that Post Malone Congratulations track a little more closely now
Very interesting
Is that Jennifer Lawrence?
Wow! That was a great video! Being that I own 3 of the 5, and the one I am considering picking up is HE 4XX. I loved your respect and interplay with each other. And it was nice to hear her audio descriptions using normal words, instead of audio speak. Hmmm... maybe I overlooked these HifiMen! Thanks bro! And Mrs. bro!
They're awesome! Would recommend!
6:25 she said "the other pair was more comfortable, the last pair" but she rated the HifiMan 5/10 in comfort and the Beyers 9/10 in comfort.
Audio noob or not what she said makes a lot of sense! I think DT990s price/performance ratio is unbeatable, they are good and super fun, HD6XX and 7XX are incredible boring, I don't like them. HE4XXs are probably better than the DT990s but I didn't try them (I have HifiMans Edition X and HE1000 though and they are better than the DT990s but they play in another league). Very good video and review!
Thanks! That's why I was so excited to do this video! She didn't have the buzz words in her head and made some great points! I love what she said about the K7XX. When I first heard them, they were great but then I heard the 6XX and the 4XX and the 7XX just felt underwhelming. I tried to not say much while she was describing things because I didn't want to lead her.
HD6XX are boring to you because you probably listen digital made music. These headphones are designed for accuracy and outstanding voice reproduction, not for shitty commercial music.
and by the way at 10k frecvency the DT 990 goes crazy with 10db+ spyke , that is a huge problem if you have sesitive ears, for a lot of people these headphones are too pinfull to listen at last on solid state amplifiers
George Popescu That's something I noticed. There were a few songs I noticed that I never had a hard time listening to but just couldn't with the 990's because of that spike. They've mellowed a bit after some wear in, which is good. I really just use them for gaming now and the 4XX's are my go to for actual music listening.
George Popescu I listen to commercial music for sure but mostly from the 70s and 80s so not all of it is "digital made". Regarding the spikes, I use DT9990s with a Darkvoice amp so the tubes could be taming the sound, yes... BTW I think DT990 are super fun to listen, I don't think the spikes are a problem. If I have to recommend headphones to "normal" non-audiophile people, I would recommend DT990 over HD6XX without any doubt. I know it's a sacrilege but that's what I think (or what I hear xD).
If 650s don't sound good to you, it's probably the fault of your dac/amp.
AKG have the widest soundstage and vocal clarity along with DT990.
I first guessed that she wouldn't appreciate 650s and 702s on that focusrite and magni combo. They are soooo power hungry. You need some really good amp/dac to appreciate that.
I have HD800s, but I still keep my 650s. Giving them away is blasphemy to me. Besides, my girlfriend has 702, 712. And I have DT990 too. And I also have M50x for recording (but not mixing) in the studios.
And hey! Germans like to keep it simple.
true, thar shiit DAC AMP is not a good match for most of the headphones in this review
I don't think so. This is all subjective and some people don't like the HD600 line and that's OK. It's not that I don't like mine it's just that I think it's Okay. I can tell you that I like my HD6XX better with my new DAC which is Questyle CMA400i coming from the JDS Labs The Element. My wife liked the K7KKK the best out what I had at the time so I bought her the K712 Pro which she loves. I collect headphones so I really don't sell them, except for my old K7XXs, I sold those.
We have an HD650 user who is mad that someone else's opinion is different than his 😂.
I have a 6XX and found the treble too blunted for my taste. I definitely hear the "Sennheiser veil" too. Much prefer the sound of my DT1990. I still use the 6XX occasionally because it's more relaxing to wear and listen to, but I do think the 650/6XX is a bit overrated. Many people have suggested you need an OTL tube amp to get the best out of the HD600 line, but if you need a tube amp to distort the music into sounding good on your headphones then maybe the headphones just aren't really tuned that well for you.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
HE4XX or any HEs are known for having some of the best sound stage period.
Very honest opinions. He4xx would sound awesome from focusrite scarlet>magni 3! I like how the listener described the treble extension of DT990 & wide soundstage of AKG K7xx in her own words. With more powerful amps & more resolving DACs though, Sennheiser HD6xx would scale over the others
You don't think that magni could handle the hd650s?? Scaling up the amp from a magni the quality improvement would be so miniscule.
@@AASteveo Not true, HD650 scales massively from magni to jotunheim to mjolnir! Its also the experience of a lot many 650 users if you check headfi or sbaf.
I like the: "We can talk about that"-comment at the end. Usually means: "We can't afford it" in polite speech.
You're right about that. Too bad
@@DetroitTech I love the idea of this video though, you should make more of them - we also need some kind of follow-up, I was hoping some discussion on "Well babe, the ones you picked are... " and compare your perspective with hers. Just having the perspective people who have no idea about what a thing does, especially given the fact they give intelligent feedback like your wife does definitely makes it worth a watch. I watched the video from start to end. Make a series out of this please! You got a new sub :)
Cheers! We definitely are working on ways to bring her in some more. Just gotta figure it out 😀
you can't give out 10's....what happens when you try a Focal Utopia?
More like Sennheiser Orpheus
Ya the Sennheiser Orpheus is alright, but these Hifiman's from Massdrop are a 10/10 on sound...omegalul
Stax is better
of course the #1 is the aesthetics
EatingDonuts Never underestimate WAF: _Wife Approval Factor_ =P
Dt 990 pros are the best
@@nasserakasheh for aesthetics or sound? cause sound wise, i found better for the price :/
@@martinjesenicnik6078 in my opinion you shouldnt look at the headphones as how good they look but sound wise they are amazing the highs and mids are so crisp and suppper comfortable
@@nasserakasheh comfy: yes, great sound: debatable, they are not bad but mdis are not there, mid sound like they are turned down, bass might be too much, but because i like that its ok for me, but after hearing what good headphones actually sound like, highs feel very unnatural. Altogether im not saying theyre bad (still one of the best for gaming, atleast fps for footsteps), but i couldnt get back to them after i got the hd58x.
You can tell your wife, Emily that I thank her for the vote of confidence - I own a pair of the Hifiman HE4XX! Just need me a preamp, and I'm considering the Schiit Magni 3+!
The thing is that a lot of "noobs" aren't used to hearing really "bright" headphones in general. Most "noob" headphones, speakers etc. tend to focus on the bass a lot so when you first put on a pair of AKGs, Sennheisers or whatever it can sound downright wrong if you're used to every song being full of bass regardless of genre etc.
I used to own an older pair of AKGs and since I had only used gaming headsets until then it sounded so strange to me when I first got the AKGs but after a while you start noticing stuff in the music that you've never even heard before since they're not just all about the bass.
I think a lot of "noobs" have a completely skewed view of how music is supposed to sound to be honest. You see the same with PC speakers etc. as well for that matter. Logitech models sound fine enough for gaming etc. but they don't have tweeters at all (at least most of them, I may be forgetting some that do..) so it's all about mids and then as big a subwoofer as possible. If you then move on to a more balanced (compared to Logitech game speakers, not balanced compared to actual audiophile stuff) it sounds really strange because it's as if there's a lack of bass in everything and the person can suddenly hear way more detailed highs and mids so I suppose that might be what she calls "scratchy" in this video. She can likely hear way more highs and mids in the AKGs and Sennheisers since they're open back and not bass focused. :)
She kinda looks like Jennifer Lawrence smash for sure
juan argueta dude that’s his wife. Have some respect
She DOES kinda look like Jennifer Lawrence, though. Smash for sure.
Lol she looks nothing like Jennifer Lawrence.
I viewed your video and where to begin ? Okay bad equipment for A B comparisons . lets start with 35 Ohm headphones versus 300 ohm headphones ( you do see where i'm headed with this ) okay lets go back to the amp .
Magni 3 factory specs
Maximum Power, 16 ohms: 3W RMS per channel
Maximum Power, 32 ohms: 2W RMS per channel
Maximum Power, 50 ohms: 1.3W RMS per channel
Maximum Power, 300 ohms: 430mW RMS per channel
Maximum Power, 600 ohms: 230mW RMS per channel
Pay attention to the 35 Ohm output and compare it to the 300 Ohm output . 4X the power right ?
This amp struggles to output pass 50 ohms . This is why the Magni is not the best option at least not for full size cans
When the girl picked the HE 4XX / HE-400 over the HD6XX / HD650 and then called it even with M50X I knew that something was very wrong . I'm not saying she was wrong in fact I agree with what she felt was better based on your amp selection and it's limitations .
I did AB comparisons on equipment that doesn't struggle with 300-600 ohms .
Now, I am comparing the Schiit versus more expensive equipment My HDVA 600 with dual outputs My HE400i was no match for my HD650 . HD650 Is not starved like in your comparisons . With my WA5 it wasn't even close . I did a blind side by side using my McIntosh MHA150 and properly set and stored it so when I switched it was set to the proper impedance Night and day the HD650 was much better . I own the little magni 3 because it's a hobby for me in search of nirvana and hidden treasures . He-400i / He 4XX are good headphones for the money the Magni 3 not so much . They just struggle with anything above 75 ohms .
The Schiit Magni 3 is really not a good amp . The static / distortion / garbage was the amp struggling to keep up. That is why I commented on your other video . If you can maybe pick a better stable amplifier .
Dude, you're missing the point of the entire video. This is not some crazy showcase of how an audiophile views these headphones when they have the pick of any amp. This is simply a fun video to see if my wife was able to tell the difference and what she thought. An experiment of sorts (definitely not a scientific one). It's just a fun video. And truth be told, the cameraman and I have A/B'd both the 4XX and 6XX on an amp rated for 600 ohm headphones and really had similar results. Again, it's just a fun video, not the final verdict on anything.
Have you seen your video ? It's a very cute girl deciding one pair over an other . For that to work you need an even playing field . I'm not trying to be rude but you need to watch your video over again . You do see the unfair pairing of either of these headphones ? Again back to a weak amplifier . I'm only going by your own description headphone shootout . shootout implying competition . How can you have a competition with one pair having an unfair advantage ? Shootout; a competition between two people or groups that remains very close until the end ..
You're taking it too seriously. It's just a fun video to see what my wife thinks about headphones she's never listened to added to the fact that she's a complete noob when it comes to audio. That's all. I'll say it again, it's a non-scientific experiment.
I get it, you are not to be taken seriously ? Okay lets go with that . You know that people that watch your videos are . It's bad enough that there's a flawed system that allows bad reviews like Tyll and steve guttenberg head-fi to outright lie . I called out Tyll several times look at his earlier pro LCD-2 / LCD-3 reviews saying one minute best ever to not so great in his LCD-4 review . One day wall of fame the next wall of shame ? People are stupid they go with whatever self proclaimed expert is out there. Steve Guttenberg (reviewer not actor) for example . He spews serious inaccuracies and tries to reinvent / rewrite stereo history . I feel the bar is being set low to underground . I caution you not to do the same . When I say Schiit is crap it's crap and a bad buy and the people that run schiit bad also. They will never improve unless people get their ducks in a row . You want to feed that, that's on you . eBay is full of bad Schiit choices . Every time a youtube reviewer gives their support stupid people buy, the bid early and often types . So I cation you to be responsible . I sold Audio in the seventies people often starved or neglected buying baby supplies in order to buy stereo equipment . Want versus need ... want always wins .
Okay dude. Take us seriously or not. This is a fun video and no one's claiming my wife's opinions are the end all be all for these cans. I promise I won't tell anyone to buy headphones or amps instead of baby supplies or food.
Just a couple of suggestions... You could make it blindfolded next time to just focus on sound only and alternate randomly between expensive and inexpensive models without telling the listener so there's no possibility of confirmation bias as prices go up. You could also have some text embedded in the video with the brand and model of each headphone as they're being tested. I wouldn't announce the model names until the end as some model names may also create a bias where some people think certain names are related to 'high end' audio.
I have been around studio gear in a broadcasting - not home enthusiast - environment since the early 2000s, so I'm very familiar with the subject. Even so, I think her descriptions that are completely devoid of tech lingo, and instead describe the experience she had listening to the cans is a thousand times more valuable and reliable than buzzwords and phrases like sound stage this, sound separation that even for someone like me, who knows what they mean. I won't even search for further reviews and comparisons. You helped me choose my next pair. Thanks!
That is so great to hear! We're really happy to be able to help!
That's similar to what I think of them too, in terms of the sound quality the HE-4XX is the bang for the buck, and the only headphone I've not heard/own from these is the DT990.
I like how noobs shy away from using physical properties on sound.
Meanwhile audiophile: yeah, so it's wide/narrow, wet/dry, warm/cold, etc.
I don't thing she is an audio noob, she recognized petty accurately every headphone main characteristic.
this was cute i loved it and also great to get a fresh perspective on these headphones thank you
Love the description of the sounds, fresh - not technical jargon, very accessible. You should bring her along for another feature.
So glad to hear these results. I just chose to order the HE4XX over the HD6XX because I was worried that despite the HD6XX being considered such a classic, it's profile would be a little boring. This seems to kind of back that up, so thank you!
careful, HE4XX is the most praised audio wise, but its build quality has lots of problem. For the price it's expectable. Anyway I can't get it from my location.
experiment Thanks for the warning! I figured there had to be a catch. We’ll see how they do. Sorry you can’t get them.
I remember ppl mention before if you were just gonna stick with one audiophile headphones, choose the HE4xx, as it's more favorable to a lot more people in general. However, if you're gonna start an audiophile collection, choose the HD6XX, primarily because they're really the best overall in that price range and they're the ultimate reference headphones when you choose other headphones. They're overall the true neutral sounding headphones.
She's right about the crackly highs and Sennheiser hd600 are a lot like the m50x except cleaner in the bass. The m50x has a little standing waves issues probably due to the closed back. I think the highs are a mids are a little more lifeless but the highs are almost identical.