The TRUTH about High End Headphones!
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2024
- Headphones, Speakers & IEM's Mentioned!
HD600 - amzn.to/3iGDABh
HD800 - amzn.to/38ACmTz
Fidelio X2 - amzn.to/3f97agO
X00 Ebony - massdrop.7eer....
LCD2c - amzn.to/2O3CFwS
LCD X - amzn.to/2VSQnXy
LCD 4 - www.audeze.com...
OPEN BACK HEADPHONES
🥇 Arya - amzn.to/3cDZ0vT
🥈 LCD X - amzn.to/3cB0AyV
🥉 DT1990Pro - amzn.to/38BN3DM
CLOSED BACK HEADPHONES
🥇 Sony Z1R - amzn.to/3cF6EWX
🥈 M1060C - amzn.to/39vDkQU
🥉 1More Triple Driver - amzn.to/2wGC2ni
BUDGET HEADPHONES
🥇 HD58X - massdrop.7eer....
🥈 SHP 9500 - amzn.to/32ZQJ0S
🥉 Porta Pro - amzn.to/2Is8dtu
AMPLIFIERS & DACS
🥇 THX AAA Dual 788 DACAMP - amzn.to/3cHHTJC
🥈 THX 789 / 887 - amzn.to/2TwsvZg / massdrop.7eer....
🥉 DX3 Pro - amzn.to/2wJGp0X
IEMS
🥇 Fir M5 - www.firaudio.c...
🥈 ZUES - massdrop.7eer....
🥉 Tin T2 - amzn.to/2xeGvxT
SPEAKERS
🥇 SVS ULTRA Towers - amzn.to/2v2Fto1
🥈 Vanatoo T1E - amzn.to/2TKEmSl
🥉 Micca RB42 - amzn.to/2wCCO53
ACCESSORIES
🥇 Soundrise Pro Stands - amzn.to/3aCpb4i
🥈 IEM TIP Storage - amzn.to/331xuUN
🥉 Headphone Case - amzn.to/39xOlkF
My Filming Equipment
Camera - amzn.to/38tuIc1
Sigma 18-35mm F/1.8 - amzn.to/2wI119R
Sigma 16mm F/1.4 - amzn.to/2wBRe5q
Sigma 30mm F/1.4 - amzn.to/39ym2m8
Ronin SC - amzn.to/39zDLcG
GVM Slider - amzn.to/2PWZDam
These are my genuine recommendations in various categories. They are affiliated links that help pay for this youtube channel at no additional cost to you.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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#Highend #headphones #Speakers
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Sometimes TH-cam’s auto thumbnail system is on point lol 😂
The faces we make when we see our salaries in the price tags of headphones. Lol
The AI has grown wildly over the past few years without us even noticing much.
I like how you are pointing at the Truth all in caps haha
@@jekken333 Damn, you are right! Funny
SpotOn! :-)
IEMs are easier to hide from the wife.
PurpDolo yeah... very true!
Wife is not going to hide her large purchases of shoes, clothing, furniture, etc from you so why should men hide their toys?
@@veetour Depends on the toys 😏
Just say its from wish and was 5$
why you should hiding high end audio equipment from your karen wife? LOL
Having heard higher end offerings from Sennheiser, Hifiman, and Audeze, I personally think that its pretty crazy buy anything other than the Sundara, dt 1990, HD 600, LCD-2C. Everything more expensive I've heard is just a better version of the previous 4 headphones, but for 2-5x the cost. Those headphones listed are enough for 99% of the hifi people out there IMO. So unless you can't sleep at night knowing there is better, or you literally just have a couple k to spend on headphones, just buy one of those 4 and be content.
I bought hd 58x. Really happy with it. Plus it's half the price of hd 600
Maybe your mp3 player maximum output wasn't that good if you are just using your phone then some 15 dollars sony will hear the same than sennheiser hd
You forgot about a soundstage headphone
Or even buy koss ksc75s or kph30is and be content :)
Depends on your preference and budget, I've tried most of everything under 4k and nothing of similar price sounds as good, to me, as hd800s and for whatever reason I don't find it fatiguing even though I find other headphones with less highs to be a bit annoying so for me it's a no brainer. Not saying it's for everyone but spend enough time and you will like something over 1k a lot more than rest. Also none of the 4 you mentioned are particularly close to it overall and you keep using your logic to go lower/ there are 200$ headphones that do just fine for most hifi people, they don't really need the ones you mentioned.
My quick 2 cents on this subject. I have been around (with modding and tweaking) high end home or speaker audio for over 25 years. I recently got into mid-if headphone setups for my home office. Sonic performance with $2K or so in a headphone (or IEM) setup would cost at least 10 times for a decent 2 channel home speaker setup when all costs are considered. Obviously speaker setup can be enjoyed by more then one person at a time. I was pleasantly surprised at the enjoyment I am getting from spending such a low sum of money for late night listening compared to what my home theater has cost me. My home theater costs 25 times the price but does not represent 25 times the value in my humble opinion.
I'll be honest.
For $148.
The Phillips fidelio x2hr, may be the best set of headphones on planet earth
In 1982 I was given a pair of AKG K240 headphones. Over the years the foam broke down and would shed black dust. I enquired about getting them "repaired" and AKG gave me the name of a man who refurbished them. The cost was higher than a modern new pair of K240MkII but for my use and from listening to headphones in shops there is nothing that I feel lacking to want me to seek an alternative.
I carry earbuds and was given a pair of Sony XBA-H1. Whilst far from the AKG K240 they hold their own when compared to any other earbuds at higher prices that I have been able to listen to. My previous earbuds had cables that became stiff, plastic cracking and impossible to wear.
You had me until you said the "s" word.. Then you lost all credibility..... What more can I say to you about a company that literally makes "ic chips" with timers in them so 40 days after your purchase they fail.. And are out of warranty...
For me, the biggest difference between even expensive $1000+ headphones and TOTL models is the ability to keep the same amount of control on the mix regardless of volume and complexity. With lower end headphones, when a song is particualy complex ad intricate at high volumes (not blasting, but enough to be concidered loud), the images and positioning of all the intrumentation becomes somewhat hazy and unclear. This is a comparative thing of course, if you've never heard a TOTL audio product for an exented period of time you might never know that your headphone is doing that. But once you do, you will relise that it is always able to keep the resolution of the images regardless of whats going on, giving it a 'etherial' like quiltiy (really bad decription, what if you've ever heard e-stats you will know what im on about). Another way of looking at it is to think of two streams. One at a low bit rate and one that is exessively high. For *MOST* of the stream, you wouldn't notice a difference unless you had a keen eye or had them side by side, but when what is being streamed becomes especially complex, it becomes obvious. I don't agree with a lot of what zeos says, but what he said about how 50% of how good your music sounds is the music itself couldn't be any more true. If all you listen to is commercal pop, then I really wouldn't recommend looking at any of these.
Most cheap headphone when you trying to loud the volume the positioning become unclear wider, veiled, and loud at the same time
Totl iems do everything good, lower end do certain things good. My v14 can eq to do anything close to perfectly. My low-end ones are limited in versatility/comfort.
I have IEMs for travelling, i have headphones and a DAC/Amp plugged into my PC, where i do most of my listening. And then i have a pair of floorstanding speakers and an Amp plugged into my TV for listening to special songs that are worth the effort to set it up and for movies of course. They all have their usecases.
Which IEMs? I recently broke my Shure SE215s, thinking about just buying new ones, but wanna look around some first.
@Tasunke We vibe :D. I also have the XM3s, althought I just sent them in for repairs. Then I have the WI1000X in-ears, that's the one with the neckband, Sennheiser RS175 for wireless home stuff, and I JUST got my Beyerdynamic DT 1770 Pro, with my Schiit Hel dac/amp in the mail. Oh, and I have the Shure Se215 BT as well, but never use them because I always forget to charge them.
@@PowerfulWarbird Look into Campfire Comet if you haven't already.
@@PowerfulWarbird Real question is what is your price range?
@@PowerfulWarbird Oh, dude. You don't want a recommendation from me. I bought cheap 25$ Senneheiser IEMs, i'm not proud of it. If i had known of the Tin T2s back then, i would've made a different choice. Same with my headphones!
Well, I'd say well recorded and mastered music is even more important than amp. Of course though, audiophiles aren't going to just change the music they listen to just for that but I guess just cross your fingers that your favorite bands and artists actually give a shot about the recording and production process
Missing piece of the puzzle.
For me, if I'm gonna spend more than 2k, I would rather use that for speakers/home theater system.
Don’t you need more money to get the equivalent hearing experience?
I agree with you. High end and upper echelons of speakers and headphones are specifically good in a specific area. Which is why I just covered all my bases when it comes to IEM, Headphones and Speakers
IEMs:
SONY XBA-N3 Balanced
SONY XBA-N1AP
Sennheiser IE-8
Klipsch X11
Westone W4
Bose Soundsport
Jabra Elite 65t Active
Portable High Res Player: Sony NW-Wm1A
HEADPHONES:
Sennheiser HD800S plugged into Woo Audio WA7 (2nd gen with Tube PSU)
Sony MDR-Z7 plugged into Sony PHA-3 via Balanced connection
Focal Elegia plugged into Schiit Lyr 3
Sennheiser HD 598 plugged into PC via 3.5mm (for gaming and streaming media)
V-Moda Crossfade M-100 plugged into Chord Mojo
SPEAKERS:
B&W 804 D2 + REL t5i subwoofers x2 with Parasound P6 Pre and Rotel RB-1582 MK2 Amp
Polk Audio LSiM 7 speaker setup with the LSiM 707 towers
Martin Logan Motion 40 plugged into Peachtree Decco 125 Sky
B&W CM6 S2 + Martin Logan Depth i subwoofer plugged into Yamaha R-N803 stereo receiver
Hope the formatting works now.
Well, after trying not so expensive headphones that deliver decent build and comfort + excellent sound quality (like the HD 6XX and HE 400i), I decided to try more expensive ones, like the HD 800, LCD-2, Elex, Ananda... and what really changed in my perception was the fact that some of them have a bigger amount of refinement in certain areas, and that they have different sound signatures. That's all. I mean, the LCD-2, for example, has excellent bass, very tight and well separated from the other frequencies (in comparison with the HD 6XX bass, of course), but the mids were not as stellar as on the 6XX, although they were very good, just not AS good. The HD 800 excelled on the highs, very detailed, but the bass wasn't as powerful... So the story with almost all the other headphones I tested was the same, they were never completely perfect. I haven't tested super expensive (more than $ 2.000,00) headphones, and I suppose one has to spend a lot of money to get a headphone that is the absolute best in all areas, but does it exist? And if so, how much sound quality in a certain frequency a HD 6XX owner is loosing for not having a more expensive pair of headphones? While stuff like the LCD-2 and the Elex deliver better bass, for example, it doesn't mean that the 6XX bass is trash, it's just less good, which doesn't spoil the listening experience, either way it's still going to be very pleasing. So... Upgrading is cool, but I wouldn't do it if the headphones I'd be considering to purchase were not at least as good in the areas that my current headphones excell at + being better on the frequencies that my current cans are not so stellar, and only if it comes at a reasonable price. If I can have a terrific headphone for $200,00 I'm not going to buy a better one for $2.000,00 that is just slightly better 😛
I certainly agree - He400i, Fostex TH, 6XX, Elex - I have em all. I quite like my Porta Pro for what they do with such a petty price/form factor. I like the Elex for it's speaker like presentation, Fostex for the bass, He400 for the stage and 6XX for the mids, and even the scaling. Differences aren't as PROFOUND as the prices are, and none of this lot is entirely bad...
It's just different flavors. And in the end, whatever fits one's budget, they can choose their poison. Takes a lot of time and years of listening - and monies, only to realize the differences are more in the mind than in reality.
@@divinginthedeep exactly 👏🏼
I live with family members and share a room so I can't enjoy having speakers. I have open back headphones which doesn't leak so much sound for home use and some very expensive IEMs that are twice the price as my headphones to use during outdoors and during summer (I sweat too much wearing headphones, sweat hazard to headphones). I seem to use IEMs the most so I invested in really high end ones.
Soundstage is definitely a huge strength of speakers over headphones. However, another major strength of speakers is frequency response linearity, especially in the higher frequencies. Many headphones come pretty close to neutral until 1-2kHz, but after that most go on a roller coaster ride and many have significant channel imbalance to boot. Decent speakers are usually within 5 dB or less across the entire audible treble range and it's rare for speakers to exhibit notable channel imbalance either. Couple the neutral, realistic highs with proper soundstage and decent speakers are generally preferable for acoustic music, at least to my ears, over almost any headphone, even most high end headphones. My iLoud Micro Monitors cost me $300 a pair new and I prefer acoustic music through them to how it sounds on my Focal Clears and Stax L700. It's simply more natural/realistic and emotional on the speakers. On the other hand, for electronic music where quality deep bass is important, it's a different story and good headphones beat out most speakers for me, unless it's a decently full range system in a fairly well treated space, which certainly isn't easy at all to build for most people.
Possibly the best and most important video on audio that I have seen. There is clarity here and an openness to the feelings of all sides. For a budding audiophile it is great. For a person who just wants to buy great gear that they can enjoy music to - this is also great.
I do not have great kit.
I have some interesting kit.
Today I listened to Blue Laces 2 by Nipsey Hustle (reccomended - the bass will HURT YOU! n- I so want to hear this on the LCD4s #Lordy!) . I listened on my Bang and Olufsen H6 and the base was very unsatisfying. However when I listen on HD650 or on Sony MDR-950BT the bass is spine rattling and very satisfying.
I also listened to Maria Callas - Mama Morta - On the Sony - this was a muddled mess - not a mess really but there is soooo much information is missing and not presented in a way that it really and quite obviously demands. On the HD650 it was great. On the Bang and Olufsen H6 - this was sublime. I heard every single spec of sound and the closed back headphone gave me an intimate experience which was so involving and engaging. When she hits that high note my ears were just in heaven.
I mentioned I don't have the best kit. I have a really basic DAC/Amp form SMSL and it does its best but cannot do too much .... but it was an incredible experience for me.
Headphones, Speakers and IEMs are all separate and different things.
High end headphones are like other headphones - They can be fantastic but none of them are going to be the best at everything.
I love al of my headphone for different things.
Sometimes I wish one headphone would do something better than another one but UI am glad that they do what they do so well and that I can switch to the ones that do something else for a different experience.
I am not an IEM guy - my ears are weirdly shaped and IEMs just don't usually fit well.
I don't have the space to neighbour temperament - or cash - for good speakers with an equally good AMP and DAC.
Headphones are therefore my poison and I enjoy them immensely. (I am a big fan of Bluetooth speakers in stereo though but that is a much more limited proposition )
Thanks so much for this video, It reminded me to enjoy my kit for what it is and what it does for me and not to compare with 'best' in mind but with 'which do I enjoy more doing this specific thing' in mind. Some are great for movies and some fantastic for listening to an old recording of Maria Callas live. They may not be the same.
#LoveIt
Great video. Thanks and I look forward to all your videos.
I am subbed and if I wasn't I would be now.
I'd love to see somebody break down a tier list based on flavors of headphone. Entry level, midrange, and endgame tiers would probably be enough, and then make a video or article for each of the main signatures/flavors that people tend to latch onto. Bass heavy, Mid focused, and bright would be a good start. Separate detail retrieval and sound stage lists could also work, since some people seem to weigh those characteristics so heavily. Ideally a beginner could just buy every entry level set of phones, find their favorite signature and feel confident to jump up as their budget increases.
This is a really well put together video. I'm not even a part of this audiophile gang gang yet and I'm doing my research to enter the space, and you presented this video in such a clear, concise and easy to understand way. Thank you!
Here is my priority list (for speakers):
1.) What speaker do i like/Which sound signature am i going for.
1.a) If passive, which amp complements my set.
2.) Room treatment. How can I get rid of the worst room modes and first reflections, And definitely use Bass Traps Guys !
3.) Stands: How can I eliminate muddyness from coupling issues. (For most people Isoacoustics will offer the solution right there)
4.) Signal Chain. Where do I get audio from?
4.a) Digital. Which Dac will give me good audio, and how precise do i need it to be for my set of speakers
4.b) Analog. how good of a source do i have for my signal ? Any room for improvement there (which Vinyl player??)
I find that Headphones and Speakers are two different pair of shoes. The song Trempuh - L'Alphaalpha are way more enjoyable with Headphones (even Sonys XM3 with LDAC) than with speakers. Headphones really gave me the feeling to sit at the drummer seat and play the drums. Speakers on the other hand make me feel music more (esp. with a woofer).
So yeah, I agree with you. Get both in a basic setting (I would say ~100 for headphones and 200-300 for Speakers) and find out what you like more.
Physical transducers are harder to do than electronics, so a better headphone, IEM or speakers should be the priority. To add complexities, how the sound goes from the transducer to our ears is another big topic and challenges our design capability. Headphones has ear pad design and open/close back considerations, speakers have baffles and room dependencies etc...
One other less talked about issue is the source itself. The music that we listen to, how it is created, mastered and prepared (bit format, lossless vs lossy) can have a significant impact on listening experience. I have found that some heavily compensated music source sounds terrible on good, revealing gear (because they reveal all the flaws) but some great recording requires matching good equipment to bring out all their glories.
Yes, exactly: start from the transducers, and work your way back from there...
Great videos man. Absolutely loving them lately. Keep it up!!
Focal Utopias... got them after having the Elears. Simply the best, but I agree as with anything audiophile, it is a case of diminishing returns.
if you ask me the most obvious yet equally underrated advantage that headphones and IEM have over speakers is that when you wear them the stage follows you, if I turn my head the music turns with me, while with speakers any change in location or direction will affect the perception of the sound.
I don't know if the more expensive IEM are different but the reason I don't use any is because I got tired of damaging to many of them while cleaning the wax off, way back in high school. ever since I have been an over ear headphone guy, my biggest complain with headphones is how they perpetually spoil my hairdos, lol, which is negligible if I am at home but it becomes something I have to actually consider everyday while commuting to work
Stand mount (bookshelf) speakers and a subwoofer are the best setup for me. Easier to setup nicely than large towers in smaller rooms - and a good sub will go deeper than pretty much any tower. I'm loving my SVS SB-1000.
This video is better and covers more ground than the title would suggest. I'd take some of the core ideas and start a series.
Speakers = sharing the experience with others. The social aspect of speakers is probably the best part of them.
But not everybody wants to share the experience, in fact, most probably don't. I prefer speakers, but I think my neighbors prefer it when I use my headphones, and for that reason alone, I do more headphone listening than speaker listening.
One of the best posts regarding Hi-Fidelity listening options. 👏👏. Very professional & informative. Thanks, Josh! 🙏
I have been A/Bing DACs with my Hedd Type 20 studio monitors. The RME Adi2Pros were noticably more open and airy at either ends of the spectrum, than the Dangerous Convert 2s, even though they cost 2.5 times more. Price to performance seems to have no co-relation at all.
Ditto between the Focal Clears and the Ether 2. The Ethers were a bit more 'polite' which is not good news for a techno head.
And this is kinda why my goal is to have 1 Dynamic, 1 Planar magnetic, and 1 Electrostatic. Each one, the best in the class. All staying within $2000 per headphone.
This is a good plan. Chase used deals and audition lots! There's no one perfect headphone as Josh says. Sometimes you even need different sets just for different genres
Electrostatics... Numero Uno
I agree, I would add for each component of the system there are basic requirements: Just make sure the cable is the right gauge, or else you lose frequencies when they're super thin; make sure the amplifier is a match in the least in terms of impedance and power; separates typically outperform integrated; note some headphones truly scale and highlight the equipment more than themselves and will transform with high end amplifiers while others won't scale too much. If you're buying from the secondary market, the best upgrade path may simply be as awesome deals arise.
I've always held the doctrine that the order of importance goes Source recording > Electronics > speakers.
No pair of headphones or amp or dac can fix a bad recording, but good headphones and good electronics can reveal a good recording.
No headphones can fix a bad amp, but a good amp can improve an already great pair of headphones.
Especially in the age of DSP, you can really tune the presentation to the point where as long as the hardware can reproduce the sounds you want, you can tune it to your taste if you know how.
Afrer 9 years over 15 cans, my go to reference headphones are HD600 & 650 whenever I got a new ones for comparison. (My most expensive can was the LCD2)
As for DAC and Amp, any combo from $1000 to $1500 will do the job. There are little points in upgrading equipments after that. Just like Zeos said, don’t get into high end gears.
screw what Zeos say only your own experience count, if he hate headphones with his fat ears doesnt mean they are bad, it apply to any gear
6:19 I'd have to disagree, because when you compare massive planar drivers on headphones to small dynamic drivers on headphones, there's a big difference. I've tried half a dozen headphones and then listened to a planar headphone (LCD-2C) and it was so much louder, with no distortion.
That's also one of the categories that's never really discussed in reviews- driver distortion with sub-bass at high SPL. A lot of headphones have it. The DT 1990 Pro has great sounding bass with a pad swap (Dekoni Elite) but the drivers rattle when trying to produce sub-bass at only a moderate volume (around 60 dB).
Planar headphones sound more like a small home stereo to me, they have a big open sound with lots of bass slam, especially with some EQ'ing. The low end has a lot of dampening so the low end rolls off quickly (which you can fix somewhat with EQ'ing).
I really like these LCD-2C planars, the sound quality overall is pretty good, but not as great as my DT 1990 Pro. But the difference in quality isn't significant enough for me to want to switch headphones. Where they really shine is being obnoxiously loud with no distortion, especially with bass slam and sub-bass. (They're rated at 130 dB!)
OK, potential DT 1990 buyer here. I tend to believe that I wouldn't love the 1990s stock, but with the Dekoni pads they sound like they'd be right up my alley (some people even suggested HM5 xl pads). But I've heard about this rattle issue with the bass. How bad is it? I like to crank my volume sometimes, more so on bassy tracks, and my current modded Audio Technica MSR7b are absolutely brilliant at that (felt sticker removal + HM5 angled sheepskin pads +/- extra dampening foam in the front), they never ever distort the bass, they never rattle, nothing. Rattling to me sounds like the driver is falling apart. But Beyerdynamic 1000 series drivers are supposed to be among the best out there. So what gives?
@@959tolis626 I used my phone and a SPL app, according to the app the sub-bass begins to cause driver distortion when the music is around 80 dB. The sub-bass is actually at least 20 dB less than that though.
It could be I have faulty pair of headphones, but this is something I've experienced in other headphones as well. Like the DT 177X Go.
"Being the best out there" is true in terms of a reference/studio headphone, which is what the DT 1990 Pro is intended for.
If you want really loud, energetic, powerful sub-bass, bass slam, and music, I would definitely recommend planar drivers. I can actually take the headphones off and put the pads together and hear the low end and bass. That's crazy. They act more like home stereo speakers strapped to your head lol.
The LCD-2C also takes a lot of power, around 6000mW. And has a max SPL of 130 dB. The DT 1900 Pro is 99 dB.
I've also had very bass heavy headphones, the Sennheiser HD8 DJ headphones. They had a max SPL of 120 dB. Lots of bass (but the midrange was extremely bad and not even EQ'ing fixed it). But the LCD-2C, with some EQ'ing, actually has more powerful bass. Because the driver is so much larger and it can utilize a lot more wattage.
The sub-bass is very dampened and tight which took a little while to get used to. Personally I prefer a little more boomy sound to the bass. Kind of like what you would expect from a ported subwoofer enclosure, compared to a smaller sealed enclosure.
The only bad thing with the LCD-2C is the weight. They're uncomfortable to wear for more than an hour. It's not painful, just irritating to my scalp and ears, so that I have to routinely adjust their position. And they also leak sound like crazy, basically the sound you hear is the same volume as everyone else hears. (Again, it's like strapping speakers on your ears)
Oh and also if you plan to go with the LCD-2C, they don't take tons of power to drive, unlike others like the Fostex T20RP/T40RP/T50RP/T60RP. I'm using the Topping A90 amp and it's putting around 1000mW into them and they get plenty loud (also using SMSL SU-8 DAC, and a +10 dB gain from my EQ for quieter material). I have a custom balanced Periapt cable which I should get in a couple weeks, then I'll be able to put the max wattage into them.
But like Joshua said, headphones are designed on a "spectrum" rather than trying to engineer them to do most things very well. My impression from headphones I've listened to and the ones that are reviewed, is that most focus on midrange and treble while sacrificing sub-bass (around 45 Hz and below). And if you want a bassy headphone you're going to have to deal with bad midrange and/or treble.
The ones that I've seen reviewed that do sub-bass very well and still provide pretty good midrange and treble, are all sold out or discontinued. Which is really frustrating when people recommend Fostex Ebony or Campfire Cascade, but you can't buy them anymore. Lol. You might get them used but you'll pay a LOT more and you risk buying something damaged.
So far I've only really seen two headphones that fit those criteria. The LCD-2C ($800) and Fostex TH909 ($1800). I think the Fostex would have better sounding bass, but Joshua Valour referred to them as "The Punisher" for their treble response. The LCD-2C on the other hand has a very gradual roll off after 1K Hz, and a sharper roll off in the sub-bass. There's a good EQ setting from reddit that can help you fix that though.
www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/9oa9u6/lcd2c_eq_based_on_oratorys_eq_profile_and_the/
the problem with high end headphones vs speakers is that they don't last. Speakers can last for 20 years or more. Headphones will last about 1 year before you need to change the ear pads, 2 years before you need to change the headband, and then you find that you're screwed ie. there's no replaceable headbands and even if you can find one, no one can change it for you. Headphones get obsolete after 2 to 3 years, after that parts are non obtainable. With Speakers, you can easily find someone to replace the capacitors in the crossover after 10 years and it's as good as new. So with high end headphones, you have write off the cost after 3 years when spare parts (headbands) are no longer available.
I just bought a pair of Audio Technica WP900 headphones. Price is $650. They are worth every penny. Been an audiophile since 1964. Have NEVER heard a pair of headphones like these.
I’ve just picked up a pair of Apple AirPod pro’s and with Flac files on the iPhone 11 pro I’ve been more than impressed...... Simple things make simple people happy....
Overall I agree, though one of the elements of Iems I would add as an advantage is the sheer intimacy. I haven't heard a great headphone (can only imagine it) but it still would be "out of my head" which can be amazing for other reasons
Very good approach to headphone assessment. Every headphone has different things to offer, its much like anything, their are pros and cons. As far as the same type of headphone from the same brand, I have AKG M220 at $50 dollars and the AKG K702 at $350. Both open back design for mixing, better soundstage than closed back and perposley flat or balanced sound for monitoring (no dramatically embellished low end like say, Beats). The K702 have neodymium large drivers as opposed to more standard drivers in the M220s . The surprising thing is there is a difference between the two tiers but it would be very neglagable to the untrained ear. The roll off on the low end below 50hz on the K702 is slightly longer and can represent it ever so slightly better. I cant tell you about representation above 10k because I can no longer hear well enough above that frequency, however the drivers in both do represent them fine, with the exception of 1k and 2k 3db bumps on the K702s, many say not enough to cause fatique.
I would advise to most that You can likely get by on a cheaper pair of AKG's if you are in the market for mixing and monitoring headphones. You may find a difference in pro longed wearing comfort as well. I find the k702s somewhat comfier, however everyone is different.
I think it may be difficult to find what you are looking for in headphones until you get to experience different models and determine for yourself. Please be aware of psychoacoustic effects, or ear placebos. I think it is easier to think we are hearing what we are not.
We've definitely had this discussion a few times now.
Fantastic and concise explanation! For anyone started down an audiophile path, this is the foundational information required. It's all a personal experience. Each piece of audio equipment has an intended purpose and audience. Spend money wisely and you'll get a fantastic return on your investment, but be cautious about going down rabbit holes -- no audio equipment is perfect. Thanks for the great content.
higher and higher and higher.... until you realise it's just a different flavour every single time.
did you mention the cost of the room for the speakers as the sound stage is lost with poor reverb with paneling costing as much as the DAC and amps you use with the speakers
Logical sense, I agree with you Josh.
However, I did actually find a headphone that fulfills all my criteria quite well. The Focal Stellia! They're Beautiful in everyway. At $3k it's not really in my budget for such an item like headphones. $3k for a full tower speaker system simply makes more sense for me.
Clearly, Focal Utopia and Stax L-700 Mk2 are my reference sound headphones. Everything else below Focal's two upper tier products sound bass light to me? Like for instance, their bass lite "Clear" model.
I do like Focal "Listen" for $249.! Surprisingly detailed with really good bass clarity and extension for the price to play Fun factor/price ratio is commendable! They come wireless too, but for twice the price?! Which, again makes little sense to me?
If I could only find a pair that sound very similar to the Stellia at half its price I'd be the first to purchase! Probably, Stax L-700 Mk2 are them?..minus the bass impact of Focal's dynamic "M" shaped dome drivers, I could easily live with that.
Great, honest video. I don't think it's stated nearly often enough that in the end, the audiophile is essentially a person of strongly held opinions combined with heightened sensitivities, and though the sensitivities are important, it's a completely subjective experience and the reward of being an audiophile is a very personal one. I enjoyed your video with family (I think?) responding to high end headphones and one of the participants said she always loves the cheap stuff and hates the expensive stuff. The typical audiophile would say she lacks a highly tuned sonic palate and can't detect the superior sound of the more expensive equipment. I think this is entirely incorrect. It seems to me this is exactly the same discussion as food. Just because I don't like the flavor of foie gras does NOT mean that I can't taste it.
First spend some money on live music experiences...nothing equals it. Then the room where your stereo
will be. Then your speakers and sub woofer. Then amplification. After that comes headphones and after
that IEM's.
Really enjoying your channel and learning quite a bit about audio/headphones. I have been searching for the “perfect” headphone and can’t seem to find it and this video really clears things up. I am seeking out my first pair of decent open back headphones. I listen to a wide range of music and that is really the problem in trying to find a good pair. Now I know why all you crazy audiophiles have 20 pair of headphones.😂
After owning the IER-M9 (1500€) and the IER-Z1R (2200€) i decided to sell them all and my main earphone is the FiiO FA9 (550€)
Its the cheapest but after critical listening and hours of hours of considerations i came to the conclusion that they (imho) the best of these three.
Where the IER-M9 and the IER-Z1R sound impressive by doing things that other IEMs can't the, the FA9 just sounds so musical and harmonic.
There are songs that sound awesome with the IER-M9 but others don't. There are songs that sound just amazing and incredible with the IER-Z1R, but others sound like crap.
But i did not find a single song the FA9 was not capable of providing an beautiful and perfect reproduction. Every song i throw at the FA9 just sounds amazing and fits easily and isolates as good as it gets.
Its a boring headphone, but in a positive way. I can understand why exactly that is the reason lots of people don't like it, but i just love it.
So yes, 2200€ headphones can sound worse than 550€ headphones when they are tuned to do specific things good which keeps them in doing other things good too.
And its not that hard to build a good an well balanced headphones, its not that expensive either. So if you pay a lot of money, you will most likely get something that is not balanced to distinguish itself from others. Its a matter of taste and not a matter of quality.
ok from all the explanations and point of contention... what for you is the best headphones (not mentioning from being far from perfect)
Josh lookin clean in this one ngl.
Also, I wonder if this video is made in response to him testing the HifiMan Susvara, though I'm sure that headphone does actually deliver on the price tag.
Empire Ears top end CIEMs and 64 audio CIEMs are insanely expensive,and the sound is exceptional if paired with an exceptional DAP Ie Cayin N8
For years i assumed no decent sound can come from such a small physical product.i was so wrong.i may have been correct for years as well.But hearing the LX and others has changed my mind
The LX with N8 moves some incredible air for some epic bass
DACs generally don't make a big difference to my ears, but I do notice somewhat improved transients/effortlessness and resolution with higher end DACs. Also multi bit DACs tend to have a more coherent, richer and fuller sound to them vs delta sigma stuff, at least to my ears.
Moral of the story: KPH30i is the best headphone for everyman
*Post made possible by the Koss gang*
I concur!
Especially with Grado donut pads 😎
Wait, it's all Koss? *Always has been*
@@bigjt37 hey man, any links to where I can get those and what does it improves in terms sound and comfort when fitted with those?
I prefer Porta Pro's sound signature
The truth is that some of the headphones are really worth their price tag, just for joy of listening to them. Analytical + overpriced options are sick since you are loosing musicality and joy of listening to music. Concentrate on details so deeply with focused mind is a work more than listening to your favourite band and tap your feet in enjoyment 🤦♂.
Thanks for the review. I enjoy your content because it's easy to understand. I just bought an atom amp to power my he 400i that my LG 7 phone couldn't run. I like the way the quad dac sounds through the atom but I wonder if I hook the fiio btr3 to an E30 dac would it play the signal straight through to the atom or would it change it to the E30 signature? I don't want to downgrade to the quality of the btr3 but I would like to use my phone Bluetooth and still maintain at least the sound quality of the quad dac. Sorry for the long question, this is all new to me and I don't want to waste money on solutions that don't work. Thanks for any thoughts you may have.
The are two great advantages to headphones in my view. The first is that you can listen to your music without disturbing other folk. Headphones are not affected by room acoustics. Unless you treat your listening room, the physical aspects of the room will influence the sound from your speakers significantly.
I think you need to see the video by Rick Beato who claims that most audiophile headphones are BS and he is a professional music producer. I personally agree with the fact that "audiophile" is basically a rabbit hole that will make you shell out more and more money just for the privilege of that little bit more clarity.
When did Arrow learn about headphones? Meh, who cares. His content is great.
I had to become someone else
I had to become something else .......a headphone reviewer
I lied to protect you.
"files" and "cables" in the same category? So .wav sounds nearly the same as .mp3, even 320kbps?
Speakers also depends a lot on proper room setup to hear them at their best.
I like these discussion videos. They really force you to think about things differently and they're great listens.
I've seen people buying 150$ DAP to be paired with a 20$ IEM thinking it'll improve it drastically
So... So... Sommelier for audio is not a thing?
I have good speaker I love the sound. I got a new DAC and hate it so it evidently changes the sound enough to like or dislike. If there is a change in thought of the sound then something changed. If we agree on that then speakers can be liked or disliked with different "things" hooked up to it. If we can agree with that, then you have things out of order. Logic 101. I think it's the law of Modus Tollens , but I may be wrong on that. Hey all BS aside, with the same amount of money say $2000 and I buy headphones and speakers both cost $2000. What ones would sound better. I honestly have no idea I have a pair of gaming headphones I never use and wouldn't use a $50,000 pair either, I just have zero interest in headphones.
20Hz from 8"subs, maybe but I wonder what are the distortion numbers from loudspkrs. Room modes will greatly influence the sound, but mostly you get some room gain below 120Hz, and low frequency drivers with closed box alignment characteristics (10-12dB/oct) usually sound smoother. However, for flat bass, room modes and placement is everything. My friend, who designs expensive ldspkr drivers can make them sing down to 12-15Hz, but they're huge back loaded horns and most people don't have space for these monsters.
BTW, Josh your microphone - too much boom-boom in your voice.
Hi Josh, I see you recommend the Topping DX3 Pro. Where I live (India) the D50s and DX3 Pro sell for about the same money. I am looking for a DAC that can be used for my BT hand held media player and for my 8 year old Marantz Pearl CD player. Which of these 2 would you recommend?
If I want to hear mid-bass and highs I listen to the AKG k553s and if I want to hear subbase and nice mids I listen to the fostex TXOs by fostex and drop. With a little help from the emotiva A-100 amp with the jumpers in of course. 🤘
If you make a video regarding the comfort of headphones, you can title it ‘The Truth About Valour’.
I got to say there’s a thing to this... find something that works for you without breaking the bank...I have tried many high end models of phones and while impressive I’m still happy with my as of yet unmodded T50RP mk3 I got brand new for 100 bucks paired with my ifi hip dac... it works great for me so I find it hard to justify replacing it with something more expensive... maybe when I win the lottery but that’s another story ;)
The DAC is way more important than the amp. It's easy to make a great amp, not so easy to make a great DAC.
What I am looking for from a new headphone is well balanced in every frequency respond, decent sound stage and smoothness. Performing great in all genre with best details that I can hear. My budget is about 2000usd, what it would be the right headphone for me then?
hifiman arya, lcd x/3 if you can stand the weight.
@@SacredFIGHTER8 Thank you! I'll check the Audeze. I am not sure about Hifiman because I heard a lot about poor built quality
@@Sutlore007 no problem. I currently own the aryas and they are pretty amazing and no problems so far. They are definitely the winners in that price bracket for smoothness and soundstage. I also owned the LCD 3 and they sounded good but required a little EQ for me to really enjoy them. Just so you know for both option you need good amps. Something like the 789 should be good.
Not a source is king guy then? 😺😉 Good video. 🏴😁
Interesting stuff bruh. Really like it.. like the very simple, in a good way, and very pointed video..💯✌🏼
Also, this is a great video but I feel a long form video can be had. Perhaps take one component and do a 10 minute bit or one single long chaptered video. It's a great subject worthy of going deeper on.
I bought apiar of hifiman he 4xx and a schitt magni+modi I really love the sound. Strangely I get tinnitus after a very short period of time when I use headphones, found out after I bought my set, I don't get tinnitus when I listen to music on my stereo setup. I must got strange ears.
Headphones are how I've become an audiophile (as I currently live with roommates and have limited funds). I have a pair of AKG K712 Pros, which I love! I can listen to certain well recorded pieces, and if it's something that is live, I can feel like I'm there. I'm sure there are better headphones for more money, but how much better is the question for me...diminishing returns is a big thing.
that comes through experence. Zeos had a pair of hd250's for ten years thinking they were the best you could get and now owns 8 headphones that cost over $1000. You will only strat to notice the difference when you have spent a significant time with them, *then* go back to to your old headphones. Its like how youtube used to be 240p and no one cared, but now if youtube decided to to revert everything back to that, people would lose their shit. You only know how good you have it until you've lost it.
@@enjoshi-godrez8775 Yeah, this is true. I can't go back to just using the onboard DAC on my motherboard now that I have a separate unit, for instance.
This video has too much truth in it for the audio enthusiast community. Let's fight over something.
the true end game, going to a live concert
The answer to every audio related question:
"It depends"
Whats a good headphone for sweet vocals?
I'm so confused. You do one video saying you don't need headphones costing more than 3 or 4 hundred dollars in this video you say $4000 headphones may not offer everything you want. Which is it? Pleas, please, please include the manufacturer's name when you rattle off model numbers. I find IEMs to sound good but get them in your ear and keeping them in the optimum position challenging. Small movements can drastically change their sound especially the bass.
Read those statments again. They don't contradict each other.
I have ATH-E50 IEM's. Well those are studio monitors. I just use qualizer to get the sound i want to hear.
okay so we're at the "The TRUTH" stage of this channel
@SUB ZER0 no, you are infatuated..
I am touched...
@SUB ZER0 I love you too I can't believe it
The truth is I'm gay
I think the biggest takeaway for me from this video is that there isn’t a “god-tier” perfect listening experience. There is no set of perfect speakers, rather there are speakers built with a certain experience in mind. That being said, although it’s not your normal style of content, I would love to see you bring in some different people and do a blind “taste test” between headphones. For me, it’s harder to really appreciate the minute differences between higher-end gear vs lower-end gear without a good background and experience listening. If you were to do the blind test, it would be nice to see a newbie to audio, an “audiophile”, and a professional (like an engineer). Regardless, this was a great video!
i'll tell you this. the one time i heard a 250k speaker based system, i realized what the "difference" really is. that said, a good headphone system is FAR cheaper to get.
You most likely did hear that highend system in a room that was reasonable good for music... you can buy $1000000000 speakers and take it to your terribly Soundin home and find out that it does not sound good at all even with those speakers...
I have reasonable highend system that has been developed to be very sound directing and They Are not bad at all in my department, but I have heard same speakers in better room and boy! That was so huge improment! Certain instruments just Sounds a Little bit Harsh in my room because those get increase and some most likely get muuten down somewhat because bounsing sound waves. And as I said my department is ok. I have heard much worse. And my speaker plases Are not good enough for people who think more practicality than the sound quality. I have room between walls and speakers... unlike in most normal homes...
That other Guy ha ha
@That other Guy A god tier headphone for you exists. But that same headphone will not be god tier for everyone. To create a god tier headphone for all is the same as trying to create a vehicle which is an f1 racer, a rally car, a bus, a pickup truck and a limousine. Not possible.
@@Raterex Totally agree. GOD-tier does exist but it is 'ear-limited' and very 'situation-dependent'.
We all look for that headphone which will sound amazing in all situations and you can give to the person next to you and say - 'you have to hear this on these' and they say - wow that is just like a spiritual experience - however most often you will get a 'Meh' from them.
They don't have your ears.
The quality of headphone, speakers, iems is the quality YOU can hear.
Listening to high end gear can give you increased sensitivity to your palate but it is still just your palate.
The ears are the decider not the comparison generally between audio devices.
I must say that comparing them and comparing experiences of them is amazing and I enjoy speaking about them with other enthusiasts. When we are really speaking about however, is not the device itself but our perisomal experience of it. Some things are objectively true, of course - a bassy headphone is probably a bassy headphone haha. but when it comes to post $500 kit you are playing a lot of the time at the edges and in those edges you ear's sensitivity plays a greater role than the spec of the device, I think.
I use IEMs when Im on the go, Headphones at my desk and speakers when i want to chill out. Its that easy isnt it? I like all three
Same here. They're all good. But sometimes I use IEMs at my desk because they can just sound so damn good.
brydon10 which ones?
@@bernardoblanchetramirez6032 I really like the Tin T2 (original one). I use them with Spinfit CP 145 tips.
@@brydon10 Thanks, I think I'll buy them!
@@bernardoblanchetramirez6032 don't bother. Kz zs10 pro is way better.
Zeos said it nicely- he reviewed the HD800 and said something along the lines of "this isn't endgame, it's just another headphone. Maybe you'll like it more than the HD600s, but it's just another headphone that happens to cost 1k."
"Zoe's"
:P
Good point, also "Zoe's" is that Zeos's alter ego? His twin sister?
Everything zeos says should always be taken with a grain of salt. that dudes ears change and man idk been watching him for years. he's honestly just out to get people to purchase products.. I dont trust him at all.
Zeos is the last of these headphones reviewers you should trust, he's nothing but a hype machine but at least his reviews are funny and entertaining.
zeos aint really a reliable reviewer at all . if u want to buy some headphones check their reviews on sites like headfonia ,head fi and super best audio friends and i would say joshs reviews r also pretty accurate . zeos just likes to hype some stuff that may or may not some ppl like
'Best' headphone is akin to declaring the 'best' vacation destination. Comfort, sound, build quality, aesthetics, amplification requirements, cost, etc all determine what is best TO YOU. There is no objective 'best' headphone.
Ha! Next thing you know, this _dolt_ will be spouting nonsense like "all musical tastes are subjective as well". You, sir, sound like my ex-wife.
@@skengasaurus and we know why she left you :-)
@@olo398 woosh
@@skengasaurus WOW kid you just got r/WOOOOOOSHED!!!! 😂😂👀 "Wooosh" means you didn't get the joke, as in the sound made when the joke "woooshes" over your head. I bet you're too stupid to get it, IDIOT!! 😤😤😂 My joke was so thoughtfully crafted and took me a total of 3 minutes, you SHOULD be laughing. 🤬 What's that? My joke is bad? I think that's just because you're too stupid to understand it completely, moron! I outsmarted you, nitwit.🤭 In conclusion, I am posting this to the community known as "R/Wooooosh" to claim my internet points in your embarrassment 😏. Imbecile.
@@R4ifu you left out the best part
Very nice video, great summary, there is just one ... elephant in THE ROOM. If you listen to speakers, you don't actually hear the speakers, you hear the room you have the speakers in. So acoustics. Many people struggle with this, because their houses / flats have acoustic issues (sometimes treatable, sometimes untreatable). Then there's the issue of moving, buying / selling properties, renting ... you never know if you'll have a good space to put a good set of speakers into. Most homes are inherently compromised acoustically. And then there's the issue of flats / neighbours. Your set might sound great at a certain volume, but every time you reach that volume your elderly neighbour from downstairs might already be calling the police ... so there's that.
Don’t forget about the room... a headphone doesn’t care what room it’s in whereas with speakers, the frequency response is dictated by the room.
Glad someone brought this up. The resonances of the room don’t impact casual listening so much (for me), but they make a BIG difference when making music. If you’re trying to perfect the dynamics of something, and the room exaggerates certain pitches, it can be very frustrating. Same is true for microphones. Don’t invest more in your equipment than your room will support!
Andrew Colombi they impact it much more than you think. Lots of nulls and reflection cause peaks and valleys across the entire frequency spectrum. You can try a eq some of that out, but room treatment and bass traps are usually called for if you are looking to get the most out of your 2 channel system. You could have $10k speakers and they’ll sound terrible positioned poorly in an untreated room.
Yea, but then you don't get proper crossfeed and natural acoustics. Headphones just can't match a good speaker setup - it's physically impossible.
@@brydon10 Nowadays most musics recorded with more than 1 mic to get ambient natural acoustic. Even if its a mono recording the engineer will panning and manipulate the crossfeed
@@privacyhelp Yea, that's fine and all but headphones can't put the band in front of you as if performing for you.
Recovering audiophile here couldn’t be happier.
Recovering meaning you lost interest but started again? Or Recovering meaning you were an audiophile and you stopped being one? One brings happiness and the other saves money which is basically happiness 😅
@@Sweet-Vermouth no longer obsessively listen to music on high end headphones 24/7. Just use my tv when I’m in the mood.
What even is a "recovering audiophile"? "Hey guys, im a recovering audiophile and its been a whole 2 weeks since ive spent $500-1k on a pair of headphones!"
@@Sweet-Vermouth There's a running joke in the audiophile community about how the more you obsess, the more "Lost" you are, like an addiction, or how far down the rabbithole you've fallen..
For instance people who are too far gone, often obsess over $10k cables or start rewiring their house and adding their own transformers for "cleaner power delivery" and shit.
@@dvduwu I just watched a sort of short documentary on Japanese audiophiles that talked exactly about that, a dude who lived in a small studio instead of a house, just to be able to afford more audio equipment, and who also rewired everything for a cleaner source of electricity to get rid of interference and static. Crazy stuff.
Point of diminishing returns...……..
That's all I'm saying...…...
Subjective and flawed argument.........
Thats all I'm saying ........
I agree. I would say this is pretty valid with the speakers aspect of his argument. You don't have to spend 10x the price to get the "10x the speaker" like he was saying. Hell, I spent $150 on a pair of Jamo S 807 Speakers about a month ago when they went on a heavy sale on Adorama. I would guess those are far and away better speakers than those bookshelf speakers he presented and they were THE SAME PRICE. It all comes down to how much you are willing to spend and whether or not you are going to be able to use them. Tiny rooms with big speakers don't always make sense and tiny speakers in big rooms don't always make sense.
This, completely, you eventually hit a point where you're not going to get clearer audio, or more sensitivity, or less noise, or better build quality or more elaborate design for the money, or the changes are so minimal, most people can't hear it. Having said, alot of headphones tend to be colored a particular way unless you purposely choose a fairly neutral headphone.
There is a 'Value' point, but nothing is universal. And a fact Josh points out is most of the time it is 'subjective'
true.... but 5x bmw can never be 1x ferrari when you want to break 300km/h...... some $1000 hp cannot produce last few % of details, layering etc to $4000 pair
Loved the real talk in this video. So honest, informative, clear, and respectful. Thanks for sharing your thoughts Josh!
For me, IEMs are meant for commuting only. Full size desktop headphone system far exceeds the best IEMs in terms of pretty much everything. Even Final A8000 is way behind my Focal Utopia on Hugo TT2.
As someone who owns the A8000, I respectfully disagree.
IMO nicest thing abt iems is that the price ceiling is below 2k, yeah u can spend more but at that point it’s personal preference, speakers on the other hand? Oh boy
For me one of the biggest differences (that you didn't touch on) is the quality of the recording, which goes under the "files" category.. sure it depends on the kind of music you're listening to.. but original master and recording quality is such an order of magnitude in hi-fi systems.. And I also think that over time audiophile people start to change music tastes to suit the best recordings (usually jazz, voice and classical)
some iems and headphones really show the quality,yes
Great content. I enjoyed the discussion of the order of importance of components like DAC VS amplifier.
I STRONGLY disagree with your point about "files" being grouped with the least important things in the chain. I would actually argue: Files == Headphones > Amp > DAC > Cables/Miscellania.
If your source (the files) are poorly mastered, or way too compressed (eg. 128kbps MP3), it's going to have almost as big an impact on the sound as the headphones themselves. And if either are terrible, you wouldn't want to listen to either - assuming an amp has enough power to reach listenable levels, even if it has terrible measurements, it's still going to be a better experience than if files/headphones are terrible. I've hunted down albums I liked in the past specifically for a different master (often ones that are not subject to the "Loudness War" that peaked in the 90s).
The threshold for files price-wise is typically much lower than headphones admittedly. Setting to the highest quality on a streaming service is typically enough (I'm not anti-lossy, just anti-"crap lossy"). If you want to hunt down better masters, it can be a bit tricky/expensive, but may or may not be worth it for any given person and their favorite bands/albums. I'm just saying I don't agree with clustering the files in the bottom-tier of the chain.
I'd love to see you do a video "The TRUTH about the lack of scientific support for audiophile claims (from manufacturers and consumers alike) and why we need to demand it". Ok, the title is a bit long, but you get what I mean. :-)
all science goes out the window when considering placebo, hearing capability, personal preference, and the brain burn-in effect..
19 hrs ago? wtf YT?! 😂
@@navdeepsengh It's called: "supporting your favorite creators on Patreon". It has its perks. :-)
@@callmevil you clearly don't know what you're talking about, how are you supposed to measure placebo anyhow? Besides, science isn't always wrong and doesn't know everything, there's definitely some nuances which make a $500 power cable sound better than a $5 power cable. If they didn't sound different and improve sound quality, would I own 12 of them? I don't think so. Just think about how science has become a religion and you have faith in science and science can't even explain god or can't even tell a 3$ power cable from a 500$ power cable with measurements so you know science is wrong when you can hear the difference so clearly if you have amazing hearing like me maybe your hearing just suck. And blind tests don't work, they introduce stress and other things which make them don't work.
@ actually, you dont understand what im saying.. for example, "how are you suppose to measure placebo anyhow?" exactly.. science cant explain god? thats an opinion.. science can tell a $3 power cable from $500 power cable with science.. science is a tool, not a religion, if you feel otherwise, wow.. blind test do work when the tester is experienced enough.. and the rest of your points that i have or may not have addressed specifically again proves my point, thanks ( ' . ' ) v
For me achieving a great headphone or iem experience has been very elusive. Just like Josh said, you may find good bass, or detail, or soundstage...etc, but never the whole package.
But in my own experience, if you do want to get close to a whole package, nothing beats a properly designed and well treated room, with great well positioned speakers, a dedicated subwoofer, good converters, amplifier, clock and cables, analog equalizers for tweeking problem resonances, and well recorded music,.... so basically nothing short of a recording studio experience. Once you taste that, you’re ruined for life!
sacrifice a tiny portion in every category, you have the true end game all rounder, the Hifiman Susvara, but still, expensive...
I thought when it said "High End Headphones" he'd be talking about the 200 - 400$ range.
Welcome to the HiFi world
yeaj iom poor as dirt thought same lmao
lolololol...you got jokes. Look up the definition of "High end headphones", this is what you will see..."$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ required"
@@SWSW560 bruh
wait til u see speakers
Even if you can prove that, say, a $1500 pair of headphones has a more forward midrange than a $750 headphone, it doesn’t mean the more expensive pair is “better”. Or saying a $20.00 pair of IEMs is not as good as a $500.00 pair of IEMs. Good, better, bad, more soundstaging, less bass, etc, is 100% irrelevant because there is no absolute reference of sound to which all output devices are compared and judged.
“Whaaat?” That would certainly be the battle cry of all audiophiles. But even if you had a live source from a studio or a public venue, there is enough variation in room acoustics, playback equipment, placement of the mics, the performer’s equipment, playback and recording levels, on and on, that can give a different version of that particular event. And when you combine that with the enormous amount of consumer headphones, speakers, and all other sound-reproducing items with all their various manufacturer’s tunings, you absolutely cannot make any claims to any piece of equipment (in this case, headphones and IEMs) as being “better or worst” than another piece of equipment.
It’s not “better or worst”. It’s preference. And the kind of sound that one person enjoys is not better or worst than the sound preference for another person. Even if a particular IEM’s is “clearer” in the treble than an over-the-ear headphone, it’s just that - clearer, not better. In fact, the actual music used to make that determination may have sounded completely different in the studio based on what was used to capture and process that sound. So when you take all the captured and processed sounds, mix them down/up/inside out, tune the final sound based on the ears (interpretation?) of the sound engineers and then have it RE-produced by thousands and thousands of consumer playback/output equipment, all “tuned” by their respective manufacturers based on their sound preferences, it’s no wonder the audiophile community is disjointed and fragmented. Everyone is trying to convince everyone else that a certain piece of audio equipment is better or worst than a comparable piece of audiophile equipment.
Seriously, when will the madness end? Nothing is better. Nothing is worst. It just is. Just enjoy what you like. And when you get tired of that, get something else and enjoy a new perspective.
I dont know, my beyerdynamic cost 500 dollars (inflation) back then in the 80s. today its about 180 - 200 dollars. Is it worse today? I dont think so. You can get high end headphone brandnew today for half the price they cost in the 80s.