'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.
@@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.
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 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.
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."
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 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
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.
@@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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Great overview. :) As a former sound engineer I want to mention one thing which makes IEMs or headphones worth considering for most people: The room. Even the best, most expensive pair of speakers will not sound good, unless places correctly, in a well treated and dimensioned room. Such a room few people have at home, so spending a lot of money on speakers is wasteful, while spending money on IEMs or headphones makes more sense, since the room does not affect the sound of these.
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.
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 😅
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
@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 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!
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)
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...
LOL I never met someone who spend $1000 usd for high end extra bass headphone. For basshead they should go with speakers with big subwoofer rather than high end headphone
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!
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 🤦♂.
Joshua: one very large component of loudspeaker performance with respect to detail retrieval, scale and imaging is *_the room._* Your room affects the sound of your speakers tremendously. I have 2 different rooms with large planars & 2 fast servo subs in one, full-range towers with dynamic drivers for bass & mid & Heil AMT tweeters plus 4 smaller servo subs (to balance out room nodes) in the other. Without at least *_some_* room treatment, both have fantastic low end but only so-so detail & imaging. Some scientifically sound room treatments took it from so-so to 'nearly as good as the real thing'. I have 8 sets of headphones, multiple DAC's & HPA's. I have 2 sets of good IEM's. I'll admit the IEM's are mainly used for live music performance, where I play drums, bass & keyboards. You hit all the salient points in this short discussion; it was refreshing to hear. I enjoy *_ALL_* types of music reproduction - because nothing does everything perfectly. The one area I feel headphones & IEM's have the advantage is they take the room out of the equation. Oh, and usually the related equipment can easily be placed on a desk, as opposed to needing a rack & it's own floor space.
Using a microphone and eqwirzard will get you most of the way unless your room is beyond salvageable without physical room treatment. Once you eliminate 80% or more of your room, they beat headphones in all categories.
one thing totally worth mentioning about speakers is that the room you put them in and the spot in that room you place your speakers matter... ive heard remarkably expensive speakers in a bad room, and you would be surprised at how average they sound... this is something you dont have to worry about with headphones because the earcups themselves are little treated rooms for each driver.
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. :-)
@@navdeepsengh It's called: "supporting your favorite creators on Patreon". It has its perks. :-)
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@@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
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.
lolololol...you got jokes. Look up the definition of "High end headphones", this is what you will see..."$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ required"
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
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.
And my LCD-X just arrived today. The first thing I listened to was Reverence (Original Mix) by Hemstock & Jennings, Adam White. I closed my eyes. It was fucking magical. I've heard this track like a 100 times before. I had been using the Sennheiser GSP600 for gaming fora coupe years and really enjoyed that. Recently got the HD58X for I wanted to try out an open headset. I enjoyed that even more. I wanted to treat myself with something and went for the LCD-X. I had watched several review videos on it. Joshua's review on it from a year ago really sold me on it.
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.
I've been kind of late to the headphone game as I used to just have an ipod with small AKG in ears on the go and a home theater system to play music in the living room until I also bought an AKG 550 for the living room. That changed when I won an RHA Dacamp L1 - which I never considered buying before that. But that got me into researching etc. and I ended up buying an Audio Technica ATH R70X. And man, do I love the difference that lightweight construction and open back system makes. Now it's Pioneer XDP 100R DAP into RHA Dacamp L1 into the R70X for headphone use - or my Yamaha RX-V 685 into Nubert NuBox 483 for speaker sound :-)
I’ve gone from the studio world ( recording) headphones including Shure iEms to Audiophile listening HPs..open back vs closed back ,..dynamic vs Planar magnetic ect..I’m still learning and I’ve been in the “business” for 40 years….amazing!
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.
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.
Josh, you weren't rambling at the end. Your touched upon the most important thing we can discuss as a community: we've got to make it more friendly and accessible if we are going to grow to our full potential. I would really love to sit through a half hour of your thoughts on this topic. Thanks for what you're doing!
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.
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.
Good advice.. Just to recap priority level... Speaker/headphone/IEM ---> amp ----> DAC (DAP here too?) ---> file type ---> cables, etc... Please confirm where DAP ranks in the spectrum... Thanks
Also where would you throw in tubes/quality of tubes + Phono stage + preamp + turntable/cart/tonearms into the equation? How about under cables (headphone/speaker cable, interconnects, powercables) and finally power conditoners & room treatments... all in terms of order of importance!
Too many people on forums say you have to use a headphone or iem with this amp or cable. It will barely change the sound compared to getting a headphone or iem that you like to start with.
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??)
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.
I think one major benefit of speakers that wasn't mentioned is the ability to listen with others easily and share the experience. I suppose you can do this with the other devices as well if you have multiple setups but that gets a little ridiculous and it's still not the same as listening to the exact same audio unencumbered together sitting with a few people on a couch or whatever. I love my headphones, really not much of a fan of iems because I don't find them comfortable but I still think there is just something purely enjoyable about listening too high quality speakers with another person especially a significant other or someone who is at least just as into the music as you are.
Back when I had friends (before marriage and kids and a move to a different continent), that was one of my favourite pass times - sit on the sofa with a few joints, a couple of good friends and a stack of our favourite CDs. We'd listen until 2- 3am and didn't care what the neighbours thought. I still have the system I used back then - a now 20-year-old Meridian DSP 24/96 system. I rarely use it, since listening to my preferred music, at my preferred volumes annoys my family and neighbours. Most of the time I listen to music via a streaming service, on my own through a pair of Shure 215 IEMs, on a Shanling UP5 DAC/amp, a 4.4mm balanced cable and long Comply Pro ear buds. It's good enough, for now. The sound isolation is perfect, since I have a noisy household. I can have a high fidelity listening experience while in loading the dishwasher. I can use the same setup while gaming, or watching movies after everyone goes to bed. Truly a versatile setup. However, the feeling of sitting in that sweet spot in my living room, music flowing over me, friends dissecting the nuances of the tunes (or just talking stoner nonsense) just can't be replicated.
My 21x18 listening room was “repurposed” as my grandson’s playroom, so I had to abandon my Martin Logans. I settled on Sundaras, Schiit Modi/Magni/Loki stack and AmazonHD. Just the way things change!
I do feel like you missed two important new categories. Bluetooth portable speakers and Bluetooth home speakers. Since I am a tech guy and love music, I have noticed the massive improvement in technology and performance of Bluetooth speakers.
I am not a rich man, by far. I've tried various headphones, some costing $200.00. I've taken all of them back. I have Philips SBC HP 250 which I bought, maybe, twenty-five years ago. I don't know how much I paid for them, but it wasn't much. They are still my favorite headphones. And they have an outrageously long cord.
@@why_tho_ Assuming you arent being totally sarcastic, Patreon members usually get content before its released publically on TH-cam. So the video will be set to private where you'll need a direct link to watch it until he changes it to public.
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.
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
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
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/
I've got some good speakers, even in my home office where I am most of the time. 12-14 hours a day. I recently upgraded my living room sound system just the way I had dreamed of with a Pair of SVS PB-3000. But..2 weeks later my young son got a job working from home. We have a small house. When I'm finally done with work, he is either still working, or working on his homework for school. I have a great 5.1 big speaker system in my office too, where I said I am all day and 1/2 the night. In 2018 or 2019 I bought the LCD X based mostly on your review. I love them but for as long as I work, they are just to heavy. Hx of MVA and neck pain so while I previously only had to use the LCD-X when my family was home, now they are home all the time. I miss my big speakers in office and my favorite place on my couch in the living room. LCD-X too heavy to wear long. What do I do? I am seriously thinking about Focal Stellia. Hoping they will go on sale for Black Friday. I have not seen you review them yet. They seem like they would be comfortable to wear for 12 hours and sound good enough to make me forget how sad I am that I can't listen to my great speakers. Like you said, it is about your needs and musical tastes. I'm mostly progressive rock but do listen to everything. I hope this is what you wanted and asked to hear about at the end of your video.
There is a whole world that I am not aware of! I didn't know there were "earbuds" (what you call IEMs) that could cost up to $2800!! And I thought my Airpods were expensive!!
Great video Josh! I agree that you have to like a speaker/headphone/iem before you can improve upon it. I do typically think in a good chain working back to front is actually more logical though. Headphone, speakers and iem are still crap in and crap out. Your files or method of playing, source/dac and amp will impact the sound no matter how good your speaker is. But they also won't necessarily turn a product you don't like into something you love. Although, for beginners, I really think they should look at playback software and files seriously first. I spend thousands on audio before I addressed this way back. Ended up buying Jriver and installing my drivers for a new DAC (previously using FiiO X3 coax out) and it transformed my entire stereo. I take the same approach with headphones and use Roon on PC and UAPP on my phone and tablet. Massive difference over just using the Tidal app on Android or PC. Same files, same streaming service, but very noticeable difference in sound whether it's on my PMC studio monitors or my Moondrop Starfields. Keep up the great work man!
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 love your videos. What I would say is that before the headphones I would suggest the source is probably the most important thing. You have a crappy source and all the rest of the chain is fighting an uphill battle. The rest I would certainly agree with. Keep up the great work Josh.
great video. basically agree. one small addendum: i would actually rank as most important (overall) the quality of the source material (i.e., the quality of the recording and mastering). i think that's as important as transducers, but otherwise i totally agree with your ordering.
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.
For me it comes down to this: The middle ground is where it is at. Find what you want in the middle ground. Diminishing returns are too high going past that. You double the price to increase quality by 1-2%. Same goes for everything; it is very rare to find quality for low cost (doesn't matter where it is made.) Obviously I'm not the type to chase the "best" as it is always a moving target; no point in getting the best now when in two years technology/knowledge will outpace and create something better. Especially in something subjective like sound. Not going to get caught up in circle of just spending money like that.
It comes down to use cases in my opinion. People even bash on ANC, but their practicality and application on noisy environments is great. I use IEMs at the office or when I'm walking out, and I really value the ability to just pop them in my pocket and not need to carry a pouch of anything.
Right? I got a pair of lcd i3's and realised of compressed most music was. They have a massive speaker like soundstage, but only expensive recordings from the 60's and 70's like david bowie took advantage of that.
I honestly don't understand where you're coming from... I bought a pair of Hifiman HE4XX's a while ago and i was blown away at how clear and detailed my music sounded compared to what I was using before, and I couldn't imagine going back to a non-audiophile headphone
Dominic Runkel most music is poorly mastered, especially pop, which is generally listened to on poor quality equipment. Buy a decent set of cans and it amplifies the poor recording.
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.
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 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.
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.
Spot on! I love my IEMs, Headphones, and Speakers. Each have their place, purpose, and price. I would add speakers for some audiophiles love their home theater aspect as well. I would just mention it next time you do something similar.
I m just getting into audio but something i noticed (tho i m usually a very weird person in comparison to others) Sound in itself is a very subjective thing, and sound is not even just about what you hear but how you feel when you hear it. I strongly believe, that there are aspects of audio, a person might not audibly hear, but you just feel different regardless since you dont just perceive acustics with your ears but with your entire body. And since how subjective sound is, it does not mean expensive is better or headphone x is better than z. Every headphone that is somewhat not completly ''crap'' is good enough to enjoy the music with. They are just different. Music sounds different. Right now i m testing alot of headphones in below 200bucks used market. Thats like HD600 and stuff like that price wise. I went throught like 5 or 6 in that price range now and i sold them just because i prefered the sound of my 20bucks HD681s. They might have higher resolution or a nicer soundstage or something, but thats no indicator about how i feel listening. Last ones i tried some 150bucks beyers for example and it was like: ''yeah they sound cool'' and i listened to them for a couple days, and then changed back to my old ones and i felt ''at home'' i was happy to hear them again. I actually prefered them. The beyers had 7,5 times the cost, but i still felt better listening to those cheap cans. The point is: In the end it doesnt matter how graphs look or what someone online says, but just what you think is enjoyable to listen to. And just because the thing you currently enjoy tends to be on the cheaper side, theres no problem with that. If someone enjoys something, why feel forced to upgrade just because its more expensive
Fully agree with you on this. IEMs are great. Sitting at school, an airport, or on a bus listening to awesome audio can be invaluable. Headphones are amazing for separation, detail, and positioning for their price. Speakers are awesome for literally feeling whatever media your taking in. Don’t have speakers yet due to the fact that I’ll be bouncing around where I’m living for the foreseeable future, but I’d love to get some.
I hugely disagree on the importance of files, but I may not be using the same definition. In my experience, the source is the absolute most important thing in the audio experience. If your file is a terrible recording and/or super-lossy compression, it's still going to sound like trash no matter how good your transcievers are. If by "files" you're meaning Xkbps mp3 vs Ykbps mp3 vs FLAC, then I agree that's less important. I have to *really* focus doing back-to-back comparisons to tell the difference between a decent-rate mp3 and a FLAC/wav.
Agree totally! You should love the music and appreciate the gear, not the other way around. As an owner of 10 IEMs, 8 Headphones and three sets of high end speakers, each brings something different to exact same song. And, because I love the music, each different rendition of it is very interesting to me.
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.
My experience with hi end headphones has not been very good. Shure and Grado lasted me about five years and both not repairable. The Sony MDR-V6 headphones I bought back in the 70s still work, I did have to replace the ear covers and a wire broke on the right channel, but easily repaired. The Grados had very thin wires and the plastic ear cups were welded so you can't open them up for repair. The Shures were ear buds that I paid almost five hundred bucks for and the low end drivers failed, Shure does not repair them but will give you a slight discount on another pair. If your going to pay a grand or more for head phones get your HEARING TESTED FIRST !
In the first section of the video basically you’re talking about colourations - no headphone (or hifi) can achieve all colourations simultaneously. But high end audio is about the quest for fidelity, accuracy, lack of colouration. So the question becomes, since no gear is perfect, which colouration am I least concerned with.
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.
Absolutely there are no ‘all rounders‘ 0:46 Below 500 Dlls there are Great ‘non high end’ headphones/IEMs for the simple reason they weren‘t made to benefit or ‘need‘ an Amp, example my first Soundmagic HP, Koss, Grado (do benefit), there must be a starting point in this hobby! 4:37 I guess you consider High end gear only those who cover the full 20 to 20 Khz spectrum 6:44 Agree! This is the point of intangibles in price 8:04 Ouch! Finally, great thoughts about the chain order, I am a Dac guy but I’ve plug many times the rca or 3.5 jack directly from source and still find amazing results! Really LIKED your video and I suscribed!
hearing is perhaps an over-estimated attribute of the listening experience. What I think you mean by tangibility is the critical essence whereby the body receives sound(music) as a combined effect through hearing and touch and only speakers can deliver this entire spectrum for recorded music.
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....
Interesting video, Josh. I think most of your comments are on point. I will add that the biggest disadvantage of speakers is the room. Room interactions can really disrupt the quality of the sound at the listening position. Headphones and IEMs don't have that problem. However, headphones and IEMs are an unnatural way to listen to sound. Human hearing did not evolve with the idea of having point sources of sound either inside or just a few mm away from the ear firing sound waves directly down the ear canal. Because of this, in an all-else-being-equal scenario, headphones and IEMs are more fatiguing over long listening sessions. In general though, I completely agree with you that all three transducer models have unique advantages and provide different - not better or worse - listening experiences. Each experience can be preferable based on circumstance and type of music.
Using a microphone and eqwirzard will get you most of the way unless your room is beyond salvageable without physical room treatment. Once you eliminate 80% or more of your room, they beat headphones in all categories.
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! :-)
'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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
Great overview. :) As a former sound engineer I want to mention one thing which makes IEMs or headphones worth considering for most people: The room. Even the best, most expensive pair of speakers will not sound good, unless places correctly, in a well treated and dimensioned room. Such a room few people have at home, so spending a lot of money on speakers is wasteful, while spending money on IEMs or headphones makes more sense, since the room does not affect the sound of these.
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
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.
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.
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
Loved the real talk in this video. So honest, informative, clear, and respectful. Thanks for sharing your thoughts Josh!
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!
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
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, 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?
LOL I never met someone who spend $1000 usd for high end extra bass headphone. For basshead they should go with speakers with big subwoofer rather than high end headphone
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...
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 🤦♂.
Joshua: one very large component of loudspeaker performance with respect to detail retrieval, scale and imaging is *_the room._* Your room affects the sound of your speakers tremendously. I have 2 different rooms with large planars & 2 fast servo subs in one, full-range towers with dynamic drivers for bass & mid & Heil AMT tweeters plus 4 smaller servo subs (to balance out room nodes) in the other. Without at least *_some_* room treatment, both have fantastic low end but only so-so detail & imaging. Some scientifically sound room treatments took it from so-so to 'nearly as good as the real thing'. I have 8 sets of headphones, multiple DAC's & HPA's. I have 2 sets of good IEM's. I'll admit the IEM's are mainly used for live music performance, where I play drums, bass & keyboards. You hit all the salient points in this short discussion; it was refreshing to hear. I enjoy *_ALL_* types of music reproduction - because nothing does everything perfectly. The one area I feel headphones & IEM's have the advantage is they take the room out of the equation. Oh, and usually the related equipment can easily be placed on a desk, as opposed to needing a rack & it's own floor space.
Using a microphone and eqwirzard will get you most of the way unless your room is beyond salvageable without physical room treatment. Once you eliminate 80% or more of your room, they beat headphones in all categories.
one thing totally worth mentioning about speakers is that the room you put them in and the spot in that room you place your speakers matter... ive heard remarkably expensive speakers in a bad room, and you would be surprised at how average they sound... this is something you dont have to worry about with headphones because the earcups themselves are little treated rooms for each driver.
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
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.
With speaker, the room and the placement are important too! I use powered monitors on my desk and just a slight angle adjust can mess up their sound.
Yep, also using a microphone and eq wizard made my set up sound like it was $10000.
Try Adam :-)
true
@@En_Joshi-Godrez and if you had a $10,000 setup, it would sound like a $100,000?! Lol
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
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.
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.
And my LCD-X just arrived today. The first thing I listened to was Reverence (Original Mix) by Hemstock & Jennings, Adam White. I closed my eyes. It was fucking magical. I've heard this track like a 100 times before.
I had been using the Sennheiser GSP600 for gaming fora coupe years and really enjoyed that. Recently got the HD58X for I wanted to try out an open headset. I enjoyed that even more. I wanted to treat myself with something and went for the LCD-X. I had watched several review videos on it. Joshua's review on it from a year ago really sold me on it.
Also got an LCD-X yesterday. It is insane ...
Great content. I enjoyed the discussion of the order of importance of components like DAC VS amplifier.
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've been kind of late to the headphone game as I used to just have an ipod with small AKG in ears on the go and a home theater system to play music in the living room until I also bought an AKG 550 for the living room.
That changed when I won an RHA Dacamp L1 - which I never considered buying before that. But that got me into researching etc. and I ended up buying an Audio Technica ATH R70X. And man, do I love the difference that lightweight construction and open back system makes. Now it's Pioneer XDP 100R DAP into RHA Dacamp L1 into the R70X for headphone use - or my Yamaha RX-V 685 into Nubert NuBox 483 for speaker sound :-)
I’ve gone from the studio world ( recording) headphones including Shure iEms to Audiophile listening HPs..open back vs closed back ,..dynamic vs Planar magnetic ect..I’m still learning and I’ve been in the “business” for 40 years….amazing!
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.
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.
Josh, you weren't rambling at the end. Your touched upon the most important thing we can discuss as a community: we've got to make it more friendly and accessible if we are going to grow to our full potential. I would really love to sit through a half hour of your thoughts on this topic. Thanks for what you're doing!
Yes, exactly: start from the transducers, and work your way back from there...
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.
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.
Good advice.. Just to recap priority level... Speaker/headphone/IEM ---> amp ----> DAC (DAP here too?) ---> file type ---> cables, etc... Please confirm where DAP ranks in the spectrum... Thanks
Also where would you throw in tubes/quality of tubes + Phono stage + preamp + turntable/cart/tonearms into the equation? How about under cables (headphone/speaker cable, interconnects, powercables) and finally power conditoners & room treatments... all in terms of order of importance!
Too many people on forums say you have to use a headphone or iem with this amp or cable. It will barely change the sound compared to getting a headphone or iem that you like to start with.
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!
Agreed about the sound of the DAC being more about the sound of the DAC's line-out stage than anything to do with the actual conversion.
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??)
what a great video. this needs to be seen by many in this hobby. keep it up josh.
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.
I think one major benefit of speakers that wasn't mentioned is the ability to listen with others easily and share the experience. I suppose you can do this with the other devices as well if you have multiple setups but that gets a little ridiculous and it's still not the same as listening to the exact same audio unencumbered together sitting with a few people on a couch or whatever. I love my headphones, really not much of a fan of iems because I don't find them comfortable but I still think there is just something purely enjoyable about listening too high quality speakers with another person especially a significant other or someone who is at least just as into the music as you are.
Back when I had friends (before marriage and kids and a move to a different continent), that was one of my favourite pass times - sit on the sofa with a few joints, a couple of good friends and a stack of our favourite CDs. We'd listen until 2- 3am and didn't care what the neighbours thought.
I still have the system I used back then - a now 20-year-old Meridian DSP 24/96 system. I rarely use it, since listening to my preferred music, at my preferred volumes annoys my family and neighbours. Most of the time I listen to music via a streaming service, on my own through a pair of Shure 215 IEMs, on a Shanling UP5 DAC/amp, a 4.4mm balanced cable and long Comply Pro ear buds.
It's good enough, for now. The sound isolation is perfect, since I have a noisy household. I can have a high fidelity listening experience while in loading the dishwasher. I can use the same setup while gaming, or watching movies after everyone goes to bed. Truly a versatile setup.
However, the feeling of sitting in that sweet spot in my living room, music flowing over me, friends dissecting the nuances of the tunes (or just talking stoner nonsense) just can't be replicated.
Thank you for this video. I can finally share a video explaining the basics of headphones and why there is depth in exploring it.
My 21x18 listening room was “repurposed” as my grandson’s playroom, so I had to abandon my Martin Logans. I settled on Sundaras, Schiit Modi/Magni/Loki stack and AmazonHD. Just the way things change!
How is the listening experience of those headphones compared to the Martin Logan?
I do feel like you missed two important new categories. Bluetooth portable speakers and Bluetooth home speakers. Since I am a tech guy and love music, I have noticed the massive improvement in technology and performance of Bluetooth speakers.
Now you've tasted expensive high ends... Vintage old school headphones/earspeakers, when?
Would be happy to loan things from Stax all the way to weird crap like Jecklin Float's and Sony PFR-V1's if he'd be willing to review them :)
I am not a rich man, by far. I've tried various headphones, some costing $200.00. I've taken all of them back. I have Philips SBC HP 250 which I bought, maybe, twenty-five years ago. I don't know how much I paid for them, but it wasn't much. They are still my favorite headphones. And they have an outrageously long cord.
I love the wars between headphones and iems, it's so intertaining.
Video: *36 seconds ago*
Comments: *20 hours ago*
Learn what patreon is.
@@En_Joshi-Godrez tell me more
@@why_tho_ Assuming you arent being totally sarcastic, Patreon members usually get content before its released publically on TH-cam. So the video will be set to private where you'll need a direct link to watch it until he changes it to public.
@@DatHombre I wasn't being sarcastic 🙃
Thanks tho.
@Tasunke Rather than youtube, it's actually about third party tools for extra income aside from what youtube provides.
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
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.
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 have obsessed over these questions. Thank you for giving some clarity. It's refreshing to not have to watch an annoying know it all.
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
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/
I've got some good speakers, even in my home office where I am most of the time. 12-14 hours a day. I recently upgraded my living room sound system just the way I had dreamed of with a Pair of SVS PB-3000. But..2 weeks later my young son got a job working from home. We have a small house. When I'm finally done with work, he is either still working, or working on his homework for school. I have a great 5.1 big speaker system in my office too, where I said I am all day and 1/2 the night. In 2018 or 2019 I bought the LCD X based mostly on your review. I love them but for as long as I work, they are just to heavy. Hx of MVA and neck pain so while I previously only had to use the LCD-X when my family was home, now they are home all the time. I miss my big speakers in office and my favorite place on my couch in the living room. LCD-X too heavy to wear long. What do I do? I am seriously thinking about Focal Stellia. Hoping they will go on sale for Black Friday. I have not seen you review them yet. They seem like they would be comfortable to wear for 12 hours and sound good enough to make me forget how sad I am that I can't listen to my great speakers. Like you said, it is about your needs and musical tastes. I'm mostly progressive rock but do listen to everything. I hope this is what you wanted and asked to hear about at the end of your video.
There is a whole world that I am not aware of! I didn't know there were "earbuds" (what you call IEMs) that could cost up to $2800!! And I thought my Airpods were expensive!!
Great video Josh!
I agree that you have to like a speaker/headphone/iem before you can improve upon it. I do typically think in a good chain working back to front is actually more logical though. Headphone, speakers and iem are still crap in and crap out. Your files or method of playing, source/dac and amp will impact the sound no matter how good your speaker is. But they also won't necessarily turn a product you don't like into something you love. Although, for beginners, I really think they should look at playback software and files seriously first. I spend thousands on audio before I addressed this way back. Ended up buying Jriver and installing my drivers for a new DAC (previously using FiiO X3 coax out) and it transformed my entire stereo. I take the same approach with headphones and use Roon on PC and UAPP on my phone and tablet. Massive difference over just using the Tidal app on Android or PC. Same files, same streaming service, but very noticeable difference in sound whether it's on my PMC studio monitors or my Moondrop Starfields.
Keep up the great work man!
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 love your videos. What I would say is that before the headphones I would suggest the source is probably the most important thing. You have a crappy source and all the rest of the chain is fighting an uphill battle. The rest I would certainly agree with. Keep up the great work Josh.
great video. basically agree. one small addendum: i would actually rank as most important (overall) the quality of the source material (i.e., the quality of the recording and mastering). i think that's as important as transducers, but otherwise i totally agree with your ordering.
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
This is the most valuable lesson I heard so far on audio gear.
For me it comes down to this:
The middle ground is where it is at. Find what you want in the middle ground.
Diminishing returns are too high going past that. You double the price to increase quality by 1-2%. Same goes for everything; it is very rare to find quality for low cost (doesn't matter where it is made.) Obviously I'm not the type to chase the "best" as it is always a moving target; no point in getting the best now when in two years technology/knowledge will outpace and create something better. Especially in something subjective like sound.
Not going to get caught up in circle of just spending money like that.
It comes down to use cases in my opinion. People even bash on ANC, but their practicality and application on noisy environments is great. I use IEMs at the office or when I'm walking out, and I really value the ability to just pop them in my pocket and not need to carry a pouch of anything.
Unfortunately, a great pair of headphones ends up ruining most of your music, as it highlights how many records are poorly recorded/mastered
Right? I got a pair of lcd i3's and realised of compressed most music was. They have a massive speaker like soundstage, but only expensive recordings from the 60's and 70's like david bowie took advantage of that.
I honestly don't understand where you're coming from... I bought a pair of Hifiman HE4XX's a while ago and i was blown away at how clear and detailed my music sounded compared to what I was using before, and I couldn't imagine going back to a non-audiophile headphone
Dominic Runkel most music is poorly mastered, especially pop, which is generally listened to on poor quality equipment. Buy a decent set of cans and it amplifies the poor recording.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
The thumbnail looks like the history channel "SCIENCE" meme
Spot on! I love my IEMs, Headphones, and Speakers. Each have their place, purpose, and price. I would add speakers for some audiophiles love their home theater aspect as well. I would just mention it next time you do something similar.
I m just getting into audio but something i noticed (tho i m usually a very weird person in comparison to others) Sound in itself is a very subjective thing, and sound is not even just about what you hear but how you feel when you hear it. I strongly believe, that there are aspects of audio, a person might not audibly hear, but you just feel different regardless since you dont just perceive acustics with your ears but with your entire body. And since how subjective sound is, it does not mean expensive is better or headphone x is better than z. Every headphone that is somewhat not completly ''crap'' is good enough to enjoy the music with. They are just different. Music sounds different. Right now i m testing alot of headphones in below 200bucks used market. Thats like HD600 and stuff like that price wise. I went throught like 5 or 6 in that price range now and i sold them just because i prefered the sound of my 20bucks HD681s. They might have higher resolution or a nicer soundstage or something, but thats no indicator about how i feel listening.
Last ones i tried some 150bucks beyers for example and it was like: ''yeah they sound cool'' and i listened to them for a couple days, and then changed back to my old ones and i felt ''at home'' i was happy to hear them again. I actually prefered them. The beyers had 7,5 times the cost, but i still felt better listening to those cheap cans.
The point is: In the end it doesnt matter how graphs look or what someone online says, but just what you think is enjoyable to listen to. And just because the thing you currently enjoy tends to be on the cheaper side, theres no problem with that. If someone enjoys something, why feel forced to upgrade just because its more expensive
Fully agree with you on this. IEMs are great. Sitting at school, an airport, or on a bus listening to awesome audio can be invaluable. Headphones are amazing for separation, detail, and positioning for their price. Speakers are awesome for literally feeling whatever media your taking in. Don’t have speakers yet due to the fact that I’ll be bouncing around where I’m living for the foreseeable future, but I’d love to get some.
Also bring back Music Mondays please. I have a recommendation, the soundtrack to Swiss Army Man. (Good movie. amazing, unique soundtrack)
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.
NIce.
"The TRUTH about audio cables" will be a tough one.
Cables upgrades are purely cosmetic and ergonomic, if I want huge profit margins I will sell cables.
that woo audio WA33 in the background is amazing. the elite version is my dream tube headamp.
We've definitely had this discussion a few times now.
I hugely disagree on the importance of files, but I may not be using the same definition. In my experience, the source is the absolute most important thing in the audio experience. If your file is a terrible recording and/or super-lossy compression, it's still going to sound like trash no matter how good your transcievers are.
If by "files" you're meaning Xkbps mp3 vs Ykbps mp3 vs FLAC, then I agree that's less important. I have to *really* focus doing back-to-back comparisons to tell the difference between a decent-rate mp3 and a FLAC/wav.
Agree totally! You should love the music and appreciate the gear, not the other way around. As an owner of 10 IEMs, 8 Headphones and three sets of high end speakers, each brings something different to exact same song. And, because I love the music, each different rendition of it is very interesting to me.
Great videos man. Absolutely loving them lately. Keep it up!!
So, which is better for value, Koss Kph30 or Ksc75? Thanks in advance. Great video BTW.
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.
My experience with hi end headphones has not been very good. Shure and Grado lasted me about five years and both not repairable. The Sony MDR-V6 headphones I bought back in the 70s still work, I did have to replace the ear covers and a wire broke on the right channel, but easily repaired. The Grados had very thin wires and the plastic ear cups were welded so you can't open them up for repair. The Shures were ear buds that I paid almost five hundred bucks for and the low end drivers failed, Shure does not repair them but will give you a slight discount on another pair. If your going to pay a grand or more for head phones get your HEARING TESTED FIRST !
In the first section of the video basically you’re talking about colourations - no headphone (or hifi) can achieve all colourations simultaneously. But high end audio is about the quest for fidelity, accuracy, lack of colouration. So the question becomes, since no gear is perfect, which colouration am I least concerned with.
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.
Absolutely there are no ‘all rounders‘ 0:46 Below 500 Dlls there are Great ‘non high end’ headphones/IEMs for the simple reason they weren‘t made to benefit or ‘need‘ an Amp, example my first Soundmagic HP, Koss, Grado (do benefit), there must be a starting point in this hobby! 4:37 I guess you consider High end gear only those who cover the full 20 to 20 Khz spectrum 6:44 Agree! This is the point of intangibles in price 8:04 Ouch! Finally, great thoughts about the chain order, I am a Dac guy but I’ve plug many times the rca or 3.5 jack directly from source and still find amazing results! Really LIKED your video and I suscribed!
hearing is perhaps an over-estimated attribute of the listening experience. What I think you mean by tangibility is the critical essence whereby the body receives sound(music) as a combined effect through hearing and touch and only speakers can deliver this entire spectrum for recorded music.
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....
Interesting video, Josh. I think most of your comments are on point. I will add that the biggest disadvantage of speakers is the room. Room interactions can really disrupt the quality of the sound at the listening position. Headphones and IEMs don't have that problem. However, headphones and IEMs are an unnatural way to listen to sound. Human hearing did not evolve with the idea of having point sources of sound either inside or just a few mm away from the ear firing sound waves directly down the ear canal. Because of this, in an all-else-being-equal scenario, headphones and IEMs are more fatiguing over long listening sessions. In general though, I completely agree with you that all three transducer models have unique advantages and provide different - not better or worse - listening experiences. Each experience can be preferable based on circumstance and type of music.
Using a microphone and eqwirzard will get you most of the way unless your room is beyond salvageable without physical room treatment. Once you eliminate 80% or more of your room, they beat headphones in all categories.