Audio Equipment Thread (Headphones/Microphones/Speakers, etc.) • Page 8

Open back, closed back? Budget? Sennheisers are a safe bet. I had the HD599 I bought for prime day that were $100ish off and I liked them as an open back. Koss porta pros seem to be highly regarded on ear no frills headphones. The audio Technica mentioned above do sound good but I found them uncomfortable. Not a lot of room inside for your ears and the clamping can be fatiguing after a while.

 

Prefer to stay less than $100, so those Sony's are looking decent, and I need to check out Sennheiser more. Open back probably wouldn't be good in an office setting since I don't want to disturb everyone else. I've just been using the free pair of airpods from like 6 years ago but they finally gave out so I need something new and figured I'd get something a little better.

 

Got myself a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 700 Pro X (closed back) to replace my Master & Dynamic MH-40s which were great but the right ear driver shit the bed on me. The 700 Pro X cost me a bit more than half what I spent on my MH-40s but after a couple weeks of use I find them to be just as good or better in some cases depending on the genre I'm listening to. Velour ear pads are comfy as fuck and they feel very spacious on my ears. Wearing them most of the day at work, I'm not feelinga ton of fatigue, not that I'm blasting music at high volumes all day. Doesnt feel like a headphone that requires any amps to beef it up or anything either which is nice, but I'm sure they'd sound even better connected to a good amp. Another positive is that nearly every part is replaceable so the regular wear and tear is easy to deal with. 10/10 would recommend these at the price point of like $260.

 

Music is one of my favorite hobbies, too! I'm more of a fan of wireless earbuds when it comes to headphones. I recently got some Apple Airpods and I'm loving them so far. They're so lightweight and convenient for carrying around. My listening area is usually the living room while I'm relaxing on the couch. What kind of music do you prefer?

 

I treated myself to a massive upgrade last week. I've been using a Cambridge Audio Azur amp and Topaz CD player since about 2010 and decided to really step it up for (hopefully) the next 10 years. Got myself a Marantz 40n and the matching CD60. It's really taking some getting used to, as it's really showing how flat everything sounded before. It sounds like there's some eq on certain things which aren't suiting the room or speakers or something, but I also think it might be a case of getting used to a significantly better sound reproduction than I've been used to.

I think I now have a system where the amp is massively better than the speakers and maybe the turntable as well. Speakers will need to be next I think, but god knows when I'll be able to afford that.

 

What speakers and record player do you currently have?

 

Monitor Audio Bronze speakers (some bookshelf type, unsure of exact model) and a Pro-Ject Debug Carbon.

Also, nice DP. :D

 

So...I feel incredibly stupid. I have had a very nice pair of headphones (Oppo PM-3) for nearly seven years now, and while I've always liked them, I always felt they were kind of missing something; I knew they had a reputation for being incredibly neutral, but I somehow apparently never cared enough to learn about EQs, and uhhh, big mistake!

(All of that said, I'm thinking it's nearly time for an upgrade...)

 

So I did end up going, like, all in on new headphones. I had been saving money & considering a massive speaker upgrade for a while, but I realized that I really do get fewer chances these days to listen to music as loudly as I want to, and when I do, I still have to consider the upstairs neighbors, so I used that as justification to buy new headphones instead. Running the Meze 109 Pros with an iFi Zen DAC v2, and it's truly the best way I've ever listened to music. I definitely feel a lot of shame about investing so heavily on headphones, but dang, I never want to take these things off. As I mentioned above, I had been using Oppo PM-3s for the better part of a decade, and while they got a little more exciting when I finally learned that EQ is a Thing, I always found them pretty uncomfortable and a bit flat (which I guess is why they're so highly regarded - they're neutral/accurate, not musical). So far, I find the 109 Pros literally thrilling, and nearly every track I've thrown at them has blown me away.

 

If I actually had time to sit and stay near the hifi when I'm listening to things, I'd definitely go the headphone route rather than buying better speakers. I went to a hifi show in February and the standout thing I had demoed all day was a NAIM Uniti Atom, paired with a pair of Focal headphones. I heard other impressive things that day and have mostly forgotten what they were, but I couldn't believe how good that combo was. It felt a bit like using a cinema to listen to music.

 

Well, I’m not not obsessed with my setup.

 

Looking to upgrade from my Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones. Any recommendations for a music enthusiast that's nowhere close to an audiophile?

 

What do you not like about these? I have them and love them. You’ll have to go wired with amps to get better sound than these.

 

Good to know. Honestly nothing wrong with them, just want to give myself a present I guess and I thought there's gotta be something better, for home use mostly so I guess wired is acceptable.

The Airpods Pro Max look nice and shiny and in my mind they sounds crisp and the lows sounds thick, but you make a good point that that's what the WH-1000XM4s already sound like.

 

Have you done research on tweaking the EQ in the app? There’s a lot of people with their presets on Reddit that are trying to get close to a truly flat response, and they do a fairly good job of it. I get just wanting to treat yourself though.

 

Haven't tried tweaking the EQ yet. Thanks so much!

 

Found this from headphones.com. Try it out! Should clear up highs and mids a lot, and bass won’t be as boomy as headphones normally come out of the box.

 

Mine is very similar. My 1k and 2.5k are set ~1 step lower, each. I love these headphones.

 

I actually realized I’ve been using a little wild setting. Not sure when I did that/what my reasoning was, haha. Def a little more user friendly. A little brighter highs and more bass. Going back to that other setting, that I did have saved thankfully.

 

The slight bass reduction is the biggest improvement, imo. Lowering the tinny sounds is usually helpful too. Miles may vary. The base sound isn't too bad and it's great that users can get this granular to fit their listening habits.

 

What’s the better sounding wireless headphones option, AirPods Max or the WH-1000XM5’s? I am a heavy Apple user but not really sold on the APM’s. For wireless, I’ve owned Sennheiser and Sony’s in the past. I’ve read about a dozen reviews and perused “best” lists and I’d love a normal users opinion on this. If you like another wireless headset, happy to hear about those as well. Thanks.

 

I trust Sony to make good sounding headphones better than I trust Apple. I trust Apple to integrate their products really well together. I would go with whichever feature is more important to you. Side note: I can’t speak to the XM5s, but I would buy my XM4s all over again if they broke.

 

The Christmas I planned on getting some XM4s, my dad bought me some XM3s at my fiances recommendation. They're totally great and I use them a lot but man, I'm always left wondering "what if?" Haha

I will say the noise cancelling kinda turned to shit after a year or so

 

So I've been using Qobuz on my desktop setup with KEF Q150s along with a Kanto Sub8 I just got, and it sounds really great. I am also getting a WiiM amp to replace my SMSL SA300 amp. It's making me thing about going down the headphone rabbit hole to try and achieve similar quality but in headphones. Gonna read through this thread and see what y'all are using, haha. Yes I did just get my tax return/work bonus for the year

 

For being exclusively tied to my desk (AirPods Max or Pro's elsewhere), I have the old faithful Sennheiser HD600 running into a Fiio K7 amp. Sounds beautifully open.