Recent comments in /f/headphones

[deleted] t1_j9kz2f8 wrote

Reply to Tube Amp users: how do they differ from Solid State? by GarlicBiscuits

Tube amps CAN produce audible distortion. This can sound good, or bad, depending on who you ask. Clean tube amps, which do not produce any audible distortion do also exist btw.

Tube amps CAN also boost the bass response of variable impedance headphones, by a couple of dB. This has NOTHING to do with them using tubes, but with them usually having high output impedance. A solid state amp with a high output impedance can achieve the same bass bost and so can parametric EQ.

In my opinion tube amps are nice to look at but ultimately pointless. Generating distortion has nothing to do with high fidelity, and tuning a headphone is better done via EQ.

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SchiitMjolnir2 t1_j9kz1r1 wrote

Reply to Tube Amp users: how do they differ from Solid State? by GarlicBiscuits

Some tube amps (regardless of whether they're OTL or OPT or hybrid) sound indistinguishable from solid state while some have coloration / different timbre (not necessarily tonality or FR in the mids but through harmonic distortion) and the area where the difference is observed the most is in the upper to mid-bass (due to output impedance)

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No-Context5479 t1_j9kykw2 wrote

Reply to comment by i_cant_take_a_joke_ in would an ipad 8 benefit from a dac for lossless streaming? by i_cant_take_a_joke_

u/i_cant_take_a_joke_, Uhm I'm not talking about iTunes... Apple has a streaming service subscription (and they have native Lossless which is true 1411kbps not whatever nonsense MQA is... Seems you're living under a massive rock

Here's a link to get the Apple Music app - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/apple-music/id1108187390

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blucsigma05 OP t1_j9kwund wrote

Reply to comment by Overall_Falcon_8526 in Favorite Headphone? by blucsigma05

I had to go listen to them again. Also, forgive me as I am terrible with terms and comparing lol. I got the Bathys first to upgrade my Bluetooth experience, but kept researching and went down the wired rabbit hole so once I went wired I don't use them much.

Listening to both, definitely prefer the Z1R to the Bathys. You can listen to the Bathys wired through a usb-c, I initially purchased with that as a plus, but now that I have other wired ones I would never listen to them that way, actually prefer how it sounds BT vs wired. The bathys aren't as comfortable with smaller ear cups(i have bigger ears my ears don't touch the cups but it does touch the actual speaker which is uncomfortable just a little irritating sometimes), and more clamp force, also the Soundstage is much smaller so compared to Z1R some songs sound a little busy if that makes sense just a lot of sounds overlapping. One of the best things I like about the Z1R is how warm and laid back it sounds, Bathys is bright and vocals can feel shouty on some songs just because of how forward the midrange is. Z1R also the sound just sounds fuller to me compared to the focals but that could be the "warmer" part. Bathys have good bass which i like but its a little more punchy vs the Z1R is more rumble which I prefer.

I still prefer my Clear over everything but Z1R are the best-closed back I have heard. Bathys I tried pretty much all the BT options and for me, I think it was the best, you could argue the ML 5909, it was better technically but it wasn't as enjoyable musically for me, felt more analytical to me than for casual listening.

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No-Context5479 t1_j9kvc91 wrote

Reply to would an ipad 8 benefit from a dac for lossless streaming? by i_cant_take_a_joke_

Why do you have an Apple device and want to use Tidal? How about you just use Apple's Lossless... Much better than the scam that is MQA by Tidal (MQA isn't lossless).

Also just connect the headphones to the iPad... It already supports Apples own lossless codec... You can get the Apple Dongle in USBC form of you want external Dongle system... No need to splurge u/i_cant_take_a_joke_

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Egoexpo t1_j9kuugi wrote

Reply to What makes good headphone sound good? by AdityaUbarhande

The diaphragm material, speaker size, speaker magnet, and speaker coil all contribute to the performance of a headphone's speaker.

It's difficult to say why a speaker has a specific design or uses a specific technology - audiophiles can only speculate.

Only an engineer or someone who studies the subject can make definitive statements, but explaining it also involves understanding the mathematics and physics of audio.

Acoustics also plays a part in the performance of the headphones and are related to the speakers.

Finally, the entire construction of a headphone is related to the acoustics of your ears, whether it's the acoustics of the outer part of your ears (pinna) or the acoustics of the inner part of your ears (auditory canal).

All of these factors are synthesized in what is called the headphone frequency response graph (the most useful information for us as consumers) and THD.

Regarding the analogy between headphone speakers and cars, it is not a perfect analogy. It is possible to make good headphones with speakers that can be considered inexpensive.

Regarding "speed" in headphones, mathematically speaking, the idea of speaker speed is not very interesting since the frequency response can be derived from an impulse response. So if the headphone can reproduce frequency X at Y dB with no distortion, that's what it does.

The idea of attack speed can only be understood as something derived from the auditory perception of the frequency response of the headphone in your ears. I recommend that you don't place too much importance on the term "speed or attack speed," as each audiophile may have a different interpretation of what it means. It's a language game.

If you want to know about some of these terms, I recommend this here.

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rhalf t1_j9krvqc wrote

Reply to What makes good headphone sound good? by AdityaUbarhande

A bit off topic, but there is a beautiful, free publication from Klippel about flaws in loudspeakers, called Loudspeaker Nonlinearities – Causes, Parameters, Symptoms . The measurement and analysis tech has gone a long way to have a lot of insight into inner workings of a driver. It is DEEP. The same tools are used to analyse headphone drivers and microspeakers so I guess it's not entirely irrelevant.

The best drivers are optimised with software and a ton of simulation of the magnetic circuit and the airflow around it. The experimental research is carried with simple and complex signals. Not as complex as the ones from Jerobeam Fenderson, but still it's more than what you see on ASR.

They dissect distortion into many parts : HID, IHD, IMD, AMD and some more. They scan the entire diaphragm with a laser and then split the recorded movement into discrete components so that you can see if your diaphragm is making sound or just rocking.

Generally the task of a headphone driver is to turn voltage into pressure just like a compressor in your fridge, except it needs to happen on time. When voltage changes by one unit, the pressure must change proportionally and under varying conditions. Some drivers do it well, some don't. The 70 page paper I mentioned describes the issues that transducers face. A lot of it comes down to quality control. The symmetry of the assembled driver is not always the same. This last thing will become less of a problem with MEMS microspeakers, but with a driver assembled by hand there are always rejects that end up on Aliexpress. You can buy a driver and see what's inside. You'll see that there are many different drivers, made with different materials, vents, rings, magnets. Their coils have various diameters and lengths. You'll also see their prices.
If you go on ASR, you'll see that they also measure differently.

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Egoexpo t1_j9kqab6 wrote

Reply to TOTL IEM vs headphones sound quality? by thor_Alf

>Is it only the sound stage or are the other differences?

The difference is the sensation of the sound around your ears (especially the bass). You may think that this is a minor thing, but it's not. Yes, this affect soundstage sensation.

The only other difference lies in the frequency response of the two devices. In-ear monitors (IEMs) have better isolation and do not interact with the outer ear, allowing them to deliver a good volume with "less effort". This makes it much easier to create IEMs with excellent sound quality and considerably low harmonic distortion, allowing for easy equalization.

Some IEMs with multiple BAs have slightly higher harmonic distortion. This type of driver is mostly used in high-end IEMs, while headphones (IEMs) with dynamic drivers have considerably lower harmonic distortion, reaching values as low as ≤0.1%.

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CharcoalGreyWolf t1_j9kpjxt wrote

Reply to Ever buy a pair just for how they looked? How do they sound? by Paranomaly

I didn't buy the make/model for that, but there was a special edition of the UltimateEars Head.Fi 3 buds that came in red only (I think only Radio Shack sold them, exclusive deal) and the metallic satin red was just so much prettier looking that I found a new-in-box pair after they were no longer available from vendor.

Sadly, UltimateEars was bought by Logitech; I don't know what happened after that. They're still around, but I think they've been eclipsed by others. Apparently they were one of the first to do custom-mold monitor buds, for people like Eddie Van Halen to use on stage.

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