The headphones thread! [Sorry about your wallet]

Forums › Home Theatre (incl HTPC) › The headphones thread! [Sorry about your wallet]

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Reply # 714771 9-Nov-2012 15:46

timmmay: My girlfriend didn't seem to care about the difference in sound quality between a pair of $30 headphones and the HD650s. I don't know if she couldn't hear a difference or just didn't care. Since she doesn't seem to have any hearing problems I suspect the latter.

I'd say the latter too, I think my wife would definitely fall into that category. When she figured I was serious about my upgrade, she did make a genuine effort to hear, but day to day, so long as she can hear the music, that's good enough for her.

I on the other hand, have a much greater interest in music, I love the feeling from being blown away by the quality of the reproduction etc.

timmmay

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Reply # 714772 9-Nov-2012 15:47

In my experience women tend to listen to words, guys tend to listen to the music. It's not a hard rule, but it's what I've found.

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networkn

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Reply # 714776 9-Nov-2012 15:49

I personally like both

geekiegeek

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Reply # 714780 9-Nov-2012 15:54

networkn:
timmmay: Pretty sure your amp is mostly a status symbol, they probably all sound virtually identical.

You might be right, though even with my HD555's I noticed a MASSIVE (Relatively) difference between listening to the 555's connected to the 6.25" Output of my sound card, vs the 3.5" on my Logitech 5.1 Speaker System (Top of the range), which was connected via Toslink, and the Yamaha Home Theatre (Also top of the range). The STX was just what I would consider .. significant.

It was enough my wife noticed, which is saying something (No disrespect to her intended but she has little interest)

Personally I don't think the difference in sound is so much to do with the amp, I suspect it more to do with the DAC in use. If you can use the same DAC and try different amps I don't think you will notice much difference at all.

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networkn

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Reply # 714781 9-Nov-2012 15:56

geekiegeek:
networkn:
timmmay: Pretty sure your amp is mostly a status symbol, they probably all sound virtually identical.

You might be right, though even with my HD555's I noticed a MASSIVE (Relatively) difference between listening to the 555's connected to the 6.25" Output of my sound card, vs the 3.5" on my Logitech 5.1 Speaker System (Top of the range), which was connected via Toslink, and the Yamaha Home Theatre (Also top of the range). The STX was just what I would consider .. significant.

It was enough my wife noticed, which is saying something (No disrespect to her intended but she has little interest)

Personally I don't think the difference in sound is so much to do with the amp, I suspect it more to do with the DAC in use. If you can use the same DAC and try different amps I don't think you will notice much difference at all.

I'll be keen to try and see what happens when I test for that.

timmmay

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Reply # 714786 9-Nov-2012 16:03

I used two different dacs with two different amps, the sound was identical. I wanted to convince myself I could hear a difference, but I just couldn't. Both were pretty good quality though.

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NZtechfreak

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Reply # 714801 9-Nov-2012 16:36

I think the main difference one is likely to appreciate with an amp depends on what headphones you're using with them. For example the notoriously difficult to drive HE-6 will sound dramatically different between an amp that can Vs an amp that cannot drive them properly. Similarly very sensitive IEMs may expose hiss in some amps, whereas a better quality amp will have a black background.

Tube Vs solid state will also make some difference. I don't think all tube amps are rich/euphonic and lacking in detail, and all SS amps are neutral, lifeless and detailed, as the stereotypes would have you believe, there is a spectrum on both sides of the fence there, but I have usually noticed a difference in how each presents sound somewhat along those lines (I happen to like good examples of both).

Tend to agree with Timmay that once you reach a certain quality of amp the diminishing returns factor is fairly vicious, even more than it is with headphones (that said I haven't personally listened to any amp worth more than $1000).

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networkn

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Reply # 714808 9-Nov-2012 16:47

Yah I would love to try the NZ Perreaux amp's but they are just so fecking expensive it's hard to justify. There is one on TM right now, but he wants $500 second hand, which probably isn't a bad deal ($995 new), but without testing nigh impossible to get reviews for.

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Reply # 714953 9-Nov-2012 21:47

The Perreaux's are actually stocked at some HNorman's around the place. Not all... but I have seen a fairly full Silhouette ensemble (minus the DAC and CD player) running in a store. Quite cool to run with NZ made!

networkn

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Reply # 715528 11-Nov-2012 20:27

I had my RS170's upstairs (Wireless Sens in case you don't know). I brought it down and plugged it into my PC. Having it plugged directly into the headphone jack of my STX made them really great. Much better than I had realized before. Not 6xx series good, but easily entry to mid level 5xx series and WIRELESS (Range fairly average). They start getting distorted fairly easily for some reason in vocals only, instruments sound excellent and well reproduced, but for quiet or moderate volumes, damn impressive. Also I am starting to understand the meaning of the soundstage and I think these have really excellent soundstage.

NZtechfreak

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Reply # 715562 11-Nov-2012 21:05

networkn: I had my RS170's upstairs (Wireless Sens in case you don't know). I brought it down and plugged it into my PC. Having it plugged directly into the headphone jack of my STX made them really great. Much better than I had realized before. Not 6xx series good, but easily entry to mid level 5xx series and WIRELESS (Range fairly average). They start getting distorted fairly easily for some reason in vocals only, instruments sound excellent and well reproduced, but for quiet or moderate volumes, damn impressive. Also I am starting to understand the meaning of the soundstage and I think these have really excellent soundstage.

Heh, when you come over to try out my amps and things with your headphones and have a listen to the GS1000i and HE-6, then you'll really understand soundstage!

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timmmay

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Reply # 715563 11-Nov-2012 21:09

I don't understand soundstage... I'm taking it out of the review options for the new version of my website.

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networkn

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Reply # 715570 11-Nov-2012 21:30

Well they have shown up in auckland and are showing a status of :

Received and awaiting clearance for delivery

I am hoping that isn't "waiting for Andre to pay the taxes and import fees"

at 275 AUD including freight it shouldn't have breached the $60 collectible limit?

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Reply # 715571 11-Nov-2012 21:34

networkn: Well they have shown up in auckland and are showing a status of :

Received and awaiting clearance for delivery

I am hoping that isn't "waiting for Andre to pay the taxes and import fees"

at 275 AUD including freight it shouldn't have breached the $60 collectible limit?

no.

PS they are randomly hauled up for tax assessment so looks like you might be the one hauled up by the wording of it? (or perhaps they write that for every package)

NZtechfreak

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Reply # 715576 11-Nov-2012 21:35

timmmay: I don't understand soundstage... I'm taking it out of the review options for the new version of my website.

Really? I can understand you might remove it from the site, depending on who your intended audience is, but whats not to understand about soundstage?

@Networkn: Before shipping that comes to around $350NZD, so depending on shipping that may attract GST charges. My advice is to phone them up, without some badgering customs are quite slow.

Last two times I've had to pay customs on things I've brought in that went via customs, rather than a broker (Fedex/DHL), I received the letter saying I had duties to pay 1-2 days after I already had the item. I phoned up a couple of times and paid the duties as quickly as possible and then arranged to collect the goods myself from them at the airport (since I live only a few minutes away).

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