Headphone random conversation

[Colif]

I have 5.1 speakers but I can't use them and play a game and also have my door open. That is not a problem for half of the year but in summer the heat is too high for me to do that.
A smart person suggested headphones to block out fan noise but they also solve this problem as well.
Can play and leave door open at same time

I will probably pick up some Audeze Maxwell's next year.

Funny how every review for any gaming product only seems to think gamers play shooting games. Some of us don't you know. It gets repetitive.

 

[Brian Boru]

Do you already know what works for you—ie what you can wear comfortably for long periods?

I went thru a lot of headsets, incl expensive $150-200 ones, because none recommended in videos and reviews were comfy on my sissy ears or else blocked too much external noise—gotta answer phone, door, oven, SO…

I ended up with cheap $35 simple stereo ones being the ideal for me. Of course, won't do for an audiophile, if that's your inclination, but work fine with directional cues in games.

 

[Colif]

Do you already know what works for you—ie what you can wear comfortably for long periods?

Only had two headsets/over ear headphones I would call any good. Rest don't even stand out in memory.
Have a pair of Steelseries ones somewhere from 10 years ago, and a pair of PXC550 - https://assets.sennheiser.com/global-downloads/file/6983/PXC550_IM_A02_EN.pdf

Up until last 5 years I mostly used In Ear ones. I don't want wireless ones of those as the chances of losing one earbud making the other one pointless is too great in my eyes. That and they don't sound as good.

Only looking at wireless.

or else blocked too much external noise—gotta answer phone, door, oven, SO…

one I looked had a work around for this, and augmented mode where it feeds outside noise into headset. https://www.beyerdynamic.com.au/collections/headphones-headsets-gaming/products/mmx200-black

the Steelseries ones I looked at have ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) but its not very strong. Its also more expensive here than the Audeze.

Audeze has awareness mode so you can hear surroundings.

I have had cheap headphones most of my life so I just wanted some good ones. The Audeze are good for music and gaming. Weakness is microphone but not like I will be talking to anyone. These are cheap headphones from this company as I can find some costing 5k here from them... I don't have a stereo worthy of them.

Sony liked them so much they bought the company

 

[JarlBSoD]

If you are not going to use the MIC, i would sugest you allso take a look at normal headphones, more so if you have a DAC.

 

[Colif]

I remember buying my Steelseries Diablo 2 headset and logging into a PS3 game I was playing to hear all the voices and realise they all kids and I am better off not talking lol. Think I used it on one occasion in game talking to another member of my clan. That game was busted, you would constantly get split from people in your party if one person drove into another server - Test Drive Unlimited 2. Was still a fun game even if I didn't play it how it was expected to be played

I might use a microphone, I can't foresee the future. I don't have a DAC either.

looking at non gaming headphones just makes it harder, not easier. Too much choice, where do you start?

 

[Colif]

I might need to replace my PXC550 soon anyway as I was using them today and they made some really odd noises. I might need to charge them but PC is reporting they at 80% battery but phone sees 60%... who do I trust? charge bar on headphones show 80%

Might have been cause I was sweating and they lack any water resistance... but they did sound a bit strange tonight. They seem to lack bass now. Travel headphones that don't like sweating... so you meant to just wear these on buses? No walking allowed...

Since I have a new phone, I had to reinstall all the Sennheiser software again... but I didn't use it for anything apart from setting up ANC. It has been sensitive before. they don't like rough bumps on buses which is funny for travel headphones.

So I don't know what to do now. looking at ANC headphones now... I can't really wear the Audeze on a bus... might get some of these: https://www.soundguys.com/bose-quietcomfort-ultra-headphones-review-103901/ and use them for everything. Think I need to talk to @anort3

I had 77000 points with the phone company I use, and spent 72k on these - https://www.sennheiser-hearing.com/en-AU/p/sport-true-wireless/ - I only found out later they don't have ANC but I think I wear those for walks from now on...as they are IP54 rated.

I had jokingly said I would buy a pair of Focal Bathys and Anort said that was a good idea

So probably get those for gaming headphones... and any other use I can find for them.

 

[JarlBSoD]

I remember buying my Steelseries Diablo 2 headset and logging into a PS3 game I was playing to hear all the voices and realise they all kids and I am better off not talking lol. Think I used it on one occasion in game talking to another member of my clan. That game was busted, you would constantly get split from people in your party if one person drove into another server - Test Drive Unlimited 2. Was still a fun game even if I didn't play it how it was expected to be played

I might use a microphone, I can't foresee the future. I don't have a DAC either.

looking at non gaming headphones just makes it harder, not easier. Too much choice, where do you start?

Well, you might remember i was on a similar hunt not long ago https://forums.pcgamer.com/threads/audiophile-headphones-for-gaming-and-music.142342/ Not sugesting you run out and buy any of the sugestions there but if you are aleast interested it's a start

 

[Colif]

I won't be doing anything about it until after Xmas as its not ideal time of year to buy anything online. It wouldn't get shipped right away anyway. Need to pay some other things off before I buy these really.

I think I would need a dac or something to run some of the choices offered to you. Not something I was leaning towards. An extra thing I would have to research to figure out best choice... or just ask Anort (I can talk to him direct in Discord)

The Focals are on sale but I can't tell when the sale ends. The website doesn't say. It might go back to normal price next month and my wait to get them will be extended as they have a big discount on them now.

 

[Colif]

its always great when a pair of $160 headphones with no Active Noise Cancellation are almost as quiet as your $500 Travel Headphones that do have it... in theory. They did, five years ago but turning it on and off, I can't tell anything difference. Could be they are worn out or just old... the model is from 2016. Technology moves on... its time I do too.

Admittedly its hard to hear anything when you have 2 slabs of plastic in your ears

Sennheiser Sport True Wireless review

In our review of the Sennheiser Sport True Wireless earbuds, we take a deep dive to see if these are the best workout earbuds around.

www.soundguys.com

Got these for free... sort of. The Telco I use for phone rental pays 10 points to me for every $1 I spend with them. So after ignoring it completely until Tuesday, I had 79000 points to spend... so I bought those headphones for 72k points. Now to go back to ignoring it for a few years. Never bothered looking before.

They sound pretty good.

So I use these for travel and save up to buy a really nice pair for home use only. Focals have a dac built in that lets you plug headphones into anything and get better sound.

 

[Colif]

I tried them both on the bus today and I think the ANC ones block a little more than the in ears, but I can still hear more than I would like to with the ANC ones. Might get some anc earbuds sometime.

As for better ones just for home use, its basically down to two choices

Maxwell Wireless Gaming Headset

80hr+ Battery Life with Fast Charge for All Day Play in 20 min Ultra-Low Latency Wireless with 3X Range of Traditional 2.4Ghz First-in-Class Bluetooth 5.3 supports LE Audio, LC3plus, LDAC Class-Leading High-Resolution Audio up to 24-bit/96kHz Embedded Dolby Atmos® License (Xbox version only)...

www.audeze.com

or

Bathys - Hi-fi bluetooth active noise cancelling headphones | Focal

Bathys, Hi-fi bluetooth active noise cancelling headphones : enjoy your favorite music wherever you are with Focal headphones. They combine modern, elegant design with high-intensity sound.

www.focal.com

And the deciding factor might be price. I need to wait until next year, the Bathys currently on special but no indication when that ends. Maxwells cost $600 with no discount whereas there is a discount of just that amount currently on the Focals that are on $800 (normal price $1400). So if Bathys special goes away before I can buy them, I just get the Maxwell.

Yeah I wanted to do more comparisons in the video, but the runtime was already getting up there as there was so much else to cover. For that comparison, I’d say the Maxwell is way better than everything except Bathys - in which case it’s more just… different, with different strengths.

I will say… I do think the Maxwell has a more straightforwardly great tuning than the Bathys, but the Bathys has better dynamics/contrast. But as far as which is better… I’ve personally been struggling with that question as well. I think I’d gravitate to the Bathys still since it is lighter and more comfortable, the ANC is useful and I don’t ever have a use case for the mic. But that’s just me. There’s so much tech packed into the Maxwell that it also makes a good case for itself as a recommendation.

thats a comment from guy who made the video in top post.

 

[JarlBSoD]

ANC is never going to be able to block out all sound, just keep that in mind.

 

[Colif]

I might pick up the Bathys on Monday, or should I say, order them then. The site doesn't say if they have them or not. Nor does it show when the sale ends... so I wonder if they are using FOMO to make me buy them now just in case the $550 discount stops next month. Though if they were, you would think there would be a timer. Or show an end date. I just noticed I could have emailed them but its 7.40pm Friday night... a bit too late. Might ask on Monday.

So far I have yet to watch a review of them where they say something else is better. The Audeze are equal but not better.

Only real place I need ANC is on buses. Even though the Focal's have it, its not reason I picked them. They win on sound.

Once I have the Focal's I will think about what I wear on buses. Its not like i do that every day. I have been using headphones since the 80's but mostly just cheap pairs. Stand outs being a pair that came with a Sony walkman that I have somewhere.

its not very big, S10 for scale

I think it has 16gb of storage
it was a step down from my previous MP3 player that had a 40gb hdd - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRiver_H100_series - I can't remember what its headphones were like.

Guess once I have good headphones, the next step is better sound... I can't afford what Iriver make now. They changed their name to Astal & Kern and well, cheapest High Res Audio player I can buy off them is $1200

One thing at a time.

 

[anort3]

Posting this here as well for anyone else: Focal sets prices worldwide I do believe. So any sales are really sales. Older models get price drops when they get discontinued which is how I got my Clear for $990 instead of the full $1499. But if they're on sale I do believe it's a real sale and it will go away.

If you've got the money and want wireless and won't be using a mic for gaming these are probably the best headphones you can buy right now. Audeze makes some technically amazing headphones but they can't tune them. Every Audeze headphone I know of requires their software plug in which is just a fancy parametric EQ, to not sound wonky.

 

[Colif]

Focal Bathys ordered.
Expect take a day for payment clearance so hope to get them this week. Paid extra for fast delivery as I don't need $800 headphones travelling slow. I want to know where they are. They haven't gone anywhere yet as its 12.30am lol. I have to wait for them to open... I don't think they use the normal freight company either... it cost more.

I don't even know if they have them. Store doesn't make it obvious, says to ask local store... there isn't one here. Has email button to ask shop but the resulting email doesn't include their email address.... I could have rung them but its just as easy to order and see what happens. If I have to wait, at least I got the $550 discount.

If you've got the money and want wireless and won't be using a mic for gaming these are probably the best headphones you can buy right now. Audeze makes some technically amazing headphones but they can't tune them. Every Audeze headphone I know of requires their software plug in which is just a fancy parametric EQ, to not sound wonky.

From what I saw on videos it seems the Maxwell tuning is better than some of their more expensive headphones. Unlike Anort I won't be buying more... I hope one pair is good enough.

The Maxwells aren't on special so their price is a lot more achievable normally. The way you adjust the headband seems prone to breaking from where I sit. Having to pull the strap over a screw to raise/lower the lower area of headband just seems crude. Can buy replacement headbands but still.

They weigh almost 500g and people are known to replace the pads on ears with others that don't heat up as much in game but add more weight... their weight was something to take into account.

Bathys weigh a lot less than the Maxwells but don't feel like they made out of plastic like the Sony ANC headphones. I don't see point in headphones that block sound really well but sound like crap. If you want to be deaf, I guess... but I buy headphones to listen to music, not just block out sound.

I have to work out how dac mode works. Wonder what it shows as in windows. It uses USB2. I think I read it helps to be on its own USB controller. I may be mistaken about that. Watched too many videos. The FAQ for headphones doesn't tell me a lot.

Its funny when its greatest weakness is blue tooth, and its a problem all BT headphones share... BT can't do high bitrate audio. And it can overcome that just by using USB DAC mode. I probably use them plugged in the most as its also where they have longest battery life - 42 hours. I won't be listening for that long straight so just need to think to charge it some days. Leave it charging overnight on PC. Its what I do with keyboard.

One reviewer missed an important detail, he said they were made out of plastic and cloth... he missed the Magnesium frame. review felt slanted towards making the Apple headphones he was comparing them against to be way better. I went back and watched end and even he was saying buy the Bathys by the end. People in comments corrected materials, its mostly Aluminum and Magnesium

90% of reviews I watched showed it was not even close. Especially in sound quality.

 

[Colif]

Think I need to get a longer USB C cable than what comes in Headphones. Four foot might not reach my PC, easily reach phone. For a few weeks I will run dac mode off phone using an App on android that recognises the DAC in the headphones and runs music off it instead of the phone. I will attach headphones to PC via BT until I get a longer cable. Easier than trying to get PC closer to me

I might get one of these when I have money next year - Startech 4 Metre USB C cable

Or you know I could go nuts - Need to borrow the Future credit card -- https://addictedtoaudio.com.au/coll...s/crystal-cable-art-series-van-gogh-usb-cable

Headphones be here tomorrow... Xmas comes early... though I did pay for it.

So many days spent waiting for freight. This is last thing I am getting this year... honest... I can't think of anything else now.

Guess I should copy more music onto my phone.

 

[D10S]

I personally prefer music-oriented, open headphones for gaming, but I play single players.
Something light (have to be wired and open) that won't also get too warm if playing for hours. I prefer a wide stage for game ambient and sountrack instead of heavy bass and spatial positioning.
I'm using K612Pro w. E10K DAC and couldn't be happier.

 

[anort3]

I personally prefer music-oriented, open headphones for gaming, but I play single players.
Something light (have to be wired and open) that won't also get too warm if playing for hours. I prefer a wide stage for game ambient and sountrack instead of heavy bass and spatial positioning.
I'm using K612Pro w. E10K DAC and couldn't be happier.

That's a great choice. I used K712 Pros for years as my main gaming headphone. HD598s before that.

 

[Colif]

These include a dac so no need to have an extra part. I have worn them all afternoon and I don't feel any heat, ear cups big enough to be airy. It took about 6 hours before I needed to have a break.

They showed up at the same time as thunderstorms and they needed a charge before they would pair with my phone but I tried for a while before I realised. 15 minutes was long enough for 5 hours life.

They sound good to me. Go way louder than I need.
easy to pick instruments out from each other... or can be, depends on music.

bling

 

[D10S]

gotta say they look cooler in your pics than in the video.

 

[anort3]

Unboxing a Focal is always nice.

https://imgur.com/TnGjIjh

View: https://i.imgur.com/TnGjIjh.jpg


2 years later and they need new pads.....again.

https://imgur.com/MBjW8Rd

View: https://i.imgur.com/MBjW8Rd.jpg

https://imgur.com/JSiAXsb

View: https://i.imgur.com/JSiAXsb.jpg


I've had the Clear almost 2 years to the day. Bought them in December 21.

 

[Colif]

The App software for headphones can run a hearing test and adjust the headphones for frequencies you can't hear as well. It doesn't completely try to fix the difference but it accounts for it. This is included - https://mimi.health/hearing-test and then it uses profile to allow adjustments. The adjustments are on a sliding scale so can have more or less help.

I came back from using DAC mode to find normal was too muddy so its all back to basics now - Need to learn what they sound like without extras. Base sound is by no means bad. I had to turn a few things off. Dolby on my phone changes the sound, so its off. I had added an eq in the phone app when I first got them, its off now. One of the audio players also added its own.

They have a burn in period of 40 to 70 hours, but you can just use them in that time, they might just relax more after that. They sound okay to me, but I been using Sony & cheaper Sennheiser headphones all my life. I do notice differences here and there, its way clearer. Easier to pick out individual instruments... or can be, it really depends on the mix. Going through all my Pink Floyd... okay, I have 43 hours of it, maybe not. And there are lots of repeats.

 

[Brian Boru]

The App software … can run a hearing test and adjust the headphones for frequencies you can't hear as well

Oh! The dog's been looking for a headset—he watches cat videos all the time—would you recommend your set for him?

If it matters, he's an Irish Sitter.

 

[Colif]

I may not be able to tell difference between high res audio and normal. I have learned a few things about audio formats and unless I get some FLAC files I may not tell a difference. One format - MQA - was supposed to be lossless but evidence points towards them being no better than FLAC which is free, and often no better than MP3.

It was an attempt to create profit selling people music that isn't that much better than mp3. Corporations got involved as they smelled profit. Just as they sell High spec USB cables to people that don't know it doesn't make any difference on a digital system.

So hi res isn't worth it and as you age you lose the ability to hear as much as younger people can. It starts at 35 and gets worse as you age. This means my 320kb/s recordings are too big as file size = how much dynamic range a file has, and I can only hear so much now. Not going to shrink my files now. Not going below a certain size even if I can't hear it.

So I can't hear anything at a high lvl but headphones have made everything clearer, so not a waste of money. I haven't spent a day listening to my music in.... years. Music was just sort of there.

The DAC plays uncompressed audio, that is why it sounds better. It doesn't need to use Bluetooth.

 

[Brian Boru]

I haven't spent a day listening to my music in.... years. Music was just sort of there.

I hear that!

Uh, let me rephrase: yeah, same here

 

[Colif]

For the most part in the last few years I have used Youtube to listen to music. Most of the bands I listen to are getting to stage in their careers they want to retire now... so not many new albums to buy and with most streaming services just wanting to do singles now, it gets hard to figure out where to buy albums from. I need to figure something out soon as the only PC we have that has a CD drive is about 8 years old and starting to act up.

My music library is mostly a relic. There are some new things in there but most of its 10+ years old at least. Lots of its way older... i look at some and ask myself, why do I have that? Its only now I have good headphones I notice its so... lacking. Needs more Dire Straits for starters.

I used to buy a new album every week, now its one a year if I am lucky. Shame I bought so much on cassette. Those all gone now. Guess I should try to recreate my previous collection... so many gaps.
It got to stage I am buying collectors editions they are so rare.