Headphone random conversation

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Okay, so far most of the ones I have are in my head. No real forward depth, plenty of wideness in the S12 linked above and HD600, it doesn't seem to help the Dunu Vulkans as much. That is played through the Aune in Mode 2. It sure added to effect in the two pairs it worked on.

It seems nano should be holographic though... so I may find out in a few months.
 
The 2020 revision Ananda is. Not as good as the Arya but there's a $1000 price difference for a reason.
As you know I am still working out what I like, the Nano already cost $900 here whereas the Organic are $2000. Susvara are only $7500 and we don't have the newer versions of it yet.

Might have to pick up a pair of Maxwell if I can't get game sounds through the amp. Considering everything I am looking at is more than their price, could get them first. Amazing, I could buy the things I started this thread to buy... but after the Nano's

Nevermind that, worked it out now. So if I use the Aune with Tidal I have to set it to exclusive mode to get FLAC to play. But I assumed that setting only applied when Tidal was open.
But if I Turned my Amp on anytime and swapped windows default sound out to Aune, the volume would be muted and I couldn't work it out. That explains why no sound in Youtube.

Just then I thought, I wonder what happens if I disable exclusive mode in Tidal and then run a Youtube video... it worked. I haven't tried a game yet but I am no longer muted so I assume it is working normal now. Its just annoying I have to change setting every time I use Tidal app.

I was about to ask a question on Tom's, glad I worked it out myself.. I often do.

Might buy some cheap IEM at some stage. I haven't looked for a while. And all the ones I have saved links for aren't cheap. Maybe I shouldn't look now as what happened last time is it took me so long to save the money after deciding what Amp I wanted that by time I had it, I wasn't really excited anymore.
 
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have you tried tip rolling (in other words, tried different tips) as that can improve experience. Naturally it helps to have spares and most reviewers assume everyone has an entire box full of them. I might pick up a few packs of some types next year.
Or just get them with another set of IEM. Not really finished buying them, just other things get in the way. All the ones I am interested in aren't cheap. That is the problem.

10 years of Heavy Metal concerts from 1987 to 1997 probably didn't help my hearing either :)
Trying to be deaf before you leave concert was part of the adventure. Muffled noises for a few hours after was normal.

I have been using these last 2 days
as they need more power than my DAP could give but seem happy on my Aune. They were too quiet before... now I need to be careful.
Only thing I don't like about them is their cable is too short. Not buying a new cable for them as they not expensive enough to make it worth it. But I don't have much room to move around with them on.


I think Crisp is like Snappy. Its got a clean break to the sound. I am just guessing
Word has many meanings:


Hardly call Crisps a delicacy, its their name for potato chips.

Being Australian, I can translate UK to USA as I been doing it all my life. Then we throw our own words in to confuse everyone
The Hexas came with a coupple of different sizes etc, i get the nerve vibration in my ear no matter what i use, i can try realign the earpiece a bit to avoid it and it works better when i sit than lying down. I am happy with them so far, they have made my games more immersive.
 
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Just then I thought, I wonder what happens if I disable exclusive mode in Tidal and then run a Youtube video... it worked. I haven't tried a game yet but I am no longer muted so I assume it is work

Tidal updated their desktop App. It now disables Exclusive mode at shutdown. Now I have to turn it on every time but at least if I did set Aune as default, anything else can use it if I don't change Tidal that day. This is the preferred option.
 
Tidal updated their desktop App. It now disables Exclusive mode at shutdown. Now I have to turn it on every time but at least if I did set Aune as default, anything else can use it if I don't change Tidal that day. This is the preferred option.
Then today it was back to exclusive at start... I don't know anymore. Its playing with my mind.

Going to replace the cable that came with HD600, the hardest part of the entire thing is choosing what colors to make the cable(s). I can choose up to 3 colors, hard to find 3 that don't clash.
I want to use a different connection on my Aune, it offers more power and means I don't have to turn the headphones up as high.
I just feel like buying something else I think...
 
Tidal is just confusing. I just check it every day now.

So @anort3 convinced me today to spend more money... only as a pair of headphones that normally cost $USD1599 are on sale for $USD650 (Australian prices: Normal = $2370, Current $960) and I would be crazy to ignore that discount.

I wasn't going to get that model, but Anort found & pointed out the discount. The ones I was looking at sell for USD599 so price difference isn't that large to make me stop - I wouldn't bother looking at them at their normal cost.

They have been replaced, there is a newer model so its possible the discount is long term. I found one video from last month showing price was $750 last month on the same shop.

I don't know how long sale is for, there is no end date showing on website ... this reminds me of the Bathys last year. No indication of when sale ends.

I probably order them on Monday morning so i can pay some off right away. They get shipped from China so they shouldn't take long to be delivered.

I won't be buying any more over ear headphones once I get these. They are way better than anything I can get for less, only things that beat them cost way more.
 
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Oops! :p

I still can't believe they're this cheap now. $1599 at release. $1299 when I bought them.
The worst part was not knowing when sale ends. It might not end at all, or I might miss it.

Getting headphones that cost $2600 normally for $1110 was just too hard to ignore.

So I weakened and ordered one pair now. Not like waiting longer would change anything. Just reduce opening balance on my card but I will fix that on Monday and for rest of year.

Hifiman store only took paypal so I bought it on their Amazon store. I do have a paypal account but I have no idea what its called. Was easier to just use credit card on Amazon.
Amazon page showed it was a limited time offer, so I still don't know if by waiting I might have missed it. And had to buy an Ananda instead.

I had forgotten some things like sales tax, that added $95 to cost. And Import duties.They should show up end of next week now.
I won't be getting anymore things this year (apart from cables maybe). I know, I have said that before. This was unexpected. I really don't need anything more now. This is way better than I was expecting to buy. Only things that beat them cost 3 to 4 times more. So yes... I am finished. I hope I like them.

edit:
I asked Hifiman when the clearance sale ended and they said, whenever the stock for item runs out. Since I ordered it on Amazon and they only had 4 left, I guess I cut it fine.

Shame I didn't think to order it on Tuesday but either way it wouldn't have been here this week.
 
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Getting headphones that cost $2600 normally for $1110 was just too hard to ignore.
I don't think this is accurate. I think they had reduced price of the arya to $USD1300 before the sale, which translates to $AUD1930, So I saved about 800. I got them for half price.

One advantage to ordering from USA is although it is Friday night here for me, its still early Friday morning in USA, so they might process the order more today. Order tracking shows its almost ready for shipping. Doesn't matter, not expecting it before Thursday. Not entirely sure where it gets shipped from.

Reading reviews and hear that after you listen to these, it ruins your appreciation of your older headphones (exception being if you have better). I saw one shop suggesting people come in and try them out... evil lol. They not ideal to listen to if you can't afford them. That is good advice with most good things though. Better to not know what you missing out on. Its always the case that there is something better but is it worth buying.... I can see HE1000 SE in a shop here, just a cheap pair... only 5k. there is always better. I doubt I ever get those.
 
it got shipped from USA on Friday night and took just over 12 hours to cross the states and be on its way here.
I guesstimated it would take 10 hours to fly here and since its a Sunday, they might not mark it on their system until tomorrow.

I think the 7 days delivery is max time they have to deliver it with the Freight option I chose. looking at tracking number shows its estimated to show on Wednesday. Wonder what its going to do for 3 days...
 
CYbsaca.jpeg


It showed up early. I wasn't expecting it and was listening to music at time.

I know it will need time to get worn in so I won't comment on it now. It sounds okay, not bad by any stretch of imagination. I have read its sound stage does grow over time.

My Quiet corner (almost worth $AUD4000)
J8vkgv9.jpeg

wish it wasn't just the camera that saw display as blue
 
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Seems I have a small head. Lucky I am not using the smallest size slot on headband... guess could have worn a hat if it was too big.
QTUCXsB.jpeg

they don''t move around once on head, even if i do random head banging. Leather strap keeps it on my head.

Interesting photo sees them as silver, as they are black. Must just be cameras as I seen it happen in other peoples photos too. It must depend on the angle as above photo in previous posts sees them how I do. Stealthy
 
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its funny when the hardest part of choosing new cables is what colors to choose. They offer too many... and my ability to match colors isn't amazing. Nor is my memory... can display two on screen at once, what was 3rd again?
Doesn't help two of them were on the same webpage. I did cheat and take a screenshot of all 3, and put them into a word document so I could see all 3 at once.

Sure, could be boring and just choose one colour/pattern but it doesn't cost more to use 3. Why not colour code them so you know which cable is for which ear pad. I don't want my left cable in my right ear, might be a little confusing in some songs. Arya earpads having full rotation sure can tangle the stock cable.

Still not convinced, might change again... but I have a month or so before I even order them.
Want to get longer cables that have different attachments for amp as currently two of them can only use 6.35mm connections, and I they should be better on another one. Won't need as much volume

@anort3 probably get the Hart Audio cables, and then maybe get a better one for Arya next year. See if I can notice any sound changes using the Hart cables, they meant to be warm according to Wave Theory. Copper cables do that.

New headphones make me want half my life back again to listen to all my music again. Every few songs I hear something in songs I have heard countless times before, that I never noticed before. Currently i can hear a bass line in a song that wasn''t obvious before... it was always there, I just couldn't hear it.
 
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Jan 15, 2020
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New headphones make me want half my life back again to listen to all my music again. Every few songs I hear something in songs I have heard countless times before, that I never noticed before. Currently i can hear a bass line in a song that wasn''t obvious before... it was always there, I just couldn't hear it.
Pretty cool isn't it? I always know I love a new pair when they make me want to listen to all my music again.
 
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I put the headphone cable under a rug today for a few hours, to make it stop coiling up constantly. That seemed to have relaxed it but I still don't like it. I may leave it under rug overnight. It is better than it was. Prefer one that doesn't have a memory.

I have to put up with it for a few more weeks before I can order a replacement for it and my HD600 cable. (and then wait 2 more weeks for order+shipping)
The HD600 cable is well behaved in comparison but has the wrong amp connector. That is only reason I am replacing it.

Colours have changed and I am mostly happy with the left/right choices.
Might swap main again... thought about just a black cable. Hard to find a color that matches both sides.

Main matches interconnect color so helps if both cables use the same colour.
Picking colors that don't conflict has always been a fun thing for me. Probably why I mostly just wear blue now. Don't need to think about it.
16t2ec9.jpeg

I looked at their thick braided cables but those come with a hidden trap if you want the swappable interconnects. they use a different size that only comes in a pack, and its $USD200 more... so yeah. Thin braided cables will do me. If I only needed one cable, maybe. Not worth it when I want to use same interconnect on two cables. I can get two of them for around same cost as one thick braided.
 
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Problem with audiophile as a description is there are two types. Those who want the audio to be as accurate as possible to source material, and those that just want it to sound good. I am in second group.

The term "audiophile" has definitely experienced some misuse, and plenty of people who call themselves audiophiles are actually just people who like high-quality audio. That's not the sort of person I'm talking about here, it's the "true" audiophile, in the pure sense of the word, who is cursed to chase the impossible dream of perfect audio reproduction

This article is about the measurements crazy ones. It just didn't bother to mention that until the last paragraph.

Not sure why they get to keep description really
An audiophile is a person who loves listening to high-quality sound from a stereo or home theater. Audiophile-grade recordings and equipment are designed to reproduce music without distortion or coloration. When hi-fi took off in the 1950s, the first audiophiles were also "stereophiles

Way I see it, Audio Phile is the same as Music Lover. Its just another way of saying it. Labelling people who want better sound in this way almost makes people want to reject label. Some of the reviewers I watch reject it, and yet they make videos about new releases. If it was called Music lovers... more would be included.

Seems to be a concerted effort to keep people happy with what they have. No looking outside the box. No hearing anything better than what Bose/Sony Offer at the low end. Sell them on features that have nothing to do with how they sound. Keep people from wanting more. Really its probably just a way to sell headphones to people who don't want them. ANC and all the extra features might be why they buy them, to have a quiet trip. But it still stops people wondering what else is out there - which is beneficial to the companies as you need someone who will always buy them. It can take a long time to escape this trap.

Quite often, audiophiles are as passionate about the equipment they use as the music they listen to, and the gear can be very costly. An entry-level system typically costs around $10,000, while top-end systems reach the stratosphere (see images below). Contrast with videophile.
its the second part of definition that is the domain of the "true audiophiles" as this article puts it. Entry lvl of 10k seems... too much. It depends on what your end goal is. My set up right now is good enough for me. That and I don't want speakers and all that jazz.

With this article's description, I am not an audiophile, as I just like my music to sound as good as I can get it. Audiophiles are normal people who just want their sound to be accurate. Anyone can become an audiophile... all it takes it hearing better sound and finding out what you missing. And actually caring enough to want to bridge the gap. How you react may determine what type you are though.

There needs to be another term for people who just want more than Lo-Fi is willing to offer. Right now, the gap is mostly price, and it lets some truly awful products remain for sale that people shouldn't be buying.

When Apple Ear Pods Pro 2 are only $USD100 less than Hifiman Arya Stealth, and aren't even in the same league, you have a problem. Admittedly you can't use Arya on a bus without complaints but that isn't the point. Good quality audio isn't that far away, you just need to look. Hifiman do make wireless headphones but they haven't really tried yet. Unlike Focal.

People are almost dissuaded from looking. Mostly as the gap in price between Bose/Sony/Sennheiser ANC headphones, and better ones can almost be double the cost unless the good ones are on special (like the Arya are now, on Amazon). There is no mid fi level, its really hard to find anything better than the cheap headphones, so most people might not look. There are no good choices between The Apple ear pods pro 2 and a pair of Focal Battys, but there is an $750 difference in price. Plenty of space for someone to fill.

But then wireless is a false dream for audiophiles as you can't get lossless hi res audio over BT now, even with the new version they are talking about as it only offers lossless when its running at its max connect speed, any other time it drops down to the other versions. So until BT actually is lossless, I will stick to wires.

Audiophiles prioritize high-fidelity audio for accurate sound reproduction.
I think I have always been like that though. I may not have had the budget but if I wasn't spending money on the hardware, I was buying as much music as I could find. I used to go to a record store every lunchtime while at one job, and it was only because they closed that I stopped going to any in town. Stopped buying music completely for about 10 years or so, not wanting to use Itunes as I didn't like Apple. Finding music was hard back then.

Its not like buying expensive audio gear is new to me... I have had a ton of walkman's and a minidisk based walkman, and a HDD based mp3 player, and an MP3 playing portable CD Player. I only really stopped in the last 15 years or so when I have been using my phone instead.

I just stuck to using earbuds as I never knew IEM existed. That has changed this year. Up until now most of what I bought was for portable use. Now it mostly isn't.

I don't have an DAC/Amp that is as accurate as the supposed "true" audiophiles would want, I don't mind it can change how it sounds by changing a mode -this right here is a bone on contention among Audiophiles as many say dac's don't change how music sounds while others have actually experienced it.

It also depends on what headphones I am using as to if the modes are noticeable. The new ones don't seem to be as affected by the modes as much as all my other ones - mode 1 makes most of them seem like I am listening in a smaller room, whereas Mode 2 knocks down some walls. Some of the people who tested my amp heard the differences, others didn't.

So it depends on what you are listening on as to if it makes any difference. If all your headphones already sound the same, it might not be noticeable.

A lot of the problems stem from everyone hearing things differently. Our head shape can play a large part of that when it comes to headphones. There can be physical reasons for variation.

"True" Audiophiles are constantly fighting over the results of tests and what they all mean, as well as a supposed perfect sound curve everyone likes. Some realise there isn't a perfect sound curve, we are all different after all.

Audiophile-grade equipment is expensive, potentially limiting enjoyment for those with budget constraints.

Not all of it. You can buy dongles for less than $100 that can provide, some of the cheaper dac/amp combos score well, and most IEM are below that price too. Using IEM/Dongle attached to phone will give better sound than a BT earbud will. Its a start... many might be happy stopping here. It depends on if you like having music interrupted by phone calls or not. I didn't.

It is true that there are lots of stupidly priced items.
How you deal with that is on an individual basis. I can't afford most of it and I don't actually want most of it. I know I won't beat my current headphones any time soon, and I don't really want any other hardware to play it on.
  1. I don't want speakers unless I have to buy them because new PC motherboards don't support my current ones.
  2. Because of 1 I also don't need a power amp. If I do get speakers they will be self powered and run off my Aune.
  3. I don't want a turntable as I don't have any records
  4. I don't need a streamer as such as I only have the Aune now and its attached to PC now, so a streamer is pointless - What is a streamer

Audiophile grade gear can be snake oil as well. Such as Audiophile grade USB Cables for several thousand dollars, or power conditioners. I am willing to accept the material might make a difference on headphone cables but only as its an analog signal, not binary. And maybe some Speaker cables for same reason.

Non-audiophiles may not perceive additional benefits of high-end setups.
That is to be expected. Anyone outside a hobby may find it hard to understand why people spend time/money on it. People spend large amounts on seemingly pointless endeavours (Steam games libraries come to mind). If it keeps them happy and not angry, why not? If I wasn't spending my money on audio it would have gone on PC anyway. That is just as much a money pit as say... a house or Audio can be.

Maybe you should start by having a friend help you run a small double-blind experiment using your setup and something less fancy. Can you reliably tell the difference? What if you just swapped out the cables? Can you tell the difference? How much of your perception is coming from you, and how much is coming out of your current speakers?
This wouldn't work as the person would still believe, there would be a small doubt and thats all it would take, and the test has to be set up right to be truly blind

Seems there is a cure for some, its to find gear you are happy with.

I spent $USD700 on my Aune S9C Pro that would let me play headphones that are up to $USD6000 in price (if I were to find them on the side of road as no way I buy them).
Then I spent $USD650 on Hifiman Arya Stealth that reviewers say are the best all rounder headphones you can buy.

I can't get any better. So I will stop chasing a unicorn and just enjoy what I have.

Most of my purchases this year were to let me use something I had previously bought to its fuller potential. Like the next thing I want is just cables so I can attach my newest headphones to my Aune and get more power out of it. I am not buying any more audio this year after that. I do wnat one more pair of IEM but that can wait until next year.

Not all high end headphones sound the same. Unlike Lo-Fi, they not all bass cannons and actually are tuned to underline certain parts of the frequency range. Without anywhere to actually hear them, it would be really expensive for me to just buy them to see what they are like. So I am lucky I have liked the 3 over ear headphones I have bought in the last 10 months, but it might take me a while to find an IEM that I like. There is more variety in them at low price points so picking the right ones can be harder, especially if you unsure what sound you like.
 
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Ordered replacement cables for my Two sets of headphones tonight. I am tired of having to straighten out the Arya one, and the place I ordered off has a 20% discount running so it was a good time to order them. I hate waiting for freight but it will take up to a week for them to make them anyway so I won't think about it until its shipped. They in the US somewhere.

No more orders. Enough... (should be, really don't need anything else).

I will straighten the current Arya cable, use it once and it already needs another straightening - if I wasn't replacing it I would have to find somewhere to let it hang free while not in use. That might fix it. I have been putting it under a rug in TV room and mum keeps mentioning it every time I did, so I said I was ordering new cables tonight.

New cables will behave selves a lot better. Added bonus of having a 4 pin XLR connector meaning I can get more power out of amp as well. That was actually main reason I wanted new cables, the fact its misbehaves is just underlining need to replace it.
They are also 7 foot long whereas this one is only 5. It needed to be longer. I can always buy an extender if that isn't long enough in future.


Saw another definition of Audiophile tonight. Its not nailed down enough, people interpret it how they see fit. This one says they prefer Hi Res audio... which is true to an extent. They want lossless or at least good sounding. They prefer not to listen to mp3 as it is lossy and can be missing parts... its possible you can't tell with some files, but knowing is enough in some cases. Hi res copies of badly mastered tracks will still sound bad. It doesn't make everything better but it also doesn't make it worse. Most of the files I get on Tidal are CD Quality anyway.

Most of the definitions seem to suggest you needed to be saved and made to accept cheap headphones/mp3 as all you need.
We don't do that to people who collect expensive watches or Cars, so why audio?
Stop picking on peoples hobbies... Do they tell you that you can't tell difference between things in your hobby and that you should just accept slop? Leave them alone if they happy.
 
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Its striking to me that they review two devices and not mention how they sound entire video
though not really a suprise as none of the new ones would play Metal oxide tapes, so only have regular tapes, and they would only have pre recorded to listen to (unless they happen to have a recorder as well), and it would have to have been stored right to not degrade. I know some artists release works on cassette still (small indie artists) but majority of tapes would be from years ago.

Even stored ideally they only last 30 years.

Cassette isn't something I want to go back to. I can remember using pencils to fix tapes... its not that long ago in my mind. Heads chewing tapes...

I know I have a few around still. Just as I have a MInidisc as well.

These both would have cheap chinese actions, as that is all that is left now. The best of this technology was made 30 years ago. Its not going to get any better. You can't go back.

They both so retro they use the original Walkman design... that even Sony moved away from in later models as its too bulky and lacking in features... like auto reverse, record, and many others. They made to be sold to people who really don't remember as they weren't there... they are too young to know we used to have better than this.

watch his channel if you want to see real retro walkman

And really they wouldn't sound amazing. Better alternatives now... just get a dap or a dongle or just use that phone if you must.

Why carry a tape player around?
Only being restricted to 120 minutes of music max (many tape decks only really liked 90 or 60 minute tapes) leads to... How many tapes are you going to carry with you? I used to have a few in my pockets
If you can make own mixes, do you split songs to have half a song on one side and other on the second, or just leave an amount of blank tape at end.

It soon becomes clear why a dap with a 512gb sd card inside it is so much better than a cassette player...
 
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I finally get all the audio I wanted and then the cable for one of my IEM start to die... not amused. Its under warranty but I can do without having to replace it. If it was a cheaper IEM I just get another cable but it seems the cable is half the value of the IEM. So I sent it back... will have to wear them in again now.

I figure the drawers my Aune were sitting on might have been cause, as I open them a fair bit during day'
J8vkgv9.jpg


So I just moved it onto drawers to the left
FkYSfta.jpeg

I rarely open the drawers in it, so the cable won't get caught in them... it shouldn't be anywhere near drawers but its only thing I can think of that would have caused it.

I will have to use remote more as its not in arms length as easily now.

Still waiting on the 2 cables I ordered almost 2 weeks ago now. They were meant to be sent out on Monday but I haven't heard anything this week. Probably won't get them before next week unless they have sent them and didn't give me any tracking info. I have asked them via email.

Only problem with current location is until I get the new cables, I don't have as much spare cable as I did when Aune was closer, but as I said, new cables will fix that.
 
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