Headphones

I mean granted I am more used to the XM4's sound signature but the difference was just so large and I can put on the Bose right to it without experiencing the same drop in quality.

I'm asking to see if maybe the store room model I used was just poor or if the entire product itself is poor.

Hey, I just got some Moondrop CHU II ...

They are really clean sounding, coming from some CCA CRA they are slightly less bassy (which is right, they are more accurate)... Very nice for and build quality compared to some budget iem I've had the past...

Anyway, apparently I have massive ear holes, I'm still using some tips I've managed to move from some old Shures and I know I'm going to lose them at some point..

Where can I find some ok cheap eartips, everyone raves about spinfit but they cost as much as the iems... I just want a bag of XL tips

After much research and decision making, I finally bought the ThieAudio Monarch mkIII today. Now the hardest part of this process begins, the waiting! Since this product is pre-ordered, I will have to wait for about 3 weeks. I would love to hear the experiences of users of this iem to make this process at least psychologically easier.

Thanks to everyone.

EQ'ing that bass in is effortless. Got a 4.4mm cable for them with a nice braid.

I do gaming with them and it just feels so freaking wide.

I'm a percussion guy. Drums and intricate percussive ellements, in music, sound blissful.

Try listening to Dinossaur - OTR Remix, close your eyes and have fun.

I just try to glue it. But still don't working. The sound is pretty good and I don't want buy one news. So I will try it to repair, the problem is, I don't find any tutorial to repair it or pieces about less than 30€ in aliexpress. So, idk where find pieces :(

Found it on the Linsoul website but couldn't find the option for the mic with the cable

A few months ago I got a pair of Hifiman Edition XS headphones, and I'm determined to keep them in tip-top shape for the long haul. I've got the basics down, but I'd love to tap into the collective wisdom of this community for some advanced care tips.

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Here's what I'm specifically curious about:

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Cleaning Techniques: What about those hard-to-reach areas like the ear cups and drivers? Any specialized tools or techniques to keep these spots pristine without risking damage?

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Ear Pad and Headband Maintenance: The ear pads and headband are [type of material], and I want to ensure they stay comfy and don't wear out prematurely. Any unique approaches to cleaning or conditioning these components?

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Driver Care: The heart of the headphones lies in the drivers. How do you clean these delicate components without causing any harm? I'm a bit nervous about dust affecting the sound quality.

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Storage Wisdom: When you're not using your headphones, what's your preferred storage method to prevent dust and potential damage? Do you use protective cases, or is a good headphone stand the way to go?

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Cable Savvy: Cables always seem to be a weak point. What measures do you take to prevent fraying or other issues? Any go-to solutions or preferred aftermarket cables?

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Any Other Pro Tips: I'm all ears (again, pun intended)! Any additional insights or lessons learned in the art of high-end headphone care?

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Your experiences and advice are immensely appreciated! Let's build a comprehensive guide for maintaining our cherished headphones.

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Thanks a bunch for sharing your expertise!

With black Friday sales on at Best Buy this past week, I spent way too much time deciding which headphones I should buy between the Sony WH-1000MX5, Bose QuietComfort Ultra and Sennheiser Momentum 4. (Note that Best Buy Canada does not accept returns of headphones unless they’re defective, so I knew I’d be stuck with my eventual choice.)

I landed on the Sony set. In case some of you are in the same boat, I figured I’d share answers to the questions I had before buying.

TLDR: I’d likely go with a different set had I known…

What would I use them for? : I wanted something to use for work, listen to music and watch TV in the evenings after my wife goes to sleep.

Why I chose Sony? : I actually wanted the Sennheiser Momentum 4 set for their better sound, but was deterred by all the reports of bugs – specifically, connecting to phones while in their case causing people to miss notifications and connectivity issues with music and calls. The Bose were $100 more, even on sale, so I landed on the Sony set. Admittedly, I also find that headphones look bad/dorky with a suit. The Sony set, in my opinion, looks better than both the Sennheiser and Bose sets in a business setting. Just my opinion.

How’s the sound? : In short, not great – with a caveat. They really don’t sound particularly good, even after trying various EQ recommendations online and using their automated “Find your EQ” tool. HOWEVER, if you turn on the active noise cancellation and crank up the volume significantly, you do pick-up on a lot more detail and generally get a better sound profile. If you’re like me though and prefer not to have full noise cancellation or to listen too loudly at work as to remain somewhat aware of your surroundings (I have staff dropping into my office all the time), the sound’s not great.

How’s the noise cancellation? : I’m super impressed at how nice the noise cancellation is. I normally set mine to low-level ambient noise reduction, and they do a great job of allowing me to be aware without hearing the office din. Also, the “Speak-to-chat” feature, where the set becomes fully transparent when you start speaking to enable you to have a conversation with them on is fantastic.

What color? : I got the Midnight Blue version. In my opinion, both the blue case and headphones look the best by far in-person. I was worried about “smudging” since many people write about the black set being a “fingerprint magnet”, but I haven’t had issues with smudging at all. Granted, I don’t have oily skin generally, wipe my hands after eating (because I'm not an animal) and only use tap features to start/stop. I don’t use the swiping and all that stuff. I prefer the precision of using my phone to control volume and songs.

What about comfort? : That’s my biggest sticking point and the reason I REGRET getting them. I read that some people felt that the thin band was painful. I didn’t think I had a sensitive head, but I guess I do, because these things are not comfortable at all to me. The band puts way too much pressure on a small spot of my head to the point that I can’t wear them for more than an hour before taking them off. The band also leave a pretty bad flat spot on your hair, but I suspect that would be an issue with any headphones.

And what about the case? : The complaints about the case being too big and the headphones not folding have not been an issue for me at all. I was expecting a monstrosity based on what some people were writing but was pleasantly surprised to see how compact it all was when I opened the box. It fits in my laptop backpack with everything else I need for work – including lunch and lots of coffee. For travel, I’ll clip the case to my under-seat bag. Size is a total non-issue in my opinion.

Final advice? : While the connectivity and quality are rock-solid, they look better and higher-end than the competition (in my opinion, especially in blue), and have good features for work – I regret buying them. The band is just too painful/uncomfortable. That, coupled with the underwhelming sound, makes me wish I had bought another model. They’re by no means bad and I’m not overly bent out of shape about the purchase. BUT, I suggest you try them on for a while to see if you feel the narrow band before purchasing. It only gets worse with time.

Which would I choose if I had a do-over? The Bose QC Ultra. I say this having not worn them for long periods, so take it with a grain of salt. But the wider band would likely address my biggest issue with the Sony set, and the Bose sound profile, while not for everyone, is at the very least on par with this Sony model in my opinion.

I have a pair of Sennheiser HD 660 S2 headphones that I’m currently using with the 3.5 to lightning dongle for my iPhone 14 pro. I’m looking into purchasing a Fiio jadeaudio KA1 DAC/amp, but need some clarity.

I’m well aware that DAC’s alone don’t increase volume, but rather just convert digital to analog. What I can’t find an answer for is the amp side of it.

Since this is a combo DAC/amp will my volume be increased versus just using the regular dongle?

Everything I search just tells me that DACs don’t increase volume. But then why does this particular model have a built in amp? Certainly it would be to increase volume/provide more power to my headphones.

Can someone help me out? The question is simply will this particular DAC make my music louder if I desire?

Thanks

If I keep my skull candy crusher evos at the same volume but engage maximum bass will that cause more hearing damage than just having it at normal EQ?

So I found these tangled in my wife’s cleavage.

Dunno why they were there, but she told me they had been washed in 60 degrees c, 1400rpm.

So I asked if she was drying them in her bra, or what?

No, she assured me they already were very dry, as she found them in my sweatpants while emptying the dryer…

This has happened maybe ten times. She grabs my dirty sweats, with earpods in pocket, washes and dries, and I wonder where they’ve gone. This time between boobs.

I’m not gonna ever understand women, I think. But the best part of this whole shenanigans; the buggers still work!

i know this is prolly a dumb questions, but i have been curious for years! say i get astro A40 (without amp) for PS5/PS4 primarily but can work on PC and other platforms! would that work the same as if i got one that’s specifically made for PC!? like is there any audio difference or anything or they preform all the same!?

So before I order this little magic box I need to know something about it's EQ. In the mobile App the EQ range seems to be between +/- 12dB while in their Chrome extension it's +/- 24dB. For the project I plan on using this amp I will need more than 12dB so the question is, will I be able to use EQ presets with adjustments greater than +/- 12dB with the amp connected to my phone via Bluetooth? Or is the 24dB range only available when connected via USB to a PC? Thanks for taking the time to reply!

Hi i have been trying to find an adapter for the ie 600 i have seen a few different ones on amazon / ali express but they all either have no reviews or at least one or two (of usually 5 or less total reviews) saying that it does not fit. Was hoping someone could link to one they have used and know works

It feels weird to just throw em out because the stitching gave out..

I bought them and they didn't fit too well and there were small so I was wondering if you can get different large tips for them separately.

I have both right now (I am planning on returning/selling one). With only ~$100 separating them, it's a tight race, and comes down to what you value.

I needed a closed-back headphone for office listening; I listen to alternative, some electronic, indie stuff, and instrumental pieces occasionally. I wanted to stay around $350, so DT 700 Pro X ($300) was my under and Elegia ($400) was my over. Sound isolation and long term listening are both important to me.

My ideal sound: I have the Avantone Planar (v1, open back), paired with the Qudelix 5k and Oratory1990's EQ. I've never wanted better sounds than this/couldn't tell you what they would be; the perfect closed back would just be this packaged up together.

DT 700 Pro X sounds good without EQ, but has that narrow/muffled sort of sound that people associate with "diminished" or even poor sound staging. Sometimes this translates to slightly shallow sounding background parts. It's built like a tank though and holds onto your head like life depends on it.

Elegia fits like a cloud on my head, and the ear cups fit over my ears comfortably (larger than DT Pro 700 X). I find them too bright at stock tuning, with Oratory1990 EQ however they are more "musical" sounding (warm is probably what people call it). There is a fullness to the sound that makes it immersive, and more rich than the DT Pro X. There are some QA problems to be expected with the headband; I am prepared to make an Eldridge abomination using Hifiman replacement parts when that bridge arrives (thanks to the people who made this nightmare fuel possible).

On detail retrieval, there are a few times I have caught the DTs being slightly less clear/having less separation on fast moving or busy instrumentation. The Elegia seems to balance the details better and doesn't lose them. Example, on a guitar riff, the DTs make the first notes energetic and well impacted, but then can trail off slightly muddily. The Elegia keep presentation clean and even, but can be sometimes boring to listen to without the impact variation (might also be the more balanced bass focus, lol). It's really only a slight difference, you probably wouldn't notice this during normal listening conditions.

Sound: Without EQ, the 700 Pro X take it for me, but with EQ, it's the Elegia. That wider and richer sound is closer to what my Avantone's make. Someone mentioned that there is a sort of tonality or metallic air to the Elegia; that could be true, but it's not very obvious or apparent with the set-up I am using right now. It could have been absorbed in getting adjusted to these headphones. Either way, it is never empty or tinny sounding with the Elegia.

For the Elegia on bass: when I am listening to a bass centric song, the bass is there. With the 700 Pro X, bass is slightly (but noticeably) more present otherwise.

Isolation: The DT Pro X is more isolating, but the Focal is plenty for me as well, even at very quiet volumes, enough so that I am oblivious of surroundings to a fault sometimes.

Build: Who doesn't want a gray and black sleek tank? DT takes it for aesthetics. The Elegia aren't quite as modern looking imo, but they aren't ugly either. The single jack on the DT is appealing.

Comfort: Elegia by a mile. As mentioned before, the ear cups are bigger. I think they disperse weight a bit better as well. Can wear these for hours without issue. DT Pro X isn't bad, especially considering that you can bend the metal headband into shape, but the Elegia is a master here.

Comparing to my Avantone Planar… Neither closed back has the same level of sound stage, but the Elegia gets much closer than the 700 Pro X with my EQ attempts. Detail retrieval isn't different in any obvious ways (Avantone still has the top). The Elegia can have fatiguing/harsh impacts for repeating tones in the mid to upper ranges and seems to impact some tones harder than my Avantone presents, but generally connects sounds together very well. The 700 Pro X can lose clarity when parts get busy despite having separation on par with Elegia, and feels farther away from what the Avantone delivers.

TL;DR: In looking for a closed back headphone for office use that sounds similar to V shaped open back headphones, I found the Elegia to be a viable option due to good sound staging, EQ friendliness, and general musicality. The DT 700 Pro X is a valid contender on a technical level, but doesn't capture the same voice/tone in music that I enjoy.

So after reading a bunch on this sub I got the blon earbuds. I’m satisfied withe the sound but they will not stay in my ears at all. I’ve tried all the silicone attachments and they fall out. When I’m at work I have to readjust them every 10 sec which annoying to say the least. I’m sick of spending money on earbuds that don’t stay, is there anything I can do about this? Tia