Hi I was thinking of buying the sony wh-1000xm4, but I wanted to listen to others recommendation. Thanks in advance

I put them in with wet ears, not the right iem is super low volume and makes craking noises. Help?

So I have been using Soundcore life q20’s for the past 2ish years maybe more, and I’ve honestly loved em, and I honestly would like something better but have no clue what’s good and what isn’t. Also Bluetooth over the ear would be much preferred(noise canceling if possible aswell) definitely no earbuds because I guess I have weird ears or something because earbuds never fit and always fall out. So if you have any ideas please lmk, thank you.(ps. I have a decently small head, like the soundcore sq20’s fit perfectly on my head without changing the band at all)

The general consensus seems to be that the Sundara Closed is found wanting.

As Custom Cans has done some measurements and reviews comparisons, how do people feel about the foam mod they introduced to help with this on their YouTube?

Can anyone who performed the mod shed some of their thoughts?

I just purchased the STATUS BETWEEN 3ANC and I have a question about their EQ settings. I enjoy the feature of the EQ settings option, this is the main reason I purchased these earbuds as I am an audio fan having over 10 headphones/earbuds myself. I have tried many different types and these are very satisfactory from all of my years of research on professional audio. However I have a problem/question with their functionality. Once I have set a EQ on my iPhone every time I connect to this iPhone the EQ settings are applied however when I connect them to my Apple Watch SE second generation with cellular and use this device to mainly listen to music with my runs on the EQ settings are not saved when using them on my Apple Watch. I would very much like to understand how to permanently save the EQ settings on these earbuds so that they can have this EQ settings permanently set on them when I connect to my Apple Watch or MacBook etc. Hope to hear back from you soon. Thanks.

hey guys, so i have a set of fearless audio s8f. i really like them, but one of my friends told me i dont know squat and i need to get some 64 audio iems. now, those are stupid expensive, like double the price of mine and with half the drivers!!! i know its not the size... i mean, its not the number of drivers but the quality i guess? but do you guys know how do the 64 audio below 1000usd compare to the fearless audio s8f? is it just snake oil or its def a good improvement?

I'm asking because I've seen quite a few posts on here saying they ordered from aliexpress and I'm honestly quite skeptical about the quality and legitemacy of anything from that site. I'm assuming most of you go to local audio stores?

I’ve been listening to Raptgo Hook-X for about a month now. I used them with my iphone 15 via an apple dongle and listened music in Tidal. Don’t get me wrong, these iems are really good for me (except the treble, sometimes it doesn’t sound good). Before them, I was listening to AirPods pro 2 gen, and I loved them. When I got these iems, I was blown away by the sound.

Now, I don’t really get this feeling of “I CAN REALLY HEAR THE DIFFERENCE”. Instead, it’s just “yea, i can tell the difference “ if u know what i mean.

So I wonder if a dac/dap or whatever can make my iems better again. For the context, these iems is the first item from the audio world. Besides, I’ve never listened to any dac/amp/dap or anything like that.

I like the Fiio BTR5 (2021/2020) ≈ 65-100USD in my country second hand. It’s really small and powerful. Maybe Fiio BTR7 ≈ 100-150 usd will suit me.

But I wonder do I really need em? I mean, will these amps or what are they called improve my iems sound quality? Or is my apple dongle okay?…

Hello,

I would like to discuss something that has come to my attention recently, and is really bothering me... the importance of the headphone cable. For the past 10-15 years, I was under the belief that the quality of the cable was of little importance. I remember reading countless articles comparing "high quality" cables, to crappy "coat hangers" made of metal, and all the articles and reviews always said that no one was able to tell the difference in audio quality.

Still to this day, when I google, "does headphone cable affect sound quality", all of the results all say the same thing. The cable quality does not matter, and it's all a placebo or snake oil affect.

So over the years, I have consistently purchased whatever the cheapest / generic replacement cable I could, whenever I needed a replacement. Not that I go through them very often, but I would say a cable usually would last 4-5 years, and either wear out on it's own, but get damaged due to my own fault. The two headphones I use the most are the AKG702 and the Sennheiser HD600s. I would usually purchase the replacement cables from amazon, or walmart, or whatever cheap cable I could find at a local shop. They have all been generic brands, like the NewFantasia replacement cables that are all over amazon.

After receiving the replacement cable, I have always been happy or content, thinking that the replacement cable sounded the same, and there was no loss in audio quality from my previous cable. So I can't really say that these replacement cables sound bad, but also it's possible that my ears just don't remember the original sound quality that came with the original cables.

Well recently I purchased a replacement cable for my AKGs from Hart audio. There was sale going on, and I have a little more disposable income than I did in the past, so I thought I would treat myself. I purchased a custom miniXLR to 1/4 jack cable, with a custom length that would keep the cable from being ran over by my office chair, and a cool pattern that matches the headphones. And to my surprise... there is very noticeable difference in quality between my new hart audio cable, and the regular generic ones.

Now I don't claim to be an audiophile, or someone with super ears or anything like that. I'm just a normal guy, who enjoys decent headphones. And TBH, I'm a little shocked right now, as to how much of a difference the higher quality cable makes. Switching between the cables, and listening to the same songs, at the same volume, I can clearly and easily tell the difference between the cables. There is a wider range of highs and lows, and precision that comes from the hart cables. The tiny little background sounds, all come in clearer, and sound better than the cheaper cables.

So how could this be? How could so many people and so much research claim that there is no difference? There are so many websites and videos out there, even from people claiming to be "audiophiles", that say the cable does not matter. Do people just keep quoting the same old study from the past? Were the "high quality" cables of the past, really no different from the generic cables? Are the "new high quality" cables, made of some better material, that wasn't available 10 years ago? Honestly I have no idea... but whatever it is, I'm a little annoyed right now! I've been missing out on better sounding headphones for the past decade, and I didn't even know it. So anyways, I just wanted to share my experience with others here... if you have been using generic replacement cables for your headphones for a while, it might be a good idea to try a newer higher quality cable, and see if you have been missing out on better sound.

Disclaimer: I am not claiming hart cables are the best, and I'm not sponsored by them or anything like that. I just purchased a cable from them with my own money from them, and decided to share my story. I'm guessing other brands of high quality cables will give similar improvements, but I have no idea because I haven't tested any.

I've had my FP9s for almost 2 years now (got them as a Christmas gift in 2021) and I'm already seeing the effects of some build quality/durability issues. I'd consider my usage of them to be moderate. (Many hours, but most did not involve sweat, moisture or any other environmental conditions I would consider damaging)

The adhesive holding the 2 shell halves together had deteriorated to the point where it was more slimy than sticky. I removed it before taking the picture above since the separation of the halves had allowed a noticable amount of ear gunk to accumulate in the gap between the shell halves. There was also adhesive holding the metal grills onto the sound port that goes in your ear that had become similarly slimy. The case for the FP9s has a "sanitizing" feature using a couple of LEDs, which I'm thinking caused the buds to heat up enough to break down the adhesive over time. Either that or heat buildup when charging with the case closed, since they never got hot while in my ears.

Given how expensive these were (MSRP $199), I'd expect them to last much longer and have better adhesive that holds up to normal wear-and-tear. The warranty was only for 1yr so that's not an option at this point.

I'm curious if anyone else experienced similar issues and, if so, were you able to resolve them? (e.g: by applying new adhesive)

I'm also potentially looking for recommendations for new IEMs. I really liked the ambient monitoring feature of the FP9s, and the sound quality of them was good enough for me.

I feel like dropping impressions/reviews to some headphones that I got and thought I start with the one on which I might have the most controversial take on. I already have the DCA Stealth which are my favorite headphones but I still have an unhealthy craving for additions to my collection.
The LCD2 were on my radar for being somewhat reasonably priced, having fancy wood (though I wish could have gotten the Rosewood in EU) and generally good looks, good built quality and bass that is often praised. I got them as return model for 1000€.

They definitely feel very nice to hold but the wood finish makes it feel a bit like plastic. The pads look extremely cool but are unfortunately not very comfortable . The weight is actually no problem to me at all but I simply can't find a position in which the pads don't have awkward pressure points or the drivers don't touch my ears. The cable is pretty cool by the way.

At first I obviously listened to them without EQ and my main setup is the Topping A/D30 Pro Stack. I was kind of baffled at how bad the vocals sound on some songs. The bass also didn't really sound the way that the frequency response would suggest. I really had to scratch my head at that tonality that even with songs where it wouldn't be that problematic didn't sound that good for the money.

Since I like to EQ to the Harman target and nothing kept me to the stock sound, I applied oratory1990's profile which completely fixed the vocals, spatial qualities and the bass. I don't want to bash on anyone but it's beyond my comprehension how anybody would use these without EQ.
Best thing about the bass with EQ is that it makes my ears vibrate in a way that no other headphones do which makes the LCD2 very fun to listen to rock/metal. Dynamics are pretty good too and they sound wide enough. Equalization to the Harman target unfortunately demands quite a bit more juice out of your amplifier.

I have things to praise about these headphones but I would only recommend them to people who have a high priority on aesthetics. The comfort is pretty lacking for me but I guess that's related to my specific head. Now if you don't have a need for wood and know the pads don't hurt your ears, you're better off getting the cheaper LCD2C which you can get for 800€.
I don't hate the LCD2 though. I use them from time to time when I want that earthquake bass and they are pretty to look at on my shelf.

​

Mental health is a daily, lifelong, struggle for me, and yesterday I lost and crazy won. I’m very sorry for being a hurtful ass. That was all about my personal baggage and dysfunction, and I’m sorry I brought that in here. I’m embarrassed, humiliated, and sad. I hope you can forgive me. I failed. I own it. I’m sorry.

I realize I can use transparency mode but my current method is pulling a cup off my ear I don’t think I want headphones that turn off when a cup is lifted? Anyone able to comment on this

​

https://preview.redd.it/duhwasnxhg0c1.jpg?width=1512&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c5409f27e51cbdaa37417cb2bd9d5ae76c956464

The Zetian Wu and XSL X-one, my two most pretty sets.

In my short time actually getting to listen to the Zetian Wu's, the technicalities have been clear and the tuning has been to my taste. I've also had the strangest issue with them, just putting it here in case anybody else experiences it. After any serious period of use >15 minutes, the left IEM starts to drastically decrease in volume until it's inaudible. I assumed this was the condensation issue I've heard about with the arias, but even after removing the filter and opening the iem up, the problem got worse if anything. This last time I tried, it went from full volume to 0 in ~ 20 seconds. No idea what's happening, any tips are appreciated. Can't recommend them based on my QC experience, but they seem well-tuned enough.

The XSL X-one is a whole other bag of chips. Out of the box, the bass is boomy and boosted enough to veil anything these iems might have going for them. After completing Michael Bruce's mod, that bass boost is tuned down to a reasonable degree, and its strong vocals are able to shine. I won't go so far as to say they're class-leading or the best I've heard, but for 40 something dollars they're certainly interesting. They're not particularly strong technically, and often I feel that the separation of instruments could be a lot better. I really can't recommend these unless you plan on going through the effort of modding, as without it they're certainly not worth it. They're solid metal and built like a tank though, so if nothing else they've got the best build quality I've seen at any price point.

Tell me what you wish you would have known when you started this hobby.

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Ive been listening to music every night with my headphones bc i hear stuff but im js wondering if around 80db is too loud? i play it for about an hour or so but i dont wanna damage my hearing

I need a mic for my ath m50's and I've stumbled upon these and idk seems kinda iffy of a website, just wanna see if anyone has experience with them?

I am hearing impaired and my loss is mostly conductive (I have otosclerosis). I’ve been wearing hearing aids for the past two decades. Hearing aids are great for speech in different situations, but when it comes to music, they're are kind of lacking.

I really enjoy music and have a few mid-fi headphones and dac/amp (DT 770 Pro, DT 900 Pro X, AirPods Max, FiiO Q3, and Dragonfly Red). I have the APO/Peace combo installed on my PC and use the Oratory 1990 references for my headphones.

Problem is… I also really need to “eq” my hearing aids, if you know what I mean. I program my hearing aids myself and I think I have crafted two pretty decent “music” programs. One with a more linear compression scheme that I use when I play my acoustic and classical guitars, and one with compression for headphones and music in general. I created two audio files based on the equal-loudness contours that I use to adjust the 24 bands of my hearing aids. Here are the 65 phons and the 85 phons files.

How can I really be sure my aided hearing is “flat”? Or as flat as possible, given the constraints of hearing aids. Is there any way, tool, app, website that could help me assess whether my music program is flat (say, compared to the ISO 226 standard)? Any tips are really appreciated.

​

One great conversation with Zach and crew and a sucker punched wallet later (said I wasn't going to buy anything); I'm very happy to own a pair of ZMF Atriums..

Genuinely wasn't expecting the quality of sound that these cans produced and I honestly wasn't even super familiar with ZMF prior. Was very eye (ear?) opening to say the least.

Originally came from a pair of DT 900 Pro X, DT 1990 Pros, and Focal Clear Mgs.

Now I'm eyeing a BHC amp...

They are surprisingly capable! (M1 Pro ver. in my case)

Great separation, clean treble and actual mids (bass is meh)

Skip the dongle, just save 10x the amount and get one of the macbooks!