this post was submitted on 27 Nov 2023
1 points (100.0% liked)

Headphones

17 readers
1 users here now

A community for discussion around all topics related to headphones and personal audio.

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

Like I get having different kinds like headphone vs iem or open vs closed but why have 5 different of the same kind of headphone? Just get one pair that responds well to eq

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] Ophanil@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

I sold all my headphones and have one pair of IEMs and 5 DAC/amps, and they all sound different. It's actually more fun than when I had a bunch of different headphones.

[–] Docmaligno@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Most of them were for trying different things. Like I have the Sony's wisp 500 or the linkbuds or the aeropex because I was looking for a good sports headphones.

[–] oreillywho@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I've bought the same exact iems and the sound is completely different. Second set isn't as loud and the same Bluetooth adapter is worse as well. Moved out of an apartment and left most of my shit there. My iems being a part of that. Ordered the same exact ones along with the same Bluetooth adapter and quality is worse and when using the phone for calls people can barely hear me. My first set was perfectly fine and never had any audio issues on the phone. Not everything is made the same even if it's the same exact product.

[–] mrn253@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Sounds to me like a production issue.

[–] FishPBL@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

You can't eq closed backs to sound open, and you can't eq dynamics to sound electrostatic.

[–] SupOrSalad@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Honestly... this is kind of why I started selling off most of my collection. While I still cycle through headphones and IEMs, there seems to be a handful that I always come back to, and others spend most of their time on a shelf, only coming down once in a while

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] PointMoney@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Mainly because I don't use EQ much and I really like to observe different sound signatures as they come originally.

That and I have problems with my collecting habit

[–] Coel_Hen@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Can you show me on this headphone amp where our collections hurt you?

[–] STB_tatekan@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (3 children)

You have no idea what you're talking about whatsoever.

That may sound harsh - but that's just it.

[–] EllieBirb@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

I don't see what's wrong with what he said. I'd rather own a very expensive, low-distortion headphone with extremely good technicalities that I can EQ to my liking whenever I want, than 5 mid headphones that sound different.

In fact I've done this, with the time I spent with an Arya. Worked utterly wonderfully.

[–] AntOk463@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

He asked a question.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] IllogicalOrder@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

"I just think they're neat!"

[–] Kirei13@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I agree. Having different kinds is good but you don't need 5+ closed/open back headphones. Same goes for IEMs or wireless earbuds.

[–] natidone@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Wireless has some of the best use cases for multiples due to the built in dac/amp/dsp and limited ability for EQ. I have

  • most comfortable
  • best sounding
  • best mic
  • best anc
  • most stable while working out
[–] BrightTooth3@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

What's your most stable one while working out?

[–] Comprehensive-Net553@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

shopping spree I guess.The step are usually like: something hype-buy it-first listen-didn't impress-change tip/eq-feel better-later on comback to non eq-feel sound better, cycle repeat and other are set to collect dust

[–] AntOk463@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

I have one of each type of headphone, and I sell one when I replace it. It just naturally happened that way and I'm happy with it. I have a planar, a dynamic driver, a closed back, and an IEM. And I haven't felt the need to upgrade or get something else.

[–] TheBlackFatCat@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

I have 2 and I'm fine with that

[–] abc133769@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Iems are nice on the go with good isolation , openbacks are great for soundstage.

Can't eq that, they just provide different experiences

[–] DJGammaRabbit@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (3 children)

Practicality.

Earbuds that are 12 years old.

Headphones that leak sound, low ohm.

New IEMs, for house. Better isolation.

New IEMs, cheaper, for biking and gaming.

New planar IEMs for home sound quality. Too expensive to bike with.

New headphones that sound better, high ohm.

[–] Juan-punch_man@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Polite question 2 - why do you use the cheap IEMs for gaming and not the expensive ones?

[–] eoz@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Some competitive multiplayer games use sound cues that can be muffled by cheap IEMs or which don’t give you as good a directional cue as you need. Along with gyro aim and flick stick (or so I’ve heard) it’s one of the secret weapons of high-level play.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (2 replies)
[–] moose51789@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Cause they have different things they excel at that eq can't just solve. I've got a paid if fairly neutral cans I use most of the time, and when I feel like destroying my ears with edm bass I've got a pair that are very bass heavy without being just eq distortion

[–] KingBasten@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Sometimes I wanna buy something nice, because I got a bunch of extra disposable income and a chunk of that already added to my savings. So I wanna treat myself for once, but then I don't know what to buy except headphones lol.

[–] ducttaperulestheworl@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Headphones is like clothes to me. Today's not the same as tomorrow.

[–] Havib3@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Why do people have so many pairs of sneakers or watches or handbags or cars

[–] Onetufbewby@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Yeah, I don’t get it when you can just EQ one of each /s

[–] Antiwhippy@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Not even EQ andies like Resolve or DMS would tell you that EQ = every headphone lol.

[–] Leading-Leading6319@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

So I can give it to people I care for just in case they want to try alternatives other that what we've been used to all our lives which are audio devices worth less than $10. Although nowadays I'm seeing more and more cheaper alternatives with similar audio quality for a fraction of the price.

[–] mini337@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

You can't EQ a bass shelf into a 6XX, you can't EQ the timbre of a 6x0 series headphone into a planar, you can't EQ the treble extension of iems into a headphone reliably. That's the reason.

[–] xXRyuuGinXx@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

I can only speak for myself but I just have one headphone. xD
Well within this week a second one because I got a good black friday deal but it will replace my 13 year old Audio Technica ATH-M30 and I think that I won't use them anymore.

[–] neliste@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

I would like to know the answer too.

[–] VonDinky@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

I have like 5 pairs of Porta Pros in different colors and variations. :D What if they sometime go out of market, then I need a stock of them. :D

[–] SomeHyena@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Two wireless: one consumer level with active noise cancelling, one that's heavy with shit battery life but uses tech to sound closer to wired. They legit sound amazing over Bluetooth but whatever tech it uses only has line a 5 ft range and nerfs the battery from about 5 hours play time to like 30 minutes to an hour.

Three open backs: one bassy, one flat, one high grade (but too heavy to move around with much)

Two closed backs: one planar for a bit of separation, one "fun" that works great with EQ but is objectively a mediocre headphone. Really great to use for games.

None of my headphones were bought for over 500 dollars, and sure I could EQ some so sound similar, there's always something about each pair that another can't quite replicate, even with EQ. Like, you can't just add haptic bass like the Skullcandy crushers have. You can't increase sound stage well with EQ so open backs are always a bit better for that. Fostex T50RP Mk3 with Dekoni pads have a lot of planar positives, but can be EQd to basically be "planar bass cannons", or as close as planars can really be. AKG k712 are great for mixing music and things, but are basically objectively bland for actually listening for pleasure. They're basically work headphones. My "daily driver" headphones are closed back Hifiman Sundaras because I like their sound a lot for everything from games to music.

Not everyone needs multiple headphones, and not everyone wants multiple headphones. But to pretend like EQ makes all headphones perfectly equal is disingenuous, and all headphones do tend to serve different purposes.

[–] Apprehensive-Guess69@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Because I can afford it.

[–] drdoofensucc@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

As others have said, there's more to the sound of headphones than just EQ.

As a small example, listening to digital music, I prefer headphones with better imaging and wide soundstage, whereas when I listen to vinyl, I prefer a warmer sound with a more intimate soundstage. These kind of properties are more inherent to the headphones themselves and can't be controlled in EQ.

There's also no one size fits all solution for a headphone that responds well to eq. On something like a dt770, you can crank up the bass and rattle your skull, but with something like an hd600, cranking up the bass like that just makes the music sound muddy and imprecise.

Fit is also a big one. On a hot summer day, I'd prefer to use something with a loose fit and more breathable pads, but some days, I'd rather have something with a tighter fit and velour pads.

[–] ThatsPurttyGood101@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Same reason I have had so many airsoft guns. Sure one can do the job, but it's fun buying and selling them and getting to try different ones out along the way

[–] abottleofglass@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

I'm good with three at max. (Two for daily driving (Tangzu Wan'er and Moondrop Chu II), and one for bed (Moondrop Quarks))

[–] zerosuneuphoria@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Sound, looks, comfort, different genres especially. I try not to own multiple from the same brand.

[–] -notausername_@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

For me it was because I was trying to find my preferred sound signature, and chifi makes it much easier and less expensive 😂 For iems at least I found my end game in Hifiman RE2000 I got on sale. I also have Sundaras and focal elegia, open back vs closed back for obvious reasons.

[–] iwasjusttwittering@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

I have a collection of vintage headphones. It's been fun discovering how the products evolved. For my favorite models, I've snagged spares whenever possible.

According to my spreadsheet, I might have about 60 pairs total.

That being said, I listen to podcasts through speakers most of the time, so maybe it's time to move on.

[–] MadFable@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

I get what your saying and honestly I mostly agree with you. For myself I have about 11 different headphones currently. I've owned about 20. However I did not do this intentionally as this happened naturally to me as all I wanted was to discover what sound signature truly resonates with myself. All these headphones collecting dust helped me along to find what I wanted.

Or in other words, chasing the sound. As a true person with the disease of audiophilia I use music to listen to my headphones!

Breaking into speakers now. Oh, and vintage amps!

It'll never end!

[–] Solarflareqq@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

I only have 1 good set

The rest are spares and junk I'd never get my money back selling.

[–] SnooMarzipans2944@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

I do not know how I ended up with so many IEMs. I suspect there’s a virus in my phone that automatically adds them to my shopping cart and checks them out without my knowledge. Bad virus!

[–] dennisbeigeman@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Some people really don't understand a simple concept of hobbies involving collections, don't they??

[–] Juan-punch_man@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

There’s two arguments to be made here:

  1. EQ does not “completely change” your headphone. It’s not the same as having a separate pair. If you sometimes want to hear your music in multiple different ways you need to own multiple headphones.

  2. While the first statement is true there is a moment when if you have too many pairs of headphones you can’t realistically use them all and some of them end up collecting dust and being useless.

How many headphones is too many headphones? Well that depends on the individual maybe. I personally can’t really use more than 3 pairs regularly.

[–] Hercule-Porotta@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

I don't have too many, but its really nice to have different flavours. Also switching to a shitty headphone now and then helps me appreciate good music which will otherwise be taken for granted :)

[–] blazezero25@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

my money has to go somewhere

[–] JAaSgk@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

EQ only does so much. Also .. I have 1 open back headphone and one iem that I use. One for the go one for at home. I do have some pairs that I just dont use nomore but I dont think that counts.

[–] ApolloMoonLandings@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Perhaps because different sound signatures tend to be more suitable for specific music genres?

load more comments
view more: next ›