i almost fell victim to this but thank god i got out
I have a pair of Porta Pros in my backpack, AKG K7XX at work, and AKG K240 MKII at home
I got an hd6xx a few months ago since the headphones I’ve had for over a decade finally broke. They were definitely an upgrade and there are some differences with hifi headphones but nothing massive. I’m glad I didn’t go for the super high end part of the market.
I have Sennheiser hd600. They are mindblowingly and I’ll never upgrade from them (may need to fix them a few times since the build quality is shoddy). I had to mess with the eq quite a lot to get them to sound perfect though. You can use auto eq, but everyone hears things slightly differently so I do it by ear until I like how it sounds.
I will say that koss ksc75 headphones (with some help from an EQ) can get 70% of the quality of the hd600 and it’s like 20$.
Question about open ear headphones, how bad is sound leakage? I wouldn’t blast music with headphones on in the office but is even moderate listening volumes pretty noticeable?
It really depends on the headphones, my sundaras sound like I’m wearing miniature speakers on my head. I let my friend try them out and he had them turned up really loud, I could hear his music through the door and down the hallway lol.
At a comfortable listening volume, in a pretty quiet place (like a library) they could tell you’re playing something, but that’s about it. If a fan or ac is running, or a person is peaking then it’s unnoticeable.
If you’re playing music at louder volumes they could probably tell what you’re listening to.
I listen with my 5$ headphone I had for 2 years it’s still sounds good to me
Porta pros are GOATed. If I’d tried those first I probably would have saved myself $1000 on headphones lol.
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Get yourself a generally well regarded set of headphones, then look into HTTPS://AUTOEQ.app, and you’ll have a great time. You don’t have to go ridiculous to get amazing audio.
Oh, that’s a handy app for several uses, thx!
just tried it. Not sure if it sounds better or I’m listening more closely than before. either way, I’m listening.
I just got it set up with wavelet using my Sony wh-1000xm3 headphones. It’s interesting. I think it’s better. The autoeq preset definitely makes it a lot cleaner sounding with a bit more definition in the highs. Turning the eq off makes it sound fuller, but also muddier.
I have the xm4. and it’s true, sounds so much cleaner. once I turn it off it sounds grubby
When did they get a website? That is pretty neat
It’s absolutely fantastic! If you read the FAQ for it it even provides instructions on how you can use it to “simulate” other headphones default sound signature on yours which is very neat!
Holy shit headphones!
A buddy at work got me onto the craze, maybe not $1000 range, but def in the hundreds. I used to have a pair of grados I modded to be detachable (they were later stolen :(… ). Based on those he recommended me Fostex T50rps, which are currently my big daddy, pure enjoyment headphones. I modded those for greater comfort and sound, and I love them to death. He was also generous enough to give me a pair of tinhfi earbuds, I love those for crystal clear audio. And relevant to the first pic, my sister got me portapros for christmas, and I absolutely adore them for everyday use. And the retro design just sends it that much higher. I also modded them to have detachable cables, couldn’t do with the flimsy ones they came with. I also ended up getting a DAP, which wasn’t too necessary, but I couldn’t pass on the aesthetic of just having a player on my desk with the album art always showing. Just trying to grow my FLAC collection now, God I love music.
Just had to gush a little. Thanks for reading.
I got the Tin T2s years ago and they’ve been my fav way to listen casually since then!
Full sized headphones unfortunately give me headaches but I remember the Fostex T50rps fondly, I was never brave enough to try modding my headphones but what you’ve done sounds awesome!
I used to collect headphones but I moved across the entire US a couple years ago and I couldn’t bring my collection with me and the hobby’s just too expensive to get back into for me right now lol. Sony MDR 7506s were my fav for a while, but I only had room for my fav earbuds and one pair of headphones in my luggage and I ended up grabbing my Tin T2s, T3s, and T4s; Moondrop Starfields; and House of Marley Liberate Air and House of Marley Exodus. Exodus being the full sized headphones I decided to keep. Not the best sounding for my taste but I like the way they look more than any other headphones I had and since I do most of my listening through IEMs I decided that was good enough lol
Thanks for sharing, I love headphones
The Exodus looks beautiful! Speaking of the Sony’s, he also recommended me those for clean sound. I technically do have the money to buy, but I can’t justify another pair of headphones right now. It’s a shame you couldn’t take your collection. Thank you, too!
Thanks, yeah, I gave all the headphones I couldn’t take with me away to friends, though, so they went to good homes :)
The 7506s did have very clean sound! That’s my preference which is why i liked them so much :3
The Exodus’ don’t sound bad, they just have too much bass for my tastes but I’m pretty happy to eq it down in software. I just really like the wood look of them
I listen to music on my phone’s speaker. Fight me.
I’ll fight you if I catch you doing that in public. Might even murder you if I’m feeling cute.
I’m on board to help you hide the body.
and me I will bribe the police
Fr, everyone knows you should have the decency to at least bring a Bluetooth speaker with you so the whole train can hear.
It’s all good. I try not to go in public too much, and when I do, I’m most certainly not the chode playing music on a speaker.
What’s funny is that the cheaper ksc75 (ksc75x) also by koss like the porta pros, are highly regarded as a great budget headphone by most audiophiles.
They can be modded like the porta pros with a headphone band, new pads and removable cable but as long as you look after them they don’t need to be.
They’re comfortable, cheap and sound great. Not for bass heads though.
Any suggestions for ones for bass heads?
If you have an amp: Modhouse Argons. The Fostex t50rp is built like a tank, and while it’s not the most resolving planar in the world the sound signature is just a ton of fun. I’ve had various t50rp mods for 15+ years, none of them have broken and the argons are in my top 3 of all time. But they really do drink about 1 watt per channel, so if you’re not already in the deep end, just avoid jumping in altogether.
No amp: KSC75/porta pros are pretty bassy, they just lack sub bass. Plenty of impact though, and for most music it’s all you really need. Pick youself up an $10 apple dongle (apple sucks but their dongle dac is legitimately a great value) and you have about 90% of what an audiophile spent thousands to achieve.
Another no-amp option could be Monoproce retro headphones. It’s sort of like an akg 240 clone but fully closed. The stock pads are terrible, but with some xl leather pads they become very comfortable and super bassy. The pads and cans are like $25 each; it’s a pretty unbeatable value. But they are also a bit of a one trick pony, if you’re looking to daily drive something the akg K371 would be a better rounded option.
Get a pair of decent planars that take eq well, they do something special with the bass compared to a normal dynamic driver that I just fell in love with. My personal preferred pairs are modhouse argons and hifiman sundara and they both sound beastly when you crank the bass up but still retain very clear sound.
Both will require an amp though, which I realize will put a lot of people off, but it’s so worth it if you’re really into music. It was like discovering all my albums over again.
With a bit of help from an EQ they have a decently punchy bass, but still lack in the very lowest frequencies.
I’d suggest some open backed headphones for home use. They really change how things sound making them sound a bit more natural especially in games. You can get sub-$100 ones as well. Biggest downside is your can’t really get wireless ones.
Also has anyone else found that BT headsets on Windows don’t work? Windows forces a different driver when you use the mic and everything sounds like crap.
stop giving me ideas lmao
Pssss look what I have for you
https://store.hifiman.com/index.php/ananda-stealth-magnet-version.html
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(ignores pleas and shares more tech you don’t need :p )
This is what I got in like 2017 and they still are going strong.
https://www.amazon.com/Philips-SHP9500S-Precision-Over-ear-Headphones/dp/B00ENMK1DW?th=1
There’s tons of better ones but they go up in price. Also they intentionally bleed a LOT of sound so you can’t wear them places where you need either to isolate your sound or get isolated from other sound. That’s a benefit: if you’re wearing them and the music is low enough or silent, you can hear things normally in the room.
There’s a wireless Ananda. Probably the best sounding wireless headphones, but I’ve been out of the scene for at least a year so there may have been advancements since. Focal Bathys is decent too but not open back iirc
Oof, $800. That’s waaay into audiophile territory. Not worth paying 10x the price to lose the wires. I agree with the op post in that I don’t need that kind of quality. Budget wireless open back headphones are all im looking for.
Grado makes a wireless set but idk if you’d consider $275 budget pricing.
GRADO GW100x https://a.co/d/esw95s7
I tried those but somehow they were the most uncomfortable headphones ever. I’d also have to give up using it’s mic which was half the reason I got them.
Almost forgot about the hifiman deva, it’s been a while since I went looking for wireless open-backs. The cups on those should be much more comfortable than the grados.
Oooh neat. I haven’t seen those before. Good price and reviews suggest it doesn’t weigh it towards the BT adapter side. I might grab those. Thanks!
If you’re willing to deal with a bit of bulk there are adapters. They look silly but I hear they work fine. Or even better, you could get a portable amp like the Qudelix 5k and just mount it to the headband. This is max silliness and adds a significant amount of bulk, but the 5k also allows for EQ.
Anyway I agree, stick with budget. I fucked up and got way into it and I don’t think it’s improved my life. It’s way less convenient as well. Like with most things in life, better to not stray from accessible options, especially for taste-based things that you might accidentally like too much.
I can only have open headphones, closed ones make my ears very uncomfortable.
BD DT 1990T Pros are amazing, maybe a bit cleaner than I’m used to.
Just for the kicks I got xDuoo TA-30, and oh my god that looks absolutely amazing, and sounds even better.
I have no idea what I’m doing btw, just buying random things that sounded good at the shop.
Nice. I got a cheap tube amp recently. I can’t really tell a difference but the fact that it was a headphone amp that also had speaker wire outs was exactly what I needed. So hard to find that.
What shop has that kind of gear to try?
They had to order it, they actually ordered both 20 and 30, so I could try both of them with my headphones at the shop.
That part was great.
What wasn’t great that the shop did not have a room for such tests, so I was at the counter, with music blasting from every corner, my open headphones, and two different amps made absolutely no difference, specially when one had to be fully disconnected so the other could be plugged in. So a switch took about three minutes, and if there was any difference, I would not be able to hear it. The clerk said something about the big lamp adding some warmth or something, so I took that one.
And the 30 looked so much better. I wish I could try the 20 at home, but I doubt they would let me. Anyway, I have no regrets regarding my purchase, I only regret I have so little time to sit down and listen to music :(
For the BT headsets audio quality, you should be able to change the audio mode as it might be selecting Headset (HSP/HFP) by default which is used when you need to use the microphone. Instead select High Fidelity A2DP mode which will stop the microphone working but give you the proper audio quality.
which will stop the microphone working but give you the proper audio quality.
Yeah, I got the Grado BT headset they had and this was my choice: good audio quality and no mic. Or it actually functions as a headset but the audio quality is so bad it sounds like everything is underwater. I ended up just returning it and if I going back to my wired open-backed headset+mic.
I have hearing damage from fireworks, firearms, DJ work, and working in a factory. Being an audiophile was never in the cards. $30 corded headset.
I have tinnitus with two different frequencies constantly blaring in my ears from target shooting and loud concerts sans ear protection.
You’ll be able to tell the difference in a quality pair of headphones, trust me.
Longest I’ve had a pair of Porta Pros was 9 years. They went trough 4 cables, 3 sets of pads and 2 headbands before they died.
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Mx 300 gang, it’s basically the 770 with a mic and they’re great
Yeah I’m good with my Beyerdynamic 250 ohm DT 990 Editions…
But I did need an external amp to push them…
Well I could use an EQ to smooth them out a bit…
OK, so I love gaming, going to need another EQ and a good mixer…
Well that was nice, but now I really need a mix amp for gaming and splitting of my mic…
Looks like I need a better mic… I wonder if I should go XLR…
I’m good with whatever I have and I couldn’t even tell you what brand they are but everything sounds great
Any real audiophile would never increase any frequency in an EQ. Got berated for that once
DSP? Analog EQ?
As an audiophile that forgets all his research after I make the purchase and set it up, I have no idea what you’re “supposed” to do. In my headphones I just listen to everything flat.
Home theaters literally need EQing, channel by channel, to get a flat response in your viewing space (because acoustics stuff), however.
Thanks! I hope it does too.
Typically speaking, you’d want to cut instead of boost. Cutting is easy; You just reduce the volume. Boosting is much more complicated, because you need to “add” signal where none exists. So boosts tend to be noisy and/or outright distorted, while cuts will maintain a clean audio signal.
Need to boost around 2KHz? Try cutting everything else instead.
That’s cool AF thanks!
What’s the problem with it, as long as it’s not clipping?
Shit son I still have my Portapros next to my HD555s and Accentums (which I actually use day to day because fuck the death of headphone jacks) and they’re fine. I’ve had these Portapros for over two decades and they work, and Koss has (had) one of the most generous warranties in the business. Shit, their service options are still great!
I’m sorry that my lack of wood knobs on my home media player ruins the experience of listening to my 24-bit flacs produced in a DAW by people who don’t care about reel to reels, carried by a cheap Cat6 cable that I repeatedly step on because ITS A FUCKING ETHERNET CABLE.
The last time I stopped giving a shit about audiophile shit was when PCI sound cards officially stopped being a thing, taking EAX with it.
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The first thing I would do if I had a massive windfall is upgrade my main home theater speakers, get speaker amps, power cleansers, etc. Then my desktop headphones and amp and sound card. Then my bedroom home theater speakers. Then get a kick-dick studio monitor setup with equally kick dick interface.
Oh yeah…
Then I’d check my bank account and go back to work, deaf and happy.
