What are /r/headphones' favorite Products & Services?

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Had for $70 CAD on amazon. Completely floored. These sound a country mile better than the IE80s I have been using, which were nearly 6 times more expensive (CAD, at time of purchase). The 4 way balanced armature config with single dynamic driver delivers a performance I never fucking expected out of them. The detail in the highs, clear mids and the low end rolloff gives me shivers. Cable is 8-strand braided silver, inline mic only cost an extra 5 dollars. The absolute madlads at KZ fucking did it.

They fucking did it.

Edit: I was a bit worked up over these earlier so now that I've calmed down I'll also add that the imaging is solid, sound stage is pretty good, I think the soundstage on the original Sennheiser HD1 IEM (now rebranded as Momentum IEM or something like that) might be a bit better. The 4-by armatures though really turn this from a good sub-100 dollar IEM system to absolutely fantastic though. The detail and clarity across its frequency response range is just downright lethal. Like I said, KZ did it.

Edit 2: I am probably going to pick up this cable for it later on down the line.

I got you, fam: Bluetooth Sleep Headphones Sleeping Mask Headband,Wu-Minglu Music Sweatband Wireless Headband Headphones https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TB7MQPL/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_wNhlDbV4EJRJR

Seriously though, it's pretty weak on the headphone side. Bought a giant Belkin power strip to fit all the huge wall warts from my Schiit stack at home.

For headphone deals, the 1more triple driver over ear is back on Drop for only $130. Not the best, but a strong option at that price point. They did make it onto Tyll's Wall of Fame.

Hmm, I wonder if you had good sealing IEMs like Etymotic and then earmuffs on top of that. You'd look ridiculous but oh my god the isolation.

Nice score! They are crying out for some TLC though...

I'd suggest you give them a deep clean, replace the ear pads (€23 on Amazon) and just listen to some tunes (the Soundblaster Z should be more than sufficient to power them). If you don't like the sound, you could always sell them on. New they go for around €120 on Amazon and secondhand examples fetch around €50 (at least they do in the Netherlands).

It might not be Tidal just your everyday password dump. Some site got breached and your info got sold. Check out https://haveibeenpwned.com/ to see what breaches it was and get yourself a password manager and give every account a unique password.

Foobar2000

It may look plain, but you can customize the heck out of it (Screenshot of my ugly setup just to give you an idea). It can pretty much do anything you would ever need it to do with music.

Isine lx - $99!!!!

A steal for anyone wanting to try out the isine sound.

iSINE LX in-Ear | Semi Open Headphone | Planar Magnetic https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078TL9Z42/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_.WilDbXQKB2M0

Also isine 10 for $150

You can use this for temporary relief, at least. It's kinda trippy to hear silence again, even if it is just for a few seconds. Try the different presets—I like the original Neural Hack, and the Neural Drops.

There are all sorts of ways, for free there are websites that will help you calibrate your monitor but (obviously) that's not a very accurate way of doing it. Just Google "monitor color calibration" and there should be a bunch of sites to help you, it's certainly better than nothing and will make a big difference.

http://www.calibrize.com/ This is a really good free utility if you are able to install programs on your PC (not suited to work etc). It's not as good as a proper calibration tool but it's fantastic for a free utility, I used it for a long time.

If you use a popular monitor model then maybe somebody has already created a calibrated profile to suit it, just Google your monitor's model and "ICC profile". But again, this is not a very accurate way of doing it, since colour calibration relies on the ambient light in your room, your brightness settings, etc.

The best way (and arguably the only accurate way) to do it is to buy an actual monitor calibrating device. They are basically cameras that take photos of your monitor while flashing reference colors. The software then calculates the difference between what it knows to be the correct colour and what your monitor is actually displaying, and adjusts your colour profile accordingly.

An entry level calibrator will set you back maybe $100? The X-Rite Colormunki Smile (ignore the silly name) is a really great device for beginners and has very accurate results. Literally all you do is plug it in, install the software, start the calibration, and it's done. It automatically saves the calibrated colours as your default colour profile etc, nothing else needs to be done.

It's a good deal considering you can use it on as many computers as you want, hell loan it to a friend for $10!

I don't trust web-based audio compression tests, especially since its so easy to ABX in your own controlled environment. With foo_abx, you can select the music you like, know the exact compression settings, number of trials to make it statistically significant, fast seeking from A to B, etc.

With that said, its a good thing for Tidal to raise awareness and make people think about the sound quality of their streaming music.

SanDisk Ultra microSDXC UHS-I cards

• 64gb - $14.99

• 128gb - $29.99

• 200gb - $49.99 (choose Amazon as the seller. Out of stock, but you can still order, and it will ship when restocked).

Great choices! That's a very well performing set. :-)

I wouldn't even call it a "beginner's set". Those two will handle probably 95% or more of most users' general needs.

If you want to change out the knob on the atom, this one fits perfectly, and lets you see a bit more of the led behind the knob. Solid aluminum, knurled surface. I went with blue, but black looks great on the atom too.

The Switch supports standard USB-C DACs so you should be able to get pretty good audio out of it using something like the iPad Pro headphone dongle. It won't fix bad encoding but it'll fix the noise floor at least.

It's probably best to pair it with a right angle adapter to mitigate the awkward placement of the USB-C port.

(reposted because automoderator deletes posts containing amazon shortlinks...)

You should consider changing the pads to Brainwavz HM5 pads, it makes them sound so much better. Way better clarity in the highs, decongests the mid range, and the un-muddles the bass. They also get a lot more comfy too...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OLKV5Q8/

Lots of colors available too. https://imgur.com/i3YKFFh

The stock pads (either of them) do not compare at all to these.

Before you do all that work, make a blind A/B X and decide whether all that ripping is actually worth the effort.

*edit:

• This page is also very helpful http://mp3ornot.com/
• and if you decide to start ripping FLAC use EAC

This is very likely to be a scam. The fact that they are offering extra money (without you asking anything) is a red flag. Please read this page if you haven't already: https://www.craigslist.org/about/scams

Brainwavz HM5 Velor Memory Foam Replacements Earpads - Suitable For Many Other Large Over The Ear Headphones - AKG, HifiMan, ATH, Philips, Fostex https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MFDX4YO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_o9isCb5S1622Z

These saved my head and ears and I love them.

https://www.amazon.com/KZ-Hard-Sided-Multifunction-Protective-Earphones/dp/B07D2D71M2/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=kz+case&qid=1556903868&s=gateway&sr=8-3

Get yourself a good pair of audiophile earplugs, you wont want to break the seal because they actually make most concerts sound better.

The Etymotic earplugs are tuned to let in a natural sounding frequency curve and will smooth out the harsh peaks that a lot of concert halls have.

It is, but it'll cost you your soul (or one months rent)

https://smile.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-800-Reference-Headphone/dp/B00PXLX2TC/ref=sr_1_3?crid=282GU3IAPSM6U&dchild=1&keywords=sennheiser+headphones+800s&qid=1595638896&sprefix=sennh%2Caps%2C193&sr=8-3

For those of you new to Tidal use https://soundiiz.com/ to convert your playlists from Spotify over to Tidal.

When I first moved over a year ago I had a few playlists that had over 3000 tracks so there was no way in hell I wanted to manually rebuild those lists on Tidal. That site made it painless.

I posted V1 here about a year ago:

https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/4gan4x/one_way_to_get_your_schiit_together/

Then I found some 90 degree plugs on amazon that I could solder to:

https://www.amazon.com/KK-01-4-Adapter-Plated-Solder-Connector/dp/B01MFZXKI6

A couple minutes of careful measuring and soldering and I was back in business.

There's so much more clarity with these and much less pipe-clampy sounding... Nope, they sound exactly the same, but can't wiggle apart on their own anymore. I might still wrap it in sugru so the wires are protected.

you can always jump on the china iem hypetrain for 50 bucks...

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https://www.amazon.com/TIN-T2-Dynamic-Earphone-Headphones/dp/B07DL2FPBL

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Don't recognize them but I get the feeling from the looks and my own experience that those are probably god awful headphones. Probably on the same level as these monstrosities

HIDIZS/Tempotec Sonata USB C DAC for $23 HERE

Been stalking this one for a while, it had been $45 with $10 off coupon, now its $33 with the $10 off coupon

Like $270

CA Comet $199 plus shipping

FiiO M3K $69 free shipping on Amazon

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Actually they should use opus. xiph.org actually considers vorbis to be obsolete, whith opus there to replace it.

> From a technical point of view (loss, delay, bitrates, ...) it should replace both Vorbis and Speex, and the common proprietary codecs too.

From the opus faq: https://wiki.xiph.org/OpusFAQ

First pair of high fidelity headphones and I’m honestly speechless..

The highs are crystal clear but not too harsh, the mids are punchy in all the right places, and the low end is just phenomenal. I produce electronic music and my mixes are already much cleaner after buying these.

I bought an FiiO K3 DAC to run them through, and this thing is a freaking beast.

One thing to consider is that the settings for iTunes Plus (256k AAC -q 127 / constrained) can be a little different from the settings used by some encoders by default on 320k AAC (some of the Quicktime ones in particular produce <em>medium</em> quality encodes and not the max 127 quality setting). This was discussed many moons ago during that whole Tidal kerfuffle. I'd be interested to see if you could repeat the same ABX with the maximum quality iTunes Plus settings. Edit: I've tried a few times and failed pretty miserably each time, but that's just me.

https://www.amazon.com/Horn-Shaped-Earphones-Patented-Replacement-Silicone/dp/B08SWHBSBX/

If you have any issues with the ear tip's fitting or sound and have $10 to spend, try these. Much more comfortable and never pushes out. Doesn't put pressure on my ear canals either like foam tips, or compress the sound while adding extra bass, which this IEM already has enough of. The wide boar design I like to keep that sound open. And smaller than the small-size stock ear tips that come with the Aria, if you also have small ear holes.

Fixing the cable is easy however it'll bother you.

Just buy it

Replacement Cable for SENNHEISER Headphones HD650 HD600 HD580 HD535 HD545 HD565 HD265 with 1/4" 6.3mm plug https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0028PGXRE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_L9U-Bb0NSC9E8

I've got a pair of https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077D5ZGSB that I literally never use. no idea how they compare with the RHAs, but I figure cheap IEMs are cheap IEMs. message me your address and you can have them.

Equalizer APO

https://sourceforge.net/projects/equalizerapo/

Then down this UI extension for it

https://sourceforge.net/projects/peace-equalizer-apo-extension/

I use this combo myself and it's perfect way to balance out various cans weak or strong points. I generally keep my EQ balanced with minor bass and high tweaks. I mostly use this to prevent clipping (there is a check mark for that on peace UI)

I got it from amazon

It looks nice and seems stable enough, even with the heavy LCD-2s

Have you tried foam tips? The Comply foam tips are superior IMO due to the wax guard you can get built in, but they deteroriate on me rapidly as I use them as hearing protection at work as well. They reduce loud noises by about 30 db or more it seems which is enough for what I do. I recommend these if wax guards are not necessary. I think they may be a bit sturdier too, while being very soft.

Just got some yesterday. They’re really nice but the bass isn’t great. The stock tips also aren’t that great but I bought some cheap ones off amazon that people said they like. I’m going to try a mod I saw for these that is supposed to make the bass better.

I’d say they’re worth it for this price. I just got them for $45

These are the tips I got: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071HT121F/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_DkNpCbX1RSND2

Link because I am a big ball of derp and I didn't make a link post. https://www.amazon.com/Full-Size-Magnetic-Over-Ear-Headphones-Woodgrain/dp/B00K6JEYD4

When googling I get this on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Brookstone-Purple-Headphones-External-Speakers/dp/B015ORGFNE

>I usually blast white noise into my headphone but it makes me tired and my ears are buzzing sometimes.

You need to stop doing this, as in right now, and never do it again at that volume, it sounds like you're giving yourself hearing damage. Never use headphones or earbuds to overpower outside noises.

If you want a quieter time working you could try using something like these. If you want to not be distracted then just listen to music at a reasonable volume and learn to not pay attention to those sounds because you will still hear them no matter what you use.

If those noises are so distracting they're limiting your ability to work or if your ears are sensitive to those sounds to that point, you should consult a doctor about it. But no matter what, stop trying to overpower the sound with headphones.

yes that's totally possible, all you need is the necessary tracking equipment.

• You will need this
• and this

No more stepping on the cable and pulling the headphones off the table!

I finally learned how to solder headphone wire using this: http://hackaday.com/2016/11/22/iron-tips-soldering-headphones-and-enamel-wire/

It just takes a bit more time, but otherwise once you get the solder to stick, it acts like a normal wire.

It sounds great, no issues.

Not to belabor the point any further, but "being anal" is just a colloquialism for "being anal retentive", and there's really only one way to interpret it:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anal%E2%80%93retentive

If he said "you are an ass" (or heaven forbid he attach the "hole" at the end) then that would be totally different and completely justified. =)

These are the ones I used:

Amazon link

They seem fine to me though you could use any generic tips or even expensive Comply ones which presumably might be better quality.

OK, I'm not funny, it's actually a $16 replacement cable from Amazon.

NEOMUSICIA Replacement Audio upgrade Cable For Denon AH-D600 D7100 Headphone Black 1.8m - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LZ3RVB1/

Honestly though, it's about 98% shorter than the stock cable, seems to have good build quality, comes with a screw-on 3.5-6.3mm adapter, and sounds exactly the same.

The Elear, btw, are amazing. I agree with everything Tyll said in his review - it's the punchiness that gets you. Soundstage might be small, but this really does not bother me.

It’s actually the base of a headphone stand. It’s soft rubber so I don’t have to worry about my CIEMs getting scratched or damaged.

This one for anyone interested: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A09KCJ4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_0td2DbMHJWPG5

Niiiice dude.

I'ma big fan of the Avantree headphone stand.

Edit: Amazon link

You can connect the Magni with a 3.5mm&gt;RCA cable to the line out (green port) of the motherboard. Mobo audio should be at 100% and only the knob on the amp controls the volume. If that gives you clean sound without any distortion or constant electrical noise, you don't need to get a DAC.

In 2016, the $499 LCD-2 B-Stock sale occurred the day before Thanksgiving.

Last year, the introduction holiday pricing of $599 for the LCD-2 Classic was early in November, right around this same timeframe.

Who knows what is in store for this year? I have doubts that the LCD-3 will see any major discounts, since the focus seems to be targeting a lower price point for higher volume. My guess would be a repeat of the LCD-2 Classic sale (albeit slightly higher, at maybe $649), or perhaps a remote chance of another "holiday SKU" - but this one is unlikely.

ES100

EarStudio ES100-24bit Portable High-Resolution Bluetooth Receiver/USB DAC/Headphone Amp with LDAC, aptX HD, aptX, AAC (3.5mm Unbalanced & 2.5mm Balanced Output) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078H4YD2L/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ReGPDbH9K2TWK

These are well reviewed and are $30 off.

I own a DT 880 Chrome 600 ohm version so they do exist. All things considered, both versions are probably very similar.

https://www.amazon.com/BeyerDynamic-Premium-Special-Chrome-Version/dp/B075F9PDGM

Transfer speeds, power consumption, connection distance, etc. It's all a trade-off.

There are protocols like aptX-HD around now that are essentially* lossless, but the receivers for them are big bricks rather than tiny little dongles.

Sony WH-CH700N Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones, Black

https://www.amazon.com/Sony-WH-CH700N-Canceling-Headphones-WHCH700N/dp/B079GPFLT1/ref=gbph_tit_m-7_a8bd_36300e09?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&amp;pf_rd_p=b0b71198-a1c4-4ed1-943f-7bbe5ea8a8bd&amp;pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-7&amp;pf_rd_t=101&amp;pf_rd_i=5407...

Normally $198.00 USD, selling for $98.00 USD

Edit: /u/keanex suggested they could be fakes, and I think they must be right, as the amazon listing specifically cites all metal housing.

Last August or so, I ordered my first pair of Brainwavz Delta IEMs https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FSA8VQ2/, and I found that they lived up to the positive reviews in this sub (particularly build quality, with the full metal body). They crapped out a week ago (which is fine and within my expectations) and I happily ordered a new pair, but they're quite different! They came with the same nice multitude of accessories, but now the body is completely plastic, and a different clicker/mic doodad. More importantly, the sound quality is greatly diminished, particularly the volume of the bass. They're now, at best, just like all the other crappy cheap headphones, if not worse. Do not buy. I will be returning mine, if possible.

Would be me but I'm broke :(

I tried those Audio Technica IEMs. Erm they're not as great as the anime made it out to be.

These headphones started their life as a plain old set of Audio Technica ATH-M50s with a straight cable. A few months ago I got a desire for better audio quality so I started looking online for modifications, not wanting to replace the headphones I already had. I found some folks online that had done open ear modifications with some success in improving quality.

I decided to move forward with the conversion, as well as switching to a removable cable. I messaged Audio Technica about getting another factory cable end. They said they didn't sell just the end, but that they would send me a whole new cable. Best of all? They sent it free! I took the two cables, determined the length I wanted, and soldered them together then used heat shrink to make it look as nice as possible.

Flash forward to a couple months ago and I learned that the Google Pixel 2 wouldn't have an aux port. I decided to convert to bluetooth, so I went to Amazon searching for an adapter. I found a bunch, so I ordered a couple and ended up using this one because the quality was the better of the two I tried and the price was right.

I took it apart and soldered it into my headphones with a switch, made a hole to charge through, and epoxied it in place.

They've been working great so far and the quality is really good! I can also still use them hard wired if I so choose.

> I’ll probably end up contacting Amazon later today and see what they want me to do.

You dont have to do anything. You are legally entittled by US law to keep it.

USA Government Source

Tech Article

Here is the Amazon page. Some of the other images are beautiful.

Parts

1. Fidelio X2 headphones
2. Fiio uBTR
3. 6&quot; Aux cable

The FiiO uBTR supports both AAC and AptX, and it gets the headphones plenty loud. Has a built in clip and clips right to the headphone band and does not get in the way.

The way I have it clipped, the buttons face up. If the have the buttons face down, then the wire looks a little cleaner, but the buttons are harder to get to.

You need a good android music player that supports channel balancing.

I use and recommend Poweramp

You can change channel balance very easily via the advanced equalizer settings.

> sibilance

This goes away after spending a little time with an EQ.

My M50X's spend 90% of their time playing Spotify through my work laptop. It took me a while to find a decent, system-wide EQ for Windows, but I've been having good luck with Equalizer APO. I toned down the highs a bit, and pumped up the lows.

I was looking for a proper system wide EQ ages ago and this is exactly what you are looking for.

Equaliser APO is a system wide equaliser

Peace is a fancy GUI that runs on top of APO.

I haven't tried any uber expensive cables but I did buy this $17 cable off Amazon for my Elear because the stock cable was ridiculously bulky and annoying. Honestly I can't hear a single difference when compared side by side to the stock cable. Later, I also tried two different balanced cables for the Elear and again couldn't discern the difference.

Conversely, I bought a cable from Null Audio for my ER4PT because the stock cable was stupidly microphonic. I didn't expect to hear any differences but surprisingly, the Null Audio cable actually makes the ER4 audibly warmer. Not nearly as analytical as presented with the stock cable.

Take that as you will.

Raising the volume with a software above 0dB will clip the output and sound like shit.

If your phone can't get loud enough with the M100 (103dB/mW @ 32 Ohm) your are in dire need of a new phone.

In case you still want mess up sound quality with software use Poweramp

forget Amazon, got Beyerdynamic DT1350 for $80 (no I didn't need another pair of headphones...): https://slickdeals.net/f/11813863-beyerdynamic-dt1350-gold-limited-edition-closed-on-ear-headphones-80-free-s-h

Funny enough, neither do I. The "cables" became a meme when they first came out, but they are sold pretty much everywhere. The abundance of them tells me that there is a market for them. Apple and their accessory makers can sell anything to an Apple fanatic.

Check it out: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LVZ4SXN/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_H0PZW5W5874RQPEBPHAX

FWIW, they're also $315 on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-650-Professional-Headphone/dp/B00018MSNI

Delivery time is significantly shorter than Best Buy's if you have Amazon Prime. Dunno how the return policies compare.

If you're in the US, the silver ones are available now. The black ones were, too, but are now out of stock on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07G4MNFS1

It was recommended to me to do this using that or a phone, but to put the cup upside down on the desk with the device inside so you are making a seal. This is more similar to how it would be on your ears!

I just use sound meter on my phone with the microphone stuck into the cup and flat on my mouse pad.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.tools.soundmeter.decibel.noisedetector

How do we feel about the Audio technica ATH-ADG1X?

Picked up a set for £80 a couple months back and have been really happy with them so far, but no clue how they stack up against this sub's standards.

There's only one headphone. The Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro-80. I'm a raving evangelist for these phones. They come in right at the $200 mark, and can be had for $180 if you shop around carefully, or used for $100 on eBay. They have fantastic treble detail and very deep, tight bass. They're also phenomenally comfortable, perhaps among the most comfortable headphones at any price. They're very well-built and have a long straight cord.

They often get compared to the M50's (which I haven't heard personally) but the Beyers have bigger and deeper ear-cups, so deep in fact that your ears probably won't touch the screen of the driver (this is CRUCIAL for long-term listening).

I wear mine 7 hours/day at work listening to audiobooks, music, television, etc. They isolate very well, letting little sound in and basically nothing out.

They can be a little tight on your head out-of-the-box (many headphones are) but unlike some other brands, these can be easily loosened up just by stretching/bending the headband out until they suit your needs. Under that pleather head pad is a sturdy flat steel band that can be loosened or tightened to your liking. I wear mine pretty loose.

Also, they're widely recommended as an excellent gaming headphone, with a surprisingly big soundstage for a closed design. Don't buy the Pro-80M or the Pro-250 model, neither is as well-suited to general use as the Pro-80.

EDIT: You're welcome. I promise you'll love the hell out of these.

Always come to the subreddit for the consumer items you want and get the gist of what people like for the thing you’re in need of before you purchase things. You can get a lot better for the same price if you look past the ultra popular on shelf options and just assume it’s dog shit, you usually want the “You’ve probably never heard of it” options.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N5VHLUG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_H2752VE40K8CX1SRYE5F?_encoding=UTF8&amp;psc=1 look at the alternative buying options on those, $95

I don’t remember what broke on my East Brooklyn Labs version of an M50X bluetooth adapter but now that there are other options available I thought I should give it another try. I found this chifi version available from an alternate seller for $7 with free shipping and placed an order expecting some kind of scam. Instead, I received a retail boxed product shipped from the US.

So far so good, installation and pairing was easy. I have no complaints about connectivity or sound quality. Power button also does pairing. There’s a separate play/pause button and volume up/down buttons that can control track skipping. Volume is juuuust under my preferred listening volume but is loud enough to isolate me from outside noise.

For $7, a no-brainer mod for M50X owners.

Thanks for reading.

One of my ears had a build-up of wax that cleared out after using some wax softener off of Amazon. It was this same subreddit that got me to try it. A lot more people have wax build-up causing hearing loss than you'd think. They'll blame it on old age, or get so used to it they forget what good audio sounds like. It's only really obvious when you go deaf or feel like you're under water.

There are also cases of tinnitus occurring from wax-build up or people puncturing their eardrums because they stuff their Q-tips deep inside. God forbid you live with tinnitus for the rest of your life.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0011WFO1G/

It's $8 bucks to clear out your ears of old wax and possibly improve your hearing. Might as well try a wax softener.

The Starfield case is not good. I don't know how Moondrop thought it was a good size. I was too worried about it potentially putting too much force on the 2-pin connection to use it. Didn't want the connector to break off in the IEMs themselves. Look into some aftermarket cases like this Linsoul one. Tons of cases like this unbranded on Aliexpress for a fraction of the price. Plenty of space in that case, too.

I was forced to buy an upgraded cable because the origional one that came had an issue around the mic where if pressure was applied to the cable sound would cut out.

I didn't venture into the BT cable because I've just never had good experiences with them, they add too much weight to the IEM and I'm just not a fan.

Ordered off Amazon, arrived before the specified delivery date.

In before the "absolutely no difference/piece of garbage/M50 owners kill babies" crowd...

While Audio-Technica says the only difference is in the detachable cable, many users and a few review outlets have notice an improvement in sound over the M50. A lot of people think the M50 had a harsh treble peak, and that seems to have been tamed. And the bass response has improved. Again, I'm not saying these are huge differences but they DO exist. Everyone on this sub that hasn't heard the M50x conflates the two without actually hearing them. More info here:

http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/legend-continues-audio-technica-ath-m50x-page-2

http://www.cnet.com/products/audio-technica-ath-m50x/2/

I absolutely love my M50x's. Extremely portable, no sound leakage, they offer excellent sound both at home, work, on the subway, etc.

There is a simple technique (aka Tibetian Technique) to relieve the tinnitus temporary:

Place the palms of your hands over your ears so your fingers wrap around the back of your head.

Set your middle fingers on the top of your neck right at the base of your skull.

Put your index fingers on top of your middle fingers and apply pressure.

Now snap them on the back of your head over and over like you’re drumming.

Repeat it about 50 times.

More info here: https://lifehacker.com/this-weird-trick-might-give-you-brief-relief-from-your-1794093023

What you need is Crossfeed.
It is essentially a transcoder like you said, except it tries to mimic how speakers sound by changing the amount of crossfeed based on frequency. (not sure how i could explain this better so here is the wikipedia page)

The best Software Crossfeed IMO is the Meier Crossfeed Foobar plugin here

There are also Amps with build in Crossfeed, like the iCan Se that i own.
I like its crossfeed or "3d sound", it moves everything a bit forward and doesnt effect the soundstage of songs with good imaging as much as the Meier plugin.
But i never heard another crossfeed amp before so i have no point of comparison except the software crossfeed.

I can think of 4 reasons why this would be a thing.

1: It's real, and an actualy service for the makers of these products

2: They're trying to steal your info for identity theft (?), or simply trying to log your PayPal credentials and such

3: They're looking for your info to spam you, though this would not be worth it if you actually get the earphones

4: The product are just fake and actually cheap chinese shit, and the shipping costs are also fake and high enough so that they make money off of people who think they're getting something expensive for free.

The weird thing about it is that i also found another site with pretty much the exact same layout, but just slightly different branding and such: https://alsounds.co/products/dolphin-earphones

The supposed founder on that site is also different from the izsounds site, but the about page text is almost exactly the same.

Not sure why this would be a thing.. Seems very sketchy.

Edit: this is definately a scam. The headphones from the link are actually the KZ-ED2s https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/KZ-ED2-professional-in-ear-headphones-Metal-heavy-bass-sound-quality-Music-Earphone-China-s-high/1759571_32319520807.html

Don't tell me i didn't warn you when your PayPal and bank account are empty tomorrow.

You could do a free trial of Tidal and hear for yourself, wouldn't you be the best judge?

Objectively speaking though, wireless headphones can't fully reproduce lossless audio. Wikipedia says that even

>aptX-HD (also known as aptX Lossless) has bit-rate of 576 kbit/s. It supports high-definition audio up to 48 kHz sampling rates and sample resolutions up to 24 bits. Unlike the name suggest the codec is still considered lossy

For context, the song I'm listening to right now, a 16 bit 44.1khz standard FLAC file is playing at 916 kbps, so even bestcase scenario wireless codec would still have to do some compression.

If he doesn't have Spotify premium sure. But Spotify premium is 320 kb/s and there is plenty of evidence that shows it's nearly impossible to tell a difference between 320 kb/s and FLAC unless you have seriously high end gear, a professionally trained ear and only the perfect type of music. It's 99% placebo effect. There is a plugin you can use to test for yourself http://www.foobar2000.org/components/view/foo_abx if you can't correctly tell 95% of the time then you are just guessing.

Any chance you could measure Moondrop Shiro Yuki? So cheap but oddly enjoyable for spoken word.

Moondrop Shiro Yuki White Snow HiFi Dynamic Earbuds Line Type Earphones https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07S2QSV68/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_8VWGEC7ZDJ1K7E80H5ZV

You mean these?

https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Type-C-Earphones-EO-IC100BBEGWW-Black/dp/B085RN9GRX

The model name is the "EO-IC100".

And yeah, frankly, they are very low end headphones and it doesn't really matter what kind of source audio you use if it's not absolutely terrible crap.

anyone else have a Superlux HD-681 evo? I like it

Yeah, pretty much if they look flat. The thing about the 600 line of headphones is that the pads significantly change the way the headphones sound, so having your pads worn out will make them subjectively sound worse over time. Sennheiser pads are also notoriously known to wear down extremely quickly compared to other pads. Putting your headphones on a stand where the headphones are clamping on something (like the one in the picture) will speed up this process. If you are to replace the pads, always replace them with Sennheiser brand pads only. In my personal experience, using anything else will only negatively change the sound quality. You can get Sennheiser HD600 pads from Sennheiser's website or Amazon. They're a bit pricey though, which Is why I tend to be more careful with my 600 headphones and not clamp them on anything while they're not in use.

For those also wondering, I couldn't find the actual release date on any article. However the asin is up on Amazon and says it will be released on September 16th: Sony M2 Premium Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones - Black (WH1000XM2/B) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074KDJVS2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_f8dQzbWA7XPQF

Or if you dont need a pre-amp, you can just buy cheap input switches.

I bought 2 of these (german amazon) for 20€ each, one for switching between Turntable and DAC, and the other to switch from my iCan to my Crack. the internal wiring seems good (multimeter resistance reads infinite on inactive connections, 0 on the selected one)

I wouldnt call 49$ a steal for a 2 way input switch, a stereo potentiometer and a couple of RCA ports inside of a aluminum box (wich is propably the most expensive part of it)

They sell the attachable clip on Amazon.

I just received this DAP the other day as well, I'd been having a hard time finding a source for my MD+ due to their low impedance. This thing drives them perfectly, those blacks are as black as the night! Also, even pictures and videos did not prepare me for how tiny this thing is. And it just feels so premium in my hand due to the aluminum build. Is it aluminum? I don't know, but it feels nice. Also, most importantly the sound quality is unbelievable for something this size.

Do you know if there's any way to go through your library and "add to queue?" That's the one thing that's missing for me, I'm hoping they include it in a future firmware update. I'm also not a huge fan of the shuffle. I'm used to hitting shuffle all and seeing all your music thrown into a now playing "playlist" in a certain order, that way if you hit forward or back, it's the same song either way. On this DAP if you skip a track, and go back, it's completely randomized, so you won't get the same song if you accidentally skip a song and want to go back, it's random both ways. I'm sure this won't annoy many people, but it annoys me, as I don't know if that means I'll hear songs repeated before I hear everything at least once. Maybe I'll do some testing...

Replacing the pads is the same as the rest of the hd5xx series. Just get a firm grip on the pad and pull out. The pad has a plastic ring held by some clips that will just pop off. Putting them back on is the inverse, you line up the pad and just squeeze around the perimeter until it clicks. Here is an amazon link for replacement pads.

Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/AKG-Reference-Open-Back-Over-Ear-Headphones/dp/B001RCD2DW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1536164154&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=akg+702

inb4 "sounds great but X/Y broke and Hifiman is sending me a new one" ;) JK Can't wait to see how these compare to my HE-400s. Thanks for putting this together once your review posts! Also, on another thread I see these are going for $350 currently on Amazon for those interested in getting one. Link

I am not a professional, but I can say this much... I have a pair of Audio Technica Pro 700 MK2's and listening to them plugged into my Pixel 2 vs listening to them plugged into my Onkyo receiver fed audio from my PC via optical cable is an ENTIRELY different experience.

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I've been considering picking up an es100 to be able to use my 700MK2's wireless with my phone and I'm hoping that it offers a similar experience as I get with my Onkyo.

Pulsar Music Player is a refreshing new approach. It's nice and simple and just gets the job done with a slick, easy to use Material Design theme.

XM2s are still excellent and happen to be on sale now at Rakuten (SlickDeals link: https://slickdeals.net/f/12000379-sony-wireless-wh-1000xm2n-headphones-with-portable-bt-wireless-speaker-for-255-w-coupon-code-fs-rakuten)

She just wants them because of the ugly ass design.

Sony actually some nice ones at under $100.

I really like these http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sony+-+Over-the-Ear+Headphones/6613891.p?id=1218767479340&amp;skuId=6613891&amp;st=sony%20headphones&amp;cp=1&amp;lp=4

Sound quality is as good as those monster headphones and they're a lot more comfortable and less bulky. If you have a Best Buy near you, they should have a demo station with these to try out.

I ended up buying a pair of these though http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sony+-+DJ+Headphones/5015476.p?id=1218597266781&amp;skuId=5015476&amp;st=sony%20headphones&amp;cp=1&amp;lp=6

Good balance in those. I use them every day and I wanted something that was a bit smaller and more durable then the other ones. These are less comfortable though but are well built. The sound on these are comparable to the Beats Solos, just $100 cheaper.

Your sister obviously doesn't care about sound quailty, she just wants something that looks pretty. There a bunch of cuter stuff out there than these disgusting things and it won't cost you $300.

https://www.veclan.com/

or

https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Venture-Electronic-VE-MONK-earbud-earphone/1924356_32417311324.html

They also come up on Massdrop every now and then, but it will take you even longer to get your earbuds because they wait a month before shipping.

Welcome to the open back bass club :)

I second the other users suggestions, get some Mediabridge cables or v-moda. Stock one has high impedance so makes for some wonkiness which is sad because its a really nice cable.

Listen to Antoine Dufour's sound pictures album.

Also this case fits these perfectly if you are looking to take them with you, I use them as monitors at church so needed a good case.

CASEBUDi Headphone Case - Extra Large - XL https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BF6IKL4/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_AU8Hub090V6BP

And I'm assuming you're already amping them based on your other headphones in your flair but if not the fiio e6 works surprisingly well with these if you're on a budget and want some EQ options.

Assuming your sound cannot be summed to mono in the device, there are options in hardware that allow you to do this.

I recently made a stereo to mono adapter for a single-speaker boom box I was working on. If you're into DIY it's very easy, just a couple of 3.5mm stereo jacks, two 50 ohm resistor and two 47uF capacitors. These will mix the signal without the player detecting a short circuit. There is only a slight drop in volume with this method.

http://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/71903/how-could-i-build-a-headphone-stereo-to-mono-converter

You would also wire the adapter to only power one driver, so that you would get a significant increase in volume, and wouldn't be wasting sound to the ear that cannot hear.

This assumes soldering ability, or the willingness to learn. It isn't difficult, but not everyone's cup of tea. You should also be able to buy one at an inflated price.

There is more info on these here.

http://www.cnet.com/news/making-headphones-mono/

If it were me, I would go about getting four channel headphones and converting them to play stereo on one ear through two drivers. That preserves some of the stereo mix by giving it to you back and front. Depending on the quality and soundstage of the mix, a lot can be lost when you convert to mono, so this is one way of preserving it, but it could be a lot of work.

Good luck.

Definitely USB Audio Player Pro IMHO

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.extreamsd.usbaudioplayerpro

Has a great bit perfect mode and converts FLAC and DSD. I have tried Power Amp v3 and Neutron as well - this is the best.

Am using with a Nextdrive Spectra X USB C and Denon D7200s on a Samsung Note 20 Ultra. That 1TB micro SD support sure holds a lot of hi res music lol