|
|
Post by ForRealTho on Dec 4, 2018 10:03:08 GMT -5
Been using the same headphone amp for 3 years now. Been itching to upgrade. Spent the last few days going back and forth between two amps: www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=33305This thing just came out and since it is monoprice its basically claiming to be a $3,000 amp shoved in a box and sold for $700. From the reviews it appears to be true. Tubes, balanced, the works. Would be fun to play with. I haven't owned a tube amp in years so that would be nice Way back in the day there were less manufacturers HeadAmp was a big name in the game and they still are but far more niche and less mainstream. My first "real" headphone amp was the Gilmore Lite. When I moved across the US I sold it. The Gilmore Lite has been out of production for years and years but recently the Gilmore Lite MK2 has come out: www.headamp.com/order/headamp-gilmore-lite-mk2-class-a-headphone-amplifier/Following modern trends it gives out more power. It has no tubes(not a bad thing just no tubes), no balanced, but should power everything I have with ease and I have yet to read a bad review. Price has gone from $300 to $500. I've always wanted another Gilmore Lite and having the upgraded version would be fun. I keep going back and forth over and over |
|
|
|
Post by ForRealTho on Dec 4, 2018 12:55:48 GMT -5
I made up my mind and got the Gilmore. Its the cheaper of the two options plus I have wanted another one for years.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 4, 2018 14:19:18 GMT -5
I'm not much of an audiophile, so I just got a cheaper one that had some positive reviews. Here's the one I bought. www.gearbest.com/mp3-mp4-players/pp_389744.html?wid=1527929It has digital input. This is good if you want to use wired headphones with your shiny new tv's, since many top tv manufacturers have eliminated analog audio outs from their sets. |
|
|
|
Post by Emig5m on Dec 4, 2018 14:32:58 GMT -5
Weird, I'm perfectly fine with my Sennheiser HD558 and I spend 9k on my home theater speakers so it's not like I'm not hardcore about my sound... I keep finding ways to make my current headphones sound better and bring out their full capabilities. I dropped using the onboard sound (which was pretty decent, close to my old Xonar, just got a little noisy with my new CPU cooler's fan) and started using a Audioquest Dragonfly Black (little USB DAC the size of a thumb drive) with EqualizerPro (paid for software EQ) and what a difference in sound quality over the sound card. It's so dead silent with noise (zero) and the clarity....the clarity is breathtaking... Better than any soundcard I've used...
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 4, 2018 14:34:20 GMT -5
Here's a cheap solution (without the amp) for converting audio from digital to analog. www.amazon.com/dp/B00KNNSKV0?ref_=ams_ad_dp_ttlThis wouldn't work with my Samsung tv though, since the tv itself doesn't allow volume control of its audio outputs and my Sennheiser headphones don't have any sort in-line volume control either. |
|
|
|
Post by ForRealTho on Dec 4, 2018 15:28:23 GMT -5
Weird, I'm perfectly fine with my Sennheiser HD558 and I spend 9k on my home theater speakers so it's not like I'm not hardcore about my sound... I keep finding ways to make my current headphones sound better and bring out their full capabilities. I dropped using the onboard sound (which was pretty decent, close to my old Xonar, just got a little noisy with my new CPU cooler's fan) and started using a Audioquest Dragonfly Black (little USB DAC the size of a thumb drive) with EqualizerPro (paid for software EQ) and what a difference in sound quality over the sound card. It's so dead silent with noise (zero) and the clarity....the clarity is breathtaking... Better than any soundcard I've used... I have the Dragonfly 1.2(previous version of the Dragonfly Black) here at work and its a good product. I used to use the Sennheiser 595(very similar to the 558) and was skeptical of the 580/600 series till I ordered the 580 and it blew me away. If you picked up the 6XX from Massdrop I think you would be pleasantly surprised: www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-sennheiser-hd6xx |
|
|
|
Post by Emig5m on Dec 4, 2018 19:49:53 GMT -5
Weird, I'm perfectly fine with my Sennheiser HD558 and I spend 9k on my home theater speakers so it's not like I'm not hardcore about my sound... I keep finding ways to make my current headphones sound better and bring out their full capabilities. I dropped using the onboard sound (which was pretty decent, close to my old Xonar, just got a little noisy with my new CPU cooler's fan) and started using a Audioquest Dragonfly Black (little USB DAC the size of a thumb drive) with EqualizerPro (paid for software EQ) and what a difference in sound quality over the sound card. It's so dead silent with noise (zero) and the clarity....the clarity is breathtaking... Better than any soundcard I've used... I have the Dragonfly 1.2(previous version of the Dragonfly Black) here at work and its a good product. I used to use the Sennheiser 595(very similar to the 558) and was skeptical of the 580/600 series till I ordered the 580 and it blew me away. If you picked up the 6XX from Massdrop I think you would be pleasantly surprised: www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-sennheiser-hd6xxSounds good but my laptop with its 5400rpm mechanical drive is in desperate need of an SSD and I'm going into my off-season at work... When I was demoing headphones I was listening to a wall of headphones at Magnolia, some in the $700 range, and it was the $169 558 that I preferred (I wasn't price shopping, I was legitimately choosing the ones I liked the sound best with no EQ used). They hand punch and the clarity where the other ones sounded like they only had a midrange driver without a tweeter or woofer. The midrange only sound with no top or bottom end isn't my cup of tea.... |
|
|
|
Post by Emig5m on Dec 4, 2018 20:02:13 GMT -5
They're also 300ohm where the 558 are 50ohm so I don't think it would even be a good match for the Dragonfly Black (not enough power) requiring an amp. I suppose I could always plug them into my Onkyo receiver in which I do have a digital optical cable running to it from the PC but I'd be afraid that the Onkyo receiver wouldn't be high enough quality for them and it would kinda be a one step forward, two steps back situation plus that's one more device to turn on with the PC....
I also hate buying audio gear blind because different people have different tastes...
|
|
|
|
Post by Emig5m on Dec 4, 2018 20:22:43 GMT -5
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 4, 2018 20:36:04 GMT -5
They're also 300ohm where the 558 are 50ohm so I don't think it would even be a good match for the Dragonfly Black (not enough power) requiring an amp. I suppose I could always plug them into my Onkyo receiver in which I do have a digital optical cable running to it from the PC but I'd be afraid that the Onkyo receiver wouldn't be high enough quality for them and it would kinda be a one step forward, two steps back situation plus that's one more device to turn on with the PC.... I also hate buying audio gear blind because different people have different tastes... The HD 6XX don't require an amp. I've plugged them directly into my laptop's 3.5mm audio out and these headphones are plenty loud (with the volume set to 28, not even a 3rd of max). I thought the same as you before trying them out, because of similar things I've read on the internet, and that's why I ordered the headphone amp at the same time as the headphones. |
|
|
|
Post by ForRealTho on Dec 4, 2018 20:50:14 GMT -5
They're also 300ohm where the 558 are 50ohm so I don't think it would even be a good match for the Dragonfly Black (not enough power) requiring an amp. I suppose I could always plug them into my Onkyo receiver in which I do have a digital optical cable running to it from the PC but I'd be afraid that the Onkyo receiver wouldn't be high enough quality for them and it would kinda be a one step forward, two steps back situation plus that's one more device to turn on with the PC.... I also hate buying audio gear blind because different people have different tastes... The Dragonfly is good for the 6XX, of course a more expensive one would be optimal. The 6XX was considered the best headphone ever for like 10 years so I always recommend it to people, real step up over the 5 series. |
|
|
|
Post by Emig5m on Dec 4, 2018 21:28:02 GMT -5
They're also 300ohm where the 558 are 50ohm so I don't think it would even be a good match for the Dragonfly Black (not enough power) requiring an amp. I suppose I could always plug them into my Onkyo receiver in which I do have a digital optical cable running to it from the PC but I'd be afraid that the Onkyo receiver wouldn't be high enough quality for them and it would kinda be a one step forward, two steps back situation plus that's one more device to turn on with the PC.... I also hate buying audio gear blind because different people have different tastes... The Dragonfly is good for the 6XX, of course a more expensive one would be optimal. The 6XX was considered the best headphone ever for like 10 years so I always recommend it to people, real step up over the 5 series. One guy in the comments section said he has both and actually likes the "livelier" sound of the 58x over the 6xx. The reviewer in the video says don't get caught up in the numbering of the models because you might actually prefer a lower model. Now with that said, sell me on the 6xx, why are they a step up? They also make the Dragonfly Red which puts out more power for harder to drive headphones. I don't want to get into a stack of DACs and Amps on my desktop for my PC, LOL...
I like how sj says he's not much of an audiophile and yet has a pair of Sennheiser 6XX with a separate amp.... Totally in denial.... hehe  |
|
|
|
Post by ForRealTho on Dec 4, 2018 21:53:38 GMT -5
The Dragonfly is good for the 6XX, of course a more expensive one would be optimal. The 6XX was considered the best headphone ever for like 10 years so I always recommend it to people, real step up over the 5 series. One guy in the comments section said he has both and actually likes the "livelier" sound of the 58x over the 6xx. The reviewer in the video says don't get caught up in the numbering of the models because you might actually prefer a lower model. Now with that said, sell me on the 6xx, why are they a step up? They also make the Dragonfly Red which puts out more power for harder to drive headphones. I don't want to get into a stack of DACs and Amps on my desktop for my PC, LOL... I like how sj says he's not much of an audiophile and yet has a pair of Sennheiser 6XX with a separate amp.... Totally in denial.... hehe They have a much higher quality driver basically. The 5 series are the "consumer" brand and the 580/6 series are the audiophile brand. The 6XX take the $500 650 and make them cost $200. Fantastic deal. Now granted unamped the 6XX is not at its full potential but when amped it really pulls ahead. When I first got into the hobby I went from saying I will never have an amp to saying the $60 amp I was using is all I would ever use....kinda went from there. I have never dabbled in the "SummitFi" amps that cost $2,000+, I have almost bought this a few times but never pulled the trigger: wooaudio.com/amplifiers/wa6se |
|
|
|
Post by ForRealTho on Dec 5, 2018 0:13:46 GMT -5
Oh yeah if I flew a lot I would be more then happy to wear Bose noise cancelling stuff where quiet is the main goal, but for sitting and listening to music/moves and such for long periods they don't have a good reputation.
I'm actually out of the loop on a lot of the noise cancelling stuff since I don't buy them. I know a LOT of people bitch about the QC35s specifically.
|
|
|
|
Post by ForRealTho on Dec 5, 2018 12:50:04 GMT -5
I went for the free ground shipping on the Gilmore Lite since I don't mind waiting a bit but I just got the shipping email and it turns out HeadAmp headquarters is 5 hour drive from me so even the cheap shipping is only going to take 2 days. Score.
|
|
|
|
Post by Emig5m on Dec 5, 2018 13:48:05 GMT -5
Yea I have a hard time ordering headphones blind based on other peoples perceptions. I listened to some highly regarded headphones when I chose mine like from Ath, B&W, higher end models of Sennhiesers, etc. when I chose mine and I chose them unbiased by brand or cost and based only on sound with no EQ used and man where they the most comfortable too! I think with a Dragonfly Black I'm 80% of the way there to the best. If I want a little more highs or lows I'll just EQ it in. No shame in using a little EQ for preference tweaking IMO and doesn't degrade sound here in the digital world like say a 1990 analog Radio Shack EQ would (loose levels of detail just to change tonal output). I'm very impressed with the HD558/DragonFly Black/EQPro App
|
|
|
|
Post by ForRealTho on Dec 5, 2018 16:57:08 GMT -5
Yea I have a hard time ordering headphones blind based on other peoples perceptions. I listened to some highly regarded headphones when I chose mine like from Ath, B&W, higher end models of Sennhiesers, etc. when I chose mine and I chose them unbiased by brand or cost and based only on sound with no EQ used and man where they the most comfortable too! I think with a Dragonfly Black I'm 80% of the way there to the best. If I want a little more highs or lows I'll just EQ it in. No shame in using a little EQ for preference tweaking IMO and doesn't degrade sound here in the digital world like say a 1990 analog Radio Shack EQ would (loose levels of detail just to change tonal output). I'm very impressed with the HD558/DragonFly Black/EQPro App Yeah the 5 series isn't bad at all. My first "real" pair of headphones was the 595s, but going up to the audiophile grade is huge difference in quality materials, its just a better driver. The smoothness is clear as day. If you want a more "fun" sound they released the 58X Jubilee which I already posted about in another thread before. They don't require as much of an amp power being 150 ohms instead of 300 ohms. They will work off of a phone but don't isolate: www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-sennheiser-hd-58x-jubilee-headphones/I'd recommend taking the plunge on the 6XX at some point to everyone. Its been considered pretty much the best all around headphone forever and ever. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2018 17:03:13 GMT -5
Yea I have a hard time ordering headphones blind based on other peoples perceptions. I listened to some highly regarded headphones when I chose mine like from Ath, B&W, higher end models of Sennhiesers, etc. when I chose mine and I chose them unbiased by brand or cost and based only on sound with no EQ used and man where they the most comfortable too! I think with a Dragonfly Black I'm 80% of the way there to the best. If I want a little more highs or lows I'll just EQ it in. No shame in using a little EQ for preference tweaking IMO and doesn't degrade sound here in the digital world like say a 1990 analog Radio Shack EQ would (loose levels of detail just to change tonal output). I'm very impressed with the HD558/DragonFly Black/EQPro App Yeah the 5 series isn't bad at all. My first "real" pair of headphones was the 595s, but going up to the audiophile grade is huge difference in quality materials, its just a better driver. The smoothness is clear as day. If you want a more "fun" sound they released the 58X Jubilee which I already posted about in another thread before. They don't require as much of an amp power being 150 ohms instead of 300 ohms. They will work off of a phone but don't isolate: www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-sennheiser-hd-58x-jubilee-headphones/I'd recommend taking the plunge on the 6XX at some point to everyone. Its been considered pretty much the best all around headphone forever and ever.I don't know if it's for everyone though. It's heavy on the bass. When watching videos like Linus Tech Tips, it sounds like he's on stage talking through a microphone. That's how pronounced the bass is. It's great for games and music, but I wouldn't recommend just anyone spend that much coin for casual use headphones. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2018 17:31:21 GMT -5
Don't get me wrong. Personally, I think they're great audiophile-grade headphones. But it's true, the majority of people don't go out and drop that much money on a pair of headphones. And then there's bound to be some hardcore audiophiles who have their own preferences and aren't hyped about the 6XX sound quality.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2018 19:13:38 GMT -5
Listening to music with the HD 6XX headphones connected directly to my iPhone 6 and it sounds great. No amp. Evidently, the guys doing the review vid and many other people on the internet were making assumptions.
|
|
|
|
Post by Emig5m on Dec 6, 2018 2:40:56 GMT -5
What's about the HIFIMAN HE4XX?
|
|
|
|
Post by ForRealTho on Dec 6, 2018 8:28:03 GMT -5
What's about the HIFIMAN HE4XX? Planar magnetic headphones, completely different technology then the dynamic drivers in the Sennheisers. They have a good reputation but I haven't heard them so I can't compare them. I know I really like my planer magnetics from Audeze. I would read some reviews |
|
|
|
Post by ForRealTho on Dec 8, 2018 15:18:29 GMT -5
Behold my old pair of HD580s my first pair of audiophile grade headphones I bought in 2004. I'm going to throw away the gross pads and send them to a friend:  |
|
|
|
Post by Emig5m on Dec 8, 2018 16:25:24 GMT -5
What's about the HIFIMAN HE4XX? Planar magnetic headphones, completely different technology then the dynamic drivers in the Sennheisers. They have a good reputation but I haven't heard them so I can't compare them. I know I really like my planer magnetics from Audeze. I would read some reviews That's kind of why I was interested in them since they're different from Sennheisers and I've already been down the Sennheiser road and was interested in trying (experiencing) something different. Cool thing about headphones is that you can try out so many more high class products over full size audio speakers (price) and totally eliminate room acoustic and speaker/seating placement problems. Although you can't get that 'tactile' percussive impact of a full size system, everything else is better IMO. Plus you don't bother anyone listening to stuff that they rather not listen to. I *might* get some new headphones and DAC/AMP in the future. Your old headphones look raggedy, lol. My HD558 still look like they came out of the box, heh. |
|
|
|
Post by Emig5m on Dec 12, 2018 21:11:19 GMT -5
My Sennheiser Momentum ear buds sound better than my full size HD558's, lol. They're just not nearly as comfortable. I wish I could even find full size speakers that sound like the Momentum ear buds....
|
|
|
|
Post by ForRealTho on Dec 12, 2018 22:29:28 GMT -5
My Sennheiser Momentum ear buds sound better than my full size HD558's, lol. They're just not nearly as comfortable. I wish I could even find full size speakers that sound like the Momentum ear buds.... There are a whole lot of people who only use expensive earbuds. Most expensive ones I have owned were like $60. I always lose or break them. |
|
|
|
Post by Emig5m on Dec 12, 2018 23:43:50 GMT -5
My Sennheiser Momentum ear buds sound better than my full size HD558's, lol. They're just not nearly as comfortable. I wish I could even find full size speakers that sound like the Momentum ear buds.... There are a whole lot of people who only use expensive earbuds. Most expensive ones I have owned were like $60. I always lose or break them. I bought the Momentum when they first came out and I think they where $125 at the time. Give me the sound of the Momentum ear buds with the comfort of the HD558's and I would be a very happy camper! |
|
|
|
Post by Emig5m on Dec 13, 2018 1:22:12 GMT -5
Is too late to retract my statement above? Or am I already an infidel? hehe. Listening to both back to back the ear buds definitely lacking mids and too in the head (narrow) sounding. The 558's with EQ are better- the openness alone makes the difference. Without EQ, the momentum can entertain but once you add some bass punch and treble to the 558's, they pull away by a far margin (much better mids and much more open and bigger sounding). I'm gonna go stand on the corner and try to sell my body so I can try one of the better Senn's....
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2018 17:23:44 GMT -5
Is too late to retract my statement above? Or am I already an infidel? hehe. Listening to both back to back the ear buds definitely lacking mids and too in the head (narrow) sounding. The 558's with EQ are better- the openness alone makes the difference. Without EQ, the momentum can entertain but once you add some bass punch and treble to the 558's, they pull away by a far margin (much better mids and much more open and bigger sounding). I'm gonna go stand on the corner and try to sell my body so I can try one of the better Senn's.... |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2018 17:28:41 GMT -5
imo, which headphone is best depends on usage. It seems my Bose earbuds produce more neutral sound (less bass) and I actually prefer those when watching news or tech vids, because voices are clearer at a lower volume. Whereas, the HD 6XX has the large stage sound and more bass, better for music and games.
|
|
