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About headphone distortion graphs and audibility

fulffy512

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Since the past months I've noticed a few reviews/impressions go on how they can hear the 1% ER4XR and other headphones when all graphs are done at 90 to 105db?. But i noticed they can't even detect the 2% the HD600 has in the low frequencies or even on any grado headphone which can reach even higher.
 

solderdude

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Sighted impressions/reviews with preference for a certain brand or these folks gaining financially or otherwise from their reviews ?
 
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fulffy512

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Sighted impressions/reviews with preference for a certain brand or these folks gaining financially or otherwise from their reviews ?

I was rushed typing but i meant sighted wither review or testing. Just assuming a 1% THD must be bad while done zero tests to see if they back up there claims.
 

solderdude

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I just ignore those types of reviews.
 

majingotan

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To be honest, I hear far more distortion and clipping from brickwalled mainstream music whereas I've never heard distortion from headphone/IEM or amp/DAC gear themselves at very high volumes (90+dBc)
 

JJB70

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To be honest, I hear far more distortion and clipping from brickwalled mainstream music whereas I've never heard distortion from headphone/IEM or amp/DAC gear themselves at very high volumes (90+dBc)

Rubbish in = rubbish out. I must admit that I think much of the debate around audio quality misses the point as given the awful quality of so many releases these days there is little point worrying about the replay equipment SQ. Rubbish over compressed and badly recorded junk is still rubbish no matter how beautifully played. It is a sad reflection that in an era when high quality sound reproduction has basically been commoditised that it is the audio recordings that are often no good. I have plenty of orchestral and operatic recordings made in the 50's and 60's which stomp all over a typical modern rock or pop recording in many ways.
 
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fulffy512

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Rubbish in = rubbish out. I must admit that I think much of the debate around audio quality misses the point as given the awful quality of so many releases these days there is little point worrying about the replay equipment SQ. Rubbish over compressed and badly recorded junk is still rubbish no matter how beautifully played. It is a sad reflection that in an era when high quality sound reproduction has basically been commoditised that it is the audio recordings that are often no good. I have plenty of orchestral and operatic recordings made in the 50's and 60's which stomp all over a typical modern rock or pop recording in many ways.

Yet it dosen't stop them acting as if they care about SQ while they loudly brag how they never touch CD/lossless and only spotify at 320kbps. So many in the past i argued with on other Audio sites didn't seem to get there opinions are void on high end headphones being 1% if they feed it trash and can't even tell other headphones just as high. Like the HD600 being 1% on bass distortion at lower volumes.
 

thomasjast

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Human hearing is too inconsistent and complex for that. You can hear something, take off headphones for 1 minute, put them back on and hear it completely differently.
 
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fulffy512

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Human hearing is too inconsistent and complex for that. You can hear something, take off headphones for 1 minute, put them back on and hear it completely differently.

Yeah hence why they need more than just trust my ears opinions which happens with Dynamic vs BA arguments on how they sound. But will defend planar and electrostatic that have the same sound BA drivers have...
 
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