Exhausted by the audio hobby

[CapMan]

is there any musical IEM, which you guys could recommend or think is worth trying?

I am in the camp of the music is in "the music" not the equipment. I love my Red Zeros when I'm on the move, but looks like you tried those

 

[Saeniv]

So sounds to me you just need some decent ear buds or IEMs that don't antagonize you. Unless you are forcing the idea on yourself they don't need to be of extraordinary quality. If they match your HD600s great, but they don't have to do so. For the convenience of music away from home they don't have to meet a lofty standard of sound quality.

Thank you for your story. I tried the region below €100, because the reviews sounded great. One IEM that is close to the HD600 or just as enjoyable would be enough, but finding that is hard, many iems many possibilities.

 

[Saeniv]

I am in the camp of the music is in "the music" not the equipment. I love my Red Zeros when I'm on the move, but looks like you tried those

I have tried the Zeros Red, but did not work for me. I will try them again in the next days, but normally it is the headphone which I grab without thinking, which works for me.

 

[CapMan]

I have tried the Zeros Red, but did not work for me. I will try them again in the next days, but normally it is the headphone which I grab without thinking, which works for me.

I use comply foam tips which I prefer to the supplied ones both for comfort and isolation.

Best of luck

 

[dominikz]

In practice, the device I probably use the most for listening to music are my Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro TWS IEMs.
They are very convenient to use, especially in the office, and IMHO they sound great. The Galaxy Wearable app comes with EQ presets that allow you to tilt to response in various ways (e.g. if you prefer a warmer or brighter tuning).
The relatively inexpensive Samsung Galaxy Buds FE seem to be tuned very similarly (but without some of the IMHO unimportant features of the Pro), so if I was shopping today I'd probably look at those.

At home (if I use headphones at all) I'll mainly use Sennheiser x Drop HD 58X Jubilee (with a 3-band PEQ to bring them slightly closer to the Harman target), but more often I will listen on loudspeakers (I have Neumann KH120A on my desktop and Revel M16 in the living room; both systems integrated with subs and have PEQ applied to battle room resonances).

IMHO all of these systems sound good from tonality perspective, and I can enjoy good music on any of them equally; however the sound 'presentation' is different in every case - which is to be expected given the physical differences between them.

Personally, I definitely prefer the sound presentation from loudspeakers, and especially when listening from farther out - as IME that results in a wider soundstage and greater feeling of envelopment.
While no headphone nor IEM can replicate that effect, I've come to appreciate the specifics of headphone and IEM sound presentation too: hearing more detail due to absence of room reflections, higher immersion/better noise isolation, and the interesting effect of in-head phantom source localization.

IME sometimes you just need to allow yourself some time to adjust to the new 'presentation'. No IEM will ever be able to sound exactly like an over-the-ear open headphone (such as HD600), and neither will sound like a well-integrated 2.1 loudspeaker system.

Anyway, those are just my thoughts on the subject. Good luck in your search!

 

[Saeniv]

Thank you for your thoughts. I listened to IEM when i started in school with audio, back then i just listened. Sennheiser buds 10€, than two Sennheiser Cx-300ii and then I started with over ear headphones and speakers and other gear. Maybe i was not that picky back then or the iems where tuned leaner and less aggressiv, i don’t know where i lost it.

I wanted to try the samsung buds2 pro, the eq possibility on the go, would be interesting, even if i am not really a fan of eqing. If i want a different tuning just buy a different headphone, just my opinion

 

[Vacceo]

I found subscribing to a streaming service introduced me to new music which re-energised my listening.
For many years and it is a cliché but when you are comparing components/speakers you do tend to use the same few tracks.
Also the kids help, I often ask what I hear them playing ( because it is often too loud).
Keith

Some wise Englishman said it best:

 

[DVDdoug]

Several thoughts:

Sometimes people are interested about a subject or a hobby and over time they lose interest. Maybe you'll find another interest/hobby and audio will become secondary.

I don't know how old you are but the "hobby" has changed and it's not as interesting is it once was. When I was growing up in the 60s & 70s good sound systems are rare and the best we had was vinyl. The "snap", "crackle" and "pop" always annoyed me, although it didn't seem to bother most people. There were other limitations too, but it was the analog noise that really annoyed me.

Now, a smartphone and earbuds are better than anything I, my family (or anybody I knew) had. Car stereos are also WAY better than they used to be. Good audio is not "exotic" anymore and you can get very good sound without it being your "hobby".

Photography also used to be a hobby. Serious hobbyists had their own darkroom. Now anybody with a smart phone can take good photos and enhance/alter them with photoshop. In the 60s & 70s a lot of audiophiles were also amateur photographers and in our town there was a camera store that also sold higher-end audio equipment. B&H Photo sells audio, video, and photo supplies.

There's only-so far you can go... Once you've got good speakers (and/or good headphones) there's not much to improve. I've got huge DIY speakers, including a pair of 15-inch subwoofers, and 5.1 Surround. I'm sure I could get better speakers, and I could add more surround channels but I'm satisfied with what I have and I don't think I'd enjoy it any more. About the only thing that would add to my enjoyment would be a bigger listening room with nice acoustics... Like the size of my house or larger... But that ain't happening!

When you are an adolescent or young adult you are more emotional. You fall in love, you might fall in love with music and you probably have a favorite band or singer and you might develop an interest in a hobby or particular subject. Most artists produce their best work when they are young, emotional, and inspired. I still enjoy music (and good sound) but no longer have a favorite band and I no-longer want to listen to music all-day, everyday. And I almost never hear new music that excites me. I still enjoy some of the old songs that bring-back the old emotions. Nor do I get excited when I hear a good sound system. I have a pretty-good one that I can listen to any time.



...Personally, I don't consider listening to music, or listening to or acquiring new/different equipment, to be a "hobby". I consider audio to be one of my main "interests". When I occasionally build speakers or and amplifier, THAT's a hobby!








I don't consider it a hobby.

 

[usern]

Can you use closed over ear headphones at the office?

 

[mhardy6647]

I would just listen to music you really like, the reason you started in the first place.
Keith

As opposed to buying a room full of full-on audiophile gear, and resigning oneself to a lifetime of listening to Lincoln Mayorga, Jacintha, Holly Cole, and Jazz at the Pawnshop.

 

[CapMan]

resigning oneself to a lifetime of listening to Jacintha, Holly Cole, and Jazz at the Pawnshop.

If Dante was alive today he would add a tenth level of hell just for this purpose I guess it'd be called Audiophilia

 

[mhardy6647]

If Dante was alive today he would add a tenth level of hell just for this purpose

Hell at the Pawnshop.

 

[dominikz]

I wanted to try the samsung buds2 pro, the eq possibility on the go, would be interesting, even if i am not really a fan of eqing. If i want a different tuning just buy a different headphone, just my opinion

Consider that perhaps using a good headphone of each type you need + EQ *might* just make the hobby less exhausting.

EQ gives you an opportunity to make very predictable changes to a 'known' baseline tonality; especially compared to buying new headphones where you also get a different tonality - just one that is to a large extent random and unpredictable. Not to even mention other considerations like e.g. comfort and fit...

Though I appreciate that EQ is also not trivial, and takes time to learn how to apply it for best results. If you want to get out of the hobby that might not be very appealing either!

However in many cases just simple bass/treble tone controls can do wonders to adjust a measurably neutral headphone/loudspeaker to one's preferred tonality tilt.

 

[Joe Smith]

Just stop going down the rabbit hole, enjoy what you have and what is working well. There will always be more gear and new gear. Raise the bar on what is different enough to make you want to order something. My wish list for this year was very small, and I am funding those new purchases by selling off other stuff.

 

[Rednaxela]

Several thoughts:

Sometimes people are interested about a subject or a hobby and over time they lose interest. Maybe you'll find another interest/hobby and audio will become secondary.

I don't know how old you are but the "hobby" has changed and it's not as interesting is it once was. When I was growing up in the 60s & 70s good sound systems are rare and the best we had was vinyl. The "snap", "crackle" and "pop" always annoyed me, although it didn't seem to bother most people. There were other limitations too, but it was the analog noise that really annoyed me.

Now, a smartphone and earbuds are better than anything I, my family (or anybody I knew) had. Car stereos are also WAY better than they used to be. Good audio is not "exotic" anymore and you can get very good sound without it being your "hobby".

Photography also used to be a hobby. Serious hobbyists had their own darkroom. Now anybody with a smart phone can take good photos and enhance/alter them with photoshop. In the 60s & 70s a lot of audiophiles were also amateur photographers and in our town there was a camera store that also sold higher-end audio equipment. B&H Photo sells audio, video, and photo supplies.

There's only-so far you can go... Once you've got good speakers (and/or good headphones) there's not much to improve. I've got huge DIY speakers, including a pair of 15-inch subwoofers, and 5.1 Surround. I'm sure I could get better speakers, and I could add more surround channels but I'm satisfied with what I have and I don't think I'd enjoy it any more. About the only thing that would add to my enjoyment would be a bigger listening room with nice acoustics... Like the size of my house or larger... But that ain't happening!

When you are an adolescent or young adult you are more emotional. You fall in love, you might fall in love with music and you probably have a favorite band or singer and you might develop an interest in a hobby or particular subject. Most artists produce their best work when they are young, emotional, and inspired. I still enjoy music (and good sound) but no longer have a favorite band and I no-longer want to listen to music all-day, everyday. And I almost never hear new music that excites me. I still enjoy some of the old songs that bring-back the old emotions. Nor do I get excited when I hear a good sound system. I have a pretty-good one that I can listen to any time.



...Personally, I don't consider listening to music, or listening to or acquiring new/different equipment, to be a "hobby". I consider audio to be one of my main "interests". When I occasionally build speakers or and amplifier, THAT's a hobby!








I don't consider it a hobby.

Terrific post.

 

[Timcognito]

So after years of trying new headphones, headphone amps, DACs I think I am kind of stuck in the audio hobby. In August, I came back from a year-long non reading any reviews or trying new stuff. The amps and DACs are measuring great sounding the same, nothing new and special any more, but I got excited, reading about all the great IEMs below 100€, so I tried some of the recommendations:

• 7Hz Zero 2
• Truthear Zero Red
• Truthear Hexa
• Moondrop Chu 2
• Sennheiser IE200,
• Tinhifi T2
• Tangzu Wan er
• RHA MA750

They are all not bad, but miss what is most important to me, musicality and emotion. I played the game with over-ear headphones, going higher until I reached my personal price limit for used gear, for years. I don't know if I want to play the game with IEM's or if I come to the same conclusion, that there is no benefit in going any higher. After years of trying, I settled on the Sennheiser HD600 as my most beloved over ear headphone. So my question is, is there any musical IEM, which you guys could recommend or think is worth trying?

Second question I tried Tidal to discover new music, but it does not really show me anything new, does somebody have a recommendation for a better streaming app?

Here's an easy way to solve your dilemma : Read a one or two paragraph review in this link, there are thousands if it seems interesting, go with Qobuz (most diverse inclusive service I've found) or other and listen. If you find an artist or genre you like put that in the search box and find more. Which DJ's are playing the songs/artists/genres you like are found by clicking on the review. If you find one that plays a lot of music you you like you can stream their shows as they are archived also and may find some more good music. Time to move away from gear to music or maybe another type of gear.

KFJC 89.7FM

 

[Jimbob54]

For any streaming service to introduce you to new music you might like it needs to know a lot about you.

I have around 7000 albums of a decent variety of genres saved as favourites so that's a start plus it knows what I listen to, what I skip etc.

It has a daily discovery curated mix for me of 10 songs each morning. I listen to it fully daily. I may actively like /save maybe 5 to 10 of those per week. The rest are usually "OK" or songs I already have in my library.

That's not a bad batting average. But it needs time and input from you.

At first it will just try and play you what is popular /getting pushed out everywhere but persevere. The other services in my experience aren't quite as targeted as tidal is with what they show me. YouTube music was OK. , Spotify is OK but wants to put everything in nonsense genres and feed me that until I choke. Amazon isn't bad. Qobuz does little to no personal tailoring or didn't.

 

[usern]

Sometimes, when reading an ASR thread and trying to compare and test my own gear, I just end up vibing to bangers and forget I was trying to be critical of the audio gear. With good music, audio equipment doesn't matter. Stop listening to gear and start enjoying music.

 

[Doodski]

Sometimes, when reading an ASR thread and trying to compare and test my own gear, I just end up vibing to bangers and forget I was trying to be critical of the audio gear. With good music, audio equipment doesn't matter. Stop listening to gear and start enjoying music.

That's how I do it. I was once a picky subjective seeker listening for differences in amps, CD players, DACs and analyzing speakers till the cows came home and that went on for maybe 9 years until I studied electronics. Now I am satisfied with an Atom DAC, Schiit headphone amp and a PC or two. I am of the opinion that after a person understands the sound they enjoy that there are many speakers/headphones that can fit that if given some hours to see what the speaker/headphones can do and for the electronics they are all solved issues many moons ago. So now I just listen, appreciate that I can have the gear to use and forget about the electronics because they are transparent. I would like better headphones and think in order to get an appreciable improvement that will require about $750 or more for headphones. But I'm in no hurry because what I have is pretty good I think.

 

[Timcognito]

It's good hobby to pace yourself because tech is constantly changing and prices drop with commoditization. ASR takes a lot of the guess work out of producing a short list. But without good music to listen to or even show your gear off it seems kind of pointless, obsessive or status oriented.