Exhausted by the audio hobby

[transformer-coupled]

I am not paying for magical cables and other wierd stuff

C'mon I'm talking about Mogami interconnects and speaker cable , nothing high end, all cheap DIY and Mark Audio Pensil 10.2 is also cheap DIY and sounds great!!

 

[antcollinet]

C'mon I'm talking about Mogami interconnects and speaker cable , nothing high end, all cheap DIY and Mark Audio Pensil 10.2 is also cheap DIY and sounds great!!

Regardless of cost, you are still ascribing audible benefits to cables which simply don't exist.

 

[Mojo Warrior]

 

[DSJR]

Some wise Englishman said it best:

That was Deep Purple's Ian Gillan said that first (Made In Japan album?)

 

[transformer-coupled]

Regardless of cost, you are still ascribing audible benefits to cables which simply don't exist.

Somebody made a measurements of unbalanced interconnect in this forum, read it

 

[Deleted member 89070]

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?

Perhaps you've already reached a level of enjoyment with this hobby by relying on headphones and IEMs. The next step up could be a speaker system that fills a room with sound. If nothing else, experiment with PEQ, basic equalization, and MESEB on a smartphone app such as HiBy music. You could potentially create presets that are colored in a specific way, to further enhance your experience when listening to your favourite songs.

 

[EJ3]

Perhaps you've already reached a level of enjoyment with this hobby by relying on headphones and IEMs. The next step up could be a speaker system that fills a room with sound. If nothing else, experiment with PEQ, basic equalization, and MESEB on a smartphone app such as HiBy music. You could potentially create presets that are colored in a specific way, to further enhance your experience when listening to your favourite songs.

I never went through update-itis. Just got good stuff, upgraded intermittently, have gear in use from the 70's with 90+ SINAD & gear from the 20teens with 100+ SINAD, just happy with it all.
Enjoying the music. I live with enough land around me that when I play my music at reasonably loud levels (while I am fishing off of my dock), I don't bother my neighbors.

 

[ShadowBoxer]

I play my music at reasonably loud levels (while I am fishing off of my dock), I don't bother my neighbors.

Does it bother the fish?

 

[EJ3]

Does it bother the fish?

I'm going to guess that since I still catch (with the drop net) shrimp, minnows & crabs to use as bait to catch the fish (and there are power boats [some tending their crab traps], [kayaker's & paddle boarder's frequently coming by, as well as hunters sometimes shooting marsh hens, racoons or squirrels to have for dinner], that, if any of this bothered the fish, they would not hang around & get caught. So: probably not!

 

[simono]

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?

Can't help with the headphone recommendation, but app wise I second Qobuz (particularly the 'Listening With' category that has some inspired artist curated playlists) and Radio Paradise which still throws up some real gems.

 

[Soandso]

… to discover new music … does somebody have a recommendation … ?

You can see the playlist for a vast number of the most current week's days on-line music streaming stations played listing of songs via the app "Radio Box" or it's website. They've a feature that also usually can show the most popular songs' names.

Depending on your musical tastes Radio Box has categories to provide some orientation among music streams. Below is one random example of how you might use it to get ideas of genre content (and if want listen to a station's currently playing music). My intent here is to disclose the free method of systemic access to playlists for music.


[First off here's how the website option when click on Genre's looks (their free page does contain advertisements) =]

[For example here's a general genre selected category station and it's recently most popular songs
=]

[Lastly an example a segment of that above chosen station's list of songs and programming in the order of time played on one particular date. Note: this station's snippet seems uninspiring to me, but for all my personally interested
stations I've investigated the weeks of playlists have had lots of song titles and artists; this screen shot is just orientation. = ]

 

[Saeniv]

@Soandso
Intersting website. Sorry I did not get any notification, I guess I was too long not logged in.

Last year I purchased the aful magic one. It don’t bring me back to music. I built a VU meter and music server into my grandmas old radio, did not bring me back. Maybe following other routes will bring me back, someday.

Now it’s autumn again, i am scrolling through reviews of smartphones, pc gear, distros, iems, headphones, handhelds, and so on. In the end i will have devoted a lot of time and did not make any purchases. I have already everything, but I feel empty as every year around this time of year.

 

[DavidEdwinAston]

Quboz, it’s not just the new stuff but the albums I hadn’t heard from my old favourites, things I never bought or hadn’t realised had been released.
John Peel used to take care of introductions to new music.
Keith

My wife and I thought of Peel, as we had the privilege of seeing sunrise over Machu Pichu!

 

[JeffS7444]

So after years of trying new headphones, headphone amps, DACs I think I am kind of stuck in the audio hobby.

Congratulations, you have reached the state of "nothing left to buy".

 

[Ufasas]

i was happy with ESS, AKM dacs of fiio, now they had to release R2R dacs , and i pulled the trigger, so annoying , managed to stay 2 years with 1 dac, and it never malfucntioned , if i hadn't checked reviews on new dacs.. would have never thought of other dac i bet, lol

 

[antcollinet]

and i pulled the trigger,

Has it taken you to Audio Nirvana?


People in the R2R dac threads have asked why manufcaturers are making them if they don't perfrorm as well as Delta Sigma DACs. This is the reason why - they create FOMO and upgradeitis.

This is not a dig at you @Ufasas, you are entitled to spend your money on whatever you like.

 

[Tito]

i was happy with ESS, AKM dacs of fiio, now they had to release R2R dacs , and i pulled the trigger, so annoying , managed to stay 2 years with 1 dac, and it never malfucntioned , if i hadn't checked reviews on new dacs.. would have never thought of other dac i bet, lol

hey i have 560s like you. i am getting my sundaras refurbished tommorow. u have sundara 2? is this it, i am gonna experiencxe sonic nirvana. will i be in audio 80 percent. i dont need perfect 100, 80 percent is enough!

 

[FrantzM]

Hi

After more than 50 years in this hobby, I am truly amazed at the progress that have made high fidelity available at commodity level prices.
What I find exhausting is the High End Audio industry trying to push its prices and nonsense to increasingly and steadily higher levels.
A sampling of the current state of affair:

• Audibly transparent DAC, IOW will sound the same as ANY competent DAC, even those priced at over $15,000, Yes, 1 5 0 0 0 US Dollars .. This DAC is around $10 as in TEN..
• Excellent IEM adhering to well researched curve, and sounding subjectibly superb: Less than $20 .. as in TWENTY.
• Portable Amplifier, Bluettoth, DAC and Equalizer, of course, audibly transparent, around $125
• Good Measuring Active speaker that goes (measured) under 40 Hz and with good sound: around $400, for the pair .. or TWO Hundred each
• Powerful 200 wpc at 4 ohms amplifier, audibly transparent: around $150 if you use 2 x 48 V Power supplies.
  A good large flat screen 85 inches: Around $1000
• Virtually Infinite Digital Library of GREAT (or Not, sometimes) music: Around $15/month for the subscription. To put things in perspective, buying one, single, lone CD a month would cost you as much.. after 50 years you would have heard 600 CDs ... meanwhile those streaming services stock likely ALL the CD you may ever want to listen to.
• A professional measurements microphone to measure and calibrate your system, around $125.
• Transparent DSP/Room Correction Hub for your Audio System, audibly transparent, with 5 x 105 watts amplifiers, Audio streamer, several DAC, Audio & video Processing, 4 subwoofer output and much more... around $1500.
• A Professional Software that does more than you may ever need. Capable of Acoustics analysis, that 30 years ago, would have cost tens of thousand of dollars... FREE.

We are living the golden age of HiFi and I am loving it. One can bemoan the fact that it is so good it has become boring, or, enjoy it.
I am.

 

[Ufasas]

Has it taken you to Audio Nirvana?


People in the R2R dac threads have asked why manufcaturers are making them if they don't perfrorm as well as Delta Sigma DACs. This is the reason why - they create FOMO and upgradeitis.

This is not a dig at you @Ufasas, you are entitled to spend your money on whatever you like.

well it kicked impulsivity in me again, lol, but i was curious for some time now about R2Rs, and this was one of the cheapest R2R that looked satisfactory at first glance, and with features that aren't in my Fiio K7, features i probably don't need xD but i will know if i am in satisfactory nirvana when i listen to it in 7 days when k13 arrives..