Hi, headphone buying advice

[ZolaIII]

@marv actually try like Jimbob54 said but with Denon. Put windows volume slider to 52~56 and push the volume up on Denon.
Edit: I wonder if headphone output amplifier stage in your Denon catced some moisture.

 

[marv]

I tried it with the LS again, when i lowered the computer volume it gave me more headroom to turn the pot on the LS.. also i noticed that the high frequency tone also shifted up the pot. I forgot to mention that were was a high frequency tone that appears the more i turn the pot.. i tried to move the LS away from the laptop and like i said the tone also shifted further up the pot/more headroom to turn the pot .. could this be also interference from the computer picked up by the LS?

the high tone now starts to be audible at around 10 oclock compared to before at 8 oclock

will this damage the drivers in my shure if i continue to use it with the amp? worried

 

[Jimbob54]

I tried it with the LS again, when i lowered the computer volume it gave me more headroom to turn the pot on the LS.. also i noticed that the high frequency tone also shifted up the pot. I forgot to mention that were was a high frequency tone that appears the more i turn the pot.. i tried to move the LS away from the laptop and like i said the tone also shifted further up the pot/more headroom to turn the pot .. could this be also interference from the computer picked up by the LS?

Maybe. Or the power supply- try moving the power brick (for PC) as far away as possible, I was plagued by such noise, ended up buying a 3 m extension just to send the power brick for PC some distance away.

 

[marv]

Maybe. Or the power supply- try moving the power brick (for PC) as far away as possible, I was plagued by such noise, ended up buying a 3 m extension just to send the power brick for PC some distance away.

the power brick is under the table.. thats far enough right?

 

[ZolaIII]

Yup picking up EMI as always... Now try with Denon.

 

[marv]

Yup picking up EMI as always... Now try with Denon.

I tried putting the laptop volume at 100% then regulated with the LS pot.. hiss is gone unlike before (so maybe that interference but the high freq tone still appears at around 10 oclock whether computer volume is at 40 or 100..

will try with the denon

 

[marv]

I tried putting the laptop volume at 100% then regulated with the LS pot.. hiss is gone unlike before (so maybe that interference but the high freq tone still appears at around 10 oclock whether computer volume is at 40 or 100..

will try with the denon

Yup.. its the computer volume that making the shure dull.... i put the computer volume to mute as in 0.. and still the pot on the denon works to regulate the volume..... i discovered that the amp dac pot is independent of the computer volume. But its strange, why does the computer volume still work even when it is displayed there that the out device is the USB DAC.. normally when you channel the computer audio to the dac it disables the computer volume or locks it at 100%, like for example when i use a dac with my old ipod touch

But with the denon there is no audible high tone even when at full volume.... maybe because the amp of the denon is weaker than the LS

i will use the Denon in the meantime with my headphone and iem.. i will set the LS aside for now as the Denon can sufficiently power my HD58x...

sound quality wise.. i cant tell a difference between the ESS9023 DAC and the PCM1795 DAC in the Denon now that the latter's sound quality is fixed...maybe with more a revealing headphone..... the one that i will be buy in the near future ... i would be able to tell the difference between these two dacs

 

[ZolaIII]

@marv educated guess but Denon is after all a proper desktop design with lot of space and thick casing so less prone to picking up EMI. I didn't quite understand what happens with volume regarding windows mixer with Denon.
DAC's if implemented well should sound the same. Reason for getting a new one shouldn't be a great expectations for better sound or couple more dB of SINAD if the old one works good but specific futures (native DSD line, balanced LRX output...) if you really need them.

 

[marv]

@marv educated guess but Denon is after all a proper desktop design with lot of space and thick casing so less prone to picking up EMI. I didn't quite understand what happens with volume regarding windows mixer with Denon.
DAC's if implemented well should sound the same. Reason for getting a new one shouldn't be a great expectations for better sound or couple more dB of SINAD if the old one works good but specific futures (native DSD line, balanced LRX output...) if you really need them.

i believe that the Denon has a way better implementation.. it is also DSD capable, though i dont really see the point for DSD as i could not tell the difference between DSD and even 320 kbps VBR music files. The Denon was handed to me by a good friend who didnt use it. It also has good inputs. its just not MQA compatible if that is important.

 

[ZolaIII]

i believe that the Denon has a way better implementation.. it is also DSD capable, though i dont really see the point for DSD as i could not tell the difference between DSD and even 320 kbps VBR music files. The Denon was handed to me by a good friend who didnt use it. It also has good inputs. its just not MQA compatible if that is important.

I can tell the difference between DSD and pretty much everything else (except properly converted DSD back to PCM) but you nead really great hearing & headaphones/speaker's for that. It basically adds distortion to highs which is converted & transmits all the way back to lows giving them a bit of thickness with a physical alike natural feel. Took me a long time to find out it can be converted to PCM properly as you can't add anything to DSD native chain. It's a long story but at least no one around here can actually assault me as there's confirmed valid AB test results confirming it. MQA is lossy in a bad way so I don't care about it at all. FP 32 or more bit's could be a interesting way for future really lossless compression in a beat stream format similar to DSD by simply slowing down reproduction speed.

 

[marv]

I can tell the difference between DSD and pretty much everything else (except properly converted DSD back to PCM) but you nead really great hearing & headaphones/speaker's for that. It basically adds distortion to highs which is converted & transmits all the way back to lows giving them a bit of thickness with a physical alike natural feel. Took me a long time to find out it can be converted to PCM properly as you can't add anything to DSD native chain. It's a long story but at least no one around here can actually assault me as there's confirmed valid AB test results confirming it. MQA is lossy in a bad way so I don't care about it at all. FP 32 or more bit's could be a interesting way for future really lossless compression in a beat stream format similar to DSD by simply slowing down reproduction speed.

In MY point of view when one spends too much attention on detecting nuances, flaws or even the minutest distortions in a track... as in mixing..one really doesnt enjoy the music anymore... im more on the side of just enjoying the music thru great headphones... hearing every instrument the voice of the singer, the depth, space... the works

 

[ZolaIII]

In MY point of view when one spends too much attention on detecting nuances, flaws or even the minutest distortions in a track... as in mixing..one really doesnt enjoy the music anymore... im more on the side of just enjoying the music thru great headphones... hearing every instrument the voice of the singer, the depth, space... the works

Unfortunately distraction is (almost) always there is there a good fit with headphones, is it to load for neighbors or indoors with speakers and cetera.

 

[marv]

Hi again.. in my search for an upgrade.. though im in need of a closed headphone, a very nice deal just crossed my radar... and i need you suggestions..

an almost new Focal Clear headphone just went up for sale at our local surplus online site... selling for around 750 USD... what do you think? should i or should i not?

i was thinking maybe i would get a more "substantial sonic upgrade" with this headphone than any closed headphone could give at this price range?

 

[ZolaIII]

Seams they are great but just not for me (I would like a little brighter). Seams they are quality built. Still that's a serious amount of money & choice is yours but do your self a favour and go out there & listen to them (couple of times if you ask me) before deciding. 7 bB isolation on wide band spectrum ain't actually bad for open design, you usually get 15~16 dB with closed one's.
https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/focal-clear-over-ear-open-headphones

 

[marv]

Seams they are great but just not for me (I would like a little brighter). Seams they are quality built. Still that's a serious amount of money & choice is yours but do your self a favour and go out there & listen to them (couple of times if you ask me) before deciding. 7 bB isolation on wide band spectrum ain't actually bad for open design, you usually get 15~16 dB with closed one's.
https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/focal-clear-over-ear-open-headphones

thanks again for always being available to give your insights, just keeping my options open... will try to listen when the situation gets a bit easier

 

[Paperdragons]

I own Ether CX and in my humble opinion they are great but need mods. The body has one of the best builds among headphones but the pads are just too small to be all that comfy. ZMF universal suede upgrades the comfort significantly and opens up the soundstage a tad. They do not affect the mids but add a bit of sub bass and air around 10-12k as suede can do. The main downside is that they are closed and while not sounding very closed, they do this by having an intimate soundstage. Not as intimate as hd 600 by any means but compared to many in the price bracket the soundstage is pretty tight.

Another thing since you like a 'meaty' sound is that planar bass isn't super 'meaty' sounding to me. It has great accuracy, extension, and speed, but the attack and delay are much faster which might make them seem less meaty at first.

In terms of meaty with sparkle/decent highs some other options to consider are DT 1990s (great soundstage, maybe too analytical without pad swap for some), focal elex (not as good of bass as the 1990s but better mids, again very intimate and heavy for some), or LCD2 (expensive but ultimate 'meaty' option but highs under 4k are somewhat recessed, still detailed in the highs and air region but not 'sparkly', great pads and headband but still heavy for some).

 

[marv]

I own Ether CX and in my humble opinion they are great but need mods. The body has one of the best builds among headphones but the pads are just too small to be all that comfy. ZMF universal suede upgrades the comfort significantly and opens up the soundstage a tad. They do not affect the mids but add a bit of sub bass and air around 10-12k as suede can do. The main downside is that they are closed and while not sounding very closed, they do this by having an intimate soundstage. Not as intimate as hd 600 by any means but compared to many in the price bracket the soundstage is pretty tight.

Another thing since you like a 'meaty' sound is that planar bass isn't super 'meaty' sounding to me. It has great accuracy, extension, and speed, but the attack and delay are much faster which might make them seem less meaty at first.

In terms of meaty with sparkle/decent highs some other options to consider are DT 1990s (great soundstage, maybe too analytical without pad swap for some), focal elex (not as good of bass as the 1990s but better mids, again very intimate and heavy for some), or LCD2 (expensive but ultimate 'meaty' option but highs under 4k are somewhat recessed, still detailed in the highs and air region but not 'sparkly', great pads and headband but still heavy for some).

Thanks

 

[marv]

Just an update guys... I just hit a really good deal with these.. NIB from the former owner.. Never got to use them..auditioned them and I was sold..... Still in search for a good pair of closed though.. But for now, my choice is clear..... I might sell my HD58X.. I dont need two open headphones

 

[Jimbob54]

Just an update guys... I just hit a really good deal with these.. NIB from the former owner.. Never got to use them..auditioned them and I was sold..... Still in search for a good pair of closed though.. But for now, my choice is clear..... I might sell my HD58X.. I dont need two open headphones

You can never have too many headphones. What I tell my wife at least

 

[marv]

You can never have too many headphones. What I tell my wife at least

please dont tempt me to keep them all... im already sad as it is as a put the hd58x in its orig box : )

The Clears are on a different level though... comparing them side by side when i got home...sound wise...i have proven the HD58x punches way beyond its price range.. seriously.....but again, the Clears are on a different tier in every aspect

after listening to the clears 2 hours straight.. i went back to my SE535.. it sounded dull..it was every apparent.. i had to adjust again for a while to get accustomed again to the warmness of the shures....then i go back to the Clears.. clarity is the word