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- May 8, 2020
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@RAledr It is good that you have started to consider the headphone hobby. I have read some of your posts and have a few things to tell you. I will try to keep it straight to the point:
- Don't worry about SINAD that much for DACs, I have both the D30 Pro and the Qudelix 5K with SINAD ratios of ~120 and 80 dB, and I haven't heard the difference even when trying hard and blinded. For a DAC, buy something with a good (not the best score) performance and forget about it.
- For amplifiers, choose your wanted headphones first and then look at their amplification needs. Leave some headroom for it so you can switch headphones and not have to buy a whole new amplifier.
- It will be a great plus that what you use when you are on the run is the same that you use desktop if possible, reduces equipment and clutter. If all measures well, it will sound the same. If an amplifier, check the power needs of your transducers.
- Try and don't be shy to choose anything you like. Find what you value.
- I would not buy the most expensive endgame headphone at your stage, I would try it and see if I like it. Buy from retailers that will accept prompt and frequent returns if you cannot try physically.
- Most of what you are going to hear is the frequency response of a headphone and it determines a lot if you are going to like them or not. Distortion and other measurements are not as audible (or even audible in some cases/measurement levels) as a graph or a number can express. I would advise you to learn the frequency response of a headphone you like stock, it makes finding a similar headphone easier (that is how I buy mine).
- Comfort is as important as sound. I loved the ER4SR after EQ, but those deep-insertion IEMs were more than I could handle comfort-wise. I sold them just because I hated to wear them and really tried to adapt to them.
- Even with the same EQ target, headphones can still sound different.