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The Official Headphone Thread 2.5: We're Making WAVs and Catching FLAC

Blitzhex

Member
Found these for $220 had to pick em up. The regular ones were cheaper, but I'm a sucker for perforated (faux) leather.

CuEpWdKUMAIZL-o.jpg

Way better build quality than msr7s. msr7's joints are so squeaky and creaky it's embarrassing.

These are lighter with much less clamping force too, they win in comfort. Just as light and comfortable as the k7xx.

Even the sound signature is comfortable. They sound warm and laid back with slight bass bloom playing off the fulla 2. The bass is slower and untextured in comparison with the thx00 though.

I'm still trying them with games, but pretty decent daily closed cans imo.
 

Chittagong

Gold Member
What do you recommend? I mostly listen to rock, metal, pop, and older country. Budget is $350, I'd go to $500 if it is awesome, but that is my max budget. As I said before I like neutral or with vocals forward a little bit.

$1700, ah no. There's no way in hell I'd pay that much for headphones. I guess I should have mentioned my budget. See above.

You know, at that price range having a balanced cable is pretty academic. Hell, it might be academic in all price ranges, headphone cables are not tens of meters, so there just isn’t that much to cancel out in balanced mode. I say this as someone who has a fully balanced Yggy/Rag/HE-1000 setup, but also a SE Bimby/Aasgard/EMU Teak setup. If you drop that balanced criteria, a whole world of fantastic headphones opens up at your budget. Personally I would go for EMU Teak, and would audition AKG 712s.
 

wilflare

Member
finally got my Magni3. my first Schiit ever.
a little underwhelmed by the supplied Power Adapter (it was dusty...)

now the thing is whether to get a Mimby (Schiit Modi Multibit)
 

matmanx1

Member
What do you recommend? I mostly listen to rock, metal, pop, and older country. Budget is $350, I'd go to $500 if it is awesome, but that is my max budget. As I said before I like neutral or with vocals forward a little bit.



$1700, ah no. There's no way in hell I'd pay that much for headphones. I guess I should have mentioned my budget. See above.

Well, as I've said before a couple of times I really, really like my HE-400S with the Focus A pads. The headphones are $249 - $299 and the Focus A pads are usually $40 or so. If you want the sound to be more open and have a wider stage you can also do the grille mod which is easy and cheap.

I listen to mainly rock and metal also with some pop and electronica thrown in and they handle it all quite well while being very light and comfortable.
 

NotSelf

Member
Fostex releasing there own modded rp with wood cups african mahogany if I would have known would have got these instead still no price on them.

They sure know how to time these things perfectly.

 

Blitzhex

Member
Fostex releasing there own modded rp with wood cups african mahogany if I would have known would have got these instead still no price on them.

They sure know how to time these things perfectly.

Those kinda look like thx00 pads, which would be a step up from the current mk3 pads, but I hate them because their unevenness creates hotspots around my ears. Still really looking forward to picking it up.
 

LQX

Member
Speaking of Fostex. Massdrop started shipping the T-X0 this week. Will most likley be selling mine.
 
Mr. Speakers just announced an open back version of the Aeon's, complicating my purchase decisions, for sale now and shipping in 2 weeks.

fuck.

I was just about to pull the trigger on a pair of Audeze LCD-X's.

what do

I meant from the regular Modi 2.

What makes the Multibit worth $250 compared to Modi 2's $100 or Uber's $150?

better processing chip, better sound.

If you can, just buy both and send back the multibit if you're not impressed. 15 day free returns window. No hassle at all.
 
Mr. Speakers just announced an open back version of the Aeon's, complicating my purchase decisions, for sale now and shipping in 2 weeks.

fuck.

I was just about to pull the trigger on a pair of Audeze LCD-X's.

what do



better processing chip, better sound.

If you can, just buy both and send back the multibit if you're not impressed. 15 day free returns window. No hassle at all.

Pass on both and wait for impressions of the ZMF Auteur.
 

Bloodember

Member
You know, at that price range having a balanced cable is pretty academic. Hell, it might be academic in all price ranges, headphone cables are not tens of meters, so there just isn't that much to cancel out in balanced mode. I say this as someone who has a fully balanced Yggy/Rag/HE-1000 setup, but also a SE Bimby/Aasgard/EMU Teak setup. If you drop that balanced criteria, a whole world of fantastic headphones opens up at your budget. Personally I would go for EMU Teak, and would audition AKG 712s.

As far as I can tell, from my research that last few days, balanced cables is just talk and may or may not do anything.

But I have found a xlr cable for my Shure headphones here, they're $100 for a 5 ft cable, not sure is I want to spend $100 on a cable though.
 
What's the sweet spot for powered bookshelf speakers (think for computer use)? Like, if I spend $400 on a pair of speakers instead of $200, are they going to be quite a bit better? And any suggestions? I don't think I would consider spending more than $500 for the pair in general, and it needn't be that much.

Not for production or anything, just for music and games. I like electronic music and rap, if it matters at all. Thanks!
 

HiResDes

Member
What's the sweet spot for powered bookshelf speakers (think for computer use)? Like, if I spend $400 on a pair of speakers instead of $200, are they going to be quite a bit better? And any suggestions? I don't think I would consider spending more than $500 for the pair in general, and it needn't be that much.

Not for production or anything, just for music and games. I like electronic music and rap, if it matters at all. Thanks!
I'd say $400 a pair is the sweet spot, especially if it's just for nearfield computer use.
 

wilflare

Member
hmm any advice on what's the best setting to leave my audio knobs at?

so my set-up goes:
Audinst HUD-mx1 > Schiit Magni 3

Schiit Magni 3
-> RCA Out - AegoM
-> Headphone Out - Philips Fidelio X1

should I leave my Audinist HUD-mx1 at max volume since it's serving as a DAC/Pre-amp now?

then for AegoM, should I leave the volume at max then control via Magni3 (or the other way round)?
 

HiResDes

Member
hmm any advice on what's the best setting to leave my audio knobs at?

so my set-up goes:
Audinst HUD-mx1 > Schiit Magni 3

Schiit Magni 3
-> RCA Out - AegoM
-> Headphone Out - Philips Fidelio X1

should I leave my Audinist HUD-mx1 at max volume since it's serving as a DAC/Pre-amp now?

then for AegoM, should I leave the volume at max then control via Magni3 (or the other way round)?
Basically you just want to have the source fairly high to avoid clipping, no hard rule, so I'd turn up the Audinst fairly high
 

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
Mmm really? I feel like it's been awhile since we had a bunch, but I haven't been following as closely lately.

I've been looking out for new iems mostly though and there really isn't anything new.
 

maven

Member
Focal Clear. Not much info yet.

I’m not normally into shiny stuff, but that is a good looking headphone. I want those pads on my ears...

Auteur looks amazing too. Ugh. Too many headphones, not enough disposable income.
 

matmanx1

Member
The Auteur from ZMF is now official. Starting at $1,399.99 IF you pre-order the Teak wood varient.

http://www.zmfheadphones.com/the-auteur/

Seems like every week there is a new $1,500 headphone.

They look old and beautiful.
Auteur+Banner+Web.png

Those look incredible. The grille design is elegant and classy with a bit of a steampunk vibe to it. I'm not giving up my Eikon and I don't want to use any of my budget right now for another expensive headphone but I am slightly jealous of anyone who grabs one of these.
 

sirap

Member
So this is happening...

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdr...leCampaignId=177454&iterableTemplateId=255287

Massdrop noble K10. My problem is that I've never tried an iem, let alone a high end one. The price is tempting (only in the sense that I've dreamt about buying these for their original rrp), but I generally don't like things touching my ears for any length of time.

They would probably go nicely with my pending pico power though...

Nice. Shame they went with black...the original color scheme was so much better.

Out of all the IEMS and headphones I own the K10u is still my favorite. It pairs brilliantly with any type of music and I can plug it into just about anything.
 

chekhonte

Member
Getting a good DAC has been the most important upgrade I've made in years. I wish that I would have learned that ages ago. It would have saved me so much trouble dealing with physical media and meaningless upgrades.
 

Ashhong

Member
Getting a good DAC has been the most important upgrade I've made in years. I wish that I would have learned that ages ago. It would have saved me so much trouble dealing with physical media and meaningless upgrades.

How good is good? I need to get one to prepare for my HD6xx later this year but would rather not spend a ton. Was thinking the Fulla 2..
 

Kambing

Member
How good is good? I need to get one to prepare for my HD6xx later this year but would rather not spend a ton. Was thinking the Fulla 2..

Ah... you are about to dive head first into the rabbit hole. I remember when i started with the Fulla, next was WA7, then the Gungnir MB and now have they Yggy. Unfortunately i've only had the pleasure of listening intently to the 4 DAC's above, so can only comment on how good is good on these 4.

PC ----> Fulla = HUGE upgrade
Fulla ----> WA7 = SMALL upgrade
WA7 ----> Gumby = HUGE upgrade
Gumby ----> Yggy = SMALL upgrade

To my ears, even taking into account other more costly DAC's i've heard, the Gumby and Yggy are endgame tier. I'd honestly be content with the Gumby, but a part of me had to test the Yggy out and find out for my self. Your eventual HD6xx would melt if paired with a Gumby and tube based amp...
 

Ashhong

Member
Ah... you are about to dive head first into the rabbit hole. I remember when i started with the Fulla, next was WA7, then the Gungnir MB and now have they Yggy. Unfortunately i've only had the pleasure of listening intently to the 4 DAC's above, so can only comment on how good is good on these 4.

PC ----> Fulla = HUGE upgrade
Fulla ----> WA7 = SMALL upgrade
WA7 ----> Gumby = HUGE upgrade
Gumby ----> Yggy = SMALL upgrade

To my ears, even taking into account other more costly DAC's i've heard, the Gumby and Yggy are endgame tier. I'd honestly be content with the Gumby, but a part of me had to test the Yggy out and find out for my self. Your eventual HD6xx would melt if paired with a Gumby and tube based amp...

How about if my PC has an Asus Xonar DG soundcard? Still huge upgrade to the Fulla? I'll have to start with that. Can't be spending a ton on a DAC right now lol
 
The Auteur from ZMF is now official. Starting at $1,399.99 IF you pre-order the Teak wood varient.

http://www.zmfheadphones.com/the-auteur/

Seems like every week there is a new $1,500 headphone.

They look old and beautiful.
Auteur+Banner+Web.png
What kind of sound signature do ZMF's typically have? This is really hard when you can't just hear something before you buy. How should I even expect them to compare to something like the LCD-3's or X's other than being lighter? Why must this be complicated. I just wanted one pair of really good open backs with solid low end that aren't Stax. I feel like the LCD-X's were going to be the pair, but now maybe I need to wait? Am disgust.

How good is good? I need to get one to prepare for my HD6xx later this year but would rather not spend a ton. Was thinking the Fulla 2..
As soon as I heard my Chord 2Qute I knew there was a different level of "good" fam.
 

matmanx1

Member
How about if my PC has an Asus Xonar DG soundcard? Still huge upgrade to the Fulla? I'll have to start with that. Can't be spending a ton on a DAC right now lol

The Xonar DG's aren't bad and are certainly a step up from most integrated soundcards. Going up to something like a Fulla or higher would get you better detail retrieval and better imaging and separation between the sounds.

I'm a proponent of giving the DAC the majority of anyone's budget after they have their headphone figured out. A good DAC can make a huge difference and because of the (sometimes) complex circuitry needed to make the best ones there really is a difference between a cheap starter unit and something like the Gungnir Multibit (Gumby). I myself use a Metrum Musette and it was a big step up from the Modi Multibit (Mimby) which was itself a HUGE step up from the Fostex integrated DAC/Amp that I started with.

If you can swing it (or save up for it) a Modi Multibit is a pretty life changing DAC for $250 in comparison to what most people start off with and are currently using.

What kind of sound signature do ZMF's typically have? This is really hard when you can't just hear something before you buy. How should I even expect them to compare to something like the LCD-3's or X's other than being lighter? Why must this be complicated. I just wanted one pair of really good open backs with solid low end that aren't Stax. I feel like the LCD-X's were going to be the pair, but now maybe I need to wait? Am disgust.


As soon as I heard my Chord 2Qute I knew there was a different level of "good" fam.

Responding to the bolded: Think of a more detail oriented, more musical TH-X00 and you would be on the right track. The Atticus, in particular, has a similar sound signature while being a lot more sophisticated. The Eikon is more balanced but still has a lot of bass presence. ZMF headphones are never bright or fatiguing and tend to favor warm sound signatures. And for what it's worth, I love my Eikon (and can wear it all day) and Zach has been fantastic to correspond with and work with.

Supposedly the Auteur is using the same driver as the Eikon but being open allows it to have more air and a wider sound stage while also increasing detail retrieval. If it is as good as early reports are indicating it could be an extremely disruptive headphone for the price.
 
The Xonar DG's aren't bad and are certainly a step up from most integrated soundcards. Going up to something like a Fulla or higher would get you better detail retrieval and better imaging and separation between the sounds.

I'm a proponent of giving the DAC the majority of anyone's budget after they have their headphone figured out. A good DAC can make a huge difference and because of the (sometimes) complex circuitry needed to make the best ones there really is a difference between a cheap starter unit and something like the Gungnir Multibit (Gumby). I myself use a Metrum Musette and it was a big step up from the Modi Multibit (Mimby) which was itself a HUGE step up from the Fostex integrated DAC/Amp that I started with.

If you can swing it (or save up for it) a Modi Multibit is a pretty life changing DAC for $250 in comparison to what most people start off with and are currently using.



Responding to the bolded: Think of a more detail oriented, more musical TH-X00 and you would be on the right track. The Atticus, in particular, has a similar sound signature while being a lot more sophisticated. The Eikon is more balanced but still has a lot of bass presence. ZMF headphones are never bright or fatiguing and tend to favor warm sound signatures. And for what it's worth, I love my Eikon (and can wear it all day) and Zach has been fantastic to correspond with and work with.

Supposedly the Auteur is using the same driver as the Eikon but being open allows it to have more air and a wider sound stage while also increasing detail retrieval. If it is as good as early reports are indicating it could be an extremely disruptive headphone for the price.

Why a Modi Multibit instead of a Modi 2 for $99? Isn't Mimby $249?
 

Kambing

Member
How about if my PC has an Asus Xonar DG soundcard? Still huge upgrade to the Fulla? I'll have to start with that. Can't be spending a ton on a DAC right now lol

Ahhh wish i could answer this but never had a proper sound card lol. I kinda of went from on board PC/TV sound to the Fulla... man that experience was magical. Yeah completely understand about waiting, it’ll actually make the experience better if you ever do upgrade.
 

chekhonte

Member
How good is good? I need to get one to prepare for my HD6xx later this year but would rather not spend a ton. Was thinking the Fulla 2..

I can't comment much since I've only had 2. One was a crappy FiiO that I just used the R/L out into a preamp. The new one that's incredibly better is the Bifrost with the multibit card installed and it's a huge upgrade. More of an upgrade than when I bought a pair of Hifiman HE560's to replace my k702's. The clarity and instrument separation and dynamic range are noticeably improved just by upgrading my DAC.

I'd heard for years that your source is very important but I've also heard a lot of BS and it's hard to tease the truth out from the voodoo.
 

matmanx1

Member
Why a Modi Multibit instead of a Modi 2 for $99? Isn't Mimby $249?

Mimby (Modi Multibit) is a big step up in sound quality from Modi 2. Yeah the price is a lot higher but many of those multibit dacs use resistor ladders and good ones aren't cheap. Schiit's architecture is proprietary but still, at $250 it offers insane sound quality and is the gatekeeper for all good multibit DACs.
 
What kind of sound signature do ZMF's typically have? This is really hard when you can't just hear something before you buy. How should I even expect them to compare to something like the LCD-3's or X's other than being lighter? Why must this be complicated. I just wanted one pair of really good open backs with solid low end that aren't Stax. I feel like the LCD-X's were going to be the pair, but now maybe I need to wait? Am disgust.


As soon as I heard my Chord 2Qute I knew there was a different level of "good" fam.

Downward sloping signature.

Honestly the 2 times I've tried the LCD-X I felt it was no where near worth it's asking price. I've owned everything in the ZMF current lineup outside of his entry level Classic and found them all worth their asking price. The Atticus and Eikon are both two of the best headphones I've ever heard along with the hd800 and Utopia.

Definitely wait for impressions of the Auteur unless your in a rush.
 
Downward sloping signature.

Honestly the 2 times I've tried the LCD-X I felt it was no where near worth it's asking price. I've owned everything in the ZMF current lineup outside of his entry level Classic and found them all worth their asking price. The Atticus and Eikon are both two of the best headphones I've ever heard along with the hd800 and Utopia.

Definitely wait for impressions of the Auteur unless your in a rush.
Damn it. I wanted this to be easy! lol. I wouldn't say I'm in a rush so much as the LCD-X being $500 off this month. $1200 feels better to me than the usual $1700 price tag.

Well worst case, if I'm not impressed by the LCD-X I can just send it back.

I'd really like to heat these ZMF's now. Sounds like they would be a meaningful upgrade over my aging D7000s. Upon auditioning the LCD-3's it was immediately apparent that they were better than my 7000s as the mids and upper mids were no longer recessed. Like singers moved from 10 feet behind the instruments to even with the instruments. While having the warmth and bass response that I am accustomed to from my Denon/Foster decade.

I guess I'm going to have to find a way to audition some ZMFs somehow unless they have a return policy that will allow me o "demo" them, if you will.
 
Damn it. I wanted this to be easy! lol. I wouldn't say I'm in a rush so much as the LCD-X being $500 off this month. $1200 feels better to me than the usual $1700 price tag.

Well worst case, if I'm not impressed by the LCD-X I can just send it back.

I'd really like to heat these ZMF's now. Sounds like they would be a meaningful upgrade over my aging D7000s. Upon auditioning the LCD-3's it was immediately apparent that they were better than my 7000s as the mids and upper mids were no longer recessed. Like singers moved from 10 feet behind the instruments to even with the instruments. While having the warmth and bass response that I am accustomed to from my Denon/Foster decade.

I guess I'm going to have to find a way to audition some ZMFs somehow unless they have a return policy that will allow me o "demo" them, if you will.

The $1200 for LCD-X is still a terrible price imo.

If your dead set on trying the Audeze sound, I'd wait for their new models to come out. The LCD Pro and LCD MX4.
 

toff74

Member
I’m looking for a way to improve my mobile and PC audio (borked headphone socket) experience so was thinking iem’s And a usb DAC, which I could use for both.

So far I have the 1more quad driver iem’s and got a dragonfly red DAC on the way.

I guess I’m asking if this is the best route? Should I get better iem’s and a cheaper DAC for example?

I blame amazon Prime for the impulse purchases!!
 
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