HeaDphone Discussions. (Audiophile and Gaming)

[Deviation]

I will recite one of my all time favourite poems "I DO NOT NEED AN HD800! I DO NOT NEED AN ELEAR! I DO NOT NEED A PHONITOR!"

What kind of defeatists attitude is this? Especially from Panda.

 

[Born2Fish]

So the R2R 11 arrived, (thanks to Ninja-Theory), and is now sitting next to me at work, rest of the day is going to draaaag.

 

[Ac!DLeAk]

So the R2R 11 arrived, (thanks to Ninja-Theory), and is now sitting next to me at work, rest of the day is going to draaaag.

Maybe a good time to see if your work computer's USB ports are still working?

 

[Born2Fish]

Maybe a good time to see if your work computer's USB ports are still working?

Hahaha if I had some headphones here I'd definitely try but alas they're all at home.

 

[PandaAttack1]

What kind of defeatists attitude is this? Especially from Panda.

 

[PandaAttack1]

Hahaha if I had some headphones here I'd definitely try but alas they're all at home.

A decent headset for the office should be next on your list.

I would not be able to work if it was not for my AKGs a Fiio ek10. <3

 

[Born2Fish]

A decent headset for the office should be next on your list.

I would not be able to work if it was not for my AKGs a Fiio ek10. <3

I get too easily distracted by music and in my environment I am interacting with people too often to sit with headphones on jamming. Would be frowned upon I'm sure

 

[Eon]

would not be able to work if it was not for my AKGs a Fiio ek10. <3

I use a Bose Soundlink Around the Ear set at work. Absolutely love them, have never found anything lighter that has the same sound quality.

SoundLink® around-ear wireless headphones II ear cushion kit – Sound Imports – Bose

Bose sound systems South Africa. We sell Bose sound systems, headphones, earbuds, speakers and soundbars.

www.soundimports.co.za

 

[Ac!DLeAk]

Talking about Bose... On the 1 in 10000000 chance someone finds themselves in Dublin before 31 May 2019, I have a 10% discount voucher you can use on any product. I am all Bosed out.

Pointless contribution for the day done...

 

[PandaAttack1]

I use a Bose Soundlink Around the Ear set at work. Absolutely love them, have never found anything lighter that has the same sound quality.

SoundLink® around-ear wireless headphones II ear cushion kit – Sound Imports – Bose

Bose sound systems South Africa. We sell Bose sound systems, headphones, earbuds, speakers and soundbars.

www.soundimports.co.za

As much as most dislike Bose, I actually like the sound signature. There are a few items in my collection I never mention, as I am scared it will impact my credibility and views on other headphones, so I keep them secret. My guilty pleasures, so to speak.

 

[Eon]

As much as most dislike Bose, I actually like the sound signature. There are a few items in my collection I never mention, as I am scared it will impact my credibility and views on other headphones, so I keep them secret. My guilty pleasures, so to speak.

Oh there is much better sound out there. I tried tons of closed headphones at work, the AudioTechnica ATH-M50x's I had was great, but my single biggest requirement was trying to trade off sound quality with weight. I wanted an over the ear headset that weighed nothing and I could wear for hours on end and forget that they were there. The Sennies, AudioTechnica's and a few others all gave me a stiff neck after wearing for hours, nevermind sore ears. So yeah in terms of weight trade off to sound, never found anything close to the Bose. I still don't understand how there is a speaker in each ear cup, just looks like there is nothing there, and you can't feel it either.

 

[Scubadude]

"I DO NOT NEED AN HD800! I DO NOT NEED AN ELEAR! I DO NOT NEED A PHONITOR!"

Welcome to visit any time Panda...

 

[Ninja_Theory]

Fresh in from the underground press.. just got firsthand news that the Loxjie P20 is the next entry in the audio enthusiast's unicorn journal.. apparently "written with panda tears" as well. Man now I'm amped for this little hybrid piece of amazingness that cost $89 -- currently at customs.

 

[Ac!DLeAk]

As much as most dislike Bose, I actually like the sound signature. There are a few items in my collection I never mention, as I am scared it will impact my credibility and views on other headphones, so I keep them secret. My guilty pleasures, so to speak.

LOL! I'll start us off. I have:
1) Soundlink Mini 2
2) Bose in my CX3
3) Soundtouch 300
4) Virtually invisible surround speakers
5) Bass Module 700

Only reason I didn't get the QC35 was because the Sony wh-1000xm2 just pipped it on clarity for me. When does a guilty pleasure become a problem? Asking... Uhm... For a friend.

Jokes aside, I like Bose as a relaxing system. It's not trying to best in the world. I was contemplating going all Hifi in my lounge setup but ended getting the Bose, otherwise I will never switch off or actually WATCH tv but rather listen for minute details.

 

[Eon]

Jokes aside, I like Bose as a relaxing system. It's not trying to best in the world. I was contemplating going all Hifi in my lounge setup but ended getting the Bose, otherwise I will never switch off or actually WATCH tv but rather listen for minute details.

Yeah there I went the other way around. Had considered it, but then went Yamaha AC-Receiver and KEF 5.1 speaker system. Have never looked back. My neighbours hate me though.

 

[PandaAttack1]

/snip
...otherwise I will never switch off or actually WATCH tv but rather listen for minute details.

Trust me, it is a proper fuckup and annoyance. BUT, when you flip that stereo switch, turn the dial and fire up that music though... Man oh man. Life is simply better...

side note:
Just completed and tested a very tricky piece of work that has been bothering me for a few weeks. As the unit test comes back positive, Deezer continues to Rolling Stones' Beast of Burden. What a blissful, feel good moment.

 

[PandaAttack1]

Fresh in from the underground press.. just got firsthand news that the Loxjie P20 is the next entry in the audio enthusiast's unicorn journal.. apparently "written with panda tears" as well. Man now I'm amped for this little hybrid piece of amazingness that cost $89 -- currently at customs.

I should really catch up on my Telegram at some point...

 

[reactor_sa]

LOL! I'll start us off. I have:
1) Soundlink Mini 2
2) Bose in my CX3
3) Soundtouch 300
4) Virtually invisible surround speakers
5) Bass Module 700

Only reason I didn't get the QC35 was because the Sony wh-1000xm2 just pipped it on clarity for me. When does a guilty pleasure become a problem? Asking... Uhm... For a friend.

Jokes aside, I like Bose as a relaxing system. It's not trying to best in the world. I was contemplating going all Hifi in my lounge setup but ended getting the Bose, otherwise I will never switch off or actually WATCH tv but rather listen for minute details.

I refuse to fly without my trusty QC35II, I've tried literally all the major ANC cans and they're the ones I kept coming back to.

I have family in London with lot of the Sonos bars and subs, quite impressive for the size but I think Jim from JRR reviewed the Bose bar and sub and said it was clearer.
Moving to a smaller place I might sell off my 7.2 B&W/Yamaha/SVS/Rotel/Emotiva and settle on something simpler like the Bose or Sonos. Would shatter my heart to downgrade though.

 

[Ac!DLeAk]

I refuse to fly without my trusty QC35II, I've tried literally all the major ANC cans and they're the ones I kept coming back to.

I have family in London with lot of the Sonos bars and subs, quite impressive for the size but I think Jim from JRR reviewed the Bose bar and sub and said it was clearer.
Moving to a smaller place I might sell off my 7.2 B&W/Yamaha/SVS/Rotel/Emotiva and settle on something simpler like the Bose or Sonos. Would shatter my heart to downgrade though.

I didn't try others to be fair. I bought it off of the performance of the Soundlink Mini II. I think the market in Europe is much bigger for the bars and subs though. Living in an apartment, I'll get noise complaints if I put the soundbar slightly north of 50% at night. You could never fully utilise a 7.2 setup like that here.

Maybe keep on to them though? You never know what the future might bring...

 

[reactor_sa]

I didn't try others to be fair. I bought it off of the performance of the Soundlink Mini II. I think the market in Europe is much bigger for the bars and subs though. Living in an apartment, I'll get noise complaints if I put the soundbar slightly north of 50% at night. You could never fully utilise a 7.2 setup like that here.

Maybe keep on to them though? You never know what the future might bring...

Yeah we were really fortunate with property sizes in SA, and price.

 

[Ac!DLeAk]

Fresh in from the underground press.. just got firsthand news that the Loxjie P20 is the next entry in the audio enthusiast's unicorn journal.. apparently "written with panda tears" as well. Man now I'm amped for this little hybrid piece of amazingness that cost $89 -- currently at customs.

Are you going to tube roll?

 

[naughty]

okay gents - those KZ ZSN pro's have arrived from Amazon - and my word - for an inexpensive set of in ear monitors they are everything that Arie claimed and more .... I can see why he and some other reviewers rave about these because for the price .... they were around $24 - and they landed here at around R470 shipping and tax inclusive to my door from Amazon and to me they give some full size headphones a bit of a run for the money

I havent heard too many IEMs and no high-end ones at all so i cant compare them to high-end models but i have had some Sennheiser CS300iis and also an AKG Y20 and this makes both those seem like "shit gone bad for a month" or in other words - they like pick those up by both legs while they aren't wearing a diaper and give them a hard spanking ....... all at a lower price than both those models - and it also sounds better than my Sennheiser HD202s which were my first "decent" set of headphones (better bass, better midrange, better treble, better smoothness, generally just better everything than that HD202)

And i also only tried them straight off my phones headphone jack so far - still have to try them with the cheapie type C DAC/AMP and even with a proper DAC/AMP on the PC but because of the low impedance these definitely dont need an amp to run them - you dont have the phone volume on absolutely full like you need to do with the AKG Y20 and surprisingly for an in ear monitor ..... well the entry level ones that i have heard at least, these actually play bass

normally i hate IEMs but i think that these are keepers because they are so cheap and they definitely sound way better than the cheap price suggests .... so even though i still hate sticking things into my ear because it seems uncomfortable i reckon these sound good enough to overcome that dislike

and sure a "proper' full size headphones is going to show these things a clean pair of heels but in perspective these are in ear monitors so in that light i think they are terrific for the price ...... thanks for the recommendation Arie ..... the only other thing i can say is that if you want IEMS and dont want to spend a fortune to get decent sounding ones these will not disappoint - and sure a lot of higher end models WILL give these a spanking but you are going to have to pay for that too happen, and for around the same price as an AKG Y20 you are getting something thats roughly around 25% to 30% better than those Y20s

 

[Ninja_Theory]

Are you going to tube roll?

Indeed but slow and easy. Bought a set of 6N3P tubes. Currently at customs via AGS.

 

[Ninja_Theory]

okay gents - those KZ ZSN pro's have arrived from Amazon - and my word - for an inexpensive set of in ear monitors they are everything that Arie claimed and more .... I can see why he and some other reviewers rave about these because for the price .... they were around $24 - and they landed here at around R470 shipping and tax inclusive to my door from Amazon and to me they give some full size headphones a bit of a run for the money

I havent heard too many IEMs and no high-end ones at all so i cant compare them to high-end models but i have had some Sennheiser CS300iis and also an AKG Y20 and this makes both those seem like "shit gone bad for a month" or in other words - they like pick those up by both legs while they aren't wearing a diaper and give them a hard spanking ....... all at a lower price than both those models - and it also sounds better than my Sennheiser HD202s which were my first "decent" set of headphones (better bass, better midrange, better treble, better smoothness, generally just better everything than that HD202)

And i also only tried them straight off my phones headphone jack so far - still have to try them with the cheapie type C DAC/AMP and even with a proper DAC/AMP on the PC but because of the low impedance these definitely dont need an amp to run them - you dont have the phone volume on absolutely full like you need to do with the AKG Y20 and surprisingly for an in ear monitor ..... well the entry level ones that i have heard at least, these actually play bass

normally i hate IEMs but i think that these are keepers because they are so cheap and they definitely sound way better than the cheap price suggests .... so even though i still hate sticking things into my ear because it seems uncomfortable i reckon these sound good enough to overcome that dislike

and sure a "proper' full size headphones is going to show these things a clean pair of heels but in perspective these are in ear monitors so in that light i think they are terrific for the price ...... thanks for the recommendation Arie ..... the only other thing i can say is that if you want IEMS and dont want to spend a fortune to get decent sounding ones these will not disappoint - and sure a lot of higher end models WILL give these a spanking but you are going to have to pay for that too happen, and for around the same price as an AKG Y20 you are getting something thats roughly around 25% to 30% better than those Y20s

Nice dude! The KZ ZSN's certainly appear to applying for unicorn status? I am very interested to know how they compare to my Massdrop Plus IEMs (which are nicely detailed and beautifully smooth) -- but none of you KZ ZSN owners are in Jhb

 

[Ac!DLeAk]

Indeed but slow and easy. Bought a set of 6N3P tubes. Currently at customs via AGS.

Would be interesting to see how these sound with your LCD.

Electrically Matched Pair EF92 MULLARD YELLOW PRINT MITCHAM NOS VALVE TUBE J13 | eBay

Electrically Matched Pair EF92 MULLARD YELLOW PRINT MITCHAM NOS VALVE TUBE J13 | Sound & Vision, Vintage Sound & Vision, Vintage Parts & Accessories | eBay!

www.ebay.ie

 

[naughty]

Nice dude! The KZ ZSN's certainly appear to applying for unicorn status? I am very interested to know how they compare to my Massdrop Plus IEMs (which are nicely detailed and beautifully smooth) -- but none of you KZ ZSN owners are in Jhb

those massdrop ones are the ones you got from Wietsche? - those should be fairly better but they also cost a fair amount more so it stands to reason that they should be a fair bit better and those are definitely in the high end category - these are probably more mid-fi but at the price of totally entry level .... the ZSN pros are also fairly detailed and pretty smooth too but to me the thing is that for the price they sound as if they should cost way more than they do ..... and definitely for the guys looking for a cheap but great performing IEM these should get unicorn status ie this is like the uDSD of IEMs IMHO

after a while i tried it out by inserting this DAC/AMP into the type C connector of the phone - and this had a little less bass but it was incredibly loud - i was actually dropping volume levels on the phone to down to around 1/3rd of the maximum level ..... as a comparison just direct into the headphone jack i needed to have the volume level at around 75 to 80% but on the same phone with my Sennheiser HD555 i have to play at full (100%) of volume level to get decent listenable levels ..... now with the adapter and the ZSNs as i stated up above its at around 30 to 35%

i will also try these out with that Fiio K3 when it arrives but i think thats going to be a bit overkill because to me just direct off the phone is actually quite loud enough and its pretty decent sounding too for something that costs less than R500 ..... but i reckon that the Fiio may do better with that Hifiman HE4xx (hopefully the Hifiman arrive in time for the weekend)

i would have considered those Massdrop IEMs from Wietsche but at the time before you grabbed them i was really unconvinced that i would enjoy IEMs all that much because i really dislike sticking things into my ears but these KZ cheapies have now converted me into believing that IEMS could possibly get to play pretty convincingly so yeah i had to take the babystep first ..... either way i hope that you really enjoy those Massdrop jobbies ...... because as i said i'm becoming a bit of a convert and i reckon that IEMs could be a lot better than i originally gave them credit for

possibly a DAP like that Fiio M11 and a good set of high end IEMs might also be a great setup for mobile high end audio (obviously non gaming application but more for a Hi-Fi in your pocket solution) but im now really curious about Ron G's Hifiman R2R2000 DAP with the Campfire Andromeda IEMs (i can imagine that to be a totally endgame setup for mobile audio but with the DAP being R70k and the IEMs being R19k it isnt for everyone but i would love to hear something like that sometime before i die .... and i would be happy with that Fiio DAP and a set of those Massdrop IEMs as my personal mobile endgame .... i was originally thinking about a closed back set of over ears but that's cumbersome to move around with and maybe a set of good IEMs could be a far more portable solution)

this is what i love about a new hobby - its all about "live and learn" and i'm certainly encountering new things that only a year ago i would never have bothered with, so yep learning a lot about what would be good for my circumstances and i'm also learning that things which i thought i wouldn't like, actually begin to appeal as you find some of the better examples of those items

 

[capetownwatches]

Glad to read that you are happy with the ZSNs - they are remarkable value for money, and do indeed deliver far more than their price would suggest.
Build quality is exemplary as well. No way do you feel that you are wearing "cheap" IEMs and I find them very comfortable for extended sessions.

My experience was that they really open up and extend more after just a few hours use - very quick break in period.
I use KZ foam tips (large size) and these deliver truly subterranean bass. The stock silicons didn't work well for me at all.
I have used mine only with my trusty LG-H990 (V20) and cannot get the gain above 60% on any material.
Very efficient these are, and very satisfying from a high quality source.

Enjoy!

 

[naughty]

Glad to read that you are happy with the ZSNs - they are remarkable value for money, and do indeed deliver far more than their price would suggest.
Build quality is exemplary as well. No way do you feel that you are wearing "cheap" IEMs and I find them very comfortable for extended sessions.

My experience was that they really open up and extend more after just a few hours use - very quick break in period.
I use KZ foam tips (large size) and these deliver truly subterranean bass. The stock silicons didn't work well for me at all.
I have used mine only with my trusty LG-H990 (V20) and cannot get the gain above 60% on any material.
Very efficient these are, and very satisfying from a high quality source.

Enjoy!

i cant use the larger tips - im using the smallest ones that came stock with the bundle - otherwise they dont stay in my ears - i dont really use IEMs a lot but maybe im missing a trick here - i always assumed that they need to be stuffed into your ear canal and be basically skintight so as not to leak the sound out .... so the bigger tips are all just way too large to fit into my ears or is there a trick to this and maybe i'm doing it wrong? Either way the bass from the stock headphone jack on my phone is indeed full of presence .... i have a Xiaomi Poco F1 and i use USB Audio Player Pro (sometimes also poweramp and Foobar2000 for android) but with UAPP it sounds pretty nice and the EQ when you use it is effective but even just leaving the EQ off is just fine with these

you are 100% spot-on in everything you said about these - i just hope that that they last me a long time but it does seem as you suggest that the build quality is great so they should last a while - and yep i really would like to try them with a better source than the phone, but they do sound pretty good on a phone anyway .... i have to say far better than my experience with the other entry level IEMs would hint at

thanks for letting us know about them it is much appreciated

 

[Born2Fish]

So I tried the R2R 11 last night. Plugged it in and started playing around with the 6XX and was definitely happy with the initial impressions. Improved soundstage, slight bump to bass, way more headroom to work with and zero distortion of any kind at high volumes like I was getting with the uDSD. Overall a good sound and I was already happy with my purchase.

The problem was, this thing was still ice cold and I was fairly certain it could benefit from being allowed to get to operating temperature so I hadn't really taken the testing too seriously yet. I left some music playing and went off and made supper. Came back put my hand on it and it was still only just starting to warm so I decided to do some gaming so long with the X2.

The gaming went very well, I'm not sure how it does it but it gives the gunshots a sort of satisfying "pop" that doesn't dig right into my eardrums which allows me to increase the volume without going deaf as soon as I have to shoot. Played Tarkov and completely dominated Factory three times in a row purely based on having amazing audio. So I'm definitely sold on that front.

After this session it had been about 4 hours since I had first powered up the unit. It was quite warm to the touch but by no means hot, but didn't seem to be gaining any more temperature so I thought I'd go back for a proper listen with the 6XX. It wasn't long before the magic happened. I say magic because there is some kind of sorcery in this thing that just makes music sound amazing. I don't really know how to explain it but the vocals and guitar took on a richness and life of their own. Every song with amazing vocals or guitar had me melting into an audio coma and just couldn't tear myself away. I stopped worrying about listening for instrument separation or soundstage or clarity or any of that stuff, there was no need, in my mind it sounded "Perfect" so why bother. Somehow the combination of these two entities (6XX and R2R) just found the exact sweet spot I've been looking for. I just lay there until way past my bed-time listening to song after song and was amazed every time a beautiful sparkly acoustic guitar chord played, or a powerful warm fuzzy electric power chord, or Tracey Chapman's or Bon Jovi's or Axl Roses vocals just shined through perfectly with a special timbre I am sure would be tough to improve upon. Sure , maybe the R2R is adding some distortion or reverb or some such thing that would make a purely neutral/reference audiophile flinch but it didn't matter to me because it sounded amazing, simple as that. I reckon the designer of this unit is a genius and planned for this as I can't imagine something so packed with components stumbled onto this sound by accident. ASR sure doesn't seem worth reading after listening to this thing haha.

Anyway I will stop my gushing now, needless to say it was a great experience. I tried the X2 shortly and as was expected for me it's even further behind the 6XX now. Was great in games and will grab it for a bassey EDM session but to me the 6XX and R2R seem like a perfect match.

I most definitely won't be turning this thing off often as I am convinced keeping it warm improves the experience. And I definitely have no plans to ever be without a 6XX/HD650 as I reckon I will always need them as a benchmark.

P.S: I'd imagine the uDSD will be up for sale shortly

Mild size difference:

 

[Deviation]

Dude! Same here.

When I first plugged in the R2R 11 with the HD6XX, I lost track of time. Time just flies by when you experience audio magic. This combo just sets a new bar which you can't go back from.

Wonderful review and also @Kwaai might have been looking for the uDSD.