HeaDphone Discussions. (Audiophile and Gaming)

[baltazhar]

Oooooh I've been eyeing out the Sundara

These okes are the agents for HiFiman in SA:
Home | Lumous Audio

I can recommend them since they delivered the headphones

 

[Scubadude]

Those are R199 at Inredible.

 

[neilh]

Dekoni replacement pads finally arrived. After 5 mins, I agree with the great Zeos (LOL). Original pads are trash.

These are so much more comfortable

 

[BillNaaai]

Anyone here wanna take some premium earphones off my hands? I’m no audiophile so hopefully they can go to someone who will appreciate them

 

[RandomSheepZA]

Anyone here wanna take some premium earphones off my hands? I’m no audiophile so hopefully they can go to someone who will appreciate them

What you wanting to part ways with my good man?

Sent from my CLT-L09 using Tapatalk

 

[BillNaaai]

What you wanting to part ways with my good man?

Sent from my CLT-L09 using Tapatalk

B&O Beoplay E8 mk2 and JBL under armor flash X.

 

[RandomSheepZA]

Let me know how much you want for the flash x.
Might be keen on a pair for the gym

Sent from my CLT-L09 using Tapatalk

 

[BillNaaai]

Let me know how much you want for the flash x.
Might be keen on a pair for the gym

Sent from my CLT-L09 using Tapatalk

To be honest I have no clue what they should go for. They’re not old at all. I see them going for 2250-2500 on carb. What would you be keen to pay for this?

 

[ENDU]

More experienced guys, talk to me about IEMs. Looking specifically at Kinera Freya, Moondrop Starfield or anything from KZ

Is it worth dipping the toes on the cheaper end to see if the IEM story works for me or go for something a bit higher up?

*edited to add* currently only have SE amp/dacs

I second @Wolvebain about getting yourself a pair of Blon BL03s. They are unbeatable for the money but fair warning... It's a long way down from there 😂 #nevergiveup

 

[naughty]

I second @Wolvebain about getting yourself a pair of Blon BL03s. They are unbeatable for the money but fair warning... It's a long way down from there 😂 #nevergiveup

the Blon BL03 i am sure sounds great but read the reviews properly - if you do not buy an aftermarket cable for it then you might be one of the unlucky people having fitment issues - ie the stock cable has a very thick connector at the end and sometimes it means that it doesnt fit properly and the body keeps slipping out even if you use aftermarket tips with a better fit - it keeps weakening the bond between the tip and ear canal and then the bass and midbass gets weaker

granted this doesnt happen to everybody but most current reviews of the unit say its better to replace the stock cable for an aftermarket one .... then you can enjoy it as intended without issues

just pointing this out ...... good luck with whatever you decide to buy

 

[neilh]

ZSN Pro's. Order placed last Thursday with Amazon

Should have them in hand today

Guess the next step would be shopping around for tips

 

[Chevez]

Should have added some Comply foam tips to your cart. Foam tips seem to be a bit on the pricey side in SA. They retail for R449 at Takealot.

 

[neilh]

Will add them with my next order

10 mins so far and i'm impressed. Was expecting the usual R500 Sennheiser, JVC, Skull Candy et al earphones and its definitely not that. Supplied cable is ok, must be blind because I can't tell which is L & R on the plugs or wire to the IEMs. Will leave them for a couple of days for burn in

In other news, picking up noise on the R channel of my Audio GD that wasn't there with my headphones. Tried low or high gain, different inputs and different 6.5mm-3.5mm converters

 

[naughty]

Should have added some Comply foam tips to your cart. Foam tips seem to be a bit on the pricey side in SA. They retail for R449 at Takealot.

Complys are not exactly cheap - they cost around $20 excluding shipping for a box of 3 pairs - it will be cheaper to get generic ones - i got myself 6 pairs of clones (M500s with 3.8mm or 4.2mm nozzle diameter) for $8 from E-Bay which were added to a buddys MYUS for shipping (he lets the stuff collect and then when it reaches a specific amount he just makes them send it then)

Will add them with my next order

10 mins so far and i'm impressed. Was expecting the usual R500 Sennheiser, JVC, Skull Candy et al earphones and its definitely not that. Supplied cable is ok, must be blind because I can't tell which is L & R on the plugs or wire to the IEMs. Will leave them for a couple of days for burn in

In other news, picking up noise on the R channel of my Audio GD that wasn't there with my headphones. Tried low or high gain, different inputs and different 6.5mm-3.5mm converters

yep - they will trample all over the lower end Sennheisers and AKG in the same price range pretty easily - they should also best a lot of rival brands that are sometimes 3 to 4 times the price too ..... and while not perfect they are pretty good for the price IMHO

sorry to hear about the noise issues - though to test if its the IEMs have you tried those with audio from your phone? (if you have an android phone - just add UAPP (Universal Audio player pro) to the phone because it is an excellent sounding audio playiback software and it also allows the addition of extra portable DAC devices if you need - there is a 15 day trial and if you like it then you can purchase it for around R100 last i checked) what does the noise sound like - is it a hiss ie like "shooooo" or a rumble that sounds like "RRRRRRRRRR"

sometimes this can be caused by highly sensitive IEMs picking up the noise floor on any extraneous flaws on the amps/source - if the noise persists then you may have to try another brand of cheapie IEMs like Tin Audio T1 which should be around the same price as the ZSN pro's and according to many even better sounding than the ZSN pro's OR the aforementioned Blon BL03 but those are around twice the price and a bit more if you add the aftermarket cable - and if the noise still persists then sadly you might have to change the amp before buying a serious set of IEMs

about the left and right issue - i experimented with how they should fit - and then found out that this is the correct way for them to fit ie the sharp pointy end (as opposed to the rounded end) should fit downward like so

and that pointy end should be pointing to a gap in your pinna where the pinna and your face meet as in the bit depicted by the number "1" in the next pic

and then those things only fit in one way so you cannot mix up left and right ..... then to decide which is left and right on the cable - just connect the cables up and put them on and play something then keep on adjusting the balance on the source to one side - if its correct then good ..... leave it as is but if its switched over all you have to do is disconnect and reconnect the cables to the correct sides and then you will never be confused since the shells of the units only fit one way

hope that this helps

and BTW to be honest as you go higher up IEMs can give you a huge surprise - for example the AS16 make these sound like amateur units with the exception of bass slam and impact (since the AS16 are balanced armature for the bass too) but the AS16 take EQ pretty well so i can pick up the bass and midbass, and in the sibilant bits just drop 8khz on the eq by about 4db and it starts to sound closer to where you want it to be for really great sound - as you start to spend more it will improve ie once you reach the Campfire andromeda or Solaris levels you are reaching IEMs that will give every mid tier full size headphones a good run for the money - but obviously you need to sort out those noise issues and see if you are comfortable with long listening sessions first before investing in more expensive models

heres a screenshot of my EQ settings with the AS16 in UAPP

these settings make that AS16 sound pretty brilliant and way above the ZSN pro's but they should since they cost $130 plus shipping and handling AND the cost of whatever aftermarket cable you use with them (preferably now with a 4.4mm pentaconn balanced connector on the headphone end with the regular two pin terminals on the IEM end) and this is opposed to the around $25 of the ZSN pro

heres a pic of the AS16 - left and right are marked on the IEMs

too bad that you are in Jozies - if you were in Durban you could have tried all my IEMs with your amp to test for incompatibilities and issues before deciding what to purchase

 

[neilh]

The connectors to the IEM's themselves aren't well labelled. Had to haul out the magnifying glass

Noise i'm getting isn't noise floor. Think its the 6.5mm connector that's not making proper contact with the amp, scratchy type noise. Fiddle with the connector, plug and unplug and eventually goes away. Tested direct out of my laptop, no issue there

I have a problem. Red Perf pads arrived today

 

[Wolvebain]

the Blon BL03 i am sure sounds great but read the reviews properly - if you do not buy an aftermarket cable for it then you might be one of the unlucky people having fitment issues - ie the stock cable has a very thick connector at the end and sometimes it means that it doesnt fit properly and the body keeps slipping out even if you use aftermarket tips with a better fit - it keeps weakening the bond between the tip and ear canal and then the bass and midbass gets weaker

granted this doesnt happen to everybody but most current reviews of the unit say its better to replace the stock cable for an aftermarket one .... then you can enjoy it as intended without issues

just pointing this out ...... good luck with whatever you decide to buy

FWIW, the stock cable is pretty good.
No first hand experience with bad fit due to the cable, etc.

I use the stock on my 2nd pair... My 1st pair only has a 3rd party cable for the 4.4 pentaconn balanced connection to my Lotoo Paw S1.
Also, I use them hooked up, around the ear as well, as they are designed to be used that way (with the cable hook built into the cable itself). Perhaps those having the cable + fitment issue are using it incorrectly? -- Since the price barrier for these are so low, not everyone that gets them may be IEM savvy ?

 

[naughty]

FWIW, the stock cable is pretty good.
No first hand experience with bad fit due to the cable, etc.

I use the stock on my 2nd pair... My 1st pair only has a 3rd party cable for the 4.4 pentaconn balanced connection to my Lotoo Paw S1.
Also, I use them hooked up, around the ear as well, as they are designed to be used that way (with the cable hook built into the cable itself). Perhaps those having the cable + fitment issue are using it incorrectly? -- Since the price barrier for these are so low, not everyone that gets them may be IEM savvy ?

there are many documented issues with fitment Rolin - heres a few links from reviews

BLON BL-03 Review - BLO(W)N AWAY

these guys mention complaints about fit issues while the reviewer says it fits him fine

BLON‌ B‌L-03 In Ear Monitors Review: Are These Cheap Earphones Worth The Hype?

the following one about measured quality control issues

BLON BL03 Review: Beyond the Hype – In-Ear Fidelity

consumer complaints - i'm sure if you look you will find lots of these - i did find a few more but we will be here the whole day reading about this so just these links for now

https://www.reddit.com/r/ZReviews/comments/e6z731

https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/comments/e6zbe6/kz_zs10_pro_or_blon_bl03/

not attacking these in any way - just telling the guy to be aware that some people have this issue and some people don't - if you dont then well and good - if you do then the solution is an aftermarket cable and well fitting tips

 

[Wolvebain]

Apologies @naughty ...

My previous post was info on my first hand experience with the stock cable and fitment. Was not meant to discredit your post, nor cause any conflict with you.

I have read info on some of the links posted. The Crinacle one was a bit of a shocker, yeah?.. Dude removed the 'memory-wrapping' around the cable (that creates the around the ear hook). Usually people use a hair-dryer to heat that wrapping and then bend and twist it into the shape they require (well, that's what I do). -- If it's too soft / malleable, it may cause the IEM to pop-out with movement, etc.

 

[naughty]

Apologies @naughty ...

My previous post was info on my first hand experience with the stock cable and fitment. Was not meant to discredit your post, nor cause any conflict with you.

I have read info on some of the links posted. The Crinacle one was a bit of a shocker, yeah?.. Dude removed the 'memory-wrapping' around the cable (that creates the around the ear hook). Usually people use a hair-dryer to heat that wrapping and then bend and twist it into the shape they require (well, that's what I do). -- If it's too soft / malleable, it may cause the IEM to pop-out with movement, etc.

no strife over this between us sir was just letting the guys know that this is the situation - glad too that the issues did not affect your usage

 

[SykomantiS]

So, we recently got a "work from home gift" from the company.
We had our pick of a selection of ANC headsets.
I chose these.

Other options included Phillips 8000 series (which, if I'm not mistaken and are the same, are on sale on ODO today SA's best daily deals | OneDayOnly.co.za)
Airpods 2
and a couple of JBL in-ear options (I think one being 250tws or something)
and I think one other set I can't remember off-hand.

 

[Bearman]

@SykomantiS All the money they saved on coffee (which you now spend on buying your own coffee) going to good use! Jealous!

 

[SykomantiS]

@SykomantiS All the money they saved on coffee (which you now spend on buying your own coffee) going to good use! Jealous!

Maybe, though our offices are still open for those who can't/don't work from home.
Either way, I'm not complaining!

Now the question is, Tidal or Deezer- I received a free trial access code to use with Sony's 360 reality audio, not sure which service would be better

 

[goblinm]

Maybe, though our offices are still open for those who can't/don't work from home.
Either way, I'm not complaining!

Now the question is, Tidal or Deezer- I received a free trial access code to use with Sony's 360 reality audio, not sure which service would be better

Tidal for audio quality, spotify for best playlists.
End up using spotify becouse itr serves up music to my taste.

Tidals cool for audio qulaity and it also has music vids.
Waiting for spotify hifi to launch, should be sometime this year.

Didnt like deezer much

 

[SykomantiS]

Tidal for audio quality, spotify for best playlists.
End up using spotify becouse itr serves up music to my taste.

Tidals cool for audio qulaity and it also has music vids.
Waiting for spotify hifi to launch, should be sometime this year.

Didnt like deezer much

I already have Spotify. The question regarding Deezer vs Tidal was only to test out the Sony 360 reality stuff- I'm not looking to sign up for another paid service, so I'll be cancelling once the trial period is up.

 

[Bearman]

I am not sure I can hear difference between high quality codecs and lossless audio. What does that mean?

Can someone else do this test (5 minutes, short one), and describe HOW they differ, as in what should I listen for?

I basically decided that whatever, lossless is overhyped, it all sounds good. Getting a better DAC/AMP made a HUGE difference in what I hear. Lossless? Can't seem to hear it.

 

[goldfritter]

I am not sure I can hear difference between high quality codecs and lossless audio. What does that mean?

Can someone else do this test (5 minutes, short one), and describe HOW they differ, as in what should I listen for?

I basically decided that whatever, lossless is overhyped, it all sounds good. Getting a better DAC/AMP made a HUGE difference in what I hear. Lossless? Can't seem to hear it.

Based on my limited understanding, three things need to be in place for you to be able to detect the difference.

1. The actual recording itself (i.e. what was created in the studio) needs to be of a certain level of quality, contain little distortion, and be mixed and mastered in a way that does not compress dynamic range or impact fidelity. Very little modern music meets this standard as most recordings are designed to sound acceptable on cheap earphones/speakers rather than high fidelity equipment. Audiophiles curate their own lists of recordings that satisfy their criteria.

2. Your equipment needs to be up to task, from the source to the DAC to the amp to the speakers or headphones. Your setup also needs to be, ahem, set up in the correct way to take advantage of everything. This is a VERY controversial topic. Everyone has their own opinion on what is truly required to fully realise lossless audio, and what is snake-oil. So I'm not getting into this one.

3. Your ears need to not only have above-average ability to detect detail BUT ALSO you need to be experienced in detecting the differences. You need to listen to your "golden" recordings from point one on your own "reference" system from point 2 over and over until you know every sonic nook and cranny. Then change only one factor (source, or master, or one component at a time) and see how that differs.

There is a fourth point which I suspect plays a bigger role than all of the above - confirmation bias, which we use to justify spending exorbitant funds on equipment. If you went through all the time, money, and effort to improve your experience, it would be rather tragic to admit that your experience didn't really improve.

So to conclude - if you are satisfied that you can't tell the difference, then enjoy the bliss of ignorance, and don't spend too much extra energy on it.

 

[goblinm]

I already have Spotify. The question regarding Deezer vs Tidal was only to test out the Sony 360 reality stuff- I'm not looking to sign up for another paid service, so I'll be cancelling once the trial period is up.

Tidal 360 audio was pretty cool, never tried it on deezer.
Had a lot more caching issues with deezer with thier hirez audio than Tidal, though (ie hangs in audio stream), this was with 50mb fibre.

Try both, think deezer has a free starter sub, and ui can cancell tidal within first week.

 

[naughty]

I am not sure I can hear difference between high quality codecs and lossless audio. What does that mean?

Can someone else do this test (5 minutes, short one), and describe HOW they differ, as in what should I listen for?

I basically decided that whatever, lossless is overhyped, it all sounds good. Getting a better DAC/AMP made a HUGE difference in what I hear. Lossless? Can't seem to hear it.

besides for the points that Goldfritter made - its a lot to do with knowing what you are looking for - most untrained listeners are looking at the bigger picture but in terms of detail of why they would or could be different has a lot to do with how you understand audiophile terms and also knowing what to listen for

as an example you could be listening to a drum track and most people will just see that the drum note is either to the left or the right - but the trained listener will listen to that actual drum note and for example if its a tom would hear some actual resonance from the drum skin as the drumstick strikes it - or some shimmer on a snare that wont be present on the lossy version - now the untrained listener would not be listening for detail like this and would just listen to make sure that the drum note indeed did happen

also with the lossy recording you would hear stuff happening in the background but so much of that would be meshing with whatever else is going on but with the lossless recording all these additional detail would be more separate with in the stereo soundstage

you could use the same arguments to decide which headphones sounds better than another ie play the high res recording and the worse headphone would mask some of those details like a lower res recording would do - while a properly higher end model would allow you to hear all those details more clearly this is why people say you need a better headphone .... but to me you also need to understand what the instrument you are listening to does and where its supposed to be in the soundstage etc

they say that mp3 will discard portions of the audio that a normal person would not usually hear but when a person does hear a difference it is not because he has better hearing but its because he knows what to listen for - its a lot to do with the amount of setups you have listened to and then understanding the difference between what you hear and why this happens and also understanding all those audiophile terms properly - they initially had a reason to exist but nowadays people who don't understand those terms just use them as a catchphrase or buzzword to identify as being a seasoned listener

and don't get me wrong - there are many times when i cant hear a difference and when the mp3 actually does sound as good as the high res or when the high res sounds as bad as a poor mp3 ..... all this depends on the recording - not on the fact that its lossy or lossless recording or good or bad equipment - IMHO you wont find anyone who can differentiate 100% of the time so don't feel bad if you cannot but there will be a few people who will differentiate it a little better than you can because they only know what they listening for - and even then they will only be able to determine that something was different - not necessarily always be able to determine what was better or what was worse

as far as this goes - if you can't hear the difference then stick to the one which makes more sense for example if you are deciding between normal tidal or high res tidal and you cant hear the difference then save the money and get the normal one - wait till you can hear the difference before opting for the more expensive solution

 

[Nikkel]

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[ghost02]

Hi all,

I'm looking to replace my SteelSeries Arctis Pro with GameDac with some non-gaming headies and either a boom mic or a modmic.

At first I wanted to get the Audeze Mobius or the HyperX Cloud Orbit but figured I might also look into standalone solutions as I know gaming headsets don't always have the best sound. The mentioned headies seem to get good reviews on the sound quality though.

The headphones will be used for video consumption / music / gaming (I'm not a pro so immersion is more important to me than super accurate positioning).

Sound signature wise I'm not a basshead but the fact that the Planar drivers on the Mobius has good base is a pro. I like some thump to my music and games (not sure how much of that could be achieved with an EQ)

Budgets aren't super tight but lets say 10k for dac/amp/headies?

So far I've looked at the following dac/amp combos:
* Schiit Hel 2 - looks like a strong amp (no software or bass boost button so it doesn't look like I could make up for flatly tuned headies with this)
* Creative G6 - mixed reviews on this
* ifi zen dac amp combo - some say the sound is a bit 'dirty or grainy' which is a bit concerning

Headphones I've looked at so far are:
* Drop 58X - currently on what looks like a great special but worried about bass response (I know open back aren't known for bass but I think I already saw @iamgigglz complain about bass for these)
* Drop 6xx
* Hifiman Sundara
* Drop HE5xx
* Drop 38x - having a mic is nice but that colour scheme (would rather use a boom or modmic then