Quote:
Originally Posted by
RPGWiZaRD 
free the midrange from bassbleed for better details in the mids
They are very warm/smooth bassy sounding headphones.
A good thing about the XB500 is that they perform pretty much optimally from nearly any source, they are by far the easiest driven headphones I've ever come across.
the only way to free the midrange from bassbleed is to use a better amplifier.
your DAC might be trashy junk too.
total harmonic distortion of an amplifier is highly regarded, because if those numbers arent combined with the DAC.. those numbers are meaningless without tearing apart the circuit board with a saw.
as i said in another thread.. the difference between 0.7% THD and 0.09% THD is an improvement across the entire frequency range.
signal to noise ratios are needed too.
my soundcard is said to be 116dB signal to noise ratio.
my receiver's amplifier is said to be 96dB signal to noise ratio (at input short) with 250mV sensitivity.
you didnt properly equalize the headphones OR your amp & DAC combo is producing more distortion than the headphones.
indeed, the final sound is 'veery warm/smooth' ..but dont confuse 'very' with 'veery' or 'veiry'
sound can still be more clear, but at least the focus on these headphones is visibility through a lens that isnt perfectly clear.. although better than a lens with smeared ____ on it.
i'd say the clarity of the midrange is like an aged optical lens.
certainly not the clarity of brand new lenses, but far from a lens that has been severely scratched by excessive use of paper towels and shirts to clean the lens.
(that means using a real optical cloth)
and yes, they are a bit smooth amongst all of that excitement.
but really, some of that smoothness might be my receiver's harmonic distortion and signal to noise ratio.
performing good from any source doesnt prove to be true.
they get loud from lots of sources, but loud isnt the same as clear and in focus.
when i seen you mention bassbleed, i knew there was a problem to be had.. and i think there are plenty of soundcards out there that have much lower distortion numbers than the home theater receivers they plug into.
but
dont make the mistake many people make.
your soundcard's total harmonic distortion numbers are for ONE thing.
plugging that soundcard into an amplifier is the preferred choice.
dont expect the 40ohms of your headphones to be the same level of performance.
plugging in those headphones means all of the characteristics of the amplifer is going to change like a transformer shifting from one shape to another.
that is what makes electrical engineers special.. the need to design the circuit for more than one connected resistance.
i can plug these headphones into the soundcard and the sound doesnt noticeably improve again.
remember..
my home theater has the choice of 0.7% THD in surround sound mode.
then switch it to stereo and it drops to 0.09% THD
plugging the headphones into the soundcard with a 0.004% THD would certainly show a difference as it did in the past.
since it doesnt..
i expect the ohm difference between the receiver's input and the headphones to have everything to do with it.
i'm simply suggesting people to re-assure themselves with their DAC and amplifier.
these headphones dont exhibit the same level of thirst-quenching performance without using those equalizer settings i provided.. unless you are asking for 15 inch subwoofer levels, and they do that too.
with the equalizer settings, i've heard these headphones get loud enough to function for people with damaged hearing.
i'd HIGHLY suggest getting one of the x-fi soundcards and these headphones before the entire audio industry starts pushing out new soundcards and new headphones that support the high-resolution formatting of the new audio codecs for surround sound.
i'm hoping music gets on it's way soon too.
because if it can get this good, then the next step will be something closer to perfect transparency.
what i hear now is a valid resemblence, but remains artificial sounding.
removing that artificial sound is absolutely audiophile territory.
(it's been hard enough to get people towards a valid resemblence.. since they are stubborn, confused, and lost)
