[Uriel41]

Dear Head-Fi community
 
In the last couple of weeks, I've spent a rather unhealthy amount of time reading posts in the head-fi forums to decide what pair of headphones to get. I got and sold both an ATH m50x and a Sennheiser HD 598, the latter of which was a disappointment (I mainly listen to electronica and the laid-back, smooth sound-signature of the HD 598 wasn't my cup of tea). After testing a few more models, I ended up with a Beyerdynamic DT1350 that I use both at home and on the road. I absolutely love the clean and controlled sound of those cans.
 
A few days after I got the DT1350 I decided to purchase a Fiio e10k to further improve my listening experience. Yet when I listened to my music through my new DAC/amp, I wasn't sure what to think. Here's what I noticed:
 
+ significantly improved bass extension
+ improved soundstage
+ overall better sound quality (everything sounded more natural, less artificial)
- bass too dominant, bloated
- mids somewhat recessed
 
Now the two negatives on this list are currently troubling me. I've been trying to determine the cause of this sub-optimal listening experience. The fact that my "listening experience" is highly subjective complicates matters further. Since the e10k isn't supposed to affect the soundsignature, this is what I concluded:
 
- The bass isn't actually too dominant or bloated, it merely extends further and i'm not used to that
- motherboard of my PC might have emphasized the mids and the e10k puts them in their proper place
 
What do you guys think? Did I miss something?
 
Any help is greatly appreciated!
 
Best,
Uriel

 

[cel4145]

It could be something as simple as your initial testing procedure. If the first time you compared them, the volume wasn't level matched, but the E10K was even just a bit louder, of course it could have more bass. And then confirmation bias would kick in for any subsequent comparisons.

Also, just as a suggestion, are you using a media player that supports WASAPI? MediaMonkey, Foobar, and MusicBee are a few. Setting the output plugin to WASAPI instead of DirectSound can result in better audio quality.

If you have only has the E10K for a few days, I suggest listening with it--and only it--for a week. Then do some comparisons.

 

[Uriel41]

Hey man, thanks for your response.
 
I really tried to make sure that the volume was the same when I did the testing, I definitely believe there's more bass. The question is: Is it truly bloated or does it merely extend further? I don't know man.
 
WASAPI though, I've heard about it. Got Foobar right before I started this thread, because I had read something about "bit-perfect" output. Yet I can't select WASAPI in Foobar, all I can select is my Fiio E10K (SPDIF). Perhaps it's because I don't have this thing called "ASIO"? I've read it can do damage, so I decided not to install it. Do you think I should?
 
Take care!
Uriel

 

[cel4145]

ASIO is an alternative to WASAPI. If you are going to use WASAPI, definitely no need to install the ASIO drivers.

 

[Cirelex]

I think is your first conclusion:
 
- The bass isn't actually too dominant or bloated, it merely extends further and i'm not used to that.
 
This headphones improve a little with some amplification, bass is more extended and they get more sub-bass, there are more uper highs as well.