[thatBeatsguy]

  Who else thinks the HD 800's look stellar?

I think a better quetsion would be who doesn't think the HD800 looks stellar.

 

[DonutDeflector]

Who else thinks the HD 800's look stellar?

It looks downright smexy!

It feels like you're in Star Trek when you see it!

 

[Xoen]

Well, I like to think of my own experience with non-audiophile reactions to high end headphones as pretty unique, considering I'm currently active duty in the Navy and just got off deployment recently.  
 
I'm currently serving in the US Navy as an F/A-18C jet engine mechanic in a squadron.  I was on a 9 month deployment on board the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) supporting operations in Iraq and just recently came back this past November 2014.  Anyways, while in the middle of cruise, I decided, at my own risk, to start purchasing some audiophile equipment to enjoy since I had miss that hobby so much that I left back home.  Internet on the ship was slow and crappy at times.  But during the late night hours (I worked night shifts on the boat), the Internet was fairly decent; decent enough for me to go on Amazon and purchase my Valhalla amplifier as an upgrade to my Little Dot MKIV SE setup that I've left back home.  Later on, I would purchase the Sennheiser HD598s, an Aune T1 USB Tube DAC, and eventually my Sennheiser HD700s,as well as interconnects.  
 
All of the items I've bought online were from Amazon. Deliveries took up to at least 14 days each (Prime membership didn't apply to FPO addresses so no fast shipping) so a lot of the stuff took a while to get on board the ship.  COD (Carrier On board Deliveries made by C-2 Greyhounds) aircraft were limited and obviously the stuff I've bought online had to be flown from the states to a remote area in Bahrain, then to the ship.
 
So with all that being said, whenever I get off work and if space allowed, I would set up my own personal 'rig' on a nearby table in the berthing compartments (places sailors sleep), in which I like to call my "combat rig" since I was in the middle of a combat deployment lol.  Well, my shipmates would often walk by and see my stuff and be like "What is all that crap?".  I've explained to them what my Valhalla was, what the tubes were for, and how this and that made everything sound better for my headphones, and each time I told them they would either give me a weird look, a What look, or a curious look.  
 
"Why would you need all that just to listen to music?  What are those glowy thingy's on top of that metal box thing?  What the hell is a 'DAC'?  Why would you need an amplifier for a pair of headphones?  I bet you my Beats Studios sound better than all of that, and you spent how much???  Dude, why can't you just plug your headphones (*wearing my HD700's*) into an iPod and call it a day? LoLz!!11!  You've spent that much just to make your headphones sound better?" Never ended lol. 
 
I even let them listen in on my HD700's with my setup and most have said that they were the clearest sounding headphones they have ever heard.  A lot of wows and "how much you want for this"?.  Some, however,  tried to 'show me up' with their bass vibrating Skullcandies and be like "I bet you your headphones can't do this!"  lol I just looked at them funny.
 
For the record, I've probably spent a good $1500 for everything, including a new computer, for my temporary "combat rig" while on deployment and people would think of me as 'completely insane'.  Doesn't deny the fact that each time I let them hear my equipment I most often get impressive feedback out of it which I get a kick out of .  lol  The drawback to all of this is that whenever I'm done listening to my stuff, I had to put everything away every time.  This I had to do throughout the months I've spent out at sea.  Thank God I'm home lol

 

[DonutDeflector]

People just don't understand us! And thank out for your service!

Well, I like to think of my own experience with non-audiophile reactions to high end headphones as pretty unique, considering I'm currently active duty in the Navy and just got off deployment recently.  

I'm currently serving in the US Navy as an F/A-18C jet engine mechanic in a squadron.  I was on a 9 month deployment on board the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) supporting operations in Iraq and just recently came back this past November 2014.  Anyways, while in the middle of cruise, I decided, at my own risk, to start purchasing some audiophile equipment to enjoy since I had miss that hobby so much that I left back home.  Internet on the ship was slow and crappy at times.  But during the late night hours (I worked night shifts on the boat), the Internet was fairly decent; decent enough for me to go on Amazon and purchase my Valhalla amplifier as an upgrade to my Little Dot MKIV SE setup that I've left back home.  Later on, I would purchase the Sennheiser HD598s, an Aune T1 USB Tube DAC, and eventually my Sennheiser HD700s,as well as interconnects.  

All of the items I've bought online were from Amazon. Deliveries took up to at least 14 days each (Prime membership didn't apply to FPO addresses so no fast shipping) so a lot of the stuff took a while to get on board the ship.  COD (Carrier On board Deliveries made by C-2 Greyhounds) aircraft were limited and obviously the stuff I've bought online had to be flown from the states to a remote area in Bahrain, then to the ship.

So with all that being said, whenever I get off work and if space allowed, I would set up my own personal 'rig' on a nearby table in the berthing compartments (places sailors sleep), in which I like to call my "combat rig" since I was in the middle of a combat deployment lol.  Well, my shipmates would often walk by and see my stuff and be like "What is all that crap?".  I've explained to them what my Valhalla was, what the tubes were for, and how this and that made everything sound better for my headphones, and each time I told them they would either give me a weird look, a What look, or a curious look.  

"Why would you need all that just to listen to music?  What are those glowy thingy's on top of that metal box thing?  What the hell is a 'DAC'?  Why would you need an amplifier for a pair of headphones?  I bet you my Beats Studios sound better than all of that, and you spent how much???  Dude, why can't you just plug your headphones (*wearing my HD700's*) into an iPod and call it a day? LoLz!!11!  You've spent that much just to make your headphones sound better?" Never ended lol. 

I even let them listen in on my HD700's with my setup and most have said that they were the clearest sounding headphones they have ever heard.  A lot of wows and "how much you want for this"?.  Some, however,  tried to 'show me up' with their bass vibrating Skullcandies and be like "I bet you your headphones can't do this!"  lol I just looked at them funny.

For the record, I've probably spent a good $1500 for everything, including a new computer, for my temporary "combat rig" while on deployment and people would think of me as 'completely insane'.  Doesn't deny the fact that each time I let them hear my equipment I most often get impressive feedback out of it which I get a kick out of .  lol  The drawback to all of this is that whenever I'm done listening to my stuff, I had to put everything away every time.  This I had to do throughout the months I've spent out at sea.  Thank God I'm home lol

 

[Xoen]

People just don't understand us! And thank out for your service!

Thank you!  And it's always my great pleasure serving this country.    You're right.  Some people will just never understand.  Lol!  I tell them each time it takes "research" and they usually be like "Research what?  It's just headphones!".  

 

[kilspeed111]

I've noticed that spending 2K on a home cinema set is OK with your average Joe, but spending over 500 for a headphone is insane in their eyes. Heck, I told someone that the Xiaomi Pistons were great, and they were really cheap. Only 25 euros! He said 25 euros was way too much for a pair of "earbuds"..
 
People also don't seem to understand that some headphones can triumph some speaker setups. A dude at my work says his 'Dolby 7.1' is better than any headphone setup I have. I invited him over to try my HD650 setup (didn't have the hd800 at the time), but he didn't want to. So I took the HD650 with me next time, and he didn't even want to listen to them. This really gets my blood to a boil. Why say A is better than B, without even trying B? I'm not saying my shoes look better than yours, without actually seeing yours. I don't say that my mom is a better cook than yours, even though I have never tried a dish prepared by your mother.
 
And thanks for sharing your story @Xoen , it was a very interesting read! I know those people try to impress you with skull shattering bass (or well, what they think is bass, while infact it's 80% mud). That's the sole reason I still have my beats pro detox, so I can tell people I actually have some Beats myself, the best of the whole Beats collection, but they can be beaten by cans that are less than 100 euros.

 

[Xoen]

  I've noticed that spending 2K on a home cinema set is OK with your average Joe, but spending over 500 for a headphone is insane in their eyes. Heck, I told someone that the Xiaomi Pistons were great, and they were really cheap. Only 25 euros! He said 25 euros was way too much for a pair of "earbuds"..
 
People also don't seem to understand that some headphones can triumph some speaker setups. A dude at my work says his 'Dolby 7.1' is better than any headphone setup I have. I invited him over to try my HD650 setup (didn't have the hd800 at the time), but he didn't want to. So I took the HD650 with me next time, and he didn't even want to listen to them. This really gets my blood to a boil. Why say A is better than B, without even trying B? I'm not saying my shoes look better than yours, without actually seeing yours. I don't say that my mom is a better cook than yours, even though I have never tried a dish prepared by your mother.
 
And thanks for sharing your story @Xoen , it was a very interesting read! I know those people try to impress you with skull shattering bass (or well, what they think is bass, while infact it's 80% mud). That's the sole reason I still have my beats pro detox, so I can tell people I actually have some Beats myself, the best of the whole Beats collection, but they can be beaten by cans that are less than 100 euros.

No problem!  Lol that don't seem like a bad idea.  Might be nice to be able to show it just to get a point across or something. Some people just don't get it until you show them proof.  

 

[kilspeed111]

  No problem!  Lol that don't seem like a bad idea.  Might be nice to be able to show it just to get a point across or something. Some people just don't get it until you show them proof.  

 
I only have those Beats (pro detox and studio) because I used to be clueless, just like your average consumer. I thought bass was equal to quality. The more bass you had, the better. That's why I also thought the beats pros were worse than the beats studios at first. I really don't recommend blowing your money on a pair of Beats, unless you have enough to not care about it, or that you care that much about other people's opinion. I usually just pull out a frequency response, and explain people why you don't want it to look like that (ofcourse, only when they're interested, I'm not going to force things onto people).
 
 
Oh and I've added another part to my story, which I totally forgot about until now.

 

[DonutDeflector]

Thank you!  And it's always my great pleasure serving this country.    You're right.  Some people will just never understand.  Lol!  I tell them each time it takes "research" and they usually be like "Research what?  It's just headphones!".  

I acually play fps games with some vets and those in the reserve. Really cool people.

I do a lot of research on headphones! If it's just headphones than that person doesn't wear them enough to research on them.

I wear headphones over 6 hours during days of in school. (Of course not all at once!)

 

[zorin]

  That struck me right in the feels. I learned all of this the hard way. Even now I still have trouble describing sound properly (I can't really call up the right words at once).
 
As for the reference tracks, there isn't a standard reference track of everything, so reference tracks could very well just be your most-listened to music.

The reference tracks to be used to evaluate the performance of audio equipment, headphones included, are tracks of music which was well recorded, mixed and mastered, all to an exemplary standard. These kind of tracks of superior audio quality are maybe 1% of all music tracks done. Maybe even less. There are a few individuals in the music recording studios who can be relied on to make excellent master tapes. One of them was late Denny Purcell who was doing and advocating and pushing for audiophile masterings at a time when most recording studios' work was, and still is, substandard. He earned some enmity towards himself for this.The albums done by him which I have on CDs are first rate, I use the tracks to evaluate headphones. I'll name a few of them, if anybody is interested
EmmyLou Harris - At the Ryman   [ Mastered by late great Denny Purcell ]
- http://www.deezer.com/album/948687   [Register on deezer.com and then just either go to search mode or click on the link]
- http://grooveshark.com/#!/album/At+The+Ryman/3551836   [Register on grooveshark.com and then either go to search mode or click on the link]
EmmyLou Harris - Brand New Dance   [ Denny Purcell ]
- http://www.deezer.com/search/emmylou%20harris%20brand%20new%20dance   deezer.com
- http://grooveshark.com/#!/album/Brand+New+Dance/3553656   grooveshark.com
Martina McBride - Emotion   [ Denny Purcell ]
Try this, scroll down to the album 'Emotion' and listen to last three songs
- http://www.deezer.com/search/martina%20mcbride%20emotion   deezer.com
Alison Krauss - Alison Krauss and Union Station  Live (2002)   Hybrid-SACD  [ Mastered by Doug Sax and Robert Hadley ]
- http://grooveshark.com/#!/search?q=Alison+Krauss+and+Union+Station+-+Live+(2002)+   grooveshark.com
Jennifer Warnes - The Well   [ Mastered by Bernie Grundman ]
About the best audio engineering work I've ever heard are the three Jennifer Warnes albums issued by the Impex Records. Instead of standard aluminium pure 24kt gold is used for their coating. They sound utterly amazing and I am not using the word amazing lightly. The album "The Well" is used by the audio professionals to calibrate the audio equipment. If anybody is interested get 'The Well' from the Impex Records and if you like it then buy the other two. [impexrecords.com and click 'Contact']
To truly hear and appreciate the sound quality of this album some top quality headphones are needed.
The Well - http://www.deezer.com/album/1078580  [register on deezer.com and then either click on this link or type in the search box - Jennifer Warnes - and pick - The Well - Digitally Remastered version. A reminder, the Impex gold CD sound is better than deezer.com sound.]
 
For more albums with reference like sound see the list, click on 'Spoiler' below. Plus you can read the interviews with top audio mastering engineers.
 

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

The list of some of top sounding CDs which I have
Chris Isaak - Baja Sessions  [ Recorded at Coast Recorders, mixed at Hyde St. Studios, mastered by Steve Hall ] The loudness is increased a bit but otherwise truly excellent
- http://www.deezer.com/search/chris%20isaak%20baja%20sessions   deezer.com
- http://grooveshark.com/#!/album/Baja+Sessions/179906    grooveshark.com
EmmyLou Harris - Roses in the Snow    [ Mastered by late legendary Denny Purcell ]
- http://www.stereophile.com/news/11427/
- http://www.mixonline.com/news/profiles/denny-purcell-1950-2002/372228 ]
EmmyLou Harris - At the Ryman    [ Denny Purcell ]
EmmyLou Harris - Brand New Dance    [ Denny Purcell ]
Martina McBride - Emotion    [ Denny Purcell ]
- http://www.deezer.com/search/martina%20mcbride%20emotion   deezer.com
Try this, scroll down to the album 'Emotion' and listen to last three songs
- http://www.deezer.com/artist/3242     deezer.com
Martina McBride - Evolution    [ Denny Purcell ]
Martina McBride - Wild Angels    [ Denny Purcell ]
Martina McBride - The Way That I Am   [ Denny Purcell ]
Martina McBride - The Time Has Come   [ Denny Purcell ]
Dixie Chicks - Wide Open Spaces   [ Denny Purcell ]
Dixie Chicks - Fly   [ Denny Purcell ]
Iris DeMent - Infamous Angel   [ Denny Purcell ]
Alison Krauss - Now That I Found You: A Collection   [ Denny Purcell ]
Alison Krauss & The Union Station - Two Highways   [ Denny Purcell ]
Alison Krauss & The Cox Family - I Know Who Holds Tomorrow   [ Denny Purcell ]
Nanci Griffith - Once in a Very Blue Moon   [ Denny Purcell ]
Nanci Griffith - The Complete MCA Studio Recordings   [Mastered by Erick Labson / UML Digital Ops]
- http://www.umldigitalops.com/SVO_engineers.html
- http://vimeo.com/97982444
Jennifer Warnes - Famous Blue Raincoat   - 24kt gold disc / Impex Records  [ Mastered by Bernie Grundman ]
- http://www.gracerecordingstudio.com/in-the-studio-with-bernie-grundman
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRMJmBVgyo4
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9YN8KvxcBA
- https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bernie+grundman+interview
- http://www.berniegrundmanmastering.com/technical.html
- http://www.examiner.com/article/mastering-engineer-bernie-grundman-shares-a-detailed-look-at-the-process
Jennifer Warnes - The Well    24kt gold disc / Impex Records   [ Bernie Grundman ]
Jennifer Warnes The Hunter    24kt gold disc / Impex Records   [ Mastered by Chris Bellman at 'Bernie Grundman Mastering' ]
Gothic Voices - Hildegard of Bingen / Feather On The Breath Of God  [What I found : 'Hyperion Records' Recording Engineer Tony Faulkner ] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uCcFIyJJ-w&list=PLZXQp_XoNBBNUhd_rB61oRWc4t_13fbx2
Try the hymn 'O Ierusalem' - http://grooveshark.com/#!/search?q=feather+on+the+breath+of+god

Akiko Suwanai - Max Bruch / Concerto No.1 , Scottish Fantasy  [Recording and mastering engineer was probably Jean-Marie Geijsen of Philips / Polyhymnia] I sent him an email, waiting for a reply]
- http://www.deezer.com/album/8721043 Try the Scottish fantasy, tracks 4-8. If deezer.com does not work try grooveshark.com - http://grooveshark.com/#!/album/Scottish+Fantasy+Op+46/4907288
Vladimir Godar - Mater  Hybrid SACD / ECM + Pavian Records [ ? - I cannot find who did the mastering]
- http://grooveshark.com/#!/search?q=vladimir+godar+mater - Try 'Stala Matka'
Linda Ronstadt - Heart Like a Wheel   24kt gold disc / Audio Fidelity Lab   [ Mastered by Steve Hoffman ]
- http://www.stevehoffman.tv/dhinterviews/Hoffman_TAS.htm
- http://www.stevehoffman.tv/dhinterviews/Tape%20Op%20Magazine.htm
- http://www.stevehoffman.tv/dhinterviews/
Alison Krauss and The Union Station - Live (2002)  Hybrid-SACD / Rounder - UMGD [ Mastered by Doug Sax, Robert Hadley at the Mastering Lab]
- http://themasteringlab.com/engineers/rohad/
- http://themasteringlab.com/engineers/dougsax/
- http://news.acousticsounds.com/post.cfm/doug-sax-takes-us-to-the-dark-side
- https://www.facebook.com/TheOnlyLab/photos/a.609233629136534.1073741826.150886138304621/609233679136529/?type=1&ref=nf  - click next for next page
 

 
For good kiddies  :  Alison Krauss and Robert Plant - Black Dog   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lgzs6pT26KI

 

[thatBeatsguy]

 

Spoiler: Snip

The reference tracks to be used to evaluate the performance of audio equipment, headphones included, are tracks of music which was well recorded, mixed and mastered, all to an exemplary standard. These kind of tracks of superior audio quality are maybe 1% of all music tracks done. Maybe even less. There are a few individuals in the music recording studios who can be relied on to make excellent master tapes. One of them was late Denny Purcell who was doing and advocating and pushing for audiophile masterings at a time when most recording studios' work was, and still is, substandard. He earned some enmity towards himself for this.The albums done by him which I have on CDs are first rate, I use the tracks to evaluate headphones. I'll name a few of them, if anybody is interested
EmmyLou Harris - At the Ryman   [ Mastered by late great Denny Purcell ]
- http://www.deezer.com/album/948687   [Register on deezer.com and then just either go to search mode or click on the link]
- http://grooveshark.com/#!/album/At+The+Ryman/3551836   [Register on grooveshark.com and then either go to search mode or click on the link]
EmmyLou Harris - Brand New Dance   [ Denny Purcell ]
- http://www.deezer.com/search/emmylou%20harris%20brand%20new%20dance   deezer.com
- http://grooveshark.com/#!/album/Brand+New+Dance/3553656   grooveshark.com
Martina McBride - Emotion   [ Denny Purcell ]
Try this, scroll down to the album 'Emotion' and listen to last three songs
- http://www.deezer.com/search/martina%20mcbride%20emotion   deezer.com
Alison Krauss - Alison Krauss and Union Station  Live (2002)   Hybrid-SACD  [ Mastered by Doug Sax and Robert Hadley ]
- http://grooveshark.com/#!/search?q=Alison+Krauss+and+Union+Station+-+Live+(2002)+   grooveshark.com
 
Jennifer Warnes - The Well   [ Mastered by Bernie Grundman ]
About the best audio engineering work I've ever heard are the three Jennifer Warnes albums issued by the Impex Records. Instead of standard aluminium pure 24kt gold is used for their coating. They sound utterly amazing and I am not using the word amazing lightly. The album "The Well" is used by the audio professionals to calibrate the audio equipment. If anybody is interested get 'The Well' from the Impex Records and if you like it then buy the other two. [impexrecords.com and click 'Contact']
The Well - http://www.deezer.com/album/1078580  [register on deezer.com and then either click on this link or type in the search box - Jennifer Warnes - and pick - The Well - Digitally Remastered version. A reminder, the Impex gold CD sound is better than deezer.com sound.]
 
For more albums with reference like sound see the list, click on the symbol. Plus you can read interviews with top audio mastering engineers.
 

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

The list of some of top sounding CDs which I have
Chris Isaak - Baja Sessions  [ Recorded at Coast Recorders, mixed at Hyde St. Studios, mastered by Steve Hall ] The loudness is increased a bit but otherwise truly excellent
- http://www.deezer.com/search/chris%20isaak%20baja%20sessions   deezer.com
- http://grooveshark.com/#!/album/Baja+Sessions/179906    grooveshark.com
EmmyLou Harris - Roses in the Snow    [ Mastered by late legendary Denny Purcell ]
- http://www.stereophile.com/news/11427/
- http://www.mixonline.com/news/profiles/denny-purcell-1950-2002/372228 ]
EmmyLou Harris - At the Ryman    [ Denny Purcell ]
EmmyLou Harris - Brand New Dance    [ Denny Purcell ]
Martina McBride - Emotion    [ Denny Purcell ]
- http://www.deezer.com/search/martina%20mcbride%20emotion   deezer.com
Try this, scroll down to the album 'Emotion' and listen to last three songs
- http://www.deezer.com/artist/3242     deezer.com
Martina McBride - Evolution    [ Denny Purcell ]
Martina McBride - Wild Angels    [ Denny Purcell ]
Martina McBride - The Way That I Am   [ Denny Purcell ]
Martina McBride - The Time Has Come   [ Denny Purcell ]
Dixie Chicks - Wide Open Spaces   [ Denny Purcell ]
Dixie Chicks - Fly   [ Denny Purcell ]
Iris DeMent - Infamous Angel   [ Denny Purcell ]
Alison Krauss - Now That I Found You: A Collection   [ Denny Purcell ]
Alison Krauss & The Union Station - Two Highways   [ Denny Purcell ]
Alison Krauss & The Cox Family - I Know Who Holds Tomorrow   [ Denny Purcell ]
Nanci Griffith - Once in a Very Blue Moon   [ Denny Purcell ]
Nanci Griffith - The Complete MCA Studio Recordings   [Mastered by Erick Labson / UML Digital Ops]
- http://www.umldigitalops.com/SVO_engineers.html
- http://vimeo.com/97982444
Jennifer Warnes - Famous Blue Raincoat   - 24kt gold / Impex Records  [ Mastered by Bernie Grundman ]
- http://www.gracerecordingstudio.com/in-the-studio-with-bernie-grundman
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRMJmBVgyo4
 
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9YN8KvxcBA
- https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bernie+grundman+interview
- http://www.berniegrundmanmastering.com/technical.html
- http://www.examiner.com/article/mastering-engineer-bernie-grundman-shares-a-detailed-look-at-the-process
Jennifer Warnes - The Well    24kt gold disc / Impex Records   [ Bernie Grundman ]
Jennifer Warnes The Hunter    24kt gold disc / Impex Records   [ Mastered by Chris Bellman at 'Bernie Grundman Mastering' ]
Gothic Voices - Hildegard of Bingen / Feather On The Breath Of God  [What I found : 'Hyperion Records' Recording Engineer Tony Faulkner ] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uCcFIyJJ-w&list=PLZXQp_XoNBBNUhd_rB61oRWc4t_13fbx2
Try the hymn 'O Ierusalem' - http://grooveshark.com/#!/search?q=feather+on+the+breath+of+god

Akiko Suwanai - Max Bruch / Concerto No.1 , Scottish Fantasy  [Recording and mastering engineer was probably Jean-Marie Geijsen of Philips / Polyhymnia] I sent him an email, waiting for a reply]
- http://www.deezer.com/album/8721043 Try the Scottish fantasy, tracks 4-8. If deezer.com does not work try grooveshark.com - http://grooveshark.com/#!/album/Scottish+Fantasy+Op+46/4907288
Vladimir Godar - Mater  Hybrid SACD / ECM + Pavian Records [ ? - I cannot find who did the mastering]
- http://grooveshark.com/#!/search?q=vladimir+godar+mater - Try 'Stala Matka'
Linda Ronstadt - Heart Like a Wheel   24kt gold disc / Audio Fidelity Lab   [ Mastered by Steve Hoffman ]
- http://www.stevehoffman.tv/dhinterviews/Hoffman_TAS.htm
- http://www.stevehoffman.tv/dhinterviews/Tape%20Op%20Magazine.htm
- http://www.stevehoffman.tv/dhinterviews/
Alison Krauss and The Union Station - Live (2002)   Hybrid-SACD  /  Rounder - UMGD   [ Mastered by Doug Sax, Robert Hadley at 'The Mastering Lab']
- http://themasteringlab.com/engineers/rohad/
- http://themasteringlab.com/engineers/dougsax/
- http://news.acousticsounds.com/post.cfm/doug-sax-takes-us-to-the-dark-side
- https://www.facebook.com/TheOnlyLab/photos/a.609233629136534.1073741826.150886138304621/609233679136529/?type=1&ref=nf  - click next for next page
 

 
For good kiddies  :  Alison Krauss and Robert Plant - Black Dog   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lgzs6pT26KI

 

Okay, yep, I'll just stick with my music, thanks. 

 

[DonutDeflector]

Okay, yep, I'll just stick with my music, thanks. 

 

[bigalila]

So my buddy is taking over my job as I retire from the Army in four months.  At the moment we share a desk and computer so he has access to all the files and reports that I have.  Friday I was taking care of some reports with my 4th gen iPod > Fiio E17 > M50s on listening to some country.  I had to leave the desk to run over to another office and grab some things off our big printer.  I came back a few minutes later to find my buddy with the M50s on, eyes closed, chilling in the chair with no sense of anything else going on in the world.  I sat down for a little while and watched him.  After about 20 minutes he opened his eyes, reaching for the iPod (I guess it got to a song he wanted to skip) and noticed me sitting there.  He slowly took off the headphones and set them on the desk.  I asked him "how was that?"  He responded "amazing, I didn't know those songs could sound that good."  We then got into a pretty long discussion about Headfi and at the end he was back on the computer ordering a set of M50X's and an E6.  Little does he know that I have ruined his wallet!!!

 

[xtroria]

I've never really had my family asking "why do you spend so much money on headphones?" My dad himself has a sr80i and a good yamaha 5.1 + bose AM5 stereo system. He'd occasionally get angry at me for spending money on more pairs, but he never objects on why do I need to spend that much
 
My first pair of decent headphone was HD202, boy that thing was so popular. As I got the HD202, some of my friends got beats from their parents and people would go crazy over them, simply because they look "cool" and they're expensive. So I asked one of them to bring his beats studio (it was the first gen) so I could try them. When I tested them, my first impression was "huh, my $30 HD202 has slightly less bass, but for the rest they're as good" A week or two after that I got the chance to bring my HD202 to school and let him tested it, by his own accord he said that it sounds almost as good as his beats.
 
I also bought my friend a soundmagic PL20 for her birthday and she said to me how other cheapo headphones / IEM just sound bad to her
 
My cousin and uncle also had the chance to hear my momentum and my cousin was stunned by how good it sounds (she never tried any good pair of headphone before), my uncle did say it's good although he wasn't all that surprised as he understands about speakers in general.
 
Looking at this this thread makes me think of bringing my momentum & HD600 to let my friends try them 

 
Also, after using proper headphones and IEM for years now, I could never imagine how bad a cheapo IEM would sound again. My cheapest pair right now is RE-400 and I'm pretty sure it'd be enough to 'wow' many people, even audiophiles especially when they hear the price.

 

[Uberclocked]

  So my buddy is taking over my job as I retire from the Army in four months.  At the moment we share a desk and computer so he has access to all the files and reports that I have.  Friday I was taking care of some reports with my 4th gen iPod > Fiio E17 > M50s on listening to some country.  I had to leave the desk to run over to another office and grab some things off our big printer.  I came back a few minutes later to find my buddy with the M50s on, eyes closed, chilling in the chair with no sense of anything else going on in the world.  I sat down for a little while and watched him.  After about 20 minutes he opened his eyes, reaching for the iPod (I guess it got to a song he wanted to skip) and noticed me sitting there.  He slowly took off the headphones and set them on the desk.  I asked him "how was that?"  He responded "amazing, I didn't know those songs could sound that good."  We then got into a pretty long discussion about Headfi and at the end he was back on the computer ordering a set of M50X's and an E6.  Little does he know that I have ruined his wallet!!!

I'm confused.  Are you double amping or are you using a LOD and the e17's amp section?
I don't think you can use the e17's DAC section with an iPod.