Continuing a conversation from a different thread in Head-fi's "Thought Jail" because it's getting too "sciency": When someone tells you how amplifiers sound, especially on Head-fi, and especially if it conforms to the Head-fi beliefs that things that are cool or look cool sound cold (like...

Whenever I bring up something like amplifiers sounding the same I'm greeted to a variant of "haha ur deaf" or "you shouldn't post here", yet people are allowed to talk as much as they want about them sounding different. When I try to refute those claims, I usually bring up science or testing...

I have a huge DAC that I was planning to stick a tube amp on top of, but EMI from the transformers in the DAC is causing humming in the tube amp. Lifting the amp, the hum becomes inaudible after I lift it about 6 inches away from the DAC. Both the DAC and the amp are in metal cases, the DAC...

I noticed humming in one channel of my headphones. It goes away when I touch a metal part of my amp/DAC. I unplug my headphones and they continue to hum when the cord is in close proximity to the amp/DAC. Touching the amp/DAC makes the hum go away. Unless the headphone cable is unplugged with...

Ever since connecting a Sony WH-1000XM4 to my computer with Bluetooth, I've been getting strange sound randomly. I no longer have the WH-1000XM4, but my sound still gets weird randomly. It will be fine for hours then suddenly it sounds strange. I use an ADI-2 DAC FS. Sometimes it fixes itself...

Click here for the discounted price. I don't profit off this in any way. I figured I'd post it here since a lot of people seem to not know about it. They've had this sale going for a few months now, though you need to use the link to see it.

Why does the Focal Clear ($1490 new at Adorama) cost over 3 times the price of the Elegia ($399 new at Adorama)? $399 Price Here As far as I'm aware the only difference is the backing on the headphones. The Clear has mesh while the Elegia has aluminum plus sound dampening material. I'd expect...

I've noticed some sellers saying stuff like "buyer would be responsible for paying insurance" in their listings. As far as I'm aware, insurance only protects the seller since the item is not legally the buyer's property until they receive it and in as described condition. It's the same with...

Are there any alternate HD800/HD800S pads that don't murder the bass? I tried the Dekoni Elite Fenestrated Lambskin pads and the sub-bass went away almost completely. I'm looking for something a bit squishier than the stock pads. Dekoni had originally put out a bunch of graphs showing not much...

What are the best closed backs out there? In particular, I'd like them to have the best bass extension with even, slightly warm frequency response, good transparency, i.e. minimized internal reflections, and be somewhat lightweight. So far I've owned the Eikon, MDR-Z1R, LCD-4, and Mobius. The...

So, the background music for the vocals of this song is from something else. I am sure the band didn't record it and just put lyrics over it. I've heard it a few times as background music to police videos and police news reports and it didn't have lyrics. I think it was on some sort of...

I see the term "detail" thrown around a lot when describing sound, like "DAC A sounds more detailed than DAC B". I reason if, say 20 kHz is as high as one can hear, and the system can play past 20 kHz, it is able to play the most detailed sound possible, because this sound contains the...

I am creating this thread for discussion relating to the new STAX SRM-D50 DAC/Amp. I will be posting an unboxing video and review here shortly. Description SRM-D50 drives STAX ‘s electrostatic earspeaker in an ideal form. With the installation of a high-performance DAC, it supports various...

I just wanted to write some of my impressions from demoing a few headphones. The Focal Clear was very impressive and good value. Pretty similar to the Utopia, except with a smaller sound stage and not as good treble or bass. The Elear compared to the Clear was pretty muddy sounding in the...

I am looking for a DAP with very low output impedance that can also be used as a DAC. Can anyone recommend anything?

I just got some Campfire Andromedas and they sound amazing out of my 0.1 Ohm OI iBasso DX90, but when I plug them into my computer, they sound like crinkling tinsel. I don't experience this with my other IEMs. I think that the OI might be causing it. Does anyone know what desktop sources or...

Not sure where to post this, but I have an extra ticket for tomorrow for $18 (normally $21.49). PM me if interested.

I just compared the HD800S with the MDR-Z1R and thought I'd put my impressions here. Soundstage: Nearly a tie. The HD800S has slightly more separation and width. The Z1R has slightly more height. The Z1R's soundstage is exceptional for being a closed-backed headphone. Transparency: The HD800S...

I recently refurbished a Bose IE, so I don't know what it's supposed to sound like.  Music definitely comes out, and it's all there, however, they sound anywhere near as good as I expected.  I was surprised, since I like the Bose Triports, and some "audiophiles" here who have bashed the...

Every review I read says the SR-80 has more bass than the SR-60. According to Headroom's graphs, the SR-60 should have louder bass and more extension. Why is that? http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphType=0&graphID[]=393&graphID[]=353

I'll start.   "I've heard that the ______ sound even better when paired with a decent amp. "

I'm using a Bruce Bender 6N1P OTL amp, and when the tubes move (such as by heating or bumping) they make a crackling noise in the output signal.  The new mini 9 pin tube sockets are ceramic and the tubes are also new.  All 3 tube sockets produce the noise, and it is only on the left channel.  I...

Does anyone know what its output voltage/current is?

Does anyone know how to reduce noise over the PCI bus or get audio out of a computer without it being contaminated by GPU/HDD EMI?  Here's how it sounds:   Sound card/RCA (with significant amplification): hummmmm Sound card/front panel:  HUMMMM crack HUMMMMM bzzt Ipod plugged into USB: ...

I have to choose between the SAA Equinox and HD650 stock cable for my HD600. So far I think the Equinox has more treble, while the HD650 stock has more bass.   Can you share your opinions?