My Massdrop username is HelloFoobar. I really want to see some Stax on massdrop! I know there were drops for 3170 and 4170 but that was so long ago.

Which provides better noise isolation, Etymotic with stock tips or custom IEM?

I use Linux and DeaDBeef player. There is an option in DeaDBeef that convert 16 bit files to 24 bit. Should I enable that? Does converting 16 bit files to 24 bit really help when digitally reducing volume?

Is reducing volume in player the only way to deal with this problem? I don't think there are many headphones that are quieter than 250 ohm DT 880. Does it mean in most cases digital volume control is necessary?

Please help! Thanks in advance.

I got a 1x/3.3x gain O2 from JDS to use with HifimeDIY U2 DAC. I set my player volume and system volume both at 100% so that there isn't any dynamic range reduce due to digital volume control. The gain on O2 is set at low (1x). However the result is too loud. With my HD 558, the volume knob...

Just curious, what is the theory behind this? What else does a pair of headphones need to produce good sound when it has enough power (loud enough)?

I think I read from somewhere that if my headphones are loud enough, then I probably don't need an amp. Just wondering if my amp is really necessary.

Thanks for the link. Very good read. Headphones with below 90 db SPL seem quite rare. The only ones I see are HE6 and K1000.

So usually what value is considered "low sensitivity"?

I have a HifimeDIY U2 USB DAC and Objective2 amp with 1x and 3x gain. My headphones are Sennheiser HD 558 and Beyerdynamic DT 880 PRO. With system volume and player volume both at 100% (0 db), and gain set at 1x on O2, it's way too loud on 558 unless the volume knob is turned very close to...

Thank you very much! I guess I was just worrying too much.

Do you mean the difference made by software volume control is actually very marginal? I haven't notice a big difference in SQ between 100% volume and around 50%, but I did not do strict A/B comparison. (btw I found using 70% volume is actually not enough. When I was testing with 70%, I did not...

I am a noob in signal. Does this mean the SQ in the middle one is significantly affected? Also, does player matters? I am now using VLC and Rhythmbox.

Around 70%(-8 db).