[atx]

Quote:

and britney spears is just a person who got into the music bizz at a good time when people loved pop music like hers. now she's dead to most

"Pop" stands for "Popular" music. By definition, it means the type of music that is popular in a culture at a given point in time--- i.e. the type of music that makes the most money and what most average people buy.

Britney may be dead, but "Pop" is always here to stay, and it represents the present musical taste of a particular culture, which continue to evolve. The same goes with JPop. To dismiss "JPop" as crappy music is the same as saying that the Japanese have crappy taste, which is a racist remark.

If MoSXS and his japanese friends thinks JPop is "terrible" music that should go away, that's his opinion in his own little world and he's entitled to say so. My point is that his opinion shouldn't reflect JPop as a whole--- afterall, a majority of Japanese people buy them. I, for one, like Jpop, and in my opinion, it's his taste in music that's terrible.

 

[Vinny77]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyrilix Hey azure, you should check out this site for good quality recordings and songs that will put your headphones to the test: http://www.fix-it.org/thread418.html Sorry to see that you're still disappointed, but I think letting the money issue settle in the back of your mind would still be the best idea. Anyway, all of the songs on that site have a description of what you're listening for. Good luck to you.

Friggin awsome



Azure if you listen to this and dont at least think its great and get a few chills because the clarity is just do good, im sorry man but ur crazy

http://oregonstate.edu/~moritaty/Lis...h%20Harlem.mp3

 

[Azure]

What bothers me is that I was deceived in that you guys told me, unanimously, that my 128kbps mp3s will be fine. Then when I talk about 192kbps ones there's suddenly a problem? And then you guys, after reading that I like jpop/trance/etc., also unanimously recommend me high quality headphones. But afterwards you guys reveal to me that they lack depth and the other features that would make my headphones shine. I also don't believe my expectations were too high; I just went from listening to a song (320kbps) on my Logitech Z-340 Speakers ($39.99) to my A500s and I hear no sound quality difference at all. The way you guys described it (I believe I quoted a bunch of you guys saying how good the sound will be?), this shouldn't be happening.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyrilix Hey azure, you should check out this site for good quality recordings and songs that will put your headphones to the test: http://www.fix-it.org/thread418.html Sorry to see that you're still disappointed, but I think letting the money issue settle in the back of your mind would still be the best idea. Anyway, all of the songs on that site have a description of what you're listening for. Good luck to you.

Thanks for the link. I tried out all the songs (Read the descriptions before trying each song) and I have to say that I failed the test. I didn't get the same results as the guy in nearly all aspects. The only ones where I could agree with his description were:

Unique, flesh and bone quality of finger snapping
Voice having a good sense of “chest”
The bass sounds warm and full, but not boomy
Strong transient pluck, followed by the resonance of the body of the instrument.

That's it. Everything else I didn't hear. If something was supposed to be in the back of the soundstage, I heard it in the front. If I was supposed to react to the music and get excited, I didn't since it was like a normal song. If I was supposed to distinguish the acoustic settings of each drum kit, I'd only hear one drum kit. In one song it says that the individual instruments are so focused that you should be able to pick each one apart. Well, this is easy when you consider that they never seem to all play at the same time, at least I don't hear them all playing at the same time.

So, there you have it. It's either the headphones or my hearing. Most likely it's probably just my hearing. I guess I just can't hear this certain aspects of music or something. Thus this high quality music stuff isn't for me since I'll never hear it in its full capacity. So, I guess I'll just forget about any upgrades and just stick with the A500s since they are closed and have nice bass.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vinny77 Friggin awsome Azure if you listen to this and dont at least think its great and get a few chills because the clarity is just do good, im sorry man but ur crazy http://oregonstate.edu/~moritaty/Lis...h%20Harlem.mp3

I guess I'm crazy then because it isn't any clearer than any other song and her voice isn't incredibly real and it doesn't "breath"; it just sounds echoey.

 

[Vinny77]

I am talking either your sound card blows or you have a defective unit. Her voice to me sounds as if she is standing 2 feet in front of me. It is great quality, plus I may mention I am using an audigy 2 zs and not a audiophile soundcard.

I would definatly try to retry or use the warrenty on that unit,


The 500's are lmow for great voice purity.

 

[britishbane]

Quote:

Originally Posted by philodox Something is seriously wrong with your playstation.

Are you hiding your weed in there?

 

[Azure]

I sampled the songs on my Karma and the warranty has already expired.

 

[Kazuya]

Quote:

Originally Posted by atx Jpop (like Britney) exists because the music makes money. It makes money because people are buying it. That's a fact. Whether or not you think Jpop is terrible is irrelevant, but to say that Jpop isn't reflective of a Japanese society is the same as saying as Britney's music isn't reflective of an American society. The money says it all.

Agreed. JPop suits is more the classic definition of pop. It's pop because its popular music (as you say later on), but the market saturation of music in Japan is primarily JPop, unlike where in western culture, pop feels more like a minority genre nowadays.

Bagging out Anime music though as low quality is like saying music used in the opening credits of a TV Show (ie. Massive Attack - Teardrop for the show House) is crap music because it's used on a TV, hence primarily meant to be outputted from TV speakers. You'll argue it straight away claiming that the song (if you're a fan anyway) came on long before the show. A lot of Anime music existed long before the show too, its just been edited to obviously suit the intro, its because you probably aren't exposed to it everyday, that you only think it was made for an Anime series (even though several songs are, music is a big part of Anime). Of course you have your right to have your own preference, but JPop in many cases is not crap.

.

Azure: You should try using some common sense instead of blaming these forums. I've been reading these forums for bloody ages, and they help me to see what features and aspects of headphones I would like, in which I either audition them or take the risk and order a pair. 128kbps sound bad on my $60AUD PC Speakers, you wouldn't expect the radio to sound hot **** with HD650s nor would you expect magic to come from a mono recording while using L3000s. But from reading this entire thread I get the impression you may need to get your hearing checked (no sarcasm or spite there) before applying yourself to any more personal audio, because you have problems with identifying with simple clarity aspects of a recording.

Btw, do you have a friend with any 'phones that you might be able to give a go? Mainly Grado or the higher end Senns.

 

[Azure]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kazuya Btw, do you have a friend with any 'phones that you might be able to give a go? Mainly Grado or the higher end Senns.

Unfortunately no. All of my friends are either unaware of audiophile headphones or think I'm an idiot for spending $100+ on headphones.

Anyways, I was told to try one last thing before giving up and that was to use an amp. Which amp do you guys recommend in the $100 range? The ones I'm considering are (Out of the few amps I'm aware of):

PIMETA
Go-Vibe
HeadRoom AirHead (Probably the most I'd spend)
Z-Audio Epsilon/Mu

Which one would be the best with the A500s? Also, I read on Norm's site that you get to choose the op-amp, either Burr Brown OPA2227 or Analog Devices AD8066. Which one is better?

 

[Cyrilix]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Azure Unfortunately no. All of my friends are either unaware of audiophile headphones or think I'm an idiot for spending $100+ on headphones. Anyways, I was told to try one last thing before giving up and that was to use an amp. Which amp do you guys recommend in the $100 range? The ones I'm considering are (Out of the few amps I'm aware of): PIMETA Go-Vibe HeadRoom AirHead (Probably the most I'd spend) Z-Audio Epsilon/Mu Which one would be the best with the A500s? Also, I read on Norm's site that you get to choose the op-amp, either Burr Brown OPA2227 or Analog Devices AD8066. Which one is better?

I can't comment on personal experience, but many people seem to like the OPA627/637, although they are alot more expensive. Tangentsoft has a nice guide on many commonly used opamps: http://www.tangentsoft.net/audio/opamps.html

Also, a Pimeta may be out of your budget, a portable Pimeta *might* fit the bill, but a maxed out Pimeta will cost upwards $200 USD.

 

[Azure]

Thanks for the link, but can someone tell me what it means when an op-amp is "too laid-back"? And yes, I was thinking about the PIMETA being portable (Would I be able to get a decent portable PIMETA for ~$149?). Also, what op-amp is in a portable PIMETA?

 

[Cyrilix]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Azure Thanks for the link, but can someone tell me what it means when an op-amp is "too laid-back"? And yes, I was thinking about the PIMETA being portable (Would I be able to get a decent portable PIMETA for ~$149?). Also, what op-amp is in a portable PIMETA?

You can usually customize the amp that you'd like in a portable Pimeta although I've seen OPA227 and OPA8610 used most often. When I inquired about the 8610 and Grados, Mister-X told me that it might sound too bright.

 

[Azure]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyrilix When I inquired about the 8610 and Grados, Mister-X told me that it might sound too bright.

*Doesn't know what "bright sound" means*

 

[Ttvetjanu]

I also get the feeling that you should "train" your hearing to higher quality headphones before you start buying amps. Belive it or not, it takes some time taking use to and really appreciating high quality headphones. I've had over 40$ headphones for about 5 years now, and about a year ago I really learned to appreciate my sound system. I've partly also trained my ears with years and years of counter strike (involves A LOT of listning at high level matches, a footstep can tell you where a person is).

Maybe you just need to get used to them, It might take long, try to listen analytically.

I suggest you don't buy an amp because If it has to do with having a "untrained" hearing the amp wont do much. Amps are generally purchased for subtle improvements, and even though most people say that "sound improved significantly" it might only have been a slight improvement.

I've convinced myself not to get an amp to go with my ER-6i, or atleast not yet.

 

[Ttvetjanu]

Bright, im guessing not warm, tinny, high frequency, that sort of stuff.

 

[3lusiv3]

I think amps are overrated. You'll hear the biggest difference with a headphone or source change. The A500's are great headphones and to hear a big improvement you would have to buy headphones that cost three times as much.