True... bit harder to skip songs though.
Maybe a series of mirrors and a strong iR remote.
Being that I'm getting my first decent cans, I doubt I'd be able to hear a difference... for the price, and they look decent (like, not really thin and wimpy like dollarstore cables) I think I'd be fine.
I kinda hate myself for making the decision to upgrade... because now I'm looking at those FiiO X1 players and how hard would it be to switch over a chunk of my collection to FLAC (or for some stuff if FLAC exists).
These headphone upgrades may end up costing me a lot by the end of the year.
What!!! Shut yo' mouth!
Is there an audible difference? or is it a case of needing a computer and sophisticated tests to tell you there's a difference?
I remember reading an article, years ago, when the Monster Cables were getting a lot of popularity for AV equipment and some company ran a test and using a coat hanger could get the same results in quality/signal loss.
It's more likely that they would sound the same anyway.
What is the source of your audio files? CDs? Downloads?
If you don't need a portable system and only listen to music in a room like I do, I think your best bet is to focus on desktop systems, because they give you the best bang for your buck in my opinion.
You can rip CDs to lossless (FLAC, ALAC, AIFF, or WAV) or any other format with programs like
dBpoweramp and
Exact Audio Copy. External hard drives are affordable nowadays in case you need more space. (Though my 12 TB hard drive array was very expensive.) On a PC, you can play back the audio files with a program like
foobar2000, which supports many plugins, including equalizers.
Most people use a GUI (graphical user interface) for browsing and playing their music collection (and foobar2000 has custom skins available to make it look however you want), but what I do is browse manually-organized folders and drag and drop on-the-fly playlists into foobar2000. That way, I don't need to worry about skipping tracks I don't like; I select only the tracks I want to play, and the order they are played in.
After your "digital ecosystem" is set up, you can then potentially get into desktop amps and DACs. (Assuming you don't need a portable system in the future.) That's a topic for another thread, but let's just say that you probably don't need to worry about it until you get headphones that are harder to drive.
Here are a few tips from someone who has owned dozens of headphones. If you want to try different headphones, the easiest way is to get rid of stuff you already have. So in addition to selling off non-audio equipment, you can return, sell, or trade your headphones (such as in
the for sale/trade forums here) and related equipment in order to try other things. Be proactive about searching for what you want. Some of the best deals are done by getting in touch with owners and setting up something private that isn't even listed publicly.
But instead of going crazy like I have, it may be better to simply enjoy what you have, especially with a parametric equalizer to tweak the sound to your taste. (If you ever want to learn more advanced EQ, check out the guides in my signature.)
Yup.
Here's an example.
Some people (usually those who have never used them) say that there is no audible difference with higher-end cables...and on the other hand, many owners swear that they sound much better. Either way, it only makes sense to buy such things when you already own four-figure headphones, amps, DACs, etc. In addition to headphone cables, there are also interconnects (XLR or RCA cables to connect DACs to amps and so on), power cables, USB cables...the list goes on. Don't even worry about all that unless you plan on spending many thousands on more important gear in the future. And be sure that you're able to return the cables in case you don't hear a difference.
