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Doubts of a beginner in the audiophile world

Mar 7, 2019 at 6:07 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 30
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Galeonero

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Hello forum people, I would like to ask you some questions to understand a little more the different types of sound and what to look for if you have a preference.

I hear a lot that the flat sound would be the most balanced since it keeps the bass, treble and middles at the same frequency without going ahead.
But what I do not understand is because there is a lot of complaint against the Audio Technnica ATH-M40x and M50x, they say that their sound becomes tiresome and annoying.
Because it would be distracting and moestuous, to hear a balanced sound?

Use an Audio Technica M40x using a Hidizs Sonata HD v2 as a source that has an output of 60mW at 32 Ohms, with a volume of between 25-30%. Listening to varied music at FLAC and the artists were Michael Jackson, Maroon 5, Lady Gaga, AC / DC, etc ...
And it's true is somewhat tiring, but I do not think it's because of listening to a high volume.
Because then another day I listened with the in-ear Fiio F9 PRO that have an impedance lower than the same volume and they did not cause me fatigue at all.

I do not know if for you it seems logical or crazy what I am asking but I have enough doubt in this.
 
Mar 7, 2019 at 6:58 PM Post #2 of 30
Fatigue is generally a symptom of frequency response imbalances. Spikes in upper frequency ranges can make the sound shrill and irritating. There are three frequency responses to consider: the response of the original recording, the response of your particular set of headphones (copies of the same model can vary from sample to sample), and the response of your own particular ears. This means that it isn't entirely dependent on the headphones... it could be your music or your ears as well.

It's good to audition headphones before you buy them to see how they sound with the kind of music you listen to. One size does not fit all, and someone's advice about which headphones sound best, may not apply to you. Once you have selected headphones that get you close to your desired sound, you can use an equalizer to fine tune it if you want.

The simple answer is to just use your ears and choose headphones that sound good to you. Don't take anyone else's advice. Some headphones are treble heavy, some are bass heavy, some have forward mids, and some are fairly flat. What matters is what sounds comfortable for you to listen to. I happen to prefer flat headphones myself, but that's because I listen to classical and jazz that benefit from a balanced response. R&B or Pop music might sound better to you with something different.

There are no hard and fast rules that you have to follow on sound. In fact, it might change over time. When I was a teenager, I really liked sparkly treble. After college I liked big fat bass. Now in my 50s, I prefer flat. If you get reasonably good headphones, you can use an equalizer to push them in any direction you want.

I hope that answers your question and doesn't confuse you further.
 
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Mar 7, 2019 at 7:01 PM Post #3 of 30
Just up your budget to a ridiculous level.
 
Mar 7, 2019 at 7:07 PM Post #4 of 30
In my view the amps and sources won't make a whole lot of difference. They may make some relatively minor differences depending on the headphones. You may need enough juice for volume with a particular pair of headphones, or the impedance may affect the frequency response to a limited degree. Headphones involve a lot of personal preference because you are compensating for the lack of visceral bass, room reflections, etc., by using headphones and not speakers. I like both. Also if you are listening at lowish volumes some extra bass and treble can help due to how we perceive frequencies at low volumes. Or it can keep you from having to turn the volume knob up to hear the bass and treble to good effect.

I find this website valuable for getting good information on headphones, including the Audio Technica headphones that you mention. It shows frequency response graphs and includes many other types of observations, measurements, etc.:

https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews

I found the Superlux HD 681s for $30 on Amazon through that website--they might be a good place to start in figuring out what your personal preferences are.

On the more expensive side I have some Sony WH-1000MX3s (also discussed on that website) that I am getting to really like, because they are wireless, great with noise cancelling, and have adjustable EQ by firmware so you can kind of make them what you want them to be.

I like crossfeed too but let's not go there. ; )

Good luck!
 
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Mar 7, 2019 at 7:20 PM Post #5 of 30
Even better just forget a budget, forget having children. Commit to the long and winding road. Don’t get anything I have even if I love it.
 
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Mar 7, 2019 at 8:35 PM Post #6 of 30
Thank you very much for your answers. Any page or article that helps to know how to equalize headphones? Now I only have the Fiio F9 PRO, I sold the m40x for its sound and because they were very uncomfortable for more than an hour of use.
 
Mar 7, 2019 at 8:40 PM Post #7 of 30
Steve999 said:
In my view the amps and sources won't make a whole lot of difference. They may make some relatively minor differences depending on the headphones. You may need enough juice for volume with a particular pair of headphones, or the impedance may affect the frequency response to a limited degree. Headphones involve a lot of personal preference because you are compensating for the lack of visceral bass, room reflections, etc., by using headphones and not speakers. I like both. Also if you are listening at lowish volumes some extra bass and treble can help due to how we perceive frequencies at low volumes. Or it can keep you from having to turn the volume knob up to hear the bass and treble to good effect.

I find this website valuable for getting good information on headphones, including the Audio Technica headphones that you mention. It shows frequency response graphs and includes many other types of observations, measurements, etc.:

https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews

I found the Superlux HD 681s for $30 on Amazon through that website--they might be a good place to start in figuring out what your personal preferences are.

On the more expensive side I have some Sony WH-1000MX3s (also discussed on that website) that I am getting to really like, because they are wireless, great with noise cancelling, and have adjustable EQ by firmware so you can kind of make them what you want them to be.

I like crossfeed too but let's not go there. ; )

Good luck!
Click to expand...
Thank you very much I will give you a look at that website, I have two doubts. One is if the Bluetooth headphones really are worth the sony you have, because I read that having sound cancellation the sound can be a little lower and it is not for audiophiles. And the second query is what type of source or better said DAC / AMP would be advisable to acquire? Because seeing all the options that there are in the market confuses me, I do not know if it is better to buy a music player or a bluetooh receiver be a Fiio Q5 or an ES100 for giving examples or even buying a smartphone with Good DAC as are the LGs with their ESS DAC.
 
Mar 7, 2019 at 9:04 PM Post #8 of 30
Galeonero said:
Thank you very much I will give you a look at that website, I have two doubts. One is if the Bluetooth headphones really are worth the sony you have, because I read that having sound cancellation the sound can be a little lower and it is not for audiophiles. And the second query is what type of source or better said DAC / AMP would be advisable to acquire? Because seeing all the options that there are in the market confuses me, I do not know if it is better to buy a music player or a bluetooh receiver be a Fiio Q5 or an ES100 for giving examples or even buying a smartphone with Good DAC as are the LGs with their ESS DAC.
Click to expand...

If the Sony's are more than you want to pay for Bluetooth headphones, that's no big deal to me. ; ) By a little lower I guess you mean the sound quality is not as good? I think it's as good. You can get lighter, more comfortable, cheaper Bluetooth headphones or wired headphones for sure. The Superlux HD 681s for $30 have great sound quality for my taste, very light, but they're wired and they don't noise cancel and the build quality is laughable. With the Sony noise cancellation you get a tiny bit of hiss but it's way less than the ambient noise you get with normal headphones in a normal room, in my experience. If you don't like the noise cancellation you can lessen it or turn it off. If you don't like the sound you can EQ it. If you don't like the headphones then you get different headphones! You just find your way and figure out what you like. If you decide you hate the Sony's and you hate the Superlux's that's cool! They both hit the sweet spot for me. You can see on the rtings.com web site that they are both legit, and keep in mind that you can EQ the Sony's. I would not have kept the Sony's except for the built-in EQ. For me they're too bassy without adjusting the built-in EQ a little. And I like my bass. You've got a "clear bass" setting that I take pretty far down to get the sound balanced for me. It's nice being able to walk around the house, etc., with wireless headphones, or wear them on the subway to work and cancel out the noise, or sit and relax in silence in the house and not bother other people around the house. They're hifi bluetooth noise cancelling headphones with a built-in EQ and some other goodies. That's what they are. No biggie. Nothing mysterious, nothing earth-shattering.

As far as DACs, amps, etc., I really don't worry about it too much. I don't get into it. Obviously the Sony's have their own amp built in the headphones! How hard can it be? DAC's are not going to make any difference if they are not defective, in my opinion. If you doubt my opinion some folks around here will help you set things up so you can test for yourself.

It's really all about you, not me! And what you are going to do is listen to music!
 
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Mar 8, 2019 at 12:22 PM Post #9 of 30
Mar 18, 2019 at 5:36 AM Post #10 of 30
Go listen to different headphones. Take it slow, always listen to the same, well recorded dynamic song.

Many people these days expect a "fun" sound - lots of bass, lots of highs.
Many people like the newfangled "analytical" sound - it's basically just lots of treble (highs)
Then there are the bass lovers, as long as it's thumpin - everything is a ok!

Depending on who they what to sell to, the OEMs will tune their product to fit.

Basshead / young: young people, lotsa bass (no highs so they don't kill their hearing in 16 hours? :) )
Analytical: old people with deaf ears - giving them back that feeling of hearing all the high frequencies
Consumer: bit more bass, bit more highs
Studio: actual frequency response around +-2/3dB maybe the DT-880? (As a reference to the "flatness of frequency response")
Studio consumer products: DT 1990 / 1770 (bit more bass, bit more highs) Basically expensive versions of the normal consumer stuff
 
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Mar 24, 2019 at 8:31 PM Post #11 of 30
ev13wt said:
Depending on who they what to sell to, the OEMs will tune their product to fit.

Basshead / young: young people, lotsa bass (no highs so they don't kill their hearing in 16 hours? :) )
Analytical: old people with deaf ears - giving them back that feeling of hearing all the high frequencies
Consumer: bit more bass, bit more highs
Studio: actual frequency response around +-2/3dB maybe the DT-880? (As a reference to the "flatness of frequency response")
Studio consumer products: DT 1990 / 1770 (bit more bass, bit more highs) Basically expensive versions of the normal consumer stuff
Click to expand...
I thought this was an interesting curve of people's hearing as they age. And you see why older folks get plenty of bass.


presbycusis.png
 
Mar 25, 2019 at 2:03 AM Post #12 of 30
That chart looks like someone who uses power tools!
 
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