[H20Fidelity]

Sudden moment of panic in the early hours of this morning. My A83 started making a buzzing noise with bass notes coming from the left side. Like a humming (bad noise). I thought my time had come. I removed the tip, blew some air on it and... Hey presto, let the magic continue.

 

[Midgetguy]

Sudden moment of panic in the early hours of this morning. My A83 started making a buzzing noise with bass notes coming from the left side. Like a humming (bad noise). I thought my time had come. I removed the tip, blew some air on it and... Hey presto, let the magic continue.

Well that must have been quite the panic! Good thing it ironed back out

 

[H20Fidelity]

Well that must have been quite the panic! Good thing it ironed back out :etysmile:

I think an ear canal hair became caught between the tip on nozzle meshing.

 

[Midgetguy]

I think an ear canal hair became caught between the tip on nozzle meshing.

That sounds plausible. One wouldn't think a hair vibrating would create such noise, but put just about anything right up next to the ear drum and the tiniest of vibrations can be picked up.

 

[myemaildw]

Sudden moment of panic in the early hours of this morning. My A83 started making a buzzing noise with bass notes coming from the left side. Like a humming (bad noise). I thought my time had come. I removed the tip, blew some air on it and... Hey presto, let the magic continue.

like this? at 3.03
[VIDEO]http://youtu.be/jFnqQbtHeDE[/VIDEO]

 

[Nitemare3219]

For the life of me I just don't get why people buy superb top class/performing headphones / IEM's and then use their bloody phone to listen to them
There is a clue here: ITS A PHONE  
Yeah yeah I know we want one little device to do everything for us these days but using your phone and expecting something wonderful...It aint gonna happen
I certainly think its unfair to call a headphone lacking in one area or another after listening to it through a phone?!?
Its like putting the engine of a Mini Metro into a Porsche and then complaining it wasn't very fast.
If you REALLY want to sincerely appreciate music then 3 things are ...lets say 'helpful'
1, A qualified DAP
2, Well tuned 'serious' headphones
3, Well Mastered Hi Res audio.

Im not having a go at anyone but its frustrating sometimes on this site reading people comments / reviews based on listening to mp3's / on a phone etc etc - because it can falsely sway peoples opinions.
Sorry - I spend many hours working on audio, the good majority of which wont be appreciated due to society having  sacrificed quality for convenience
No-ones fault really, but it saddens me
Moan over - carry on

I notice no real quality difference between my Note5 with the A83s, the W30s, or HD598ss compared to my Essence STX sound card. All are low impedance and easy to drive. We're not talking about HD800's here. I'll compare again when I get my AKG K812s (very low impedance of ~36 ohms iirc for a $1500 reference headphone) and when I get the LG V10. Speaking of the V10, it sounds like a very capable source...

"LG's tossed some serious 32-bit audio playback tech into the V10. It's got an ESS Sabre 9018C2M digital to analog converter chip inside, as well as a 9602C headphone amplifier. And the chips are positioned at the bottom of the phone, closer to the headphone jack, to prevent "crosstalk," or audio leakage from one channel to another, LG says."

 

[Aero Dynamik]

  The A83 has more prominent upper mids, but at expense of lower mids.  So male vocals can tend to sound a little thinner - while female vocals sound a little more prominent and a touch euphonic. It is more V shaped than the 2000J but has less overall in the upper-mids and highs, and stronger bass (2000J is cleaner though).

Brooko, you confuse me! Do you or don't you consider the DN-2000J to be v-shaped? Here you seem to be suggesting that both the DN-2000J and the Fidue A83 are v-shaped, no? Yet, in this post you said: "Now anyone suggesting the DN-2000J is V shaped, or has recessed mids really needs to go back and listen again." Now "anyone" includes me and I suppose you based that statement on your listening experience and not on the graph you presented in that post, no?
 
In his review ljokerl says about the Fidue A83: "(---) aside from the warm and smooth Sony XBA-H3, it (Fidue A83) is the least v-shaped and arguably the most balanced of the hybrid IEMs I’ve tried." I don't know if that includes the DN-2000J (definitely the DN-2000, which I feel shares blood with the DN-2000J in the mid-range) but I don't think so.
 
So, is it your personal opinion (listening experience) that the Fidue A83 is more v-shaped than the DN-2000J, or is it based on the comparing graphs you published in the post I linked to, or something else? As your arguments on this so far has me somewhat confused I'd appreciate if you could elaborate on this as it could be a pretty critical factor for those trying to choose between the two.
 
As I have the Fidue A83 on order I'm going to find out myself soon enough, but I'd still be very interested in what you have to say about this. Thanks!

 

[Brooko]

My apologies - poor choice of phrase.  No - I personally think the 2000J is more balanced than V shaped.  Yes it is on the brighter side of things - but I don't feel it has emphasised bass.
 
Joker at the time talking about the A83 did not have the 2000J - just the 2000, and he was also comparing with the very V-shaped Altone200.  The 2000's bass is IMO more prominent than the 2000J (more sub-bass emphasis).  I have both and can graph them if you want.
 
My opinion is that the A83 has more of a V signature than the more balanced 2000J - but the V is only slight.
 
Funny thing is that the DN2000 probably has the flattest mids of all 3 - it just also has more bass than either A83 or DN2000J

  Brooko, you confuse me! Do you or don't you consider the DN-2000J to be v-shaped? Here you seem to be suggesting that both the DN-2000J and the Fidue A83 are v-shaped, no? Yet, in this post you said: "Now anyone suggesting the DN-2000J is V shaped, or has recessed mids really needs to go back and listen again." Now "anyone" includes me and I suppose you based that statement on your listening experience and not on the graph you presented in that post, no?

 
My statement is based on what I hear - but the graph I posted also supports it (more balance than V shaped).  SGS graph is compensated - mine is raw data. His is also quite compressed (width wise) compared to mine.

 

[Aero Dynamik]

  For the life of me I just don't get why people buy superb top class/performing headphones / IEM's and then use their bloody phone to listen to them
There is a clue here: ITS A PHONE  
Yeah yeah I know we want one little device to do everything for us these days but using your phone and expecting something wonderful...It aint gonna happen
I certainly think its unfair to call a headphone lacking in one area or another after listening to it through a phone?!?
Its like putting the engine of a Mini Metro into a Porsche and then complaining it wasn't very fast.
If you REALLY want to sincerely appreciate music then 3 things are ...lets say 'helpful'
1, A qualified DAP
2, Well tuned 'serious' headphones
3, Well Mastered Hi Res audio.
 
Im not having a go at anyone but its frustrating sometimes on this site reading people comments / reviews based on listening to mp3's / on a phone etc etc - because it can falsely sway peoples opinions.
Sorry - I spend many hours working on audio, the good majority of which wont be appreciated due to society having  sacrificed quality for convenience
No-ones fault really, but it saddens me
Moan over - carry on

I sometimes use my iPhone 5S with regular MP3s and I think it sounds wonderful, lol!
 
Anyway, I prefer my OBJECTIVE DAC/AMP, and my FiiO X3 2nd gen DAP with FLACs, but I certainly wouldn't bet my life I could tell the difference at any given time.
 
Anyway, my advice for anyone who doesn't want to spend a fortune and still want to get some seriously great sound is to use your phone and save your money for headphones/IEMs where the real differences are. I personally find the difference between decent MP3s and FLACs (if that's what you're referring to) and the difference between various AMPs/DACs/DAPs to pretty marginal, like the same flavor but in somewhat different intensities. Never a night and day difference! Of course, YMMV, and my hearing isn't perfect, although I do have "Golden Ears" according to Philips! 

 

 

[Aero Dynamik]

  My apologies - poor choice of phrase.  No - I personally think the 2000J is more balanced than V shaped.  Yes it is on the brighter side of things - but I don't feel it has emphasised bass.
 
Joker at the time talking about the A83 did not have the 2000J - just the 2000.  The 2000's bass is a lot more prominent than the 2000J.  I have both and can graph them if you want.
 
My opinion is that the A83 has more of a V signature than the more balanced 2000J. 

Thanks, and no problem! I haven't heard the Fidue A83 yet (hopefully this week though), but what I'm hoping for is more intensity/presence in the mids compared to the DN2KJ. The way I hear the DN2KJ with my OBJECTIVE DAC/AMP (which I believe are neutral) are mids that are too smooth and a tad too recessed for my taste and a treble that is too intense and somewhat sibilant, especially at what I consider to be normal volumes and of course louder volumes (I know, it's not made for high volumes). The DN2KJ bass is near perfect but I really don't mind a bit more oomph!
 
However, today I finally got my FiiO X3 2nd gen DAP and with it (to my surprise, because I don't believe in any substantial differences in DAPs/DACs/AMPs) the DN2KJ mids sounded more present (actually very satisfying), however I don't hear much of a difference in the treble. Whether a certain phone is actually v-shaped (scientifically or artistically speaking) doesn't really matter to me as long as I'm happy with its overall balance, and the mids is what matters the most to me!

 

[jon parker]

 

  For the life of me I just don't get why people buy superb top class/performing headphones / IEM's and then use their bloody phone to listen to them
There is a clue here: ITS A PHONE  
Yeah yeah I know we want one little device to do everything for us these days but using your phone and expecting something wonderful...It aint gonna happen
I certainly think its unfair to call a headphone lacking in one area or another after listening to it through a phone?!?
Its like putting the engine of a Mini Metro into a Porsche and then complaining it wasn't very fast.
If you REALLY want to sincerely appreciate music then 3 things are ...lets say 'helpful'
1, A qualified DAP
2, Well tuned 'serious' headphones
3, Well Mastered Hi Res audio.
 
Im not having a go at anyone but its frustrating sometimes on this site reading people comments / reviews based on listening to mp3's / on a phone etc etc - because it can falsely sway peoples opinions.
Sorry - I spend many hours working on audio, the good majority of which wont be appreciated due to society having  sacrificed quality for convenience
No-ones fault really, but it saddens me
Moan over - carry on

I sometimes use my iPhone 5S with regular MP3s and I think it sounds wonderful, lol!
 
Anyway, I prefer my OBJECTIVE DAC/AMP, and my FiiO X3 2nd gen DAP with FLACs, but I certainly wouldn't bet my life I could tell the difference at any given time.
 
Anyway, my advice for anyone who doesn't want to spend a fortune and still want to get some seriously great sound is to use your phone and save your money for headphones/IEMs where the real differences are. I personally find the difference between decent MP3s and FLACs (if that's what you're referring to) and the difference between various AMPs/DACs/DAPs to pretty marginal, like the same flavor but in somewhat different intensities. Never a night and day difference! Of course, YMMV, and my hearing isn't perfect, although I do have "Golden Ears" according to Philips! 

 

 
Good points  Maybe it depends on whether the person simply enjoys music, in which case quality is not so much an issue or whether person has a deeper appreciation of the audio as well !
When listening to HiRes audio through 'audiophile quality' equipment the main difference I have found [and one which seems to have been tragically missed in most discusions regarding audiophilia] is how it makes me FEEL 
With High Quality the way my mind immerses INTO the music is / can be extraordinary - sometimes an almost mystical experience whereas with low quality / mp3s I can barely keep my mind focused on the music at all
 
So to get back to my original point, (whatever it was?!)  people can enjoy music at many different levels and qualities, which is great but . . . the only way to really appreciate the good qualities of say...a cup of tea...is the drink it yourself  
Anyway If you enjoy mp3s through your iphone then for heavan sake stick with it and potentially save yourself a ton of money! 

 

[Midgetguy]

  I sometimes use my iPhone 5S with regular MP3s and I think it sounds wonderful, lol!
 
Anyway, I prefer my OBJECTIVE DAC/AMP, and my FiiO X3 2nd gen DAP with FLACs, but I certainly wouldn't bet my life I could tell the difference at any given time.
 
Anyway, my advice for anyone who doesn't want to spend a fortune and still want to get some seriously great sound is to use your phone and save your money for headphones/IEMs where the real differences are. I personally find the difference between decent MP3s and FLACs (if that's what you're referring to) and the difference between various AMPs/DACs/DAPs to pretty marginal, like the same flavor but in somewhat different intensities. Never a night and day difference! Of course, YMMV, and my hearing isn't perfect, although I do have "Golden Ears" according to Philips! 

 

I'm almost certain I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a high quality MP3 (about 256kbps or higher which has frequency cutoff at a minimum of about 19kHz according to Spectro) and a lossless file. I will absolutely do my best to have the lossless version, but not because I can hear the difference. More to just be happy seeing all the frequencies are there even if I can't hear the difference.
 

   
Good points  Maybe it depends on whether the person simply enjoys music, in which case quality is not so much an issue or whether person has a deeper appreciation of the audio as well !
When listening to HiRes audio through 'audiophile quality' equipment the main difference I have found [and one which seems to have been tragically missed in most discusions regarding audiophilia] is how it makes me FEEL 
With High Quality the way my mind immerses INTO the music is / can be extraordinary - sometimes an almost mystical experience whereas with low quality / mp3s I can barely keep my mind focused on the music at all
 
So to get back to my original point, (whatever it was?!)  people can enjoy music at many different levels and qualities, which is great but . . . the only way to really appreciate the good qualities of say...a cup of tea...is the drink it yourself  
Anyway If you enjoy mp3s through your iphone then for heavan sake stick with it and potentially save yourself a ton of money! 

I like to think that we can reside in both camps. Yes in the portable world, I tend to plug my IEMs into an iPod Touch 5G, high-end or not (this iPod has seen crap like Skullcandies to shining examples like the 1964 Ears ADEL U-series, universal versions of the A-series). The source, if decent enough in the case of today's better smart devices, matters less than the IEM when on the move in my opinion. Would a higher end source immerse me in the music more? Probably. But am I still having a great time? Absolutely! I know it can sound better and I've heard it sound better, but I get quite a bit of enjoyment as is and you said it right, if you enjoy it, by god stick with it!
 
I definitely also reside in the camp of hi-res through the entire chain as well. I understand your logic; once you start picking up a deficiency, be it in the mastering or in your playback equipment, it starts to get annoying to notice it more often. My desktop setup has music that is preferably at least 256kbps (or 18+kHz frequency cutoff on Spectro) or higher, run through a dedicated DAC and amp (listed in my profile if you'd like to know, I consider to be a great budget setup that does everything I need it to), and to a quality set of bookshelf speakers (which I also just upgraded to a new set). With that setup, it's easy enough to start a playlist, lay down on the bed, and just melt away into a world of bliss.
 
Also, I MUST commend you on being one of the better people on the internet, much like what can be said of many other members of Head-Fi. You acknowledge and accept that not everyone may share your view instead of blindly shoving your own opinions down others' throats in a very subjective hobby. So cheers for that, you've made this corner of the internet a nicer place to be than many others

 

 

[jon parker]

Thanks Midgetguy, that's real kind of you to say so
Im trying to be considerate of others but its not easy when owns view is SO important !
 
I mean, How is my view more important than anyone else's?

 

[Midgetguy]

  Thanks Midgetguy, that's real kind of you to say so
Im trying to be considerate of others but its not easy when owns view is SO important !
 
I mean, How is my view more important than anyone else's?

You're welcome. I hear ya buddy, acknowledging others have valid views can sometimes be frustrating, not so much because they can be "right" too but because their correctness in anyone's eyes creates the potential for your thoughts to be "wrong". It must be finely but always distinguished that one's own opinion is only the most important to oneself and immediately holds equal weight when compared to others (if based in solid logic that is). It's analogous to the scenario of being the most important person in a small room, but just another individual in a sea in a stadium.
 
Or just pipe your frustrations through another channel haha. Might I suggest racquet sports? I have a great time playing tennis on the weekends

 

 

[Paulus XII]

Of course, YMMV, and my hearing isn't perfect, although I do have "Golden Ears" according to Philips! 

 

 
Golden Ear?