[sumone]

What do you listen for? I seemed to be limited in my criteria in selection of headphones to just how deep(I'm talkin' 30-20hz deep) & clean the "bass" is, and how high the treble can get up to. I know there's things like soundstange & others but to me it's hard to define "soundstage" when you're actually listening to music.

So my question is: how do you evaluate headphones? What sonic qualities/characteristics do you pay attention to? Or maybe I don't have the right music - so what single track or album do you think has good use of these qualities that only a good headphone can reproduce superiorly?

So far head-fi has forced me to buy...
1) Senn HD-280 & Pocket Amp 2 (PA2V2)
2) Senn HD-580 & Go-Vibe V4 amp (haven't received the amp yet)
(on an AV-710 sound card [analog wolfson dac mode], & portable use on a Cowon iAudio X5 out the line-out)

I know I like the HD-580 over the HD-280, but as far as why...I'm lost. I hate just saying, "it sounds better". I need the vocabulary! Any sites out there that can help me out? Thanks.

 

[grandenigma1]

just be happy and content. no reason to get caught up in audiophile lingo, it wont make your music sound any better or make you appreciate it more. just sit back and enjoy.

 

[jagorev]

I attend classical concerts regularly (usually once a week). I listen to recordings of works I've heard live in concert, and see if the instruments' tonal colors match up well.

 

[sumone]

I understand the whole thing with just be content on what you're hearing & don't worry about anything else, but seriously, I'd feel better if I could describe what I hear;e.g., sound -> words. I mean I'll read stuff like, it sounds "rich", "full", "grainy", "veiled"...what does all that really mean???

Another thing I find hard is the whole "what if" it's not the headphones...
For example,
...what if the headphone cable isn't giving the headphones its rightful justice?
...what if the various audio connectors aren't ^
...what if there's something wrong with my sound card / computer that's messing up what I should be hearing?
...what if this 192kbs MP3 isn't a good enough test music file?
...what if this FLAC file isn't good?
...what if I had a bad CD rip?
and the ultimate question...
...what if the music was just badly recorded & I'm trying to bring out details that just aren't there in the first place?

Yup, I'm a noob.

 

[sumone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jagorev I attend classical concerts regularly (usually once a week). I listen to recordings of works I've heard live in concert, and see if the instruments' tonal colors match up well.

I see. 'Bout the only "live" music I hear is at a reggae club. Loud, loud, loud...not a good reference. My selection of music is 50% 60s & 70s Soul/R&B, 30% contemporary R&B, 10% Funk (James Brown, The Meters, etc.), 5% Jazz (I know of no contemporary Jazz artists), and the rest, rap. So I pretty much don't even have a reference...maybe that's why I'm so lost in what audio nirvana actually is? Maybe I'm putting it on too high of a pedestal?

 

[NotJeffBuckley]

I listen to music through them and if I enjoy how it sounds, I keep them. Music is my hobby; headphones and speakers are a means to an end.

I have kept most headphones I've purchased as a result, though backwards looking finds more faults than initial evaluation. My first "good can" was the HD280, and while I still think it's excellent in terms of isolation and relative fidelity, I can't recommend it as strongly anymore in an absolute sense after having owned much better headphones and seen what it lacks. Now, when ~$100 headphone recommendations come up, I'm almost certain to say "Save a few more bucks and buy the HD580!"

I'm a Sennheiser fan because I love how the HD650 makes my music sound; I'm a Grado fan because I love how the SR-225 makes my music sound; I'm an Audio-Technica fan because I love how the ATH-A900 makes my music sound. I'm looking into becoming a Sony fan, depending on whether or not I like the SA5000, but I'm still considering other pricerange options. The AKG K701 is certainly appealing, but if it's sonically similar to the HD650 I can't see laying down the cash even if they have relative differences. I want a different take, not an alteration of a take I've already got.

 

[xxlMusikfreak]

If you want to learn the vocabulary just read the tons of reviews here at head-fi. I'm far from being good at describing my phones in english but I think I could do it so that everyone understands and nearly all my input is from this site.
So just to tell you what I'm especially looking at in a new phone: instrumental separation, tonal balance, extension both ends and clarity of the frequencies (esp. the bass). Soundstage has to with the place where you hear the instruments and this can't be judged with every recording. Binaural recordings are great for this...
But besides this it's also important to me if I just like it or not and if the phone can involve me as much as the other (just what you described with the HD280/580).

 

[NotJeffBuckley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xxlMusikfreak If you want to learn the vocabulary just read the tons of reviews here at head-fi. I'm far from being good at describing my phones in english but I think I could do it so that everyone understands and nearly all my input is from this site.

Let's be honest, too - the vocabulary is mostly made up on the spot. Audiophiles get a lot of flak from other music fans for throwing around bizarre, undefined adjectives to describe sound. If you want to fit in, just start calling it whatever your mind directly associates with it.

If I say the bass is tight, round and full, you have an idea in your head of what those words mean to you, but you don't know what they mean to me; on a good day, I'd be inclined to elucidate for you with better descriptions, but you probably wouldn't ask because you'd just assume I meant the same thing you do. This can be a big mistake. Be wary of the words in use, as they frame the discussion strangely more often than you might think.

 

[Krause]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NotJeffBuckley Let's be honest, too - the vocabulary is mostly made up on the spot. Audiophiles get a lot of flak from other music fans for throwing around bizarre, undefined adjectives to describe sound. If you want to fit in, just start calling it whatever your mind directly associates with it. If I say the bass is tight, round and full, you have an idea in your head of what those words mean to you, but you don't know what they mean to me; on a good day, I'd be inclined to elucidate for you with better descriptions, but you probably wouldn't ask because you'd just assume I meant the same thing you do. This can be a big mistake. Be wary of the words in use, as they frame the discussion strangely more often than you might think.

Honestly I have felt this exact same thing. Its all in how you interpret the words that others are using in there reviews. I think the best advice is to try things out. You are the best judge of what sounds good to you. I kind of enjoy the flexibility that we have in the reviews around here you can almost find what you want to read in them. I found exactly what I wanted to read about the 650s so that I could justify buying them. I think its best to trust your own ears, and dont rely to heavily on others since everyone is different.

 

[Arainach]

The only real way to evaluate is to listen. I pull out a variety of my favorite recordings and listen to the tunes on them. Sometimes, they're a hit, sometimes they're not. For instance, Bond - Explosive is stunning on my 580s but not that special on my er6i, while the er6i seem born to play Miles Davis.

 

[cheechoz]

The first thing I do, is get a very good recording in my CDP. Upon listening to same track that I always use, I first make sure that there is no channel imbalance issues. Also, I like to close my eyes, and picture the artist, to see where they are positioned.

Second comes comfort! I know it will all change in a few days, but I like to play around a lot with the feel of the cans.

I can usually tell immediately, if a particular set of cans is going to stay or not!

 

[Comfy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sumone I know there's things like soundstange & others but to me it's hard to define "soundstage" when you're actually listening to music.

You could get yourself a pair of Grado SR-60s and compare them to the Senns. You'd understand instantly what terms like "soundstage" and "punchy" and "forward" and "veiled" mean.
To understand what terms like "rich", "blackness" and "instrument separation" mean, you could try upgrading the amp.
At least that's how I understood these terms...

 

[xand1x]

With time and more experience in the headphone realm you will pick up on everything. In regards to learning terms; reading headphone reviews should give give you an indication of what kind of language/terminology is used. Though, as stated above, the best thing to do in order to understand what some of these terms mean is to compare headphones (preferably opposites

). Don't worry too much about it though, your primary concern (and everyone else's i'd hope) is to ENJOY THE MUSIC.

 

[Edwood]

After an initial listening session, I may post about my intial impressions, but I really don't post a whole lot initially.

After living with them for a bit, I will post more.

I evaluate them in these categories:

Frequency Response:

Soundstage and Imaging:

PRAT (Pace Rhythm And Timing):

Detail:


-Ed

 

[lan]

Well I take a system wide approach where the headphone is only but one part. Easily the source, cables, amp and make or break the system so I'd just use the headphone with a wide range of music over the course of time. Your body changes over time also which is not really addressed during meet scenarios. I feel there are times when everything I hear is different in my own system and it always surprises me that the body can do that. So I'd choose headphones I prefer over others based on extended listening. Now that I have this benchmark for my hearing, I can quickly evaluate other headphones and systems.