[rincewind]

You shouldn't need to try hard to hear differences. Like others have said, get lossless files now. Don't put garbage in, you'll only get garbage out. Use ASIO like others have said. Turn off all plugins, EQ, crossfeeds etc.

The difference the amp should make to the cans is 'weightier' bass with more control and also probably pushing the frequency response lower. Highs should seem cleaner. There may be more soundstage. Anyway, also as said: listen using the Pico/HD650 for a solid month (no A/B'ing!!) then go back to the old setup. I'm 99% sure you'll go "bleh! something is missing now" when you go back to the old setup. Some people believe you can tell differences from A/Bing whereas others think you need much longer to get used to a change. I believe the larger the change in the sound, the shorter the time you need to get used to it. Give it a month and see.

Oh and one more thing, do this: sit there with the PC on and no TV's or anything else that make noise turned on. Then turn off the PC. Most ppl will notice the power supply fan hum gone, the video card fan whine gone, the hard drive whiz/clicks gone. If yours makes any of these noises, this is a background noise that you're struggling to listen over - it'll cover up small details. One of the best things I ever did was silent treat my PC so that now I can barely hear it a 3 feet.

 

[pendles]

Borrrow somebody elses headphone/grado etc. and then A/B with your old gear and new amp/dac... headphones are often neglected as a part of the problem in the line, and different headphones do behave very differently to different gear...

 

[OverlordXenu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Austin 3:16 /img/forum/go_quote.gif No. I used to just listen to music. Then I started reading various audio forums and learned of things like imaging, one-note bass, tight bass, bright treble, etc. Now I notice stuff that I used to never pay attention to. I learned it.

So stressing over those things and potentially imagining all those things makes your listening experience more enjoyable?

 

[smeggy]

I'm too busy reading head-fi to take any notice of what's playing or how it sounds

 

[HiWire]

Yes, trained listening is no less pleasurable then untrained listening. Musicians have a different insight into music than regular people, but they still enjoy music, sometimes on a different level than the rest of us. It may sound like a lot of work and analysis, but it's also possible to turn everything off and just enjoy the music. I only get analytical when I'm writing for this site - otherwise, music is for pleasure.

To use an analogy - I'm a writer and editor, yet I still enjoy reading. Somebody who has studied literature may have more educated insights into whatever they're reading, but they are also fully capable of enjoying the act of reading. The same thing applies to movies, video games, photography and other forms of art and entertainment.

 

[fraseyboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by smeggy /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm too busy reading head-fi to take any notice of what's playing or how it sounds

Same. Its a shame. Since my listening setup is my computer and I can't get away from it when I have music playing, I hardly ever 'listen'.

I'm scared that when I buy my new amp (Little Dot Mk II probably) I won't notice the difference between it and the GV6...

 

[stevenkelby]

What's wrong with you people!

Do you think that a school kid who has never seen "art" before will enjoy the Louvre as much as the curator of a suburban art gallery?

Of course training, skill, concentration and practice will lead to a greater enjoyment of the material.

 

[chouman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevenkelby /img/forum/go_quote.gif What's wrong with you people! Do you think that a school kid who has never seen "art" before will enjoy the Louvre as much as the curator of a suburban art gallery? Of course training, skill, concentration and practice will lead to a greater enjoyment of the material.

Awesome! It's hard to quantify enjoyment, but I know what you mean. Perhaps what we're talking about is a deeper appreciation... since the curator can mention all the subtle details and historical contexts and more whereas the kid just points and stares. Both can see the painting, but the appreciation is different. But then again, I can think of a lot of non-audiophiles or head-fiers who seem to enjoy music equally if not more than some people on the forum who obsess over gear. Hmm...

 

[stevenkelby]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chouman /img/forum/go_quote.gif I can think of a lot of non-audiophiles or head-fiers who seem to enjoy music equally if not more than some people on the forum who obsess over gear. Hmm...

We were all non-audiophiles before we became audiophiles. We appreciate and enjoy the music even more now.

The music and the gear are 2 different things, they don't have to be related. the gear is another topic.

 

[chouman]

I have to disagree again. Yes, in some ways I enjoy music more and can hear more details and all the intricacies of the music. BUT, on badly recorded music that I used to love, it's quite painful having such a transparent source.

 

[markl]

It's like asking a 21 year old on their birthday to sample two glasses of wine. One came out of a cheap $5 bottle, the other is a modest but decent quality $20 bottle.

What do you mean you can't tell the difference?

Compared to what? I just had my very first sip of wine. You tell me this other glass has superior wine in it, but how would I know? They taste kind of the same to me, sort of ... wine-y.

He needs to sample the field more, get a concept of what different wines taste like, figure out what all the possibilities are before he has a sense of what is good or bad.

He is also still using modest equipment, so it's not like he's comparing radically different quality set-ups where a difference might be more easily noticeable (though still potentially inconclusive for a newb).

 

[nor_spoon]

Take a guitarist. When first starting out playing guitar, the note A is just an A, and most stribe to just play that note in tune. With experience and practice, you develop more refined hearing and find the sweet spot and gets into the core of the tone with all its subtle nuances, colors and variations.

Then IMO, you have developed your ears, or say, brain to a higher level of musical understanding than you had before, because you are forced to listen deeper, instead of just listen...
Of course, some musicians to a higher degree than others, but even for the greatest guitarists, this is a lifelong process...

 

[fraseyboy]

Just a note to the OP:

I always listen to my headphones at VERY low volumes since I'm completely insanely paranoid about hearing loss. But I found that if I turned it up a bit higher it was alot easier to listen to/judge the sound and therefore alot easier to tell the difference between sources. I do not do this much since (as said) I'm paranoid. But maybe this is the reason why you can't hear the differences?

 

[pendles]

I think that one of my biggest pursuits with headphones was to be able to hear as much as possible (all factors of music listening) without hurting my ears... As I developed more in becoming aware of what was coming into my ears, both my enjoyment went up as the volume, more often, went down a bit more.. Of course better gear was a key as well. Now I can't even watch a movie without knowing whether it is an ovedub or actuallully recorded on site, etc... For me there was a developement.

 

[milkweg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fanta /img/forum/go_quote.gif milkweg: most of my music is from the iTunes store so I can only play them on iTunes. Using another player like foobar isn't an option for me unfortunately. And I never knew anybody used Dolby Headphone for music, interesting. I have the JVC adapter for it which I plan to use for movies and games, maybe I'll give it a try with music.

I learned that setup in the computer as source forum. If you are a purist you may not want to use it but for bad recordings it really makes them more enjoyable. I use two software players, foobar setup how I said and MediaMonkey which I use with no DSP's. You don't have to use iTunes if you convert their format to mp3. You can do that by burning the songs to cdr then ripping them back to your HDD in mp3 format.