[Thommohawk]

Quote:

alright thanks all. in all honestly though all my recording well most anyways are in 320kbps mp3. and i usually dont notice any distortion/sibilance what ever it is on levels below 60%. but thanks for all the help guys i guess i listen to music to loud. really should turn down the tunes.

Lol you should see what mine is....64bit/192khz...just because I could....brilliant detail and quality, only downside is 1 song now takes up what the whole album did. Yowza!! 

 

[nullstring]

Quote:

Lol you should see what mine is....64bit/192khz...just because I could....brilliant detail and quality, only downside is 1 song now takes up what the whole album did. Yowza!! 

 
... Where did you get the 64bit/192khz audio?
 
Cause.. You are aware that you can't upconvert from 16bit/44khz to 64bit/192khz and hear any increase in sound quality, right?

 

[rhythmdevils]

you're not listening too loud, and it's not distortion.  Nullstring is right, it sounds like the Grados are just too bright for you.  A lot of people feel this way if you read on the forums.  Don't bother with getting warmer amp or source, get some warmer headphones.  Unfortunately there aren't that many warm headphones so that's not terribly easy.  I am sensitive to harshness like you are describing and I didn't find the SRH840 to be harsh.  I also don't find the ATH-M50 to be harsh at all. 
 
The AIAIAI TMA-1 is also supposed to be really warm sounding.  The AKG K240 studio is not harsh at all. 

 

[bcasey25raptor]

Quote:

you're not listening too loud, and it's not distortion.  Nullstring is right, it sounds like the Grados are just too bright for you.  A lot of people feel this way if you read on the forums.  Don't bother with getting warmer amp or source, get some warmer headphones.  Unfortunately there aren't that many warm headphones so that's not terribly easy.  I am sensitive to harshness like you are describing and I didn't find the SRH840 to be harsh.  I also don't find the ATH-M50 to be harsh at all. 
 
The AIAIAI TMA-1 is also supposed to be really warm sounding.  The AKG K240 studio is not harsh at all. 

i have heard lots about grado and would love to try them out one day. so how do you know its not distortion? what exactly is the definition of distortion in headphones?
 

 

[nullstring]

Quote:

you're not listening too loud, and it's not distortion.  Nullstring is right, it sounds like the Grados are just too bright for you.  A lot of people feel this way if you read on the forums.  Don't bother with getting warmer amp or source, get some warmer headphones.  Unfortunately there aren't that many warm headphones so that's not terribly easy.  I am sensitive to harshness like you are describing and I didn't find the SRH840 to be harsh.  I also don't find the ATH-M50 to be harsh at all. 
 
The AIAIAI TMA-1 is also supposed to be really warm sounding.  The AKG K240 studio is not harsh at all. 

 
I completely agree with rhythmdevils.
I just wanted to make sure that people understand that a warmer amp/source can combat this issue as well.
You don't have to avoid all brighter headphones forever if you have a warmer amp/source.
 
Also, from my experience, really cheap sources (ie. onboard sound), distort the treble and cause this issue to be far worse.
It may be possible to rectify this issue by buying a cheap USB source.
On the other hand, I wouldn't expect you to have this issue on all the sources that you own.

 

[nullstring]

Quote:

i have heard lots about grado and would love to try them out one day. so how do you know its not distortion? what exactly is the definition of distortion in headphones?
 

 
"A distortion is the alteration of the original shape (or other characteristic) of an object, image, sound, waveform or other form of information or representation. Distortion is usually unwanted, and often many methods are employed to minimize it in practice."
 
ANYTHING that changes the sound is distortion.
so, really, whenever you are listening to music you are hearing TONS of distortion.
But that doesn't mean it's necessary unpleasant, it's just altered.
 
Let me give you an example.
My psp gives out really bad sound and causes sibilance when I use my good headphones.
However, my bad headphones doesn't exhibit siblance.
 
Does that mean that my bad headphones distort less? NO
In fact, they distort more.. such that, I no longer hear the sibilance anymore.
Get it?

 

[bcasey25raptor]

Quote:

 
"A distortion is the alteration of the original shape (or other characteristic) of an object, image, sound, waveform or other form of information or representation. Distortion is usually unwanted, and often many methods are employed to minimize it in practice."
 
ANYTHING that changes the sound is distortion.
so, really, whenever you are listening to music you are hearing TONS of distortion.
But that doesn't mean it's necessary unpleasant, it's just altered.
 
Let me give you an example.
My psp gives out really bad sound and causes sibilance when I use my good headphones.
However, my bad headphones doesn't exhibit siblance.
 
Does that mean that my bad headphones distort less? NO
In fact, they distort more.. such that, I no longer hear the sibilance anymore.
Get it?

alright i always thought sibilance was a ssss or shhh noise.
 
 

 

[nullstring]

Quote:

alright i always thought sibilance was a ssss or shhh noise.
 
 

No, it's something that will often happens along with ssssss noises.. because sssss noises have a high pitch ring to them
 

 

[bcasey25raptor]

Quote:

No, it's something that will often happens along with ssssss noises.. because sssss noises have a high pitch ring to them
 

is it in the recording? for example is it supposed to be there or is it caused by the headphones themselves?
 

 

[nullstring]

Quote:

is it in the recording? for example is it supposed to be there or is it caused by the headphones themselves?
 

Yes and no.
Remember, everything in the chain causes issues.
When siblance happens, it means that there is bad synergy with your headphones, amp, source, and recording.
simply,Too much brightness across the board will cause this issue. Though it can be more complex than that.
 
 
 

 

[rhythmdevils]

I personally think sibilance is specifically referring to pronounced ssss sounds with vocals.  But what the OP is talking about is not just sibilance, it is also harshness, the piercing sound he refers to.  This is because the headphones have a peak in their frequency response that make certain sounds louder than others and thus they sound screechy and harsh.  I am surprised to hear someone say this about the SRH840 because they are pretty flat headphones and not that bright.  (bright refers to more treble, which means a peak somewhere most of the time). 
 
I say get warmer headphones because that's going to change the frequency response the most.  Unless you are using some terrible equipment.  But IME if a headphone is harsh with an ipod it will also be harsh on all other amps/sources unless they are very colored. 
 
You're liking the Bose better because they are very warm, colored headphones.  But you can find that warm sound with better sound quality in something else.  The HD650 would be your best bet, but it requires an amp and is not portable at all. 

 

[bcasey25raptor]

Quote:

Yes and no.
Remember, everything in the chain causes issues.
When siblance happens, it means that there is bad synergy with your headphones, amp, source, and recording.
simply,Too much brightness across the board will cause this issue. Though it can be more complex than that.
 
 
 

my headphones are generally considered rather flat. and i never notice sibilance with speakers why is this? its all from the same source. my laptop.

 

[bcasey25raptor]

Quote:

I personally think sibilance is specifically referring to pronounced ssss sounds with vocals.  But what the OP is talking about is not just sibilance, it is also harshness, the piercing sound he refers to.  This is because the headphones have a peak in their frequency response that make certain sounds louder than others and thus they sound screechy and harsh.  I am surprised to hear someone say this about the SRH840 because they are pretty flat headphones and not that bright.  (bright refers to more treble, which means a peak somewhere most of the time). 
 
I say get warmer headphones because that's going to change the frequency response the most.  Unless you are using some terrible equipment.  But IME if a headphone is harsh with an ipod it will also be harsh on all other amps/sources unless they are very colored. 
 
You're liking the Bose better because they are very warm, colored headphones.  But you can find that warm sound with better sound quality in something else.  The HD650 would be your best bet, but it requires an amp and is not portable at all. 

that is what i thought. i like my headphones to be flat and anylytical though. could teh fact im using an 80gb ipod classic from 2007 have something to do with it. i heard that that ipod sounds atrocious.
 

 

[rhythmdevils]

I don't know about your laptop, but the ipod is not a bright source/amp so it shouldn't cause harshness even if it is not powering them very well.  At least IME

 

[rhythmdevils]

Quote:

that is what i thought. i like my headphones to be flat and anylytical though. could teh fact im using an 80gb ipod classic from 2007 have something to do with it. i heard that that ipod sounds atrocious.
 

Why do you say that you like your headphones to be neutral and analytical?  You clearly do not like neutral/analytical even if it seems nice as an idea, because Bose is the opposite of neutral/analytical.  You want a warm, forgiving headphone.