[bcasey25raptor]

Quote:

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

out of the 2 the ipod sounds better. when i watch videos where people talk on my laptop with these headphones i find it hard to understand the characters do to the screeching sound the voices make. and if its not being harsh than what could it be i truly have no idea how to describe it.
 
 
ps when i tried teh bose i was comparing them to my old sony mdrv150s so anything would have sounded fantastic.

 

[ssavage]

first you love shure srh750dj
then you hate distortion
then you trade 750dj for 840
then you love 840
then you praise shure
then you hate distortion
then you (fill in the blank)

 

[nullstring]

 

I may have been using sibilance wrong slightly.
But with harsh treble comes sibilance, so whatever =p

​

Quote:

 when i watch videos where people talk on my laptop with these headphones i find it hard to understand the characters do to the screeching sound the voices make. and if its not being harsh than what could it be i truly have no idea how to describe it.

 
Where were you watching these videos?
 
ie. youtube + onboard sound + SRH840 = ouch
 
 

 

[wje]

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?
 

I've been through 4 pair of Grados - never, ever using an external amp.  I've used either my receiver to drive them or my MP3 player to power them.  I've never experienced distortion.  Then again, I do as the others have suggested - basically disable the IQ and listen at reasonable levels.
 
Edit: Also, I believe in your signature line you mean "MORE BASS" and not "MOAR BASS"?  Correct?
 

 

[Thommohawk]

Quote:

 
... 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?

Oh all I did was use Sound Forge to 'uncompress' - my theory was, probably a wrong one and just a theory, that when you compress audio for mp3 purposes to a much smaller size the audio quality and/or detail does nothing but take a nosedive, so I figured what would happen if I take the 'lossless' that was on disc and did the opposite is the opposite not also true ? The file size grows exponentially, the waveform gets a lot longer as it's now *much* less compressed....and has a much higher bit depth....now it's either my rig is *finally* bedding in or as a direct result of the tweak there I swear I am actually hearing extra details to my ear and quality. Could always be a placebo except for the fact that you *know* when you're hearing more pronounced details lol. So I guess my question is, scientifically speaking, a colossal waste of space and my theory is dead wrong ? Now I really am curious....in addition, if you cannot upconvert and gain in quality/details - then what is the deal with blu ray audio and some such which promotes audio at such resolutions and depths ? I mean apart from 5.1, because surely the recording itself is a constant and then made to fit on whatever the target media is. In most cases CD of course. I'm no expert by the way, just highly inquisitive lol.
 

 

[bcasey25raptor]

Quote:

 

I may have been using sibilance wrong slightly.
But with harsh treble comes sibilance, so whatever =p

​

 
Where were you watching these videos?
 
ie. youtube + onboard sound + SRH840 = ouch
 
 

no i have some hd movies and animes on my computer already.
 
 

 

[bcasey25raptor]

Quote:

first you love shure srh750dj
then you hate distortion
then you trade 750dj for 840
then you love 840
then you praise shure
then you hate distortion
then you (fill in the blank)

look i will correct you.
every single dang pair of headphones i have heard so far created screeching noises that annoy me. the shure srh840 is better of all the others but it still does it. i don't hate the headphones but i hate distortion (apparently its not distortion but lets run with that anyways). i wish you could go a little easy on me i am new to higher end audio. i feel as though your trying to be a jerk. making me not like it here when i want to.

 

[rhythmdevils]

Quote:

 

I may have been using sibilance wrong slightly.
But with harsh treble comes sibilance, so whatever =p

​

I don't know that was just my understanding, but I agree and I don't think I've hard many headphones that can have sibilance without harshness.  The HE-6 is the only one that comes to mind.  I thought it was a bit sibilant with exaggerated ssss sounds, but it wasn't really harsh at all.  But it has some of the most glorious treble of all time...

 

[rhythmdevils]

Quote:

look i will correct you.
every single dang pair of headphones i have heard so far created screeching noises that annoy me. the shure srh840 is better of all the others but it still does it. i don't hate the headphones but i hate distortion (apparently its not distortion but lets run with that anyways). i wish you could go a little easy on me i am new to higher end audio. i feel as though your trying to be a jerk. making me not like it here when i want to.

You should stop calling it distortion because that's just confusing everything.  The solution for harsh treble and the solution for distortion are very different.  To fix harsh treble you may in fact want more distortion in the sense of using something like an old tube amp that colors the sound in a pleasing way.

 

[Satellite_6]

My advice would be to buy a decent source and buy from better headphone brands. . . .

 

[AyeVeeN]

Honestly, I think the same exact way as you do. I could tell hardly any difference from an E7 from an E5, besides the fact I left my E7's bass boost on 3 (bass head), and compared to my E5, it was a tiny bit stronger. The current headphones I have now are the ATH-M50 (120$) and the beyerDynamic DT770 Premium 250ohm (200$, now 250 on amazon, which I am returning). I also have both the FiiO E7 (returning) and the FiiO E5.
 
The reason why I'm returning the beyer's is because I could hardly hear any difference between the beyers and the M50s, besides the fact the beyers sounded a bit more laid back and had a larger sound stage. This was for paying 80$ more, which now is about 130$ more if you were to buy it on amazon at this very moment.
 
The E7, on the other hand, just felt like a waste of 100$, which is why I'm totally happy to return it . I tried using it as a DAC for both of the headphones and heard no improvement from just plugging it into my comp's 3.5mm jack, besides the fact it actually made it more inconvenient for me to access the DAC buttons due to my room layout. Running it from my phone (EnV Touch) through the 3.5mm jack, I also heard no difference. The only thing I actually noticed was that they were able to go a bit louder than usual and the fact that I upped the bass. Funny thing is, for 80$ less I can get the exact same things with the E5, minus the DAC function and the 3 levels of bass boost. And the insane battery life.
 
Maybe I just have an untrained ear, I don't know. But I really don't understand what people are trying to get through people's heads when they say that they sound 'clearer/cleaner' or something along the lines of that. Like.. how exactly does something sound clearer? Is it all in one's head?
 
It's like FLAC to me. Honestly, I can hear NO difference whatsoever between FLAC and 256~320kbps. Could not tell a thing using my E7 as a DAC for my desktop.
 
Then again, another thing though is that I do have damaged hearing (blasting my music when I was in 8th grade, thinking I look all cool. I am now a freshman by the way in high school so not too long ago) so anything on low volumes brings out the ringing in my ears, which in general the ringing might be masking sounds or maybe I just can't hear the frequencies artists 'mean' to have in the music.
 
What I am doing though is returning the FiiO E7 and the DT770 (~300$) and am settling down for my ATH-M50s and E5 (~142$) and I am FAR more satisfied with the setup. Sound quality is actually better to me than the DT770, but that's my personal preference (as I do love hip hop, techno, pop, etc). Sound quality doesn't seem to get too much better past 200$ though in my opinion. Seems just marginal and the fact it's all in people's head. Of course, I've yet to try higher end open headphones as I currently do not have the funds to buy everything I want at my age .
 
Grammar is all insane, please excuse it. For some reason when I type in forums, it always comes out weird. Also, putting $ at the end of a # is just a habit. Was always faster for me than putting it before.
 
Also a note: I AM PRETTY NEW TO HIGHER END AUDIO. Used to be satisfied with my bass heavy Koss in-ears from Walmart that were $25. Too bad the cords ripped insanely fast (at least for the 2nd pair, the first pair lasted a year and went through 3 laundry washes before it finally broke).
 
Also another note: Anyone got some really good FLAC vs 192~320kbps files that I can use for testing to see if that the hype in this community really isn't all just in people's head? . I currently listen to the more mainstream stuff (as I was born into this era).
 
Edit: Actually.. I'm doing a bit of re-listening with both headphones with a 192kbps file (Usher - Fooling Around) and noticed that the piano in the beginning is a little bit more "pronounced," as in I can hear each note for note, ALMOST. Still gets smashed up a bit. Sound stage is also considerably larger than the M50 which I like, but still not enough to justify keeping the DT770s as I rather just get an open headphone for at home. DT770s are too big for on the go (the main reason why I bought closed cans) while the M50's are nearly perfect (besides looking oversized on my head ).
 
E7 vs E5 on the other hand.. still no difference to me besides the size and DAC feature, and the stronger bass equalizer (or whatever it's called).

 

[pigmode]

The title of this thread and therefore most of the subsequent discussion is very misleading. I do not see anything that I would consider as "audiophile grade equipment" listed in the original post. With all due respect, the OP seems to lack any real world experience to even begin discussing such a subject. 
 
Seriously this sub-forum has pretty much become a circus, with the unfortunately mis-named "High End Audio" forum becoming a stilted haven for well informed audio discussion.

 

[bcasey25raptor]

thats a good question. would being partially deaf cause these problems? or for that matter plugged ears from being sick?

 

[nullstring]

If your source is a CD, then the audio is encoded in 16bit/44.1khz
Converting it to anything higher than that will NOT cause an increase in sound quality and is a waste of space.
(so, yes, you are dead wrong)
 
However, when the studio mixes the audio, they use a much larger resolution. (I don't know what it is, all I know is that it's larger).
When the audio is released can be released SACD or Blu-ray audio with 24bit/96khz and sound better than the CD's 16/44.1
 
For example, lets say that the studio uses 32bit/384khz
 
CD would be
32bit/384khz -> 16bit/44.1khz good quality.
 
SACD or blu-ray could be:
32bit/384khz -> 24bit/96khz better quality.
 
Your audio is
32bit/384khz -> 16bit/44.1khz -> 64bit/192khz is NOT better than 16bit/44.1khz
 
 
 
Quote:

Oh all I did was use Sound Forge to 'uncompress' - my theory was, probably a wrong one and just a theory, that when you compress audio for mp3 purposes to a much smaller size the audio quality and/or detail does nothing but take a nosedive, so I figured what would happen if I take the 'lossless' that was on disc and did the opposite is the opposite not also true ? The file size grows exponentially, the waveform gets a lot longer as it's now *much* less compressed....and has a much higher bit depth....now it's either my rig is *finally* bedding in or as a direct result of the tweak there I swear I am actually hearing extra details to my ear and quality. Could always be a placebo except for the fact that you *know* when you're hearing more pronounced details lol. So I guess my question is, scientifically speaking, a colossal waste of space and my theory is dead wrong ? Now I really am curious....in addition, if you cannot upconvert and gain in quality/details - then what is the deal with blu ray audio and some such which promotes audio at such resolutions and depths ? I mean apart from 5.1, because surely the recording itself is a constant and then made to fit on whatever the target media is. In most cases CD of course. I'm no expert by the way, just highly inquisitive lol.
 

 
 

 

[sridhar3]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but you yourself said in another thread that you like listening to your music really loud.  It sounds like a stupid suggestion, but try taking it down a notch.  After that, it's a bit of trial and error in figuring out which piece of your equipment is causing the problem.  You mentioned you tried two different transports, your laptop and your iPod, so that's not likely to be the problem.  You've also changed headphones.  So the problem can possibly be with the source files themselves, the amp, or the DAC.
 
Try to isolate the problem and your solution becomes simple.  If it's none of the above, it might be time to pay the audiologist a visit.