i'm starting to feel all this audiophile grade equipment isn't as good as its cracked up to be?
Mar 11, 2011 at 4:07 AM Post #92 of 123


Quote:
foobar is confusing. only way i can open it and have music there is if i highlight it all and crop it.
rockbox is confusing t2


foobar is simple.  I don't know what you're talking about.  I can show you how to use it at the SD meet
bigsmile_face.gif
  Though I do setup my foobar a bit differently from others...
 
 
Mar 11, 2011 at 9:27 AM Post #93 of 123
I concur with most that has been said here.
 
The problem is the laptop soundcard.
 
Invest in a cheap DAC for your laptop.
Maybe either uDac or a hotaudio DAC
 
Mar 11, 2011 at 10:07 AM Post #94 of 123
This may sound silly..but make sure your headphone cable is still in good condition (the gold on the jack is not worn) or anything like that. I have a pair of headphones that has its gold on the jack rubbed off (no idea how tat happened..haha) but it may also be a bad fit but it literally distorts when its moved..so maybe..........? And HQ video sources dont = good audio. A dvd quality video still has audio tat sounds crappy (at least from my experiences)
 
 
Mar 11, 2011 at 10:22 AM Post #95 of 123
This may sound silly..but make sure your headphone cable is still in good condition (the gold on the jack is not worn) or anything like that. I have a pair of headphones that has its gold on the jack rubbed off (no idea how tat happened..haha) but it may also be a bad fit but it literally distorts when its moved..so maybe..........? And HQ video sources dont = good audio. A dvd quality video still has audio tat sounds crappy (at least from my experiences)
 
The wear on the plug has nothing to do with it. Moving the plug changes contact with the prongs inside the jack. That causes the static, etc. you're hearing.

Also, some DVDs have fine sound. It depends on how well the audio was recorded. A compressed track on the soundtrack won't sound good. But the audio portion of the DVD is just fine as a medium.
 
Mar 11, 2011 at 11:02 AM Post #97 of 123
My E7 causes a ton of static with my Sennheiser 580s.  When I used them on the go, some movement would cause static but now that I switched to the ESW9, the static seems to have stopped (or rarely happen).  Anyone know what could be causing this static?  I have Sennheiser 600 cables and a Grado converter plug on the 580s if that makes any difference.
 
Mar 11, 2011 at 11:04 AM Post #98 of 123
Also, whats Foobar?  Is it just a player?  And would it be able to access my Ipod (since all my music was lost and my ipod is my saving grace right now).
 
Mar 11, 2011 at 11:10 AM Post #99 of 123
foobar is probably the best media player in existence. Try it out, it's free at foobar2000 dot org. I love the "components" concept, the simple no-frills interface, the wide format compatibility and the low memory footprint. Sorry not sure what an ipod is, can't help on that.
 
Mar 11, 2011 at 11:41 AM Post #100 of 123
Quote:
ipods don't make headphones sound screechy and painfully harsh.  They lack compared to a good source, but they don't drastically change the frequency response do they? 


Of course they do. Even a compressed MP3 on the best system will distort and screech in the highs, such as a symbol will be accompanied by a high pitched noise as it's missing information, the opposite is seen in the bass. Similar is heard on a cheap DAC, violin highs sounds like high pitched noises, on a good DAC they sound like notes played on a violin. Where bass would be thuds and vibrations you now hear kick drums and bass guitars. Only a few years back you knew if you were running headphones directly from an ipod something had to give, you can't expect a hi-fi signal from an MP3 player. As of around 2009 there has been a huge influx of members, half of whom go with the cheapest amp/DAC on the market, the only requirement being that is has an LED screen and gives them street cred.
 
Mar 11, 2011 at 12:49 PM Post #101 of 123
To the OP:
 
Unless your headphones are broken in some way, my guess is your problem is a combination of your music choice, poor source (ipod), and personal preference. Metal can definetly sound harsh when played via ipod mp3s. I'm listening to Overkill right now with my Apple In-Ears from an iphone with 256k mp3s and it sounds really harsh, especially the cymbals! Or, you could just be REALLY sensitive to treble. There's nothing wrong with preferring warm sounding (though unrealistic) headphones and I wouldn't think less of you if you bought the Bose. After all, that may be the best choice in your budget. But audiophile headphones really do sound better than consumer headphones. Trust me, I have owned and heard most of the best headphones in the world. Before you get the triports, you should try out a few more popular choices like the M50 and AD700. You can buy them in the for-sale forum here and sell them for the same price. Then you will only lose 10 bucks for shipping. You can try out anything you want this way and have a more complete view of headphones in your price range. Good luck!
 
Mar 11, 2011 at 12:51 PM Post #102 of 123


Quote:
To the OP:
 
Unless your headphones are broken in some way, my guess is your problem is a combination of your music choice, poor source (ipod), and personal preference. Metal can definetly sound harsh when played via ipod mp3s. I'm listening to Overkill right now with my Apple In-Ears from an iphone with 256k mp3s and it sounds really harsh, especially the cymbals! Or, you could just be REALLY sensitive to treble. There's nothing wrong with preferring warm sounding (though unrealistic) headphones and I wouldn't think less of you if you bought the Bose. After all, that may be the best choice in your budget. But audiophile headphones really do sound better than consumer headphones. Trust me, I have owned and heard most of the best headphones in the world. Before you get the triports, you should try out a few more popular choices like the M50 and AD700. You can buy them in the for-sale forum here and sell them for the same price. Then you will only lose 10 bucks for shipping. You can try out anything you want this way and have a more complete view of headphones in your price range. Good luck!



i crave mids. and accurate headphones tend to have better mids. thats why i stay away from the m50s.
 
Mar 11, 2011 at 1:05 PM Post #103 of 123
If you like midrange, you can do better than Bose. Boss headphones have very poor and recessed midrange. Just try a bunch of stuff, like SR-125 or AD700. Grados have delicious, liquid midrange. You can get a 125 used for about 100 dollars, or 225 for 140. And accurate headphones don't just have better midrange, they have better everything. By the way, the 840 is not an accurate headphone. It's good for the price, but nothing close to realistic sound.
 
Mar 11, 2011 at 3:44 PM Post #105 of 123
first of all: IMO it is called a "hobby" or "game" which means some do like the 1990ies rally cars and others do like the 2011 F1s, and some even like the ancestral lada...
 
second: hobbies need exercise which means i have to get used to the facts, tech aspects, pricings..  - theory and practice - so i could enjoy my hobby to my desired and utmost satisfaction; for some this is the 100 usd-price range, for others this is the 10000 usd-price range respecitvely
 
well, some conclusions/suggestions to be drawn imo:
 
downgrade your eq-settings
+ upgrade your files
+ upgrade your source - e.g. cdp ymaha, denon xyz 500USD
(+ use a dac - e.g. fiio, ibasso xyz 100usd, pc-only)
+ get a nice little amp - e.g. matrix, nuforce, musical fidelitiy, fiio xyz  200 usd
+ change your hp - e.g. grado, denon, sony, at, xyz 300 usd AND change it if sound signature is not up to you...
 
= 1000 usd, welcome to the mid-fi world ,-)
 
+ test your gear with mutliple equipment combos and changing genres, but w/ same (best-known) tracks
+ for hp-testing use hd-tracks "open your ears" (this) as reference, it delivers some easyngreat legend as well
+ for ear-testing use audiocheck (here) as reference listening/testing through your pc-soundcard/dac-set
 
--> summing up: get used to your new hobby and enjoyment - priceless :)
 
almost forgot: downgrade your volume level!- your ears will thank you
 

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