[Sense]

I always find it helpful to disclose where impressions are common from tbh, so i just try and make a habit of it so epple can gauge my experience. Kind of just one of those things I feel cant hurt

As for the slam, I was wondering about that tbh. You can feel it wants to and should slam but just isn't. Tbh im quite tempted to grab an HSA-1B. I'd love to throw these on an aic-10 or 23r but afaik, neither of these will handle sustained 2ohm loads

I'm sorry...I've been trying to understand all of the terms everyone uses as I move into higher end headphones...when you say "slam" what does that mean? Is it like feeling the bass?

 

[eskamobob1]

I'm sorry...I've been trying to understand all of the terms everyone uses as I move into higher end headphones...when you say "slam" what does that mean? Is it like feeling the bass?

Yah. Think about feeling the bass in your chest at a concert. I'm using slam as the HP equivalent of that

 

[cAsE sEnSiTiVe]

For me, "slam" is just another word for dynamics and presence.

 

[04gto]

For me, "slam" is just another word for dynamics and presence.

To which one might now ask- "What are dynamics and presence?"

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

For me, "slam" is just another word for dynamics and presence.

I don't like to equate slam with presence because something like the old D7000 had a lot of omnipresence in its bass. It's all encompassing and cavernous, but it wasn't like IMPACTFUL = slam. Something like the Ultrasone Pro 900, doesn't have the depth and omnipresence of bass, but when it hits, it hits HARD,and it happened to hit ALL the time. That's the slam.

I guess it's also like the difference between a fat low low bass, and the punch of mid bass.

If anyone remembers the prolific Sony XB500 and XB700, those two were opposites as well. The XB500 was super punchy and slammed to hell with its mid bass, but the XB700 while not as punchy, had a low, guttural roar and deep, dark all encompassing presence.

My two cents.

 

[sahmen]

How about "timbre"? I always thought I understood what it was until I watched these two videos:

 

[gKalkin]

What was your understanding of it before?

 

[sahmen]

What was your understanding of it before?

That is the whole issue... I just understood it intuitively without having to explain it to myself... Or so I thought. Now I m not sure whether it is any particular tone or whether it is a difference between different tones. And I hate it when they attempt to use visual colors to explain sounds, and timbre, e.g. "tone color." As if explaining sounds and sonic differences wasn't complicated enough. To be fair, i think it would have been simpler if timbre was something tangible with a visible presence... Something you can touch with your fingers. something concrete like that... not something one explains metaphorically, and with visual metaphors, since such metaphors are always different altogether from whatever they are trying to translate or explain, and take one to a different sensory sphere altogether...

 

[Sense]

So when someone says a headphone doesn't have correct timbre...they are basically saying that they know what the instruments should sound like...and the headphone is making the instruments sound either too bright...too dark...or just incorrect in any number of other ways? One of the YouTube reviewers often describes incorrect timbre as "plastic"...I still don't understand what he means by that. He's the only one who I've heard describe timbre that way.

 

[AudiophileJargon]

So when someone says a headphone doesn't have correct timbre...they are basically saying that they know what the instruments should sound like...and the headphone is making the instruments sound either too bright...too dark...or just incorrect in any number of other ways? One of the YouTube reviewers often describes incorrect timbre as "plastic"...I still don't understand what he means by that. He's the only one who I've heard describe timbre that way.

For me listening to cymbals help me differentiate timbre. He says plastic because it sounds a bit dull or lifeless. No shimmer or metallic nature of real cymbals ringing, crashing etc.

 

[Sense]

For me cymbals are the best way to differentiate timbre. He says plastic because it sounds a bit dull or lifeless. No shimmer or metalic natural of real cymbals ringing, crashing etc.

OK...see now that I can understand. I feel like someone needs to put a comprehensive list of terms and descriptions together. This is my second push into head-fi...started on lower end stuff and now moving to mid to high end stuff...the entire time I've been trying to decipher everything people say in these reviews.

 

[ThanatosVI]

OK...see now that I can understand. I feel like someone needs to put a comprehensive list of terms and descriptions together. This is my second push into head-fi...started on lower end stuff and now moving to mid to high end stuff...the entire time I've been trying to decipher everything people say in these reviews.

This might help:
https://www.head-fi.org/articles/describing-sound-a-glossary.12328/

It doesn't Cover everything though

 

[Sense]

This might help:
https://www.head-fi.org/articles/describing-sound-a-glossary.12328/

It doesn't Cover everything though

Thank you!

 

[AudiophileJargon]

OK...see now that I can understand. I feel like someone needs to put a comprehensive list of terms and descriptions together. This is my second push into head-fi...started on lower end stuff and now moving to mid to high end stuff...the entire time I've been trying to decipher everything people say in these reviews.

Welcome! Thats the tricky thing about this hobby. Every person has their own subjective experiences or takes on listening. You will come across individuals you agree with and ones you don’t.
The more time you spend listening and variety of rigs you hear will help you differentiate more easily to your own preferences.
Try not to get too caught up with opinions… There are even individuals who think more objectively or take a scientific approach to listening. Stay away from them lol jk

 

[eskamobob1]

So when someone says a headphone doesn't have correct timbre...they are basically saying that they know what the instruments should sound like...and the headphone is making the instruments sound either too bright...too dark...or just incorrect in any number of other ways? One of the YouTube reviewers often describes incorrect timbre as "plastic"...I still don't understand what he means by that. He's the only one who I've heard describe timbre that way.

Timbre is exceptionally difficult to explain. The way I have used it in that post is explicetly referring to how close the instruments sound to real life performance.

Welcome! Thats the tricky thing about this hobby. Every person has their own subject experiences or takes on listening. You will come across individuals you agree with and ones you don’t.
The more time you spend listening and variety of rigs you hear will help you differentiate more easily to your own preferences.
Try not to get too caught up with opinions… There are even individuals who think more objectively or take a scientific approach to listening. Stay away from them lol jk

Also stay away from the ones that use rocks and incense.

But realy, measurmeents can be quite good at explaining what we hear but we don't know how to measure everything. On the other side thus hobby us also full of snake oil. Its basicaly impossible to be 100% rught on whats snake oil and what's not and you will find yourself on the wrong side of something eventually. Just explore and take every opinion you read with a massive pinch of salt