topperdoggle
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2011
- Posts
- 73
- Likes
- 11
I've had all kinds of headphones in my life. At some point I owned Tesla T1s (wonderful, sold due to tinnitus) and Sennheiser IE8s (weird, had to EQ the **** out of them, hence sold). Also various Grados (SR60s 20 years ago, RS1s more recently, wasn't wowed by them), Shure SRH840 (loved them but pleather got sweaty), Audio-Technica ATH-M50, (good but uncomfortable for extended listens).
In the few years since, I've been living with Xiaomi Piston 2 then Hybrid and Soundmagic E10. I liked them all in that order.
As I said, I suffer from mild tinnitus(*) and a hearing loss in the high frequencies, so I don't crank them up or use them at home where I have speakers. I really liked the Xiaomi 2s, the Hybrids were fine, as were the E10s which I bought on holiday.
One by one, I've lost them all, so it's time to get some new ones. My head says don't spend outrageous amounts of money, as much as I love music, these things can always be lost or stolen (especially as my use is outside the house). Let's say up to $100 at a push, preferably $50. Having said that, I can go higher, it's a matter of value at the end of the day. I'm happy to have one pair rather than a couple of different cheaper pairs.
I note that the Chinese brands have come on a long way since the Xiaomis changed the game, I'm not familiar with the many new brands, but I'm definitely not opposed to trying them. I see a lot of fuss about the **** **** lately, but frankly the CHiFi market is tiring to follow!
Usage is mainly at work when I need to focus when colleagues are being noise or simply hear some great tunes. I fly a fair bit as well. Therefore isolation is relatively important. Isolation also makes it easier to keep the volume down, which is good for my ear health.
I'd prefer IEMs due to the compactness, but also open to headphones if they're portable, however isolation is important and compact headphones tend not to isolate that well. Even though there seems to be a resurgence in earbuds lately, I am guessing that they won't satisfy isolation-wise.
I mainly listen to rock and related, most stuff except jazz and classical. I don't want to be fatigued after five minutes, so overblown treble is a no-no, as is overblown anything, although I'm not hell-bent on flat/neutral as you'll see from my past. Some buzzwords: punch, detail, soundstage (if possible at that price).
Lastly, as a musician, I have ear canal moulds made from when I ordered custom-fit earplugs. Should / could I use these to get custom IEMs and be done with it?
Thanks for reading, and I'll be happy to hear your recommendations.
(*) Probably brought on by playing and going to gigs, and motorbiking, before I was smart enough to wear earplugs, which I've been doing for the last ten years. I'm 41 and both my parents have tinnitus, so it's probably heriditary as well.
In the few years since, I've been living with Xiaomi Piston 2 then Hybrid and Soundmagic E10. I liked them all in that order.
As I said, I suffer from mild tinnitus(*) and a hearing loss in the high frequencies, so I don't crank them up or use them at home where I have speakers. I really liked the Xiaomi 2s, the Hybrids were fine, as were the E10s which I bought on holiday.
One by one, I've lost them all, so it's time to get some new ones. My head says don't spend outrageous amounts of money, as much as I love music, these things can always be lost or stolen (especially as my use is outside the house). Let's say up to $100 at a push, preferably $50. Having said that, I can go higher, it's a matter of value at the end of the day. I'm happy to have one pair rather than a couple of different cheaper pairs.
I note that the Chinese brands have come on a long way since the Xiaomis changed the game, I'm not familiar with the many new brands, but I'm definitely not opposed to trying them. I see a lot of fuss about the **** **** lately, but frankly the CHiFi market is tiring to follow!
Usage is mainly at work when I need to focus when colleagues are being noise or simply hear some great tunes. I fly a fair bit as well. Therefore isolation is relatively important. Isolation also makes it easier to keep the volume down, which is good for my ear health.
I'd prefer IEMs due to the compactness, but also open to headphones if they're portable, however isolation is important and compact headphones tend not to isolate that well. Even though there seems to be a resurgence in earbuds lately, I am guessing that they won't satisfy isolation-wise.
I mainly listen to rock and related, most stuff except jazz and classical. I don't want to be fatigued after five minutes, so overblown treble is a no-no, as is overblown anything, although I'm not hell-bent on flat/neutral as you'll see from my past. Some buzzwords: punch, detail, soundstage (if possible at that price).
Lastly, as a musician, I have ear canal moulds made from when I ordered custom-fit earplugs. Should / could I use these to get custom IEMs and be done with it?
Thanks for reading, and I'll be happy to hear your recommendations.
(*) Probably brought on by playing and going to gigs, and motorbiking, before I was smart enough to wear earplugs, which I've been doing for the last ten years. I'm 41 and both my parents have tinnitus, so it's probably heriditary as well.
