junk88
100+ Head-Fier
Can someone please explain to me what music detail is? Is it a lively sound?
Nice reviving an old but interesting topic! From strictly a headphone person, I always got the impression that detail involved good treble, which is usually absent or done poorly on low-cost gear.I think of detail as small details that can be heard both during quiet and loud parts, and also in instrument texture.
Take a woodwind, for instance.
It's not just one volume. The initial breath might be a loud burst, followed quickly by a long, breathy drone. The earbuds might be described as having detail if they reveal this loud and quiet sequence, rather than sounding like a single volume.
A woodwind is also made of sifferent textures. It has a stronger, full sound when blown hard, and a breathier, more "hollow" sound when given less air or when playing lower notes. You want the breathiness and the strength to be starkly different.
Moreover, if the mic captured the flautist (or whatever instrumentalist) taking a breath, this might be hardly noticeable on a pair of buds that lacks detail resolution.
Finally, sound has "pressure." With bass, you can feel it shake you chest or skin or, in the case of earbuds, your head--but did you know that higher pitxhed sounds carry a physical sensation as well? Anyone who has been up close to a live brass quartet will tell you that you can feel a tenor horn in the form of a pressure. It's a real thrill!
That, along with dynamics, creates a realistic and detailed soundscape. If your earbuds can replicate these elements, I'd suggest they are detailed.
Amazing. Are you one of those fabled treblehead? Curious how high you can hear on the freq spectrum. Treble on most hifiman cans don’t bother me but I can only hear upto ~18000hzExtra texture is the most common 'extra' detail to extract.
But lets keep talking about treble. When I first started using the DT880 250 ohms I didn't find the treble harsh or piercing, but I felt this invisible high-frequency force, opening me up, cleansing my brain... hahaha... it's hard to describe. Uhm. Like having a clear head after the congestion of a cold or flu... discomfort and then... freedom.
I have the Westone W80s. It seems that a lot of people were unimpressed, but there are some experienced audiophiles who adore them, and I think it's this sensation that the lovers are experiencing. People who "don't get" them, I suspect, are not getting a proper fit. I have to shove them in pretty deep, but once I do, I can feel instruments knocking against the inside of my skull.Nice reviving an old but interesting topic! From strictly a headphone person, I always got the impression that detail involved good treble, which is usually absent or done poorly on low-cost gear.
Regarding the bolded, I believed I was hearing that on my He6v2 with piano strikes but my listening session with hd6xx, which was not one of my favs, made me realize that this is completely true and gave me a new appreciation of hd6xx. I goto live orchestras (even chamber) often and my daughter plays the violin so I know how the sound feels.
At the 6:15 mark on the song "Touch" by Daft Punk, violin starts to play in the background and you can feel this physical sensation you speak of more in the hd6xx than any of my other headphones, including the Arya and the Elex (it's really noticeable at the height at ~6:39). It's sublime with the hd6xx but feels hollowed out with the other cans.
The imaging and soundstage is still lacking but its timbre with this mid/upper range fullness that sounds/feels closer to real live performances is something I now realize why the hd6xx is so revered.
Extra texture is the most common 'extra' detail to extract.
But lets keep talking about treble. When I first started using the DT880 250 ohms I didn't find the treble harsh or piercing, but I felt this invisible high-frequency force, opening me up, cleansing my brain... hahaha... it's hard to describe. Uhm. Like having a clear head after the congestion of a cold or flu... discomfort and then... freedom.
Can someone please explain to me what music detail is? Is it a lively sound?
It’s such an interesting psychological effect. It’s very subtle but contributes greatly to my enjoyment of music. it probably also contributes to the disconnect when ppl describe certain differences as dramatic, w/o realizing how their enjoyment colors their perceptionI have the Westone W80s. It seems that a lot of people were unimpressed, but there are some experienced audiophiles who adore them, and I think it's this sensation that the lovers are experiencing. People who "don't get" them, I suspect, are not getting a proper fit. I have to shove them in pretty deep, but once I do, I can feel instruments knocking against the inside of my skull.
I think I'd take this realistic instrument reproduction of sonic pressure over a technically more detailed sound, assuming that "detailed" refers to treble prominence and general texture.
I don’t know if this is true but I always thought that dynamic range is central to establishing soundstage, provided that the recording captured it as well. I’m guessing power is needed there to induce the transducers at a specific spot to move air ? Just interesting things to ponder as I’m not an engineer of any sort.Detail is texture on the notes. Think of a stringed instrument and then do more than just striking a single string with a pick quickly without moving the other hand's fingers. In some cases you get more nuance on how that string was manipulated to make some sounds, like when it was plucked a certain way or the other hand moved along the neck a certain way.
Lively sound is related to dynamic range and power delivery vis a vis transducer sensitivity and overall system response so the sound comes out and it just makes you tap your feet a lot more than on some other systems that aren't known for this. Listen to Feist's "One Evening" or Jane Monheit's "Taking a Chance on Love" on several systems and you may start noticing that at least the Feist track seems like it sounds slower on some systems (without touching the pitch on the CDP or FLAC player ie it's not actually playing faster). Drum hits have a louder, more solid "thud!" and fades out quickly as the next "thud!" hits and so on; on the other end of the spectrum the first note seems like it's still vibrating as the next drum hit comes and so on.
I don’t know if this is true but I always thought that dynamic range is central to establishing soundstage, provided that the recording captured it as well. I’m guessing power is needed there to induce the transducers at a specific spot to move air ? Just interesting things to ponder as I’m not an engineer of any sort.