Good Day Headgear Aficionados!
I have recently joined your ranks as I bask in the glory of my first >25$ pair of headphones.
Embrace me, brothers and sisters!
...
alright then...
I'll start off by saying that, coming from cheap headphones but decent monitor speakers, I find these to be quite fantastic.
The bass is deep and doesn't overwhelm the mix. The mids and highs are packed with detail and fidelity and balance (well, except for a very slight harshness that I hope settles with burn-in but won't bum me out all that much if it doesn't).
So I now find myself engulfed in a metric ton of quality, accompanied by a few questions:
1. I listen to a lot of metal. I know many metal producers like to keep it rough (and more recently... loud). I've always noticed distortion (clipping?) in a lot of metal albums (Slayer - God Hates Us All for a precise example).
So I put this on and I hear a lot of clipping through the AKG K550s. It was there before, with previous Cheapo McCheaply Headphones, but now it's waaaay more up front (my previous headphones probably had recessed treble?). Meanwhile I put Linkin Park's Meteora on and it's perfectly clean.
I assume this clipping in some metal albums is normal (correct me if not), yet I would like to know if this kind of excessive Source-side clipping could possibly ever damage the gear? I don't usually listen to music at high volume, but it sounds quite harsh and grating.
2. I connect these headphones to a Line 6 Pod Studio UX2. A USB Audio Interface which I heard has a decent DAC inside. Do these external audio interfaces lessen the need for a Headphone Amp, or are they completely different beasts with completely different roles?
3. When I slide these on and attempt to get the right fit, if I press in on the headphones while on my head, I hear a little pop from within the driver. Like a plastic film re-adjusting to a difference in pressure. Is this normal?
4. Sweat. My skin sweats a lot where the pads touch. When I take them off there's ...droplets that I have to wipe.
Could this become a hazard for the gear? I don't really mind the sweat myself.
Would really appreciate some input on these ...very novice-like questions.
Thank you in advance!
I have recently joined your ranks as I bask in the glory of my first >25$ pair of headphones.
Embrace me, brothers and sisters!
...
alright then...
I'll start off by saying that, coming from cheap headphones but decent monitor speakers, I find these to be quite fantastic.
The bass is deep and doesn't overwhelm the mix. The mids and highs are packed with detail and fidelity and balance (well, except for a very slight harshness that I hope settles with burn-in but won't bum me out all that much if it doesn't).
So I now find myself engulfed in a metric ton of quality, accompanied by a few questions:
1. I listen to a lot of metal. I know many metal producers like to keep it rough (and more recently... loud). I've always noticed distortion (clipping?) in a lot of metal albums (Slayer - God Hates Us All for a precise example).
So I put this on and I hear a lot of clipping through the AKG K550s. It was there before, with previous Cheapo McCheaply Headphones, but now it's waaaay more up front (my previous headphones probably had recessed treble?). Meanwhile I put Linkin Park's Meteora on and it's perfectly clean.
I assume this clipping in some metal albums is normal (correct me if not), yet I would like to know if this kind of excessive Source-side clipping could possibly ever damage the gear? I don't usually listen to music at high volume, but it sounds quite harsh and grating.
2. I connect these headphones to a Line 6 Pod Studio UX2. A USB Audio Interface which I heard has a decent DAC inside. Do these external audio interfaces lessen the need for a Headphone Amp, or are they completely different beasts with completely different roles?
3. When I slide these on and attempt to get the right fit, if I press in on the headphones while on my head, I hear a little pop from within the driver. Like a plastic film re-adjusting to a difference in pressure. Is this normal?
4. Sweat. My skin sweats a lot where the pads touch. When I take them off there's ...droplets that I have to wipe.
Could this become a hazard for the gear? I don't really mind the sweat myself.
Would really appreciate some input on these ...very novice-like questions.
Thank you in advance!