[a44100Hz]

Yeah, these cans aren't bright to my ear. And you can have sensitivity to certain frequencies from hearing loss. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperacusis

 

[sikki-six]

   
They're quite firm pads, but nowhere near to cause discomfort (at least for my noggin). Also these cans are far from bright.. This is one of the main criteria for me, as I hate bright cans. LCD-2F was brighter, to be honest. Almost a bit shouty in the upper midrange. X2 is better balanced, IMO.

 
Yeah, I guess the pads are ok, just on the stiff side of things. 
 
Better balanced? As I've mentioned before, my number 1's are LCD-2.1's. They have way more mids full stop than these. The Audeze's are closer to HD600/650, Spirit Pro etc. in that regard. To my ears, that's a "balanced" amount of mids - X2's are V-shaped. I guess that's one person's perception of balanced. But it's not the neutral kind of amount imo.
 
To each their own.

 

[Baycode]

Thanks! Is the meter I linked also good to use?  Would prefer to get a closer result and it's only $18.

There is no reason not to get it at 18USD. You can compare it to your iphone or android phones measurements and inform us

I did compare my LG G3's measurements with a calibrated scientific grade SPL meter and the results were pretty close... I always prefer a separate SPL meter measurements but I use my LG G3 and decibelmeter app if I dont have the SPL meter with me on the go...

Anyone can direct their questions in the particular thread please Thanks.

 

[madwolfa]

 
Better balanced? As I've mentioned before, my number 1's are LCD-2.1's. They have way more mids full stop than these. The Audeze's are closer to HD600/650, Spirit Pro etc. in that regard. To my ears, that's a "balanced" amount of mids - X2's are V-shaped. I guess that's one person's perception of balanced. But it's not the neutral kind of amount imo.
 
To each their own.

 
X2 are not V-shaped. 

 
Also I specifically mentioned LCD-2 Fazor. They're balanced differently to LCD-2.1. To my ears X2 is balanced better than LCD-2F.

 

[sikki-six]

Right after a lengthy session with X2's (or D2000's) my LCD-2, HD600 and Spirit Pro sound quite shouty, bright and bass light. I've had a slight problem with coming home from my mobile setup (Momentums) to the Audezes - the latter sounds quite bright. But yeah, that's another story. One's ears will get used to these changes, maybe after 15 minutes or so.
 
It's crazy how wide's the spectrum of different sound-signatures on quality headphones. It's all over the place.

 

[sikki-six]

   
X2 are not V-shaped. 

 
Also I specifically mentioned LCD-2 Fazor. They're balanced differently to LCD-2.1. To my ears X2 is balanced better than LCD-2F.

 
What would you call it then - bass boosted with peaks & valleys in the highs? Maybe that second valley from a real V is missing... Just bass boosted and warm? 
 
I haven't heard the Fazor-models, yeah.

 

[madwolfa]

   
What would you call it then - bass boosted with peaks & valleys in the highs? Maybe that second valley from a real V is missing... Just bass boosted and warm? 
 
I haven't heard the Fazor-models, yeah.

 
Good bass presence and a bit of a sparkle on top (slight 10KHz peak) doesn't make the headphone V-shaped.. Tyll stressed that he doesn't consider them such and I agree.

 

[madwolfa]

LCD-2F is a bit more neutral overall, but the upper midrange peaks make them a bit shouty on higher volume levels and less comfortable for prolonged listening.

 

[Eurobeat]

​

  Yeah, these cans aren't bright to my ear. And you can have sensitivity to certain frequencies from hearing loss. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperacusis

Wow, good call, that's... wild....

However...


 

Hyperacusis (also spelled hyperacousis) is a health condition characterized by an increased sensitivity to certain frequency and volume ranges of sound (a collapsed tolerance to usual environmental sound). A person with severe hyperacusis has difficulty tolerating everyday sounds, some of which may seem unpleasantly or painfully loud to that person but not to others.

Everyday sounds are just fine....  But that is "Severe" I guess..


 

  In cochlear hyperacusis (the most common form of hyperacusis), the symptoms are ear pain, annoyance, and general intolerance to any sounds that most people don't notice or consider unpleasant. Crying spells or panic attacks may result from cochlear hyperacusis. As many as 86% of people with hyperacusis also have tinnitus.^[2][4]

In vestibular hyperacusis, the person may experience feelings of dizziness, nausea, or a loss of balance when sounds of certain pitches are present. For instance, people with vestibular hyperacusis may feel like they are falling and as a result involuntarily grimace and clutch for something to brace themselves with. The degree to which a person is affected depends not only on the overall severity of that person's symptoms but also on whether the person can detect sounds in that frequency range at the volume in question, as well as on the person's preexisting muscle tone and severity of startle response.

Anxiety, stress, and/or phonophobia may be present in both types of hyperacusis. Someone with either form of hyperacusis may develop avoidant behavior in order to try to avoid a stressful sound situation or to avoid embarrassing themselves in a social situation that might involve noise.

A person with hyperacusis might be startled by very low sound levels. Everyday sounds like shutting doors, ringing phones, television, running water, ticking clocks, chewing gum, cooking, normal conversation, eating, dishes, and other sounds will hurt his/her ears.

Damn this is crazy stuff here!!!  I feel for anyone who has to go through this....


But I don't see myself, as someone who doesn't listen to music THAT MUCH (I enjoy it, sometimes I just don't play music, even though I want to more), someone who doesn't go to loud concerts, or listen to loud music via headphones or IEMS a lot.  If I listen to music it's via speakers.


 
 

 The most common cause of hyperacusis is overexposure to excessively high decibel levels (or sound pressure levels).^[5] Some come down with hyperacusis suddenly by firing a gun, having an airbag deploy in their car, experiencing any extremely loud sound, taking ear sensitizing drugs, Lyme disease, Ménière's disease, TMD/TMJ (Temporomandibular joint disorder), head injury, or surgery. 

I was in a car accident a few years back, left with herniated discs and damage.... I wonder.......  That makes me sad as hell now (((

There have also been a few times (happened the otehr day), when I get a burst of loud music randomly.  IT's upsetting, but I seem to be okay.


Great discussion overall, not sure if this should be posted somewhere else, so the hordes don't rage out .

 

[madwolfa]

Just mind the volume levels, folks... Most people listen at FAR higher levels than necessary (for years). And then start suffering from all sorts of issues...

 

[Eurobeat]

  Just mind the volume levels, folks... Most of the people listen at FAR higher levels than necessary. And then start suffering from all sorts of issues...

Yeah, I tend to notice I like the sound a little bit louder when using speakers, since there is so much air, but at the same time, I noticed with the HPs on, that your ears are busy trying to cover up some sound and not get hurt on louder sounds, while if you take it down, your ears are able to hear subtleties in the music

 

[madwolfa]

Just have to give time for a brain to adapt to the lower listening levels. You will start noticing subtleties in sound and save the hearing.

 

[sikki-six]

  LCD-2F is a bit more neutral overall, but the upper midrange peaks make them a bit shouty on higher volume levels and less comfortable for prolonged listening.

 
Yeah, I can see that happening on some phones. My Spirit Pros had that problem when I was using them as a portable. But, I found the reason, and a cure... In traffic that low-end gets lost, and there's really nothing extra to spare on the Focals. Fiio E7 provides a few db boost from 100hz downwards. It helped a lot. Now I like them lots for portable use too.
 
Concerning open home-cans, that extra warmth down low might help with peaky spots in the higher regions. Or a simple EQ-cut, even better. But, that doesn't fix the original problem. That's why one needs to try many different pairs - maybe even buy them too 

 

 

[a44100Hz]

Just mind the volume levels, folks... Most people listen at FAR higher levels than necessary (for years). And then start suffering from all sorts of issues...

Unfortunately I think living in NYC alone has already chopped off some of my top end. 92 - 102 dB for the subway trains rolling in and out of stations and bursts of higher volume taking corners and such. Ouchies.

 

[Eurobeat]

Just have to give time for a brain to adapt to the lower listening levels. You will start noticing subtleties in sound and save the hearing.

Yeah, that's what I noticed the other day when using the X2's .  Good to have realized it now, before I get more serious into audio.  I never really listened that loudly to music, but there have been sometimes the music was pretty loud for sure.  I guess more when I was al ot younger though.