Random Thoughts (Audio Related)

[GREQ]

So many subjective variables to unpack...
- what is an 'end game' system?
- define a good culmination of discretionary capital
- what is love? (baby don't hurt me)

What seems to count the most is peoples 'journeys' in audio.
It seems people never get tired of reading those kinds of stories as it paints a larger picture of not only the individual, but a journey through rational thought or unavoidable circumstance that hopefully adds to an ever-growing common wisdom.

I might add that us aging millenials grew up with MP3 players and some may just have never left them behind.

I've still got my iPod Video 6th Gen 80GB from 2007
Amazingly it only had 3 small repairs over the years for the hold-switch and socket but still going strong.
Never had to change the battery or hard drive!
I prefer using it over my mobile phone. I daresay it even sounds better.
Don't get me wrong though... I'm an apple hater, I dispise the ecosystem, the snobbery and pricing, but those old ipods seriously rock.

I believe it's longevity has played a significant part in my perspectives and priorities, especially with constantly changing priorities with family life, mortage etc etc.
So for a few years I've only bought 2nd hand headphones, specifically focusing on high-end vintage.
So there's just as many different 'takes' on what it means to be an audiophile as there are people, notwithsanding their different 'ideologies' on what constitutes music.

Still, it doesn't stop me visiting my local hifi shop where I got my HE-500 years ago (the last brand new high-end headphone I will ever buy), to audition as many of the latest flagships as I can. I still enjoy the engagement in the community and seeing what's 'hot'.

 

[ChrisOc]

Just as an aside, I have to say I find this thread "something else". Whether it is topics such as:

What is TOTL or endgame?

Definition and misuse of the word, "Timbre".

The thread seems to discuss some of the most interesting and intellectual topics.....yes, I get it "Random thoughts", so it would bring up all sorts, but I also think the thread attracts an interesting collection of minds.

The thread may not be buzzing with activity in numbers of posts or regularity of discussion but it does for quality of discussion what other threads do for quantity of discussion. That is not to denigrate any other thread just to highlight something I have noticed about this thread.

One of the best on the forum, well done @IEMusic!

 

[megabigeye]

Agreed! This is one of the few threads I'll click on every time I see there's been a new post. Sometimes I'll kind of want to make a post, but mostly I've been enjoying reading what others have to say.

Nicely done to everybody that's had something to say and kept it civil and thoughtful. Good thread. Keep it going.

 

[megabigeye]

I guess this might as well go into this thread instead of me making a dedicated one:

What genres of music are "doing audiophile wrong"?
I sometimes chuckle when I listen to dungeon synth or vaporwave on my equipment.
So you have a great set that you can hear all the janky synths on.

Or something like this: A remix album that the artists played onto a cassette tape, which he then played through six hundred times before recording it off of the tape.
So this sounds like a rubbed off old cassette tape someone listened to a lot.


I mean, it's still valid listening to stuff like this on great equipment, since you get (close) to listening to it at master / reference levels of sound quality.

I've been hesitating replying in this thread because I know that in order to do so in the way that I want, I'm going to end up spending at least an hour composing a post, and then replying to other posts, and the next thing I know it's early tomorrow morning and my wife is glowering at me from bed...

Anyway...

I think of my audiophilia as a means to enjoying my music as much as possible. In that regard, I think of my headphones, amps, DACS, etc., as merely tools to achieving that end. Some of my favorite music is definitely not "audiophile approved" and sounds pretty bad on some of my gear. But I consider that to be a shortcoming of my gear, rather than the music "doing audiophile wrong."
I'm sometimes amazed when I read about the music that Head-Fiers enjoy. People that listen to only one or two genres, but mostly people that get into different genres because it sounds better on their gear. That seems like switching from wood screws to roofing nails because you really like your hammer and that's what your hammer can do. I'm glad people are expanding their horizons and enjoying themselves and new things, but (to me) it's putting the cart before the horse (to mix metaphors).

Most punk and its grittier sub-genres and off-shoots "do audiophile wrong." There's also something deeply ironic about listening to such a raw music on thousands of dollars worth of gear.
My dad has 1) always had a pretty eclectic taste in music and taken an interest in my tastes in music; and 2) owned precisely one luxury car. When I was in my 20s I was into some loud, raw music... I'll just say that listening to Lightning Bolt full blast in a Mercedes wagon, heading to my grandmother's house was embarrassing and funny in equal measure.

Also, that music you posted sounds fine (good?) on my IEMs (UM Pro 50)... Or maybe I'm predisposed to liking music that sounds "bad."

 

[Sebasistan]

Most punk and its grittier sub-genres and off-shoots "do audiophile wrong." There's also something deeply ironic about listening to such a raw music on thousands of dollars worth of gear.
My dad has 1) always had a pretty eclectic taste in music and taken an interest in my tastes in music; and 2) owned precisely one luxury car. When I was in my 20s I was into some loud, raw music... I'll just say that listening to Lightning Bolt full blast in a Mercedes wagon, heading to my grandmother's house was embarrassing and funny in equal measure.

Also, that music you posted sounds fine (good?) on my IEMs (UM Pro 50)... Or maybe I'm predisposed to liking music that sounds "bad."

This reminds me of how utterly disappointed I was when I found a little bandcamp label that sold old Turkish rock stuff - only to discover that their mastering was HORRIBLE. The FLAC files I downloaded from their stuff sound like they ripped the original music from old CDs using a low-resolution MP3 codec and then ripped those MP3s back into FLAC. I have similar issues with just old MP3s I still have flying around. Audiophile gear is just too revealing - and my ears too spoiled with good quality digital files - for stuff that's below 192kbps.

But that's a different issue than listening to gritty music. I mean, I guess listening to a CD rip of Metallica's Death Magnetic album and other atrocities in mastering from the Loudness Wars would yield similar results. And I'm sure you can play gritty af punk rock and master it really nice so it actually sounds good, or rather it still sounds gritty af, but at a nice, high resolution.

Like, take something like Sunn o))) - that's superficially not terribly sophisticated music (and a very acquired taste) - AND YET it sounds amazing on good gear.

 

[ChrisOc]

I've been hesitating replying in this thread because I know that in order to do so in the way that I want, I'm going to end up spending at least an hour composing a post, and then replying to other posts, and the next thing I know it's early tomorrow morning and my wife is glowering at me from bed...

Anyway...

I think of my audiophilia as a means to enjoying my music as much as possible. In that regard, I think of my headphones, amps, DACS, etc., as merely tools to achieving that end. Some of my favorite music is definitely not "audiophile approved" and sounds pretty bad on some of my gear. But I consider that to be a shortcoming of my gear, rather than the music "doing audiophile wrong."
I'm sometimes amazed when I read about the music that Head-Fiers enjoy. People that listen to only one or two genres, but mostly people that get into different genres because it sounds better on their gear. That seems like switching from wood screws to roofing nails because you really like your hammer and that's what your hammer can do. I'm glad people are expanding their horizons and enjoying themselves and new things, but (to me) it's putting the cart before the horse (to mix metaphors).

Most punk and its grittier sub-genres and off-shoots "do audiophile wrong." There's also something deeply ironic about listening to such a raw music on thousands of dollars worth of gear.
My dad has 1) always had a pretty eclectic taste in music and taken an interest in my tastes in music; and 2) owned precisely one luxury car. When I was in my 20s I was into some loud, raw music... I'll just say that listening to Lightning Bolt full blast in a Mercedes wagon, heading to my grandmother's house was embarrassing and funny in equal measure.

Also, that music you posted sounds fine (good?) on my IEMs (UM Pro 50)... Or maybe I'm predisposed to liking music that sounds "bad."

I have this mental image of a glowering woman in Hither and Dither, Yonder, Post Code (or Zip code to our friends over pond) QQQestions. Must be fun!

Contrary to your experience, I grew up enduring my father's taste in raw jazz every Sunday. Slowly as I grew up I realised I have been indoctrinated.....I love jazz, how is that possible? Looking back I had been schooled in jazz without noticing.

However, my taste in music is vast but I will not bore you with each and every genre and how I got into each one. Put simply my music taste is based on what I have had the opportunity and pleasure of listening to and experiencing over many years, sometimes without knowing.

I rather suspect you inherited or acquired your father's "electric taste" consciously or subconsciously.

 

[Sebasistan]

However, my taste in music is vast but I will not bore you with each and every genre and how I got into each one.

Fun fact: I got into an ASTOUNDING amount of new music through video games and video game trailers. From Nine Inch Nails (Quake) to... Sigur Ros (the Prince of Persia 2008 trailer).

 

[GREQ]

Fun fact: I got into an ASTOUNDING amount of new music through video games and video game trailers. From Nine Inch Nails (Quake) to... Sigur Ros (the Prince of Persia 2008 trailer).

Where is the mega-like button when I need it.

I think more than half of my formative tastes comes from playing games on Atari ST, Nintendo (NES) and PC.
Quake 2 was my intro to heavy metal... playing the new Doom games feels like a 'completion' of that genre combination.

Discovering new music is always great, but nothing beats nostalgic references... that might be just me though... and my obsession with vintage stuff...

 

[JEHL]

Which reminds me, is there such thing as an ideal headgear for what people call chiptune? Like if someone actually composed a song on the Ricoh RP2A03 today or something like this or the Zilog Z80.Yamaha YM2612 and so on.

 

[IEMusic]

I've been hesitating replying in this thread because I know that in order to do so in the way that I want, I'm going to end up spending at least an hour composing a post, and then replying to other posts, and the next thing I know it's early tomorrow morning and my wife is glowering at me from bed...

Also, that music you posted sounds fine (good?) on my IEMs (UM Pro 50)... Or maybe I'm predisposed to liking music that sounds "bad."

I know exactly what you mean! Sometimes I have to avoid posting, b/c it will represent an investment in time that I’m unwilling to make.

I may be in the minority on this, but I generally don‘t find it too bothersome listening to poorly recorded music on high-end gear. Sure, if most of what I liked happened to be poorly recorded, then it would be a total waste to spend a lot of money on good gear, but it’s actually pretty rare that I find a song “unlistenable” due to the quality of recording. It’s usually only if there are painful/offensive sounds and distortions.

As far as punk, grunge, and grittier music, I actually like listening to those genres on good equipment, as I like hearing the “musical distortions” in all of their glorious detail.

Fun fact: I got into an ASTOUNDING amount of new music through video games and video game trailers. From Nine Inch Nails (Quake) to... Sigur Ros (the Prince of Persia 2008 trailer).

I grew listening to and learning a lot of classical music, a lot of which was presented to me subconsciously. I didn’t realize until I was older how much classical music was in cartoons when I was a kid (gen-x). I miss that, and wish it were more present in current cartoons for my kids and future generations. I do really enjoy listening to metal versions of older NES music. I also enjoy metal versions of classical pieces as they are remarkably complementary.

 

[megabigeye]

@Sebasistan, yeah, there's definitely some music that sounds like you're only supposed to listen to it over the road noise of a '77 Toyota Corona that's going 10 MPH over it's top speed. But I'd kind of like to hear this Turkish rock, anyway. I don't think I know any Turkish music.

@ChrisOc — ha! Seems like every time I say something about my wife I make it seem like we don't get along. I'm sure Freud would have a field day with that. We actually get along great for the most part, but one of her peeves is me spending too much time on Head-Fi when I should be in bed. Okay, that's two peeves. It's more accurate to say that she whines at me from bed, but I figured she'd be more annoyed if she knew I said "whining" instead of "glowering."
You can send me a postcard at Hither, Thither, Yon. If it doesn't get to me eventually we can blame it on the mail system, which I hear may be having problems these days.
And, yes. I definitely inherited by dad's eclectic taste in music. Though my taste is more electric than his.

@IEMusic, I've already spent... about an hour composing a response only to delete it again and again. Sigh. This is why I haven't replied to this thread sooner. It's almost midnight. You should have heard how loudly my wife was sighing at me.

@GREQ, sometimes when I really like somebody's post I'll like and unlike and like it again two or three times in the vain hope that they'll see how many times I liked it. Is that... weird?

@peopleofthethreadatlarge — I apologize for this post not having anything to do with headphones or IEMs or even amplifiers. I tried, but it's too late to think about those things.

 

[Zambu]

We actually get along great for the most part, but one of her peeves is me spending too much time on Head-Fi when I should be in bed. Okay, that's two peeves. It's more accurate to say that she whines at me from bed, but I figured she'd be more annoyed if she knew I said "whining" instead of "glowering."

One thing with me and my girlfriend is that we have actually very much different sleep schedules and "sense of day" or whatever you want to call it. My "prime time" is early morning hours (and my dog wakes me at 6 AM anyway if I don't wake up by myself) so for instance right now I've spent the morning hours listening to music, this time Depeche Mode-Ultra album, it was a lot better than I recalled but I probably haven't listened to it with good head-gear before (Clairvoyance and Cayin N3Pro in tube mode). And of course some internet forums such as this one, and couple cups of coffee And then I can be fully present with her once she wakes up at 10 AM or so

Anyway, I have this one question that might be kind of fitting here: is it usual for people to gradually grow into IEMs with bigger shell sizes? I mean my first IEM was Ikko OH1 and it basically taught me that this way of listening is worth it...and I thought the shell size was "ideal". Then I got the Tri I3 aka "the ear potato" which felt too big at first but I just took my time and it was less of an issue with each passing week. Now with that IEM and the Clairvoyance, my ears are pretty much set with that kind of size, so when I occasionally try the Ikko OH1 again, it just feels way too small. Like "yeah I don't even like to listen like this" kind of small. I'm sure you could make all kinds of analogies all the way to that Tarantino speech at the start of Reservoir Dogs. But point being, do ears "stretch" even a bit to accommodate those larger IEMs, or is it simply about me getting used to it and then preferring it from then on? I guess luckily there isn't a size increase in sight, this is pretty much what the "mid-fi and above" segment generally offers in universal IEM size. Though I have to say, I have some interest to try a high-end "one dynamic driver and nothing else" IEM but many of them look kind of small

 

[Whazzzup]

I use noble encore which actually does not have a small profile, I don’t know how many drivers per side, probably 10. Any rate I use silicone or medicle grade rubber tips that were long and kinda narrow in my case for pretty much a perfect fit. So find your tip and you should be fine.

 

[ChrisOc]

@Zambu: I have no training on human anatomy but I would guess your ears have not physically adapted to the earphones' size, rather, either your mind has adapted to the TRI I3 size or you have made physically adaptation to the earphones, such as change of tips.

My experience with the TRI I3s was initially, "these are too big for my ears", I now find them quite comfortable. The design is ergonomically quite gentle to the ears, as a consequence, with the right tips (being the most important and offensive contact area) they just sit inoffensively (no protrusion or angular parts) in your ears so the size is not noticeable because the bulk (of the IEMs) sit outside your ear with the gentle contact areas touching your ears. I suggest you just got used to them mentally with or without change of tips.

I may be wrong, but I believe your ears have not stretched to accommodate the TRI I3s.

 

[Zambu]

@Zambu: I have no training on human anatomy but I would guess your ears have not physically adapted to the earphones' size, rather, either your mind has adapted to the TRI I3 size or you have made physically adaptation to the earphones, such as change of tips.

Sounds likely, yes. There's been some changes with tips, but nothing drastic.