[Ian111]

1. Lossless is the way to go.  I though I could cheat and get away with using garbage files (128 kbps) with my Beyerdynamic DT1350 but the difference is there. Music sounds muddy/harsh with lossy particularly the bass.  With my Grado SR60i it was pretty forgiving but those cans are not as revealing and detailed as the Beyers.  Bass!  What Bass!  Clean and tight and digs deeper than I ever thought these recording were capable of.  I'm not a bass head but this kind of bass I can get addicted to!    I am digging into my old CD collection and ripping them Apple lossless because I feel like I'm finally hearing these CD's closer to what the artist intended.
 
2. I thought my Grado SR60's were great but now I'm not sure I can go back to listening to it unless my amp dies which sounds merely acceptable plugged directly into my iPod Classic.
 
3. Amp.  I'm only using a cheap Fiio E6 but my DT1350 needs the juice or it sounds thinner and "tinny" plugged into my iPod.  Wonder how much better it would sound with E11 or E17?
 
4. Burn in: When I first plugged in my DT1350 directly to my iPod I thought it was broken.  It sounded muted and way worse than cheap Apple earbuds.  Then I plugged it into my Fiio E6 and it sounded like it had potential but still "tinny" sounding.  After the first hour it started opening up but still harsh on certain passages.  After about 10 hour burn in the sound is much fuller and better overall.  Now plugged into the same iPod it sounds dramatically better.  50 hours so far and detect little to no change.
 
5. iPod:  With either my SR60 or DT1350 plugged directly into my new iPod Classic 160 GB 7th Gen the SQ is worse than my old 6th Gen Nano.
 
6. DT1350:  I love the SQ, build quality, and the design/looks of the DT1350.  The only thing I don't like is the clamping force which is much stronger than anticipated.  Because of that I'd only recommend it for those who are willing to put up with it 30-60 minutes into wearing them.  I can live with it but others may not.  Otherwise I'd look into Sennheiser Amperior which I've read has similar sound and better in terms of comfort.

 

[magullo]

Well, thank you. Newbie here, more or less same conditions (new HD25 II plugged directly in iPod 160GB) I do really appreciate your suggestions.
Now I really need to find a better amplifier and convert all my music to lossless flac.

 

[Ian111]

Well, you got plenty of space!  The only reason I got the 160GB was for the space I'd need for my lossless files.  Its a pain and slow going but worth it. What's the point then?  Might as well listen to my Sennheiser PX100's I have at work.
 
Mainly into guitar oriented rock/punk muscis but I listened to Bob Marley's Legend which I haven't listened to in years.  It was a revelation.  And last night listening to New Order's Blue Monday I was transfixed by the stuff going on around my ears.

 

[magullo]

Since you are so kind, what do you think of iTunes music? My library is mainly purchased AAC or cd converted. Classic and alternative rock, and usually 256kb.
Will I be able to improve the sound quality?
Thanks

 

[Ian111]

I might buy a new song here and there because I have to have them and don't want to buy a whole album from certain artists.  And just hope they are at least 256 kbps.  My ears and equipment aren't so sensitive that they'd be unlistenable to me.  I know there's this option in iTunes that says "Create Lossless".   Do not be fooled.  If you downloaded 128-256 kbps that's what your stuck with.  It might say 700-1100 kbps but you only made the file larger but SQ is same.
 
I've got a pretty decent CD collection so I'm still ripping a bunch of CD's in lossless.  Right now rock/alternative but I'll be digging into my decent Classical/Opera collection and my limited jazz collection.  So I'm focused on that now.
 
Otherwise I'm gonna have to go back to buying CD's now.  Used ones if I can get it. And borrow CD's from friends/family.
 
I know there are certain sites that sell lossless and higher quality downloads but they are expensive and often have to buy the whole album.

 

[adamlr]

Quote:

1. Lossless is the way to go.  I though I could cheat and get away with using garbage files (128 kbps) with my Beyerdynamic DT1350 but the difference is there. Music sounds muddy/harsh with lossy particularly the bass.  With my Grado SR60i it was pretty forgiving but those cans are not as revealing and detailed as the Beyers.  Bass!  What Bass!  Clean and tight and digs deeper than I ever thought these recording were capable of.  I'm not a bass head but this kind of bass I can get addicted to!    I am digging into my old CD collection and ripping them Apple lossless because I feel like I'm finally hearing these CD's closer to what the artist intended.
 
2. I thought my Grado SR60's were great but now I'm not sure I can go back to listening to it unless my amp dies which sounds merely acceptable plugged directly into my iPod Classic.
 
3. Amp.  I'm only using a cheap Fiio E6 but my DT1350 needs the juice or it sounds thinner and "tinny" plugged into my iPod.  Wonder how much better it would sound with E11 or E17?
 
4. Burn in: When I first plugged in my DT1350 directly to my iPod I thought it was broken.  It sounded muted and way worse than cheap Apple earbuds.  Then I plugged it into my Fiio E6 and it sounded like it had potential but still "tinny" sounding.  After the first hour it started opening up but still harsh on certain passages.  After about 10 hour burn in the sound is much fuller and better overall.  Now plugged into the same iPod it sounds dramatically better.  50 hours so far and detect little to no change.
 
5. iPod:  With either my SR60 or DT1350 plugged directly into my new iPod Classic 160 GB 7th Gen the SQ is worse than my old 6th Gen Nano.
 
6. DT1350:  I love the SQ, build quality, and the design/looks of the DT1350.  The only thing I don't like is the clamping force which is much stronger than anticipated.  Because of that I'd only recommend it for those who are willing to put up with it 30-60 minutes into wearing them.  I can live with it but others may not.  Otherwise I'd look into Sennheiser Amperior which I've read has similar sound and better in terms of comfort.

well, from one newbe to another:
 
1. this is opening up a can of worms that can easily turn into a heated argument. 320 kbps mp3s can sound just as good and sometimes better than any lossless file imo. even 128 kbps files can sound good, if the original recording was good, and the decoding was done by a good program. the difference between lossless and high bitrate lossy files is a fact, but whether or not you can HEAR the difference is something debatable and i dont think you should throw claims around as if its fact - state that this is your opinion. i also disagree that one can tell "what the artist intended", and i dont think it matters what he intended either, but thats something else.
 
2. i didnt understand what you were saying there, are you saying they dont sound good without an external amp?
 
3.according to the amazon product page for the fiio e6, they can handle headphones of 16-300 ohm impedance, making them good enough for your dt1350, who are probably pretty efficient anyway. HOWEVER i dont own the dt1350 or the fiio e6, so i dont want to make any false claims - i may be entirely wrong. i do own the e11 and they drive my 250ohm dt770s very well, although, if i mess around with an eq, i may have to put it on the high gain setting to reach sufficient volume.
 
4.this is also an easy target for flaming and controversy. "burn in" is considered by some people to be a fairytale, arguing many things such as saying it takes time to get used to the sound of new headphones - and not the other way around, or that ones audio memory is too short to really make a comparison, and many more. again, i only own one pair of headphones, which is why i refrain from making comments such as these. i feel my experience is too short. explain that this is your opinion - not fact.
 
5. not a fan of apple products, maybe its to do with the sound cards? 
 
6. have you tried stretching them? not too much so as not to break the band, but if you stretch them over a speaker or something for a day or two it might reduce the clamping force. i read about people whov done this with other headphones and have had some success. i havnt done anything of the sort in person, so i wouldnt know.
 
reading over what iv read i realized i came off kinda aggressive, sorry, i did mean for this to be an amicable post... i just dont like it when people write up about their own experiences like its fact. i personally do my very best to tell people that everything i write is only opinion. i think that audio is very subjective, and many people hear or dont hear things, where others will say they are the opposite. i apologize if i was too unfriendly about it.

 

[Ian111]

Its cool.  I guess my posts may come off as declarations of fact but they are merely my impressions and opinions.  I take everything I read on the internet with a grain of salt and I guess I assume everyone does too.  Not meaning I distrust everyone but esp. something as subjective as sound.
 
1. There are some tunes I can't tell much difference between 256 kbps and lossless (700-1000).  There have been a few 128  kbps files that surprised me with its SQ but few and far between.   Most of the times the difference is there to my ears so I'm going lossless.  To me the difference is like VHS to DVD.  Or DVD to BluRay as analogy.  I know some people don't notice or care about the difference between DVD and Bluray.   Besides I got plenty of space in my iPod so why not?  And if I get better revealing phones I might be glad I did.
 
2. The DT1350 don't sound all that great to me without the E6..  The SR60's sound acceptable to me without.  A bit better, smoother, fuller for the SR60 with the E6 though.  Not that the DT1350 plugged directly into my iPod Classic is unlistenable but to me not worth the $275 I paid for them.
 
4. What I remember is that when I plugged the DT1350 straight into the iPod the first time I had a sinking feeling something was horribly wrong and I'd have to return them.  Then I plugged it through my E6 and I decided to give the DT1350 a chance.  I was still on the fence whether to return them or not constantly A/B comparing with the SR60.  After about 10-20 hour mark I "felt" the SQ improved to the point I decided to keep the DT1350.  The bass was always better it was the mids and highs that really improved.  And now I clearly prefer the DT1350 over my SR60.    Quite simply it does everything better than the entry level Grado.  YMMV.  Could it be my ears adjusting to the DT1350 sound signature?  I don't think so as objectively as I can say it.  Maybe instead of "burn in" its merely initial breaking in?
 
5. Probably.  I'm really disappointed with the iPod Classic 7th Gen in that way.
 
6. I can live with the clamping pressure.  Since the DT1350 relies on a good seal for its sound (esp bass) I don't want to mess with bending the band.  Unlike my SR60 band which I did bend but it doesn't rely that much on good seal and clamping force for sound quality.

 

[adamlr]

Quote:

Its cool.  I guess my posts may come off as declarations of fact but they are merely my impressions and opinions.  I take everything I read on the internet with a grain of salt and I guess I assume everyone does too.  Not meaning I distrust everyone but esp. something as subjective as sound.
 
1. There are some tunes I can't tell much difference between 256 kbps and lossless (700-1000)  But most of the times the difference is there to my ears so I'm going lossless.  Besides I got plenty of space in my iPod so why not?  And if I get better revealing phones I might be glad I did.
 
2. The DT1350 don't sound all that great to me without the E6..  The SR60's sound acceptable to me without.  A bit better, smoother, fuller for the SR60 with the E6 though.  Not that the DT1350 plugged directly into my iPod Classic is unlistenable but to me not worth the $275 I paid for them.
 
4. What I remember is that when I plugged the DT1350 straight into the iPod the first time I had a sinking feeling something was horribly wrong and I'd have to return them.  Then I plugged it through my E6 and I decided to give the DT1350 a chance.  I was still on the fence whether to return them or not constantly A/B comparing with the SR60.  After about 10-20 hour mark I "felt" the SQ improved to the point I decided to keep the DT1350.  The bass was always better it was the mids and highs that really improved.  And now I clearly prefer the DT1350 over my SR60.    Quite simply it does everything better than the entry level Grado.  YMMV.  Could it be my ears adjusting to the DT1350 sound signature?  I don't think so as objectively as I can say it.  Maybe instead of "burn in" its merely initial breaking in?
 
5. Probably.  I'm really disappointed with the iPod Classic 7th Gen in that way.
 
6. I can live with the clamping pressure.  Since the DT1350 relies on a good seal for its sound (esp bass) I don't want to mess with bending the band.  Unlike my SR60 band which I did bend but it doesn't rely that much on good seal and clamping force for sound quality.

alright then =]
 
i dont want to get into a discussion about file formats, its dangerous. if you say you can feel a difference then by all means - go lossless. i personally dont see the need, but who knows? perhaps in the future ill live to regret it. i do agree that an external amp makes headphones sound better. coming from cheapy iems, my amp arrived before my headphones and i couldnt resist plugging my iems into it. it was of course superfluous, but it made even my crappy iems sound better imo. 
 
as for burn in/ break in. to be very honest, i find the notion to be abit... well, i just dont think it makes sense, so i admit i havnt gone into it very much. but from what i gather, IF objective, physical differences to the drivers occur, their very minor, and a few hours are quite enough. i dont think that anyones ears actually adjust, only that it takes time to get used to a new type of sound.
 
grains of salt are the best 

 

[Ian111]

Quote:

 i do agree that an external amp makes headphones sound better. coming from cheapy iems, my amp arrived before my headphones and i couldnt resist plugging my iems into it. it was of course superfluous, but it made even my crappy iems sound better imo. 
 
 

I actually prefer my SR60 without an amp when plugged in directly to my 6th Gen iPod nano.  Haven't tried the DT1350 directly into the Nano again since I first got it.  Its just that the iPod Classic 7th Gen sound quality is so bad to my ears the E6 with LOD is preferable for both cans. So I'm not using the E6 with the iPod Classic for more volume but SQ. 
'
edit:
Actually I do remember plugging the DT1350 directly into the Nano and I preferred that the best of all.  Its just that the Nano is only 8 GB so there's no way I can use it anymore.  I'm hoping a better amp (e11 or e17) will improve the iPod Classic SQ even more.