[Chris_Himself]

Quote:

 
This thread reminds me of a funny thing about hearing perception.  There was this game for the PS1 called Armored Core where you controlled giant robots.  The robots has a foot fall sound they made whenever they walked, and for the longest time I thought the that left and right feet made slightly different noises for years, but eventually I really listened closely and realized both feet made the same noise.  

Armored Core Project Phantasma is the best game ever for the PS1.. thanks for reminding me about how awesome playstation + being 8 years old is
 

 

[TMRaven]

Someone say Armored Core?

 

[Draygonn]

Someone say Armored Core?

Namco Bandai is bringing Armored Core V overseas and it’s coming just two months after the game launches in Japan. Armored Core V will be available for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on March 20 in North America and March 23 in Europe.

http://www.siliconera.com/2012/01/12/armored-core-v-lands-in-north-america-on-march-20/

[VIDEO]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeP8xOwoxHU[/VIDEO]

 

[Magick Man]

Personally, I wish cables did make a difference. It would be awesome to try different ones to play with different combinations, would be like adding another dimension to audio without changing DACs and speakers/cans. But, I've been through enough double-blind tests, even the dreaded coat hanger vs. $2000 interconnect test, to know that they don't.

Hey, it's all good though, leaves more money for those DACs, amps, transports, etc.. right?

 

[Head Injury]

Quote:

Personally, I wish cables did make a difference. It would be awesome to try different ones to play with different combinations, would be like adding another dimension to audio without changing DACs and speakers/cans. But, I've been through enough double-blind tests, even the dreaded coat hanger vs. $2000 interconnect test, to know that they don't.
Hey, it's all good though, leaves more money for those DACs, amps, transports, etc.. right?

Now you have to go through DAC, amp, and transport blind tests 

 

[TMRaven]

Quote:

Quote:

Namco Bandai is bringing Armored Core V overseas and it’s coming just two months after the game launches in Japan. Armored Core V will be available for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on March 20 in North America and March 23 in Europe.

http://www.siliconera.com/2012/01/12/armored-core-v-lands-in-north-america-on-march-20/

Yes, I know all about it. All you gotta do is check my sig.  

 

[Magick Man]

Now you have to go through DAC, amp, and transport blind tests 

Done that too.

DACs - BIG difference. Not a surprise for many here, I'm sure. Aside from new speakers or HPs, this is the next place to put your hard-earned cash.
Amps - Mmmm, some differences, but not as much as you'd think when it comes to solid state gear. There's an area of diminishing returns that becomes really obvious. It's where you can tell <1% improvement for 500% more dough. It's a hobby, not a job, though. So for many that extra 1% is worth it, and more power to them.
Transports - Personally I just buy solid gear, with the features I want, and go with it. I don't own $90,000 Wilsons, and if I did I'd shell out the cash for a Mephisto IIx or something similar. But as it stands, it makes the least amount of difference so I don't let it worry me. I use an Oppo BDP-93 and it's been bloody fantastic, $500 very well spent.

 

[Draygonn]

Yes, I know all about it. All you gotta do is check my sig.  

facepalm.jpg

I didn't think to check sigs. Looks pretty cool. I'll have to check it out when it releases.

 

[maverickronin]

Quote:

Personally, I wish cables did make a difference. It would be awesome to try different ones to play with different combinations, would be like adding another dimension to audio without changing DACs and speakers/cans. But, I've been through enough double-blind tests, even the dreaded coat hanger vs. $2000 interconnect test, to know that they don't.
Hey, it's all good though, leaves more money for those DACs, amps, transports, etc.. right?

Me too.  I wish that I could keep getting improvements in sound by making cables with different materials and what not.  I it would be nice if I could keep getting "the same, but better" out of my current headphones instead of trying to find something with a similar sound sig but better.  In fact since I prefer full size closed 'phones in my current situation there isn't much of anything to upgrade to past my modded T50RPs.  Pretty much anything I think I might like better fantastically expensive making fancy cables a better deal if they did in fact work.  Pity there's no evidence they do.
 
While we're talking about wishes it might be nice to be a Jedi too....

 

[Phos]

Quote:

Me too.  I wish that I could keep getting improvements in sound by making cables with different materials and what not.  I it would be nice if I could keep getting "the same, but better" out of my current headphones instead of trying to find something with a similar sound sig but better.  In fact since I prefer full size closed 'phones in my current situation there isn't much of anything to upgrade to past my modded T50RPs.  Pretty much anything I think I might like better fantastically expensive making fancy cables a better deal if they did in fact work.  Pity there's no evidence they do.
 
While we're talking about wishes it might be nice to be a Jedi too....

Not even a lawton modified set of Denons?  
 

 

[maverickronin]

Quote:

Not even a lawton modified set of Denons?  

 
I might be wrong, but I don't think you can get much isolation out of that design and that's why I need a closed headphone.  There are open headphones with more isolation and less sound leakage than a stock Denon.  Even if you damp the hell out of the cup and use better pads to help the isolation I'm pretty sure the Denons still need the gap/vent between the baffle and cups so the driver can breath a little and a lot of sound seems to get through there.
 
At least that's what I determined when I last looked in to Denon modding.  Have there been new developments?  I'm sort of reluctant to dive in and experiment on something that looks that pessimistic myself given the cost difference between even a D2000 and a T50RP which I know I can isolation out of.

 

[indikator]

Regarding synergy, IMHO it can liken to cooking.
Flavour plus flavour, given certain combination will equal to tasty (which of course is subjective quality).
I always thought that amplifiers are not necessarily neutral or completely transparant. Different circuit will give different color to the sound. I mean just look at guitar amplifier.
I think maybe individual subjective preference or taste is a bit underrated.

 
Quote:

I'll weigh in on the subject of Tyll:  He's a pretty cool guy, eh measures headphones and doesn't afraid of anything.  
 
This thread reminds me of a funny thing about hearing perception.  There was this game for the PS1 called Armored Core where you controlled giant robots.  The robots has a foot fall sound they made whenever they walked, and for the longest time I thought the that left and right feet made slightly different noises for years, but eventually I really listened closely and realized both feet made the same noise.  

@Phos
Hey yeah, something like that happen to me a lot to. Damn perception
 
 
 

 

[maverickronin]

Quote:

Regarding synergy, IMHO it can liken to cooking.
Flavour plus flavour, given certain combination will equal to tasty (which of course is subjective quality).
I always thought that amplifiers are not necessarily neutral or completely transparant. Different circuit will give different color to the sound. I mean just look at guitar amplifier.
I think maybe individual subjective preference or taste is a bit underrated.

Amps can be made neutral.  You just have to design them that way.  Guitar amps are explicitly designed not to be neutral.  Its a musical instrument itself.  Its supposed to create music, not recreate it like a head amp or power amp.  Its like how you wouldn't try and build a violin out of the same materials as a speaker cabinet or replace the strings with something that was stiff and/or self damping like a speaker cone.  They might both produce sound or amplify a signal but they have very different jobs to do.
 
You're right that personal tastes are more important than whatever happens to be neutral or accurate when listening to music for entertainment but I had to respond to the part about there not being transparent amplifiers.