[swmtnbiker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by boomana /img/forum/go_quote.gif Everyone definitely needs to learn the intricacies, as you said, of this hobby on their own, which really is a fun part of the hobby, but it's quite another to have misinformation spread around a forum dedicated to discussing audio equipment seriously.

Well this IS an internet forum. Misinformation just goes with the territory.

It's up to the more experienced members to challenge and debunk.

 

[aimlink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dpippel /img/forum/go_quote.gif IMO making mistakes and bad decisions are part of the journey. A very important part. Discovering the intricacies of this hobby ON ONE'S OWN is one of the things that makes it fun and interesting. Going from 0 MPH to the speed of sound without being exposed to everything that lies in between and learning from those experiences is a worthless quest as far as I'm concerned. Too many people want instant gratification these days. Buying an expensive headphone and being disappointed with the sound when it's jacked into a soundcard is a part of that process. When someone goes this route, they come here and ask questions. They are then enlightened. I don't see that as a "failure" on the part of the Head-Fi community, I see it as this place working as it should be.

There's another attitude that could be behind plugging that high end can into the soundcard and that is, instant gratification. One chooses to forego the advice re: the amp because he/she can't afford it, but still wants the can anyway, not knowing that a can that's a lot cheaper would end up actually sounding better unamped than the expensive one. It's another symptom of short-cutting to get gratified a lot earlier. When I started out on this headphone/gear journey, I knew nothing of head-fi. I just started browsing the more expensive cans on Amazon. The good ones had sometimes 100's of reviews. MANY recommended amps and this is why I got my first amp in and around the same time I got my first decent can.

BTW, I do also believe in going the rugged road, making mistakes and bad choices along the way. If you take too much advice, you never develop the ability to make up your own mind. You end up making others decide what's good for your ears and then one day you end up bored, unexcited about the sound of your system, and wondering why. You proceed to blame everything else rather than that you are not going about pleasing your own ears, but instead the approval of others on Head-Fi.

 

[3602]

Bingo. High-end cans "making sound" doesn't always mean "good sound". I got my Total Airhead to drive beyer DT880-32 having excellent results, however I know the Micro (or a home receiver) can drive it much better yet.

 

[tvrboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aimlink /img/forum/go_quote.gif BTW, I do also believe in going the rugged road, making mistakes and bad choices along the way. If you take too much advice, you never develop the ability to make up your own mind.

I agree 100%. I only made this post cause I made some bad decisions. But I also think if we can stop the spread of disinformation, we should.

 

[Bullseye]

I disagree completely with the OP's message.

By writing this you are making newcomers think that they must spend a fortune to get a "close to ideal" sound, and it is not true. A good amplifier is not expensive. A good source is a portable CD player or a PMP, even a soundcard (EMU cards for example).

Yeah listen to what xnor is saying.

 

[xnor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tvrboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes, I have run a 600 ohm K240 and 300 ohm HD650 from an ipod, from a total bithead, and from my computer soundcard. They don't sound good!

What's that mean, they don't sound good? Is there distortion? Or clipping? Or what else?

 

[aimlink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tvrboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif I agree 100%. I only made this post cause I made some bad decisions. But I also think if we can stop the spread of disinformation, we should.

Like this headphone leaves that one in the dust, and utterly decimates that other one over there and is superior in every way to this other one over here.... all said without that very important disclaimer ...'to my ears!!'. We need a modification of the community motto 'sorry about your wallet'.

Sorry about your wallet... and .. don't forget to nurture trust in your own ears.

 

[aimlink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bullseye /img/forum/go_quote.gif I disagree completely with the OP's message. By writing this you are making newcomers think that they must spend a fortune to get a "close to ideal" sound, and it is not true. A good amplifier is not expensive. A good source is a portable CD player or a PMP, even a soundcard (EMU cards for example). Yeah listen to what xnor is saying.

Wow! I think you misunderstood the OP completely.

 

[tvrboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xnor /img/forum/go_quote.gif What's that mean, they don't sound good? Is there distortion? Or clipping? Or what else?

Distortion? Yes. Clipping? Yes.

 

[jyle_t]

Personally i wouldn't use a HD800 or even D7000 via an ipod. They don't provide a 3.5mm adapter, that's gotta mean something.

 

[pearljam5000]

I'm not really sure about this,one member here(can't tell his name) PM'ed,and said to me that that STX has an amplifier with similar quality to amplifiers costing 600$,and he has exprience,and i trust his words.
so in my opinion,it is nearly impossible to know the definite truth.

 

[boomana]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bullseye /img/forum/go_quote.gif I disagree completely with the OP's message. By writing this you are making newcomers think that they must spend a fortune to get a "close to ideal" sound, and it is not true. A good amplifier is not expensive. A good source is a portable CD player or a PMP, even a soundcard (EMU cards for example). Yeah listen to what xnor is saying.

The OP said nothing about money, and there are certainly good amplifiers that aren't expensive, but sometimes money does enter the equation, especially with some very high-end headphones that are capable of revealing even subtle changes in the audio chain. The Stax O2 is a very revealing headphone. Unfortunately, the very few amps that drive it well are expensive. That's just the way it is. Since the DIY guys are busy working on some 'stat amps right now, maybe that will change in a couple years, but for now, no one who has heard a lot of different amps with the O2s can deny it's the reality. There are a lot more choices with dynamic headphones, and finding the right component synergy isn't always about spending the most money, but it sometimes is.

I absolutely believe that you can get good sound on even the smallest of budgets, but to give newbies the impression that some high-end headphones won't reveal the quality of the components you're using is 100% false. Some folks think that portable amps can drive the 650s well. That is 100% false, though they can sure make them loud, and some folks will enjoy the sound. There are even differences in portable CD players. I have an old Denon pdcp that I picked up for cheap. The sound quality through the line out into a portable amp is noticeably different than with a couple newer players (more expensive) I've tried. Soundcards can be good, but c'mon....as compared to what is the real question, and using which headphones, as some will reveal differences, some won't.

 

[tvrboy]

I just went back and re-read boomana's sticky, cause it's been several months since I read it. I think there's a lot of great stuff in there. Anybody reading this who hasn't read that, go read it now!

 

[MrGreen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xnor /img/forum/go_quote.gif What's that mean, they don't sound good? Is there distortion? Or clipping? Or what else?

For some reason you seem to give the impression that you think that either headphones aren't electrical systems or that amps are just a sum of their gain which is far from true.

 

[midoo1990]

i disagree completely with the OP message too.if you get a headphone that suits the ipod and easy to drive and listened to it,yes it will sound 100% as they should sound be cause it is recomended or advertised to the ipod.However,if you get say HD800 or the k701 and paired it with the ipod,they will sound at best 60-70% and yet this percentage will sound better than the the other 100% headphone.yes the amp does make difference and if i plugged my k701 in the ipod,the sound will well... become worse BUT not bad or unlistenable as everyone is saying,the amp improves about 30-40% of the sound and some people find the 60% they get from the headphone is very enjoyable that they can sacrifice the other 30%.this depends entirely on the psychology and satisfaction level of the listener.just my thoughts.