[needanamp]

1) What is crossfeed?

2) i have one other question to all you source > amp > headphones users.
How do you live without an equalizer? IMHO, equing music can turn pieces of crap into nice iems(A treble boost really opens up my sond mdr-EX71 fontopias). Surely having eq on (like treble boost - Ipod) on your source means that the sound goes through the crappy internal amp of the DAP (or whatever your source may be) and therefore the amp is amplifying a poor quality, coloured source resulting in a bad, but expensive setup????

 

[Spareribs]

Crossfeed is when you hear the music in a less stereo and more mono way.
Some people think that headphones seperate the stereo too much so a crossfeed mechanism can make the stereo seperation less obvious and more nataural as if you are listening in front of speakers.

I don't like equalizers because it's too much work. I'd rather just push play, listen and relax. Plus they take up extra space. There are a lot of people who do use equalizers though, especailly with Mp3 players.

 

[Hardwired]

I agree with needanamp about EQs. I HAVE to have an EQ to remove a chunk of midrange and maybe lightly boost the top end, but mostly to remove the midrange that sounds like the AM radio in my Dad's Chrysler.

And no one seems to make good ones any more so I have to buy vintage Yamaha and Kenwood EQs on eBay. The TEAC and Audio Source EQs you can get new these days are, um, not good, and I'll leave it at that.

As for crossfeed I'm waiting for my first Corda amp to arrive and then I'll know, so I'm in the same boat you are wondering about it.

 

[GAD]

I haven't used an EQ in ages. Mostly the one's I've seen and/or heard are just something else in the signal that doesn't need to be there. With a good source, a good amp and good phones, I generally don't feel the need to EQ.

As an extreme example, the EQ in my iPod mucks up the signal something fierce.

GAD

 

[GreatDane]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hardwired /img/forum/go_quote.gif And no one seems to make good ones any more so I have to buy vintage Yamaha and Kenwood EQs on eBay.

You need to look at pro sound EQs. dbx makes a nice dual 31-band for $200.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...-EQ?sku=183527

 

[musicmind]

"Crossfeeding blends the left and right stereo channels slightly, reducing the extreme channel separation characteristic of headphone listening that is known to cause headaches in a small fraction of listeners (and compensating for extreme separation in older stereo releases)."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headphone_amplifier

Another explanation

"Crossfeed :
To help reduce listening fatigue caused by the unnatural stereo image provided by headphones, Crossfeed processes the left and right channels of stereo audio signals with a filter that mimics the sound absorption characteristics of the human head. After running through this filter, it then mixes a delayed portion of the left and right channels with each other to simulate the delay that occurs when listening to audio signals through stereo speakers positioned approximately 60 degrees apart from each other. The effect is subtle."

Found that explanation on this page, with some plugins :

http://www.naivesoftware.com/software.html

Another plugin to try...

 

[M0T0XGUY]

Keep in mind that many consider the sound through a Crossfeed filter to be muddy, boomy, and unnatural, because what it's doing is blurring the left and right channels ever so slightly but noticeably. My advice would be to only use the filter if you genuinely think that listening to headphones is an uncomfortable experience, otherwise there's no need for it.

 

[scompton]

I own 2 inexpensive portable amps with crossfeed, iBasso T1 and Practical Devices XM4. I like both amps, but I'm unimpressed with crossfeed on both. Maybe it sounds better on a higher end amp, but I'll never look for it on an amp I purchase.

I've never used EQ. It looks like too much work to me. I'm too busy listening to the music

 

[needanamp]

ok thanks guys

 

[twsmith]

Crossfeed can be a mixed blessing. I suppose in those rare recordings -- usually older material with hyperexaggerated stereo effect -- engaging the crossfeed circuit can make these more tolerable to some people (personally this has never bothered me). However, at least to my ears, most of the time crossfeed does more harm than good. The processing that occurs through these circuits usually compromises resolution/detail in the recording, producing more mellow highs but removing the shimmer of cymbals and impact of sharp transients. Also if the recording soundstage was fairly well-reproduced to begin with, engaging the crossfeed can actually ruin the effect and make the soundstage unnatural. Once you accept that crossfeed will not turn your headphones into speakers (which it won't), then you may discover that you can live without it altogether! At least the good thing is that the circuit can be disengaged if you decide you don't like it, and I don't think it adds much at all to the overall cost of the headphone amp. If you're not aware yet, many headphone amps do not have crossfeed circuits, so you need to do some shopping around.

 

[warpdriver]

Crossfeed is a great feature, and if done properly, it shouldn't make things muddier.

It gives you more a bit of sense of real space rather than a couple of blobs inside your head. It's a nice tool to have, sometimes you don't need it, but other times, it makes a nice difference.

 

[musicmind]

In case you didnt see it, you might want to check out this thread about crossfeed plugins :

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showth...ight=crossfeed

 

[alfo999]

I agree with needanamp about EQs. I HAVE to have an EQ to remove a chunk of midrange and maybe lightly boost the top end, but mostly to remove the midrange that sounds like the AM radio in my Dad's Chrysler.

And no one seems to make good ones any more so I have to buy vintage Yamaha and Kenwood EQs on eBay. The TEAC and Audio Source EQs you can get new these days are, um, not good, and I'll leave it at that.

As for crossfeed I'm waiting for my first Corda amp to arrive and then I'll know, so I'm in the same boat you are wondering about it.

why does crossfeed only "turn on" when using an amp or dac/amp? And are there dac/amps more suitable than others for crossfeed?