[warpdriver]

Crossfeed is trying to mimic the sound cues which make the headphones sound more speaker-like. So its whole effect is to change the soundstage. It's not subtle either IMO.

I prefer speakers when listening to music. Something that sounds good to me on speakers has an unnatural soundfield when heard on the same headphones. I think you have to be more of a speaker person to understand this. Crossfeed provides a bridge which gives back some of the "speaker-ness" that you hear.

So may like this unnatural imaging, but my brain is not fooled, I never get lost in the soundstage, my brain just says "this is fake". The Headroom crossfeed circuit is good enough to fool my brain into thinking....ah, the image is more consistently 3D and actually homogeneous, instead of a blob of sound at each ear.

 

[Whitebread]

I could impliment the crossfeed into hardware, but I would need to be able to disable/enable it when I wanted. Otherwise, it woudl be stuck in the signal path leading to my actual speakers and I don't think crossfeeding speakers is a good idea.

 

[Patu]

Crossfeed can be activated (in Foobar2000) from Preferences --> Playback --> DSP Manager.

 

[Jeff Wong]

I use the crossfeed in the Grace m902, which is fairly subtle. I find it really does help reduce listener fatigue on extended listening sessions. The effect is more akin to a slight tonal shift than any real dramatic change in soundstage.

 

[Whitebread]

I see the Meier crossfeed is a passive component, and I could impliment it much more easily that thought, but I'd still prefer to build everything I can. Has anyone compared the Modified Linkwitz crossfeed to the Passive Meier? I know Linkwitz is a highly respected person in DIY audio, so I expect this to be pretty good.

 

[warpdriver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whitebread I could impliment the crossfeed into hardware, but I would need to be able to disable/enable it when I wanted.

Crossfeed is always switchable on any amp I've seen. Whether or not it affects the signal path when off is maker dependent. For the most part, I think all of the respected manufacturers that implement crossfeed have made it transparent when off when compared to amps that have no such circuit.

 

[Whitebread]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patu Crossfeed can be activated (in Foobar2000) from Preferences --> Playback --> DSP Manager.

Hmmm, the effect seems to be very subtle. It might be my current headphones, but I guess I really shouldn't pass judgement untill I get my HD650s.

 

[Patu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whitebread Hmmm, the effect seems to be very subtle. It might be my current headphones, but I guess I really shouldn't pass judgement untill I get my HD650s.

Yes well it's not so clearly audible with some newer tracks but try to listen some older tracks like some early days Led Zeppelin and you'll notice the difference.

 

[Whitebread]

Alright, I will try that.

 

[smeggy]

The best crossfeeds are very subtle and may even go unnoticed unless you know what to listen for. I like crossfeed in a number of situations because as was mentioned earlier, mixes are made for speakers and there is nothing more unnatural and less convincing in headphones to have *any* sound coming from a single earpiece. It sounds odd and just doesn't work. A subtle crossfeed will mix things just enough to eliminate that while having very little effect anywhere else. Yes there is always some element of blurring and a slight loss of definition but I find this preferable to being distracted by the totally unnatural left/right seperation.

If recording engineers ever actually listened through the 'phones they mix with, crossfeed would never be necessary except for really old recordings. Crossfeed is to fix engineering faults rather than a sound enhancement to my ears.

 

[Vic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whitebread link to said software crossfeed?

I see from your signature that you have a iRiver H140.
If you have Rockbox installed (if you don't you should get it), there is a software crossfeed built in.

I am trying it out right now, too soon to tell what is worth, but you could check it out

 

[saturnine]

Try listening to the Beatles with crossfeed and then without. Major difference, without xfeed Beatles recordings are almost unlistenable IMO.

*Waiting for Cpt. Crossfeed to post his thoughts

 

[blessingx]

For those on Mac, consider trying Canz3D. You'll need a real-time VST plugin app like Audio Hijack Pro, but with over 25 settings it gives you quite a bit of control.

 

[threepointone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by elrod-tom At work, I listen to music between 5 and 10 hours a day. I find crossfeed to be invaluable for longer listening sessions, as it (for whatever reason) reduces significantly my listening fatigue. I would also note that the further up the equipment chain I go, the less I feel like I need it. Of course, there are some recordings where it's simply priceless... <<== For example...

I just started using crossfeed on my hd280s w/ foobar two days ago--definitely reduces the listening fatigue from using them.

 

[GreatDane]

I use the Meier Corda Cross-1. I've tried listening without it but now that I've become used to it I can't listen for long before I need to switch it back on.