[tbuddha]

Congratulations to Donna. I'm right behind her. I'm getting on the HD595 bandwagon too.

I read Donna's very audiophile-like requirements, and I only have one question. Can you really be all that fussy over mp3s?

I have so far resisted the movement to compressed digital. In fact, I'm going the other way, into DVD-A and SACD. My question is really sincere. I'm interested in opinions about whether all these esoteric audio concerns can be satisfied with mp3 or similar compressed digital source material?

Maybe I should start this thread elsewhere, or maybe this issue is addressed in an area of the board I haven't stumbled into yet. If so, please forgive me. This is my first Head-Fi post.

 

[lindrone]

Short answer is.. "no"

Eventually, MP3 will start to show its weakness, and it no longer offer a satisfying audio experience. It's only a matter of time before you get equipments that'll show that.

Some people can deal with it, or at least die trying to get MP3 to sound as best as possible. Eventually though, most people should be able to tell the difference between CD and MP3 on their system (once you've spent enough money to build a good one.. or just have some really revealing headphones).

 

[bootman]

Quote:

Originally posted by stark23x When I was told "Sorry about your wallet," no one said it was going to hurt like prison sex.

ROTFLMAO!!!
Man, if that doesn't get you a custom title nothing will.

 

[morganafq]

Quote:

Originally posted by LTUCCI1924 HI: Welcome to head-fi. Hey a wife can take and use anything that the other has. Right? The 590 is 97 d/b sensitivity and the 595 is 104 sensitivity almost twice as loud at the same volume. The 595 has angled drivers that have a better sound stage over the 590. The 590 are more laid back over the 595 and the 595 have a lot more presents in sound. I use the 595 out of my portable radio that has a 28 m/w out put and the 595 sounds great. The I pod also has a good out put so you might not need a amp. The 590 are older technology while the 595 is very new technology. New drivers and design and sensitivity. Now there have been a few mixed reviews on the 595 so beware. But as fore me I think the 595 are one awesome headphone. Look you can order them from headroom and have 30 days to try them out and if you don't like them headroom will gladly refund your money. Also some think the 555 is just as good as the 595 but I don't think that is the case. When I read the specs the 595 is a better can on paper. Good luck and again welcome to head-fi. I think its great that a couple can enjoy the same Hobie. Just remember that it will become very important that your rig sounds better than your husbands. LOL.

Finally! Posting privileges!

Well, as my husband already reported, we went ahead and bought the 595s, in no small part due to your insightful comments. I am greatly looking forward to giving them a good run out of the gate and seeing if they will live up to my expectations.

Oh, and as I told my husband last night, this isn't a hobby... it's a lifestyle.

Thank you for all your help!

 

[LTUCCI1924]

.

 

[morganafq]

Quote:

Originally posted by tbuddha Congratulations to Donna. I'm right behind her. I'm getting on the HD595 bandwagon too. I read Donna's very audiophile-like requirements, and I only have one question. Can you really be all that fussy over mp3s? I have so far resisted the movement to compressed digital. In fact, I'm going the other way, into DVD-A and SACD. My question is really sincere. I'm interested in opinions about whether all these esoteric audio concerns can be satisfied with mp3 or similar compressed digital source material? Maybe I should start this thread elsewhere, or maybe this issue is addressed in an area of the board I haven't stumbled into yet. If so, please forgive me. This is my first Head-Fi post.

Thank you for your good wishes and for your kind comments regarding my little essay. I won't pretend to have the knowledge my other half does on this issue, but I will address the general point you wisely bring up.

Of course there will always be problems with mp3s. It will never have the true quality of the original media - you are absolutely right. It becomes, for me at least, a game of balances. I could sink all my money into high end gear and spend my life either constantly changing CDs or making mixes or buying changers. Heck, I think the stereo in my car is worth more than my car itself, so it's not like I haven't tried that. And, in truth, it took a great deal of convincing by my husband to get me to give an iPod a shot because I could hear a degredation in the quality of the music.

However, I reached a point where I just had too many damn CDs. I was constantly changing everything, my source wasn't nearly good enough and I didn't have the money to replace it. The idea of the portability and ease of use of the iPod just became more and more attractive to me, and now I have been sucked in by the ease of use and the myriad number of features that iTunes and the iPod can offer me. Can I hear a difference in sound? Of course. But, for me, it was a trade off - a bit off the sound for the ease of use and the features.

Now, I think it's probably painfully obvious that I won't be fully happy until iPods have much larger drives and we can keep our music as uncompressed as possible which will offer the best reproduction of sound - the best of all worlds. In anticipation of that day, I shall be saving pennies and returning bottles to pay for what I am sure will be a expensive piece of equipment, but one I feel will be well worth it. Heck, considering all I really spend money on right now is audio gear, professional wrestling and cute outfits from Victoria's Secret I think I'll do okay.

So there's my little polemnic on the subject.

Hope that answers at least some of your questions. Again, it's nice to finally be here and thanks to all for the warm welcomes!

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally posted by tbuddha Can you really be all that fussy over mp3s?

I've been running my mp3 player through the Baby Orpheus. It's an improvement over the EMP/RS-1 I had been using.

Next question.

 

[davvy]

Quote:

all I really spend money on right now is audio gear, professional wrestling and cute outfits from Victoria's Secret

You could combine all three hobbies and do some wrestling in one of your cute outfits, while listening to some of your audio gear.

Wish my wife was like you .......

 

[wallijonn]

Lou,

Since when did "specs on paper" ever mean anything to you?

Mrs. Stark,

You might want to use the search function for other iPod owners and see what they say in the other iPod threads. This is not to have you second guess your purchase but to see how your hearing agrees with theirs.

From what you said I got a picture of a flat headphone with good transient response and a wide soundstage. I'll be looking to read your review. And I'm hoping that you and Mr. Stark will attend a NYC or CT or MA meet in the future.

Welcome to Head-Fi.

edit: added smiley. But Lou knows that I don't mean any harm. I just don't like using smileys.

 

[LTUCCI1924]

.

 

[oneeyedhobbit]

For those of you questioning Lindrone and others on mp3s...I thought like that not so long ago. Then I foolishly tried LAME and noticed a huge improvement...1 month and $1000 later...

 

[stark23x]

Quote:

Originally posted by wallijonn And I'm hoping that you and Mr. Stark will attend a NYC or CT or MA meet in the future.

I know I would love to at some point. I'm sure once she gets the idea that she can sample all that expensive gear, she wioll too!

 

[Jasper994]

For someone new to high-end headphones, the 590's are a dream come true. Lots of detail, good bass, etc. The problem comes when you notice that there is something missing in the midrange that causes you to turn up the volume louder than normal. This is okay at first, but becomes very fatiguing. I own a pair, and while I really like them for short period DVD-A listening sessions, I generally use my HD280 Pros since they have a much more balanced sound. In fact, I would highly recommend the 280s with just one side note: They take a very long time to burn in so they sound right and breaking them in so they are comfortable takes at least two weeks.

 

[stuartr]

One thing I will just add in -- I don't think you should worry about getting an amp immediately. I think in portables, amps really are a pain in the arse. I have one, but I never use it. You are just adding another thing to carry, another thing to get batteries for, another thing to turn on, and another thing to connect to the player. Portable setups are about ease -- most of the benefit you get from the amp is really neglible if you are out on the move or in a noisy environment anyway. If you are going to use it at home, that is a totally different story. That said, the 590s are pretty efficient phones, and if the 595's are in the same trend, you are not going to notice as much sound denegration as you would with say the HD 600s. Of course, they will not sound their best, but they will not sound horrible. Just my .02.

 

[lini]

Donna: I wouldn't really recommend the HD 595 for portable applications (and it sounds a bit grainy, anyway

) - maybe you should give the Beyerdynamic DT440 a try.

Greetings from Hannover!

Manfred / lini