[Music Alchemist]

  second hand. i thought that it is a slang term or something?

 
It's a well-known phrase; I've just never seen it abbreviated. XD
 
Proponents of burn-in may expect certain used headphones to sound better than new, though.
 
The real risk of buying used is the lack of any return policy. You'd have to sell them yourself instead of simply returning them.

 

[DonutDeflector]

YKYAAW you think of headphones like Pokémon to be traded for ones with more enhanced abilities, or perhaps ingredients for an alchemical transmutation.

(Just metaphors for getting rid of some of my headphones in order to afford better ones!)

HD 800 used Bass Cannon!
It was not very effective.

iBuds use clarity!
It was not very effective.

HD 800 used Soundstage!
It was very effective!

iBuds defeated!

 

[kilspeed111]

HD 800 used Bass Cannon!
It was not very effective.

iBuds use clarity!
It was not very effective.

HD 800 used Soundstage!
It was very effective!

iBuds defeated!

The HD800 might not hit hard, but it hits deep though

 

[399942]

del

 

[Music Alchemist]

  YKYAAW you're considering the BItfrost but don't want to pay the extra 100$ for USB, nut notice your Fiio E10K has a coax out on it, but you're concerned that using the E10K as a USB >> Coax might affect SQ? (versus using your surround receiver or something?)

 
For what it's worth, a few people published listening tests between the Modi and Bifrost and couldn't reliably detect a difference.

 

[Dobrescu George]

YKYAAW you watch anime only with good headphones, because you really love how the soundtracks of some anime sound like. I have just began kurokami, but hellsing hat that amazing soundtrack.
 
YKYAAW you just started motorpsycho but you know somehow that it was one of the greatest things!
 
YKYAAW you actually have a different playlist for working out, but it is made in ogg level 10, of faster songs.
 
YKYAAW you spend more time listening to music than working on an assigment for school, even if you are due tomorrow, and you really should, then even when working on it, it is done with music!

 

[Music Alchemist]

  YKYAAW you watch anime only with good headphones, because you really love how the soundtracks of some anime sound like. I have just began kurokami, but hellsing hat that amazing soundtrack.

 
I'm watching A Certain Magical Index now. Easily one of the best anime I've seen. "PSI-missing" by Mami Kawada is a cool opening theme. I'm really excited that there is a spin-off series called A Certain Scientific Railgun starring my favorite character from the previous series. (Who is my current avatar.)
 
YKYAAW you want to license and release all anime soundtracks (including unreleased music) in lossless digital format.

 

[Lethe]

YKYAAW you start describing sonic characteristics of songs in technical terms you learn from the internet to describe good headphones vs not so good headphones and end up describing them in weird noises and hand motions with weird metaphors.
Eg. on Aphex Twin - minipops 67 [120.2][source field mix], the first 8 seconds is a good way to test how well your headphones handle the synergy between midbass and lower bass, it's quite complex and headphones that have muddy bass can push out a very congested lower end and it loses detail and coherence. A pair of headphones which has good bass can bring out the texture of the midbass while leaving a black space between the midbass and the lower bass so that neither interferes with each other and there's a good separation in the output so that the midbass and lower bass compliment each other with the conclusion of a dark, complex, and textural contrast within the low end in general. Like, you know, the part when it starts you get that deep "BOOM" that's followed by the droning "tchuu-tchuu-tchuu-tchrruuu tsch tchuu-tchuu" punctuated with steps of more deep "BOOM's" in between but some of the "BOOM's" are more like really deep "THOOOM's" and it's layered with more "BOOM's" which sound like short DHOONN's, so headphones with muddy bass will make the deep and low "BOOM's" bleed into the super low "THOOOM's" and that just cuts into the short "DHOONNs", melting and fusing the bass into an ingot of messy sounds. Also with headphones with really detailed bass, you can really make out  "rrs" at the end of certain "BOOMs" and short "DHOONNs" so they sound very clearly like "BOOMrrrs" and "DHOONNrrs". 
 
 
*ends up doing modern interpretive dance with hand movements to "capture the sound with motion"*

 

[Music Alchemist]

  YKYAAW you start describing sonic characteristics of songs in technical terms you learn from the internet to describe good headphones vs not so good headphones and end up describing them in weird noises and hand motions with weird metaphors.

[Aphex Twin]

 
Classic.
 
Electronic music is so awesome. ^_^
 
I'm listening to that song on my V-MODA Crossfade LP as I'm typing this. These headphones have too much bass quantity and not enough quality, but it's still pretty satisfying!

 

[Lethe]

   
Classic.
 
Electronic music is so awesome. ^_^
 
I'm listening to that song on my V-MODA Crossfade LP as I'm typing this. These headphones have too much bass quantity and not enough quality, but it's still pretty satisfying!

Oh yea the V-MODA Crossfades are quite bass heavy, but the thing about Aphex Twin's music is that even if your gear doesn't have the detail retrieval ability to pick up the subtle nuances that he hides in his tracks, you can still feel *handwavey motion* much of the music and enjoy it! 

 

[Music Alchemist]

  Oh yea the V-MODA Crossfades are quite bass heavy, but the thing about Aphex Twin's music is that even if your gear doesn't have the detail retrieval ability to pick up the subtle nuances that he hides in his tracks, you can still feel *handwavey motion* much of the music and enjoy it! 

 
I will receive the Focal Spirit Professional and Philips SHP9500 in a few days, so I'll see what improvements I hear on that song with those soon.
 
By the way, you should list your gear on your profile/signature!

 

[399942]

For what it's worth, a few people published listening tests between the Modi and Bifrost and couldn't reliably detect a difference.

Very interesting... I feel like it's a big price difference for their to be little difference sonically.

 

[Music Alchemist]

Very interesting... I feel like it's a big price difference for their to be little difference sonically.

 
I don't have the final answer when it comes to DACs. I plan on eventually getting at least a few really expensive ones and properly comparing to the affordable stuff. Even if they do sound different, the Sound Science people would just say that they are "colored" and therefore inferior to affordable DACs, which they insist are already perfect.

 

[399942]

del

 

[Music Alchemist]

So what you're (sound science guys) saying is that an affordable DAC is hypothetically superior to higher end DACs, because higher end DACs just color the sound versus improving it without colorization?

 
I'm not saying that; they are. Or rather, they are saying that the DACs in affordable equipment already reproduce audio perfectly, and anything that sounds different is coloring the sound, which is not desirable from a high-fidelity standpoint. On the other hand, I've read a lot about DAC design and do not agree with them. I believe that some of the more expensive DACs get closer to reproducing the audio accurately. I have not seen conclusive proof either way. Maybe someday I will come to my own conclusion, after acquiring more experience.