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Author Topic: Let's talk about dynamic range of headphones, and perceived detail.  (Read 2712 times)

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datder

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Re: Let's talk about dynamic range of headphones, and perceived detail.
« Reply #10 on: May 26, 2015, 03:33:39 PM »
Obviously using a dynamic compressor will make low level detail easier to hear.

There's an easy way to end this dynamic range debate though: level match a bunch of different driver technology headphones using pink noise to say, 75 db, play a DR20+ music sample a few seconds long through them and record them using one of your measurement rigs, then analyze the recording with the foobar DR plugin.

FWIW, I've found impulse response on tyll's measurements correlate strongly to subjective dynamic range
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maverickronin

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Re: Let's talk about dynamic range of headphones, and perceived detail.
« Reply #11 on: May 26, 2015, 03:38:03 PM »
Quote from: Anaxilus on May 26, 2015, 03:25:51 PM
90-95 with the proper Sheffield labs percussion track and a proper upstream that can swing it.

I'll let you know if/when the APE rip of that I just looked up on eMule finishes...
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maverickronin

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Re: Let's talk about dynamic range of headphones, and perceived detail.
« Reply #12 on: May 26, 2015, 05:04:14 PM »
Quote from: maverickronin on May 26, 2015, 03:38:03 PM
I'll let you know if/when the APE rip of that I just looked up on eMule finishes...

Hey, it finished already.

Is there a specific track either of you would recommend? 
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Anaxilus

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Re: Let's talk about dynamic range of headphones, and perceived detail.
« Reply #13 on: May 26, 2015, 05:21:00 PM »
One of the improvisations that starts off slow and ascending. Forget which.
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maverickronin

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Re: Let's talk about dynamic range of headphones, and perceived detail.
« Reply #14 on: May 26, 2015, 05:27:53 PM »
Quote from: Anaxilus on May 26, 2015, 05:21:00 PM
One of the improvisations that starts off slow and ascending. Forget which.

I'll give it a try.
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GuruS

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Re: Let's talk about dynamic range of headphones, and perceived detail.
« Reply #15 on: May 26, 2015, 06:52:56 PM »
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Claritas

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Re: Let's talk about dynamic range of headphones, and perceived detail.
« Reply #16 on: May 26, 2015, 07:20:40 PM »
Steve Guttenberg used a similar argument in favor of mp3 http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/its-masters-damit. I don't see what bearing either has if the goal is optimal sound / fidelity.
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n3rdling

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Re: Let's talk about dynamic range of headphones, and perceived detail.
« Reply #17 on: May 26, 2015, 09:59:46 PM »
Dynamic range should be easily measurable; datder suggested a sound experiment.  I think just about any HP will be able to hit at least 115 dB peaks, and if you listen at that level you're probably clinically deaf anyways lol. 

I think when people talk about macrodynamics, they're really after impact and not SPL.  A driver with more impact gives the impression of more dynamics than one without much impact.  At the same time, higher SPL gives more impact from the same driver. 

I doubt macrodynamics will be an issue if talking SPL...unless you're blasting Mahler or something with incredible dynamic range.  Even modern stuff that people think has reference dynamics (Get Lucky, etc) pales in comparison if you actually look at the DR.

Quote from: Anaxilus on May 26, 2015, 03:06:50 PM
Well, considering that reproducing the same dynamic response I can get from a dynamic causes electrostats to bounce off their stators that should probably tell us something.

What did this sound like?
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maverickronin

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Re: Let's talk about dynamic range of headphones, and perceived detail.
« Reply #18 on: May 26, 2015, 10:41:55 PM »
Quote from: Anaxilus on May 26, 2015, 03:06:50 PM
Well, considering that reproducing the same dynamic response I can get from a dynamic causes electrostats to bounce off their stators that should probably tell us something.

Quote from: OJneg on May 26, 2015, 03:26:03 PM
http://www.amazon.com/Sheffield-Track-Drum-Record/dp/B002OTWRD8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1432653836&sr=8-2&keywords=sheffield+test+track


Quote from: Anaxilus on May 26, 2015, 05:21:00 PM
One of the improvisations that starts off slow and ascending. Forget which.

I tried both improves at 98dB SPL, C-weighted, calibrated with white noise, with an SR-207+SRM-252s and noticed no such catastrophic results...

Quote from: n3rdling on May 26, 2015, 09:59:46 PM
Dynamic range should be easily measurable; datder suggested a sound experiment.  I think just about any HP will be able to hit at least 115 dB peaks, and if you listen at that level you're probably clinically deaf anyways lol. 

I think when people talk about macrodynamics, they're really after impact and not SPL.  A driver with more impact gives the impression of more dynamics than one without much impact.  At the same time, higher SPL gives more impact from the same driver. 

I doubt macrodynamics will be an issue if talking SPL...unless you're blasting Mahler or something with incredible dynamic range.  Even modern stuff that people think has reference dynamics (Get Lucky, etc) pales in comparison if you actually look at the DR.

I'm in agreement with this.
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OJneg

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Re: Let's talk about dynamic range of headphones, and perceived detail.
« Reply #19 on: May 27, 2015, 12:10:25 AM »
Quote from: maverickronin on May 26, 2015, 10:41:55 PM
I tried both improves at 98dB SPL, C-weighted, calibrated with white noise, with an SR-207+SRM-252s and noticed no such catastrophic results...

Normally I wouldn't ask but since you're a Stax user I have to... :P You guys don't seem to quite get "reference" levels and don't seem to be bothered by the lack of bass impact

Use A weighting, not C weighting. And pink noise, not white noise. Also, was the noise signal at 0dBFS? -20dBFS? Obviously a 0dBFS signal at 98dBA isn't going to give you dynamic peaks above that. Best to drop any scientific tendencies and go by ear. If you know what a kick-drum sounds like in real life, you want to be playing back at that level.
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