Topic: The All Purpose Advice Thread (Read 139949 times)

Darsus · « **Reply #650 on:** October 22, 2014, 07:21:43 AM »

Quote from: c61746961 on October 22, 2014, 12:10:31 AM

See here and here. They seem to have a sensitivity of 98 dB SPL @ 1mw, 56 ohm.

Thank you. Don't have time to read this properly, but from what I understood 32ohm headphones needs double less power than 120ohm ones, so based on that, 56ohm really doesn't look like much difference.

@marvey

This! This totally explains variety in posts that I've found. "Need an amp/don't need an amp/need but just for volume, it changes nothing"

Yes, sometimes you need to boost volume, it's a subjective thing. However! I think some people are used to listening at crazy volumes. I remember when I got my HD215 (they are 32ohm tho) (they are my first, hm, good headphones) i was kinda dissapointed with their loudness, and listened for some time on 100% (yes, that's bad), but after some time I realized that I'm perfectly fine with 40%-70%.

Somebody also explained (i assume HD668b are similar to AKG K240 in other aspects, not just external design) that the problem with 240 is they have that space between ear and phone, but the other thing is, I have some active Genius speakers (yes, they are horrible), I can use them as an amp to test songs on higher volumes (did it with HD215). Since they have bass and treble, I can match it pretty much with flat laptop settings, but they don't change sound very much on 0 0, just add little bit of bass, but that's because of power I guess.

I think we have a winner!

Thank you guys! Love this forum, wish I found it earlier.

donunus · « **Reply #651 on:** October 22, 2014, 08:15:58 AM »

The short version of whether cans need an amp or not is not as easy as looking at the impedance alone. It is a combination of impedance, sensitivity, and how much that impedance fluctuates within the spectrum

Thad E Ginathom · « **Reply #652 on:** October 22, 2014, 08:51:35 AM »

Quote from: marvey on October 22, 2014, 12:48:29 AM

Sometimes however with more power, you will hear a greater ease of presentation or perhaps more detail because an amp provides more juice for a headphone to properly do its thing. Just keep an open mind and realize that it can go either way. Win with some things. Lose with others. Trade offs.

Is it as much to do with the output quality of the thing, amp or not, than just the factor of amplification?

I guess ATH-AD900 is not a headphone people would say "needs an amp," it is a fairly common-or-garden plug-into-anything thing. I used to connect it to the headphone-out of a Echo Audio interface. One night, when there was no internet to sit in front of, I walked across the room and connected it to the hp socket of a Cyrus integrated amplifier and was just amazed at the difference. It was instant wow as the deep bass of the opening bars of Mahler's first symphony hit my ears and I realised that the headphone had previously-unexplored depths.

NB: this is a newbie post, more question than assertion of fact. This is my first serious headphone; my second is arriving this week.

Darsus · « **Reply #653 on:** October 22, 2014, 12:20:16 PM »

Sennheiser HD 215 don't need an amp, but when I plugged them in my Genius speakers (they probably have very crappy amp), I could go louder and bass was stronger, i supose because of power, but also mids and highs suffered a bit because of more bass. Probably it's true that you have to compensate things when you are going louder with crappy amps. Btw, they are often criticised as headphones with lack of bass, but that's not true, they just aren't bass exaggerated, they have awesome bass, but in line with other frequencies. It took me some time to adapt, but now I love them for listening (I use flat EQ, and I listen to some bass demanding music, drum n bass mostly and still find them awesome in bass section!). Just getting louder signal and more bass didn't really make them sound "better" for me.

I think the main problem is that people are used to listen to music at very high volumes and with boosted bass. It's like with sweets, don't eat any for a month, then try Mars for example, and you will taste how too much sweet it is.

On the other side, I supose it's total different world with headphones of 600ohm, but from most that I've found even at 80 iz not that necessary, pretty much in words that Marvey wrote.

P.S. I'm far from the expert, just saying from my limited knowlegde and what I've found on the net. Listening to some pretty bass demanding electronic music on HD 215 that are considered weak bass phones, at volumes just 50% 60% on the laptop, and getting used to it after some time, and not just used to it, but loving how it sounds(!), really opened my eyes.

Darsus · « **Reply #654 on:** October 23, 2014, 03:40:38 AM »

It's me again. Man, this problem will never stop. I feel guilty for posting this often here.

I have a problem for about a year with my laptop/headphones. From time to time (it's not that noticable, but it is when it's gone) my headphones start sounding louder and when I go high on volume, borderline blown out, not blown out, but borderline blown out. For example, what volume I could get with 100%, now I'm getting with 70%. This periods occur from time to time, sometimes it's normal for a month, sometimes sounds this borderline blown out and louder for that amount of time too. I tried before with reinstaling the drivers but it didn't help.

Is it soundcard broken, or headphones? If it's soundcard, what external you recommend to me? Since I'm getting my Superlux HD668B I don't want any worse sound than this. Btw, I considered this (integrated) soundcard pretty good, when I switched it between it and my friends M-Audio external soundcard, I couldn't notice any difference really. And, the last one, will I be able to get more volume with external soundcard, or not? I don't need it for recording, just headphones (and maybe speakers), so it would be pointless if it wouldn't make any difference in sound/volume to buy some M-Audio (for example) instead of some cheaper that will do the job. Cheap as it can be, of course.

spoony · « **Reply #655 on:** October 23, 2014, 03:54:27 AM »

These guys sell really cheap DACs in various configurations. They seem like a good value, haven't tried them, though.

Darsus · « **Reply #656 on:** October 23, 2014, 05:50:26 AM »

Quote from: c61746961 on October 23, 2014, 03:54:27 AM

These guys sell really cheap DACs in various configurations. They seem like a good value, haven't tried them, though.

Seems good, but there are 2 problems.

1. I leave in Serbia, so ordering something is very difficult here. (Yes, we aren't like many people imagine us, but shipping is still problem for Eastern Europe)

2. I'm saving money currently for something bigger, so my budget is not great. I need something that will cover the qualities of my current integrated soundcard in terms of both, sound quality and volume (if it can be even better, great! But I'm not delusional, searching for something life changing, I'm objective), I don't want less sound quality or less volume. (As I mentioned, current laptop card doesn't sound bad at all comapring to some external soundcards, I actually couldn't notice the difference)

Will try to find some other pair of HD 215 to compare it, to see if problem is really in soundcard (but I assume it is).

Darsus · « **Reply #657 on:** October 23, 2014, 06:23:35 AM »

It's sounding normal again when I turn it to max, slight distortion but not blown out like sound, it's driving me nuts.

Is it possible for soundcard to behave like that that if it's screwed?

Marvey · « **Reply #658 on:** October 23, 2014, 06:32:26 AM »

Quote from: Darsus on October 23, 2014, 03:40:38 AM

It's me again. Man, this problem will never stop. I feel guilty for posting this often here.

Don't feel that way. You have a real problem. No idea on the sound card. Strange things happen on computers. What player are you using? I don't know if it's possible to bypass the Windows mixer and use WASAPI or kernel streaming?

Either way, I don't think you can do worse quality than your internal sound card. However, I've noticed that most internal sound cards sound a little bit on the warm side. So if you end up getting something like an external sound card, you might get a brighter sound. Maybe. But as you said, you don't hear any difference from your friend's M-Audio.

Darsus · « **Reply #659 on:** October 23, 2014, 07:11:15 AM »

Yes, friend of mine also mentioned to me that it could be problem with software, not hardware, even tho drivers are not the problem (or we didn't reinstall them properly last time, but I doubt). But as you said, strange things happen.

I use aimp2. I also noticed that music from my browser (youtube, soundcloud) is not loud like from the player (aimp2), but that's maybe in general like that, not just on my laptop?

Never used WASAPI or kernel streaming. Can use ASIO in my DAW to compare sounds from different drivers if that's of any usage? (Now there is no difference in volume)

What I'm afraid of the most that this problem might affect the new phones that I'm getting and wear them out.

Author Topic: The All Purpose Advice Thread (Read 139949 times)

Darsus

Re: The All Purpose Advice Thread

donunus

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Thad E Ginathom

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Darsus

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Darsus

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spoony

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Darsus

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Darsus

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Marvey

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Darsus

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Author Topic: The All Purpose Advice Thread (Read 139949 times)