Recent comments in /f/headphones

MisinformationALWAYS t1_j1j10tm wrote

Reply to Is the HD 820 THAT BAD? by CogSci2022

I actually like them and don't find anything offensive about their presentation. They sound super spacious for closed back and out the box do bass the way my HD800S does after I add a bass shelf so it solves that problem.

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covertash t1_j1ixdgm wrote

Reply to Is the HD 820 THAT BAD? by CogSci2022

I personally have not tried them (yet), but from my experiences, take what you read with a grain of salt until you can try them out for yourself. Either my tolerance for "bad sound" is quite high, or it's that people are capable of exaggerating to the point of hyperbole.

To be fair, you do also have to take into account the asking price for what's being offered; and it's the same with any other headphone. Take for example the Focal Elegia and Hifiman HE6se v2, both were largely deemed as "not worth it" at their respective MSRP's, and for a variety of reasons. However, now that Adorama are pricing them at or below the $400 mark, suddenly, more and more people can now tolerate the faults (i.e. sound quality, build quality, comfort, etc.), which by the way have not changed - only the prices have.

So, for an MSRP of $2399, it's understandable that the expectations for the HD820 didn't quite meet the mark, but for used prices of ~$1000 (or less for some lucky few), can they now become acceptable? It's all just a matter of perspective. :)

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CPOx t1_j1iwzte wrote

Reply to How do you pronounce Schiit Audio? by CogSci2022

It's pronounced shit.

At the start of the covid pandemic, they even started offering toilet paper with "Schiit" on it as a joke when the toilet paper supply was so low. Looks like they still offer it. https://www.schiit.com/products/toilet-paper

edit to add:

The have a physical location they call the Schittr (shitter). They had a product called the Schiit Eitr (shit eater). They still offer the Schiit Fulla (full of shit). They really lean in on the whole shit thing.

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Svstem OP t1_j1iuqad wrote

Reply to Planars on speaker amps (HE-6, LCD-4, HEKv1) by Svstem

Despite not always being enthralled with planars, I’ve appreciated their capabilities. In fact, three of my favorite headphones, the original HE-6, HE-1000 v1 and LCD-4, function through this modality.

I personally enjoy the changes enabled by source gear, which I confirmed by blind testing. I notably appreciate using high-powered stereo amplifiers directly from speaker taps with low efficiency planars, which require strong current. The HE-6, for example, will bring most headphone amps on the market to clipping point, so it is popularly used with speaker gear. In my experience this delivers significant improvements mainly in dynamics and transients. Things sound more immediate and livelier even when volume matching. My current pairing is the Dangerous Music Convert 2 DAC, into the Bryston BHA-1 which feeds the 4BSST2 as pre-amp, although I would be open to exploring a dedicated pre-amp.

Having been fortunate to use HE-6 on multiple stereo setups, to me this setup brings out its aggressive and textured qualities the most. This is indeed a special headphone, and one of the most visceral I’ve ever heard. I've written an extensive breakdown of its sound on my blog, and appreciate it to this day.

The LCD-4 is also very special. Extremely resolving (despite a dipped upper midrange/low treble region), smooth in tone, with potent dynamic contrast (including bass). It’s a winning combo for me, although some will be annoyed by the tonal tilt.

And, finally, the HE-1000 v1, known as the “rich” egg-shaped HiFiMAN headphone, which I tend to agree with. Take something like an Arya, add some reverb in the bass, soften up the lower midrange, push out the stage laterally and you have the HEK v1. Not as lively as the other two, but the "wall of sound" presentation still remains special.

The three are always very enjoyable to jam out to. Feel free to share your experiences with planar magnetic headphones!

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SmartOpinion69 t1_j1iug1k wrote

Reply to Most unreliable AMP I’ve ever owned - DROP THX AAA 789 by uqil

companies should not be allowed to sell shitty hardware like this. amp/dacs usually just sit on a table without much physical movement. you should contact customer support and accuse them of knowingly selling shoddy hardware because it's the second one that died on you, and see if you can get a warranty or possibly a refund. if not, try contacting your bank and give them screenshots of both your receipts for buying this item twice and maybe a bunch of screenshots from other people having issues. see if your bank will stand by your side and force a chargeback. if not, then the best you can do is sell both your amps "as is" on ebay to recoup some of the costs.

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covertash t1_j1itvif wrote

Reply to Most unreliable AMP I’ve ever owned - DROP THX AAA 789 by uqil

Weird. Mine was from the second drop, which I received in January of 2019, and I haven't used it much in the past year, but I fired mine back up just to make sure, and it still works fine.

Perhaps, as with a lot of things, the quality standards aren't the same as pre-pandemic times, which is a shame. :(

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PolarBearSequence t1_j1iqflh wrote

Reply to Is the HD 820 THAT BAD? by CogSci2022

It sure looks awesome, and it’s very well-built. I did not listen to it long (I’d rather spend my time with pleasant headphones), but I did not enjoy it.

The soundstage is good for a closed back, but it sounds tonally extremely wrong. The HD 800 sounds like you’re in a live concert hall, the 820 sounds like a slightly smaller concert hall, but the singer is singing from a backstage toilet and has sinusitis.

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