Recent comments in /f/headphones

Rogue-Architect t1_j25ffny wrote

Reply to comment by CogSci2022 in gTurning amp vol to 95% hurts sound clarity?? by Ethan_Zarba

It depends what a person means when they say headroom. There is a big difference between having enough power for your average db vs having enough power for transients. There is no need to have “headroom” more than you need for transients but in the OPs case it clearly does not do that.

If OP listens at 80 db average at 90-97% volume then the peaks in the music will be cut off. Depending on the type of music you listen to you could have anywhere for say 15-30 db transients. The rub is that the power needed is not linear with the increase in db but instead exponentially. So where you may only need 50mW of power at 80db you will need 150mW at 85 db (I made up those numbers but a headphone power calculator can tell you exactly what they are depending on your headphone).

My suggestion would be to use a headphone power calculator and input your resistance (ohms) and sensitivity (db/mW) and then see how much power it needs at 115db. I typically listen at around 80-85 so this covers me for an additional 30-35 db of “headroom” for transients. That way even if you typically only listen at 70 you know you are covered if you want to really go crazy for a bit (but be sure to limit your time doing this if you do).

It is also worth noting that if you plan to EQ (and you should if you can because why not) that you will need to take into account your negative preamp into the equation. So it you listen at 80 but have a negative preamp of -5db you will need to include that in your power calculation by adding another 5db to your listening level.

So if people mean they want headroom so that they can listen at 95db with full transients for 1 song well then maybe? But otherwise there is no headroom needed past what your headphone requires to fully show transients. Just another warning that while listening at this kind of level for a short time is “ok” but definitely don’t do it for long periods of time and you can always see what OSHA says as far as exposure at certain levels that is a good reference.

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Pigman232 OP t1_j25fcxf wrote

Reply to Might be a basic bitch but i’m happy! by Pigman232

Splurged on myself and decided to get a schitt stack to go with my 702s. Was a little afraid I wouldn’t be able to tell a difference but i’m happy to report that not only can i tell a difference, but that the schiit stack fixed most of the issues I had with the 702s. Bass had more presence and overall the soundstage feels more full. Best way I can describe it to someone who isn’t sure if they should jump into DACs and AMPs is that now my 702s sound like an in-store demo instead of feeling a little weak.

I think my next move is trying out a Vali 2 or tubes in general since I’ve heard the 700 series takes really well to tubes. If anyone has any suggestions for tube amps under $200 please let me know!

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PeetTreedish t1_j25e2sz wrote

Reply to comment by CogSci2022 in gTurning amp vol to 95% hurts sound clarity?? by Ethan_Zarba

Headroom is simply having more power than you will need. Powering a 25 watt rms speaker with a 100 watt rms amp leaves 75 watts of headroom. If that amp is putting that 100 watts rms out with .005% THD. Imagine what the THD is if the amp is only putting out 15 watts. Probably not measurable at all. Definitely is not audible. So there is plenty of headroom for distortion also. Which is the important one really.

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Muttywango t1_j25d8jt wrote

Reply to Shanling M0 or M0 Pro? by JustARandomPerson135

There are no compelling reasons for you to choose the M0 pro over the original M0. It's highly unlikely you'll hear a difference or need balanced output. The M0 is a great little thing but the tiny screen can make things difficult - I need to alter my folder & filename structures when I export to it because text doesn't scroll. The Shanling Android app is a great help but very often I just want to turn the phone off and be alone with my tiny music player.

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CogSci2022 t1_j25ce6g wrote

Reply to gTurning amp vol to 95% hurts sound clarity?? by Ethan_Zarba

That's one of the old audiophile claims that I am not sure if it is scientific or not.

The idea of headroom, and how when an amp gets closer to the minimum and maximum power, the output becomes unstable and starts to introduce unhealthy amount of distortions to the gear.

I am not sure if you 'd find it convincing or not, but here are the sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rtx2pYOS-dg

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OrdureBag t1_j25aydd wrote

Reply to comment by Asjutton in Audeze unveils new Maxwell wireless gaming headphones by crxmb

Ahh that is annoying hopefully firmware update will fix it. However, I have a feeling the ANC is just problematic with that headset unfortunately. The irony is I was more worried about the microphone rubbing ear issue like a lot of people ran into but that wasn’t an issue although ears did seem touch inner cup a bit.

Fingers crossed the Maxwell was a good decision haha. So hard to find well built products these days it seems.

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