Recent comments in /f/headphones

halfercode OP t1_ja8r522 wrote

Reply to comment by StarWarder in Do you tolerate poor hi-fi sales service in pursuit of excellent sound? by halfercode

Right, update! I have a demo with Shop Three, and they seem genuinely nice people. They have an LCD-X and a Clear Mg to show off, both ex-demo, and if the LCD-2C is anything to go by, I suspect I might just buy the X there and then. I've done enough messing around now. I just need to check that the warranty is still valid.

It turns out that ADI2s are hard to come by currently, but I think I can see one or two official UK dealers with a small amount of stock...

CanJam sounds great, and I am sure I'd have a lot of fun there. I'd go to talk shop though, since I hope that by the time that rolls around, I will have installed my dream stack, and it won't need adjusting for some years 😼

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daniellearmouth t1_ja8qcgc wrote

Reply to Is Apple Music good? by resurgences

I use Apple Music. My plan's a bit more expensive, since my mother uses it (sometimes), but really, the price is fine for what it is, and it pays artists more than Spotify does anyway.

The UI/UX is a bit weird in places. There's no immediate signifier of whether a given album is 'Lossless', 'Hi-Res Lossless', 'Apple Digital Master', 'Dolby Atmos' or anything unless you actively search in those categories, or just go through albums individually to check. They could do to change that.

The other gripe I have is that on Android, I find that when it activates lossless (in whichever flavour is available), I sometimes have a very brief moment where the sound cuts out before coming back in. It's a bit weird, and I don't like that it does that every time, but I've gotten used to it as a quirk of the program.

Otherwise? I'm very happy with it. It has pretty much all the music I'm likely to listen to, downloading music to the device is simple and easy, and you can use your iTunes library on top of what Apple Music offers. I'm quite content with it.

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daniellearmouth t1_ja8pquf wrote

Reply to comment by BoogKnight in Is Apple Music good? by resurgences

There are builds available on Windows right now that support Hi-Res Lossless. I currently use one on Windows 10 (even though the target platform is 11). It's surprisingly stable, all things considered, but I'm using it in conditions it's not really meant to be used (wrong OS version, for a start, and it being a really old build at this point).

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TagalogON t1_ja8o0pw wrote

Reply to comment by Pauoolk in Is Apple Music good? by resurgences

Oh yes that's true but in reality if people are on a budget it's not really that worth it. Like IIRC a lot artists these days have merchandise and those have better support options to the artist.

In the Kpop/Jpop(/Cpop/etc.) world, some of us also just buy CDs, exclusive socialization access, sponsored brands, etc. for our favorite idols. There's also the option to meet them through the staff members, fan meeting, et cetera.

Or like these days some of them are in New York, Milan, Paris, etc. doing Prada, Gucci, Chanel, etc. promotions as the local/global ambassadors for the brands. And so some fans just show support on the actual IRL sidelines by hyping the idol up when they're on the way to the event/show. Sometimes in those western fashion events, the idols take so much time interacting with the fans or signing stuff that they get told to hurry up by the event people, lol.

I forgot exactly what the ratio was, but IIRC, touring or concert sales are one of the biggest ways to support artists aside from merchandise. Otherwise streaming or spreading the word is also good enough.

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TagalogON t1_ja8mltw wrote

Reply to Is there anything I can do stop hearing my own blood/jaw while wearing close backs? by G-fool

That's normal, it's like crinkling, tinnitus, blood rush, etc. that people hear when using closed back headphones or IEMs and TWS earbuds, and so on. That's part of why some people can't use Etymotics (basically best noise reduction/isolation available, often on sale too) as it makes them too conscious of their breathing, heart beat, etc. and they don't think they can get used to it (the hyperawareness disappears over time).

If you describe it as creaking with the jaw, search up TMJ issues.

Earwax, hearing health, et cetera with Etymotics and other bullet style IEMs: https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/comments/10iwqmt/does_insertion_depth_affect_volume/j5ifw7r/ and https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/comments/11d8pns/buying_highend_headphones_with_tinitus/ja7u9ii/

To not hear the hum of the PC, you can try getting aftermarket case fans for your computer case and also your GPU and CPU.

I use Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM for basically everything, but that's only because I'm really sensitive to noises. Most people will be fine with the Arctic P12 PWM PST (5 Pack), just be aware of certain RPM ranges with that particular case fan.

FYI, the cooler your room is, the less revving up and down that your computer case fans and GPU/CPU cooler fans will do (especially when under sustained load from high framerate/resolution), so just be aware of the overall ambient temperature.

If you are encountering actual coil whine or buzzing from the GPU/CPU, you can change the coolers and fans for those. If you are hearing buzzing from the hard drive, there's 1TB/etc. NVMe SSDs or the older SATA SSDs for real cheap these days and it looks like they'll keep getting cheaper for the near future, so no need to hear noises from the hard drive, get one of those external hard drive docks/readers/instead if you want to access your excess media.

Open back headphones and solutions to PC noises: https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/comments/xpa9zd/pc_noise_with_open_back_headphones/iq2znjn/

Basically search up Noctua fans. Specifically the Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM fans.

These days there's the Thermaltake ToughFan 12, Phanteks T30-120, etc. that are a bit cheaper/better/etc. compared to Noctua. The Arctic P12 PWM PST (5 Pack) is still the best value, just be aware of the annoying resonance range, it's like ~1000RPM.

How to maybe soundproof your room for better noise reduction/isolation: https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/10epr17/struggling_to_enjoy_my_headphones_in_noisy/j4t4qaw/

If you get (legit, the expensive heavy ones, not the light/cheap/etc. ones) blackout curtains and tape them, it should do some changes. Though actually even using those plastic film thermal insulation kits did nicely as the vacuum seal on the window reduced the sound a lot.

Those thermal insulation kits will help a lot with not needing to run the air conditioner (or heater) all the time, you can keep it on a timer if your AC unit has that option. Just make sure to achieve that good/perfect vacuum seal with the windows when it comes to taping it. There's also those door draft stopper or like foam you put at the bottom of the door, those can actually help quite a bit too with retaining the heat/cold, believe it or not.

Old school earbuds, earphones, et cetera are having a resurgence right now, more info here alongside microphonics, background static, occlusion effect, et cetera: https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/119tndv/please_explain_inear_to_me/j9o244r/

The above thread link talks about ANC or that noise reduction/isolation.

You might also want to try lessening the clamping force of the headphones, see below.

For comfort with headphones, if you have a big head, ear piercings, glasses, et cetera, basically anything that will interfere with the seal/fit of the earpads, here's more info about headphones and glasses and workarounds it: https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/comments/zkjjcu/are_there_any_headsetsphones_that_are/j00kjt2/

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andysaurus_rex t1_ja8kshh wrote

Reply to Is Apple Music good? by resurgences

Personally I've been using Amazon HD without much complaints, other than the UI being pretty bad. But it's free (with Prime, which I already pay for) and high quality. If not for this I would have probably gone with Apple Music.

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guesswhochickenpoo t1_ja8knpc wrote

Reply to comment by kerouak in Is Apple Music good? by resurgences

Yeah it’s pretty huge and I never hear it talked about. I have a ton of niche “EDM” tracks from back in the day that are even hard to find on YouTube and elsewhere as well as many DJ sets from myself and friends that I’ve uploaded. Super convenient.

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ultra_prescriptivist t1_ja8k5xq wrote

Reply to comment by pkelly500 in Is Apple Music good? by resurgences

>Qobuz is better than both ... So, if you want the best sound quality and don't listen to a lot of obscure bands or genre, Qobuz is the pick.

You know there is no inherent difference in sound quality between lossless streaming services, right? All the apps do is download the files they have on their servers and play them.

If the files are based on the same master recordings, which they generally are (especially if the album was released in the past twenty years or so), then they will be the same regardless of which streaming service you happen to be using.

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sunjay140 t1_ja8job3 wrote

Reply to comment by josher814 in How do I listen for "detail" in music? by West-Cheek-156

He reviews headphones without seeing them in real life and simply EQuing his Moondrop Variation to whatever headphone he's reviewing. He says that the Frequency Response the only thing that matters in a headphone's sound as headphones as they are pressure chambers.

He says that a $20 Moondrop Chu can be EQued to sound exactly like a $500 Moondrop Variation. He calls anyone who questions this and his review methodology a "noob".

He doesn't hate EQ for the reason you stated. He says he hates EQ because a headphone that needs EQ is a bad headphone. He says that they sound the same after EQ but EQ is just cope for buying bad headphones and that he only buys good headphones.

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