Recent comments in /f/headphones

MiddleEmphasis6759 t1_iyctso1 wrote

Reply to MEST MK2 VS Blessing 2 Dusk by Drsagemonkey

I've only ever heard the MEST in the sound demos that Dan's Audio Reviews publishes on his YouTube channel, as kilobuck IEMs are pretty firmly out of the realm of obtainability for me, but just from those sound demos I can concur that the MEST's perceived resolution and imaging capabilities are addictive. Really puts you "in the room" with the performer in a way I haven't heard from anything else. Regarding the perceived veil in the mids that you experience with the MEST in A/B testing against the Dusk, the MEST is known to have a lack of energy in the ear gain region of the frequency response (between like 2-5kHz) which affects the 'bite' and forwardness of vocals and certain instruments. It's an area of the frequency response the Dusk puts emphasis on, which is likely why you perceive the Dusk as sounding more open and forward.

No idea where you stand on EQ, but if you're open to it, 2 or 3 filters in a parametric EQ could get you a very similar tuning in the mids of the MEST as there is in the Dusk. This would change the overall tonal balance of the MEST from something of a unique U-shape to more of a bright-ish Harman target, though, and a change in the MEST's tonal balance could also possibly affect its unique imaging capabilities, but I have no way of confirming that, as I don't own the MEST.

Parameters for the EQ would be:

Filter 1: Peak Filter, 3kHz, 3.5dB, Q Factor of 1

Filter 2: Peak Filter, 3.8kHz, 2.5dB, Q Factor of 3

Filter 3: Peak Filter, 6kHz, -1dB, Q Factor of 1.41

There are a couple other small adjustments you could make to the MEST's lower mids and bass to get those regions closer to the Dusk's more lean tuning, but I don't think those areas are likely problematic in the MEST. I've heard the Diva is an excellent IEM from reviewers I trust, so I don't think you'd go wrong in buying it, but if you're down to try it out, give EQ a shot before going out and spending another kilobuck on the Diva.

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Gr33hn t1_iycsxc7 wrote

Reply to Hifiman Edition XS disappointment by Leather_Vegetable10

Now you know why you should always seek to audition things before buying.

That said you will probably get used to the new sound signature if you listen to it enough after which it will sound better to you.

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smorgar t1_iycpr5q wrote

Reply to Going from the Sennheiser HD 560S to the HD 800S by Lapralapso

The HD800s is a whole other beast compared to the HD560s. Its really hard to compare but i think the HD800s is a bit brighter and cleaner but not in a bad way. They are colder and has less amount of bass but it has way more texture in the bass.

To do some kind of analogy i think the HD560s is like a really really good sounding studio.

The HD800s is like a top level concert hall.

To be honest i dont own the HD800s. I have the HD800 with SDR mod. Which i think sounds better than HD800s.

The HD800 you can, with some time an patience get quite "cheap" second hand and then just SDR mod it. I got my HD800 for 500€ second hand, but barley used. Lucky you might say and yes ofc but i also spent many many months looking and talking to ppl to find a great deal.

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No-Context5479 t1_iycop4d wrote

Reply to Hifiman Edition XS disappointment by Leather_Vegetable10

They're boring cos they don't have the massive and bloaty bass lift the X2HR had for you so you feel it's linear in the low end. I'm a basshead but the X2HR's bass is a bit loose with added treble unevenness so yes the Edition XS would sound boring to you.

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WikiSummarizerBot t1_iyco8kz wrote

Reply to comment by Beor_TheOld in Headphone wizardry by SupOrSalad

Vibrations of a circular membrane

>A two-dimensional elastic membrane under tension can support transverse vibrations. The properties of an idealized drumhead can be modeled by the vibrations of a circular membrane of uniform thickness, attached to a rigid frame. Due to the phenomenon of resonance, at certain vibration frequencies, its resonant frequencies, the membrane can store vibrational energy, the surface moving in a characteristic pattern of standing waves. This is called a normal mode.

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blorg t1_iycntaj wrote

Reply to comment by Leather_Vegetable10 in Hifiman Edition XS disappointment by Leather_Vegetable10

I think, possibly. I don't have that specific device, but if you were using Equalizer APO and doing the EQ there would probably make sense to have it flat. I think can can chain, like you could have Equalizer APO doing the EQ first and then have the Sound Blaster doing further processing, but generally preferable just to do the DSP in one place I think to keep it simple.

People seem to use it with that, there are even some specific handling software for it:

/r/SoundBlasterOfficial/comments/v2yjve/soundblasterx_g6_issue_installing_equalizer_apo/
/r/SoundBlasterOfficial/comments/dyr2nw/improve_sound_blaster_headphone_audio_for_free/
https://github.com/heftyy/sb-output-controller

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