I've never really understood the difference between the terms dark/warm and imaging/soundstage. As someone who hasn't english as first language, this video really helped me
@@JamieVatarga hey your "lack of a life" helps the community tremendously with your well thought out reviews that obviously come from a place of experience. So there's that
Frankly, the first 4 minutes of this headphone introduction video is as close to perfect that I've seen! Nothing on RU-vid comes even close to explaining the complex essentials, in simple terms, without having to resort to reading up. Amazing communication skills! Thank you!
This video could not have possibly been more efficient at introducing me to the deeper side of audio and headphones. Incredible video, incredible presentation, thank you!
I have a pair of nice(ish) planar open backs for analytical at home time when I can't or shouldn't use my stereo - a set of bluetooth, over ear, closed backs for travelling - and a couple sets of good IEM's for a more discreet option on the go. In short: use case is a big deal, if not the biggest deal, so figure out what your most pressing needs are first to whittle down the field of options.
A video about how someone should start listening - meaning how to teach your ears in listening some frequencies, how to learn to differentiate the small nuances of the sound
good video....suggestion: take each headphone brand, review each headphone from each brand in a series of videos, to show the differences, negatives and positives of each particular headphone....you've an excellent channel, glad I found it
Just like you first buy a grinder when getting into coffee, buy an amp/dac that lets you EQ before you buy a headphone! It will teach you so much about what your preferences are, and instead of being stuck with what the design engineer decided the headphone should sound like, you can actually tweak to taste (within the limits of the hardware of course).
Qudelix 5k alone is as expensive as many entry-level headphones. I would rather suggest using free EQ software (Equalizer APO + Peace on Windows, Wavelet on Android, don't know about Mac/iOS).
Disagree, awful advice for a new hobbyist only because EQ's on the amp/dac are usually a premium you pay for. Plus, software EQ is more flexible, easier to import profiles, more educational about frequencies, and as mentioned, way cheaper (free). That extra money (hundreds) you'd have to shell out for a good dac/amp that can EQ would be better spent on nicer headphones. In the meantime, you can just buy a schiit stack or equivalent and then resell it when you're ready to upgrade. A nicer dac/amp is better for the long run but if you're new there's no telling whether you'll even want to move past the $200 mark of headphones. Not to mention the importances of dac/amps are not even close to the importances of a grinder in coffee.
@@AsianBM55 it actually is. But most dacs are good enough now. Its more a testament that most coffee grinders are pretty poor at the same end of the scale. But a mediocre dac can destroy your system depending on your preferences.
Maybe there are even a few sentences from Norbert Lehmann (from Lehmannaudio) that could be added here: "There are even headphones for different kinds of music. Therefore it's possible to have 6 different headphones for different kinds of music (what isn't that easy with loudspeakers)!" 😍 Thanks for this video!
A better description of amplification would be helpful, especially terms like impedance and sensitivity. I am an amp skeptic, having tried the same headphones (MDR-Z1R, HE-400se, and Aeon Closed X) on different amps - I found that when I volume matched with a db meter, the perceived gains with more powerful amps disappeared. But I am open to a reasonable scientific explanation for how and why "power hungry planars" need more powerful amplifiers, despite only being run at 30-40% of the volume knob. Can you offer it? The best possible video you could do would include a double blind test of amplifiers vs phones vs DAPs vs desktops vs laptops.
Well definitely there is a difference between a phone and an amp, as when I try to drive a super cheap HE-4X off of my phone, it sounds awful at max volume cuz it’s 10 decibels less than my preferred listening level
What "different amps" have you tried? Of course a £100 class D low-SINAD Chinese amp will sound the same as a £600 class D low-SINAD Chinese amp. Tubes? Class A? Power amps, even? Different impedances?
wow this is so well done the explanation is so easily to picture especially for a beginner. It makes the world of headphones and audio in general a lot less daunting! Bravo! this video should be shared way more!
Love that picture at 7:31 Basically says:"Hmm lets smell those amazing freshly baked headphones" (Amazing how there are like 10 grand worth of headphones on this baking sheet) I laughed really hard on this one
I use my headphones with my stereo amplifier . Maybe you could do a video on how to buy a separates system for headphones, or how to hook up some of these systems should you like to experiment in that direction vs going with a all in one like the R8 all in one .
A video that focuses on technicalities and what "technicalities" are exactly, and whether caring about it is worth it for the general populous would be nice. There are pieces of audio gear like the Isine series which seem to excel at technicalities which being lackluster in other aspects, or amps like a thx789 which is technically excellent almost to a fault. "Detail" is heavily influenced by more than just the baseline technical ability, and sometimes is even less important than the frequency response after a certain point.
I'd like you to go more into detail of what those terms are with samples of real sounds if possible and what to hear in those sounds. Example, tamber, take extreme examples of good n bad tamber and play 2 audio signals to explain what is tamber in those. You can create a series out of this and each video can just talk about one term at a time with sound samples.
I always wondered what audiophiles/reviewers that listen to a lot of headphones, listen to have a point of reference. Do you listen to a sweep or do you have a couple of songs that you know will tell you everything you need to know? Thanks!
It's the wrong approach IMO. Listen to your music; what you're in the mood to listen to at that moment. Does it sound good? If yes, why yes? If not, why not? That's the most reflective of the actual experience of using them.
Bad stuff about headphones is that only shop with listening room basically cheased to exist and turned into yet another eshop two years ago for reason which is not hard to guess. I was there twice and always went away with something different than I wanted based on reviews. I went to buy ATH M40x, got Grado SR80e sounding so much better and clear and after replacing headband by real leather, i'm happy with them even after 7 years and I use them all the time with computer. I wanted Bose QC35 with ANC, ended buying Senn PXC550 which does not have so clear sound (they are a bit muffled actually) and now I want to replace them for that reason and because they need service anyways (all faux leather is disintegrating) and reason against Bose was that I could not stand them with sound off. It felt like I had some weird pressure in my ears or maybe being under water. Now I'm thinking about Focal Bathys, due to inflation they are not so much expensive then PXC550 were 5 years ago, but I can't decide ... too neutral sound is boring, sound of Grado is fine, but listening heavy metal or whatever with electric guitars is fatiguing after 15 minutes. Worst part of it that PXC550 sounded fine 5 years ago. Now I repeated hearing tests and realized I can barely hear 14kHz at age of 43 while I could hear 16-17kHz at 35 and I'm sure frequencies below 10kHz are affected as well 😞
Can you guys give computations with headphones specs on why amplifiers (Pout) are needed with a certain impedance and sensitivity? This will be appreciated by your target audience. It has been always been dramatic and subjective reviews of a particular headphone/iem. Time for a change.
I've been following DMS for a while now and I've always wanted more beginner focus content. This was awesome. I think it would be good to have some videos on different rigs at different price points. Like JDS atom stack + HD 6xx for example.
For me, the biggest change from going from a gaming headset to something more high end was not the sound. Sundara is the only high end headphone I have ever owned and also ever heard. I have owned a lot of gaming headsets in the past and they fall apart after a few months, if not weeks. The Sundara holds up over time, for years I have taken them off my head with one hand without worrying about too much load on the hinges. I don't handle them with much care at all and I have only needed to change the earpads a few times as they deform considerably over time, I wish these earpads was cheaper to replace though. But in the long term they make sense to me.
had a few gaming headsets before I got into hifi and after trying hifi the only gaming headset I even thought was ok were the Steelseries Siberia V2 most are supper muddy in the bass and 0 treble lol
@@chrisk3127 I was pushing it a bit far when I said the sound was not as different. I had the Steelseries Arctis which was not great. I'm not that good at explaining sound, but muddy definitely comes to mind! And the pads didn't clamp well, made the speakers aim in a somewhat different direction barely in the vicinity of my ear.
i've bought the HD600, and coming from only gaming headphones when i try those on now they all sound like ass, withouth exception, its nuts how your ears turn into being more refined after using a nice pair of headphones just in a couple of weeks at the time
Senn has a few headsets that perform quite well (PC37x and 38x in my experience). I'd probably still recommend getting a decent pair of headphones and an external mic if you really need one.
I’m mostly wondering when do I actually need an amp… Any indicators I should follow or rules of thumb? My background is mostly wireless stuff…but would be cool to learn more. Hey. How about making video series or a course and calling it Audio Academy or Academy of Sound.
Sometimes I am curious how much soundstage affect gamings. I think most people are talking about it in first person shooters. Don't people know the map well enough is the key, so the imaging is way more important than soundstage? (which means knowing sound direction instead of sound distance) I guess you can tell where the enemies are with good imaging and guns shoot straight, which means when you face to a direction, you can cover up all distance in that direction. I haven't play fps for a long period of time. Maybe soundstage is important in battle royale, it is good in terms of impersive, but kind of doubt about advantages in fps.
I think explaining more complex terminology that isn't frequently generalised all that much would be of GREAT help for people who maybe want to go further into the technical sides of things! e.g Resonance, Resolve capability, Transient response. Great video as I've come to expect, and I wasn't let down one bit.
Thanks DMS! You and Resolve should do more videos together. BTW: If you were really a psychopath you would mount the headphones on your head collection, all of which could then be mounted on your wall. So I’ve read anyways. 😇
Awesome vid. Hi guys do you know what it is called when I hear a metallic type harmonic "layer" to your voice when I listen to it using certain headphones and earbuds? Almost like a second copy of your voice in a metallic optive?
Don't know about others, but I simply can't afford to drop hundreds of coins buying more and more headphones/ IEMs hoping to find that golden nugget. I bought Shure 315s years ago and now these are tired, where do I go? They need to fit closely, not wiggle about on their stalks in my ears, good soundstage essential, maybe nudging a V off the flat response to reinforce bass and add detail to the treble. They'd be fed from a budget DAC/ amp (FiiO currently) with Qobuz Studio, and Pete Townshend's Rough Mix as an example "good album". Where on earth do I start at around 200 coins (USD/ GBP doesn't seem to matter much these days 🤷🏻♂️)?
I"d like a headphone that sounds like the Sennheiser Orpheus Set the original one but I'd like to keep my body parts in order to pay for it lol. I was lucky enough to hear them at a hifi show many years ago and perhaps my memory of it is skewed by time. I now own focal clear mgs and arche which are fantastic but still never quite lives up to the memory of those amazing headphones.
The only word I've ever had a problem with? The over used word of.... Audiophile! Like my father always said... An audiophile? Is an individual who built...every piece of equipment in their system. Period! The rest of us?? We are audio... Afecianados! Because anybody can go in a buy any system! Is a guy/gal who spends a million dollars, an audiophile? Compared to someone who can only spend 50 thousand dollars? That's why the audiophile is the one who builds every piece in their system... period! Thanks for the vid!
I'm a newbie to the hobby, and still exploring my sound. Currently, i have a Bose 700NC & Sennheiser PC38X. I'm interested in acquiring an amp/planar setup for the first time to try out. My question is, is the Hifiman Sundara worth the purchase? My reprehension is due to often quoted QC issues from that brand :/
I’d say it’s a pretty safe purchase. I’ve not owned them personally, but do own the HE400se, as well as the Edition XS, and I have not had any problems with either headphone. Both Hifiman headphones.
got a samson sr850 due to dankpods to start my journey, now i also got the dt700 pro x, and i want to go through more, where i am in africa its hard to get any good ones or for the right or retail price, everything is imported and so double the price, luckily i have relatives in other countries.
did he say Sundara? Like Hifiman Sundara? 7:00 ? I am just testing them and I am looking for a headphones to replace my old 100 bucks audiotechnica headphones. And Sundara sounds way better.
Is it me or resolves mic is sensitive to treble that u hear a tss at the end of each word...maybe I have high treble on my iem.....but really good to have refresher and reviewers definition of terminology and perspective
The IEM show. Ft. Zeos & DMS. Gueststar any tech from a great company. Example Sennheiser. Going into the reserch of the design and drivers used. Just a idea.
This hobby is quite simple actually; the more money it costs, the better it is. Throw money at it. If you are poor, you cannot be an audiophile. Simple. Proven. Audiophile quality starts at $3000 for headphones. My $4500 LCD-5 is $1500 past the audiophile threshold. So I am awesome. Also, lurk around audiophile forums. Peruse. If the number of people who say a product is good does not reach at least 85%, it is not a good product, no matter what your opinion is. Your opinion is wrong. Also, make sure your headphone amp costs at least 120% of the cost of the headphone, and cables that cost at least 30-35% of the amp. This is the way.
Buy cheap with all sound sigs and see which don't ring your endorphins if that is correct. My headphones have to have big base lucid sound very transparent not to the point where it sounds artificial but you can clearly hear everything that's on the track The timber doesn't have to be correct as I don't have an ear for instruments other than what they sound like from how I was raised. So I'm not a musician so there's many aspects that don't pertain to me I don't go to orchestra's I listen to strictly electronic music and what I found the top of the line headphones they are not all for me I get more attracted to the low to mid-fi Good example the only top of the line headphone I love actually there's two elite and 1266 TC but when it came to the Diana I found the V2 for me was better over the TC I know that sounds funny but that's just how my ears are. I spent the number I don't want to say cuz it's embarrassing chasing the eargasm and we all want that eargasm all the time listening to music but it sucks when you put something on or you put a set of speakers on and it doesn't happen It may have happened where you listen to them but not when you get home. Be good to have a set of products sold through the classifieds that basically becomes testers for each person so like this broken can amp that you got to use the the high current and XLR input only because the RCA and low current is stored on certain headphones but for $250 at least you can test the amp and then just sell to the next person to test it out that way you can be like I want to buy a new one. Sorry for the run-on sentences I am not typing this I am speaking Just didn't want you to think my grammar is s*** but it's easier to get my point of view across when I am speaking. Factor is my ears are different than zio's DMS and everyone else I do not know who has my same likes might find some people that like certain things I like. That's why DMS doesn't like the TH 909 from fostech but zio's loves the TH 909. So if you don't want to end up like me all right I spent a half a million dollars take it slow find the signatures discover what triggers the eargasm look at comparisons of other headphones within that model that you like cuz at some point you are going to have to take a chance but at least purchase the used item at a low price with the intention to sell it if it's a crappy unit in order to purchase a brand fresh new unit.
When are we going to get another live stream. If Andrew is too busy I'm sure DMS would do a great job. Andrew doesn't like to talk about amps and DACs. I'm sure DMS would do a great job answering amp and DAC questions. DMS could explain the benefits of the A90 over other inferior amps.
I want to enter the audiophile headphone community, I own couple of IEMs(moondrop & Sennheiser) but I never had to use DACs or Amps. Could you explain the differences and use cases for DACs and Amps and their actually necessity for a desktop/laptop usage.
Allow me to help if I may. A Dac/amp isn't a necessity, but it will most assuredly improve the sound quality of your headphones. I mean by a lot. There are so many choices out there, and DAC/amps range in price from less than a hundred dollars up into the thousands. But remember, more money does not ensure that a device will be better. You can buy a excellent portable DAC/amp called a "dongle" that you can use for either your phone or your laptop. I found the iBasso DC04 to be a fantastic device. It allows you to take your best sound with you via your phone, but it also works nicely on a laptop or desktop. If that is a bit more than you want to spend, you can look at the AkLIAM PD4 at half the price. I found the PD4 to be a better value. If you want a solid desktop device, I would recommend the IFI Zen Dac II. It has fantastic reviews and I own this one myself and it’s actually a lot better than offerings costing twice as much. So no, it is not a necessity, but it really, really makes your music sound fuller, louder and increases your soundstage and imaging. I hope this helped
Hi! Thanks for this. I have Grado Reference series RS2e's. $500...Beautiful sounding open back but quite uncomfortable except in short uses. As you say have become used to them and watching this interested in something new same approx price def not more. The inclusion of audio details to know is great to have while researching. I mostly use mine into my yamaha digital piano while playing. Looking for something now similarly great sounding but also comfortable over time. Any opinions?
@The Headphone Show So when ARE you guys going to review the following Japanese headphones: Fostex TH900 MK2 Stax SR-X9000 Denon AH-D9200 Audio Technica ATH-AWKT Sony MDR-Z1R
i still cant understand needing a more powerful amp when it gets loud enough. if it goes loud enough then how is it not "correctly powered"? like can a weak amp not provide the suitable amount of volts and amps or something else about the electrical properties of the components not suitable for some headphones? and why exactly does that happen?
Headphone show hosts and reviewers probably do not know as well. I've been watching all their videos, no one bring up this very basic question, let alone answer it. They will typically just generalize that a particular amp provides better power to a particular iem/headphone without stating any spec to support. They just know what their personal preferred sound. They possibly do not know the technicalities behind it.
Planars need high current because of the voltage sag due to having low impedance, but also low efficiency. For higher end planars, spending more to get an amp with a proper power supply is a must. Low end Chinese amps from the likes of topping and smsl will make them sound loud, but suffer from heavy compression due to not having the capacitance to offset the voltage sag. Dont listen to anyone with a high end planar like an ayra, telling you it runs great on small amps under $500 amps, it doesn't, unless all you want is it to get loud, which almost any modern desktop amp can do.
If you know you're going to get the Arya stealth at some point because you think it might be your end game is there really any point in getting lesser headphones. I'm considering getting some T60 Argons but once I get the Arya maybe all the other headphones will just sit in a box somewhere losing burn-in.
You forgot 2 important things : law of dimishing returns, and even more important : volume. Grado are not meant to be listened at high volume level but they lack bass, especially at low volume level. Generally bright headphones are not meant to be listened at high volume. And in the purposes you mentionned, there are also music genres : acoustic music is veeery different from IDM or even Mathcore.
Demonising returns are entirely subjective and personal. It is always fallacious to use them as a argument, as thats a mistranslation of what that word means IN THIS CONTEXT. Let's give a example. If we think of the clarity and detail of a headphone like a window. The difference between one of the best headphones in the $1-2k category and a TOTL headphone is the window being spotless, and the window not being there at all. If you want the window to no longer exist, then you are willing to pay how ever much more it cost to get that. To that guy, its ENTIRELY worth its value, therfore there value of demonising returns never applied as to get that experience, they could pay NO LESS for it. Now the reason such a headphone is considered as 'beyond demonising returns' to you is because you DONT value that requirement relative to its cost of reaching that point. Both of you are completely valid, because its COMPLETELY subjective and therfore cannot be used in the context of proving anything.
@@enjoshi-godrez8775 Thanks for having taken the time for this coment, but I do not agree. IMO it's just a question of when headphone performance growth is slowing down relative to the peak it achieves in the growth at a generally relative price point. This peak is a consensus, not objective. And the subjectivity of wanting a headphone at a way higher price point but not so higher performance is absolutely not a problem at all, especially if this law is understood. I'm not fluent in english, but I did my best to try to understand your point and explain mine.
@@gabsriel no you are simply incorrect here. There is no objective way to measure technical performance. If you want an instrument to sound a certain way, then you are will to pay the price to get that experience. There is no objective point when law of diminishing returns starts to apply. This isn't a video game, you have no way AT ALL of proving it. It is 100% SUBJECTIVE. Any argument against that is objectively invalid.
@@gabsriel again, if thats the experience you want, and you can pay NO LESS for it, then the diminishing returns NEVER applied. The only way to disprove this is to say prove that cheaper headphones can replicate that experience, which as I said, is impossible because you cannot measure technical performance.
I was an hardcore audiophile. I had many end game headphones and sold everything. The only 2 headphones I have now are the sennheiser hd 600 and the hd 560s. And I am happy. Those prices are ridiculous but I get it. The rabbit hole etc.
You have good headphones. But are you sure you were able to unleash their potential? That there were suitable DACs and an amps, interconnects and good quality power supply, a source without unnecessary interference? Maybe you just gave up getting the sound you want out of them? I also came to the HD660S after the top planars, they are very self-sufficient and balanced headphones, but there is no denying the fact that there are more expensive models that are capable of producing more amazing sound.
@@mikafoxx2717 balance. The tonal balance from the hd 600 is just great. That's the most important part in my opinion and other headphones have certain areas where they are better, but they still have flaws and downsides and the hd 600 has no real fatal flaw.
@@KingFiercer_zip yes I have very good amps, dacs and cables and I am an acoustician myself. The high end headphones had to many flaws in the frequency response and weren't balanced and the hd 600 is a great fit for me because it's a balanced headphone in so many terms
@@RC-qc2nz Thanks for answer. I'll agree, it's hard to find such tonally balanced headphones in higher league. Now, in addition to the HD660S, I have an ATH-ADX5000, and although they are amazing headphones, giving a much impressively dynamic and spacious high resolution sound, they are tonally slightly different, less pronounced in the lower midrange. That makes them a little specific, but still, I like them more with almost any kind of music.
Yea ikr right. Some communities rly are crazy with how deep they go into stuff I'm glad I'm part of the headphone community tho. So simple, not confusing Thanks for pointing this out 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 Such a great community! Edit: jokes aside tho (well, maybe not that last line. It can be great often) I'm glad you bring up that sometimes you just get bored There's been a movement to de-clutter and I'm glad some ppl have given away or sold for low to ppl in the community who can't afford But even better would be keep your set. And then also put into a fund to give someone random a new fresh set I mean if you de-clutter and that makes you happier that's good But let's not turn it into a "wow this is such a GREAT thing" or "this is objectively good, everyone has too many headsets, we should do this" No. The whole minimalist movement has gotten overboard imo There isn't a one size fits all NOR "I'm not saying it's the only way, but it's the best way" even in lifestyle or mental health
