The All Purpose Advice Thread

Sell both.

 

There is your answer, sell both.

edit. Beaten to the punch. Internet delay fail

 

If you are not listening to either, sell them both. Neither are unobtainium. Invest in some great music, drink or food.

 

I'm not a fan of having too many stuff on my desk. I was thinking of just owning 1 set of amp/dac and be done with it, probably downgrading my LakePeople G109-A amp and JDS Labs EL Dac to the Schiit stack. I was wondering how far can the Schiit stack go when using cans like the HD800, Hifiman Edition X v2, and whatnot? Probably the most expensive and last can I'd buy for a while is the Arya if my Hexv2 dies on me. For now I'm satisfied with the HD650 / HD800 / Edition X v2. Or get the El Amp to pair with my El Dac or should I just upgrade to the SMSL SP200/M200(waiting for reviews on the M200) and call it a day? I've been opting to sell my G109-A 'cause it's tiresome to keep opening just for the gain setting inside.

I also know the Magni 3+ sounds better even though the Heresy is better objectively, but I couldn't really care less about measurements, but right now someone is selling the Schiit Magni Heresy+Modi 3 stack for a decent price so I was wondering if it's still alright to take it over the Magni 3+, plus I like the discrete black color, much less the red accent though.

Also about the Focal Elex. Right now someone's selling their Elex for a great price and it's opting me to wanna try to buy it again. I don't really listen at high volume, but I do listen to tracks that can have some intense sub-bass. I've read and watched reviews that say Elex can clip on some tracks that have excessively low sub-bass like EDM even if it's on lower spl db / normal listening volume. I was wondering, if it's still worth to buy this, considering I wanted to make this as my daily driver replacing my HD650? If not, i'll stay with the HD650 as my daily driver.

 

Hi guys,

Any recommendation for wireless headphones? Ie with Bluetooth/Wifi and Amp built in.

Need to use with my phone. Over Ear only (preferably Over Ear Closed type)

Sound preference : Warm, Rich
Budget: <$1000

 

Sony WH-1000XM3

More expensive won't get you better in this product category, only different.

The new Bose are also supposed to be decent, haven't heard them personally.

 

I've heard the new Bose 700 in a showroom. Exceptionally bad, so bad that I wondered if they were broken- bloated bass and sucked out vocals. Someone subsequently told me that's the Bose house sound, but the QC35s didn't sound that bad.

 

Is it possible to use the line-out of professional equipment with the line-in of consumer products? Wikipedia indicates that the reference level is higher with professional equipment. Could it damage the consumer product? Is there a way to get around this? I guess I should tag @atomicbob or @Psalmanazar

 

Pro audio nominal output level is +4 dBu
Consumer nominal output level is -10 dBV
Those two have different reference levels. dBu is referenced to 0.775 Vrms. dBV is referenced to 1.0 Vrms.
So +4 dBu is +1.79 dBV. Pro audio nominal output is 11.79 dB higher than consumer nominal levels. A means of attenuating the pro audio level is needed. Approximately 10 dB attenuation will work well. Here are three examples of how to accomplish:
https://www.audio-technica.com/cms/electronics/a05620466ab0ce16/index.html
https://jblpro.com/en/products/nano-patch-plus
https://www.jensen-transformers.com/product/pc-2xr/

 

Thank you @atomicbob . I have a Yamaha MG10XU that I want to connect to a Vali 2 (input impedance 50k ohm) or the incoming Asgard 3 (22k ohm). Could I use the potentiometer (log I guess) on the line out (75 ohm) or preferably the monitor out (150 ohm) of the mixer? The thing is that unlike with the nano patch, I don't know where I'm at in terms of attenuation. How can I attenuate 10dB reliably on a log pot? Is there a calculator for dummies or should I just get an engineering degree or go f**k myself? Is the impedance going to matter?
Also, @Psalmanazar what's your opinion of the Yamaha MG series as an interface/mixer, if you heard it?

 

Just turn down the volume pots on the Vali 2 or Asgard 3 until it doesn't sound too loud or harsh. If you don't have enough volume control range left after doing that, then consider the nanopatch as an additional pad ahead of the headamps. Turn the volume down until it doesn't sound too loud or harsh. Gain staging isn't rocket science but it does help to understand the fundamentals if one wishes to optimize signal to noise without clipping. Might I suggest acquiring the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook and reading sections 4 Dynamic Range and 11 Preamplifiers, Small Mixers and Mixing Consoles, in particular.

 

The Yamaha handbook is the pro audio bible.

 

Not sure how your going to use them? Making or receiving Phone calls and such? If your Just using it to listen with you might try the sennheiser momentum Bluetooth. I bought mine for $300 two years ago and even had them fail only to have a new pair sent back to me in a timely manner. 2 year warrantee. I use them strictly for listening with laptop and sony 4k bluray player. Haven't tried with phone. Noise cancelling might not be really good but good enough. Where they excel for me is clarity...really clean sounding. I think you could try them out at bestbuy and they are now consistently around $200 now. I cannot live without them.

 

Hello. This is my first post so I hope that I'm posting in the correct thread.

I'm looking for advice about headphone purchases. I have experience with the following

VModa CF Wireless 1 - Still have but don't use
Vmoda CF Wireless 2 - Returned
Vmoda M100 - Still have
Senn Momentum 2 - Still have and use for work and in a pinch mobile. Also use when mowing.
Sony WH 1000m3 - Returned
Dekoni Blue - Still have and love
Monolith M570 - Received Yesterday and auditioning as I type
Audio Technica ATH-M50xbt - Still have but son uses (too bright for me)
Shure SE215's - Still have and use when working out

Wife has expressed her disdain for the number and size of my audio equipment. To make her happy I've begun to pair down my home theater equipment and switched to headphones. To make a long story short, I bought a pair of Dekoni Blues second hand and absolutely love them. First experience with a Planar and I'm having a hard time listening to my dynamic headphones anymore.

My ultimate goal is to have as few pairs as possible but for specific use cases. The sound signature I really enjoy is actually the Dekoni Blues. First set of cans I don't have to EQ. So I guess I like a fun, warmer, style. The use cases I would like to fulfill are the following:

1. Pair that are Closed or Semi Open for listening and watching movies at night that won't bother the wife - DK Blues seem to be fitting the bill on this - I have the HyperX Orbit coming right now. - Biggest concern is that they don't work passively and having a point of failure inside the cans (amp) concerns me.
2. A mobile set that isn't huge and is either closed or semi closed and easy to drive. Hyper X Orbit may work for this
3. Desktop set. M570's will probably fit the bill with a bit of EQ

Looking hard at the LCD-1's from Audeze but biggest concern is the flatter profile and open back. Like the fact that can be driven without an amp though.

Current amps are Schiit Magni on my desk and a Fosi Audio DAC/HF amp by the bed, and the little EarStudio MK100 mk 2 for bluetooth and DAC and it works surprisingly well.

Sorry for the length but I wanted to be thorough. I guess what I'm really after is a smaller set that is easy to drive, semi open/closed, and has a fun signature. I don't know of one that exists and the LCD-1 would work but I'm concerned about the open back and flat frequency response.

Budget is $300-600

Thanks for any input.

 

I'd second this. I have the Momentum vr. 2 and I use them all the time for calls/zoom meetings. The noise cancellation is exactly the level I need. I hate aggressive NC. I don't "love" the audio quality as it's only an aptx codec but it's fine for getting groceries. Ironic thing is that I actually think they sound better with an iphone than an android. I also have a pair of sony wh700n that i bought second hand and they work too. Although I have to turn up their "clear bass" function to the max to get to sound remotely decent. It's very very bright by default. I wouldn't buy them new, but I got them for $60. Senn's are a decent deal at $200 and you can eq on an android if necessary. They're not my favorite sounding HF I have but they're the ones I use the most.

 

How about the V Moda 2 Wireless?

 

Ever considered the Earstudio HUD100 for your desk? Drives my HD600 beautifully. This thing is the size of an eraser.

 

Is there such a thing as "detailed and warm"? I'm trying out a few amps trying to find a match for my brighter/more detailed speakers, and what I've found is that while the neutral amps can be too much of a good thing and fatiguing, when I go back to a "warm" or "laid back" amp I eventually get bored and miss the details I know are there.

Are there amps that exist with an overall "warm" sound signature that still do a good job of presenting details?