The All Purpose Advice Thread - Part 2

What are the audio output options on the TV, and audio input options on the soundbar? If they both have RCA audio connectors, then there you go. Does the TV have a headphone jack, or bluetooth?

 

The TV only has digital outputs via optical or HDMI eARC. No headphone jack.
The soundbar has optical in and analog 1/8".

 

Does your soundbar not have a 'learning mode' so it can be trained to obey your TV's IR remote?

 

Love this. My experience was the same, my whole life I'd been frustrated by the pain of turning up the volume (even moderately) on just about every headphone I ever used, never understanding why I couldn't listen to music at a decent volume without punishing my ears. Only after finding honest reviewers and forums did I finally find out it was bad headphones/chains all along! I'm still marveling at how much gentler music has become with a class A amp. Volume without pain

 

Unfortunately not, though it does have an app that you can use to control the volume, but again that is now two controllers instead of one.

 

I'm guessing something like this might work.

https://www.amazon.ca/Extractor-Adapter-Soundbar-Speaker-Amplifier/dp/B09NDB7R7H?th=1

 

Ha, here was me thinking your soundbar might not be modern enough but in fact it's too modern.

If this possibility was obvious to you I apologize, but it wasn't explicit in your post: does muting the TV also mute the optical out? If not, you could permanently mute the TV and do all volume with soundbar & phone.

Edit: Ah - ignore me. I think I'm completely misunderstanding what you're trying (not) to do.

 

Yeah I was looking at something similar, but then that falls into the "random Amazon junk roulette" category. If I go that way, I'd probably look for an eARC to optical extractor. I would assume extracting the digital only would be less mangling than trusting whatever $20 dac they've built into the box. I know I'm not expecting much just for tv use, but I've also tried $20 optical to RCA converters from amazon that were utter trash (completely rolled off FR, constant pops and crackles or cutouts, etc).

 

Maybe an older Modi? They clock in around that $100.

I do have a somewhat wonky Benchmark DAC1 i'd part with. I overpaid for it so my pain your gain?
The optical on it works fine, just a bit loose, the headphone jack supposedly doesn't work.

 

@artur9 Thanks, but if you see my post from the previous page, this whole rigamarole was me trying to find a cheapish solution to get volume control from my Samsung tv remote to my soundbar. The TV does not have analog output, and the optical output does not have volume control. The TV does have HDMI eARC output though which supposedly does have volume control, so I can probably use that with an hdmi->optical converter to feed my soundbar. The question then becomes: what random hdmi->optical converter box from amazon is not utter crap?

Sometime down the road I will replace the soundbar with proper speakers, at which point I will probably look for some kind of integrated amp with HDMI eARC and bluetooth/wifi so my SO can play spotify, or some kind of digital preamp with the same inputs and go with powered speakers, eh but that's a bigger spend for the future (open to random ideas if people want to toss that my way).

 

Future planning question. This is the current layout of my living room in glorious mspaint job, numbers are ft and barely approximate and not even remotely to scale. Black is the walls, green is the tv, red is window, blue is couch.


I've got about 15" on either side of the tv to put some floor standers or something. Maybe 20" ish if I get rid of the credenza/cabinet thingy and wall mount the tv properly. There is carpeting in the front half of the room. The recessed part is about a foot deep and is the external wall. To the left is a fireplace.

Good sound while on the couch is obviously ideal, but preference for speakers that are more wall of sound rather than sweet spot since the kitchen and dining table is behind the couch where we eat and watch tv half the time, and sometimes it's just for filling the house with music.

No budget. Just looking for ideas, big or small.

 

One more general question for today: Looking for a bluetooth headphone. Must be:
- durable enough to survive the gym and getting knocked around in a bag every day without a case
- over ear
- good battery life
- noise cancelling preferred but not strictly necessary
- built-in microphone for work (not on an arm though, that's one more part to break, unless it's maybe detachable? but then is there a built-in mic even without the arm? I dunno)
- actually plays nice with Microsoft Teams (I know this is a software thing, but some brands sometimes play nicer than others)
- maybe $200 ish? Willing to spend more for quality, but not if the durability isn't there

 

Can't help too much on which speakers would be best since I have used the same set for over a decade, but I know my surround sound receiver has outputs for a second zone and quite a bit of customization for the various channels. You could do something like a decent 3.1 or 2.1 for directly in front of the TV with other channels/zones set for more ambient sound or extending better to the dining area. An alternative that I have only seen but not experimented with are Sonos soundbar systems that have wireless surrounds you could mount in various places to achieve the extended listening.

And since you said big suggestions, ceiling speakers could achieve alot of this as well, probably more seemlessly. Obviously would require cutting into the ceiling and possibly the walls for wiring depending on the build and ownership status.

 

I'm tempted to recommend the bose qc45s, although they seem to be discontinued, but still on sale from some outlets. I'd prefer to see them at 200-250 USD, but you might not be able to get them for that much, new. They have solid ANC and battery life rated for 25 hours which for me is typically enough to confidently get me through two full days of use (~6-8 hours of on time per day) about a year and a half down the line, I usually charge at the end of the second day since it reaches 20-30% battery. It's fully plastic but has fared relatively well with rather harsh abuse, and its inbuilt microphone works alright. I've used it with teams and it seemed to be fine, but I can't confidently advise there.

In terms of sound, It's pretty much tuned to Harman but a bit brighter in the lower treble around 2-4k. It's pretty bassy, rather grainy, and definitely not resolving, but it also doesn't sound godawful to my ears. The treble annoyed when I first listened to it but I got relatively used to it.

In terms of other options, I'd probably pass on the xm4s unless you love bass or wish to EQ them. Their touch-based multimedia controls are hit or miss for some people, but durability and battery should be fine. If you can find AKG nc700 m2's, those are solid-sounding options with ok anc, can't vouch for duability. That's all I have off the top of my head. opening up your options to include TWS or adapted IEMs might net better results.

 

Any recommendations for headphones that would be a step up above Hifiman Anandas (Original)? Not super picky on budget, I'm looking for a reasonably priced step up (approx. 2-4000 USD). Not concerned about required source gear but a brief comment on required/nice-to-have source gear would be appreciated. Resolving ability isn't a huge issue for me, I'm prioritizing listenability. Namely looking for full bass extension that hovers around neutral to slightly boosted, full midrange, and a 1-2k region that ranges from neutral to slightly dark. Other than that, I'm looking for something that can throw a deep stage, image well, and have good slam, if possible.

Impressions of various headphones-

Ananda: Decent tonality, slightly weird timbre. Bass extension and presence is lacking. 4-8k is too bright for my taste, sounds fatiguing. Not a ton of wow factor or slam, but a solid, relatively refined performer, overall.

Focal Clear MG- Sounds thin. Mids sound recessed, lower mids sound muddy. Slam and bass aren't anything to talk about. Treble sounds a little hard or etched, boosted a little more than I'd like in upper registers.

LCD-X: A little thin and sibilant, tonality sounds mostly right. Good presence in midbass. Not much to comment about in terms of stage and imaging. They weigh too much for my taste, and my ears touch the drivers.

LCD-3: Less thin than lcdx, still a little sibilant. Stage and imaging are better, but doesn't quite do it for me. Still too heavy.

HD800s: Relatively inoffensive to my ears, slightly bright. Clinical sounding. Stage is decent but nothing to write home about imo. Headband likes to catch stray hairs and yank them out.

Hd660s2: Nice tonality, rather enjoyable. Technically not the best performer and not a box-ticker, but something that I definitely wouldn't mind listening to. Slightly small cups for my ears.

 

With those needs and If you've got $4k to spend, I feel like you're headed into stax territory. You can get a 007 and KGSSHV Carbon for that much with a bit left over to still piddle around with new dynamic toys.

 

I don't think Stax is the direction to go given the above description of what he is looking for. Stax is all about resolution basically at the expense of everything else. they do stage well and have good sense of air though, but they have zero slam and do not have slightly elevated bass.

I think a good ortho would suit you well, but I can't comment beyond that. electrodynamics can't do bass extension well but they are typically better at staging then orthos.

I wonder if a ZMF Atrium would suit you well given the impressions of great bass slam and the ZMF tuning isn't bright. Not the best bass extension compared to orthos and also kind of heavy. Then amping options are endless since they're dynamics. A DNA Stratus or the upcoming ZMF Aegis, or a used Eddie Current amp... I would think a tube amp would be the way to go since you want good tone and listenability. But a cheaper option would be the Mjolner 3, which has really great slam. And good tone, I bet you'd like its super dynamic sound.

So maybe Schiit Yggdrasil LIM, ZMF Atrium and Schiit Mjolner 3 might be a system you would love. Just above your budget though I think. Maybe there's a cheaper DAC like the Soerkis 2541 that you would like. Or a used Gungnir A1 Multibit if you can find one used, that would be perfect.

Just some thoughts, leaving out the orthos that I would also recommend

 

I agree with @rhythmdevils that the Atrium may be the way to go (or at least trying out) tho I wouldn’t say they have the deepest stage. The Caldera ultraperf pads help expand the stage but it’s at the expense of bass quantity.

 

I think maybe one of those passive L/C/R combos with good amplification? iirc, that's what the guy who runs audioholics does.

Not recommending these, just an example of one.

 

I specifically listed the 007. Yeah it doesn't really have the bass heft, but it's arguably the bassiest of the stax family and the excellent extension helps. Slam I would say is debatable, though yeah it's not gonna compare to a big ortho.

Or how about the new FOTM the ETA Ada? And if you chat with the ETA guys they can easily tune it a bit to your particular liking.