Headphones & Audio Devices

Funkor

Funkor

Molten Core Raider
733
618
Deathwing said:
Any place where I can read some mass reviews of Schiit products? Having trouble finding them on Amazon. I like using that as a sort of weeding out products that may only show their downside with 1/10 people.
Click to expand...
It's tough to find unbiased reviews of their products as it seems people either really love them or really hate them. Audiosciencereview.com isn't a huge fan of the brand, whereas superbestaudiofriends.org absolutely loves it.

The company isn't without some controversy in its past: TIL: NwAvGuy got banned for legitimately criticizing Schiit amps. • r/headphones

Brahma may know some more neutral sources of reviews, and from what I've read from him he personally has had no problems with his stack. I can't remember what headphones he purchased that were super expensive but I imagine they need a decent amp to drive them so make of that what you will.
 
Brahma

Brahma

Obi-Bro Kenobi-X
12,503
45,511
Funkor said:
It's tough to find unbiased reviews of their products as it seems people either really love them or really hate them. Audiosciencereview.com isn't a huge fan of the brand, whereas superbestaudiofriends.org absolutely loves it.

The company isn't without some controversy in its past: TIL: NwAvGuy got banned for legitimately criticizing Schiit amps. • r/headphones

Brahma may know some more neutral sources of reviews, and from what I've read from him he personally has had no problems with his stack. I can't remember what headphones he purchased that were super expensive but I imagine they need a decent amp to drive them so make of that what you will.
Click to expand...

LOL I don't. That's why I buy/return everything!

@Deathwing at 300 bucks man they are all pretty much the same. Especially with the headphones you are using. If you were spending lets say $3000.00 on the gear then I would be looking for reviews from everyone's mama and THEIR mama.

I honestly chose the Schiit stack for the look only. My REAL setup, fuck that...I went to meets and people's houses to hear what stuff sounded like.
 
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user
D

dimstar

Silver Knight of the Realm
54
6
My 10-year-old Tritton 5.1 surround sound headset left side just crapped out. Whats the current favorite for quality/performance?
 
Utnayan

Utnayan

F16 patrolling Rajaah until he plays DS3
<Gold Donor>
16,524
12,562
Hey D dimstar , I have been very happy with my Arctic 7's. They also work with my PS Pro and XBox One X. Wirelessly for my PC they are very good. Good sound quality and direction and constant firmware support. DTS:X surround works very well too for positioning, other than PUBG which always has issues I guess with headsets and positioning?

Battery lasts a long time as well. While it states 24 hours, I am often lasting 30 without a charge.
 
Kais

Kais

<Gold Donor>
880
1,630
I've been using a pair of Senn HD280 Pro for awhile and it's past time to step up my game. Recommendations in the $200-250 range? Also thinking about a Fiio E10k to pair with it. I use a modmic for voice. Primary uses would be gaming, discord, audiobooks, and movies. An accurate soundstage is important to me (hence why it's past time to bin the HD280's).
 
Brahma

Brahma

Obi-Bro Kenobi-X
12,503
45,511
Kais said:
I've been using a pair of Senn HD280 Pro for awhile and it's past time to step up my game. Recommendations in the $200-250 range? Also thinking about a Fiio E10k to pair with it. I use a modmic for voice. Primary uses would be gaming, discord, audiobooks, and movies. An accurate soundstage is important to me (hence why it's past time to bin the HD280's).
Click to expand...


Not even close. The Mass Drop HD650's. 4 days left to snag some for 200 bucks.

Massdrop: Community-Driven Commerce
 
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user
Kais

Kais

<Gold Donor>
880
1,630
What's the difference between the massdrop 6xx vs the regular 650s? That's a big drop in price between the two.
 
Brahma

Brahma

Obi-Bro Kenobi-X
12,503
45,511
Kais said:
What's the difference between the massdrop 6xx vs the regular 650s? That's a big drop in price between the two.
Click to expand...

Smaller soundstage. The Hd6xx sound a bit more mellow. The plastic used for the headphones is a bit cheaper. Less clamping force on your head.
 
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user
Kais

Kais

<Gold Donor>
880
1,630
Estimated ship date of Aug 31. Bit of a wait but for that price i'm on it. Much appreciated!
 
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user
Brahma

Brahma

Obi-Bro Kenobi-X
12,503
45,511
Kais said:
Estimated ship date of Aug 31. Bit of a wait but for that price i'm on it. Much appreciated!
Click to expand...

Yup

Reddit reviewer...

Ok I just got my HD6XX after owning a HD650 and LCD-2 (latest revision) for a while and decided to post my thoughts. My signal chain for comparison was foobar2000 (WASAPI) -> Modi 2U -> Magni 2U. First comparing the HD6XX and HD650 the obvious difference is the color and feel of the plastic, the HD6XX plastic does feel cheaper but I actually personally prefer the look of the very dark blue color to the grey.

The HD6XX has a tiny bit less clamping force than my HD650 but otherwise comfort is identical. As far as sound goes after a lot of A/B testing on various tracks they are pretty damn close, as you'd expect. I feel like the HD6XX maybe is a tiny bit warmer and has a slightly narrower soundstage, but overall very close. After testing them both I actually prefer the look, sound and slightly less clamp of the HD6XX. I definitely wasn't expecting that going in to it. All these differences are probably just the typical variance between two different samples but it just goes to show that no two headphones are perfectly identical.

Now bringing the LCD-2 into the mix, simply put it's superior in every way. Neither headphone really has a very wide soundstage but the LCD-2 beats out the HD650 and HD6XX in sound quality in just about every category. While the LCD-2 is typically regarded as a warm headphone like the HD650/6XX, it definitely is brighter to my ears than the Sennheisers. Its bass extension in particular really stands out in comparison, as well as detail retrieval. I love the way cymbals in particular are reproduced on the LCD-2, they sound so incredibly accurate. However, the increased detail retrieval can be negative too on poorly recorded tracks. The HD650/6XX are more forgiving for sure. Comfort is the category where the HD650/6XX absolutely beats out the LCD-2, they are lighter and way more comfortable.

I personally find the LCD-2 to be one of the least comfortable headphones on the market, but I put up with it because they sound so damn good. So yeah in summary the HD6XX are amazing for $199, the best value in the headphone market right now without question, and LCD-2 are worth the cost of admission if you want to step up, but they both deserve a place in any audiophile's collection.
 
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user
Kais

Kais

<Gold Donor>
880
1,630
Now i'm rethinking if the e10k has enough juice to push the 6xx. Would the Schiit Fulla 2 work? Is the Monoprice dac even worth considering?
 
Last edited:
Adebisi

Adebisi

Clump of Cells
<Silver Donator>
27,705
32,812
In-ear wireless headphones
Must be as comfy as an in-ear can possibly be
annnnnd ... GO!
 
Hekotat

Hekotat

FoH nuclear response team
12,242
11,886
Audiophiles, lend me your ears.

What would be some good quality speakers to put into a custom/homemade boombox? I'm building a pretty sleek style setup and not sure where to even begin looking for speakers and components.

Project Details

Raspi powered
5" or 6" speakers x2 (Do I need tweeters or something else for more range?)
Amp (I'm assuming I can plug a DAC or something similar into the audio output of the pi for better sound quality?)

Mainly looking for brand names for speakers and amps to look into.
 
Prodigal

Prodigal

Shitlord, Offender of the Universe
<Bronze Donator>
1,412
1,761
Lookin for a good pair of Bluetooth headphones, think it’s down to the Sennheiser PXC 550 vs. the Bose QC 35 - any suggestions?

Edit to add: primarily for listening to music and watching movies, I have a headset for my computer. Maybe some gaming when wife is trying to sleep.
 
Last edited:
Prodigal

Prodigal

Shitlord, Offender of the Universe
<Bronze Donator>
1,412
1,761
Hekotat said:
Audiophiles, lend me your ears.

What would be some good quality speakers to put into a custom/homemade boombox? I'm building a pretty sleek style setup and not sure where to even begin looking for speakers and components.

Project Details

Raspi powered
5" or 6" speakers x2 (Do I need tweeters or something else for more range?)
Amp (I'm assuming I can plug a DAC or something similar into the audio output of the pi for better sound quality?)

Mainly looking for brand names for speakers and amps to look into.
Click to expand...

I’m partial to JBL for good quality and value.
 
Hekotat

Hekotat

FoH nuclear response team
12,242
11,886
Prodigal said:
I’m partial to JBL for good quality and value.
Click to expand...

After doing some research here's the list of parts I came up with

Amp Board w/ Bluetooth "Dayton Audio KAB-250A 2x50W Class D Audio Amplifier Board with Bluetooth 4.0" from www.parts-express.com!

Speakers "Tang Band W5-2143 5" Paper Cone Full Range Driver 8 Ohm" from www.parts-express.com!

going to make something like this, but with my own design. About to go cut out some test cuts actually.

Speaker System.jpeg
 
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user
brekk

brekk

Dancing Dino Superstar
<Bronze Donator>
2,193
1,749
If you want to carry it around like a boombox I wouldn't go for paper cones. Plastic cone will be more resilient to the environment.
 
DirkDonkeyroot

DirkDonkeyroot

Blackwing Lair Raider
876
1,435
Hekotat said:
Audiophiles, lend me your ears.

What would be some good quality speakers to put into a custom/homemade boombox? I'm building a pretty sleek style setup and not sure where to even begin looking for speakers and components.

Project Details

Raspi powered
5" or 6" speakers x2 (Do I need tweeters or something else for more range?)
Amp (I'm assuming I can plug a DAC or something similar into the audio output of the pi for better sound quality?)

Mainly looking for brand names for speakers and amps to look into.
Click to expand...

I don't know if Parts Express sells them anymore but I always liked the sound of aura speakers, and they were fairly cheap. Good full range that will have a little top and low end drop off but nothing that would discourage me from using them in a portable system.
 
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user
You must log in or register to reply here.