Headphone (Modern & Vintage) Thread

ahartfie · Jan 25, 2017

Larry S
Grado is on my audition list. Love that old Marantz! Golden age of big, clean, beautiful powerful recievers.

Thanks! I was shocked, just shocked, when I listened to it at the used audio equipment store. My test track was Janelle Monae's "We Were Rock and Roll" and the separation and clarity were... shocking. They had an earlier Marantz that sounded good that I tried first, but then I tried this one and was blown away. It looked good inside, too.

I would love to bring it home and connect it to my vintage Empire Scientific Grenadier speakers. I think that would sound really, really good. I've thought about finding another Marantz and running a two-amp setup here at home but that will be a major PITA

Larry S · Jan 25, 2017

Marantz, Technics, Pioneer, Sansui, Onkyo 70s / Early 80's .. Still going strong and are great bargains. Built like tanks with amazing specs for their era. Great for 2 channel audio.

Taddyangle · Jan 25, 2017

I had wondered were these went, Leo our dog found them last week for me 🙁

These have worked out nice, 5+ years old, maybe older.

I, however, prefer these RHA ear buds.

Niloticus · Jan 25, 2017

yinzerniner
As @Larry S said the Bose QC 25s are shockingly competent for being made by Bose. Good overall sound (6.5-7/10) but unbeatable noise cancellation. Comfort is very YMMV, but on my weird, huge head they fit very well. If noise cancellation is of utmost priority give them a try, or the QC 35s if you need wireless (which comes in handy a lot if you're traveling). Otherwise you can look at some of the aforementioned recos and see which sound/fit/isolate the best.

If you're using your iphone for music listening the bar is already pretty low for sound fidelity since the internal DAC is crap, but yes music downloaded from iTunes is horrendous. Even Amazon Music sounds much better, as does Spotify. If you'd rather not rip your own tracks then Society of Sound, HDtracks, Acoustic Sounds and others have very nice high fidelity options. Also, not sure if you're into vinyl but oftentimes new releases come with a free HD download card, and if you buy vinyl from Amazon they will let you stream the entire album for free.

Well noted for Bose noise cancelling. I think I'll have to go with them then. Only thing that mildly concerns me is that some places I go to can be shifty, so I'll have to be careful.

What nomadic listening options would you recommend then? Other than the IPhone I mean.

I tend to listen mostly to soundtracks and classical music. No vinyls.

yinzerniner · Jan 25, 2017

Edantony
Well noted for Bose noise cancelling. I think I'll have to go with them then. Only thing that mildly concerns me is that some places I go to can be shifty, so I'll have to be careful.

What nomadic listening options would you recommend then? Other than the IPhone I mean.

I tend to listen mostly to soundtracks and classical music. No vinyls.

A budget would help, as would other preferences. You've voiced priority for noise cancellation, but other considerations are still elusive.
An external DAC is the best option, although it adds bulk and price. There are a few apps as well that can do some EQ finagling, but they changes are pretty cosmetic and will never give you tangible improvements a hardware solution will.
The one external DAC that looks most promising is the Oppo HA-2SE. Can be used as a USB DAC as well, and includes a battery that can charge the phone. I've never used it, but having gone through 5 different Oppo pieces they've never ceased to amaze. Pricey, but totally worth it with the presumed features and quality.

Niloticus · Jan 25, 2017

yinzerniner
A budget would help, as would other preferences. You've voiced priority for noise cancellation, but other considerations are still elusive.
An external DAC is the best option, although it adds bulk and price. There are a few apps as well that can do some EQ finagling, but they changes are pretty cosmetic and will never give you tangible improvements a hardware solution will.
The one external DAC that looks most promising is the Oppo HA-2SE. Can be used as a USB DAC as well, and includes a battery that can charge the phone. I've never used it, but having gone through 5 different Oppo pieces they've never ceased to amaze. Pricey, but totally worth it with the presumed features and quality.

Hmm... very interesting. I think that before thinking DAC I would have to buy the Bose, upgrade my source audio files (get lossless 24bit tracks), probably add an app on the iphone that enables reading those files.
I like the Opio but as you said it is slightly expensive. My initial question was more about the terminal itself (as the iphone seems to have a shitty DAC), what would be a good nomadic music player (capable of reading 24bit music for example, with perhaps a good integrated DAC)?
Budget-wise under $500 (Im quite new to this so perhaps I should look into more detail before asking).

Trev · Jan 25, 2017

Edantony
Hmm... very interesting. I think that before thinking DAC I would have to buy the Bose, upgrade my source audio files (get lossless 24bit tracks), probably add an app on the iphone that enables reading those files.
I like the Opio but as you said it is slightly expensive. My initial question was more about the terminal itself (as the iphone seems to have a shitty DAC), what would be a good nomadic music player (capable of reading 24bit music for example, with perhaps a good integrated DAC)?
Budget-wise under $500 (Im quite new to this so perhaps I should look into more detail before asking).

After listening to a ton of material, I pretty much came to the conclusion that the mastering process seems to matter more than having a high bitrate source. I often found some of my best sounding tracks were still 44khz/16bit.

I think that in cases where higher bitrate sounds different, it's more likely to be a better mastering job (since a lot of 44khz material is over compressed, etc).

Thoughts?

yinzerniner · Jan 25, 2017

Edantony
Hmm... very interesting. I think that before thinking DAC I would have to buy the Bose, upgrade my source audio files (get lossless 24bit tracks), probably add an app on the iphone that enables reading those files.
I like the Opio but as you said it is slightly expensive. My initial question was more about the terminal itself (as the iphone seems to have a shitty DAC), what would be a good nomadic music player (capable of reading 24bit music for example, with perhaps a good integrated DAC)?
Budget-wise under $500 (Im quite new to this so perhaps I should look into more detail before asking).

Really opening up a can of worms when getting into standalone DAPs. Fiio, Denon, Sony, Hifiman - they're all pretty decent and can play almost any format you throw at them. Really paying more for features and interface then actual sound quality once you get into the different price segments.
If you're new to this probably the best way is to start from a good set of headphones and test them with every single source and media material you have at your disposal. When you get a good idea of the sonic differences (if any!) of all the combinations, then experiment and try out other equipment, options and processes.

Trev
After listening to a ton of material, I pretty much came to the conclusion that the mastering process seems to matter more than having a high bitrate source. I often found some of my best sounding tracks were still 44khz/16bit.

I think that in cases where higher bitrate sounds different, it's more likely to be a better mastering job (since a lot of 44khz material is over compressed, etc).

Thoughts?

Absolutely, mastering/recording is the cornerstone to sonic fidelity. That being said a crappy DAC will kill any semblance of soundstage, imaging, impact, depth, clarity, etc. that the genius producers out there imparted upon the digital versions of their recordings. So too will an improperly ripped digital track. I still have a few MFSL Gold CDs lying around that sound superior to almost any version (Vinyl, SACD, high-res FLAC) of the same recordings simply because the mastering is ..... masterful.

Larry S · Jan 25, 2017

Bad mastering becomes really apparent on good head phones and accurate speakers like B&W. I get really confused with all the hi res digital options. When Apple decided to stop production of the Classic, I cursed them and bought three from Amazon. One is in my gym bag, one is my travel and everday companion and one is in a box in my safe!

VetPsychWars · Jan 31, 2017

If a person were to buy a vintage Marantz receiver, the 2225 is the only one to get. As receivers go, they sound even better than Harmon-Kardon. Replace the electrolytic capacitors in the signal path of the preamp and power amp sections and you wull soil yourself with glee! Perhaps the only one better is Luxman and they have too many gimmicks.

As for headphones, I have been a Sennheiser man of late, regardless of living in Milwaukee, the home of Koss. But I recently tried the Pro4s and I was astonished how good they are, especially for the price. While not open-backed phones like the Sennheiser HD-598 I also have, they are neutral and punchy in a good way.

Tom

Larry S · Jan 31, 2017

Well the wife barked at me last night for the Yes concert I put on so with her picking up more consulting work, I need to hook up that pre amp and get auditioning.

ahartfie · Jan 31, 2017

VetPsychWars
If a person were to buy a vintage Marantz receiver, the 2225 is the only one to get. As receivers go, they sound even better than Harmon-Kardon. Replace the electrolytic capacitors in the signal path of the preamp and power amp sections and you wull soil yourself with glee! Perhaps the only one better is Luxman and they have too many gimmicks.
Tom

Why do you say that about the 2225? I bought it in complete ignorance - I just liked how it sounded. What makes it special?

I think the shop refurbished or replaced the capacitors before I bought it.

Thanks for any knowledge you can share.

VetPsychWars · Jan 31, 2017

ahartfie
Why do you say that about the 2225? I bought it in complete ignorance - I just liked how it sounded. What makes it special?

I think the shop refurbished or replaced the capacitors before I bought it.

Thanks for any knowledge you can share.

Marantz made a buttload of those receivers, 22XX, where the last two numbers represent the watts per channel. There was a 2250 as well, but it could be argued that the 2225 is a better device.

I can tell by looking at the circuit boards that they are original. Replacing those electrolytics might cost up to $100 depending on what caps you buy... but the sonic advantage would, as I suggested, make you soil yourself.

Tom

Dogmann · Feb 1, 2017

Hi all,

Well after doing my own research and having found some good reviews I went with the B&O H5 bluetooth in ear phones and as expected from a company like B&O they are beautifully made and of the expected high quality. They offer a really nice rich balanced sound with great separation and over all a great sound stage. The only other thing I did was to add a set of the Comply Comfort + premium ear phone tips as with most things your whole system is only as good as its weakest part and not all in ear tips are the same not by a long way IMHO. I know some may baulk at the price and think I'm crazy but they really do make a difference. Although I chose the Comfort + over the Sport or Isolation versions they do indeed improve not only comfort but sound isolation to. I have now been using this new set up for the last few days and couldn't be happier with my purchases, if you don't know about Comply check them out @http://www.complyfoam.com/products/store/ and you may be suprised by what you find(you can find them cheaper on E-Bay). Here is a picture of my new set up.

B&O H5 2 by Marc Obermann, on Flickr

Marc

dsio · Mar 23, 2017

Sennheiser Dior Homme Limited Editions... this just makes me sad, Senn is meant to be just German and good, not caring about style or fashion to whack up the price tag 🙁

https://en-au.sennheiser.com/headphones-earphones-dior-edition

argonbeam · Mar 24, 2017

Grado fan as well. Started with sr80's when that was all I could afford. Current faves are some older, gold-bodied sr325 with more comfortable pads than the stock ones. Never liked the sound of most Sennheisers, but know lots of folks who don't like Grado, so probably most important to audition anything first for sound and comfort test. Lots of great DAC/headphone amp combos out there too.

This thread is dangerous. Only thing my wife questions more than my watch collection is shuffling of audio equipment.

tyrantlizardrex · Apr 17, 2017

For pootling around town, I tend to use the headphones supplied with the iPhone 6+.

For Podcasting/editing, I use a set of AKG K450's that have been my "good" headphones for a few years - as a lot of reviews have said over the years, a very crisp, level vocal, which is great for speach/vocals... they sound great with Thriller/Bad recorded on the Shure SM7B... and epically mastered.

For sitting around the house/travel I grabbed a pair of B&W P3s in Heathrow airport last year... Thriller/Bad are my test albums... and they sound so clean and rich through these headphones. Semi open, so not great for making friends... or great for making friends if they like your music choices!

Deafboy · Apr 17, 2017

I like my Beyerdynamic T51i. The sound is very good and quite portable.

nlogax · Apr 17, 2017

I've had a few sets of headphones / earphones over the years, never anything too fancy but I do find them essential for (desk bound) work and commuting through London. Current line up looks like:

For home: Beyerdynamic DT 990 250 Ohm, with a tiny (and long discontinued) Total Bithead amp from Headroom. The 990's have a really nice open, smooth, airy feel and I should use them far more than I do.

Also for home / sometimes office (usually coding): Sennheiser HD 25-1 II. Nice isolation, easy to drive from a laptop and a solid clinical sound. It's also really useful that they're so bombproof - I've no hesitation about lending them to friends / family / pets...

For running / gym: Soundmagic E10. Cheap but solid construction (inc cables!) a great overall sound, great isolation, far better than the Sennheiser CM300 they replaced.

For around town: Etymotic HF3. These have a supernatural level of detail and isolation - always reveal new details in whatever tunes I'm listening to. Lightweight, amazing fit (triple flange buried _really_ far down into yer lugholes) , very useful inline remote and mic... that said, I'm on my 3rd pair in 3 years: the build quality isn't the best. I can't find anything that compares though, so I suppose I'll just keep buying more.

Headphone (Modern & Vintage) Thread

ahartfie

Larry S

Taddyangle

Niloticus

yinzerniner

Niloticus

Trev

yinzerniner

Larry S

VetPsychWars

Larry S

ahartfie

VetPsychWars

Dogmann

dsio

argonbeam

tyrantlizardrex

Deafboy

nlogax

Similar threads

First Modern Omega

Do modern SMP red seconds tips still turn from red to orange to white?

A huge leap from a modern to a vintage 321: my 105.012-66 HF up close

Omega Globemaster Modern Omega Faux Pas?

Rolex’s Modern Image - What Does It Stand For Today?

Best Single Hand Watches: Beyond MeisterSinger - Vintage & Modern Examples Sought