Nice. I remember trying G6 (or was it G7) Soundblaster card couple years back and it was decent. Decided to go with Schiit instead but SB was suprisingly good. And X4 looks even better.
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Headphones Era lOTl Even Through The Distortion We Remain Lossless
- Thread starter HiResDes
- Start date
G6 is apparently still quite good, but only supports up to 2.1 I think and is a bit older. The X4 seems to be the best all-arounder for what I would need it for.
I know this sounds very stupid, but I hope to god that the X4 will auto-recognize when the headphones are plugged in or not. Or this will be awkward... Switching between speakers and front port on my PC in the Creative software isn't really great at all. It does switch, but it's slow and you can hear an audible click from the hardware, which is bizarre as hell and the fact it doesn't automatically do it feels stupid in 2022.
I just manually switch with windows volume mixer :). But yeah, I think for Creative you have that Sound Blaster Command software which is somewhat clunky.
For some reason, I didn't have separate volume sources with Windows for the front port compared to the back at the card itself. It's why for the last several months that I've been running the Razer Blackshark V2 (the one with the USB sound card basically) as it would be a different source and doesn't sound awful. Mic has been solved on my end as I just use the Elgato Wave 3, which has been fantastic.
Yeah I was commenting on the X4 being an amp/DAC, and why I have the same, sorry wasn't clear. I have a Schiit Jotunheim that I'm not sure I'll ever get rid of, I'll have had it for... 5 years this August, wow. I've considered going to a discreet DAC, but what's an upgrade, $699 on a Bifrost 2? I'm good for now.
I'm pretty sure that with Creative products you press and hold a button to switch between Line-Out and Headphone output.
If you're looking for a product that automatically switches audio output between speakers -> headphones -> speakers, depending on whether headphones are plugged into it, that you are not going to find; I don't know of an amp/DAC that has such capabilities.
That's weird. I have quite a bit older SB Zx (I think) with external "puck" and it shows speakers hooked in to the back of the computer as different source vs headphones in the puck.
Oh, that's super nice. I don't think I am quite ready to spend this much on dac/amp, but then again, just sprung for $500 headphones.... so give me a year or two :).
I bought the Beyerdynamic 700 Pro X's and I'm really enjoying them. I'm just using them on Switch / PC / PS5 directly, picked them up because they're easy to drive and I wanted a nice pair of headphones for Switch in particular that were closed back. I would say they present good but not fantastic detail. They have a really nice sound signature which emphasises treble and mids without being fatiguing. In general I really like how they sound and they compliment my other daily headphones (Philips Fidelio X2) really well.
They're closed back, so they have a fairly poor sound stage overall. With that said I've been using them very successfully in games like Apex Legends because of the treble is much more present than most headphones you might use for games, and the imaging is good so it's easy to isolate the direction of a sound.
Build quality is very good, clamping force is high which can be noticable but not enough that I have ever felt the need to take them off. They can also get a little bit warm across longer sessions.
They're closed back, so they have a fairly poor sound stage overall. With that said I've been using them very successfully in games like Apex Legends because of the treble is much more present than most headphones you might use for games, and the imaging is good so it's easy to isolate the direction of a sound.
Build quality is very good, clamping force is high which can be noticable but not enough that I have ever felt the need to take them off. They can also get a little bit warm across longer sessions.
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My set up is all set up and man, when you can hear something with clarity you didn't know you were missing...
The soundstage and feel of the opening of this just sounds so damn GOOD. And it's not even the highest quality version!
However, I am having real issues truly pinpointing specific sounds when playing PUBG. The sounds show up loud, but feel somewhat vague in their location and it's a real problem.
The soundstage and feel of the opening of this just sounds so damn GOOD. And it's not even the highest quality version!
However, I am having real issues truly pinpointing specific sounds when playing PUBG. The sounds show up loud, but feel somewhat vague in their location and it's a real problem.
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Really loving my Focal Clear so far. I'm curious how much benefit would I hear and is it worth it to sell my JDS Element II and go for a dac amp to use balanced cables like the Fiio K9 Pro?
Any recommendations for headphones for a 4 year old to take on the plane would be appreciated.
I see PuroQuiet being recommended but can't get hold of it easily in the uk. I have been looking at JBL Jr 310BT and 460NC. Do you really need the ANC for the plane or would the kid struggle to hear with the engine noise and sound capped to 85db?
I see PuroQuiet being recommended but can't get hold of it easily in the uk. I have been looking at JBL Jr 310BT and 460NC. Do you really need the ANC for the plane or would the kid struggle to hear with the engine noise and sound capped to 85db?
Man, I was getting ready to sell my Honeydews last night and out of pure curiosity decided to randomly try different tips and EQ settings with them and I actually got them to sound pretty fucking nice with Spinfits (I think) and a solid drop in the bass region in the Qudelix 5k's EQ lol. I guess I'm not selling these after all. They're certainly not PERFECT, but considering the other factors they have going for them like the incredible comfort and a solid amount of isolation, I'm very happy with these right now.
I did put my Aeolus up for sale, though. I did a bit of comparing between them (EQ'd to my taste) and the Sennheiser 58Xs I have and while there's certainly a difference in the technicalities in particular between the two, it just wasn't big enough to justify sticking with the Aeolus, especially since the Sennheisers are simply a lot more comfortable. Hoping to find a buyer for them soon so I can give the HD650s and a tube amp a try.
I did put my Aeolus up for sale, though. I did a bit of comparing between them (EQ'd to my taste) and the Sennheiser 58Xs I have and while there's certainly a difference in the technicalities in particular between the two, it just wasn't big enough to justify sticking with the Aeolus, especially since the Sennheisers are simply a lot more comfortable. Hoping to find a buyer for them soon so I can give the HD650s and a tube amp a try.
At the time my justification was to buy a unit with so much power that I'd never need an upgrade. An "endgame" amp/DAC I suppose.
Should you spend $850 USD + cables for the purpose of a balanced output? Absolutely not. The JDS Element II already provides more power than the Clear requires to damage your hearing.
Balanced is primarily about seeking more power, not an improvement in sound quality. You'd be burning a large stack of money. Can you even resist the urge to placebo yourself into just perceiving that the K9 sounds "better" than your Element II, once you've spent nearly a grand on the setup?
That is just burning money.
Is there a general AV or home theater thread? I've noticed the low end on my bookshelf speakers (powered by AV receiver) all of a sudden sounds…not right. Bass is diminished and I've noticed certain sounds in films sounding extremely hollow/tinny (especially footsteps and doors). What's the best way to go about trouble shooting something like this?
It's not an AV/home theater thread specifically, but this one has folks chatting about that stuff every now and then: https://www.resetera.com/threads/audio-era-because-sound-matters.7045/
I wanted to find a way to use all of the front-facing ports on my Topping DX7 Pro which has a 4.4 balanced plug, so I decided to get a pair of universal IEMs for a closed listening experience at my desk. It seems that this space has developed quite a bit in the past few years. The best options still go for >$1k, but was surprised to see the highly rated Moondrop Blessing 2 around the $300 price point. After some digging, found out there was an exclusive Crinacle-tuned version of this IEM, so I caved and ordered a pair from Shenzhen Audio. I also grabbed a quality aftermarket cable for $20 from Amazon.
At the same time as an iPhone user, have been looking for a way to add parametric EQ on-the-go and ended up stumbling on the unique Qudelix 5K. Turns out this thing does just that and has the LDAC codec which is basically CD-quality audio over bluetooth (the only BT audio codec worth a shit, all the other ones are very lossy and won't get you the full 16bit/44.1kHz). Of course, Apple doesn't support it... I could still use it wired coming out of my phone, but I am worried about the extra power draw it would have on my phone battery.
I happen to have a Hiby R3 Pro that I picked up a few months ago and just discovered that it has BT transmit AND receieve and also supports LDAC. I plan to use the DAP as a BT transmitter and combine it with the Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk + Qudelix 5K once they both arrive so that I can watch movies on my computer from across the room on a quality pair of EQ'd IEMs/headphones.
At the same time as an iPhone user, have been looking for a way to add parametric EQ on-the-go and ended up stumbling on the unique Qudelix 5K. Turns out this thing does just that and has the LDAC codec which is basically CD-quality audio over bluetooth (the only BT audio codec worth a shit, all the other ones are very lossy and won't get you the full 16bit/44.1kHz). Of course, Apple doesn't support it... I could still use it wired coming out of my phone, but I am worried about the extra power draw it would have on my phone battery.
I happen to have a Hiby R3 Pro that I picked up a few months ago and just discovered that it has BT transmit AND receieve and also supports LDAC. I plan to use the DAP as a BT transmitter and combine it with the Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk + Qudelix 5K once they both arrive so that I can watch movies on my computer from across the room on a quality pair of EQ'd IEMs/headphones.
Do it! I feel like the GX doesn't get enough love. Its my favorite out of the Audeze's.
Hey, so I'm flying from Australia to the UK and back in a couple of months, and need a new pair of noise-cancelling over-ear headphones.
I'm mainly going to be using them with my Macbook and Switch, but it'd be a bonus if they're good enough for TV gaming as well. No mic needed!
Unfortunately they would have to be wired, because the Switch has atrocious bluetooth audio. This seems to be an issue, because all of the top recommendations I'm seeing for noise cancelling headphones are wireless.
Are there any wired ones I'm missing, or maybe a wireless pair that can also be connected with a headphone jack?
Budget is fairly flexible, but probably wouldn't go over $400AUD / $300USD.
I'm mainly going to be using them with my Macbook and Switch, but it'd be a bonus if they're good enough for TV gaming as well. No mic needed!
Unfortunately they would have to be wired, because the Switch has atrocious bluetooth audio. This seems to be an issue, because all of the top recommendations I'm seeing for noise cancelling headphones are wireless.
Are there any wired ones I'm missing, or maybe a wireless pair that can also be connected with a headphone jack?
Budget is fairly flexible, but probably wouldn't go over $400AUD / $300USD.
They arrived today. I'm going to use them for a day or two before posting full impressions but I like them a lot so far.
I picked these up for £440 in an eBay listing, they were advertised as 'like new' but opened to verify the contents, and they seem to be true to that description from my inspection. They came with the case and all accessories you would expect, as well as the Audeze authenticity card.
I'm focused more on games than anything so I'm driving them with devices that some of you would surely be unhappy with, such as the Astro Mixamp Pro and directly into my Nintendo Switch. On the mixamp pro they reach volumes that I consider to be too loud with the dial around 50%. On the Switch they are at my ideal listening volume with the volume set to 100%.
I picked these up for £440 in an eBay listing, they were advertised as 'like new' but opened to verify the contents, and they seem to be true to that description from my inspection. They came with the case and all accessories you would expect, as well as the Audeze authenticity card.
I'm focused more on games than anything so I'm driving them with devices that some of you would surely be unhappy with, such as the Astro Mixamp Pro and directly into my Nintendo Switch. On the mixamp pro they reach volumes that I consider to be too loud with the dial around 50%. On the Switch they are at my ideal listening volume with the volume set to 100%.
My Sony XM3 came with a cable to use them wired. Not sure if they kept that feature for the XM4. Not really a fan of the sound but the noise cancelling works especially well on a plane!
Oh snap, the articles I'd seen hadn't mentioned the XM3/4's can be used wired. Cool! They seem to fill all of my requirements then.
Shame that the sound quality doesn't seem great, but presumably you have to pay through the nose for that with wireless headphones.
I don't know if the ANC works in wired mode. I remember it not working and also the audio quality in wired being noticably worse. Ideally I would look for a ANC headphones that can work wirelessly while keeping their active features on.
I remember the ANC working when I plugged it into the xbox controller. I think you have to set it up first on the phone app and it remembers the setting. I would turn it on normally and plug it in after. Can't test it though since I gave them to my dad for his flight to Asia.
Ah okay, yeah that makes sense just had a go quickly and you can just turn them on while wired and it will work. Same for the sound quality it seems, you can just turn them on and that will engage the onboard DAC while in wired mode, which I think leads to a better sound.
In case anyone is curious about the microphone cable on the LCD GX, this here's a mic test from my PS5. The reviews I read / watched often critisized the microphone but I do not think it's bad at all. It's in line with many other good microphones under the $100 price point that I've used in the past, and sounds better or as good as some beyond that too.
You can buy the cable separately, so that can pair up with any Audeze headphone and presumably any headphones with twin XLR jacks.
You can buy the cable separately, so that can pair up with any Audeze headphone and presumably any headphones with twin XLR jacks.
Excellent -- thanks both for the help!
In terms of the imaging and soundstage on the Audeze LCD GX, I think overall it's excellent. While the soundstage isn't as wide as other headphones that I own, specifically the Philips Fidelio XR2 is wider, I feel that the detail and seperation go far beyond the Fidelio which is crucial when picking up several sounds in a wider soundscape.
In terms of imaging I often read a lot of comments in reviews and whatnot which seem quite baseless in terms of headphones. I don't have a good understanding of how imaging is measured, but what I do know, is that I can isolate the direction of players fairly precisely on Apex Legends. For me the mark of a excellent imaging and soundstage is where I can
a) Identify the direction an enemy is coming from
b) Approximate the distance an enemy is coming from
If this works out well, the ideal scenario is that I can actually aim with audio rather than sight, so I can pre-aim an angle or even turn and snap onto a target as a result of the sound.
You can see this play out effectively here in this clip at the 51 second mark.
The first player opens one of the large doors behind me, instantly I know not only that he's behind me, but which door he opened and I pre-aim the right side of my doorway ready for him to approach. I then hear footsteps on the left side door and turn to face that way. They stop for a moment and I turn away because I thought that meant she was walking away or took a different route, but then the footsteps pick up and I turn to shoot her accurately as she comes through the door (and then I miss a load of shots and almost die but that's on me).
In this regard I think they're the best headphones I own for multiplayer shooters. If I can reliably and accurately ready my aim through audio then that's the advantage I want out of them in that space.
The only other open backs I own for this are the Philips Fidelio XR2 and they have a wider soundstage but they are more warm sounding and the separation is less good so things get lost in the mix more often. The LCD GX is actually the first headphone I have owned where I can play my music (quietly) while playing the game and not have that significantly negatively affect my ability to tell what's going on.
In terms of imaging I often read a lot of comments in reviews and whatnot which seem quite baseless in terms of headphones. I don't have a good understanding of how imaging is measured, but what I do know, is that I can isolate the direction of players fairly precisely on Apex Legends. For me the mark of a excellent imaging and soundstage is where I can
a) Identify the direction an enemy is coming from
b) Approximate the distance an enemy is coming from
If this works out well, the ideal scenario is that I can actually aim with audio rather than sight, so I can pre-aim an angle or even turn and snap onto a target as a result of the sound.
You can see this play out effectively here in this clip at the 51 second mark.
The first player opens one of the large doors behind me, instantly I know not only that he's behind me, but which door he opened and I pre-aim the right side of my doorway ready for him to approach. I then hear footsteps on the left side door and turn to face that way. They stop for a moment and I turn away because I thought that meant she was walking away or took a different route, but then the footsteps pick up and I turn to shoot her accurately as she comes through the door (and then I miss a load of shots and almost die but that's on me).
In this regard I think they're the best headphones I own for multiplayer shooters. If I can reliably and accurately ready my aim through audio then that's the advantage I want out of them in that space.
The only other open backs I own for this are the Philips Fidelio XR2 and they have a wider soundstage but they are more warm sounding and the separation is less good so things get lost in the mix more often. The LCD GX is actually the first headphone I have owned where I can play my music (quietly) while playing the game and not have that significantly negatively affect my ability to tell what's going on.
I picked up the Razer Opus X on an amazon deal yesterday. £48 for bluetooth & ANC headphones seemed like a pretty good deal. I have other headphones that I already use in that category but I wanted to get a decent pair for my girlfriend.
Honestly for £48 (£99.99 RRP) they seem to blow everything in that category out of the water. The ANC effect isn't as good as something like the Sony XM4 but I'd wager it's plenty good enough for most people, and the passive noise cancellation is much better than the XM4s. My overall impressions of the sound quality are very positive, especially for the price. It feels adequately detailed and generally in the right place for me tonally.
I might pick up the more expensive Opus 2020 at some point (the THX certified set) because I'd probably swap those out from my XM4s as I've never been impressed by the XM4 audio quality.
Opus X (left), Opus 2020 (right).
If there's a caveat to them I'd say they feel quite cheap. They're almost pure plastic with no frills (case or anything like that). They don't have much weight to them either, which is nice while wearing them but makes them feel, as I say, cheap when you pick them up.
Honestly for £48 (£99.99 RRP) they seem to blow everything in that category out of the water. The ANC effect isn't as good as something like the Sony XM4 but I'd wager it's plenty good enough for most people, and the passive noise cancellation is much better than the XM4s. My overall impressions of the sound quality are very positive, especially for the price. It feels adequately detailed and generally in the right place for me tonally.
I might pick up the more expensive Opus 2020 at some point (the THX certified set) because I'd probably swap those out from my XM4s as I've never been impressed by the XM4 audio quality.
Opus X (left), Opus 2020 (right).
If there's a caveat to them I'd say they feel quite cheap. They're almost pure plastic with no frills (case or anything like that). They don't have much weight to them either, which is nice while wearing them but makes them feel, as I say, cheap when you pick them up.
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Looking for a bit of headphone advice.
Got a pair of 1st gen AirPods that are on the blink. They're probably due replacing anyway, but I'm a (novice) runner so I think I've also likely exposed them to too much sweat and rain.
I use headphones about 60-40 in favour of during exercise vs other stuff. The 40% of the time I use them around the house or when out and about is enough for me to REALLY value just how simple and easy they are to use, but the exercise use is something I think I need to keep in mind.
Am I good to go with the AirPods 3 or Pro? Or should I look at another option? I keep hearing about the Powerbeats Pro, but I've typically always stayed clear of Beats, and I don't have an issue with AirPods falling out of my ears even during runs.
Got a pair of 1st gen AirPods that are on the blink. They're probably due replacing anyway, but I'm a (novice) runner so I think I've also likely exposed them to too much sweat and rain.
I use headphones about 60-40 in favour of during exercise vs other stuff. The 40% of the time I use them around the house or when out and about is enough for me to REALLY value just how simple and easy they are to use, but the exercise use is something I think I need to keep in mind.
Am I good to go with the AirPods 3 or Pro? Or should I look at another option? I keep hearing about the Powerbeats Pro, but I've typically always stayed clear of Beats, and I don't have an issue with AirPods falling out of my ears even during runs.
GungJoe You hit the GX right on the head with what I think. The soundstage is decent but the imaging on those headphones is perfect which makes it great for online games. I mean that headset just overall has a great sound that I think fits every game style. Witcher 3 sounded incredible on it.. Elden Ring sounds waaay too spooky on it haha.
But where are the tubes though? :P
👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀
Need the sexy pic with all the tubes installed and turned on in dim lighting <3
Not a big fan of Woo Audio, but they make the prettiest tube amps. Reminds me I need to sell my lightly-used WA6.
If noise isolation is not a concern I would always choose open over closed. In my experience, soundstage is much more natural in open headphones. However if you really like bass, closed can give that low end rumble that's hard to replicate in an open design.
It depends on your environment.
Open back headphones have a more realistic sense of space in the game world, because the sound can sound as though it's more distant. However, if your home environment is full of screaming children or another person watching TV and things like that, open back headphones also let sound in. So those sounds in your environment might pull you out of the experience.
As I'm typing this I'm wearing open back headphones and I can hear every single click and clatter of my mechanical keyboard. I'm more of a console gamer so I'll never hear things like that while I'm playing but just an example of how it's worth considering your environment and how your experience might be affected by it. Closed back headphones have a good deal of passive noise cancellation (though even then it does vary with materials), but you'll usually find you can't hear anything in the environment when listening to anything at a good volume with closed backs.
Thank you for the inputs, my place atm is kinda noisy so i guess closed back would fit me better
You can also get closed backs with a wider or narrower soundstage or better or worse imaging, so that's something to bear in mind too when looking at which you might want.
I can't really offer much advice which though, the only closed back I have now is the beyerdynamic 700 pro x and while they are enjoyable, I find the soundstage is really quite narrow and I probably wouldn't say they're ideal for gaming if you want to be immersed. I do quite like their sound though, and I use them on Switch as the passive noise isolation of closed backs is appreciable on the go in busy places.
Anyone have an opinion on Focal Clears? See a place that's selling them for 30% off but it'd still be over a grand. I never thought I'd even consider it but here we are. lol
If anyone is interested the iFi Zen Dac now works with PS5. As of a few weeks ago they released an update which I guess enables some kind of UAC1 mode and post-update it's good to go as soon as you plug it in.
I'm a fan of it to be honest, very nice clean sound out of it when listening to music and I don't miss the Astro Mixamp's virtual surround sound most of the time while playing on PS5 (3D audio is still available).
I'm a fan of it to be honest, very nice clean sound out of it when listening to music and I don't miss the Astro Mixamp's virtual surround sound most of the time while playing on PS5 (3D audio is still available).
👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀
Why would anyone name their business We're A Scam Audio?
I love my Valhalla. Use it with my HD800 S, my HD 650, 660s, along with a bifrost multi bit. It's taken everything I've thrown at it and warmed it up a bit. It's great.
The ONLY thing I'd suggest is some tube stands. Really helps with the heat. This thing gets HOT. Also makes it look a lot cooler.
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Interesting, what are tube stands, never heard the term, but not familiar with tube amps either.
Also, do you use default tubes or buy aftermarket for Valhalla? Figure I would go default if I do that. Also probably will grab bifrost I guess and relocate the current stack to the consoles.
Personally I went open back with HD6xx and never looked back. And just got really good Hifiman Edition XS and loving these.
Mind you, if you are in noisy environment or if you could disturb others, you will want closed back headphones. Also, if you really want high bass, again closed. Otherwise, IMO, open back is superior.
Tube stands/socket savers, or tube sockets are another term I've heard used, as well are basically a stand that the tube plugs into that then plugs into the actual socket that the tube goes into on the amp. What that does is lifts the tube up about an inch to an inch and a half depending on the size you get. The tubes in the Valhalla sit LOW so the heat stays inside the unit. With the tube stands in the tubes are exposed quite a bit more to the open air which has kept my unit much cooler. Now you that also means more of the tube is exposed so you can burn your hand on the side of the tube but I'm not exactly fucking with the stack while I'm listening. The main benefit is for people who change tubes a lot is that there's less wear and tear on the actual components inside the amp, you're just wearing out the tube stand/ socket saver.
I use some after market tubes but the ones that came with the Valhalla sound good. There's a million different tubes out there, I didn't really want to go down that rabbit hole AND I got lucky and found a set I liked that warmed up the music a bit and didn't add any distortion. So in the end my stands/socket savers ended up really being to make the unit much cooler. When I didn't have the stands/socket savers in the top of the unit would be super hot. With the stands/socket savers in there is a DRASTIC difference in surface temperature of the unit. unit.
Here's a listing I found on the web of someone who had a Valhalla with tube sockets/socket savers installed so you can see what it looks like.
Schiit Valhalla 2 with reflektor holy grail tubes | Reverb
Absolutely flawless, sparingly used since Bought this last summer directly from schiit...I used it with my cans but mostly used its line outs to my powered monitors with amazing results. That said, I use my set up for mixing/music production and lean heavy on my solid state gear for a more clinic...
reverb.com
Compare that to the stock Valhalla page on schiit's site and you can see how much higher the tubes are sitting.
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Fam, Headphones.com sells the Clear for $990 as the everyday price, been that way forever. You should never be paying over a grand.
The major turnoff for me with Focal headphones is that those gray earpads seem to be 100% guaranteed to turn brown and fall apart due to your skin oils. I was participating in a discussion regarding this matter on r/headphones recently where you can see pics of the aftermath and read of people sharing their experiences.
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Oh yeah, I should have mentioned that I was talking Canadian prices! It's actually their Canadian website that's selling them for the Canadian equivalent. lol
I was convinced not to chase high end this time around because of the diminishing returns and I'm happy with the Sundaras and HD6xx that I already have, but I also heard about the earpad thing. Also that they're extremely expensive to replace (at least in Canada if not in general).