headphones

Obviously you have learned nothing.

Audiophile 16 years old? Yup, you are still learning, big time!

Or not. He raises the usual valid questions about casual subjective evaluations, particularly those done on equipment they just purchased.

recommended components for 2011:

ATH-AD700...

I had a pair of ATH-AD700 open air 'phones, maybe they are still someplace around the house. They turn out to be very fragile. Mine were glued together in many places which also means that I liked them and wore them a lot.

About the same time I purchased a pair of Audio Technica ATH-A700 Headphones that being closed, had better bass and were also far more durable. Above 1 KHz they weren't that much different.

nes

How were they in terms of comfort? I've been looking for a decent pair of closed headphones for a while.

Bill

No, he's nit-picking pointlessly as is his usual history.

Headphones are complicated to evaluate due to individual heads and ears, etc, necessitating a higher level of subjectivity. For instance, I enjoy my Grado 80s for casual listening while you have expressed distaste for that model.

rec.audio.pro (including Arny's contributions) is a good read if gjsmo wants to learn how those who work with sound make purchasing decisions.

Stephen

How important is a dedicated headphone amp? My current cans are Beyerdynamic DT 990, which are very nice, but I wonder how much better they'd sound with a headphone amp. (I use a Cambridge Audio Sonata receivere in my office, where I do most of my listening.)

Any recommendations for an affordable headphone amp?

Kirk

The major benefit of a dedicated headphone amp comes when you replace a high source impedance with a low source impedance.

The source impedance of a headphone jack in a receiver can be either high or low. If it is high then any reasonable headphone amp with a low source impedance can provide a worthwhile improvement in sound quality. If it is already low, then finding an improvement is far more difficult.

I use a FIIO E5 headphone amp in those situations where the source impedance or maximum output level of the source of an existing headphone jack is not suitable. About $20, but requires a USB power source which may be an inexpensive USB wall wart and cable.

That comment seems to confuse personal perceptions about someones past posting history (IOW, personal prejudice) with the validity of a post that seems to be very reasonable.

Back in the real world, neither of us are 16 year olds or beginning audiophiles. I hope that we both understand the effects of decades of experience have on our renditions of our subjective impressions.

It would appear that history is on my side because the manufacturer of that product has just lately vastly improved it, if the recent comments of Mr. Dorsey (a generally reliable and highly experienced source) are to be taken seriously.

The Grado site says the following:

"What does the i stand for in the new SR80i from Grado? Improved, that's what! Built on the same features as theSR60i, but SR80i utilizes a 4 conductor connecting cable and the diaphragms are put through a special 'de-stressing' process in order to enhance inner detail, the result of which gives a more open stage. The new SR80i has an upgraded driver design, and they have enlarged and improved the mass distribution in the plastic housing. The way the SR80i's new driver and plastic housing move air and react to sound vibrations are now less affected by transient distortions. The SR80 provides an improved bass resonance, which enhances the overall detail. With the SR80i you will notice improved control of the upper and lower range of the frequency spectrum with both better supporting Grado's world renowned midrange. The SR80i will produce a sound that is pure Grado, warm harmonic color, rich full bodied vocals, excellent dynamics and an ultra smooth top end. Listen and Enjoy!"

Like Scott, Grado themselves seem to be supporting the idea that they have felt the need to significantly upgrade the version of the SR 80s that I auditioned maybe a decade ago.

Right, but one needs to consider the source and the tone of the comments.

I found the ATH-A700s to be very comfortable. Their earpads are not tight or constricting and don't become clammy or press tightly on the side of the head. Of course this tends to put their bass performance intermediate between say HD 280s and ATH-AD700s. For about $100 they are worth a try.

d than

And I can afford about three - I was basically picking between these, ATH-M50s or HD-280s. I am, as oxymoronic as it may sound, a budget audiophile. I like good sound, but I usually can't afford it.

MiNe, I've been looking at rec.audio.pro for quite a while now. Not quite a year.

"Arny Krueger" wrote >>> >> > > > > Seems pricey to me.

And along with that go the effects of decades of hearing loss.........

In this day and age, seems like every 20 year old has them...

I've taken pretty good care of my ears and can hear far better than many people who are decades my junior, particularly musicians.

I prefer to call it experience. Calling it prejudice seems prejudicial.

Arguing whether "15, maybe 20" falls short of the number Gerard expects is definitely nitpicking.

Me, too.

Interesting, but does not show history is on your side. Many worthwhile products are improved upon after introduction.

I'm sure Grado stood behind both the old and new versions. For all I know, the 80 is just a 60 with better test specs for, say, driver matching and it was the 60 that needed improving. Or maybe the line is built on common components that became unavailable necessitating a redesign.

It's amusing to see you appear to endorse a mysterious cable "'destressing' process" that enhances "inner detail!" Distinguishing that kind of ad copy from the more credible claims is the kind of wisdom our 16-year-old should hope to learn from observation.

OTOH, if de-stressing keeps the wires from twisting up, I'm for it.

Indeed.

Stephen

Definitely not. Last time I went to a store to buy headphones, they had a choice of much more than 50 different types; I think it was close to 100. And saying "much more balanced than any headphones I've ever had before" does not give any information. It could have been 5, or 10, or 15, or whatever. The nitpicking is definitely yours. Just for the case of nitpicking.

more

does

Well I didn't have that choice. I had 3 headphones in my price range which fit my needs (around $100 to $200, studio/flattish over-the-ear, closed-back/isolation cans), and I picked one. Before, I've always wanted good sound quality (not over-bassy, not muddy), and good isolation (either silicone earbuds or isolation phones). My budget was also around $30-$50, and I kept breaking them, so I tried new ones every 4 or 5 months. But there's still not any 50 or 100 phones in that range. And "much more balanced" DOES give quite a bit of information. That is, they are far superior to any consumer-grade headphone I've had before, particularly in frequency response. I'm also not nitpicking. I made general statements, which you found small flaws in. Riddle me this, Gerard: When did I question ANYONE else's statements or judgements, and when did I nitpick?

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Oh, by the way - I don't believe ANYTHING about claims of better cables improving sound. In my mind, the following holds true, just like everywhere else, for audio:

Thus, I don't even pay attention to claims about cables (anyone remember the debate about "hi-fi" SATA cables with the guy with all Naim stuff? Malcolm Steward?). However, good design (durable and well- shielded/braided) will help.

I'm a skeptic. Don't worry about me. I'll figure out what can and can't work - I DO have Google... and a brain...

Good attitude!

Stephen

Stephen, you misread. The diaphragms are put through a special 'de-stressing' process, not the cable. At first glance, that might serve to improve the sound quality.

I did not write that /you/ are nitpicking. I used that word in reply to Mine109.