Where my Audiophiles at? Headphones, speakers, whatever.

[SomeGuyDude]

We gotta be out there. You know who you are, the dumbasses who spend more on speakers than you spend on clothing, food, or your own health. Roll call. What's your setup like?

 

[SentinelSlain]

well i wouldn't call myself an audiophile but i did have some sexual Grado SR80i headphones till the fucking cable broke. By the time I got my refund I couldn't budget ordering some more. One day I'll get some good headphones again though, something even better than those. Maybe the same brand though.

My hifi is ok imho.

cambridge audio azur amp and cd player
cambridge audio s30 speakers
Dual cs 30[some number] turn table with suitably light ortofon cartridge
pro-ject phono amp

Basically vinyl sounds pretty fucking sweet on that rig. It sounds stellar compared to how it sounds on a worn out old 70s combi system anyway. It doesn't actually sound all that different quality wise than CDs do on that system, there is a difference in sound though.

I hate radio and only own about 5 tapes.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

I move a lot for work, from hotel to hotel, so I can't do actual full-sized speakers. I do, of course, make up for it with an absolutely silly amount of headphone power, as evidenced below:

- VMODA M100
- Shure SE846
- Final Audio Design Pandora Hope VI
- Sony XBA-H1

 

[SentinelSlain]

How do you deal with monitoring the volume levels, avoiding hearing damage?

 

[waif]

This might be a good place to ask for some headphone recs. Looking for something under $100 that'll sound good and last a while. Not looking for something to take on the bus.

 

[SentinelSlain]

I was a bit abusive to my grado headphones. I wanted them to be wireless, lol. I regret it massively now.

 

[SentinelSlain]

I hope you brethrens listen in lossless formats or from a cd. There's a massive fucking difference between that and 320kbps, even with average or slightly above average equipment.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

I hope you brethrens listen in lossless formats or from a cd. There's a massive fucking difference between that and 320kbps, even with average or slightly above average equipment.

There really isn't. ABX tests have been done over and over and over and as long as we're talking current compression algorithms the only way to even begin to hear a difference is at very high volumes with absolutely zero outside noise with full concentration.

I do everything out of a Macbook Pro with Spotify and the clarity is stellar. Volume monitoring isn't an issue.

As for $100 headphones, do you mean in-ear or big ones? If you're talking bigger guys I'd say hunt down the Logitech UE6000.

 

[brooks55]

At home in the living room I have a pair of Polk Audio Monitor 70's, a pair of Monitor 40's, Polk center channel, & Polk sub all driven by a Yamaha receiver. In my bedroom I have a Samsung boxed home theater system that actually sounds amazing for as small as the speakers are. In my car I have Rockford Fosgate power series component's, amp's, & sub. I don't listen to music on headphones anymore.

 

[SentinelSlain]

I can hear the difference, or I think I can, but the ability to might vary from person to person.

 

[waif]

As for $100 headphones, do you mean in-ear or big ones? If you're talking bigger guys I'd say hunt down the Logitech UE6000.

I meant big ones. Appreciate the recommendation, I'll look into them.

 

[Draehl]

What are some good quality headphones for us glasses-wearers? I find the big heavy ones you gotta keep em so tight as to not fall off that they push your ear against the glasses resulting in irritation/pain. Earphones I've found you can't turn up loud enough without feeling like you're damaging your ears. I've had the best luck in the past with smaller headphones. Any recs?

As for computer audio, they may not be hardcore audiophile quality, but especially given the $150 pricetag I've been extremely pleased with my Klipsch Promedia 2.1 system for music and gaming. They have good top end quality, pack an amazing mids for that "punch" I love with the drums/gunfire, and are aesthetically pleasing. Only downside is they're just passable on the low end, Dopesmoker's basslines sound good, but anything below that it starts to fall off a bit.

 

[SentinelSlain]

for pc audio i have creative t40 s2. They're good, far better than the t20s, but not outstanding. They do the job and deliver clarity of sound and a full range of sound, if not a brilliant high fidelity reproduction of studio sound.

 

[Matt]

I've got beats studio headphones for production and then I have a pair of Mackie studio monitors, MR8 MK2's. They're excellent. I do not carry a pair of headphones out of the house.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

What are some good quality headphones for us glasses-wearers? I find the big heavy ones you gotta keep em so tight as to not fall off that they push your ear against the glasses resulting in irritation/pain. Earphones I've found you can't turn up loud enough without feeling like you're damaging your ears. I've had the best luck in the past with smaller headphones. Any recs?

As for computer audio, they may not be hardcore audiophile quality, but especially given the $150 pricetag I've been extremely pleased with my Klipsch Promedia 2.1 system for music and gaming. They have good top end quality, pack an amazing mids for that "punch" I love with the drums/gunfire, and are aesthetically pleasing. Only downside is they're just passable on the low end, Dopesmoker's basslines sound good, but anything below that it starts to fall off a bit.

If you have a couple bucks, the VMODA XS for $200 are friggin' awesome.

In-ears can be incredible, you just gotta find the right ones.

 

[dwellerINTHEdark]

For comfort purposes I have not been able to find a better pair than the Sennheiser HD-555s. The sound is great, but these bad boys can stay on my head for hours without a problem. Probably good for glasses-wearers too. However, I think they may have stopped production on this one...

 

[-CC-]

Beyerdynamics DT 770

I use these babies for everything at home. Got them originally for producing music, but I now use them for anything that doesn't require me to step outside the house because they are humongous. They are super comfortable, but they are closed headphones so expect to be deaf to your surroundings while wearing them.

 

[brooks55]

Listening to music in my car is unmatched by anything I have ever owned home stereo wise or headphones wise. It just absolutely consumes me. I guess it's the tight quarters. I wish I could get that same feeling in the house. My stereo sounds great in the house, but it's on another level in the car.

 

[dwellerINTHEdark]

What the hell kind of sound system do you have in your car??

 

[brooks55]

About 4K worth of Rockford stuff. Well more like 3K plus my head unit & installation cost.