The Audiophiles' Lounge

tedpan

Gonzovision wrote:

I picked up one of these

I might have to upgrade my btr1. The 5 looks great with awesome reviews too!

Took delivery of a Fiio K5 Pro earlier today. So good.

tuxy

I got a Fiio K5 Pro to power my AKG K712 Pro. Very pleased with that combo.
I doubt I'll ever need more power than that amp can provide.

micks_address

micks_address wrote: »

Bargain here for anyone interested in senheiser ie80s

http://www.adverts.ie/19543795

Still no interest in these..I guess the airpods have.taken over

tuxy

I know there will be some on here who mostly listen to flac but what streaming services do people find best.
Right now I have Tidal hifi,spotify premium and amazon music(trial).

Tidal sounds better to me than spotify but I know it's not because of the lossless audio quality.
I've done other tests and I can't tell the difference between 320kbs compressed and lossless. There is something else that makes spotify sound harsh to my ear. Even Amazon music at 256kbs sounds better to me than spotify at 320kbs.
I think it might be down to the source used for the tracks.

I won't be renewing amazon music as I hate the interface.
Tidal is what I use on my PC as it sounds great but it's not good for exploring music that's not R&B or Hip hop.
I use spottily on the go for the features it has and although I said I didn't like the audio quality I can't tell on the earbuds I use.

limnam

Spotify premium.

https://www.hdtracks.com/ Good site if you want to download/purchase

I use Spotify Premium and love it personally. I definitely wouldn't be a snob about the audio equipment i have.
With a bit of messing around with the in built EQ on it i find it sounds good enough for my ears.

tuxy

Deleted User wrote: »

I use Spotify Premium and love it personally. I definitely wouldn't be a snob about the audio equipment i have.
With a bit of messing around with the in built EQ on it i find it sounds good enough for my ears.

Did you try other services before picking spotify?

EQ was another topic I wanted to bring up.
I use Peace Equalizer in windows with setting from AutoEQ(https://github.com/jaakkopasanen/AutoEq/tree/master/results)

It works really well and it's a nice improvement over windows default settings.
Has anyone else tried it? They have settings for many different headphones.

I've only used Google Play Music apart from Spotify and i hated the layout. Tidal really doesn't have stuff that i'd listen to.
I'm a big vinyl collector so that's how i do most of my listening but i love how handy Spotify is and it has everything i want from a streaming service.

tuxy

Deleted User wrote: »

I've only used Google Play Music apart from Spotify and i hated the layout. Tidal really doesn't have stuff that i'd listen to.
I'm a big vinyl collector so that's how i do most of my listening but i love how handy Spotify is and it has everything i want from a streaming service.

I actually think that it is probably just my imagination about the sound quality problem I have with spotify, I don't see many people making the same complaint.
There's just something I find harsh about it and it's fatiguing over time.
It's only a problem when using my k712 pro.

Speaking of the K712 pro, I tried some YAXI earpads for it and didn't like them at all. They changed the sound but not in a good way, I found the treble worse without improving the bass.
If anyone wants to try them I have them on ebay and it does not look like anyone will bid so you can pick them up cheap.
https://www.ebay.ie/itm/114118125996?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

I do love the K712 pro but I'm already thinking of what secondary set of headphones I could get. I've considered the H6XX but since this is also a reference headset it may be too similar.

limnam

tuxy wrote: »

I actually think that it is probably just my imagination about the sound quality problem I have with spotify, I don't see many people making the same complaint.

I'd say it might be in your head

Most people would struggle over 128 some would struggle at 96

Do you use a DAC?

tuxy

limnam wrote: »

I'd say it might be in your head

Most people would struggle over 128 some would struggle at 96

Do you use a DAC?

I'm almost sure of it and it's not even a lossless vs compressed issue.
I've done the tests and I can't tell the difference. Like I said for some weird reason Amazon music with a lower bitrate sounds better to me than spotify.

There is no doubt spotify has the best features.
Tidal does have most the music I want but there are a few tracks missing.

Yes I use a DAC/AMP (FIIO K5 Pro) that I'm very happy with.

My hearing ain't what it used to be (Tinnitus in my right ear) and i'm not young either so it would harder for me to tell too much of a difference in bitrate's. Also on a side note, i have a pair of AKG K371's arriving tomorrow. Another pair of headphones to add to my collection as if i didn't have enough. :pac:

tuxy

tuxy wrote: »

I actually think that it is probably just my imagination about the sound quality problem I have with spotify, I don't see many people making the same complaint.
There's just something I find harsh about it and it's fatiguing over time.
It's only a problem when using my k712 pro.

Speaking of the K712 pro, I tried some YAXI earpads for it and didn't like them at all. They changed the sound but not in a good way, I found the treble worse without improving the bass.
If anyone wants to try them I have them on ebay and it does not look like anyone will bid so you can pick them up cheap.
https://www.ebay.ie/itm/114118125996?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

I do love the K712 pro but I'm already thinking of what secondary set of headphones I could get. I've considered the H6XX but since this is also a reference headset it may be too similar.

Is the K712 not a bright headphone anyway?. That might be where the problem lies though if it doesn't happen with Amazon Music then i'm not sure.

I have a pair of HD650's and they are dark enough sound wise so they might be better suited to you.

limnam

Deleted User wrote: »

I have a pair of HD650's and they are dark enough sound wise so they might be better suited to you.

He would need something much better to drive them though.

tuxy

Deleted User wrote: »

Is the K712 not a bright headphone anyway?. That might be where the problem lies though if it doesn't happen with Amazon Music then i'm not sure.

I have a pair of HD650's and they are dark enough sound wise so they might be better suited to you.

Correct, they are bright which I actually like for the most part.
Maybe I'm overthinking it, I have a tidal subscription, it has most the music I listen to and sounds great so I should probably just stick with what works for me.

I had an order for the HD6XX with drop.com but cancelled it thinking it might be too similar to the K712 pro.

I'd like to have a second set of headphones that are very different from the k712 but still good in their own way.
Perhaps a pair of planar magnetics headphone would be fun.

tuxy

limnam wrote: »

He would need something much better to drive them though.

Really? I've head that K5 Pro should drive them just fine.

limnam

HD6x

Very neutral and difficult to drive. You would need to spend double the cost of the phones on a new amp.

I also have the K5 Pro. Drives them just fine. 11 o' clock on High gain and they're loud enough for me. Anything louder and i'd have tinnitus in the other ear. :pac:

I know loudness isn't everything but i don't think you'd need anything more for them.

tuxy

limnam wrote: »

HD6x

Very neutral and difficult to drive. You would need to spend double the cost of the phones on a new amp.

I know they are low impedance headphones but many have the k5 Pro and H6x combo with no complaints

limnam

tuxy wrote: »

Really? I've head that K5 Pro should drive them just fine.

Well I don't know a huge amount about Fiio gear. But HD's are notoriously difficult to pair with and difficult to drive.

I was always under whelmed until I got some tubes

tuxy

limnam wrote: »

Well I don't know a huge amount about Fiio gear. But HD's are notoriously difficult to pair with and difficult to drive.

I was always under whelmed until I got some tubes

The reviews say the K5 pro punches well above its weight but I can't confirm that as it's my first real DAC/AMP.

It's a pity that the Drop EU store is gone. I managed to nab a pair of the HE4XX's off them. I like them even more than the HD650's.
Such an amazing headphone.

tuxy

Deleted User wrote: »

It's a pity that the Drop EU store is gone. I managed to nab a pair of the HE4XX's off them. I like them even more than the HD650's.
Such an amazing headphone.

Prices still look fine even with some duty and 23% VAT added.
Shipping times could be long though.

The HE4XX could be an interesting one for me to consider getting at some point.

Next on my list is a pair of DT 1990 Pro's. Going to hold out until Prime Day to see if i can get a good discount.

tuxy

limnam wrote: »

HD6x

Very neutral and difficult to drive. You would need to spend double the cost of the phones on a new amp.

I've just read a few comparisons of the K712 pro vs HD650 and apparently the K712 pro is harder to drive even though the impedance is much lower due to the low sensitivity. k712(96.45 dB/V SPL) HD650 (105.10 dB/V)
But there's not much difference in what's needed to drive both of them.

limnam

tuxy wrote: »

I've just read a few comparisons of the K712 pro vs HD650 and apparently the K712 pro is harder to drive even though the impedance is much lower due to the low sensitivity. k712(96.45 dB/V SPL) HD650 (105.10 dB/V)
But there's not much difference in what's needed to drive both of them.

If you're considering 600/650

Have a look at https://www.schiit.com/

I'm using https://www.schiit.com/products/valhalla-1

Others on this tread IIRC have used it with the bitfrost DAC

https://www.schiit.com/products/bifrost-1

Like I said I don't know much about FIO. It could be it's fine

The Fiio K5 Pro is more than enough. Trust me.

tuxy

Deleted User wrote: »

The Fiio K5 Pro is more than enough. Trust me.

Yes it would be very strange if it can drive the k712 pro I have but not the HD650 when the HD650 is easier to drive.

Or is a tube amp required to get the best sound from a HD650?

limnam

tuxy wrote: »

Yes it would be very strange if it can drive the k712 pro I have but not the HD650 when the HD650 is easier to drive.

Or is a tube amp required to get the best sound from a HD650?

been capable of driving something and driving it well with good synergy is totally different.

It's a bit like saying ipod ear buds, you can listen to music on them they're grand.

Well they're grand but you can get so much better

But I have to keep saying I know _nothing_ of fio.

Is there somewhere near you can go to test hd 6/50's ?