@@DMS3TV How do you think it compares to the Clear? I imagine the replacement pads will be substantially cheaper than focal's and it's quite a bit cheaper at RRP. I think it's worth spending the extra over hifiman's offerings for the build quality alone. I think there's a good argument for it to be the most complete headphone under £1000 all things considered.
@@Decenium only people who are starting out with the hobby keep looking for "the best", that is until they realize and learn different sound signatures and presentations of headphones, that's when they look for variety and stop looking for "the best"
@@swiftshinobi8337 I guess "the best" means the more expensive for newbies and expensive headphones doesn't guarantee that you will like it because it might not have your preferred sound signature. I have made a mistake once...bought a gaming headset, called EPOS H6 Pro Closed-Backed...bought it for $150 (first time bought headphone/headset at this price), weeks after launch. I regret keeping it after just learning about EQ, I realized that this headset is really bad and treble is inconsistent...makes it really harsh and sound closed in, created my own EQ, sounds so good but needs so much tuning. I make videos and since EQ affects video's sound and needs so much tuning, I don't want to bother EQ-ing again in OBS. I'm about to replace this headset ASAP.
this is 10/10 content, I'd love some examples for "slam" and "decay" if thats possible? or maybe what "metallic" sounds like. although that might be harder without knowing what the user's output device is.
For decay they mean the reverb of certain instruments like guitars and drums ,cheap headphone drivers are not fast enough to play the note plus the reverb of these instruments and instead just play the main note and stop it immediately. If you try a pair of Planar magnetic you can hear the difference without spending too much money. Slam I think is the energy of note being played, is mentioned a lot with he hifiman Sundara and yes certain instruments like drums feel more energetic compared to my other headphones. Metallic sounding is a characteristic of cheap planars unfortunately, the vocals and instruments will sound sharp instead of natural like if you were to listen live to an instrument.
There are many "Experts" who bring a lot och graphs and use uncommon words to explain Audio glossary terms. They all know what they are talking about but none of their explanations make sense to a common person. But this guy explained it in a much simpler way and easy to understand for everyone. Good job!
The descriptions were great, but the examples were what took this next level for me. I’d love to have a whole library of things like this! Being able to hear the difference is one thing, but without the vocabulary to explain it I can’t go very far. Thanks for preparing this video!
Dude this is probably the best video I've seen on this channel. I've picked up a lot by watching all of these and HS videos, but to actually HEAR what you are talking about made all the difference.
Loved the video, I think HP Show should do more videos like this, an in depth explanation in layman's terms. This will definitely help new people to the hobby.
This was a fun experiment to see the actual effect of the various terms on a track. I hadn't really ever done a direct comparison before, since usually that requires changing headphones, but EQing it in as an example makes a lot of sense.
would be great to know about technical performance features like transient response, how a bass is fast or slow, separation, details, soundstage, how to understand if something has high or low technical performance in general, and all this technical stuff that a common mortal person completely ignores :) thank you !!
Unfortunately this hobby is expensive, you need to actually hear it. But you can buy a few cheap 10-20 bucks IEMs to learn about different sound signatures, much easier to understand than words.
Thank you SOOOO much for this! I enjoy trying tracks from my Chesky Audiophile Test CD, and they have great descriptions, but nothing beats these examples (or DMS clear explanations!) More like this for us "baby audiophiles" please! 💙
I have been waiting for this type of video that actually demonstrates the concept with sound clips. Bravo! How about one on boom, honk, shout and glare?
Most of my headphones are warm-dark with a hint of bright. I guess it's my preferred sound signature. (Philips X2HR, Audio Technica M50(2012 version), Focal Elear). When I get tired of all the warm velvetiness, I like to refresh my ears with the "plasticy" thin sound of the AKG Q701. One should always have multiple headphones on hand for comparison and exploration.
Hmmm... Thanks for this. After seeing this I think I shouldn't worry about this aspect. I don't feel this is the kind of thing I care about when I'm looking for sound quality. I could hear a difference, but I don't think I care about this aspect. This helped me avoid a rabbit hole that was unnecessary in my case. I'm really not sure what it is I'm looking for in sound quality, but I've disliked most cans I've tried. I still haven't been able to find anything that sounds better than a basic set of $10 Samsung earbuds to me. I've tried Galaxy Buds Pro 2, Sennhesier HD598, and ath ad900x.
Measurements aside, I tend to like speakers and amps that are on the warm side of neutral and yet, I discovered my enjoyment for certain over the ear headphones that ran cooler and a bit more forward (like a horn speaker). Though I know it can be most subjective at times, I hope that you & the show will draw more of these presentation lines to various headphones and for some initial ball-park identification. This Channel and the web page just keep getting better. Thanks.
I've always heard the HD 650 as dark as heck. I like its warmth, but I absolutely prefer a DF tuned headphone to the HD650. The DT880 on a valve amplifier, whilst spikey in the treble on some poorly recorded music, is the closest I've heard yet to match real life. Even more so than the HD800 (never heard the S). So, maybe go over tunings? The known, the lesser knowns and the forgotten ones. And maybe an upgrade paths for some of the preferred tunings out there. The (general) darks, the (general) warms, the Harman faithfuls, the diffuse fields, et c.
Great content and examples! If I can make one comment the open, bright window with cars zooming by kept catching my attention. Maybe it's just my lack of attention span but wanted to note it!
I've always wondered how warm and dark differ - it seems like it's mostly in what ranges of frequencies are involved (particularly what portion of the mids are elevated/ depressed). Can you do this for the rest of the tonal characteristics that are commonly used? Muddy, tinny, nasally, sibilant, etc? Would be pretty cool to see! 🤘
So, I am very fortunate to have a pair of aDs 910 loudspeakers. Full-range with dual-10.5" bass drivers and dome mids/tweets. They are some of the most neutral speakers I've ever heard and proven through the years ( mine are vintage 1975'ish) through testing that confirms Braun/aDs' assertions. When I listen to headphones, I want them to sound as close to those 910s as possible, without the substantial foundation-cracking bass output, of course.
As someone just about to start investing in this hobby, this is really helpful! Seems like bright is my preference than the other ones. On that note, can you explain the difference between "fun" and "analytical" sound in the future? I believed that comparison to be similar to "warm" vs "bright" arguments but I am not so sure now. Thank you for thr knowledge DMS.
I combined a pair of single V7 Pro Classics with a pair of dual V7 Pro Vivids op-amps from Burson Audio in a Creative Sound Blaster AE-9. A combo of warm and bright. I use it with a pair of Sennheiser HD 6600S2. Sounds great.
Fantastic vid. Really makes things a lot more clear. I can now 100% say I don't like a dark headphone, it sounds like something is missing. I also have an issue with sibilance though so I guess I definitely learn towards warm. Preferably not so warm though that the other frequencies are underrepresented. Personally I often hear you talking about timbre and I'm not sure how it connects to this
I tend to like warmth. I like a euphonic sound, it sounds rich and beautiful, soaring. Something in-between the neutral and warm demo you showed would be ideal - for me!
@@h.hristov thanks fam but I tried the HD650 - I'm not into headphones it turns out. Can't real with the intimate stage and the constant awareness that you're listening to a medium through which sound flows. I find IEMs a massive amount more immersive and more value for money 💰🫰👍
Damn with out this video i didn't realize that i don't like warm signature, while quite like the bright one, the more your learn about yourself, thanks DMS
I tried some branded headphones (Sony, Philips) and I find it really odd that my preferred headphone is from a cheap unknown chinese brand. It has a warm sound with a decent bass but not too overpowering. I even tried to buy the same headphone but to my surprise the sound is totally different. It boggles my mind why this cheap headphone fits my need. It's decent to listen music, play games or watching streams.
You easily can find the similar trend in any commercial product, so you shouldn't have to be that surprise. The branded ones like to mark their prices up because they are more popular brands in the minds of customers (more likely to be bought by them). The lesser known ones? They must have pros to compete with the bigger names. How? They deliver better quality while lowering profits (therefore, lower price) to pierce the market through.
Sometimes it takes a while to realize what type of sound sig you actually like. It took me a while to realize I lean towards the Warmer sounding HP's over the Bright one's. I think I'm realizing I'm a little Treble Sensitive too. I had the HE1000se which was a great HP... but the treble at times was a bit much. I now have the Auteur Classic and RAD-0 which are warmer with more Bass and just an overall All Rounder type sound signature. The HE6se V2 and Ananda SM are also pleasant sound sigs
The NightOwl has been my favorite headphone so far. I know that I'm treble sensitive and prefer a warm or dark sound to one that emphasizes treble. But I've also heard terms like "musical" to describe the sound of a headphone and that I'm not clear on the meaning of.
These EQ are actually modifying the perceived imaging and soundstage. For exemple in the normal vs dark track, sounds appeared more or less close (forward?).
Better would be try attending live acoustic concerts, classical listening to the sound of real voices and instruments in space. Thats the absolute reference or sound. Compare that to recordings you hear. With enough times you will be more accustomed to real sound than most reviewers you see. It will also reduce your susceptibility to hype.
This is tremendously helpful thank you! In my case I am still not clear about how to choose an appropriate amp/dac that meets the requirements of any given headphone. For example, even if my lil e10k should be able to work with something upto 150 ohms on paper I have been told that it is not good enough to drive something like a 560s. At the same time I see accounts of people using an e10k for even more difficult to drive headphones. I find all this so confusing. If it is not too much trouble some more insight on stuff like this would be much appreciated :)
Headphones can also be 'Bright' and "Warm' at the same time, but that means the upper mids are scooped. DMS would not be a fan, but most people would be. At least most of the time. It can sound universally bad some situations.
so i just realised, im far less sensitive to bright headphones than I am to warm ones. Like the warm shifted sound was immediately noticeable, meanwhile the bright shift I really had to look for it.
as someone who had no idea, here's how I'd describe this new information Warm - listening to music on your phone that's under the pillow Bright - sound is being sharpened like a knife and too much will stab my eardrums Dark - WHAAAAT? WHAT DID YOU SAAY??!!! Wtf did that guy say? Yea me neither. Dark/Bright - that cheap headphone with the slightly muted left part
![If you can't hear this then you're not an audiophile [See description for link to followup video]](/img/1.gif)
I never expected DMS to turn into a Minion 💀 Thanks for the informative video
lmaooo
Banana
@@DMS3TV Have you had a listen to the Meze 109 Pro yet? I'm loving mine currently after moving up from the DT1990 with Dekoni Velour pads.
@@Vantavimeow I like the 109 pro a lot. Airy but really fun. Easily Meze’s best dynamic headphone.
@@DMS3TV How do you think it compares to the Clear? I imagine the replacement pads will be substantially cheaper than focal's and it's quite a bit cheaper at RRP. I think it's worth spending the extra over hifiman's offerings for the build quality alone. I think there's a good argument for it to be the most complete headphone under £1000 all things considered.
This vid is very VERY useful for people getting into the hobby.
P.S the quality of the video is just a treat to the heart!
I dont even see how this is a hobby, seems more like a frustrating eternal search to what is "best" for no real reason.....
@@Decenium only people who are starting out with the hobby keep looking for "the best", that is until they realize and learn different sound signatures and presentations of headphones, that's when they look for variety and stop looking for "the best"
@@swiftshinobi8337 I guess "the best" means the more expensive for newbies and expensive headphones doesn't guarantee that you will like it because it might not have your preferred sound signature. I have made a mistake once...bought a gaming headset, called EPOS H6 Pro Closed-Backed...bought it for $150 (first time bought headphone/headset at this price), weeks after launch. I regret keeping it after just learning about EQ, I realized that this headset is really bad and treble is inconsistent...makes it really harsh and sound closed in, created my own EQ, sounds so good but needs so much tuning. I make videos and since EQ affects video's sound and needs so much tuning, I don't want to bother EQ-ing again in OBS. I'm about to replace this headset ASAP.
After watching about 75 to 100 headphones and DAC reviews, I needed this information so badly.
this is 10/10 content, I'd love some examples for "slam" and "decay" if thats possible? or maybe what "metallic" sounds like. although that might be harder without knowing what the user's output device is.
I have a wireless headphones that has like metalic sounding Beoplay H95
For decay they mean the reverb of certain instruments like guitars and drums ,cheap headphone drivers are not fast enough to play the note plus the reverb of these instruments and instead just play the main note and stop it immediately. If you try a pair of Planar magnetic you can hear the difference without spending too much money. Slam I think is the energy of note being played, is mentioned a lot with he hifiman Sundara and yes certain instruments like drums feel more energetic compared to my other headphones. Metallic sounding is a characteristic of cheap planars unfortunately, the vocals and instruments will sound sharp instead of natural like if you were to listen live to an instrument.
There are many "Experts" who bring a lot och graphs and use uncommon words to explain Audio glossary terms. They all know what they are talking about but none of their explanations make sense to a common person. But this guy explained it in a much simpler way and easy to understand for everyone. Good job!
The descriptions were great, but the examples were what took this next level for me. I’d love to have a whole library of things like this! Being able to hear the difference is one thing, but without the vocabulary to explain it I can’t go very far. Thanks for preparing this video!
That little touch of the "The More You Know" tune does not go unnoticed. Well played.
Dude this is probably the best video I've seen on this channel. I've picked up a lot by watching all of these and HS videos, but to actually HEAR what you are talking about made all the difference.
This is a master class video for those starting their journey in this hobby. Keep it up DMS.
We need more of these informational videos!
Loved the video, I think HP Show should do more videos like this, an in depth explanation in layman's terms. This will definitely help new people to the hobby.
This was a fun experiment to see the actual effect of the various terms on a track. I hadn't really ever done a direct comparison before, since usually that requires changing headphones, but EQing it in as an example makes a lot of sense.
DMS’s overalls warms my heart haha great video
Thank you for explaining what reviewers are talking about . Well done.
That was the best, clearer and more educational on the subject I've ever seen. Thanks for this good service for the community!
And how does a „fun“ sounding headphone sound?
would be great to know about technical performance features like transient response, how a bass is fast or slow, separation, details, soundstage, how to understand if something has high or low technical performance in general, and all this technical stuff that a common mortal person completely ignores :) thank you !!
Unfortunately this hobby is expensive, you need to actually hear it. But you can buy a few cheap 10-20 bucks IEMs to learn about different sound signatures, much easier to understand than words.
Thank you SOOOO much for this! I enjoy trying tracks from my Chesky Audiophile Test CD, and they have great descriptions, but nothing beats these examples (or DMS clear explanations!) More like this for us "baby audiophiles" please! 💙
02:32 In this track, in my headphones and dac, I prefered sound in bright ecual.
Good video and thanks for this exemples :D
Thank you a lot. It is really difficult to find educational information like this.
I think the audio representations are so useful. A graph is a graph but hearing them even just exaggerations gives do much context.
I have been waiting for this type of video that actually demonstrates the concept with sound clips. Bravo! How about one on boom, honk, shout and glare?
I just love how DMS follows the same mic-handling technique as Bob Barker.
Most of my headphones are warm-dark with a hint of bright. I guess it's my preferred sound signature. (Philips X2HR, Audio Technica M50(2012 version), Focal Elear). When I get tired of all the warm velvetiness, I like to refresh my ears with the "plasticy" thin sound of the AKG Q701. One should always have multiple headphones on hand for comparison and exploration.
Perfect! I really needed that.
Small wonder that I enjoy tubes.
Great sound track, just perfect!
Great video, with examples turns easily to understand and the perception of what means. Thank you.
Waiting for more.
Very educational video! Really helpful when I'm trying to explain this to another person.
Maybe you can do another for coherence in multi-driver IEMs?
Love this video, very clear explanation and demo!
Thanks DMS. I listened to each of the sound samples several times and honestly could not tell the difference. I liked the the song though.
It is very helpul, thanks DMS! I am looking forward to the next one.
Great information on explaining this with great examples, which is easier to understand.
Hmmm... Thanks for this. After seeing this I think I shouldn't worry about this aspect. I don't feel this is the kind of thing I care about when I'm looking for sound quality. I could hear a difference, but I don't think I care about this aspect. This helped me avoid a rabbit hole that was unnecessary in my case. I'm really not sure what it is I'm looking for in sound quality, but I've disliked most cans I've tried. I still haven't been able to find anything that sounds better than a basic set of $10 Samsung earbuds to me. I've tried Galaxy Buds Pro 2, Sennhesier HD598, and ath ad900x.
Great video as usual. Perhaps a video on what it means for a headphone to be resolving, would be great.
Nice explanation the sound samples bring it all home.
thank you for this. These terms never made sense to me in the context of audio
Measurements aside, I tend to like speakers and amps that are on the warm side of neutral and yet, I discovered my enjoyment for certain over the ear headphones that ran cooler and a bit more forward (like a horn speaker). Though I know it can be most subjective at times, I hope that you & the show will draw more of these presentation lines to various headphones and for some initial ball-park identification. This Channel and the web page just keep getting better. Thanks.
I've always heard the HD 650 as dark as heck. I like its warmth, but I absolutely prefer a DF tuned headphone to the HD650. The DT880 on a valve amplifier, whilst spikey in the treble on some poorly recorded music, is the closest I've heard yet to match real life. Even more so than the HD800 (never heard the S).
So, maybe go over tunings? The known, the lesser knowns and the forgotten ones.
And maybe an upgrade paths for some of the preferred tunings out there. The (general) darks, the (general) warms, the Harman faithfuls, the diffuse fields, et c.
Great content and examples! If I can make one comment the open, bright window with cars zooming by kept catching my attention. Maybe it's just my lack of attention span but wanted to note it!
I've always wondered how warm and dark differ - it seems like it's mostly in what ranges of frequencies are involved (particularly what portion of the mids are elevated/ depressed).
Can you do this for the rest of the tonal characteristics that are commonly used? Muddy, tinny, nasally, sibilant, etc? Would be pretty cool to see! 🤘
So, I am very fortunate to have a pair of aDs 910 loudspeakers. Full-range with dual-10.5" bass drivers and dome mids/tweets. They are some of the most neutral speakers I've ever heard and proven through the years ( mine are vintage 1975'ish) through testing that confirms Braun/aDs' assertions.
When I listen to headphones, I want them to sound as close to those 910s as possible, without the substantial foundation-cracking bass output, of course.
You should explain Soundstage Imaging and all other staff
As someone just about to start investing in this hobby, this is really helpful! Seems like bright is my preference than the other ones.
On that note, can you explain the difference between "fun" and "analytical" sound in the future? I believed that comparison to be similar to "warm" vs "bright" arguments but I am not so sure now. Thank you for thr knowledge DMS.
Valuable information. Thank you DMS 🙏🏾
I combined a pair of single V7 Pro Classics with a pair of dual V7 Pro Vivids op-amps from Burson Audio in a Creative Sound Blaster AE-9. A combo of warm and bright. I use it with a pair of Sennheiser HD 6600S2. Sounds great.
Fantastic vid. Really makes things a lot more clear. I can now 100% say I don't like a dark headphone, it sounds like something is missing.
I also have an issue with sibilance though so I guess I definitely learn towards warm. Preferably not so warm though that the other frequencies are underrepresented.
Personally I often hear you talking about timbre and I'm not sure how it connects to this
I tend to like warmth. I like a euphonic sound, it sounds rich and beautiful, soaring. Something in-between the neutral and warm demo you showed would be ideal - for me!
HD650 would be the cans for you then
@@h.hristov thanks fam but I tried the HD650 - I'm not into headphones it turns out. Can't real with the intimate stage and the constant awareness that you're listening to a medium through which sound flows. I find IEMs a massive amount more immersive and more value for money 💰🫰👍
Truly this was very helpful. Thanks!
very instructive and helpful video. thx
Love the examples of the sounds with EQ'ing the songs!
Well done. Thanks for sharing your insights! I would be interested in the V shaped and A shaped. Thanks!
example is super helpful for such educational video, thanks
this video definitely helped me out. Thanks !!
Thank you so much for a very useful video. One question, what are the definitions of 'neutral' and 'balanced' headphones?
Neutral is a signature that is not trying to put emphasis anywhere. Theoretically it is “what was intended” by the sound engineer.
Damn with out this video i didn't realize that i don't like warm signature, while quite like the bright one, the more your learn about yourself, thanks DMS
I tried some branded headphones (Sony, Philips) and I find it really odd that my preferred headphone is from a cheap unknown chinese brand. It has a warm sound with a decent bass but not too overpowering. I even tried to buy the same headphone but to my surprise the sound is totally different. It boggles my mind why this cheap headphone fits my need. It's decent to listen music, play games or watching streams.
You easily can find the similar trend in any commercial product, so you shouldn't have to be that surprise. The branded ones like to mark their prices up because they are more popular brands in the minds of customers (more likely to be bought by them).
The lesser known ones? They must have pros to compete with the bigger names. How? They deliver better quality while lowering profits (therefore, lower price) to pierce the market through.
I’d love to see a video on what makes a headphone dynamic, and I don’t mean driver type.
We needed this
Sometimes it takes a while to realize what type of sound sig you actually like. It took me a while to realize I lean towards the Warmer sounding HP's over the Bright one's. I think I'm realizing I'm a little Treble Sensitive too. I had the HE1000se which was a great HP... but the treble at times was a bit much. I now have the Auteur Classic and RAD-0 which are warmer with more Bass and just an overall All Rounder type sound signature. The HE6se V2 and Ananda SM are also pleasant sound sigs
Amazing explanation!
You are a lifesaver thank you so much
Very helpful video. Thanks
Perfect thumbnail
please do "soundstage and soundstage headphones" as those videos are not up to date and are pretty missing
I really liked that track with the added warmth. Maybe I do like warm headphones.
The NightOwl has been my favorite headphone so far. I know that I'm treble sensitive and prefer a warm or dark sound to one that emphasizes treble. But I've also heard terms like "musical" to describe the sound of a headphone and that I'm not clear on the meaning of.
Came for the explanation ended up enjoying the music
excellent video. Great track
Thank you!!! More of this!!!!!
Thank you very much, very helpful 😊😊
These EQ are actually modifying the perceived imaging and soundstage. For exemple in the normal vs dark track, sounds appeared more or less close (forward?).
show the FR of the headphone you are talking about . that would massively help my understanding
Better would be try attending live acoustic concerts, classical listening to the sound of real voices and instruments in space. Thats the absolute reference or sound. Compare that to recordings you hear. With enough times you will be more accustomed to real sound than most reviewers you see. It will also reduce your susceptibility to hype.
true
thanks this was helpful
i would love to hear the difference between fast headphone and not. thank you.
Very good question i would like to know too
Thankyou dude good video
Good explanations!
i guess detail is one that got me confused, its sounds like its a simple concept but i had a hard time trying to ddefine exactly what it means
This is tremendously helpful thank you! In my case I am still not clear about how to choose an appropriate amp/dac that meets the requirements of any given headphone. For example, even if my lil e10k should be able to work with something upto 150 ohms on paper I have been told that it is not good enough to drive something like a 560s. At the same time I see accounts of people using an e10k for even more difficult to drive headphones. I find all this so confusing. If it is not too much trouble some more insight on stuff like this would be much appreciated :)
To help my ignorance, I just wished you used an audio with both vocal and instrumentations, so that you would’ve used the same track for everything.
Timbre! Please do a video like this explaining timbre.
Great vid. Next one should be "punch" & "slam".
Headphones can also be 'Bright' and "Warm' at the same time, but that means the upper mids are scooped. DMS would not be a fan, but most people would be. At least most of the time. It can sound universally bad some situations.
That burning 9600 is legendary. I've tried it and yes, it actually defines "warm". In a horrible way.
Nicely done.
Explain what 1st, 2nd, 3rd harmonic are and so on!! I have yet to hear an explanation that made sense
I like the burning of the sph9600
the "bright" setting makes me feel as if I'm ascending into the heavens. An exciting and high vibrational sound.
so i just realised, im far less sensitive to bright headphones than I am to warm ones. Like the warm shifted sound was immediately noticeable, meanwhile the bright shift I really had to look for it.
Actual audio to explain HiFi terms -- exceptional!! 😂
Isn't it the thing that can be fixed with eq actually?
Nice job bro.
The test tracks will definitely make a big difference in the actual explanation here.
Nice Review 😁
It's gotta be warm and dark just how I like my chocolate haha :P
Underated
Thanks
Interesting!
WOW thats what i call PRO !!!
as someone who had no idea, here's how I'd describe this new information
Warm - listening to music on your phone that's under the pillow
Bright - sound is being sharpened like a knife and too much will stab my eardrums
Dark - WHAAAAT? WHAT DID YOU SAAY??!!! Wtf did that guy say? Yea me neither.
Dark/Bright - that cheap headphone with the slightly muted left part
This is funny as hell I just came from DMS.