The TRUTH about High End Headphones!
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- Опубликовано: 7 июл 2020
- Headphones, Speakers & IEM's Mentioned!
HD600 - amzn.to/3iGDABh
HD800 - amzn.to/38ACmTz
Fidelio X2 - amzn.to/3f97agO
X00 Ebony - massdrop.7eer.net/NVQvN
LCD2c - amzn.to/2O3CFwS
LCD X - amzn.to/2VSQnXy
LCD 4 - www.audeze.com/products/lcd-4
OPEN BACK HEADPHONES
🥇 Arya - amzn.to/3cDZ0vT
🥈 LCD X - amzn.to/3cB0AyV
🥉 DT1990Pro - amzn.to/38BN3DM
CLOSED BACK HEADPHONES
🥇 Sony Z1R - amzn.to/3cF6EWX
🥈 M1060C - amzn.to/39vDkQU
🥉 1More Triple Driver - amzn.to/2wGC2ni
BUDGET HEADPHONES
🥇 HD58X - massdrop.7eer.net/mmKDX
🥈 SHP 9500 - amzn.to/32ZQJ0S
🥉 Porta Pro - amzn.to/2Is8dtu
AMPLIFIERS & DACS
🥇 THX AAA Dual 788 DACAMP - amzn.to/3cHHTJC
🥈 THX 789 / 887 - amzn.to/2TwsvZg / massdrop.7eer.net/DmW0n
🥉 DX3 Pro - amzn.to/2wJGp0X
IEMS
🥇 Fir M5 - www.firaudio.com/store/m5
🥈 ZUES - massdrop.7eer.net/rN9Ny
🥉 Tin T2 - amzn.to/2xeGvxT
SPEAKERS
🥇 SVS ULTRA Towers - amzn.to/2v2Fto1
🥈 Vanatoo T1E - amzn.to/2TKEmSl
🥉 Micca RB42 - amzn.to/2wCCO53
ACCESSORIES
🥇 Soundrise Pro Stands - amzn.to/3aCpb4i
🥈 IEM TIP Storage - amzn.to/331xuUN
🥉 Headphone Case - amzn.to/39xOlkF
My Filming Equipment
Camera - amzn.to/38tuIc1
Sigma 18-35mm F/1.8 - amzn.to/2wI119R
Sigma 16mm F/1.4 - amzn.to/2wBRe5q
Sigma 30mm F/1.4 - amzn.to/39ym2m8
Ronin SC - amzn.to/39zDLcG
GVM Slider - amzn.to/2PWZDam
These are my genuine recommendations in various categories. They are affiliated links that help pay for this youtube channel at no additional cost to you.
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#Highend #headphones #Speakers
*As an Amazon & Drop Associate I earn from qualifying purchases 
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Sometimes RUclips’s auto thumbnail system is on point lol 😂
The faces we make when we see our salaries in the price tags of headphones. Lol
The AI has grown wildly over the past few years without us even noticing much.
I like how you are pointing at the Truth all in caps haha
@@jekken333 Damn, you are right! Funny
SpotOn! :-)
I’m new to high end headphones, but immediately I can see the similarity to guitarists chasing the ‘perfect tone’. It doesn’t exist, but there’s always another amp, another pedal, another guitar etc that promises it. I noticed in the guitar community there’s a lot of snobbery/ elitism and I suspect it’s the same in the audiophile community. The only winners are the guys selling you more and more stuff.
Oh there's ton's of snobbery... But I look at it like being a mechanic you need the right tool for the right job and chasing after a 10mm nut with a 1/2 inch driver isn't going to do the job... I have a few different headphones for different sounds. EDM/Bass heavy music, Acoustic, Rock, and an all around set... I don't spend thousands but I do buy what I think are quality... problem is how subjective we all are... what I think are awesome Acoustic headphones you might put on and think are total garbage.
Compared to musicians there’s less snobbery, but it’s still there. The thing about highend audio equipment is that it’s so expensive that you basically have to be older to afford it. That tends to keep the toxicity and immaturity lower.
I think this is just beyond braindead. Sometimes I don't even like how the song I listened to on bad headphones sounds on "good" headphones. It's just pointless because in the end, human taste is so different and also familiarity with something (bad sounding music) makes it sound better to you.
I think the biggest takeaway for me from this video is that there isn’t a “god-tier” perfect listening experience. There is no set of perfect speakers, rather there are speakers built with a certain experience in mind. That being said, although it’s not your normal style of content, I would love to see you bring in some different people and do a blind “taste test” between headphones. For me, it’s harder to really appreciate the minute differences between higher-end gear vs lower-end gear without a good background and experience listening. If you were to do the blind test, it would be nice to see a newbie to audio, an “audiophile”, and a professional (like an engineer). Regardless, this was a great video!
i'll tell you this. the one time i heard a 250k speaker based system, i realized what the "difference" really is. that said, a good headphone system is FAR cheaper to get.
You most likely did hear that highend system in a room that was reasonable good for music... you can buy $1000000000 speakers and take it to your terribly Soundin home and find out that it does not sound good at all even with those speakers...
I have reasonable highend system that has been developed to be very sound directing and They Are not bad at all in my department, but I have heard same speakers in better room and boy! That was so huge improment! Certain instruments just Sounds a Little bit Harsh in my room because those get increase and some most likely get muuten down somewhat because bounsing sound waves. And as I said my department is ok. I have heard much worse. And my speaker plases Are not good enough for people who think more practicality than the sound quality. I have room between walls and speakers... unlike in most normal homes...
That other Guy ha ha
@That other Guy A god tier headphone for you exists. But that same headphone will not be god tier for everyone. To create a god tier headphone for all is the same as trying to create a vehicle which is an f1 racer, a rally car, a bus, a pickup truck and a limousine. Not possible.
@@Raterex Totally agree. GOD-tier does exist but it is 'ear-limited' and very 'situation-dependent'.
We all look for that headphone which will sound amazing in all situations and you can give to the person next to you and say - 'you have to hear this on these' and they say - wow that is just like a spiritual experience - however most often you will get a 'Meh' from them.
They don't have your ears.
The quality of headphone, speakers, iems is the quality YOU can hear.
Listening to high end gear can give you increased sensitivity to your palate but it is still just your palate.
The ears are the decider not the comparison generally between audio devices.
I must say that comparing them and comparing experiences of them is amazing and I enjoy speaking about them with other enthusiasts. When we are really speaking about however, is not the device itself but our perisomal experience of it. Some things are objectively true, of course - a bassy headphone is probably a bassy headphone haha. but when it comes to post $500 kit you are playing a lot of the time at the edges and in those edges you ear's sensitivity plays a greater role than the spec of the device, I think.
okay so we're at the "The TRUTH" stage of this channel
@SUB ZER0 no, you are infatuated..
I am touched...
@SUB ZER0 I love you too I can't believe it
The truth is I'm gay
Zeos said it nicely- he reviewed the HD800 and said something along the lines of "this isn't endgame, it's just another headphone. Maybe you'll like it more than the HD600s, but it's just another headphone that happens to cost 1k."
"Zoe's"
:P
Good point, also "Zoe's" is that Zeos's alter ego? His twin sister?
Everything zeos says should always be taken with a grain of salt. that dudes ears change and man idk been watching him for years. he's honestly just out to get people to purchase products.. I dont trust him at all.
Zeos is the last of these headphones reviewers you should trust, he's nothing but a hype machine but at least his reviews are funny and entertaining.
zeos aint really a reliable reviewer at all . if u want to buy some headphones check their reviews on sites like headfonia ,head fi and super best audio friends and i would say joshs reviews r also pretty accurate . zeos just likes to hype some stuff that may or may not some ppl like
'Best' headphone is akin to declaring the 'best' vacation destination. Comfort, sound, build quality, aesthetics, amplification requirements, cost, etc all determine what is best TO YOU. There is no objective 'best' headphone.
Ha! Next thing you know, this _dolt_ will be spouting nonsense like "all musical tastes are subjective as well". You, sir, sound like my ex-wife.
@@skengasaurus and we know why she left you :-)
@@olo398 woosh
@@skengasaurus WOW kid you just got r/WOOOOOOSHED!!!! 😂😂👀 "Wooosh" means you didn't get the joke, as in the sound made when the joke "woooshes" over your head. I bet you're too stupid to get it, IDIOT!! 😤😤😂 My joke was so thoughtfully crafted and took me a total of 3 minutes, you SHOULD be laughing. 🤬 What's that? My joke is bad? I think that's just because you're too stupid to understand it completely, moron! I outsmarted you, nitwit.🤭 In conclusion, I am posting this to the community known as "R/Wooooosh" to claim my internet points in your embarrassment 😏. Imbecile.
@@R4ifu you left out the best part
I use IEMs when Im on the go, Headphones at my desk and speakers when i want to chill out. Its that easy isnt it? I like all three
Same here. They're all good. But sometimes I use IEMs at my desk because they can just sound so damn good.
brydon10 which ones?
@@bernardoblanchetramirez6032 I really like the Tin T2 (original one). I use them with Spinfit CP 145 tips.
@@brydon10 Thanks, I think I'll buy them!
@@bernardoblanchetramirez6032 don't bother. Kz zs10 pro is way better.
Very nice video, great summary, there is just one ... elephant in THE ROOM. If you listen to speakers, you don't actually hear the speakers, you hear the room you have the speakers in. So acoustics. Many people struggle with this, because their houses / flats have acoustic issues (sometimes treatable, sometimes untreatable). Then there's the issue of moving, buying / selling properties, renting ... you never know if you'll have a good space to put a good set of speakers into. Most homes are inherently compromised acoustically. And then there's the issue of flats / neighbours. Your set might sound great at a certain volume, but every time you reach that volume your elderly neighbour from downstairs might already be calling the police ... so there's that.
Having heard higher end offerings from Sennheiser, Hifiman, and Audeze, I personally think that its pretty crazy buy anything other than the Sundara, dt 1990, HD 600, LCD-2C. Everything more expensive I've heard is just a better version of the previous 4 headphones, but for 2-5x the cost. Those headphones listed are enough for 99% of the hifi people out there IMO. So unless you can't sleep at night knowing there is better, or you literally just have a couple k to spend on headphones, just buy one of those 4 and be content.
I bought hd 58x. Really happy with it. Plus it's half the price of hd 600
Maybe your mp3 player maximum output wasn't that good if you are just using your phone then some 15 dollars sony will hear the same than sennheiser hd
You forgot about a soundstage headphone
Or even buy koss ksc75s or kph30is and be content :)
Depends on your preference and budget, I've tried most of everything under 4k and nothing of similar price sounds as good, to me, as hd800s and for whatever reason I don't find it fatiguing even though I find other headphones with less highs to be a bit annoying so for me it's a no brainer. Not saying it's for everyone but spend enough time and you will like something over 1k a lot more than rest. Also none of the 4 you mentioned are particularly close to it overall and you keep using your logic to go lower/ there are 200$ headphones that do just fine for most hifi people, they don't really need the ones you mentioned.
Don’t forget about the room... a headphone doesn’t care what room it’s in whereas with speakers, the frequency response is dictated by the room.
Glad someone brought this up. The resonances of the room don’t impact casual listening so much (for me), but they make a BIG difference when making music. If you’re trying to perfect the dynamics of something, and the room exaggerates certain pitches, it can be very frustrating. Same is true for microphones. Don’t invest more in your equipment than your room will support!
Andrew Colombi they impact it much more than you think. Lots of nulls and reflection cause peaks and valleys across the entire frequency spectrum. You can try a eq some of that out, but room treatment and bass traps are usually called for if you are looking to get the most out of your 2 channel system. You could have $10k speakers and they’ll sound terrible positioned poorly in an untreated room.
Yea, but then you don't get proper crossfeed and natural acoustics. Headphones just can't match a good speaker setup - it's physically impossible.
@@brydon10 Nowadays most musics recorded with more than 1 mic to get ambient natural acoustic. Even if its a mono recording the engineer will panning and manipulate the crossfeed
@@privacyhelp Yea, that's fine and all but headphones can't put the band in front of you as if performing for you.
Loved the real talk in this video. So honest, informative, clear, and respectful. Thanks for sharing your thoughts Josh!
Great content. I enjoyed the discussion of the order of importance of components like DAC VS amplifier.
IEMs are easier to hide from the wife.
PurpDolo yeah... very true!
Wife is not going to hide her large purchases of shoes, clothing, furniture, etc from you so why should men hide their toys?
@@veetour Depends on the toys 😏
Just say its from wish and was 5$
why you should hiding high end audio equipment from your karen wife? LOL
Point of diminishing returns...……..
That's all I'm saying...…...
Subjective and flawed argument.........
Thats all I'm saying ........
I agree. I would say this is pretty valid with the speakers aspect of his argument. You don't have to spend 10x the price to get the "10x the speaker" like he was saying. Hell, I spent $150 on a pair of Jamo S 807 Speakers about a month ago when they went on a heavy sale on Adorama. I would guess those are far and away better speakers than those bookshelf speakers he presented and they were THE SAME PRICE. It all comes down to how much you are willing to spend and whether or not you are going to be able to use them. Tiny rooms with big speakers don't always make sense and tiny speakers in big rooms don't always make sense.
This, completely, you eventually hit a point where you're not going to get clearer audio, or more sensitivity, or less noise, or better build quality or more elaborate design for the money, or the changes are so minimal, most people can't hear it. Having said, alot of headphones tend to be colored a particular way unless you purposely choose a fairly neutral headphone.
There is a 'Value' point, but nothing is universal. And a fact Josh points out is most of the time it is 'subjective'
true.... but 5x bmw can never be 1x ferrari when you want to break 300km/h...... some $1000 hp cannot produce last few % of details, layering etc to $4000 pair
Thank you for this video. I can finally share a video explaining the basics of headphones and why there is depth in exploring it.
Great videos man. Absolutely loving them lately. Keep it up!!
what a great video. this needs to be seen by many in this hobby. keep it up josh.
Recovering audiophile here couldn’t be happier.
Recovering meaning you lost interest but started again? Or Recovering meaning you were an audiophile and you stopped being one? One brings happiness and the other saves money which is basically happiness 😅
@@Sweet-Vermouth no longer obsessively listen to music on high end headphones 24/7. Just use my tv when I’m in the mood.
What even is a "recovering audiophile"? "Hey guys, im a recovering audiophile and its been a whole 2 weeks since ive spent $500-1k on a pair of headphones!"
@@Sweet-Vermouth There's a running joke in the audiophile community about how the more you obsess, the more "Lost" you are, like an addiction, or how far down the rabbithole you've fallen..
For instance people who are too far gone, often obsess over $10k cables or start rewiring their house and adding their own transformers for "cleaner power delivery" and shit.
@@dvduwu I just watched a sort of short documentary on Japanese audiophiles that talked exactly about that, a dude who lived in a small studio instead of a house, just to be able to afford more audio equipment, and who also rewired everything for a cleaner source of electricity to get rid of interference and static. Crazy stuff.
that woo audio WA33 in the background is amazing. the elite version is my dream tube headamp.
This is a really well put together video. I'm not even a part of this audiophile gang gang yet and I'm doing my research to enter the space, and you presented this video in such a clear, concise and easy to understand way. Thank you!
Super clear .... thanks Josh !!
My quick 2 cents on this subject. I have been around (with modding and tweaking) high end home or speaker audio for over 25 years. I recently got into mid-if headphone setups for my home office. Sonic performance with $2K or so in a headphone (or IEM) setup would cost at least 10 times for a decent 2 channel home speaker setup when all costs are considered. Obviously speaker setup can be enjoyed by more then one person at a time. I was pleasantly surprised at the enjoyment I am getting from spending such a low sum of money for late night listening compared to what my home theater has cost me. My home theater costs 25 times the price but does not represent 25 times the value in my humble opinion.
I'll be honest.
For $148.
The Phillips fidelio x2hr, may be the best set of headphones on planet earth
This is the most concise video on audio component hierarchy, return of investment, audio experience comparison between different mediums (i.e. iem, headphones, speakers) that i have watched or read. Well done!
Thank you very much for teaching these to use i really learned a lot 👍
Thank you! Very straight forward presentation. 👍🏼
Great overview. :) As a former sound engineer I want to mention one thing which makes IEMs or headphones worth considering for most people: The room. Even the best, most expensive pair of speakers will not sound good, unless places correctly, in a well treated and dimensioned room. Such a room few people have at home, so spending a lot of money on speakers is wasteful, while spending money on IEMs or headphones makes more sense, since the room does not affect the sound of these.
Joshua: one very large component of loudspeaker performance with respect to detail retrieval, scale and imaging is *_the room._* Your room affects the sound of your speakers tremendously. I have 2 different rooms with large planars & 2 fast servo subs in one, full-range towers with dynamic drivers for bass & mid & Heil AMT tweeters plus 4 smaller servo subs (to balance out room nodes) in the other. Without at least *_some_* room treatment, both have fantastic low end but only so-so detail & imaging. Some scientifically sound room treatments took it from so-so to 'nearly as good as the real thing'. I have 8 sets of headphones, multiple DAC's & HPA's. I have 2 sets of good IEM's. I'll admit the IEM's are mainly used for live music performance, where I play drums, bass & keyboards. You hit all the salient points in this short discussion; it was refreshing to hear. I enjoy *_ALL_* types of music reproduction - because nothing does everything perfectly. The one area I feel headphones & IEM's have the advantage is they take the room out of the equation. Oh, and usually the related equipment can easily be placed on a desk, as opposed to needing a rack & it's own floor space.
Using a microphone and eqwirzard will get you most of the way unless your room is beyond salvageable without physical room treatment. Once you eliminate 80% or more of your room, they beat headphones in all categories.
I've been kind of late to the headphone game as I used to just have an ipod with small AKG in ears on the go and a home theater system to play music in the living room until I also bought an AKG 550 for the living room.
That changed when I won an RHA Dacamp L1 - which I never considered buying before that. But that got me into researching etc. and I ended up buying an Audio Technica ATH R70X. And man, do I love the difference that lightweight construction and open back system makes. Now it's Pioneer XDP 100R DAP into RHA Dacamp L1 into the R70X for headphone use - or my Yamaha RX-V 685 into Nubert NuBox 483 for speaker sound :-)
Great informative video. - I’m just here to learn.
This is the most valuable lesson I heard so far on audio gear.
Spot on! I love my IEMs, Headphones, and Speakers. Each have their place, purpose, and price. I would add speakers for some audiophiles love their home theater aspect as well. I would just mention it next time you do something similar.
Great video Josh!
I agree that you have to like a speaker/headphone/iem before you can improve upon it. I do typically think in a good chain working back to front is actually more logical though. Headphone, speakers and iem are still crap in and crap out. Your files or method of playing, source/dac and amp will impact the sound no matter how good your speaker is. But they also won't necessarily turn a product you don't like into something you love. Although, for beginners, I really think they should look at playback software and files seriously first. I spend thousands on audio before I addressed this way back. Ended up buying Jriver and installing my drivers for a new DAC (previously using FiiO X3 coax out) and it transformed my entire stereo. I take the same approach with headphones and use Roon on PC and UAPP on my phone and tablet. Massive difference over just using the Tidal app on Android or PC. Same files, same streaming service, but very noticeable difference in sound whether it's on my PMC studio monitors or my Moondrop Starfields.
Keep up the great work man!
I couldn't agree more! Thank you for being just the way you are.
Great video! Thanks!
I have obsessed over these questions. Thank you for giving some clarity. It's refreshing to not have to watch an annoying know it all.
Josh, you weren't rambling at the end. Your touched upon the most important thing we can discuss as a community: we've got to make it more friendly and accessible if we are going to grow to our full potential. I would really love to sit through a half hour of your thoughts on this topic. Thanks for what you're doing!
Agreed about the sound of the DAC being more about the sound of the DAC's line-out stage than anything to do with the actual conversion.
I’ve gone from the studio world ( recording) headphones including Shure iEms to Audiophile listening HPs..open back vs closed back ,..dynamic vs Planar magnetic ect..I’m still learning and I’ve been in the “business” for 40 years….amazing!
For me one of the biggest differences (that you didn't touch on) is the quality of the recording, which goes under the "files" category.. sure it depends on the kind of music you're listening to.. but original master and recording quality is such an order of magnitude in hi-fi systems.. And I also think that over time audiophile people start to change music tastes to suit the best recordings (usually jazz, voice and classical)
some iems and headphones really show the quality,yes
I love the wars between headphones and iems, it's so intertaining.
I'd love to see somebody break down a tier list based on flavors of headphone. Entry level, midrange, and endgame tiers would probably be enough, and then make a video or article for each of the main signatures/flavors that people tend to latch onto. Bass heavy, Mid focused, and bright would be a good start. Separate detail retrieval and sound stage lists could also work, since some people seem to weigh those characteristics so heavily. Ideally a beginner could just buy every entry level set of phones, find their favorite signature and feel confident to jump up as their budget increases.
mast have information for newbies
Very good video. Thanks as always
With speaker, the room and the placement are important too! I use powered monitors on my desk and just a slight angle adjust can mess up their sound.
Yep, also using a microphone and eq wizard made my set up sound like it was $10000.
Try Adam :-)
true
@@enjoshi-godrez8775 and if you had a $10,000 setup, it would sound like a $100,000?! Lol
great video. basically agree. one small addendum: i would actually rank as most important (overall) the quality of the source material (i.e., the quality of the recording and mastering). i think that's as important as transducers, but otherwise i totally agree with your ordering.
i like buying the 30-50mm neodymium drivers with the open ended speakers (no noise cancelling) and I like to get a nice chi-fi cord that connects it and it brings out about as much hi fi as I can get from an upwards to 150-200 dollars.
Very good understanding of hi fi. Thanks Josh.
I've got some good speakers, even in my home office where I am most of the time. 12-14 hours a day. I recently upgraded my living room sound system just the way I had dreamed of with a Pair of SVS PB-3000. But..2 weeks later my young son got a job working from home. We have a small house. When I'm finally done with work, he is either still working, or working on his homework for school. I have a great 5.1 big speaker system in my office too, where I said I am all day and 1/2 the night. In 2018 or 2019 I bought the LCD X based mostly on your review. I love them but for as long as I work, they are just to heavy. Hx of MVA and neck pain so while I previously only had to use the LCD-X when my family was home, now they are home all the time. I miss my big speakers in office and my favorite place on my couch in the living room. LCD-X too heavy to wear long. What do I do? I am seriously thinking about Focal Stellia. Hoping they will go on sale for Black Friday. I have not seen you review them yet. They seem like they would be comfortable to wear for 12 hours and sound good enough to make me forget how sad I am that I can't listen to my great speakers. Like you said, it is about your needs and musical tastes. I'm mostly progressive rock but do listen to everything. I hope this is what you wanted and asked to hear about at the end of your video.
In 1982 I was given a pair of AKG K240 headphones. Over the years the foam broke down and would shed black dust. I enquired about getting them "repaired" and AKG gave me the name of a man who refurbished them. The cost was higher than a modern new pair of K240MkII but for my use and from listening to headphones in shops there is nothing that I feel lacking to want me to seek an alternative.
I carry earbuds and was given a pair of Sony XBA-H1. Whilst far from the AKG K240 they hold their own when compared to any other earbuds at higher prices that I have been able to listen to. My previous earbuds had cables that became stiff, plastic cracking and impossible to wear.
You had me until you said the "s" word.. Then you lost all credibility..... What more can I say to you about a company that literally makes "ic chips" with timers in them so 40 days after your purchase they fail.. And are out of warranty...
One of the best posts regarding Hi-Fidelity listening options. 👏👏. Very professional & informative. Thanks, Josh! 🙏
Stand mount (bookshelf) speakers and a subwoofer are the best setup for me. Easier to setup nicely than large towers in smaller rooms - and a good sub will go deeper than pretty much any tower. I'm loving my SVS SB-1000.
Good advice.. Just to recap priority level... Speaker/headphone/IEM ---> amp ----> DAC (DAP here too?) ---> file type ---> cables, etc... Please confirm where DAP ranks in the spectrum... Thanks
I am glad you made this video. For the past 35 years or so I have been on a search for headphones that will give me a speaker experience. Looking for decent imaging and soundstage. I have yet to find them. And nothing even close in my price range. I have listened to high end headphones in upscale stores before though, when that was a thing lol. Everything I have heard sounds like... well.... headphones. I am glad you had the honesty to say that. I have yet to hear headphones that sounded as pleasing (to me) as a decent pair of bookshelfs or small towers and a good subwoofer. When set up properly you can get amazing imaging and depth from a set up that is under 1000 dollars. And once you jump into surround systems it can almost sound life like. That being said, as far as sound quality goes speakers can't touch good heaphones at anywhere near the price. My 150 dollar AKG's sound better than most speakers I have heard, they just don't image for beans but that isn't what they were made for. And my bose quiet comforts are not mind blowing and are a bit bass heavy but they make you feel like you are in a soundproof room. So they do what they were designed to do quite well. And I just got a pair of sundara's and holy crap. The stereo seperation and high end detial is nuts. The sound stage leaves a lot to be desired though. And it seems like they don't handle complex music very well, it gets kind of "muddy" and confused if that makes sense. Hands down the most comfortable set of headphones I have ever worn though. I don't regret spending the 350 bucks on them, and that is a lot of money for me. I would like to try some in ears, but I hate having things in my ears so probably wouldn't use them much. And I am not a very "mobile" person, I am a bi of shut in. So not much use for their main feature.
I live with family members and share a room so I can't enjoy having speakers. I have open back headphones which doesn't leak so much sound for home use and some very expensive IEMs that are twice the price as my headphones to use during outdoors and during summer (I sweat too much wearing headphones, sweat hazard to headphones). I seem to use IEMs the most so I invested in really high end ones.
I agree with you. High end and upper echelons of speakers and headphones are specifically good in a specific area. Which is why I just covered all my bases when it comes to IEM, Headphones and Speakers
IEMs:
SONY XBA-N3 Balanced
SONY XBA-N1AP
Sennheiser IE-8
Klipsch X11
Westone W4
Bose Soundsport
Jabra Elite 65t Active
Portable High Res Player: Sony NW-Wm1A
HEADPHONES:
Sennheiser HD800S plugged into Woo Audio WA7 (2nd gen with Tube PSU)
Sony MDR-Z7 plugged into Sony PHA-3 via Balanced connection
Focal Elegia plugged into Schiit Lyr 3
Sennheiser HD 598 plugged into PC via 3.5mm (for gaming and streaming media)
V-Moda Crossfade M-100 plugged into Chord Mojo
SPEAKERS:
B&W 804 D2 + REL t5i subwoofers x2 with Parasound P6 Pre and Rotel RB-1582 MK2 Amp
Polk Audio LSiM 7 speaker setup with the LSiM 707 towers
Martin Logan Motion 40 plugged into Peachtree Decco 125 Sky
B&W CM6 S2 + Martin Logan Depth i subwoofer plugged into Yamaha R-N803 stereo receiver
Hope the formatting works now.
This video is better and covers more ground than the title would suggest. I'd take some of the core ideas and start a series.
Possibly the best and most important video on audio that I have seen. There is clarity here and an openness to the feelings of all sides. For a budding audiophile it is great. For a person who just wants to buy great gear that they can enjoy music to - this is also great.
I do not have great kit.
I have some interesting kit.
Today I listened to Blue Laces 2 by Nipsey Hustle (reccomended - the bass will HURT YOU! n- I so want to hear this on the LCD4s #Lordy!) . I listened on my Bang and Olufsen H6 and the base was very unsatisfying. However when I listen on HD650 or on Sony MDR-950BT the bass is spine rattling and very satisfying.
I also listened to Maria Callas - Mama Morta - On the Sony - this was a muddled mess - not a mess really but there is soooo much information is missing and not presented in a way that it really and quite obviously demands. On the HD650 it was great. On the Bang and Olufsen H6 - this was sublime. I heard every single spec of sound and the closed back headphone gave me an intimate experience which was so involving and engaging. When she hits that high note my ears were just in heaven.
I mentioned I don't have the best kit. I have a really basic DAC/Amp form SMSL and it does its best but cannot do too much .... but it was an incredible experience for me.
Headphones, Speakers and IEMs are all separate and different things.
High end headphones are like other headphones - They can be fantastic but none of them are going to be the best at everything.
I love al of my headphone for different things.
Sometimes I wish one headphone would do something better than another one but UI am glad that they do what they do so well and that I can switch to the ones that do something else for a different experience.
I am not an IEM guy - my ears are weirdly shaped and IEMs just don't usually fit well.
I don't have the space to neighbour temperament - or cash - for good speakers with an equally good AMP and DAC.
Headphones are therefore my poison and I enjoy them immensely. (I am a big fan of Bluetooth speakers in stereo though but that is a much more limited proposition )
Thanks so much for this video, It reminded me to enjoy my kit for what it is and what it does for me and not to compare with 'best' in mind but with 'which do I enjoy more doing this specific thing' in mind. Some are great for movies and some fantastic for listening to an old recording of Maria Callas live. They may not be the same.
#LoveIt
Great video. Thanks and I look forward to all your videos.
I am subbed and if I wasn't I would be now.
Nice discussion man, just the title didn't let the discussion between iem, headphones and speakers, which to me was more interesting.
Great video. I like the topic. Law of dimishing returns. I want to own the best so I can experience the best. Budget is always the deciding factor. At some point though it gets out of control. I think in headphones anything above $500-600 is over spending and is my break point. After that prices seem to double to get better results. If one can afford it then I am happy for them. Speakers follow the same curve. Not into IEM's yet. I get why they exist and tried, but hate something in my ear channel. In the end we are all enthusiasts who just like listening to music and experimenting with different gear.
Awesome commentary! But there is one headphone that does it all, at least to my ears. The Susvara. It has phenomenal planar bass, great imaging and soundstage, a smooth and clear mid range, and some of the clearest but not harsh treble I’ve ever heard. And as a bonus, they’re super comfortable, as well. But it has to be driven properly to get that. Their only Achilles heal is their thirst for power. But if you have a powerful amp, I can’t find anything they lack...other than build quality (especially for their cost).
We've definitely had this discussion a few times now.
Hey great video, what's the computer monitor in the background?
For me, IEMs are meant for commuting only. Full size desktop headphone system far exceeds the best IEMs in terms of pretty much everything. Even Final A8000 is way behind my Focal Utopia on Hugo TT2.
As someone who owns the A8000, I respectfully disagree.
IMO nicest thing abt iems is that the price ceiling is below 2k, yeah u can spend more but at that point it’s personal preference, speakers on the other hand? Oh boy
Also where would you throw in tubes/quality of tubes + Phono stage + preamp + turntable/cart/tonearms into the equation? How about under cables (headphone/speaker cable, interconnects, powercables) and finally power conditoners & room treatments... all in terms of order of importance!
Very good approach to headphone assessment. Every headphone has different things to offer, its much like anything, their are pros and cons. As far as the same type of headphone from the same brand, I have AKG M220 at $50 dollars and the AKG K702 at $350. Both open back design for mixing, better soundstage than closed back and perposley flat or balanced sound for monitoring (no dramatically embellished low end like say, Beats). The K702 have neodymium large drivers as opposed to more standard drivers in the M220s . The surprising thing is there is a difference between the two tiers but it would be very neglagable to the untrained ear. The roll off on the low end below 50hz on the K702 is slightly longer and can represent it ever so slightly better. I cant tell you about representation above 10k because I can no longer hear well enough above that frequency, however the drivers in both do represent them fine, with the exception of 1k and 2k 3db bumps on the K702s, many say not enough to cause fatique.
I would advise to most that You can likely get by on a cheaper pair of AKG's if you are in the market for mixing and monitoring headphones. You may find a difference in pro longed wearing comfort as well. I find the k702s somewhat comfier, however everyone is different.
I think it may be difficult to find what you are looking for in headphones until you get to experience different models and determine for yourself. Please be aware of psychoacoustic effects, or ear placebos. I think it is easier to think we are hearing what we are not.
I agree, I would add for each component of the system there are basic requirements: Just make sure the cable is the right gauge, or else you lose frequencies when they're super thin; make sure the amplifier is a match in the least in terms of impedance and power; separates typically outperform integrated; note some headphones truly scale and highlight the equipment more than themselves and will transform with high end amplifiers while others won't scale too much. If you're buying from the secondary market, the best upgrade path may simply be as awesome deals arise.
Too many people on forums say you have to use a headphone or iem with this amp or cable. It will barely change the sound compared to getting a headphone or iem that you like to start with.
And my LCD-X just arrived today. The first thing I listened to was Reverence (Original Mix) by Hemstock & Jennings, Adam White. I closed my eyes. It was fucking magical. I've heard this track like a 100 times before.
I had been using the Sennheiser GSP600 for gaming fora coupe years and really enjoyed that. Recently got the HD58X for I wanted to try out an open headset. I enjoyed that even more. I wanted to treat myself with something and went for the LCD-X. I had watched several review videos on it. Joshua's review on it from a year ago really sold me on it.
Also got an LCD-X yesterday. It is insane ...
On point thumbs up!
This is such an excellent explanation. Overall, it matters what you are planning on listening to. What would you recommend to listen to Classical music? Full symphonic experience? Thank you!
I started out with high end ANC headphones and earbuds. Then to my first iem I got a month ago with the moon drop Starfield. Then I got the btr5 dac it made them sound better and now I just got my first Sennheiser hd599 and I'm so excited. The ivory color and open back will be my first experience with it. I'm so excited. I sold my airpods max because they just don't compare for music listening. I wasn't so into music before but after learning about better sounding music I wanted to try it out.
Radical title for such thoughtful point of view. Which I couldn't agree more btw, nice content.
I use Sol Republic Air Tracks for DJing. I use the Bose Quiet Comfort II Q35 noise cancelling 🎧 for everyday. Bass. Bass. Bass. Could use a boost on the high end🤔
I love the sound of my dual 18" subwoofers 🔉🔊🔥
actual enthusiasts speaking their truths is one of the most important kinds of reviews! thank you so much :)
Really well made video!
I love your videos. What I would say is that before the headphones I would suggest the source is probably the most important thing. You have a crappy source and all the rest of the chain is fighting an uphill battle. The rest I would certainly agree with. Keep up the great work Josh.
So, which is better for value, Koss Kph30 or Ksc75? Thanks in advance. Great video BTW.
Josh, please review Raal SR1A. There seems to be a mysterious aura around it. No video reviews to be found. Thanks!
I have been A/Bing DACs with my Hedd Type 20 studio monitors. The RME Adi2Pros were noticably more open and airy at either ends of the spectrum, than the Dangerous Convert 2s, even though they cost 2.5 times more. Price to performance seems to have no co-relation at all.
Ditto between the Focal Clears and the Ether 2. The Ethers were a bit more 'polite' which is not good news for a techno head.
I have IEMs for travelling, i have headphones and a DAC/Amp plugged into my PC, where i do most of my listening. And then i have a pair of floorstanding speakers and an Amp plugged into my TV for listening to special songs that are worth the effort to set it up and for movies of course. They all have their usecases.
Which IEMs? I recently broke my Shure SE215s, thinking about just buying new ones, but wanna look around some first.
@Tasunke We vibe :D. I also have the XM3s, althought I just sent them in for repairs. Then I have the WI1000X in-ears, that's the one with the neckband, Sennheiser RS175 for wireless home stuff, and I JUST got my Beyerdynamic DT 1770 Pro, with my Schiit Hel dac/amp in the mail. Oh, and I have the Shure Se215 BT as well, but never use them because I always forget to charge them.
@@PowerfulWarbird Look into Campfire Comet if you haven't already.
@@PowerfulWarbird Real question is what is your price range?
@@PowerfulWarbird Oh, dude. You don't want a recommendation from me. I bought cheap 25$ Senneheiser IEMs, i'm not proud of it. If i had known of the Tin T2s back then, i would've made a different choice. Same with my headphones!
The best headphones experience ive ever had fun with was a sr 507 stax system. Just switching out cables on the system changed the sound.
Overall I agree, though one of the elements of Iems I would add as an advantage is the sheer intimacy. I haven't heard a great headphone (can only imagine it) but it still would be "out of my head" which can be amazing for other reasons
Agree totally! You should love the music and appreciate the gear, not the other way around. As an owner of 10 IEMs, 8 Headphones and three sets of high end speakers, each brings something different to exact same song. And, because I love the music, each different rendition of it is very interesting to me.
I like to View Highs low mids as three sliders, they add up to 100
while increasing or decreasing one can cause side effects on other sliders
Focal Utopias... got them after having the Elears. Simply the best, but I agree as with anything audiophile, it is a case of diminishing returns.
Nice video Josh.
So true! I have both speaker and headphones and use them for different purposes. I have desent set Senheiser 660s and Genelec 6030 with Genelec sub.
They sound different and feel different even the Genelec Are very detailed for a speakers. They Are not headphones. And so on. I listen both and enjoy both. In general I like speakers a Little bit more, but my listening room is definitely not optimal for music, while headphones eliminate that problem. Have some highend cables... because They look nice! But I am sure that I can Not tell differense between good $50 caple and $500 cable if both have good connectors. Just because my room causes much more problems to the sound than any cable could in perfect situation.
My vinyl will cause more his and noice to the sound that the whole system between it and the loudspeakers or headphones. And those two affect more to the sound than anything between.
So you have to find a record where recording and Mixing has been done well and good speakers or headphones to Deliver that recording. And anything in between can only make things worse. The less the better, but it is really hard to Mess upp that in between stuff.
But I like my good looking cables, and I like my good looking preamp and I know that both Are tecnically well made. Can I hear difference between those Are more expensive ones or cheaper ones... most likely not unless someone did make mistake in planning and building.
Thank you that was helpful - for starter - what would be good AMP+DAC combo to drive headphones like HiFiMan Arya , HEDDPhone & LCD-X ? At present I’m using iDSD micro BL, do you think it is worth looking into desktop combo to make experience better ? Budget less than $2K to start with.
For me, if I'm gonna spend more than 2k, I would rather use that for speakers/home theater system.
Don’t you need more money to get the equivalent hearing experience?
For me what I really want out of a headset is to have highs that have some body to them along with solid mids lows ofcourse. Right now I'm using the beyerdynamic mmx 300 because I game and stream. They make me really want to try something above 40k frequency response. Saw those crowd funded graphene headphones have a 63k response.
Thanks for the review. I enjoy your content because it's easy to understand. I just bought an atom amp to power my he 400i that my LG 7 phone couldn't run. I like the way the quad dac sounds through the atom but I wonder if I hook the fiio btr3 to an E30 dac would it play the signal straight through to the atom or would it change it to the E30 signature? I don't want to downgrade to the quality of the btr3 but I would like to use my phone Bluetooth and still maintain at least the sound quality of the quad dac. Sorry for the long question, this is all new to me and I don't want to waste money on solutions that don't work. Thanks for any thoughts you may have.
Great advice.
one thing totally worth mentioning about speakers is that the room you put them in and the spot in that room you place your speakers matter... ive heard remarkably expensive speakers in a bad room, and you would be surprised at how average they sound... this is something you dont have to worry about with headphones because the earcups themselves are little treated rooms for each driver.
I have ATH-E50 IEM's. Well those are studio monitors. I just use qualizer to get the sound i want to hear.
You should look at reviewing the BTR5 and its competitors. I know its not exactly up your alley, but it'll be nice hearing your opinion on it.
For me, the biggest difference between even expensive $1000+ headphones and TOTL models is the ability to keep the same amount of control on the mix regardless of volume and complexity. With lower end headphones, when a song is particualy complex ad intricate at high volumes (not blasting, but enough to be concidered loud), the images and positioning of all the intrumentation becomes somewhat hazy and unclear. This is a comparative thing of course, if you've never heard a TOTL audio product for an exented period of time you might never know that your headphone is doing that. But once you do, you will relise that it is always able to keep the resolution of the images regardless of whats going on, giving it a 'etherial' like quiltiy (really bad decription, what if you've ever heard e-stats you will know what im on about). Another way of looking at it is to think of two streams. One at a low bit rate and one that is exessively high. For *MOST* of the stream, you wouldn't notice a difference unless you had a keen eye or had them side by side, but when what is being streamed becomes especially complex, it becomes obvious. I don't agree with a lot of what zeos says, but what he said about how 50% of how good your music sounds is the music itself couldn't be any more true. If all you listen to is commercal pop, then I really wouldn't recommend looking at any of these.
Most cheap headphone when you trying to loud the volume the positioning become unclear wider, veiled, and loud at the same time
Totl iems do everything good, lower end do certain things good. My v14 can eq to do anything close to perfectly. My low-end ones are limited in versatility/comfort.
I enjoy and use all of them, although since falling into the Koss wormhole (KSC75, PortaPro, KPH30i) I’ve realised I don’t really enjoy the feel of IEMs in my ear canals.
Josh,your right.from modding and building speakers for 30 yrs,I learned a few things about the science of sound.instead of a box that must be dealt with,headphones are a lot easier to mod and make them stellar!!.have to start with phones that are built well with high quality drivers(otherwise,not worth it). I have been modding headphones lately and having some fun!
Hey Josh, thanks for the video.
So headphones/speakers/IEMs, then amps, then DAC's, then cables, right?
I'm thinking about getting a drop/Sennheiser HD6xx and the THX 789. And if I wanted more then I should probably go get a DAC. But it seems like the balance out is much more powerful than the single-ended output. In this case, should I get the balanced cable for the headphone first, then think about a DAC?
Cheers, Mate
Really enjoying your channel and learning quite a bit about audio/headphones. I have been searching for the “perfect” headphone and can’t seem to find it and this video really clears things up. I am seeking out my first pair of decent open back headphones. I listen to a wide range of music and that is really the problem in trying to find a good pair. Now I know why all you crazy audiophiles have 20 pair of headphones.😂
For me achieving a great headphone or iem experience has been very elusive. Just like Josh said, you may find good bass, or detail, or soundstage...etc, but never the whole package.
But in my own experience, if you do want to get close to a whole package, nothing beats a properly designed and well treated room, with great well positioned speakers, a dedicated subwoofer, good converters, amplifier, clock and cables, analog equalizers for tweeking problem resonances, and well recorded music,.... so basically nothing short of a recording studio experience. Once you taste that, you’re ruined for life!
sacrifice a tiny portion in every category, you have the true end game all rounder, the Hifiman Susvara, but still, expensive...