The DankPods Headphone Starter Guide.
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- Опубликовано: 20 апр 2022
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"you're just jealous that they found happiness way easier than you could" is an absolute gold nugget of truth when it comes to hobby elitism right there.
It truly is painful.
No accounting for lack of taste. If a man enjoys a McDonald's hamburger as much as a fine steak, who am I to argue.
@@barretprivateer8768 It's more like most can't afford to get the chance to taste a fine steak and just asking questions about a McDonald's hamburger. Doesn't mean noobies don't have taste, just learning.
@@lunchmeat7495 Enjoy your McDonald's
@Guarav So they haven't developed their taste yet. That's not the same as bad taste - trying both and choosing the inferior product because you can't tell the difference or don't care enough to is what I was referring to primarily.
Elitism is necessary. Takes out the trash.
its actually crazy how different the microphone test stories feel when using a good microphone
It's like the sound of sand being ground against your skull adds weight to the experience
I still want a book of them as a merch item 😂😂
@@wilfroberts637 that would be *glorious*
@@kennymangle7596 I dont know how you managed to like synthesize something Dankpods would absolutely say just off the dome like that but its remarkable
Personally I would be using Harvard Sentences when testing out mics for objectivity but Wade's ability to improv these hilarious stories is 100× more entertaining.
"You're just jealous that they found happiness so much cheaper than you did."
That hits different.
@@scottgreenberg188 Damn, it took you a year to figure that out?
@@scottgreenberg188”wahhhhhh you made a minor insignificant mistake wahhhhhhhhhhhh”
Can’t believe people don’t remember exact word for word quotes in 23 minute long videos
@@Otamatone69well they probably didn't wait for the video to end to comment on that quote. so its not really an argument. still i didn't see the first comment so I can't talk for sure.
@@cumburger69 I don’t remember the original comment exactly, but I think they were being pretty rude about it
also banger username
Man. As someone younger than wade and who is into the same things as him, the maturity and passion this guy shows is amazing. I see Wade as a genuine role model.
who is wade
@@misterburger9762 dankpods' real name is Wade
@@misterburger9762wade
Same
Wade is a great example of wanting something and going for it, of someone who likes to genuinely have fun and does it, such a great nugget i mean person.
this quote will be something to live by. "if they love their $25 in-ears, and you've got an issue with that, well i recon the only issue is that you're jealous they found happiness so much easier than you could"
So true. If i'm discussing something I don't like with someone who does like it, I like to finish by pointing out that at the end of the day, I'm the one missing out on the happy, not them
@@Jazmunky I feel that
Heard that line and my immediate reaction was "That line goes hard as fuck, good god." What a quote, instant classic.
I've tried so many different earplugs of various sorts (Sennheiser, Sony, Samsung etc) and the absolute best ones I've tried was 10€ IEM's from QKZ, 25€ IEM's from KZ and then the AirPods Pro lol. There is no in between, they vary so insanely much in price, but they're the best I've ever had.
@@baldeaglenor7156 I've seen the QKZ IEMs in online listings and such, but never tried em. How do they sound compared to the KZ ZSN Pro?
Hey Wade, I would like to say just how much I appreciate your channel, especially since you have kept up the Australian accent and humour ask throughout videos, even though we all know that Australian people aren't real. Thank you.
You are so right that I can’t comprehend it
How much you think the "Australian Government" is paying him
@irishdude He has an ol' mate James who helps fix his cars and stuff on Garbage Time
@@shelbymurphy3579 and he saved a magpie from his chicken coop
@irishdude HAHAHHAH SAME DUDE
I’ve wondered what Crin thought about you, love to hear he’s a patron! That made me smile.
He has a video talking about DankPods on his old channel about the Meze
Crin the goat of audiophile stuff in my opinion
I'm leaving a mark on 20:57 for myself.
Its just crazy to see how even I myself could be really nasty, and then forget that even I started somewhere way back. Not in the audio scene, was just startin' with KZ stuffs, but you're right.
Thank you for this, man. You're really great. Sorry if I haven't been able to do a lot to help you personally, but please do know that your contents are genuine for me. Salute from your neighbor, man. Never stops.
The following timestamps are meant to be for quick reference after having watched the video.
1:28 KZ ZSN Pro / KB EAR KS1 (20+ USD)
2:43 Samson SR850 (50 USD)
2:51 AKG K240 (image)
3:34 Sennheiser HD 600
4:31 AKG K52 (image)
4:35 Grado SR60x (99 USD)
7:10 Sennheiser HD 280 (99 USD)
8:52 Beyerdynamic DT 770 (160 USD)
10:42 Hodo Six Hungeos
11:12 Sennheiser HD 58X (149 USD) (image)
11:19 Amps discussion
- 11:39 Cambridge CXA81
- 11:44 Apollo Twin
- 11:46 FiiO M17
- 11:51 FiiO M15
- 12:00 iDSD Diablo
- 12:16 FiiO BTR5
12:53 Hobby discussion
- 14:01 Forums (e.g., Head-Fi, Drop, Stereonet)
- 14:16, 17:34 Shoutouts to Crinacle of In-Ear Fidelity
- 14:27 Personal tastes
- 14:29 Meze 99 Classics
- 14:51 Meze Empyrean
- 15:41 Audeze LCD-2 (image)
- 18:10 Find wireless advice elsewhere
- 18:31 Heartfelt advice, dealing with trolls and gatekeepers
- 19:34 Sennheiser HE 1 (image)
- 21:27 Wise words
- 22:03 Focal Clear MG (image)
22:16 Patreon credits
22:45 Austrian Audio Hi-X65
22:57 Outro
18:27, 23:02 Frank
Fronk is the most important timestamp !
fränk
Fronk 👍
Cheers, but wrote hd 600 at 280 time
Phrenk
One of the things that really proves how influential you are, is the fact that everything you praise jumps up in price!
😭 why are the IEMs so pricey nowww, they’re not even high on the list
One day we will have great headphones for not too much...
EVERTTHING HAS GONE UP IN PRICE!
@@Poodleinacan Listen, Sennheiser HD-400s might be 100 AUD but they're absolutely worth it. Great sound, durable (I've used them basically every day for the past year and a half and taken them everywhere and used them while I sleep) and comfortable af.
@@lockiepark-harris7418 thanks for the heads-up
I bought the DT770 Pros, and my first pair the right ear was quieter than the left, got a refund and rebought them and they are lovely
Cap
@@8BitParadise k
@@8BitParadise Bought some dt770 pro 250ohm the other day, opened up the box and the left ear was completely dead out the box. I don’t find it hard to believe that other people are having issues with their headphones out the box.
@@mktwos They're just crap headphones get the AKG k371
@@8BitParadise ooo it seems like someone's forgot that everyone has different ears
Thank you for acknowledging that there's a war going on. I live in Kyiv and got meself Grados 60x about a week ago to just you know have some positive emotion in my life. This is my first set of hephonies that isn't like 20 bucks and it sounds awesome. Thank you for the recommendation (even though that was e's not x's) ♥️ from 🇺🇦
Slava Ukraini! Stay safe
stay safe mate
Good luck and stay safe mate
stay safe man
Dlava ukrini
For anyone wondering, the music he uses to test headphones is TrackTribe's "walk through the park". He once used "A night alone" from the same album but it changed after an episode or 2 idk
I still prefer "A Night Alone" for testing.
thanks homie
Hes made a vid about it! ruclips.net/video/Y-c0zbdJxTA/видео.html
The new track seems to sound bad (listening to the original from the yt audio library)
@@lachlanlau In Spotify it sounds fine to me...
I'm so happy to hear you directly reference Crinacle when discussing the importance of reading/watching other reviews. I love both of your channels and it's really fascinating how differently you approach being audiophiles.
I prefer how he does it over Crinacle I feel insulted whenever I watch crinacle fkr having to buy things like gaming headphones because I'm broke
timestamp?
@@theoutsiderjess4869 crinacle is a good reviewer, also what gaming headphones are cheaper than a good pair of headphones? Or like cheap IEMs?
@@whitecoffee1427 I'd just get the senn pc38x honestly.
I Chadwick PC38x from ol mate senny.
Honestly they're very good, with a better mic to boot. And for $100 whatevers on Amazon, you can't really lose
Glad Crinnacle got a shout out here. Hopefully they'll do a Collab soon! They seem like a fun combo or interesting at least. For anyone that's interested, Crinnacle typically focuses on sound only so anything about build quality, comfort, etc he'll ignore or doesn't focus on greatly on. He's definitely a hardcore audiophile that focuses on pure sound quality
I was sort of into audio a few years ago, and bought a pair of alright Sennheisers and they blew me away compared to the Skullcandy earbuds I had been using for the longest time. I wanted to go further into the scene, but like you said, I got scared away from the forums. I'm so glad you made your channel because you present such a fun and approachable way to teach about the basics of headphones.
Now I'm studing Electrical Engineering and creating amps/dacs and audio equipment sounds like an amazing career path for me, because of my newfound audio enthusiasm these past few years.
Your rant about "the hardcore" in any hobby is so spot on! I am deep into the sim racing world, I have a upper midrange rig and I see all the time people asking "I am interested in getting into sim racing what should I get?" and people instantly start recommending they drop like $900 on equipment that they don't even need... Then they have sunk a load of money into something found out its not for them and given up on the hobby putting it down to a massive waste of money...
My best advice to anyone wanting to get into anything, is start at the lower end of the mid range, get something proven to be good, then upgrade overtime if and only if you find yourself enjoying the hobby... I think people who are in the hardcore have forgotten that we were all n00bs once... its okay to get something good that is cheap to dip your feet and see what its like...
I agree with the lower end of the mid-range but but the problem is everybody's mid-range is different. No lie, I am absolutely angry with what is considered "mid-fi" now. The HD600 is considered mid-fi and they are $400 headphones. I understand there is a lot of headphones above its price but they are popular for a reason. Calling them mid-fi is a slap to the face for good headphones. I play fighting games and in friendly circles, I see recommendations to Qanba arcade sticks. They aren't the best, they don't use Sanwa or Seimitsu switches but they are way better than the
@@nerdyneedsalife8315 I agree totally, I think mid range is kind of fluid depending on the person and the hobby...
Another way to look at things is what gets you 80-90% of the experience for as little as possible. Because law of diminishing returns is a thing...
I started out in the sim racing world with a $80 sim wheel, mounted to my desk, it was pretty crap but it was enough to get me in the door... Now I have a upper mid range wheel and pedals (the jump to direct drive is a big one) and a nice cockpit to mount it to, all in it's about $1500 for my current setup ($2500 if we include the VR headset) but that's over 10 years of upgrades and changes...
it's the same with mountain biking
Honestly mate, try a controller first lmao
Nice to see another sim racer around here
Really love how you talk about the differences between you and Crinacle, guy is an amazing resource and it really is cool to hear two different perspectives on things.
As someone who is a fan of both and own $25-$250 audio (from watching their content), yes.
This guy is the Tik tok version of crinacle
@@CODSOURCE2012 awful take
@@NicksRepository It means he's just jealous that you found happiness so much cheaper than he did.
I'm definitely one of the people who got into audio thanks to this channel. My old headset died and I got a pair of superlux headphones, not a fancy brand, like 40 freedom eagles, but they changed my life, the upgrade from trash headphones to any proper big ears is massive
After watching your videos in the past I picked up the KZ ZSN Pros and loved them. When I was ready to step up, I went with the HD 58X and a BTR5 and I couldn't be happier. I love how you are able to present information in a fun way and really understand that most people just want something that sounds good and don't really care about the nitty gritty.
Same
Dankpods, don't forget that the graphs you are showing from rtings aren't raw, but compensated to a target. dt770s are not flat, just the target matches that bass pretty well!
Yeah when seeing Crinacle's compensated graph and other compensated graphs, the DT770s match my experiences and other experiences of it being V-shaped
Yep. DT770 is anything but flat. Actual flat headphone would be HD560s
RTINGS uses a bit of a V-shaped curve that they call Harmann adjusted or something so a flat graph on theirs will still be kinda V-shaped. Crinacle's target is flatter with a bump at the high end so the same model will appear bassier on his. That's why raw graphs, while they can be a bit harder to understand, are better for cross-site comparisons as the measurements should be more or less the same.
@@hoobidibahbidibah8119 that is somewhat true. Yes, it's better to compare with raw, uncompensated graphs, but you really should not be comparing graphs between 2 completely different ear simulator companies.
I've never really looked into headphones seriously... anyone willing to ELI5 why anyone would grade on a curve? Speakers are measured in an anechoic chamber on an (ideally) infinite baffle. Room gain, baffle step, and crossover effects are yours to figure out. Why are headphones not like that? Is the curve supposed to be indicative of what the average ear shape does to the raw response or something?
As a software developer, I wanted good ANC headphones years back. After doing a bunch of research went for the Senn PXC 550s. In time other developers around me wanted something like that as well. Most went for the Sony WaFfles1000 eXtraMustard 4 u (that's how I remember the name) since they look prettier and people love that bass or the Bose QuietComfort QC35. I liked the Sennys the most though for their sound signature, I appreciate clarity. Eventually my PXC 550 battery started becoming cooked and it would just randomly crackle (sounded like power delivery issues through a damaged wire or something similar). Decided to get a new ANC headphone. Again, after doing a bunch of research decided again on the Sennys, this time Momentum 3. They shouldn't be all that different sounding from the PXC 550 yet they just sound clearer and are just... fun + super sturdy. I use them daily to this day at work.
After seeing the difference between the PXC 550 and Momentum 3, I realized that audio has quite a lot of potential for me and I wanted a better setup at home. I have a nice quiet space and I love gaming. So I started investigating headphones, the real deal ones which is how I ended up here... After watching, I don't even remember which DankPods video, I binged this mofo into Patreon'ism. Learnt so much new cool stuff, about different transducers, resistances, DACs while having a lot of fun seeing stinkbuds explode and stuff. Was still looking for new headphones though. Doing more research I of course landed on crinnacle's table. Fucking love that guy as well. Learnt so much proper stuff from his content. Started looking for open back headphones with proper soundstage and imaging but I had to work with what's available around me. Now I could go all in, and go for the HD800S but those cost nearly 2k Euros here. Yes they're the best for soundstage and imaging but other than that I don't feel like they're worth that much to me. I wanted to spend less than 1k. Eventually pulled the trigger on HiFiman Anandas. Nice soundstage and imaging, extremely nicely tuned, I think they look cool, very easy to drive (I also think that planar magnetics are very cool), a lot sturdier than they look and they're my first higher end headphones I love them to bits :) They're so clear, it's so easy to tell different DACs apart with them for me. I use loudness equalization while gaming, so basically if the sound exists I can most likely hear it with these headphones.
I don't have any friends that like audio as much as I do now so just wanted to share my journey somewhere lol
What?!
This is cool to me, you really went deep into the space
how--- how did your message not get a read more but smaller ones did
I feel like I'm right where you were at the start - always owned 20-30 eur headphones. When I got more money, decided to buy something good and wireless, found out about ANC which is handy at my "open space" office. Found crinacle and the audio graphs. Finally decided on PXC 550-II with their neutral sound and decent price. A bit less bass than what I'm used to, but I love hearing all the instruments way clearer than I did before. The only issue is their headband which presses at the top of my head and becomes annoying pretty quick. Now I'm binging headphone content thinking about the next thing to get for my home while not wasting too much money. The beyerdynamics look very interesting.
(tl/dr)
After watching you for the last couple of years I became interested in improving my audio experience. Yes it is a minefield and took me a year to find exactly what I wanted/needed/afford and settled for Fiio Q3 DAC with Sony MDR-7506/1 as I could use with iPhone/pad and iPod classic and wow what a difference. Thanks DankPods your informative and funny and helped me improve my audio listening experience. (Oh and Frank too!).
It's been a while, but I got back into watching your channel and you are just as entertaining as you were before!
All these videos you make are not only helpful, but extremely fun to watch.
I appreciate guys like you and Crinacle. I've gotten plenty of gift ideas and headphones I and other people have loved with your collective advice.
Moondrop Quarks! Always order 2! They are the BEST IEM under $30 no doubt (and they are much under that)!
@@Cobalt985 MOONDROP CHU SUPERIOR TO QUARKS
Many don't like crinacle
@@lachlanlau cuz hes too harsh and critical , h-h-h-how dare he tell people the truth about KZ IEMs???
like a damn idiot i bought the CRN, only for the CHU to be released 2 days later, cant even return em
@@maahinshankar210 oh how relatable, i bougth the CRN a month ago just to see the chu being released recently
Good on you for calling out the gatekeepers, but also realizing that hearing the same questions gets old. You're a proper old mate, Wade.
I love this channel so much, it's the reason why I worked stupid amounts of hours so I could get a decent setup for audio and enjoy it way more in my free time, sitting in a chair and feeling like the bands are playing right next to me
As someone who is Australia based and has a degree in Acoustical Engineering and audio. It's absolutely crazy what you manage to fit into short videos. Content that's amusing, entertaining and educational. Nice one mate. Also loving the Nugget van, we are living out of a delica rn and touring round aus. Would be mean as to run into you in ADL. You're an absolute legend.
When I got into the audio/music world, I met a really wonderful hardcore man. He was so kind and incredibly patient and answered all my silly questions which probably he had heard millions times over the years. Now I’m a grown audiophile man who have thrown myself in the devastated wasteland, where “great sound” lives and no dollar bills can survive, for endless journey of seeking the best quality audio equipments and musical instruments. Whether you get a sweet guy like me or furious yelling hardcores, you are gonna hate them anyway at some point.
I got started on those KZs and yeah, they've been serving me well for what feels like a year, even with all of the pulls and liquid it took, and still working like a charm
i can pretty much blame this channel for getting me into audio. about a half a year ago i bought my first audiophile headphones, beyerdynamic dt 990s. absolutely love them. their sound signature is a bit odd when i think about it, they have really punchy bass for an open back but retain the infamous beyer treble which leads to it sounding muddy yet clean at the same time. they also have amazing soundstage. i cant go back to using gaming headsets or any other garbage i was listening to before
Just wanted to say, my pair of KZs live inside my pocket (also got my girlfriend a pair she uses every day), I used my grado 60s every single day of online classes, and when those sadly broke I got a pair of meze 99 neos that now live at my computer desk. I've loved every single recommendation I've taken from this channel so far and I would've never thought to go for any of them without it. I had absolutely zero interest in audio until I got hooked on these videos back in the iPod repair days and I'm so glad I did. Thank you so very much for your service Dank, keep on making awesome content. o7
Awww so wholesome ^^ nice!!
Best feature of being a Patreon subscriber is getting a notification every time he uploads, not just when youtube feels like it.
Same here. You get a mail notification telling you that a new Patreon vid is out. Which means a new dank vid on RUclips.
RUclips FIX YOUR SHIT
That and all the free additional videos he posts on there too exclusively
The amount of audio gear I've obtained from following this channel is almost frightening. 3 pairs of KZ ZSN Pro X, Fiio UTWS3, Fiio BTR5, and of course Meze Classics with a balanced cable. I can't thank you enough for being an entertaining entry point into the hobby.
I bought myself a pair of clear teal KBEar KS2s for myself for christmas, and man..... I'm a semi-professional musician, and they just work for everything. I love your unabated enthusiasm for your passions, and you genuinely give incredible insight and recommendations. Thanks for being you :)
I discovered this challene within the last month and i have always been on the edge of really diving into audio type stuff buy i belive you may have convinced me to look much more heavily into it. Thank You
I was part of a program at my college that had a multi-million dollar studio. Sitting in that room, right in the sweet spot of the monitors was a godly listening experience. Most of my listening now is through Koss KSC75 and I'm very happy with that. They're comfy, light, they sound nice, and they only cost me 20 bucks. It's all relative
Koss headphones are lovely. I wish they make premium tier with better material. I snapped 2 KPH30i with my big ass noggin
I put a headband and Yaxi pads with mine. I actually use my KSC75 more than my HD650 just for the fact that they're portable and light.
Hiya DP, Just for reference, I actually got barked at by the audio guys on _your own discord_ for liking the DT770s and saying they're good. I unironically enjoy them, i even use them for my work as a _professional video editor_ as they give me more top-end sound than the MDR7506s that I used. I can pick up a lot more imperfections with the DTs than the MDRs.
Keep in mind too, when I bought the DT770s I tested out a bunch of different headphones and ended up with the DTs due to their price to performance ratio. For A$200 they're friggin' solid, and C O M F Y A F
So just for anyone who's just getting into iPods or Audio gear, don't worry. There'll always be people who're going to bark at you for buying your first pair of ATH-M50s and so on. The fact is, if _you_ like them, then they're good! Listen to a few head-pa-honeys and see which ones you like.
Also if you're ever on DP's Discord? #audio-help is a cursed channel. just FYI.
I tried them and just really didnt like them, had to return
I got barked at for liking my Kay Bee KS2's and calling em the greatest set of in-ears I ever gotten. Suffice to say they really suggested stuff that is over £200. I just don't really care about Moondrops or Senny's because these Kay Boop's are all I can really afford as a 16 year old student.
I am really angry at the dankpods discord server and their constant Koss shilling. Worst part is, someone in there once told me that I should not buy any headphones if I don't want to spend more than 50€ on them. So yeah, cursed discord I'm only there for the emojis
I don't know if it's still the case, but DP isn't even a part of the DP discord. Hell personally I prefer the DT880s & Tygr variant over 770s, because I prefer sermi-open & open back stuff. Everything in audio is highly subjective to the individual and as always YMMV.
Discord servers are always problematic because they're always full of hardcore people and if mods don't step in proper the loud asses will push out any dissenting voices.
Chances are most of those people invested a bunch of money and try their hardest to convince themselves it's money well spent, even if diminishing returns hit hard after even just 100 bucks spent.
I love your saying, "good headphones stay good." its a very true saying and I totally agree with it. Keep up the good work mate!
Gotta love those HD 280 Pros from ol' mate Senny, I've had the same pair since like 2009. I've replaced the headband twice over the years and recently replaced the disintegrating original earcups with some nice lambskin cups, and a couple years ago I modded them with a 3.5mm jack in place of that annoying coiled cable, so I can use any cable I want or even use a coupler to plug in my FiiO BTR1K directly and turn them into totally wire-free Bluetooth headphones. It's a pretty easy mod if you're OK with some soldering, and I can point you at exactly what 3.5mm jack to get if you're interested.
Never ever would have bought something like a "Samson" Headphone, but i got the SR850s because of your tip and they are awesome! Samson stocks gone through the roof because of you!
I've heard some Samson mics are also good
You’ve sent me on a journey and I don’t regret it. I just got a pair of AKG K240’s and I absolutely love them I also have KZN pros and I love them! I’d love to get a pair of grados but money is tight so you know how that goes. Thanks Dank!!!
Based
Get ksc75 it’s the better grado
@@asilva5021 based indeed
I got into your videos right at the start of covid with all the Ipod stuff. And here I am watching with my pair of hd600s. I would have never gotten here without your vids and Im SO happy Im here. (I got lucky and got a steal from a friend for $120) but seeing stuff like this makes me excited for all the new people finding an interest and seeing how great it is to have the right pair. I wish it was more widespread that people bought quality headphones rather than overpriced fashon statements (im looking at you beats) but hopefully this fuels a change in the industry making high quality listening more common
Now we need a "The DankPods Amplifier Starter Guide." Video
Here is a list, please watch the video, great guide.
1:30 $20+ kz or Zb in ear
2:45 $50 Samson SR850
4:36 $99 Grado SR60X
7:23 $99 Sennheiser HD280
8:52 $160 DT 770
10:40 HD 6hund0s (HD600).
If I missed any sorry, do watch the video.
I think one of my hobbies must be watching other people enjoy their hobbies because I really don't care about audio but I watched this video all the way thru and found it very interesting. I mean my favorite thing on the channel is the little mp3 nugs. I had a few of them growing up and one thing I DO love is finding old tech on eBay.
Listening to someone who's passionate about something is pretty great.
Yo Mr Dank, been watching you for a over a year now and you're the only channel i never miss a video of. Thank u for doing what you love.
The part about doing your research is worth gold. I'm part of an online community and I get questions from newcomers regularly. And there's nothing wrong with asking a question that seems "simple" to a guy who has done that thing for a decade or so now.
But what drives me nuts is when I can google the question title and get an answer as the first result. And I know they haven't done that, or else they wouldn't ask me.
I actually recommend the Moondrop Chu's over the KZ's. Especially since people discovered that KZ has shady business practices. The ZSN's still sound really good for the money but KZ is lying about the amount of drivers inside their IEM's.
Moondrop is a bit better brand in general. They skimped out on not having detachable cables on the Chu's but they punch well above their weight in terms of technical performance and tuning
You saved me writing out a comment 😅. I was just about to shill the Chu's. Way better at the same price.
I also came to mention the Chu's 😂 and saw this after
I already have starfield, which costs 5-6x the price of Chu. However, it's so interesting that ai migiht as well adds it to my collection lol
Yeah, KZ has a lot of shady things going on (primarily with all of their IEMS having basically the same tunning and stuffing their IEMs with tons of drivers that don't even reproduce anything). Everyone should really give the Chu's or the Aria's if you have some extra money lying around a chance first. Giving KZ some respect though, their CCA sub brand released a total banger with the CCA CRA, that thing is amazing for the money and a must buy if you like a well made V-shaped sound.
Chu is based
I love the fact that crin always recommends etymotics ER2's fore under $100 IEM's while I assume DankPods would HATE how uncomfortable they are
Pretty sure he's talked about them before in passing and liked the fit
Think it was in his iem video he mentioned them in passing
Edit: 7:20 in his iem video he talks about that style of eartips
ER2SE have too little bass but ER2XR has too much lower mids.
Eq fixes that
With the foam tips they aren't uncomfortable at all to me
Superlux HD681 are also insane for the price. Would definitely recommend for beginners if you want to get into (semi-)open backs.
After Dank recommended the SR850, I had to pick them up and I absolutely love them!
I've had them for about a year, my only complaint is that the self adjusting would hurt my ears from them pulling back up. I ended up cutting one of the two elastic bands on each ear. Other than that, I love them. Not to bassy, not super high end as they appeared in the video.
Being using the GRADO sr60x for the last 6 or so months and they are spectacular. No only they are good for listening to music but they kill in games... I mainly use the on xbox (using both my monitor and xbox controller jack) and all the games sound amazing, for example BF1 is incredible to hear the gun shots and shoe box tank coming your way. Would definitely recommend for people that don't want something with too much bass and for people that like to hear those click, clack, clink from weapons cars and other sound effects because they are very clear while using the sr60x.
I splurged for the 225X and I'm in love. One note for anyone buying any of the prestige Grados, consider getting a pair of the G ear cushions. They turn the Grados from on ear to over ear and the fit becomes so much better (for me anyway)
I felt the same way going from Turtlebeach to my Rigs. Gaming sounds so different. I have tinnitus so those higher sounds are meh to me. I can still understand that little extra immersion though.
on top of them being so good for games, if you're talking over voice chat, you don't end up screaming down the mic because you can hear yourself!
The entry level grado x series sound amazing for the price. If I want more bass I simply throw a set of tape modded pads on.
@@leemanwrong truuuue. I'm probably gonna get a pair for my office so I can be more comfortable than using the provided $10 stinkphones and not as nervous as bringing in something over a hundred bucks.
I got the KZ and I am amazed that you have the same audio intensity in both ears also I was able to listen to sounds I was unaware existed. I upgraded from dirty buds.
As a Music Production major in their 1st year, THANK YOU SO MUCH for pointing out Crin's site. Those frequency response charts are a GODSEND.
I've been using my grados for ages now and just recently decided to put down the cash on a pair of dt770's from custom cans. Super excited to get them in my hands. Thanks for the recommendation Dank.
I bought the btr5 because of this channel and have gotten into audio strictly due to this channel and I love it and couldn't be happier. Thank you so much!! You are the best
Same boat!
got the Ubtr for 15 lol, its not the best, but paired with my KZ zst's makes it quite the experience. checking the ebay selller's reviews however, all i saw was "what a good nugget"
this channel has honestly been such a joy watching and helping me with general audio stuff that im too afraid to ask about (social anxiety is fun isnt it), but now ive actually gotten some of my own friends into my hobbys and its been really fun
Thanks to your recommendation I got last year the SR850 and they blow out of the water most gaming headphones, I can pinpoint the direction of shots in my games super accurately! thank you so much for your videos!
I’ve come to the realisation that I’ve watched every single one of your Headphones video through my phone or laptop speaker! Great way to differentiate the sound
A starter guide? Im interested to see where he goes with this!
pog
Kzs are a must, gonna be sad if i don't see them.
Edit: lol they're literally the first ones
@@Ferrari255GTO of course they are ... That and some of other cheap brands in that range are great but the bears are the easiest to find for cheap
@@Ferrari255GTO Try out the moondrop chus, its the best tuned iem for cheap. All kzs are V shaped, bloated bass machines.
@@Ferrari255GTO KZs were good when i first bought em but honestly after a while (and after playing around with EQ a lot) i realized just how sharp and piercing the treble on my ZSN Pro X was. They served me for a good while but I upgraded to yume:midnight after they broke on me.
You're the reason I picked up the KZ ZSN pros. Best inears I've ever had.
Me too!!
ZS10 Pros for me. Love em(and you nugget man if youre seeing this)
KZ lie about their driver count and have really poor quality control tho
@@typicalcitrus7848 they sound great for cheap in ears though.
You guys should try the kz crn
I’m super glad he mentioned the HD280’s because i got a set and holy hell they are my favorite. i’ve had bassy headphones but never anything balanced and they are wonderful
Got ZSN earbuds after watching one of your videos awhile back and have never regretted buying them, they're great, especially for their price.
You always make me happy dankpods with your funny accent and personality ❤️
IKR? Gotta love that sweet Ozzie accent :)
Small tip for those that look at graphs for sound signature comparisons: learn the difference between raw and compensated.
Most sites have a reference curve that they call a "target sound" that they base their compensated graphs on, which are the graphs that Dank usually shows. For instance, RTINGS uses a V-ish curve, meaning a flat graph won't really be "flat". While that's totally fine, it's usually best to compare the raw graphs when switching between sites. As an example, Crinacle uses a flatter graph with a bump at the lower treble, so his compensated graph will be different than RTINGS' for the same model, but their raw graphs should be about the same.
EDIT: Forgot that measurement rigs and setups most likely won't be the same between reviewers, so even raw measurements will be slightly different. However raws are still much better as a reference than compensated though it's still not an exact comparison.
Thank you for showing the KBEars. I ordered the KBEar KS2's the other day and it came in today, and they've been working out great so far!
Thank you DankPods for the recomendations. I picked up a pair of KZ X Pros. they are a perfect "on the go option" for my old Sony 7506's
Starter guide is the last thing I expected from this channel 👍
He likes to think of himself as a point of first contact between casuals and audiophiles.
i've been deriving "started guides" from all the stuff you teach about audio from the reviews and comparisons you do. It's finally interesting to have some content geared towards that directly
Just came back to this video after my thrashed Raycons died and got myself a set of KZs, and I swear your videos have never sounded better!
Just received my KB Ear KS1 in time for my trip next week. Thanks for the recommendation!
I remember being a child and requesting a demo at the audiophile section of a music store. The leather reclinable sofa, the headphones bigger than my head... Too bad now even the mid tier headphones are too expensive for me.
Hey Wade, just wanted to say thanks for getting me into audio at the start of the pandemic. The hobby was a huge boost and it's been a great joy. Over the time I've learned that yes, we all hear things differently, so personal preference is really something people need to realize exists. While a number of your recommendations didn't end up being my recommendations for various reasons, audio is such a good hobby and people need support, whether you agree with them or not.
So thanks. I blame you for me having owned over 40 headphones and IEMs in the last 2 years and purchasing an IEC711 measurment rig to start plotting frequency response graphs of my own.
It gets addictive
Your pfp looks a bit familiar. Do i know you from somewhere lol
@@yeagmatic nope. Never been around. Totally don't live on r/headphones 24/7
been rocking these $25 sony cheapos for about half a decade now and this video helped me finally upgrade to something worth listening to thanks bud!
I love the aknowledgement of Crin's diss on Meze and how politely and rationally you talked about it! I can't wait for a collab in the future
I just picked up some taotronics soundliberties per your recommendation and I'm incredibly pleased with them. I mostly use them at work so I don't need them to be mind blowingly good, but I do still catch new sparkly details in songs that I never did before, so thank you for the recommendation!
Damn, the Samson SR850s really do sound good.
I might be slightly biased, as I am listening to them through my own pair that I bought after seeing the previous video on cheap headphones.
Ill take your word for it
I just got the the last Day and they are my first "real" headphones and I am vergangenen excited
9:37 Wow the freakish ears-on-a-stand really bring out that sharp Beyerdynamic treble color.
One thing that my be worth doing is good headphones at low resistance. Most people don't have headphone amps, might be interesting to see the best of things that can be powered by a nugget.
One of the biggest reasons I want the Meze 99's, because something that good is only 32 ohms. I think Dank also said the DT770's come in a 32 ohm version? And some of the Grados (at least the SR60 and SR80, possibly more) are also 32.
The thing is, Impedance (ohms) isn't the main determining factor for if headphones are easy to drive or not. For that you want to look at sensitivity.
Wade sort of keeps getting that backwards and it's a little confusing for people. Just because it's low impedance does not mean it's easy to drive, and just because it's high impedance does not mean it requires an amplifier.
Hi Wade, just wanted to say thank you for your great content! Got into the headphones after watching your channel and buying kz. Now I am a proud hur dur six hunge-0's owner, and they are slapping!
I bought the sr-850s and love them. I use them mostly for gaming and the open backs are great for me. They also plug into the retro Sony v-10 and vinyl hasn’t ever sounded better
Very insightful, not just for headphone hobbyists! So glad I follow this channel 👍
Yeah....since finding this channel, i have switxhed over to kz pros and a lower end DAP (surfans F20) no regrets, everthing sounds way better. Thanks man!
I used sennheiser HD202's for YEARS back when I was a broke student and loved them, even went through like 3 pairs after some wire-snapping incidents. Switched over the the HD58X's when drop released them and I've been over the moon using them and an O2 DAC/AMP since then. I've though about upgrading to something better but honestly I don't see much point for my needs. I have enough other expensive hobbies nowadays and am perfectly happy where I am.
I've had my DT 770s running through a "Schiit Stack" for a little over a year and they are by far the best set of headphones I've ever worn. I use them for gaming and music and I can wear them for hours on end. Spectacular set of cans.
Yeah they are fantastic. Every time I hear a new song I like I run to the pc to hear it through the 770s with Amazon music ultra hq lol
I use them for critical listening and film production work. They're unironically awesome.
The 770s are great all around, though for gaming I would actually suggest having a poke at the 990's or 880's if it's in the budget. Just as comfortable but due to being open talking on Discord feels like not wearing headphones at all, and the soundstage is incredible where thunder or water splashes can actually sound like they're happening right next to you, perfect for all sort of RPGs like Elder Scrolls, Fable, The Witcher, or similar.
But the 770s are just absolutely hilarious for games with guns and explosions, there's no competition if you crave the boom.
@@RAHelllord ive heard similar recommendations before tbf, id really like to try the open backs to see what the soundstage is like
i bought those taotronics soundlibertys based off your raycon video a while ago, can say I have not regretted it whatsoever
So. Much. Very. Good. Video. I get so wrapped up in worrying about upgrading my gear that I forget that music should be FUN, and fun can be had for WAY less than you would think. Thanks!
19:45 Man, this is such a perfect fit for the community of retro game collectors. Discussions about "is the XYZ console retro?" always end with insults and bans.
I got the sr80e a little more than a year ago and absolutely love them, they have so much detail and movies/shows and video games are super immersive with them, when your mom isn't vacuuming in the next room that is lol
I bought the SR80's over 20 years ago, the main reason I don't use them now is my current living situation is more conducive to closed-backs. But hopefully some day I'll be able to get them out again.
I've been loving the dt 770 80 ohms along with my btr5. Works perfectly, and when i first used them together... mind was blown after having used some cheap $30 headphones i'd had for a long while
I brought the 58X from Drop because of the other video where they got mentioned and they changed my life! So good thank you for the recommendation!
That’s first microphone is legit pretty incredible
Would love to see a comparison of Bluetooth adapters for wired IEMs.
i got the kbear ks2's because of you and i recommend them to everyone now. the bang for the buck really is impressive.
Your channel is such a delight. Very entertaining and very helpful.
Him testing good headphones on professional listening equipment:
“Look at that bass and mids and top end”
Me listening through my crappy phone speaker:
“Ah yes, sound”
As someone who also has a giant noggin and struggles to find over-ear headphones that don't immediately give me a headache, I'd love to hear your input on comfortable over-ear headphones for large heads at different price points. I really appreciate how you love the pricey stuff, but don't dump on the cheap stuff when it's genuinely good and provide recommendations for people with smaller budgets. Keep being awesome!
I‘ve got the beyerdynamics dt-990 pro and they are sooo comfortable. So I vouch for the beyerdynamics team!
I saw your review on the grado sr60s and I love em. Thank you so much.
Bro you are a goddam treasure. This is my favorite video you’ve done. Please keep doing this.