Yeah, we should start posting the "best" lines we can find from cable makers. I think they're at peak marketing wank!
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The audiophile thread
- Thread starter kwtoxman
- Start date
Yeah, we should start posting the "best" lines we can find from cable makers. I think they're at peak marketing wank!
One of the biggest spenders at Alternative Audio in Dundas (cool place by the way) is a farmer looking guy that wears dirty coveralls and steel toe boots. Last I heard, he had dropped over a quarter million into 2 channel gear. The owner learned to treat everyone like they can afford the gear no matter what they look like.
It was fun reading threads on forums where members swore that they could tell the difference when listening to music with their gold plated/virgin crafted/ unicorn horn wires vs plain old copper. It's like wine/coffee/beer/whisky threads....it's all balls, all that matters is if you like it. Budweiser is piss though
FYI, i managed to get some of the woofer rumbling/flutter reduced by playing with the tone arm weight and anti-skating settings. It's not perfect, but it's better now.
I am also thinking of getting new needle/cartridges.
I'm starting to remember why I did not get too knee deep in this before. Costs can escalate rapidly with turntables
I am also thinking of getting new needle/cartridges.
I'm starting to remember why I did not get too knee deep in this before. Costs can escalate rapidly with turntables
Lesson 1 in retail, never judge the depth of a wallet by the outward appearance.
Riceburner
Well-known member
Should be first thing they teach sales people. Know it was my modus operandi back then. If I ever win a lottery, I'm going shopping in the rattiest clothes I can find. I'll judge who gets my $$$ by their attitude.
Haha, I do this. The more I plan on spending, the rattier the clothes I wear.
ok.... headphone purchase time.
sound isolation vs. noise cancelling...
I understand the concept of both. But am curious if there are any sound isolation headphones that are actually effective vs noise cancelling.
Thoughts?
I'd like to get a pair of bluetooth headphones that remove outside noise, but there is a tangible difference between the two.
Specifically, I've been looking at the following pair: https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/produc...ting-headphones-black-hd-4-40bt/10582163.aspx
sound isolation vs. noise cancelling...
I understand the concept of both. But am curious if there are any sound isolation headphones that are actually effective vs noise cancelling.
Thoughts?
I'd like to get a pair of bluetooth headphones that remove outside noise, but there is a tangible difference between the two.
Specifically, I've been looking at the following pair: https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/produc...ting-headphones-black-hd-4-40bt/10582163.aspx
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kwtoxman
Well-known member
Those headphones look good; Sennheiser makes great headphones. I've never needed noise cancelling headphones and have found closed headphones (sound isolation) do a fine job for me and are effective. At mid to moderate sound volumes and higher I find there is no significant outside noise.
If you want to wear headphones without listening to music or sound AND remove outside environmental noise, then noise cancelling headphones are the way to go. Personally, I've never needed that and find noise cancelling headphones unnecessary. YMMV. I have earplugs costing pennies that I use and they do the job just fine for removing environmental noise when I just want it to be quiet (with no sound or music).
Here are a few more headphone options that are relatively well priced during this black friday - cyber monday.
Sennheiser 598 CS headphones. These are the newer closed back version of the famous 598 series (sound isolation style). Much love for them. $169. Not BT or wireless though; they are standard wired headphones but the cable is replaceable and many inexpensive third party options exist for them.
https://www.amazon.ca/Sennheiser-HD-598-Cs-Headphone/dp/B01JP436TS
The Sennheiser HD598 open back headphones with two cables (a microphone for phone option is included). $141.
https://www.amazon.ca/Sennheiser-HD-598-SR-Open-Back/dp/B06WRMZZ45
Check out the Sennheiser PXC and momentum model options too. There are wireless options in those models.
Frankly, I'm happy using my open back Sennheiser headphones when I'm out and about. The sound quality is worth the ambient noise leakage. And they don't bother other people either.
If you want to wear headphones without listening to music or sound AND remove outside environmental noise, then noise cancelling headphones are the way to go. Personally, I've never needed that and find noise cancelling headphones unnecessary. YMMV. I have earplugs costing pennies that I use and they do the job just fine for removing environmental noise when I just want it to be quiet (with no sound or music).
Here are a few more headphone options that are relatively well priced during this black friday - cyber monday.
Sennheiser 598 CS headphones. These are the newer closed back version of the famous 598 series (sound isolation style). Much love for them. $169. Not BT or wireless though; they are standard wired headphones but the cable is replaceable and many inexpensive third party options exist for them.
https://www.amazon.ca/Sennheiser-HD-598-Cs-Headphone/dp/B01JP436TS
The Sennheiser HD598 open back headphones with two cables (a microphone for phone option is included). $141.
https://www.amazon.ca/Sennheiser-HD-598-SR-Open-Back/dp/B06WRMZZ45
Check out the Sennheiser PXC and momentum model options too. There are wireless options in those models.
Frankly, I'm happy using my open back Sennheiser headphones when I'm out and about. The sound quality is worth the ambient noise leakage. And they don't bother other people either.
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Noise cancelling is great for relatively low frequency sounds that change very little (eg. engine noise in a plane). Sound isolation works on all noise sources, but as the frequency drops it becomes less effective.
Where are you planning on using these most of the time? If it was a plane, I would probably go cancelling, if it was walking down the street, I would 100% go isolating. Both will sound worse than open back conventional phones, but that's the tradeoff to turn down the outside world.
FWIW I was talking with the guy from 3M that is responsible for their hearing protection products. For earmuffs, no amount of money thrown at electronics exceeds the isolation of passive earmuffs. The electronics just help to maintain (or even enhance) situational awareness while not substantially reducing the isolation provided. Basically they lower the level of the outside world by up to 30 dB and amplify quiet sounds back up to (or even above) their original levels. Obviously not audiophile directed, but cool info nonetheless.
Preface this post by noting this is clearly a first world problem...
Answering a few questions/comments at once:
1. RE: 598s, I prefer bluetooth to wired for two reasons:
- I listen to music on my phone and find my phone is not that potent from a volume perspective. I fear that the larger drivers in closed headphones will require more power. Not really interested in blasting my ear drums out but it's nice to have the option. I am hoping/assuming that the power supply on bluetooth headphones would be adequate. Would also be nice if they also had a wired backup.
- I have a battery pack on my phone, and the stupid thing makes the headphone jack too narrow for most cables. Buying headphones for my phone is a nuissance at the best of times because of this.
2. based on usage, sound isolation would be more practical. i don't fly nearly often enough for this to be an issue. If it is, then getting passive earmuffs (per above) is the better option.
Answering a few questions/comments at once:
1. RE: 598s, I prefer bluetooth to wired for two reasons:
- I listen to music on my phone and find my phone is not that potent from a volume perspective. I fear that the larger drivers in closed headphones will require more power. Not really interested in blasting my ear drums out but it's nice to have the option. I am hoping/assuming that the power supply on bluetooth headphones would be adequate. Would also be nice if they also had a wired backup.
- I have a battery pack on my phone, and the stupid thing makes the headphone jack too narrow for most cables. Buying headphones for my phone is a nuissance at the best of times because of this.
2. based on usage, sound isolation would be more practical. i don't fly nearly often enough for this to be an issue. If it is, then getting passive earmuffs (per above) is the better option.
kwtoxman
Well-known member
Always good to hear the details. FWIW I listen to the 598's on my smart phone nearly daily, and often for hours on end. The phone drives them fairly easily. I usually have the volume set somewhere 50% and 70% of maximum. If I get horizontal I'll go down 25% volume or less and enjoy. A friend with the same headphones uses them with his smart phone all the time too.
Driver size is not indicative of power requirements. But large drivers do generally improve the sound quality. https://www.headphonezone.in/pages/headphone-driver-unit
FWIW, I haven't mentioned the Sennheiser HD 650's which are famous audiophile headphones, but because their impedance is too high smart phones don't have good enough amplifiers to drive them well. The new HD 660 S model that replaces them looks great though. And their impedance isn't as high as the 650's so they can be used with smart phones. The new HD 660 S model looks awesome :agave:.
My phone has a cover that makes fat cable jacks a problem. However, I purchased a couple of shorter aftermarket cables I use with my smart phones and they have narrow jacks that work fine. Inexpensive and quality cables too. The 598's have a detachable and replaceable cable, smart and very nice to have.
I have multiple cables for my 598 headphones; a 4 ft, a 6 ft, and two 10 ft models so I can plug them into many things, including my 2 channel and HT sound systems where I can sit back at the other end of the room and enjoy. This includes 3.5 mm and 1/4 inch plugs/adapters. I even have a Y splitter so if a friend drops by with their headphones we can listen to the same source together. With open back headphones we can still carry on a conversation too, which is wild.
I fly all the time. Either earplugs or some open/closed back headphones/earphones do the job very nicely for me (just saying).
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Can you point to me where you got these? Much obliged.
kwtoxman
Well-known member
Sure.
Amazon is a great resource for me for audio cables and associated accessories. Check it out. Here's the 598 cable options on Amazon. https://www.amazon.ca/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=598+cable . I got the 3.9 ft option in that list. For an extension cable, a 3.5 mm stereo male to female cable works well in combination with what I have; various sizes available.
There are also some dedicated cable companies with websites that produce cables of most every/any spec. Search using google for audio cables or custom audio cables.
Just remember different headphones have different spec jacks. My HD 598's use a 2.5 mm jack at the headphones so I get one with that plus a 3.5 mm jack at the other end. I also have a 3.5 mm jack to 1/4 inch jack adapter (as well as the opposite a 1/4" to 3.5mm adapter). That's needed for my home systems.
Also, just want to mention that I added some info you may find interesting on driver size to my last post.
Hope it all helps. Cheers and good luck. :thumbup:
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There have been some screaming deals on the Plantronics Backbeat Pro 2's recently which are noise cancelling but have very decent sound quality (as opposed to most noise cancelling phones that sound muddy). Added bonus they are wireless and have some great wireless controls on the ear units. I use them for flying and wouldn't fly without noise cancelling but these are now lightweight enough to use for everyday use.
Just got gifted a DAC (Focusrite Scarlett Solo) and a pair of studio headphones (AKG K240) for my birfday. As always when I get new headphones, I re-listen to my entire music collection starting with the Beatles. Being studio cans, the headphones don't have much bass, but the semi-open design means the soundstage is big and wiiiide. I'm super impressed considering they were under a hunnerd bucks.
Sooooo my wifey want's a record player (for vinyls) for her bday, her friend is getting her that. So i decided that i'm going to get a soundbar/woofer combo, i'm going more for connectivity rather than quality.
It will be used for in our main family room/living room with the:
TV & her record player; model i chose also has bluetooth connectivity which is a 'nice-to-have' feature.
So after just a few hours of research, i'm looking at this guy
https://www.amazon.ca/Sony-HTCT290-Ultra-Slim-Soundbar-Speaker/dp/B06XDPYMDN
(was also looking at the HTCT390)...for the money it seems to be decent and when i ended up on amazon seems to be the 5th most popular soundbar combo in its category.
Anything to advise, very strongly, against this one?
Or do you guys know of a black friday deal that might have a better quality one at the same price possibly?
It will be used for in our main family room/living room with the:
TV & her record player; model i chose also has bluetooth connectivity which is a 'nice-to-have' feature.
So after just a few hours of research, i'm looking at this guy
https://www.amazon.ca/Sony-HTCT290-Ultra-Slim-Soundbar-Speaker/dp/B06XDPYMDN
(was also looking at the HTCT390)...for the money it seems to be decent and when i ended up on amazon seems to be the 5th most popular soundbar combo in its category.
Anything to advise, very strongly, against this one?
Or do you guys know of a black friday deal that might have a better quality one at the same price possibly?
Only thing I would advise is to make sure the sound system has a phone input, or the the record player has a pre-amp built in. Otherwise, you'll have to end up buying a phono pre-amp.
The record player connects through usb (it's the kind of record player that also allows you to convert digitally if so you choose)
That soundbar has usb for playback, so i think we've got this... also i found the better model (390) for the same price at canada computers. WIN!
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