The HD700 arrived today. $840 CAD to the door. They are quite different from the Amperiors. I don't think I have ever tried open-ear headphones before. After 10 hours of burn-in, they are sounding excellent. They are being driven by an Aune T1 /w stock tube. The sound stage is wide, and noticeably more definition in the low-end and the trebles are strong, and clear, but not overly bright. I love them.

Are they worth 3 times the regular price of Amperiors (MSRP)? From experience in home and car audio, my speaker spending hits it's diminishing returns point at ~$1000. Rather than upgrading through the price ranges, I just decided to go for my endgame. I'm glad I did. Now, I'll just roll tubes until I can afford a really nice headphone amp/dac. :)

Long....in honestly, i think it could be shorter...i had the straight cord version before they got stolen, and i had zap strapped the bundle to shorten the cable.

I have one of those, and the creator is really supportive of the device. My only beef is that you can't use the device with just an adapter plugged in - it was designed to have batteries put in it. Its pretty rugged and I think its better than the FiiO e11 i also have.

It was voted one of the best online. I'm not sure you'd want to use it to power speakers in a car - i think there are better devices for that, but for headphones, they're awesome. Better than the FiiO E11 for sure.

where did you get the Beyerdynamic EDT250V ear pads? Ebay? I can't seem to find them to replace the pleather on my Audio Technicas.

What are you using to burn in? I'm using a pink noise app from the iOS app store that seems to work - i just leave the ipod touch on for 24 hours or so.

shit totally reminded me I never did burn in my Amperiors lol

should I though?... been hearing mix reviews about it online

http://www.head-fi.org/t/56744/headphone-burn-in-faq

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/...phone-burn-in/

Its up to you - some swear by it, and some think its hogwash. Personally, i do it, cause I've been doing it ever since i got a set of cans (ATH-Pro700s). I think with larger drivers it may be noticeable, but with in ears or just buds, its probably not as noticeable. I don't use them until they're burned in.

Amazon.ca. Do your ears a favour. These are the bomb. http://www.amazon.ca/Beyerdynamic-ED...ywords=edt250v

Ok so I got a bunch of tubes in and wrote reviews of each of them for you guys with the Aune T1. By the way, if you love music you should get the Aune T1. It'll open doors to audio heaven.

http://i.imgur.com/ajaXFivl.jpg

From left to right.

Eletro Harmonix 6922EH - Stock tube with the Aune T1. It’s free so I can’t complain. It does everything just fine. Average, nothing special. A little bit heavy on the bass but not that much. Great for pop and top 40 songs and certainly a gateway drug to the other tubes. One day you will want to tube roll like me…

Amperex 7308 (halo getter, green label, globe logo, made in US in 1968) - Soundstage galore. Spacious, airy sound. Definitely heavier on the bass than the 6922EH but because everything sounds so wide, you can hear a lot more details than usual. I never knew what “holographic” sounds means until now. I’m blown away. This tube is a real gem but it’s a bit too pricey. I paid $65 for the tube. I highly recommend this tube for classical and acoustic songs. I use this tube with the Above & Beyond - Acoustic album in FLAC.

Amperex 6DJ8 (A getter, orange label, PQ logo, made in Holland in 1972) - Bass bass bass bass bass. You lose high end and you certainly lose details, but you gain massive bass. It pounds your head. I actually like this tube from time to time because it is fun. Sometimes you are bored of the analytical sound from other tubes or other headphones. Sometimes you just want to have fun. Absolutely terrific for progressive house, dubstep and more. Also these are cheap. I got this tube for $25. I listen to Daft Punk - Random Access Memories (Studio Master edition).

Amperex 6DJ8 (A getter, orange label, PQ logo, made in Holland in 1974) - Ok so compared to the above, this tube is 2 years newer. Something changed because the bass is not the same. It’s there but the impact is less. Since the bass is not as emphasized, you get some of the higher end back. But if I want higher end and less bass I would have gone with the Amperex 7308 above anyway (except if price matters. This tube is significantly cheaper.)

Within the first few seconds of listening to the new HD700s, I knew they would need a bit of break-in. During bass, the drivers seemed rigid sounding. Initially, I let them play Final Fantasy Distant Worlds for 10 hours. It's mainly orchestral, but there are vocals, and a dynamic range of instruments. Since then, I've mostly been just burning-in by listening to them.


I purchased the first pair for $140. Then, the price dropped to $120. My wife started borrowing my Amps, so I decided to get some money back from the price drop, and get another pair.

There was approximately 1 week separating the purchases. The first pair, I did a burn in of just leaving it plugged in and shuffling through my music collection for 12 hours. Then, I just listened to them regularly. When I bought the 2nd pair, I did a comparison, and there was noticeable difference in sound. Bass hits on the new pair were a bit muddy on the new pair. Trebles also couldn't quite hit the really high notes, properly. They sound the same, now. Personally, break-in seems to be a real thing.

Just curious, you guys rip your own FLAC files? Most audios on the internet are compressed so do you find that audio sounds better even though the source of the audio isn't the most ideal??

Yes, having better gear will make even MP3's sound better; with V0 or 320kbps the quality is pretty good already.

This is considering what gear you are starting off with, of course. e.g. if you have iPod earbuds going to a few hundred-dollar headphones you are going to hear a big difference regardless of compressed audio quality (to an extent).

I find wav and 320kbps music acceptable.

Before, when I wanted FLAC files, I would just buy the CD off amazon for $3-5 and just rip it myself. Don't bother with that anymore.

Seems like a good deal: https://www.massdrop.com/buy/fiio-x3-3

Fiio X3 audio player $160

Sorry for noob question, but what would be the main difference between a 250ohm and a 600ohm headphone. Does one need more power to operate than the other or is it just in terms of volume.

TIA

how loud do you guys put the music on while breaking in headphones?

im guessing medium-high-ish

Medium

anyone using wireless headphones/wireless headset for their PC?

I've been trying to pick between the logitech G930 and the sennheiser RS-120's -- the RS120's are old as hell, but everyone seems to be talking about the the 930's

If you need a mic, then the 120 is out.

So anybody following this whole Neil Young Pono Music Player news? Raised over $800k on Kickstarter in just days.

I don't understand how this can sound any better than any other MP3 player that can play lossless files or high-res lossless files.

They claim 'zero feedback circuit', ESS ES9018, and a filter that reduces "pre-ringing" (whatever that is, can anybody elaborate?).

Thoughts?

Heres a link to some interesting info if you're interested
Link
Pono (digital music service) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In all honestly, you could probably get something similar today, like the Astell & Kern AK100 Mk II

Yeah I know about it but a lot of the info out there is marketing fluff. No real technical info on how it's supposed to sound so much better. The more I read it just seems like any other PMP capable of high res FLAC playback.

^^^
That Fiio X3 you posted earlier looks to be better in specs and price. The X3 has an amp, too. Does the Pono have one?

Going to the Headphone Bar tomorrow to check out a few pairs and hopefully buy one. Deciding between a few.

Phiaton MS530 (noise-cancelling, Bluetooth, on ear)
Harmon Kardon NC (noise-cancelling, wired, over ear)
NAD HP50 (noise-isolating, wired, over ear)

Tried out the Sony MDR-1RNC today...didn't really like the sound. Bose QC15 too...but they sound so boring and are so ugly.

Would like to have noise cancelling but would like them also to have passive mode. Wireless isn't a must but a nice option.

See if you can try out Polk Audio's UltraFocus 8000. Noise cancellation is okay, but the sound is amazing. It's got a cool name, too.