Audiphile Headphone Steal Deal - Massdrop x Sennheiser HD 6XX Headphones

[yotsuya]

I got a pair of free earbud headphones when I got my iPhone and I really think they are perfect.

[BadMouth]

Not really related, but I want to show it.

Here is my internet enabled receiver for the workshop.  (Old cell phone and 20 year old Sony receiver) The charger is plugged into the back of the receiver so it's only powered when the receiver is turned on.  Phone is held on with Velcro.

[pixel]

I'm glad you are in a better situation man, but I can see that your hard times haven't fixed that b.s. problem of yours any.  I mean if you want to waste your spare money on headphones that you are paying too much for have at it.  It would probably make better financial sense to just get a nice Sony set for around 50 or so but whatever.

 Heh.   You are the same person who said that composite output is no better than Svideo,  years back.

 To which I,  and pretty much anyone else,   could EASILY see,  and dispute.

 If your ears are as dead as your vision,  that I can accept that to you... its wasted money.    Thats like someone whom cant barely tell the difference between steak and chicken.  Why bother spending money on good food... when you can barely taste on a wide-scale-range,  that others are experiencing?

 I am a seeker of higher truths...  and I dont BS.    Integrity is one of my most redeeming qualities that I value...  and is one of the reasons why I actually have a job today,  rather than being out on the streets permanently.   I have a solid reputation for being honest,  and responsible.    Its taken me from being a Dishwasher,  into Management,  and beyond.   Where as the people I replaced...  may have learned the hard way.


 The difference jump between my former headphone choices of various brands,  up to nearly $100...  all were absolute Garbage compared the first HD 500  set I got from Sennheiser.    Ive heard Sonys - especially in the low dollar range... and they are pitiful,  lacking crisp highs, and totally distorted.   Not to mention,  that before I tried the Senns... I bought a new pair of headphone about every 3 months.... because they were not designed to hold up to any abuse.   My HD500...  over 13 years before the headband finally sheered at the side joint.   The drivers are still perfect...  and had I the desire,  I could repair them with a little crafty-ness.

 The HD590's  -  My next step up... were at least 2x  discernibly clearer.   Picking up high frequency sounds,  that the 500s  were missing and or muffled.   The bass extension was also far lower -  and more natural sounding... where as the 500s,  were a little over-saturated / muddy.

 Of course,  as has been stated... if you have lost your hearing to a high degree... you might never know what you are missing.
That said... a guy at one place I worked at.. said his hearing was shot... and after hearing the HD500... his jaw hit the floor too.  Even he was able to hear a Vast difference.  Probably not as much as me... but still... vast...  totally impressing him.

 Some time ago...  there was a color matching test posted here.   I personally thought that the majority would get at least 75% or higher on their results.   But incredibly... many were getting under 50%  right.    Turns out,  that many peoples eyes do not detect many of the various shades too well,  if at all.   And so the brain simply sees the closest approximation... but Not the actual real color.   Hence... while I would see a nice graduated shaded spectrum... others did not see that at all.   Maybe seeing 6 out of the 12 shades in that range.

 This was / is a huge problem with Amateurs that are doing videogame and pinball art reproductions...  as they were getting all of the shades completely wrong.   To them,  it all looked nearly identical.   But to the rest... it was Loud and Obnoxiously way the hell off.

 The ears can be very similar.   Missing highs,  mids,  and or bass   frequency responses... all could be lacking in sensitivity.   And even with the same responses... due to your ear shape... what you hear,  could still be vastly different than what I hear.    Ive also theorized the same with food and colors.   Your red may be different... and your seafood taste... could be different.

 But heres the deal...  if every frequency across the board is crystal clear,  with nearly no distortion whatsoever...  Whatever frequencies you ARE able to hear well... will get a big auditory treat... to something its never experienced before in Any headphone or speaker... that you may have tried / heard   in your past.   Hence why the guy I worked with,  was still blown away... despite his loss of hearing range.

 And all that said... even with  Sennheiser HD models,  there are different sound tweaked profiles.   They too know... that some people hear things differently,  and prefer a different kind of sound profile.   As such... you have to check out the reviews to see what those are.    The 600s,  are supposedly more mid-range up-front.   To someone like me... that could be too harsh any cause fatigue with only a short listening period.    But to someone whos own hearing is mid challenged... that may be absolute heaven to their ears.

 And while good EQ, helps fine tune these babies to your liking...  there are limitations to a driver / shell  design,  that no amount of EQ can make acceptable to you.   I know, as Ive heard a set from another MFG.  that claimed greater Freq. response range... and they were unbearable to me.    I tried for like 7 min,  to adjust an EQ  that might make them at least tolerable... and could not pull it off with them.


 All I can say,  is that what you think is a small or non-noticible / imaginary  change...   Is the difference between Black and White to me.    Its not a close shade of gray...  its night vs day.    Think about those things in your life,  that are in fact dramatic in range of difference,  and apply them to the scenario.    Thats the best you can do to understand.

 The countless reviews on Amazon pretty much speak for themselves.   The majority of people can and do tell the differences,  on a vast scale.   While also denouncing Bose, low dollar sony,  and especially Beats.

 And here is where things change a bit...

 When you get past the HD600 range...  anything above this,  is going to be Dramatically pricier, and the gains will be far less apparent and noticible.   But at or before that level... its Huge.  Monolithic.  Easily recognized as mind blowingly different.

[pixel]

I did a simple Google search of xiaou2 and that is what I came up with. I just had a feeling this guy was full of it. Turns out I was right.

 I meet a lot of people like you.   You are tough...  in the way that your Head is filled with Rocks.

 I was always nice and respectful to those whom Id sparred in the past.   But there are always those,  like yourself...  that make negative assumptions,  and show immediate disrespect.   Especially when seeing a uniform of said art that they believe is inferior.    And when I ran into said fighters,  Id always dish out a minimal amount of "respect". 
After the room stopped spinning,  they would shake my hand,  and their attitudes magically vanished.

 As a high level combat fighter,  Ive sparred all kinds,  at all levels...  and one thing Ive learned, was never to underestimate anyone.   There is always someone faster, stronger, deeper in knowledge and applyable skills.

 But since you think I am not so tough... and maybe that you in fact are... then you clearly have seen what I trained on... such as the three 4"  diameter steel pipes I made into a Kick-Dummy.    Why dont you do what I did to train my kicks:   Don some hard leather bottomed dress shoes.  Take out any foam / rubber cushions.  Then kick a solid concrete wall, or telephone pole,  parking-lot cylendar,  steel lamp post...etc..   for 15 min non stop... as hard and fast as you can.  Then switch legs, and repeat.  Swap twice more... for a full hour of kicking.   30 min per leg.     Do this every over day for like 3 months.     Somewhere between that point.. use the Lead leg,  rather than the rear.    Ohh,  and to be clear... impact a wall fully flat-footed..  or a tubular shaped object... just above the heel,  at a slight outward diagonal.

 Recently an MMA fighter wised up and learned a WC low kick.  Roy Jones I think.   Joe Rogan called the kick and  "Oblique Kick".   In WC,  I typically call it a stamping kick,  or a slant kick.  Though, its in many high level arts.. such as Mantis,  and many others.   Jones probably limits its power,  so that it wont get banned.   Though,  he probably has never fully mastered the kick to his full bodies potentials.   Such a thing requires specialized methods of training,  as well as some key knowledge...   and a whole lot of time and energy.


 And after you start your kick training... go out to a local KF school and tell them you have been challenged.  That you need to hit a wall mounted sandbag for an hour straight.   Come back and tell us the differences between a sandbag mounted to a concrete wall... and a pivot swinging punching bag.   Make sure you do this with barefist, and without taped wrists.


 Have fun tough guy! 

[Mike A]

 

[pixel]

I got a pair of free earbud headphones when I got my iPhone and I really think they are perfect.

 Those are basically   Hearing-Killers.

 They are limited in their range.. and are mid-range heavy.   Midrange is the most powerful and damaging of the audio frequency bands...  Its why Police / Ambulances used Midrange Sirens.     At low volumes... its not that bad...  but when there is a lot of external noise around you... you are going to try to crank them up.   And or try to make them louder to get a little more bass out of them...    And in doing so... the Mids will be Way too powerful... and start damaging your ears pretty quickly.

[pixel]

 Exactly the response I expected.   Laughable.

 But the joke is really on you.

[Mike A]

 

[Mike A]

It is hard to drag myself out of bed every morning. I know I can never be a ninja, philosopher, and genius like you.

[ChadTower]

Most of us are unwilling to drop the box,  and actually search beyond it.

Well, at least with $1500 headphones, you can drop the bass any time you want.

Recently an MMA fighter wised up and learned a WC low kick.  Roy Jones I think.   Joe Rogan called the kick and  "Oblique Kick".   In WC,  I typically call it a stamping kick,  or a slant kick.

Jon Jones.  The guy who has been suspended indefinitely multiple times.  Most notably after injuring a pregnant woman driving around high and literally running away from the accident scene on foot. 

[Mike A]

Rep for Chad.

[ark_ader]

Something I've never understood is how people typically drool over fancy, high-resolution screens, but poo-poo the idea of spending over $50 on a pair of speakers.

So true, but for some it is all about how it looks, and any other senses simply don't matter. 

I enjoy music, but movies are more important to me.  The visual is far less important in a movie than the sound.  When I moved into this temporary apartment, I picked up a fairly nice 65" 4k TV to tide me over until the new house is done.  But without a killer sound system behind it, it is just boring to watch movies.  My last theater was only 1080 with no HDR or WCG, and contrast and brightness compared to even a midrange flatscreen TV is only average, but it was 100 times better to watch a movie in, simply because of the sound system.  With no theater at home right now, I go out for movies again, but only if it is playing on the IMax.  The regular theaters are just a big screen with crappy sound, and I would rather watch those movies from my own couch because a big screen alone doesn't add anything.

You should get yourself some 2.1 creative labs PC speakers of your TV has a headphone out.  Headphones are great (my Sony cans cost $30) but they make your ears sweat.  Get some speakers and crank it up.

[ChadTower]

The wonderful thing about this era of everyone having a smartphone is that anyone can easily create a quality video and upload it to Youtube.  If you guys really want to explore this kung fu thing, each of you upload a video of your base techniques, and we'll be able to begin a comparison.

[Mike A]

The only Kung Fu I know comes from playing Yie-Ar-Kung Fu, and watching Kung Fu Panda.

[yotsuya]

I got a pair of free earbud headphones when I got my iPhone and I really think they are perfect.

 Those are basically   Hearing-Killers.

 They are limited in their range.. and are mid-range heavy.   Midrange is the most powerful and damaging of the audio frequency bands...  Its why Police / Ambulances used Midrange Sirens.     At low volumes... its not that bad...  but when there is a lot of external noise around you... you are going to try to crank them up.   And or try to make them louder to get a little more bass out of them...    And in doing so... the Mids will be Way too powerful... and start damaging your ears pretty quickly.

I throw on Pandora while I'm mowing the lawn or soldering. They're perfect for what I do. I don't listen to music at brain numbing volumes.

[wp34]

I'm glad things are starting to turn around for you.

[ChadTower]

The only Kung Fu I know comes from playing Yie-Ar-Kung Fu, and watching Kung Fu Panda.

Then your demonstration should be short.  Go for it.

[pbj]

I mean, I can film some BS with my 4 year old phone I found in pieces in a puddle and have it on YouTube in less than 5 minutes, but I'm sure there's a multitude of excellent excuses for why others will never, ever, ever be able to do the same.

[dkersten]

You should get yourself some 2.1 creative labs PC speakers of your TV has a headphone out.  Headphones are great (my Sony cans cost $30) but they make your ears sweat.  Get some speakers and crank it up.

I tried a 2.1 sound bar with integrated subs (Yamaha) which is better than the internal speakers, but still nothing compared to what I am used to, and still needed to be turned up to hear dialogue, to the point of annoying other people in the apartment.  Then I went to wireless headphones (Sennheiser RS185), which are decent, but again, nothing like my old 10k watt 5.2 system. 

The new theater is going to be 7.2.4 with 6x 18" subs, 18k watts for the bass, 2.4k watts for the rest of the speakers, 4k projector with 166" 2.35:1 screen.  It's tough to settle for a pair of headphones to watch a movie when you are used to that kind of sound...

[dkersten]

I throw on Pandora while I'm mowing the lawn or soldering. They're perfect for what I do. I don't listen to music at brain numbing volumes.

Even after working in high end audio for nearly a decade, I still just prefer some decent background music while socializing or working in the shop.  Pandora is perfect for me.  I converted about half my old CD's to flac, but I just don't get into the music enough to want more than to stream something I enjoy.

[wp34]

+1 for Pandora.  I listen to it most of the day while working.  It is also a great way to find new artists.

I do still have an iPod for the car but I use it for audiobooks as much as music.

[shponglefan]

It isn't that people don't care about speakers, but rather they aren't colossal ---uvulas--- that want to disturb their neighbors with thumping sub-woofers, ect.

Good audio is about far more than "thumping subwoofers".  Just having clear frequency reproduction and enhanced stereo separation from even a 3 speaker setup is leaps and bounds better than the ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- audio from a TV speaker.

I'm not sure what that has to do with headphones though.  Quite frankly most people, myself included, see headphones as something you sometimes have to wear to be considerate of others, not something you want to wear for any extended period of time.

For me, I've always used headphones to isolate myself from my environment whether at work, on trips, etc. 

[shponglefan]

Jon Jones.  The guy who has been suspended indefinitely multiple times.  Most notably after injuring a pregnant woman driving around high and literally running away from the accident scene on foot.

Wasn't his most recent suspension for a doping violation?  Guy's been suspended so much, it's getting hard to keep track.  I kinda shudder at the prospect of him reclaiming the belt, because you know he's going to get stripped of it again three months later.

[shponglefan]

6x 18" subs, 18k watts for the bass

Wonder what that would be like with the infamous 'bass' scene the movie Pulse...  I'd be a little scared to try.

[dkersten]

To which I,  and pretty much anyone else,   could EASILY see,  and dispute.   etc...

It really doesn't matter if you can prove something is better than the other.  What matters is whether or not someone cares enough about it to want more than the basics.

Which guitar is the best for you, the $50 one from walmart or the $50,000 one at the music store?  To me, the $50 one is perfect, but to a veteran guitarist, that $50k guitar is the holy grail.   Who's wrong?

And like I said before, once you hit a fairly low price point, the "quality" comes in the form of inaccuracy.  No audiophile buys a $50,000 pair of speakers because they are accurate, they buy them because the inaccuracies make them more pleasing to the listener's ears, usually in a way that is unique to that speaker model.  Ever hear a tube amplifier playing an analogue album?  Warmest sound you will ever hear, but "warm" means the high end rolls off quickly above about 8khz which results in hearing the sound differently than it was recorded.  Yet if you like it that way, you will always think it is superior to a digital amp with a digital source.  It's all subjective.

[dkersten]

It isn't that people don't care about speakers, but rather they aren't colossal ---uvulas--- that want to disturb their neighbors with thumping sub-woofers, ect.

Good audio is about far more than "thumping subwoofers".  Just having clear frequency reproduction and enhanced stereo separation from even a 3 speaker setup is leaps and bounds better than the ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- audio from a TV speaker.

I'm not sure what that has to do with headphones though.  Quite frankly most people, myself included, see headphones as something you sometimes have to wear to be considerate of others, not something you want to wear for any extended period of time.

For me, I've always used headphones to isolate myself from my environment whether at work, on trips, etc.

Thank you, you took the words right out of my mouth on both counts. 

Headphones don't just isolate your ears from the rest of the environment, they also give you a more accurate sound stage.  To achieve that with regular speakers, you have to sit exactly in the "sweet spot".  No matter where you sit or stand with headphones, you are in the sweet spot. 

But full disclosure: In my youth, I was that guy who put a lot of subwoofers in cars (thousands of cars, muahahaha) that annoyed the hell out of everyone.  Today I get annoyed when someone isn't considerate enough to turn it down at a stoplight.  And I am spending more on soundproofing my new theater than I am on equipment.  I am only out to experience great things for me, not force them on others.

[dkersten]

6x 18" subs, 18k watts for the bass

Wonder what that would be like with the infamous 'bass' scene the movie Pulse...  I'd be a little scared to try.

It is positively awesome when the really low bass kicks in, like 10-15 hz, and the couch is literally coming off the floor.  My favorite scene to demo is the Tiger battle from Fury. 

[RandyT]

By it's very nature, audio is just too subjective.  The best sounding XXXXX to one person, might sound like crap to someone else. 

And then there is the issue of source material.  How was the material recorded?  Which microphone/pickup?  How was it processed, post performance?  Who made the decisions regarding mixing, equalizing, etc., and what factors regarding the final product did they base those decisions on?

I have never walked into a room where music was playing, expecting to see a band and finding out it was a recording playing on a sound system.  With a live performance, there are harmonics hitting you from every angle, based on the size of the room, what's in it, the location of the performers, etc.

Sure, you can tune things so that the drivers can do a good job of reproducing specific waveforms, but when things start getting complex, you start hearing a lot of "mud".  Those sounds all fight for space on the drivers, and usually the loudest and lowest wins.  This is the reason why electronic/rap/etc. music can make a modest system sound good, while GNR on that same system is a mess.  And what exactly does "natural" mean where audio is concerned?  There is really nothing natural about any aspect of the processes required to get it to your speakers and/or headphones.  In reality, it's just another marketing buzzword used by the industry.

In the end, the true judge of sound quality is not how much you paid, whose name is on the equipment, or the spec sheets filled with data based on very specific testing criterion.  It is YOU .

If it:

1) is loud enough for the space (and it still sounds good to you at that level)
2) performs well across the gamut of music/sounds you enjoy listening to
3) doesn't require a second job to pay for it

you honestly don't need much else. If you use your equipment for DJ'ing gigs on the weekends, or in some other professional capacity, then go the extra.  Otherwise, you're probably just flushing money in an effort to impress others who will never be as impressed as you are.

[yotsuya]

I throw on Pandora while I'm mowing the lawn or soldering. They're perfect for what I do. I don't listen to music at brain numbing volumes.

Even after working in high end audio for nearly a decade, I still just prefer some decent background music while socializing or working in the shop.  Pandora is perfect for me.  I converted about half my old CD's to flac, but I just don't get into the music enough to want more than to stream something I enjoy.

Amen. I just throw it up on my phone, put on my earbuds, and listen to Sade radio.

[ChadTower]

Jon Jones.  The guy who has been suspended indefinitely multiple times.  Most notably after injuring a pregnant woman driving around high and literally running away from the accident scene on foot.

Wasn't his most recent suspension for a doping violation?  Guy's been suspended so much, it's getting hard to keep track.  I kinda shudder at the prospect of him reclaiming the belt, because you know he's going to get stripped of it again three months later.

Straight cocaine, homie.  He didn't pop for PEDs.   He popped for nose candy.


It was awesome the night his older brother, not far from my house, went nuts on synthetic weed and showed up half naked at the Police station simultaneously asking for help and throwing himself around on the grass begging them not to shoot him.  That made our little town super proud.

[shponglefan]

Straight cocaine, homie.  He didn't pop for PEDs.   He popped for nose candy.

That was his earlier bust.

His most recent one was for other banned substances: http://www.foxsports.com/ufc/story/jon-jones-ufc-suspended-commission-reveals-drug-test-results-071816