Audio Gear (Speakers, Amps, Receivers, etc.) | Never Enough

Sennheiser sold their consumer line of headphones to Sonova, a Swiss hearing aid company. There aren't supposed to be any layoffs.

https://www.pcgamer.com/sennheiser-swiftly-sells-off-beloved-audiophile-headphone-business/

By Kuma Go To PostSo you are tubing through speakers?

And in my reference system. No music in the bedroom means no smooochie face. On the subject of romance, the tubes that I'm burning in right now don't have the same vocal magic (yet) that I got from from my old quad. Wonder how it's going to sound after 70 hours of burn in though.

Kibner mate, we have those leather headband replacements in our warehouse in Denmark. They are 40 euros. Let me know if you wanna act on that to see how I can get that to the US.

By Kibner Go To PostSennheiser sold their consumer line of headphones to Sonova, a Swiss hearing aid company. There aren't supposed to be any layoffs.

https://www.pcgamer.com/sennheiser-swiftly-sells-off-beloved-audiophile-headphone-business/

Also in the article, Sennheiser are behind “EPOS” headsets. I’ve seen the brand online, was curious where it came from.

By Linius Go To PostKibner mate, we have those leather headband replacements in our warehouse in Denmark. They are 40 euros. Let me know if you wanna act on that to see how I can get that to the US.

Yes, please! We can discuss payment and shipment in PMs.

My HDMI audio extractor came in and I'm satisfied five minutes in. Will see if there are any annoyances that pop up later. Able to mix the audio from my PC and Switch very easily now with no discernable (to me) artifacts or latency. Not saying it doesn't exist, just that I can't tell.

Currently spending my first hour with the Schiit Modi/Magni 3+ stack and HD660S and I'm loving it. Loving how different this kind of listening experience is to speakers now I finally have a kind of worthy counterpart to my main setup. I was just listening to Summertime Clothes by Animal Collective, so good.

By Linius Go To PostCurrently spending my first hour with the Schiit Modi/Magni 3+ stack and HD660S and I'm loving it. Loving how different this kind of listening experience is to speakers now I finally have a kind of worthy counterpart to my main setup. I was just listening to Summertime Clothes by Animal Collective, so good.

I had a similar experience, but in reverse. lol

Started with a thoroughly decent headphone setup before later getting a kinda nice stereo system + subwoofer. They really are different experiences and which one I prefer depends on my mood and what I'm listening to.

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Ordered the Shure A85F Line Matching Transformer (https://www.shure.com/en-US/products/accessories/a85f) to get my dynamic mic to more closely match a line level input so that I can have fewer things taking up a lot of space on my desk. Would also allow me to monitor my mic through my mixer, too.

Helps that it was less than $20, too.

I need to get modmic for my setup. Just been procrastinating lol

By Kuma Go To PostI need to get modmic for my setup. Just been procrastinating lol

If you need your mic to be wireless, the wireless ModMic is definitely the way to go, iirc. If you are ok with wired, it may be a better idea to get a Behringer or Scarlett audio interface, the Behringer XM8500 Ultravoice mic, and a mic boom for your desk. Better quality and much more flexibility and reliability. Does take up more room, however.

e: these interfaces also typically have solid, not spectacular, DAC's and headphone amps (good enough for professional mixing, at least) so you can plug non-high-impedance headphones into them and be able to monitor your mic/voice with zero latency. it helps certain people

e2: the main reason i bring this up is because my Hemps are too pretty to have to stick on the little adhesive mic holder thing for the ModMic and i don't know if you feel the same way about your headphones lol

Linius, you should have bought that tone control box that Schiit makes.

Uncle Kev here has Tannoy Stirlings mounted on a wall in his garage. 💀

Lmao was going to put them on my cheap planars

By Anya Taylor-Sad Go To PostLinius, you should have bought that tone control box that Schiit

The Loki you mean? I’ve been meaning to look into it a bit more. It’s not available here anyways so not in a hurry. Gotta get it straight from the States I’m afraid to get it here. One step at a time mate haha.

Equalizer APO let's you do it in software, iirc. I think there are equivalents on other OS's. It's free but not even in the same realm of convenience.

E: and doing it digitally will sound different than analog, too, of course

Do you guys have any bluetooth speakers recommendations. Trying to jam while I BBQ this summer

By Kuma Go To PostDo you guys have any bluetooth speakers recommendations. Trying to jam while I BBQ this summer

JBL Charge 4

I guess I should say why I recommend that speaker...

It has great bass (for a portable speaker), pretty solid audio quality (again, for a portable speaker), gets pretty loud, waterproof enough that it can fall into a pool and be ok, long battery life, and also accepts aux jack input.

Are you familiar with the ION Audio speakers ?

By Kuma Go To PostAre you familiar with the ION Audio speakers ?

No

I have a Dali Katch myself and it’s an amazing speaker for the Bluetooth category. Really detailed sound, long battery life and a nice strap so you can hang it on something without as hassle.

If you want something simple and bassy I would rather recommend Ultimate Ears over JBL. Has some more refinement to it than the JBL’s imo.

Been listening for 16 hours

https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/05/apple-music-announces-spatial-audio-and-lossless-audio/

Goodbye Spotify.

Welp, looks like the Shure A85F Line Matching Transformer did not boost my mic signal enough for my MOTU 8A mixer. Guess I will just have to keep this extra mic interface box on my desk for the forseeable future. Oh, well. I still saved on desk space and cables.

Really wish Apple would implement some higher-res codecs over bluetooth. Apple Music Hifi doesn't work with any of the headphones/earphones they sell

By JesalR Go To PostReally wish Apple would implement some higher-res codecs over bluetooth. Apple Music Hifi doesn't work with any of the headphones/earphones they sell

Do other Bluetooth headphones from other companies support that?

Is it Bluetooth thing or Apple thing

Bluetooth has a bunch of different standards and codecs. The newer ones have noticeable improvements in latency and sound quality.

I don't know what is keeping Apple from using those codecs. It's either a hardware or software limitation on the Apple device or app.

Either way, it's definitely an Apple thing.

By faridmon Go To PostDo other Bluetooth headphones from other companies support that?

Is it Bluetooth thing or Apple thing

It's an Apple thing.

It depends on the set, but typically most bluetooth headphones will support something that supports a higher bandwidth than AAC. AptX HD or LDAC or something else. They're not perfect, and may not have the top end to support lossless encodings, but they've got much more headroom

LDAC is a Sony codec, but I think the encoder side is open source. AptX is Qualcomm owned and Apple has or had their issues with them, so who knows if Apple ever brings anything onboard

By JesalR Go To PostReally wish Apple would implement some higher-res codecs over bluetooth. Apple Music Hifi doesn't work with any of the headphones/earphones they sell

AirPods Max don't even work plugged in apparently lmao.

Looking at third party headbands/pads for my Hemps. Found these that look interesting:

Accessory House Global has two (different sizes) and they are both made of sheepskin:

Normal:


XL:


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Turbulent Labs also has two sized headbands made of Italian full-grain Nappa leather and come in a large variety of colors:

Normal:


XL:


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And, finally, Earphone DIY Labs has a pair of headbands, too, but they are made of different kinds of leather instead of different sizes.

2 layers of cow leather and 2 layers of foam padding:


3 layers of Zermatt Leather (made in France and used in Hermes belts); comes in black or brown:


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Not sure which to get, really.

Thanks guys, I am looking buying a new headphones that is Bluetooth so Apple ones are out of the question, they are overpriced anyway

Best advice I can give you is to audition some different sets of cans in a store connected to your own primary source (I’m guessing that’s gonna be your phone considering you want something Bluetooth). That’s the only way to tell what the quality is gonna be and if it’s to your liking.

When it comes to Bluetooth headphones I feel like the 300 to 400 euros category is the sweetspot for daily drivers whilst commuting etc. That’s where you’ll find offerings from all the big brands basically. Stuff like the WH-1000 from Sony, Momentum Wireless from Sennheiser, PX7 from B&W and the list goes on.

I'll echo trying them on. The three Linius mentioned all sound good for BT headphones, but all feel different on the head. They clamp on differently and can feel either very comfortable or uncomfortable based on the shape and size of your head.

What about the Drop-Pandas? Heard they were suppose to be good

By Kuma Go To PostWhat about the Drop-Pandas? Heard they were suppose to be good

Probably, yeah. But can't really try them on unless you buy them.

Yeah , I was eyeing the WH 1000 for a while but have to try them in store before buying it

Anyone uses glasses here? I find many headphones really uncomfortable throughout lengthy listening sessions due to my glasses hope the WH 1000 is better in that department

Yes, I wear glasses. The HD650s I listen to are no problem for long sessions.

I got the WH-1000XM3, and have not really noticed them being annoying with glasses. They are a bit too hot for what I like in the summer though

By Wahabipapangus Go To PostI got the WH-1000XM3, and have not really noticed them being annoying with glasses. They are a bit too hot for what I like in the summer though

Might want to look into changing out the cup padding with a different material, if possible. That can make a big difference.

Thought I'd do a little show and tell now my set-up is basically done. I'm using the little Argon SA-1 amp as my powersource for the Argon Alto 4 passive speakers. Signal comes from the laptop trough the Topping E30 DAC. It also has bluetooth built-in but I can't say I really use it. They're sitting on Stagegeek stands. And these turned out really nice. Then for the headphones side of things I got my Schiity stack of course. Modi 3+ and Magni 3+ powering my Sennheiser HD660S. Playing mostly Tidal files or the FLAC files I get with my records. The headphones are resting on a stand from Etsy.

Across the board there are some more headphones. My daily drivers the Bowers & Wilkins P7W. All around a great bluetooth set. Clamps a bit though, so not suitable for long rides but perfect for commuting. It's resting on a perch stand from Audioquest. For longer trips the Dali IO4 are more comfortable and a fine substitute. They lack some bass but provide some more elevated mids which is nice. And then there's the Audeze Penrose with the mic. Solely used for gaming online on PS5.

Other things of interest are the Legion 5P. Not much of a PC gamer but had a lucky shot trough a friend working at Lenovo. So I naturally couldn't pass on that. Logitech G305 mouse on a Steelseries pad. Never really had a comparable mouse/pad combo like this before. Definitely an underrated upgrade in my mind that I should have done much earlier. Got a Mad Men canvas and original Donald Duck drawing on the wall. It's drawn by one of the people working on Donald Duck's weekly magazine. And from Dutch artist Barry Pirovano I got the small piece with David Neres and Antony celebrating our 35th title. The pinboard is Skadis from good old Ikea. The chair on recommendation of jts is the Markus. And the light bulb is part of Tradfi and I got a little remote hidden under my desk (as well as a Google Nest Mini out of sight). I quite like those smart solutions. Also snatched a neat little carpet from Ikea that was going out of category. And a small wireless charger from Ikea as well underneath the speaker.

This has basically been my project for the past month or so. It's been a fun journey. Now I need to fix my cable management though. And the follow up will probably be adding a screen.

Post in the PC thread when it comes to adding a screen and, more importantly, a monitor arm/mount. Zabo is also the king of cable management, if you have questions about how best to do it.

Yeah I'm definitely planning on a mounted solution. But that's something for when I move houses. Not gonna buy something long term based on the current space at the moment. So I might wait untill I actually move. Or get something like a monitor stand and laptop stand for cheap. Already noticed Amazon has some decent offerings for that kind of stuff.

By Kibner Go To PostMight want to look into changing out the cup padding with a different material, if possible. That can make a big difference.

Yeah I looked into that, just havent been bothered yet. That it's only really somewhat warm here for two months a year helps me forget

Have you seen any non-leather replacements? I'm a sweaty fuck, so something mesh would be nice

Nice setup Linius, I need to do something similar for my headphones soon.

By JesalR Go To PostHave you seen any non-leather replacements? I'm a sweaty fuck, so something mesh would be nice

There is some on ebay and so on

By Moris Go To PostNice setup Linius, I need to do something similar for my headphones soon.

Thanks! Enjoy your project, it's a fun activity to go on a shopping spree.

By Linius Go To PostThanks! Enjoy your project, it's a fun activity to go on a shopping spree.

Not when it cost an arm and a leg :p

My next headphone would be my first I’ve that would cost more than £90

By faridmon Go To PostNot when it cost an arm and a leg :p

My next headphone would be my first I’ve that would cost more than £90

Do not be afraid to return a headphone within an hour or two of using it and not liking it. It could be the "best" headphone in the world, but that doesn't mean it will work for you. Use those return policies to their fullest until you get something you are happy with in every way.

By faridmon Go To PostNot when it cost an arm and a leg :p

My next headphone would be my first I’ve that would cost more than £90

Haha, I know, it can feel like a barrier.