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On 5/20/2021 at 6:40 AM, MarkhantonioYeatts said:

....Meze Classics are fantastic for the money...I love mine....

....I'd love to get the Empyreans, but that's just more than I want to spend right now...especially since I have a pair of Focals and a pair of Sennheisers....

....Sennheisers are awesome for CDs and FLAC....but I mostly listen to vinyl, so I use the Meze a lot....

Hey Marko - What Focals do you have? 

FWIW, I have a set of  Focal floor standing speakers in my loungeroom paired with the Naim Uniti set-up.

Sound cancelling-wise I've got the Bose Quiet Comfort 35II and Sony WH-1000xm4 and I prefer the Sony.

On 5/2/2021 at 9:44 PM, FatherAlabaster said:

I'd like to try a nice pair of headphones like that. I've been using the Sony MDR-7506 for about 15 years, both for fun and for recording, and I have no complaints, but who doesn't love nice new gear. My apartment is probably too noisy for open-back headphones though. Barring the need to replace something, my next headphones will probably be a pair of Shure SE425 in-ears.

Right on! I have the Sony MDR-XB700 and like you, have had them for 15 years. Absolutely love them to death. I'm using them right now!!

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On 12/4/2021 at 12:26 PM, blaaacdoommmmfan said:

I got skull candy wireless Bluetooth ear buds. There bit tinny sound. Changed the fittings from other ear buds which has improved sound so there ok sound now but funny enough the cheap £2 ones have better bass and overall sound. Pleased I got a few cheap ones. It was a surprise as thought 💀 candy would be better than budget ones. Another case of paying more for the name I guess.

At some point I will get the overear ones like the pictures goat master general put on previous post as I do listen to alot on headphones or when driving for work and I too often do 200 plus miles a day so lots of music

The cheap headphones broke. I guess no real surprise. I will just keep them in a drawer at home. I like the sound and can't justify paying what you guys get

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  • 7 months later...

The display on my NAD CD player gave up. The thing works perfectly, just no display. Sometimes I wish all my hi fi units at least had the option to switch the display off so as to be able to listen to music in complete darkness. But it was an excuse to look at CD players on Trade Me. I had no intention of buying one. Alas a 6 CD changer and tape player in one, fully tested with a bit of a service, remote included. That means another tape deck on my rack on the CD player shelf and I can put 6 mix CD-Rs on random to further mix it up. There is no controlling habits, only observation. The repetitive unconscious financially destructive behavior of purchasing vintage hi-fi components with the full knowledge that in life there can be no satisfaction and the uncertainty of how long this unit will last.  

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Have a pair of Tinhifi T3 plus iems coming tomorrow. Reviews and hype have been over the top for a budget set of iems, so I talked myself down from OH10s which are 3 times the price.

I am more interested in iems at the moment than hps. I will look forward to comparing some of my gear when I get a chance.

 

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7 hours ago, Hungarino said:

Have a pair of Tinhifi T3 plus iems coming tomorrow. Reviews and hype have been over the top for a budget set of iems, so I talked myself down from OH10s which are 3 times the price.

I am more interested in iems at the moment than hps. I will look forward to comparing some of my gear when I get a chance.

 

Last budget iem's I bought on your say so some months back we're dogshit, I threw them away. The shitty $12 pair from the drug store were better and had more bass. Some things reviews just don't seem to be much help with and iem's are definitely one of those things. But don't worry I still love ya Hungalicious.

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2 hours ago, GoatmasterGeneral said:

Last budget iem's I bought on your say so some months back we're dogshit, I threw them away. The shitty $12 pair from the drug store were better and had more bass. Some things reviews just don't seem to be much help with and iem's are definitely one of those things. But don't worry I still love ya Hungalicious.

Haha sorry man I don't remember, but probably safe to say I make a poor audiophile.

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2 minutes ago, Hungarino said:

Haha sorry man I don't remember, but probably safe to say I make a poor audiophile.

You and me both. No worries Hungarooni, I don't hold you responsible and they were cheap as hell anyway. Just looked it up on Scamazon, it was last October and they were "Yinyoos" currently selling for $15.59 with free one day shipping. Not even worth the gas and time I would have had to burn to drive all the way to Middletown and back to return them to the UPS store.

The audiophiles all love to tell you that it's good when there's no bass response as that means they're faithfully reproducing the signal they're given... but that's horseshit. I want some fucking bass. Not like a boosted bass where it's shitting all over all the other frequencies but I need some kind of bass. Death metal with no bass is pointless, and black metal sometimes already has so little bass that I desperately need every last ounce I can get.

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9 minutes ago, GoatmasterGeneral said:

You and me both. No worries Hungarooni, I don't hold you responsible and they were cheap as hell anyway. Just looked it up on Scamazon, it was last October and they were "Yinyoos" currently selling for $15.59 with free one day shipping. Not even worth the gas and time I would have had to burn to drive all the way to Middletown and back to return them to the UPS store.

The audiophiles all love to tell you that it's good when there's no bass response as that means they're faithfully reproducing the signal they're given... but that's horseshit. I want some fucking bass. Not like a boosted bass where it's shitting all over all the other frequencies but I need some kind of bass. Death metal with no bass is pointless, and black metal sometimes already has so little bass that I desperately need every last ounce I can get.

Yeah, I remember now I actually have them here with me but finally had to admit they are shit. I remember being excited from 'discovering' IEMs and that was the first pair I ordered.  Anything I previously had connected to an mp3 player (or walkman, going way back) did not sound as good as those yinyoo coffee bean IEMs, at first.

Maybe it was the novelty to me of having the iem design or a new way to listen compared to hps. But I have high hopes for these T3s. I am purely going by hyped up reviews at this point.

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  • 3 weeks later...

 

I've been praising Periodic Audio's Periodic Audio’s Be (Beryllium) IEMs for a while now. No frills all focused on the sound. $300 which is more than I want to spend on IEM's but these really do get you into high end sound normally closer to the $800-1,000 price point. One and done. No need to look any further for me. 

Marketed as precise and accurate and that they are. Nothing fancy to look at, but the sound is crystal clear with good low end, mids and highs. Nothing lacking. And these are GREAT with metal and rock. 

They have a great return policy. You just send 'em back and they replace them if there's a problem. 

I lost sound on one side recently and sent them back. It took a few weeks, but they sent me a brand new pair and big improvement-they now have a detachable cable  and the left and right side are indicated with L and R. Having a detachable cable is a great improvement. 

 

Earbuds - headphones - IEM - Beryllium – Periodic Audio Inc.

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  • 2 months later...

I just got the Moondrop Arias for about $60 and am quite impressed. Previously got the tin t3 plus for $67 and I think these 2 sound very good, and different enough to justify having both.

Finally I had to snatch a pair of the 7hz Salnote Zeros on sale for $15. They are getting a lot of hype in the budget space.. They arrive tomorrow. 

I have decided that either my hearing is degraded enough that I am incapable of appreciating the nuances between merely 'good' and high-end (i.e. expensive) gear, or this hobby is almost entirely bullshit. Probably a mix of both. Never the less I love shiny new audio toys so my compromise to myself is to not spend too much on any one thing.

I do want those Mezes though after hearing Navy rave about them for years now.

Also, I am definitely a foam tip guy.

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1 hour ago, Hungarino said:

I just got the Moondrop Arias for about $60 and am quite impressed. Previously got the tin t3 plus for $67 and I think these 2 sound very good, and different enough to justify having both.

Finally I had to snatch a pair of the 7hz Salnote Zeros on sale for $15. They are getting a lot of hype in the budget space.. They arrive tomorrow. 

I have decided that either my hearing is degraded enough that I am incapable of appreciating the nuances between merely 'good' and high-end (i.e. expensive) gear, or this hobby is almost entirely bullshit. Probably a mix of both. Never the less I love shiny new audio toys so my compromise to myself is to not spend too much on any one thing.

I do want those Mezes though after hearing Navy rave about them for years now.

Also, I am definitely a foam tip guy.

70% bs/30% real up to a point and then the percentage of bs increases drastically with the cost. Same for most things in hi-fi, but hey if it's what people want to spend their money on... I just want good possibly great sound without mortgaging my retirement years, so I'm a mid-fi guy for life. If I can get 90% of the sound for 25% of the price that means more $$$ for music and shows which are actually more enjoyable than just playing the same 5 albums on a grail system IMO.

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On 11/28/2022 at 7:36 PM, navybsn said:

70% bs/30% real up to a point and then the percentage of bs increases drastically with the cost. Same for most things in hi-fi, but hey if it's what people want to spend their money on... I just want good possibly great sound without mortgaging my retirement years, so I'm a mid-fi guy for life. If I can get 90% of the sound for 25% of the price that means more $$$ for music and shows which are actually more enjoyable than just playing the same 5 albums on a grail system IMO.

Mezes are great. The audio version of a Snuggy, so comfortable and smooth in every way, without sacrificing any detail. These are really fucking great, tbh, no regrets on the purchase. Comfortable, and lighter than I thought they would be. Man these really sound good.

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3 minutes ago, Hungarino said:

Mezes are great. The audio version of a Snuggy, so comfortable and smooth in every way, without sacrificing any detail. These are really fucking great, tbh, no regrets on the purchase. Comfortable, and lighter than I thought they would be. Man these really sound good.

Glad you got those and congratulations. I've always wanted to hear a pair myself.  One of these days, I should grab another pair of cans. I've got my LCD-3 but it would be cool to have something a little easier to drive and lighter weight.

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I still love my Periodic BE IEM's. I grabbed a DragonFly Red USB DAC/Headphone Amplifier. Hungus recommended them to, me .His post made me think about it. The Be's at $300 which is much more than I thought I'd ever spend punch above their price point. I feel no need for a high end IEM.

With the Dragonfly, that's about a $500 system. Sounds like a lot, I know, but I listen to them all the time. They sound great with metal and rock. Best compliment I can give is that I plug and play don't think about the sound. It just sounds good. I don't think, man it needs more detail, more slam, more base, better high's. It just sounds right. I listen and forget about all that audiophile stuff. Usually when something is off that's when you notice. 

In the past, I'd have OK but budget IEM's and think, yeah, sounds alight, but it lacks oomph/soundstage depth or  it sounds fuzzy and lacks clarity or more so, the base is too thin or the highs are kind of recessed. With a good sounding system, you forget about all that stuff and you just enjoy the music. 

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1 hour ago, markm said:

I still love my Periodic BE IEM's. I grabbed a DragonFly Red USB DAC/Headphone Amplifier. Hungus recommended them to, me .His post made me think about it. The Be's at $300 which is much more than I thought I'd ever spend punch above their price point. I feel no need for a high end IEM.

With the Dragonfly, that's about a $500 system. Sounds like a lot, I know, but I listen to them all the time. They sound great with metal and rock. Best compliment I can give is that I plug and play don't think about the sound. It just sounds good. I don't think, man it needs more detail, more slam, more base, better high's. It just sounds right. I listen and forget about all that audiophile stuff. Usually when something is off that's when you notice. 

In the past, I'd have OK but budget IEM's and think, yeah, sounds alight, but it lacks oomph/soundstage depth or  it sounds fuzzy and lacks clarity or more so, the base is too thin or the highs are kind of recessed. With a good sounding system, you forget about all that stuff and you just enjoy the music. 

Glad you enjoy the Dragonfly Red like I do Mark. I don't know anything about technicals but like you said it makes everything sound better, imo. And it is super portable and versatile. That being said I would not be tempted to spend more than that on a DAC/Amp.

I think I am at the end of my recent spending spree. I probably could still return the Arias but I think they fit enough in my collection to be worthwhile. The problem with budget IEMs is the whole 'but what am I missing' voice, which is a sham I think, for me anyway. But those 7hz Zeros are freakin' awesome (trend neutral to a touch bright) and immediately made me question more expensive gear.

There is a reason audiophile reviewers do not do blind ratings and comparisons, at least that I have seen anyway. 

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  • 3 months later...
  • 5 months later...

Pretty quiet around here but here are a few new purchases:

Awesome new additions:

IKKO OH300 IEMs. A budget IEM to be sure but instantly my favorites. Detail, stage, imaging, tuning- all really nice. Trend to the clear and bright side, but not overly so. 

Arylic S10 Streamer thing. Attaches to internet and wired to speakers with an app so I can easily play music on my powered speakers, controlled by my phone but not over wi-fi. This thing is great. Super easy to set up, control and unlocks ridiculous tonality, especially base, that I did not even know my speakers could handle. Really nice little device that was cheap enough for my budget hifi aspirations.

Not awesome: 

Ifi Go dongle dac/amp. Not strong enough of an amp for HPs, not needed for iems. Decodes MQA which is why I got it, but Tidal dropped MQA. Has a nasty crackle at times, gets hot. Sounds fine but my smaller DAC dongle sounds just as good. Not offensively bad and sounds good when not crackling, but not needed anymore. 

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29 minutes ago, Hungarino said:

Arylic S10 Streamer thing

I recently upgraded to the Wiim Pro for my setup and have the same positive report. One I have connected to a SMSL SU1 DAC in the vintage system, but I'm not sure it's really needed (but $80 bucks why not). The other directly feeds my Edifier S1000 mkiii. Solid upgrades with an easy to use app and native Roon support for about $150 each. Finally ditched the troublesome Raspberry Pi units I used with much effort for years.

Also moved my server over to a NUC unit running Roon core. Finally got my library under control and down to just under 2TB. Easier to upgrade in the future and much more stable than the Pi based server. Sound quality isn't a huge change but ease of use is immensely improved.

Currently looking at potentially updating the vintage system. Thinking of replacing both 1970's era Marantz' to something new with better features and less maintenance. Looking at the Rotel A11 or A12, Yamaha AS-801, NAD 3050, or maybe splashing the cash for a Buchardt.

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Annoyingly it seems like my Sony receiver has finally bit the dust. Many other various old pieces of gear are failing lately too so I'm not really surprised, but come on dammit. I need a cheap but decent stereo receiver with 2-3 inputs. No surround, no real need for Bluetooth. Not super super critical listening but I use this system to listen to tapes and double-check mixes. Any ideas?

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1 minute ago, Hungarino said:

"under control" is relative :)

Of course you and I both remember when 2TB was more memory than existed on planet earth.

Shit I don't even have 400 GB so that's 5 times more than me. Can't even imagine what he's got to fill up 2TB.

My very first computer's big selling point in 1998 was that it had a 10 GB hard drive which was considered huge at the time. Google tells me the average desktop PC in 1997 had 2.2 GB HDD.

The first 1GB hard drive was released by IBM in 1980. It weighed roughly 550 pounds and cost $40,000.

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