Audiophilia

[zero_kanipan]

Master Jake, whats the specific Sanza model thats going for 2.5k on TPC? and the DAC you recommended on saturday?

[Sforza]

Master Jake, whats the specific Sanza model thats going for 2.5k on TPC? and the DAC you recommended on saturday?

Sansa Clip+ or Fuze.
Did I recommend a DAC? I don't remember.

Oh could you post the headphone ratings you wrote? Curious about them.

[NiX]

I don't recommend the Clip+. Sound quality may be good, but operation has too many quirks. Just buy a used iPod.

[zero_kanipan]

Master Jake, whats the specific Sanza model thats going for 2.5k on TPC? and the DAC you recommended on saturday?

Sansa Clip+ or Fuze.
Did I recommend a DAC? I don't remember.

Oh could you post the headphone ratings you wrote? Curious about them.

hmm..come to think i don't think you mentioned any specific model. can't really remember XD. all i know is for amps look for one that is accurate and...what was that other thing again -.-u

i'll write down the rating thing when i get home.

[Sforza]

I don't recommend the Clip+. Sound quality may be good, but operation has too many quirks. Just buy a used iPod.

^ Yep, I agree with this. But a rockbox'd Fuze is great too, they're just really hard to find these days.

[zero_kanipan]

so here's the head phone rating thing of the cans i tested over at Jake's last July 7. please note that this is more of a personal preference* thing and that i dont know most of the terms regarding sounds and audiophilia XD

*i like the sound dark, with bass distinguishable while the higher frequencies still reasonably crisp

Sennheiser HD 598 - i found the pair quite good for electronic, acoustic and rock music. each instrument was distinguishable and transition between notes were clear. the techno tracks sounds really good and really umm..electronic err computer generated XD for the acoustic songs, i especially liked that it could deliver the small sounds of actual playing (sliding of hands across the neck of the guitar, etc). it emphasized that the song is being played with no amps etc. sensitivity was above average, but i felt it could be better. the sound stage was around average and gave the songs a comfy feel.

Grado PS 500 - this is my second favorite. like the HD598, you can differentiate the instruments and the notes in the songs. this pair however felt like it covered a large range of frequencies as it managed to make the bass more clear. the bass parts weren't muffled and lingered for a bit longer. the same range revealed some parts of rock riffs that other cans either just muffled or simply didn't play. finally, the guitar distortions were handled better. instead of a the sound of several guitars being all mixed up and somewhat normalized, the PS500 made each guitar distinguishable along with whatever distortion or effects it had. the soundstage is a little too small tho. it felt like a band was directly in front of you and very little elsewhere. for some loud songs it felt a little umm..suffocating. for some trance stuff it simply killed the relaxing you're-floating-in-a-sea-of-sound feel. it's still the most comfortable pair i've had on tho XD

Audio Technica AD 900 - the only thing i liked about this pair was the high sensitivity. this did wonders for vocals and acoustics. combined with a large soundstage, it felt like you were in the same room as Regina Spektor or YUI whispering softly in your ear ^///^ live acoustic performances were faithfully reproduced by the AD 900. including all the subtle sounds like chord changes, the slight pop sound of a lip closing/opening etc putting a high level of intimacy. if you're ever gonna have phone sex with someone (or playing an eroge), wear this pair hahahahah XD on the downside, it turned most of the bass beats into dull thuds (instead of TUGS TUGS TUGS it goes TUG TUG TUG). electric guitar distortions and some electronic music also got their sound slapped together indistinguishably. if it wasn't dulling down the rock riffs, it was making it too bright.

MAudio Q40 - not much to say about this pair as it was quite average. however, if the price is taken into consideration, then it turns into a really good pair. soundstage is not too large, but thankfully you still get that music-all-around-you feel.

HiFiman HE6 - this is like having a theater in headset form. the soundstage felt adaptive, vast and huge or very small and close when needed. range and sensitivity was superb and i was surprised to hear some new sounds in songs i have listened to often. the electronica/trance/techno songs weren't simply clear with distinguishable notes and instrumentation, it added a certain hardness/roughness/grittiness/8bit nes(?) native to a computer/electronic device. the bass was a perfect TUGS TUGS that resounded really well. like the AD900 vocals and acoustic songs were intimately rendered. rock songs felt like you were watching the band perform in front/around you (depending on the song). most importantly, it didn't feel too bright nor too dark. the only downside is that it's OMGEXPENSIVE XD

[Sforza]

Thanks for the impressions! Hope it's convinced you to venture deeper into the hobby

A subjective note on DAPs:

Compared to Sansa products, ipods have this sort of tonally neutral but artificial sheen to their sound, with everything sounding just a little bit brighter and more sparkly.

With the Sansa products, they tend to be more organic sounding but not as detailed, and the soundstage isn't as accurate as the current gen idevices. They tend to sound better on songs with a lot of vocals.

In terms of overall quality, I'd say they're about even.

[Grim]

Audio Technica AD 900 - if you're ever gonna have phone sex with someone (or playing an eroge), wear this pair hahahahah XD

HAHAHA!

On a serious note, I'm thinking of a pair of Philips SHQ3000s, because traditional earphones pop out of my ears while I'm running. Anybody know if they're any good?

[Sforza]

On a serious note, I'm thinking of a pair of Philips SHQ3000s, because traditional earphones pop out of my ears while I'm running. Anybody know if they're any good?

Remember the XBA-1 you tried on? Good news!
There's a water resistant version with earhooks, meant for sports:

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-XBA-S65-Balan...=pd_cp_e_0

I think they sell it here. Should be everything you need

[Grim]

Cool, thanks Jake! I'll try to look around for them.

[Goat]

Sudden request: Can anyone recommend me any amp that goes well with Jazz?

[Sforza]

Sudden request: Can anyone recommend me any amp that goes well with Jazz?

Headphone amp? Are you going to be using it with the DT880?

[R.Leonhardt]

^lol DT880's.... I thought they sucked but that was because I bought the 32 ohms version. When I bought the 250 ohms version, I was pretty much impressed. Just didn't know that some headphone have different versions for different applications

[Goat]

Sudden request: Can anyone recommend me any amp that goes well with Jazz?

Headphone amp? Are you going to be using it with the DT880?

Yeah. Oh, and a portable amp too if possible lol.

What I'm about thinking so far:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/118493/which-th...-for-dt880
http://www.head-fi.org/t/578836/portable...rive-dt880

[Sforza]

What's your budget?