headphones

[wordfool]

The DAC in your computer is probably as good as anything you'd get casually; go for a fiber optic digital out into a good pre-amp if you're looking to spend money. RCA digital out has measurable jitter compared to optical fiber. I've seen the o-scope, I don't do RCA digital.

Optical or coax are not really options in my case... the only DACs I was looking at are USB and I'm still not convinced they'll be any better than my conextant soundcard (I got swept up in the DAC-bit debate for high-end CD players in the early 1990s... not going down that road again).

The USB DACs do, however, include a modest amp, which might make a difference in sound quality (assuming source material is decent). But is it worth spending $100+ chasing a tiny gain in SQ? Not sure yet.

Surprisingly for a laptop soundcard mine is pretty quiet with no audible interference.

[ricercar]

The Sennheiser HD 500A are the headphones recommended by my kids' occupational therapist for extended and flat frequency response. She has amazing CDs that "go to 11" (from 16 Hz pedal tones to circa 23KHz) that increase attention span and reduce  irritability.

[keyb_gr]

The HD500A is a funny beast. I think it evolved from the HD575, a short-lived model that combined a HD500 housing with HD590 drivers and pads (rumor has it that this was sort of an experiment but it turned out that people liked it, so they made some).

Incidentally, the highest possible frequency for CDs is 22.05 kHz (44.1 kHz sample rate), and DACs' reconstruction filters typically cut off at 20 kHz. That's plenty high enough anyway.

[elbowglue]

I use the sennheiser Pc350 (headphone with boom mic).  Good sound (I'm not an audiophile but it sounds alright), good noise cancelling mic (I use it for dragon naturally speaking and it works great, as well as any other microphone I can find), good pick-up for screaming at others when playing l4d or tf2 or cs.

Oh and the boom mic is longer than the usual, such that it can end appropriately near the right spot of my face, not sit next to my cheek.  Important for dictation reasons.

Pc350 is over the ear headset which is great for those of us who wear glasses.  Of course nobody here on geekhack wears glasses right?

I for sure don't wear glasses, in fact here is my self portrait in case any of you female geekhackers want to drop me a line for a date.

[AndrewZorn]

Yeah, I had never heard of the HD500.

HD595 folks - if you ever find a friend with one try em!

note that the hd555 can be easily modified to hd595

i still have some 555 in the box

[keyb_gr]

Oh and the boom mic is longer than the usual, such that it can end appropriately near the right spot of my face, not sit next to my cheek.  Important for dictation reasons.

Generally a sideways position seems to be better though, much less breathing noises.

Pc350 is over the ear headset which is great for those of us who wear glasses.  Of course nobody here on geekhack wears glasses right?

No, certainly not. Wait, where did I mislay my...

I for sure don't wear glasses, in fact here is my self portrait in case any of you female geekhackers want to drop me a line for a date.

Dammit, where's that dictionary when you need it... :tongue:

note that the hd555 can be easily modified to hd595

*grows big ears* Mind sharing how?

[AndrewZorn]

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/hd555-internals-anyone-want-help-compare-hd595-future-mods-403497/

[AndrewZorn]

and hey, theres still a lot of people that attest that even though the drivers look the same in every way, that for the 595 they are hand picked by sennheiser engineers in order to... PFPPPFFFTTTT YEAH RIGHT

but really
its not 100% confirmed

[ricercar]

the highest possible frequency for CDs is 22.05 kHz

D'oh! I knew that.

[keyb_gr]

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/hd555-internals-anyone-want-help-compare-hd595-future-mods-403497/

So the '555s are artifically made worse by introducing this sound reflecting material. Makes sense from a production POV. I'd probably rip the stuff out and do one of the soundstage mods. This series was a definite step back from the previous one in that respect... a HD590 is wide open out of the box. I guess they had some structural integrity issues.

BTW, ripster, there's some ABS plastic for ya
(That seems to be different on the older series as well. I think I did see some markings at one point.)

[Hakhu]

Seems like keyb_gr is not only a member of geekhack, but also head-fi, judging from his extensive use of related vocabulary. ;-)

I just ordered a 'Sony MDR XB 700' yesterday. Hoping to get it tomorrow. I've tried it at a local store and it's just ridiculously comfortable. Sounds excellent too.

[keyb_gr]

Seems like keyb_gr is not only a member of geekhack, but also head-fi, judging from his extensive use of related vocabulary. ;-)

Well spotted. I used to be quite active there about 4 years ago, nowadays I just pop up in the Music forum once in a while. One of the few comfy spots left in what is a very large and quite commercial forum nowadays. You might stumble across me more often in the German Hifi-Forum though, I tend to check the repair section regularly. Not with my nick and avatar here, of course...

Hmm, user reviews of the XB700 don't seem to be that positive. Apparently it isolates well but is bass heavy and dark-sounding. I'd try to run it on sources with as low an output impedance as possible. Nominal impedance is just 24 ohms, and it doesn't take much of a variation and output impedance to color the frequency response. Should work well with portables though. I tend to be skeptical with Sony cans, as they tend to be hit and miss (a bit like Philips). Generally I'd rather stick with the big names in the headphone biz, like Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic, AKG, A-T and (lately) Shure.

[Hakhu]

Hmm, user reviews of the XB700 don't seem to be that positive. Apparently it isolates well but is bass heavy and dark-sounding.

I've read a couple of positive reviews confirming my inexperienced positive impression. But maybe I was just reading selectively to reassure myself.

I just skimmed the surface of audiophily science and I intend to leave it at that. So I'm not quite that demanding.

I've had some bad experience with expensive Sennheisers (HD280 Pro) and some good experience with cheap Philips.

So I'll just see how I like it.

[Computer-Lab in Basement]

I need some new headphones, I like the ones where that little plastic thing goes behind your head instead of going over your head.  I don't like really obnoxiously big headphones that look like they can pick up digital television without a converter box.  They are just not the way for me to go, I don't want to end up with a serious neck injury because my headphones were too big...

[Computer-Lab in Basement]

Where do you get all these pictures from?

[keyb_gr]

That's what they call a trade secret, I guess...

Anyway, choices in terms of behind-the-neck cans are quite limited, generally between junk and entry-level. Maybe that's because they tend to be used for sports and such. Sennheiser PMX100s should be OK, and Koss KSC-55s, while known to be rather uncomfortable, are quite decent-sounding as well.

BTW, most "big" cans are not nearly as heavy as you think. While oldschool closed ones back in the '70s could easily weigh more than a pound, modern open ones rarely exceed 300 g sans cable (their closed cousins are a bit heavier but not that much). Occasionally they even approach 200 g, like my trusty old HD590 (still one of the most comfortable headphones ever, provided you don't run out of headband adjustment that is). The comfier ones can usually be worn for hours on end with no problems.
Anyway, it is always a good idea to state desired uses and price range.

[Computer-Lab in Basement]

Or maybe it is this amazing thing called the internet...

I will look around for some good headphones.