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Topic: Another headphone recommendation thread (Read 25554 times) previous topic - next topic
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Another headphone recommendation thread

Reply #25 –
Quote from: Arnold B. Krueger on
Quote from: origami on
Btw, a nice things about the Amphony is that the signal is kept uncompressed digital all the way from the digital inputs of the base (there are analog inputs and an A/D conv. as well) to the D/A inside the headphones. I don't think that's the case with most wireless headphones?


Sennheiser and Audio Technica have wireless headphones that claim to digital and avoid lossy compression. 

I'm under the impression that audio over BlueTooth must be lossy-compresed or not Hi Fi.


I think so, at least the bluetooth 1.x (1,000 Kbit/s datarate vs. 1,411 Kbit needed for 16bit/44.1KHz audio)
The newer Bluetooth 2.x should be able to tranfer up to 3 Mbit/s - but whether that can actually be utilized in full for uninterrupted audio transfer I do not know.

Another headphone recommendation thread

Reply #26 –
Quote from: Arnold B. Krueger on
Sennheiser and Audio Technica have wireless headphones that claim to digital and avoid lossy compression.

Starting with the RS-140 Sennheiser has a digital transmission though I don't know the exact specs. I owned the RS-85, which uses FM modulation. It had good sound with music, but sine sweeps produced very audible intermodulation in the upper frequency range (discovered accidentally while playing with soft synths).

I use a HD595 now and am happy.

Another headphone recommendation thread

Reply #27 –
I´ve read some nice reviews about the Superlux HD-668 B: they seem to be too good to be true. Has anybody heard them? According to what I´ve read on HeadFi and some other forums they sound like a twin to Beyerdynamic´s DT 990. Is that true? Because they cost only around $ 50,- and I simply can´t believe that!

Any opinions?
marlene-d.blogspot.com

Another headphone recommendation thread

Reply #28 –
Quote from: Arnold B. Krueger on
I'm under the impression that audio over BlueTooth must be lossy-compresed or not Hi Fi.


Correct, the A2DP protocol supports the following Codecs
MPEG-1,2 Audio
MPEG-2,4 AAC
ATRAC (Sony)
So lossy compression.
Some wireless headphones use Kleer technology. Using lossless compression, they can transmit redbook audio using the same bandwidth as Bluetooth.
TheWellTemperedComputer.com

Another headphone recommendation thread

Reply #29 –
Quote from: Cavaille on
I´ve read some nice reviews about the Superlux HD-668 B: they seem to be too good to be true. Has anybody heard them? According to what I´ve read on HeadFi and some other forums they sound like a twin to Beyerdynamic´s DT 990. Is that true? Because they cost only around $ 50,- and I simply can´t believe that!

Any opinions?

Yes - I couldn't believe it too, so I ordered one out of curiosity. Well, I suppose it's true. Comparing them to my DT880, they have a marginally "warmer" sound signature, more bass and despite of their accentuated heights virtually no sibilants. I'm somewhat scared to say that soundwise I might prefer them over the beyerdynamic... quite impressive as cheap as they are. Considering, however, that Superlux is an Indonesian OEM manufacturer for large companies it only shows that, as far as technology has advenced, production costs are not the major factor for high-end headphones today.

If I remember correctly and you are living in Germany too, I'd suggest ordering them at Thomann if you wan't to have a listen to them. They are €30, free shipping, and you can send them back if you don't like them...

Another headphone recommendation thread

Reply #30 –
Quote from: Northpack on
Yes - I couldn't believe it too, so I ordered one out of curiosity. Well, I suppose it's true. Comparing them to my DT880, they have a marginally "warmer" sound signature, more bass and despite of their accentuated heights virtually no sibilants. I'm somewhat scared to say that soundwise I might prefer them over the beyerdynamic... quite impressive as cheap as they are. Considering, however, that Superlux is an Indonesian OEM manufacturer for large companies it only shows that, as far as technology has advenced, production costs are not the major factor for high-end headphones today.

If I remember correctly and you are living in Germany too, I'd suggest ordering them at Thomann if you wan't to have a listen to them. They are €30, free shipping, and you can send them back if you don't like them...


Wow. Just wow. This is incredible. For just 30,- Euros... and the Beyerdynamic 880 costs 280,- Euros at Amazon. Yes, I´m living in Germany (quite an extraordinary mind you have to remember that, my friend) and I will order it at Thomann - I guess if it is as good as everyone says it will complement my Sennheiser HD-600 quite nicely.

But when Superlux is an OEM manufacturer... does it mean, that they produce headphones for Beyerdynamic?
marlene-d.blogspot.com

Another headphone recommendation thread

Reply #31 –
Quote from: Cavaille on
But when Superlux is an OEM manufacturer... does it mean, that they produce headphones for Beyerdynamic?

No idea. They just stated somewhere on their website that they where an OEM. Maybe they are bound by contract not to reveal the company's name(s). Maybe it's just propaganda
Let us know how you like the Superlux. If you feel that they are uncomfortable try the paper-tissue trick.

Another headphone recommendation thread

Reply #32 –
Quote from: Northpack on
Let us know how you like the Superlux. If you feel that they are uncomfortable try the paper-tissue trick.


I ran right out and ordered a pair when I read about them here. They were waiting for me on my front porch when I came back from my trip to Lake Michigan for a family Reunion. 

First take is that they are pretty neutral with a well-detailed high end and decent but not exceptional  bass.  They compare very well with phones in the $100 range like 7506s and HD 280s. Probably more like the former than the latter.

Another headphone recommendation thread

Reply #33 –
Quote from: Arnold B. Krueger on
Quote from: Northpack on
Let us know how you like the Superlux. If you feel that they are uncomfortable try the paper-tissue trick.


I ran right out and ordered a pair when I read about them here. They were waiting for me on my front porch when I came back from my trip to Lake Michigan for a family Reunion. 

First take is that they are pretty neutral with a well-detailed high end and decent but not exceptional  bass.  They compare very well with phones in the $100 range like 7506s and HD 280s. Probably more like the former than the latter.



Where exactly did you order the Superlux 668's?

Another headphone recommendation thread

Reply #34 –
Quote from: norseman197 on
Quote from: Arnold B. Krueger on
Quote from: Northpack on
Let us know how you like the Superlux. If you feel that they are uncomfortable try the paper-tissue trick.


I ran right out and ordered a pair when I read about them here. They were waiting for me on my front porch when I came back from my trip to Lake Michigan for a family Reunion. 

First take is that they are pretty neutral with a well-detailed high end and decent but not exceptional  bass.  They compare very well with phones in the $100 range like 7506s and HD 280s. Probably more like the former than the latter.



Where exactly did you order the Superlux 668's?


I just ordered a pair of these phones from greenflymusicsupply.com
You can find an interesting frequency response chart comparing the HD 668b to the Beyerdynamic DT990 here:
http://tinyurl.com/2357swt

Cheers.

ZAP

Another headphone recommendation thread

Reply #35 –
Quote from: norseman197 on
Quote from: Arnold B. Krueger on
Quote from: Northpack on
Let us know how you like the Superlux. If you feel that they are uncomfortable try the paper-tissue trick.


I ran right out and ordered a pair when I read about them here. They were waiting for me on my front porch when I came back from my trip to Lake Michigan for a family Reunion. 

First take is that they are pretty neutral with a well-detailed high end and decent but not exceptional  bass.  They compare very well with phones in the $100 range like 7506s and HD 280s. Probably more like the former than the latter.



Where exactly did you order the Superlux 668's?

Whoever was giving the best overall deal last Wednesday, including shipping.  My paypal account says that I paid $46 to "Frequency Sound And Lighting Ltd".

Why am I so vague? I do a lot of audio purchasing for business purposes and sometimes I only get barely enough paperwork to properly trace back the transaction to the actual page I purchased from.

My browser hstory for their site returns only generic pages. These guys did not send me an email from their website like say Amazon or Newegg do. All I got is the notification of the transaction from PayPal.

Another headphone recommendation thread

Reply #36 –
So, after I´ve waited for over a month for the Superlux HD668B, they finally arrived today. Thomann couldn´t deliver after I ordered them... indeed, I forgot all about them until yesterday when an eMail announced that they were on their way.

I´ll give a short review here to summarize my first impressions, another one more in-depth will follow. The built quality of the Superlux is fairly good: simple plastic. Not very fancy compare to the other headphones... The Superlux comes with a bag, two cables and a cable clip. One of those cables is 1 meter long, the other three. You can use the short one when you use the headphone for a portable device... which I won´t. The headphones are too big for that. I won´t ridicule myself that way. But: it´s still nice, that two different cables are offered.

The ear cushions are not very comfortable, they are not very soft so they isolate not that good. I´ve read that they can be replaced with cloth ear cushions by AKG. I´ll definitely try that. The headband on top of your head is a very good idea. You can adjust it and it does fit itself to your head - nice idea.

The sound: so far I´ve heard only a few pieces, some classical music, some pop music... I can tell from the first minutes that they are very balanced. Not one frequency band is too strong and none is too weak. I was particularly curious about the room they build. This is something I always test with binaural recordings to reveal if a headphone creates a "false room" as I call it or hides the real room response with resonances from its casing. I have some in ears from Sennheiser and they really suck at this, the same goes for the Sony MDR-XB 500: in both cases you can´t hear anymore that a dummy head with two mics was used, the recording sounds flat. Both my Sennheiser HD-600 and a Koss Porta Pro (!) are really good at this - and so is the Superlux.

However, compared to the Sennheiser voices doesn´t sound so articulate and holographic and the overall room the Superlux presents sounds a bit flat (not with binaural recordings). It seems to present more details than the Sennheiser but I´ll have to listen a bit more to it in order to cement that opinion. The Sennheiser lacks deep bass, the Superlux does not. The bass under 60-80 Hz seems to be stronger.

BTW, am I allowed to write something like that here? Because I don´t know how to measure a headphone...

In short, they really are better than "normal" headphones for 30,- Euros, I´m very surprised. Everything about them seems to be true.
marlene-d.blogspot.com

Another headphone recommendation thread

Reply #37 –
So... just a little update for those who are interested...

I´ve written a little review (well, actually it´s quite long). You can read it here at the soundtrackforum. But beware, it´s not scientific and I have dealt with some principles in an "easy-to-understand" way...
marlene-d.blogspot.com

Another headphone recommendation thread

Reply #38 –
I'm sorry to resurrect this but after a couple of months with HD 668B, I sadly have to say - don't believe the hype, they're far from perfect.
The headphone is definitely killer for its price. It is, however, quite inaccurate. After extensive comparisons and general use, I'm back on Sennheiser HD215.
Why?
HD215 mops the floor with HD 668B regarding sound fidelity. As opposed to HD 668B, HD215 faithfully renders mids/treble which makes instruments sound much more life-like. Especially the hi-hat/cymbal/snare sounds worse on HD 668B. While HD 668B has bloated upper treble, the topmost frequencies are comparatively weak which distorts the overall sound of the mentioned percussions.
HD 668B has a very enjoyable bass (HD215 is anemic there), space and - in case you use the AKG velour pads which I do - comfort but it does not make up for the loss of fidelity, IMO. It ended up as my gaming/movie headphone where it does a perfect job.

Just my two cents.

Another headphone recommendation thread

Reply #39 –
+1 for Superlux 668B.  I confirm the quality of the sound. It's amazing.

There is also manufacturer of the same model Samson SR850 (50$), which is the same Superlux 668B.
I enjoy them not less than my Sennheiser HD 650 (500$).  . Happy user here.

Superlux is a winner in 50$ area and it's on par with  more expensive headphones (200-300$).

Comparison of DT880, DT990 and 668B. 668B is pretty close to DT990 http://www.headphone.com/buildAGraph.php?g...pare+Headphones

I also had Superlux HD660.  They are pretty interesting headphones too but they were actually pretty small and didn't cover my ears completely (which is very important for me). I couldn't find the right position for them on my head to get a right sound. So I gave them away to other person.

Another headphone recommendation thread

Reply #40 –
Quote from: Raptus on
Quote from: Arnold B. Krueger on
Sennheiser and Audio Technica have wireless headphones that claim to digital and avoid lossy compression.

Starting with the RS-140 Sennheiser has a digital transmission though I don't know the exact specs. I owned the RS-85, which uses FM modulation. It had good sound with music, but sine sweeps produced very audible intermodulation in the upper frequency range (discovered accidentally while playing with soft synths).


I received a pair of RS160 digital headphones from my daughter for Christmas.  I've had a pair of RS120 analog phones for several years which I used very heavily and were becoming unreliable.

The RS160s are rock solid, more so than the RS120s were when new. The RS160s  seem very close to noise free, which I can't say about the RS120s. The 120s are over the ear - close to being open air style phones. The 160s are over the ear and actually have quite a bit of acoustic isolation. Using the 160s is more work and hassle because they lack the handy charge/stand.

There is a button on the RS160 transmitter that needs to be pushed to start them up, as well as the power switch on the phones. There are indicator lights on both the phones and the transmitter, which you need to pay attention to when starting up or shutting down. There is a charge indicator on the transmitter that lets you know when they are charged. Like the RS120s, the RS160s  use standard AAA lithium batteries like the 120, but the battery life to be seems far better - probably equal or greater to the claimed 24 hours.

The RS160s have considerably more latency, which can be noticable if you happen to be listening with them when speakers palying the same music are audible in the same room.

The RS160s seem to be quieter and cleaner sounding than the RS120s. I can hear audible hiss much of the time on my RS120s even though I've tried to optimize the signal level going into them. The RS160s can cause your ears to sweat a little.