The All Purpose Advice Thread

Alright. Thanks for the help. I'll definitely do more research.

 

I recently picked up a set of HD800, but I've found that I like this sound so much that my portable/work listening solution (fx850 IEM) is no longer suitable.

From all the recent reviews and hype, I've put my name on the list for the Campfire Andromeda - but what other TOTL IEMs should I consider?
What else has wide soundstage, precise imaging, highly engaging dynamics, and neutral or slightly v-shaped freq response?
I started looking at the Noble K10U, but some of the reviews made it sound like the soundstage/imaging was just 'okay' with these - but for the price tag, I'd like something 'great'.

I am willing to consider customs, but I'd prefer universals (particularly because I lack patience )

 

A little patience and we'll see reviews/impressions for Fidue's new flagship.

 

I mean, you can watch him for the entertainment, if you find that entertaining that is, but don't take anything he says seriously.

 

Yeah, @bixby enlightened me and I will do more research.

 

You saved yourself alot of time and money by visiting this place. Happy reading

Edit: The part about saving alot of money can be misleading depending on how you look at it

 

I'm about to pull the trigger on the Momentum 2.0 over ear (wired) since sale prices are so low now ($190). I'm coming from a Momentum 1.0 which is a bit too small for my ears.

It is either this or the Oppo pm3. I like the fact the Momentum is half the price, but unsure if it will suit my needs as well. I briefly demoed the Pm3 and liked it, though it has been some time and I'm not as familiar with specifics of the sound anymore.

I listen to a wide assortment of genres. Metal (think symphonic/power/progressive), classic rock (Pink Floyd, REO, Styx, etc) some symphonic orchestra stuff and some different electronic genres (symphonic, ambient, retrowave). Soundtrack stuff like Hans Zimmer.

It is down to these two headphones mostly because they need to be portable and easy to drive. Will be driving them from a Fiio X3ii and eventually an X5 or something comparable.

 

I was really disappointed with the M2. It wasn't... horrible. But if funds aren't an issue, get the Oppo PM3. It's superior, imo, though I didn't have them side by side to compare. The PM3 is like a good headphone; the M2 was ... meh. I think the X3ii will drive the PM3 fine, but that's worth checking. The one caveat is that the PM3 are heavy compared to the M2.

 

Hi Mystic:

Your post does not make it clear if you are asking a specific question. Not sure if anyone has compared both since they are priced a bit apart. Perhaps a search on PM3 impressions might help if that is what you are looking for.

EDIT: And before I could finish my post @imackler to the rescue!

 

Ah, sorry. I'm mainly seeing if anyone has experience with both and which would match up better with the type of music I listen too. I've scoured here and head-fi on impressions of both. Usually after I do that I make a post specific to my music preferences right before I make a final decision and purchase.

 

I'm interested in starting a desktop setup. Not really sure though, kind of afraid of going down that rabbit hole... Anyway, I only have one pair of headphones, Fostex Th900 (which I absolutely love), and a respectable collection of IEMS.

If I decide to do the whole desktop thing, is it overkill with IEMS? I'm considering adding a nice dac, thinking Yggdrasil, or Gungnir Multibit, emotiva (not sure but my research leads me to think they are good). If my one pair of headphones will scale up nicely, I'll be happy. I'll even be happy if I could squeeze a little more out of my IEMS.

If I add a dac, that probably means I'll need a desktop amp, as I only have portables. Mojo being the best I currently own, and it does power the Fostex rather nicely (best I've heard them sound). Not sure if I "need" another amp.

Anyway, I am the first to admit I don't have the best ears. I am unsure how much of a difference a Yggdrasil would be opposed to a Gungnir Multibit, or if I'll hear it. Problem being, I'll always wonder if I don't get it.

For an average person, how noticeable is the difference between an amazing dac (Yggdrasil) and say a Mojo? Sorry, that's my baseline. I've also heard the ifi micro idsd, which to me, sounded the same as mojo.

I prefer warm signature and am 100% a basshead... That being said, I don't sacrifice sq for bass. I prefer sub bass over mid bass.

Source will be my Fiio X7 for now, until I setup my computer.

 

Wouldn't really be able to recommend Mom2 for those genres, I've owned two pairs and ultimately I sold them both times because they were too warmed and smoothed over. They lack the treble to provide excitement for rock/metal and ultimately made a lot of music sound the same with their slightly exaggerated mid-bass. Just my thoughts.

FWIW I also participated in a PM-3 loaner and found them even more dulled and boring, but this was without amplification, not sure if that would help any.

 

I'm shopping around for a universal IEM and would appreciate some input. Perhaps some options I haven't considered. Desirable features:

• Transparency and detail (the most important)
• Non-fatiguing (ala DT990)
• Good extension on both bass and treble
• Minimal recession of the mids

To give you an idea of what I am considering at the moment:
Noble Savannah (I hear that there may be a sale soon, but this is still very expensive)
XBA-Z5 (Too bassy I guess)
EX1000 (Practicality issues and I would like to try a BA/Hybrid)
FLC8s (Build quality/transparency concerns)

Midrange? <$500 I can extend a bit further out, but would rather not (I am not habitualy careless, but the risk of losing or breaking IEMs isn't easily ignored).

I'd be fine with spending far less than this; I assure you.

 

Don't get the Z5... The ex1000 is a gem though, I love it.

 

I'ved owned Etymotic ER-4(p) for almost a decade and really like them. And I kinda hate IEMs to begin with. They sound reasonably flat and could block out the noise from a freight train. I use mine mostly with TIDAL on iPhone when I mow the lawn.

 

Why are there any posts after this one in this thread?

 

@zonto , why not? It is an interesting topic.

 

No, no it's not. It's forum clutter based on someone wanting to buy their sister a birthday gift and who has a self-imposed budget of $100. Once the birthday gift is purchased, this thread is more useless than it already is. What if someone else wants to buy a birthday gift for their sister but has a budget of $125? Should they start a new thread? What if it's for their brother or their cat? Should they create a new thread?

To avoid this, there is a thread exclusively devoted to black hole questions like this which was linked to on the first page. Yet the responses persist, wasting space on the Internet, making it more difficult to find information that actually matters, reducing the S/N of the site, and edging it ever-so-slightly closer to the mother ship from which we are so happily isolated.

 

So around $1k what is that best overall headphone amp, preferably balanced? Primarily for hd650/800 but ability to power planar mags would be a bonus.

Thanks!

 

OK. Thank you. Indeed, the "mother ship" used to have a general advice thread and moved away from it in favor of multiple advice threads. (I used to contribute to the general thread, specializing on cheaper headphones.) I liked the general advice thread, and I am glad that superbestaudiofriends uses a general advice thread. On the flip side, in a general advice thread, the discussion tends to be dominated by a few people, and the same few headphones occur over and over, even when they do not address the specific request. Of course, the dominant people are almost always the most knowledgeable ones and the commonly recommended headphones are usually the best sounding ones, so this is not a bad thing. So I would say: yes, there is more clutter with multiple threads, but the advice for the person requesting it is better. I understand that superbestaudiofriends made a choice, and I will conform without trouble. I hope my post is tolerated as part of learning how the site works.