The All Purpose Advice Thread

If you had a microphone to monitor the children, plus a mixer to combine that live audio with your music, you could use any headphones.

 

You could use something like the Sony WH-1000XM4. You can set them to allow ambient sound in via the microphones, so you can hear everything around you with little sound leakage out. Not the best technical performer but in your specific case would probably work OK.

 

This is a tough one, and I think I would suggest something like the Airods Pro or Max in transparency mode. You can pretty much hear everything around you and it sounds fairly natural. But little to no sound leak outside the headphones themselves.

 

Yes, I was going to suggest the same. Normally I wouldn’t recommend Apple stuff on here but for this particular use case, they would be spot on.

 

The challenge being that if you're not using a Mac, iPhone, or iPad they don't work well, so it could be a bad suggestion depending on the user.

 

Yeah I am not a Apple user at all, got a Sony smartphone and a windows PC, otherwise Airpods would be a interesting option. Wife loves Iphones but I have never been a fan.

The Sony 1000 XM4 looks likea solid option for sure, didnt realize you could turn it on to pipe in ambient noises ontop of the noise canceling. Didnt have it under consideration as I thought it was just noise canceling. Looking into looks like you can even set it to just let in voices which I assume would include crying/screaming. Would make a nice option for walking around too. Didnt realize noise cancelling tech had gotten that cool!

Might end up just going that route, had to sell many headphones now as they always either leak too much or isolate too much and wife complains/cant hear kids. Might have to take a break from the hobby for a few years until kids are older and just live with the XM4. The sacrifices of parenthood!

 

In terms of hearing what is going on I do a lot of my listening while our son is asleep in the evenings and my solution is to rely on a baby/security camera with sound/movement detection and alerts. We use the Neos Smartcams (same hardware is sold in the US as Wyzecam, but not sure about any software/app differences) which are cheap and generally work very well. I just leave my iPhone on the desk next to me while listening and if there is sound or movement the app sends a notification and I can open the live feed on my phone and see what is up.

Doesn't directly solve the leakage problem (I use X00s, so not really an issue in my case), but at least this way you could choose any closed backs with minimal leakage that fit your needs.

 

The Fostex T60RP leaks quite a lot though (say 50% of what an HD600 leaks) and at the same time it isolates pretty well too :/ (I also hate it with a passion lol)

I know for a fact that anything I put a set of Brainwavz Velour pads on, starts leaking a little bit through the pads and if the volume is low enough, I can still hear things around me quite clearly. I bought some beater headphones (Roland RH5, it's pretty crappy) and threw some Brainwavz velours on them. Slight leak yet I can hear pretty much everything around me if the volume isn't too high.

Maybe these pads are worth a shot with some headphones you may have? In terms of size, I know for a fact that they fit on an Audio Technica M40X as well as on a DT770 Pro (if you stretch them enough). If you have a DT770 Pro 80Ohms, they also get rid of the boomy bass of that headphone + open the soundstage a bit, so this might be a total win

 

Did anyone else's headphone cables also turn green?

I guess it's copper rust, but how the hell could this happen INSIDE the cable. And I have older speaker cables with very exposed copper wire at the termination and nothing of the sort happened with them...

 

My GF has a set that works well with her Note 10 and my Note 8. While not as easy as using an app, all the relevant functions are accessible through various squeezes. Alternatively, the Sony WF1000XM3 sound good and also has various levels of pass through. The newest over the ear might be more comfortable though.

 

I'm looking for some suggestions to fit some vague requirements, but they might be too under-specified to really be productive. Currently, my chain consists of Modi 3 + (Asgard 3 + DT880/HD600) or (SRM-1 MK2 + ESP-95X). I have been considering a new DAC, since that's the least recently acquired component, but given my lack of confidence in my critical listening skills and low listening volume (conservatively 70-75 dB), I'm not sure that's a wise choice for the investment vs incremental improvement.

I've also been considering trying to fill a gap in the sound signatures I have - HD600 has muddy lows but is otherwise tonally close to ideal with a presentation I love, DT880 is clean but bright and uninvolving, and the ESP-95X lacks slam and ultimate resolution, though the instrument separation and tone are both excellent. I was thinking of the Grado Hemp or RS2e based on the positive impressions here (specifically the immediacy and transient response seem compelling) , but I'm unsure if I'd be satisfied owning something with such apparent flaws (and steep pricetag) despite their exceptional characteristics. The Nectar Hive is an option - my chain is probably lacking in bass technicalities - but that'd require doubling down on an estat-based chain, and I'm not sure whether it would fully address that feeling of "something missing" with the 95X.

Perhaps venturing out of mid-fi purgatory means accepting something which isn't necessarily a competent all-rounder but rather meets a specific need. Thanks in advance for any suggestions, much appreciated!

 

So I have a Verite closed. The VCs do most things better than my other phones. Enough so that I’m thinking I should just sell most of my headphones, maybe my Lyr 3 too, and spend the money on something else, like either a higher end amp or bike parts. Has anyone else done something like this, and did you regret it?

Will

 

I've done multiple gear purges and was left with just one main headphone while slowly trying other stuff and eventually doing another purge. You'll have regrets and second thoughts from time to time no matter what, there's no getting around that. I wouldn't look for a headphone to be 100% all the time, 80% would be great for a single headphone and suck it up for the other 20%. This is why a complement is helpful but then the upgrade bug is more likely to bite.

 

This is very very common with IEM cables. The rubber/plastic is not a perfect seal, elements of moisture and sweat do eventually make it through and turn the copper green. Overall it shouldn't affect the sound and all it really affects is resale value.

 

@schnesim

@Armaegis is correct, quite common, it happened to a few pair of Shure 215 I had, probably many more iems suffer the same fate, but it most noticeable when the insulation is clear and you see it.

This sulphur dioxide corrosion is only microns deep and should not affect signal that much, BUT, I would not count on it.

For full disclosure I believe in cable connector hygiene and I can hear a clear difference when I take all of my "gold plated or looking" IC connectors off of my equipment, give them a nice shoe shine with a silver cleaning cloth and YUP, moar better sound.

So I think even a thin skin effect layer of corrosion "might" affect sound, although if you never heard it un-corroded you may never know there is or was a "problem".

 

I'm just sort of thinking how much improvement will I see from going from a Asgard 3 with AK DAC to a Bifrost 2 (or modius) and Jotunheim 2. I have a HD 600 and saving for a ZMF Aeolus. I prefer solid states to tubes for the convenience.

 

Rather that asking "how much improvement from x to y," you should go read thru the relevant threads here.

For example, you mentioned 2 DAC choices (Bifrost 2 and Modius) but only 1 amp (Jotunheim 2). Given that the Jotunheim 2 is relatively new, I'd start on that impressions thread.

From my own lurking of that and other threads, I know a lot of people here have the Bifrost 2 so it's not a stretch to think that you'll find impressions of Bifrost 2 + Jotunheim 2 + HD600. Modius is perhaps less common but you might find something.

PS: "Improvement" is a very generic word and almost always means different things for different people in this hobby. After all, we all hear and like different things.

 

Does anyone use a tube puller here? Or does everyone use scotch tape and wiggling? I just bought this from eBay and really like it, but don’t know if there are other better methods.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/254829717990

I have pictures of mine sitting on my Mjolnir 2, but I don’t know how to post them here if they don’t have a URL. Anyhoo, I’d highly recommend this for $10, and the vendor seems incredibly nice. But other folks may think this is not the best idea! Would love to hear what everyone else does.

 

i use the built in tube puller attached to my hand, fits all tubes and is free.

 

Agreed, I also use the 5-finger method... but I can see advantages to the ebay link for half buried tubes like the mCTH or a T4.