The All Purpose Advice Thread

One challenge can be the amp not pairing well with the headphones you're trying. I haven't heard that particular amp so this is speculation but I have found it can play a big role, especially as you get into more expensive gear.

I don't find ZMF's return policy overblown (nor Schiit's for that matter, they're similar), they can't absorb costs like a larger retailer.

Why limit yourself to Amazon? Other places also have a generous return policy. I'd hold and try some variety (both headphones and amps) at one or more meets before moving forward with a purchase. Meet conditions aren't ideal but they can help narrow down your focus. I didn't like the LCD-X either but your impressions seem like you're also having synergy issues in your chain, not just hearing drawbacks of the headphones. It can take some time to hone in on what works well both for your taste and what will fill holes in your current setup.

 

You should hear the silver Clear (1st gen) IMO

 

Hello, can anyone tell me which eq suits better with my LCD-2 rev2? tks

 

I absolutely understand that, but for me personally it's just too much.

Can you please name a few?

Yes, I'm thinking about meets, but with Covid and all that's not easy, and idk if any exist in the Bay Area.

Regarding the synergy, it's possible, but i also have SPL Crimson 3 sound card with pretty good headamp, and like i said, the character of the sound sill was the same.

 

Looks like they gone on Amazon, how much of a difference these Clear Professional Open-back Reference Studio Headphones (red/black)?

 

Check out the sponsors on this site for examples. I’ve personally dealt with headphones.com and they’re great. I’ve heard good things about the others too.

I know meets are rare right now, that will change and will save a lot of hassle. Patience with this process can be hard but will make life easier overall.

Synergy isn’t about having good gear, there’s more to it. It’s no surprise that the characteristics won’t change on various gear that doesn’t synergize with the same headphones. Sometimes even small changes can make a surprising difference.

 

hello,

as they are pretty much dismissed out of hand here, i am not looking to be flamed.

however, from those who have heard them, do the Shure SE535 have a neutral sound signature?

used pairs seem to be at a reasonable price point, and i do love me some neutral IEM's.

thanks!

 

Is 10 foot / 3 meters too long of a USB micro run for a DAC?

 

Same answer as last time you asked: https://superbestaudiofriends.org/i...purpose-advice-thread.19/page-521#post-347381

 

I heard the 535 a few years back and remembered it having a very "Asian", airy vocals tuning, unnaturally so to me; can't remember if it had sibilance though. If I remember correctly, other reviewers also remarked that it was the odd one out in the Shure line

 

I’m thinking about buying a Ragnarok 2 with a phono card. Does anybody know if the phono card is based on the MM circuit of the Mani rev. 1 or rev. 2? Thanks.

 

Are others here aware of the upcoming changes in US tax reporting for "third-party network" transactions ? Specifically, starting next year, PayPal (and other platforms, including Ebay) will be reporting to IRS if you take in more than $600 in transactions for 'Goods and Services' over the course of one year. Previously they didn't report until $20,000 AND 200 transactions in a year.

The upshot: hobbyists reselling gear will need to file an itemized tax return to account for 'costs of good sold' or pay tax on all that 'income' we make. Unless you can convince people to send you $$ via Friends and Family.

Dont know if this has already been discussed here, I'm expecting FUD campaigns around the internet but havent seen them yet.

 

I got a 1099-K from Paypal last year for just a couple grand worth of transactions. Apparently in Illinois the trigger amount was $1000. Had to do the cost of goods sold thing to not generate extra tax.

 

Didn't know that was coming... thanks for the heads-up. I'm not sure how to determine "cost of goods sold" when we're cleaning out a house of old kids toys, clothes, etc via ebay.

I wonder if this means we can take a loss if we sold for less than we originally purchased?

 

@dasman66 , IRS did this to MAKE money, not lose it. Pretty much no, you can only claim a loss if you make money from the same activity somewhere along the line. Take a look at https://sharedeconomycpa.com/blog/irs-hobby-loss-rules/ for a better explanation.

As for estimating the cost of stuff you sold: If you're sure you're losing money on the sales you usually report the cost as equal to the income, because, as we just said, reporting a cost higher than the income ain't gonna do you any good.

I'm predicting IRS will simplify this type of filing. Otherwise they're gonna have a shitload of confused taxpayers asking questions like these.

 

I am wondering what the general census is on the resolution and overall technicalities between the HD800 and the Focal Clear. Are they both on the same page in terms of detail retrieval?

 

I have both the Clear and the HD 800 SDR. I'm not experienced or discerning enough to offer a confident answer, so please look to others’ responses for more reliable perspectives. But, if I had to pick one, I'd say the HD 800 is more resolving.

Some important caveats:

1. I'm not sure there's a very big difference between the two headphones when it comes to resolution
   • if you're trying to choose between the two, other factors might be worth considering instead
2. since I use different amps for them, my comparative experiences aren't coming from a level playing field
   • I use the SW51+ and MCTH for the Clear and the ZDT Jr. for my HD 800 SDR (and the Bifrost 2 for them both)
3. Other distinguishing characteristics of the headphones make it harder to determine if the HD 800 has better resolution, exactly
   • The Clear has a much smaller headstage and very pinpoint precise imaging
   • The HD 800 has excellent imaging but it’s in a much wider, deeper, and more spacious headstage
   • The HD 800 has better separation and layering
     
   • The Clear is faster than the HD 800 (I think)
     • All these factors, I suspect, affect my limited ability to appreciate resolution

I hope this helps.

edit: of course, I’m basing these impressions on the use of what have been called high-performance bargain amps. I’ve not heard either headphone properly on a big boy amp.

 

I agree with this response and I'll add that I like them for different genres of music even though my favorite amp for both is often the same (Stratus). It's hard to compare because they do different things well and I don't want to listen closely when I'm not taking advantage of one of their strengths.

 

I tried to do some reading on music streaming and protocals through Foobar and got real confused. Essentially my PC with my music on it has bad USB. I have a Ifi Pro iDSD I can stream directly to through Foobar UPNP/DLNA plugin. Will this be the same streaming fidelity/quality as the popular PI2AES?