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Hiyas all,
Just wondering if anyone of you has tried some high-end stereo headsets (non-bluetooth) from audiophile-grade headphone manufacturers such as Etymotic, Shure or Sennheiser, to replace your ordinary-crappy-plasticky headsets given by Dopod, O2, HTC or whatever.
Would be nice as alternetives to A2DP Bluetooth headsets for those looking for compatibility, wants their PDA battery last longer, and feel reluctant to add one more thing to charge daily (the bluetoooth headset).
There are 2 types i found as far as I researched:
1. Shure i2c, i3c, i4c (starting US$79)
http://www.shure.com/PersonalAudio/Products/Headsets/ISeries/us_pa_i4c_headset_content
2. Sennheiser MM50 (US$60)
http://www.sennheiserusa.com/newsite/productdetail.asp?transid=500745
3,4. Anyone to add?
Anyone has recommendation/experience?
Or better, has anyone compared one to another?
3. V-Moda Vibe Duo (US$100)
http://www.v-moda.com/collection/modaphones/vibe duo.aspx
Anyone?
Koss KSC75... Google reviews on em, you won't find a bad review.
Simply the best quality for cheap (AUS$20).
I've heard, yet to verify, that you'd probably have to pick up headsets upwards of $400 to hear a discernable difference in the audio quality. For the price, you can't lose. Try em
I got a pair, the sound quality is well good.
thx monsieur capeli... nice reference
however, i hope you don't get me wrong but what I'm looking for are audiophile-grade headsets with built in mic, not just headphones.
for headphones, yes there are so many products
but headsets, I can say that they are quite rare.
actually, there are plenty i can buy at just a mere US$2 per piece, but they are by no means audiophile-grade...
My bad...misunderstood what you were saying.
You can try looking on Expansys (in whatever country you're in) for the
HTC W100 Wired Remote Control (assuming your using a compatible Dopod/HTC)
It includes a mic, buttons for controlling music and a 3.5mm plug. That way you can plug in your own audiophile grade headphones and still have a mic for hands free.
Another great pair of headphones (IEM-canal phones) on the cheap:
Crossroads MylarOne X3 from www.jaben.com. I've heard rave reviews and they're only $US57.
If want better isolation try them with the Ultimate Ears bi-flange tips, that can be found on idealsound on ebay (free shipping worldwide.)
Hope that helps.
Sorry the webiste for the MylarOne X3 is http://www.jaben.net/shopping.html
I have a set of Shure e2c's (inear), a set of Shure e3c's (inear) and also a set of Grado SR80's (over the head proper headphones)
The shures are the same as the i series ones but wiothout the mic..
All three are stunning headphones (the Grado's I cant reccomend enough for the cost - they are expensive but not stupidly so) however if you are only going to listen to your phone with them you might be dissapointed.. if you can pick them up cheap enough they do indeed sound better than the stock headphones (on my TyTN at least) but the sound quality from the phone isn't the best.
If you are gonna use them on other things too I can highly reccomend the Grado's and both the shure's although I actually prefer the e2c to the e3c's because of the shape of them.. they are more comfortable in my ears. (Sound quality wise both are very good)
(ah didnt read that you wanted headsets specifically.. i use all of these with a downlead that includes a mic as the tytn doesnt take 3.5mil jacks in any case so id always need a downlead)
hmmm.... well it seems wrong recommending any headset to u before asking wad genre u listen to......
cause some music require a headphone to have lots of bass well the others need more detail n a larger soundstage.
diff brands of headset produce diff signatures and r meant for different genres.... so its really best tt you try them... at ur local headphone dealer but in short
pple tt like shures dun usually like UE ( ultimate ear ) and Sennheiser..... the sound signature they produce r just very different....
Thanks all for the positive reply.
Anyway, just to share that I've even tried to mod my original headset by cutting off the old headphones, soldering a new female stereo minijack as replacement, and then connecting my audio technica headphones into the minijack.
However, the cable got pretty much longer and get tangled easily, I have to reroute it around my body parts everytime I use it Not to mention that the new minijack has added considerable weight that creates uncomfort feeling when hanging over my shirt. And even when I've been very careful in soldering and rewiring, I can "feel" a little sound degradation from the new setup.
That's why I'm so keen in looking for an audiophile stereo headset, built from scratch for that very purpose.
And regarding type of music, I dig everything from fusion, jazz, classic, heavy metal, etc. Hence, I do prefer natural sound. Whenever I need bass or treble I can manage in setting it through the equalizer.
I wonder if there's someone with same interest with me....
How about one of these:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Enhanced-Mini...4QQihZ006QQcategoryZ14419QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Allows you to use any standard 3.5" headphones you choose as it has a built-in microphone for voice calls.
How about impedance?
Anyone know what impedance the headphones should be for proper loading?
dont the earphones state their impedance ?
personaly i doubt that the DA converter in these htc phones are
graded audiophile quality though
Rudegar said:
dont the earphones state their impedance ?
personaly i doubt that the DA converter in these htc phones are
graded audiophile quality though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, many PDAs have excellent SQ: such as the Asus A620 series or the Dell x5xv series; and my hx4700 isnt bad either.
when i say audiophile i mean those superhumans who can
hear goldcables diff and can tell the diff between the last 1000
their stereo speakers cost more then the 2th best one
I think Padawan is asking on impedance rating specified in his PDA-Phone output,since on the other side one can easily find the impedance on his headphone. This is my curiousity also. Is there a DIY way to measure it? I mean, by using ohmmeter/multimeter or something?
Anyway, I also doubt that DA converter in HTC phones are audiophile grade. But yet, if we can avoid further degradation by using crappy headsets, why not? Since, many of us use our PDA phones as music player too right?
Anyway, to still keep the topics, this is the ramp up until now:
1. Shure i2c, i3c, i4c (starting US$79)
http://www.shure.com/PersonalAudio/P...eadset_content
2. Sennheiser MM50 (US$60)
http://www.sennheiserusa.com/newsite...transid=500745
3. V-Moda Vibe Duo (US$100)
http://www.v-moda.com/collection/mod...ibe duo.aspx
Anyone has tried any of these and be so kind to share your experience?
Relisted:
1. Shure i2c, i3c, i4c (now $129)
http://www.shure.com/PersonalAudio/Products/Headsets/ISeries/index.htm
2. Sennheiser MM50 (now $80)
http://www.sennheiserusa.com/newsite/productdetail.asp?transid=500745
3. V-Moda Vibe Duo (US$100)
http://www.v-moda.com/collection/modaphones/vibe duo.aspx
Shure i4c-t
I used the Shure i4c-t for over a year with my Tornado device. Single gold-plated 4-conductor 2.5 mm connector fits perfectly. Shure says the -t series is designed for the Treo, but the 2.5mm 4-conductor connector was fairly standard on HTC devices until the dreaded extUSB came out (dammit).
I am actually in the process of retrofitting the extUSB connector to my i4c-t headset. I'm trying to find the color-coding of the wires in the HTC headset before I cut into my i4c-t wire.
bubbahump said:
I used the Shure i4c-t for over a year with my Tornado device. Single gold-plated 4-conductor 2.5 mm connector fits perfectly. Shure says the -t series is designed for the Treo, but the 2.5mm 4-conductor connector was fairly standard on HTC devices until the dreaded extUSB came out (dammit).
I am actually in the process of retrofitting the extUSB connector to my i4c-t headset. I'm trying to find the color-coding of the wires in the HTC headset before I cut into my i4c-t wire.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How's the i4c-t sound quality to you on a 1-5 scale? Anyway, I wonder if you really want to mod a pricey $329 headset... :wow:
I agree that the new mini USB connectors is no less than a new headache for us headset owners. Maybe in future it will serve the universal purpose, but as for the transition period now... sux...
Anyway, the 4-pole 2.5-mm jack structure i learned so far are (on my ETEN M600):
(Be sure to check whether it applies to your device too)
= = = =[[[[[
1 2 3 4
1 : Microphone (white)
2 : Right Audio (green)
3 : Left Audio (red)
4 : Ground (yellow)
5 : Mic. Trigger On/Off (blue) -> connect to (4)
I'd give it a 5 if you're comparing it to other single-driver canalphones, and a 4 if you bring in the dual or triple-driver designs. I tried several before settling on the i4's. These have a perfect balance of bass and crystal clear highs and need no eq adjustment (good since our phones don't have it anyway). Tracks with bass play that bass down to the lowest frequencies, but it is not loud and does not overwhelm the music.
A dual-driver design might be able to play louder bass without distorting the highs (as good as they are, bass-heavy music turned up loud will cause the i4 to muddy up the highs). However, I wanted a single-driver design that would fit entirely in my ear and allow me to wear them while I slept. 90% of their use has been on airplanes, blocking out screaming babies while I doze.
I paid about half of the list price you quoted earlier. Still very expensive, but I feel it was entirely worth it given how much I enjoy listening to them and how much I used them. At the time, any other headset (other than the i2c-t or i3c-t, which I tried) would have required a bulky/ugly adapter and would have killed the microphone.
I just soldered on the extUSB connector. Took a lot of guts to cut the old one off, but I'm spoiled by these headphones and had nothing to plug them into. So now I'm back in business until they change the connectors again... http://www.intomobile.com/2007/05/27/picture-mini-vs-micro-usb.html
Did this thing not come with headphones? I don't have any in my box....
Every review on the web shows the same. This phone simply wasn't packaged with some...it's likely that you'll already have some anyways or you'll eventually get a better pair than they would have ever packaged.
You're probably right but I wanted to test out the FM Radio real quick and low and behold...
The no headphones is surprising, but with a retail cost of 450.00, you can't expect much. I would rather pay less and skip the headphones and mini hdmi cable than pay for them and not use them. I like the headphones I already own. Bundled headphones generally suck anyways. At least my iphone headphones suck that is.
i have these
i love these headphones
http://shop.v-moda.com/p-46-vibe-ii-w-mic.aspx
Also if you wana go alittle cheaper then the V-moda Vibe II, the V-moda Faze are extremly good too, thats what i ended up getting, they run about $49.99 and exellent sound quality and build!
I use super cheap OEM blackberry headphones I get off ebay for like $3 a pair. As far as comfort and sound quality go they seem way better than the other super cheap and kinda nice headphones I have
There's better IEM headphones than any of the V-Moda models for less $ or about the same price imo... MEElectronics M9P, Nuforce NE-7M, Maximo iP-HS5, etc. Head-Fi.org is a great resource for all things headphones. I just bought the MEElec M9P last week and I've been trying 'em out today, I got 'em for $22 w/S&H but I think they went back up in price to $35 (the others are around $50).
I think they're a noticeable step up in quality from the other mic-less IEMs I already had, Sennheiser CX300 and JVC HA-FX34 Marshmallows... Those two are fairly common at retail stores so if you've ever owned either of them you have a fairly good point of reference.
After reading a few threads at HF I ended up w/the MEElec because of the relative SQ to price, and the fact that they have one of the best cords of any IEMs under $100... Hardly any microphonics at all, virtually none if worn over the head (microphonics = cord noise when it bounces or rubs against stuff). It's got like two layers or something (one of them is translucent so it's obvious).
Pretty high quality stuff, nice hockey-stick shaped plug, nice metal casings, comes with 5 different sets of tips (regular single flanges in three sizes and dual-flange tips in two colors) and a bunch of other accessories including a nice hard case that's slimmer than most of those types of cases I've seen. Highly recommended, I like them a lot more than my Senn or JVC (and I paid like $50 for the Senns around 5 years ago, $20 for the JVC recently). I've not been able to test the mic yet since my EVO hasn't arrived and I didn't feel like doing it with the iPod touch's sound recorder or something.
DxTcmix said:
Also if you wana go alittle cheaper then the V-moda Vibe II, the V-moda Faze are extremly good too, thats what i ended up getting, they run about $49.99 and exellent sound quality and build!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does the V-Moda Faze have call answer functions?
EDIT***
I went ahead and bought the FAZE and wow, the sound is great and yes it works for answering/hanging up calls as well as playing music.
Anyone know/test normal apple ipod headphones? I have a pair and they're my usual set and I was wondering if any of the integrated controls (mic, volume up/down, push to pause etc.) work or if anyone knew.
Today I went down to mobilecityonline located in Canal street and purchased the Sony Ericsson MW600 bluetooth stereo headset for use with my EVO 4G.
At the moment it is charging [at least 8hrs], but I wanted to know if anyone it using this particular device?
Once I get it up and running, I will let you guys know how compatible it is with the EVO. Hopefully all the functions will work and I don't have to return it.
update 06/08/10
Well with alot of playing around and trying a few different audio apps, I got the MW600 to function the way I wanted, which saved me from returning it.
My main concern was being able to use the controls on the device, and I was only able to do so with an app called bTunes.
I had no luck with the stock Android music player nor with another App called
Audio Player WithEQ Platinum
Although those two did play via the bluetooth unit, I was not able to use none of the control functions.
With bTunes, I was able to play, pause, and use the forward and backward functions.
On a side note, the headphones that came with the MW600 are very short, but they sound very good. I ended up using my Klipsch Image S4i which I was using previously with my 3GS.
Hope this meets you all well.
Cheers !
dragothegreat said:
i love these headphones
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You better, at that price.
rockdrummersrock said:
Anyone know/test normal apple ipod headphones? I have a pair and they're my usual set and I was wondering if any of the integrated controls (mic, volume up/down, push to pause etc.) work or if anyone knew.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the iphone headset works
IceCreaMan said:
the iphone headset works
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
my iPhone headset works but the VOL +/- doesn't work
anyone have any experience with the inner ear apple headphones they cost 69.99$ i ordered a pair with my iPad(figured i could use em with all my gadgets)
The controls on the Ultimate Ears Superfi 5Vi's are able to pause/play music along with voice dial and answer/hang up
Those V-modo's look cool, but honestly for the price they lack key features:
1- IN-line volume control. not a digital one like iphone headsets, but a slider on it, like the OEM mogul shipped with.
2.- for that price, and especially since it is coated in so much metal, it should have an inline radiation deadener- nobody wants radiation from their phone being transmitted right into their eardrums, especially since the 3.5mm port on our evo's acts as the FM antenna --- that is just insulting
At least from my experience with this device....
You are better off with using bluetooth headphones that can do MP3 bluetooth decoding and using Meridian as the music player. The truth is that while the headphone out is decently clean, it has a relatively high output impedance and not much driving capability. You are much better off getting some headphones with imp between 32-60ohms and at least 97db efficiency and not getting something too nice to use direct.
There is also the issue of when this is hooked up with grounding loop noise if you hook up your headphones to the output. Why the engineers who would put together such a media centric device would not think of such simple things is beyond me, but the iPod does it too and it is a pure music player.
If you happen to use a headphone amplifier, then you can use what you want because the audio signal will likely be free of much ground noise and have a really nice spectrum to it (much better than even my line out was on my iPhone....though not better than my modded iPod Touch).
If someone wants to work on USB host audio drivers I would be elated, willing to help as well. I can even make a custom hardware I/O box for the Evo!
I bought the Bose in-ear ones from Best Buy. I'm going to return them though. The sound is not as vibrant and alive as from my stereo BT set (S9-HD)
robstunner said:
my iPhone headset works but the VOL +/- doesn't work
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is the volume using the iphone headset loud enough for you? I've tried it and it's too low and the people I'm trying to talk with sounds like they are fading in and out.
I'm thinking of returning since I can't even use it as a phone with the wired headset.
I am considering switching from the SGS2 to the X. The sound quality while listening to MP3's on the S2 was average at best even with tampering with all the settings etc.
What is the quality of the sound like on the X ? Anyone know what DAC is inside ? I have a set of Shure E535's and want to make best use of them. If the quality is the same as the SGS2 i think i will use the bit i have saved and buy a Cowan Z2 and keep the SGS2.
Thanks for any advice
I'm interested in this myself. I've already ordered the phone though, as I need a new one.
I'm hoping I finally can put away my mp3-player, but I guess it will still be some years until a phone reach Cowon sound quality. :--/
finduz said:
I'm interested in this myself. I've already ordered the phone though, as I need a new one.
I'm hoping I finally can put away my mp3-player, but I guess it will still be some years until a phone reach Cowon sound quality. :--/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The original Samsung Galaxy S and any other device with a Wolfson DAC came close, with Supercurios Voodoo app. Best sound on a mobile device! But SamsUng dropped the Wolfson for a Yahama DAC on the SGS2! Wonder what DAC the HOX has!
i'm no mod, but i already made a thread about this.
---------- Post added at 12:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:58 AM ----------
finduz said:
I'm interested in this myself. I've already ordered the phone though, as I need a new one.
I'm hoping I finally can put away my mp3-player, but I guess it will still be some years until a phone reach Cowon sound quality. :--/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i don't think a phone is ever going to include good audio. the amount of people that actually use expensive headphones and lossless files are too small for the companies to care. i sold my Cowon D3 because they messed up trying to use Android 2.2 with insufficient hardware. i'm looking at the S9, J3, or X7 now. i'll use the beats audio eq bs until i have the spare 250-280.
brent8577 said:
i'm no mod, but i already made a thread about this.
---------- Post added at 12:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:58 AM ----------
i don't think a phone is ever going to include good audio
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My good ol' Sony Ericsson w950 had a fantastic sound quality!
As a user of an iPhone with high end multidriver in ear monitors (Westone UM3x and Shure SE420) sound quality ranks very high in my list.
Thus i would appreciate if some owner of multidriver iems could chime in with an opinion on the headphone out sound quality. With all effects turned off. If the audio hardware is any good (low output impedance, low distorsion and low crosstalk) the sound should be very good (Just as it is off the iPhone headphone out) and no need of audio tweaking would be necessary.
elfary said:
As a user of an iPhone with high end multidriver in ear monitors (Westone UM3x and Shure SE420) sound quality ranks very high in my list.
Thus i would appreciate if some owner of multidriver iems could chime in with an opinion on the headphone out sound quality. With all effects turned off. If the audio hardware is any good (low output impedance, low distorsion and low crosstalk) the sound should be very good (Just as it is off the iPhone headphone out) and no need of audio tweaking would be necessary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On every iPhone/iPod I've tried since their inception the DAC hasn't been the talking point, and flaked out when the eq is modified, even with a decent pair (sennys/shures) of 'phones.
I think buying a phone to replace a (good/non-ipod) portable player is a bad idea.
It's also entirely subjective; you could have a Cowon S9 and top-end in-ear sound-cancelling headphones, but if you're listening to 192kbps CBR mp3s you may as well be using your phone and a pair of £20 Porta-Pros - in most situations the source is the bottleneck, then the headphones, then the DAC. (IMO, of course)
qpop said:
On every iPhone/iPod I've tried since their inception the DAC hasn't been the talking point, and flaked out when the eq is modified, even with a decent pair (sennys/shures) of 'phones.
I think buying a phone to replace a (good/non-ipod) portable player is a bad idea.
It's also entirely subjective; you could have a Cowon S9 and top-end in-ear sound-cancelling headphones, but if you're listening to 192kbps CBR mp3s you may as well be using your phone and a pair of £20 Porta-Pros - in most situations the source is the bottleneck, then the headphones, then the DAC. (IMO, of course)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just asked for an opinion from a high end iem user about the HTC One X headphone out. Honestly I don't need your view on portable audio. But thanks for enlightening me.
Parameters like the impedance output impedance are nothing but subjective. iPhones output impedance is lower than 2 so they will always get a linear signal to your multidriver iem where a high z source like the galaxy S2 will get a pretty skewed signal that will ruin the frequency response of the iems.
Sound and electricty are sciences even if some people find it hard to believe and prefer esoteric approaches to the matter (That's specially true amongst Cowon fans
elfary said:
As a user of an iPhone with high end multidriver in ear monitors (Westone UM3x and Shure SE420) sound quality ranks very high in my list.
Thus i would appreciate if some owner of multidriver iems could chime in with an opinion on the headphone out sound quality. With all effects turned off. If the audio hardware is any good (low output impedance, low distorsion and low crosstalk) the sound should be very good (Just as it is off the iPhone headphone out) and no need of audio tweaking would be necessary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is way more to those 3 factors for sound quality, plenty of things have those but don't sound good.
Anyways for most multidriver IEMs to make the most out of the IEM you will want some sort of amperage, even my Cowon C2 isn't powerful enough to make some IEMs shine (power doesn't always need to equal volume, but power to drive with authority)
My Soundaudio Rocco-P however, at the same volume, blows the Cowon out of the water, and there was a time you could of gotten it only for $1 + shipping on head-fi
But the SGS > SGS2 that is IMO but neither hold a candle to the C2 or the Rocco.
To the OP the cowon is a fine DAC but if you just need music playback (and if you need FLAC) there might be better options in your budget
I'm still looking for portable setup that doesn't involve carrying a brick around that will power my modded Fostex T50RP
---------- Post added at 03:45 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:39 AM ----------
qpop said:
On every iPhone/iPod I've tried since their inception the DAC hasn't been the talking point, and flaked out when the eq is modified, even with a decent pair (sennys/shures) of 'phones.
I think buying a phone to replace a (good/non-ipod) portable player is a bad idea.
It's also entirely subjective; you could have a Cowon S9 and top-end in-ear sound-cancelling headphones, but if you're listening to 192kbps CBR mp3s you may as well be using your phone and a pair of £20 Porta-Pros - in most situations the source is the bottleneck, then the headphones, then the DAC. (IMO, of course)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all, many ipods and the iphones sound great, their EQ sucks but their SQ is quite good, really good if you pass the headphone out, and use the line out into an amp via a LOD.
They are not the end all of players though.
Porta pros are amazing IMO, they are one of my fav headphones under $100
Any update on DAC? Audio Quality?
Personally waiting for GSM Arena to do their audio test. Below from The Verge's review:
AUDIO
Audio quality on the One X is superb across the board. The earpiece offers clear, loud calls, and the rear-mounted loudspeaker does as well — for whatever reason, HTC's managed to make this placement of the loudspeaker work far better than Samsung did with the Galaxy Nexus, which produces exceptionally quiet, easy-to-muffle sound. Callers reported that I was easy to hear even in significant background noise and wind, a good sign that this phone's dual-mic noise canceling system is really well tuned.
The 3.5mm headphone jack outputs clean, noise-free music — clean enough that I was easily able to pick out the depressingly low bitrate of Rdio's tracks. Of course, the One X carries the Beats Audio branding, as most HTC devices are now expected to (HTC owns 51 percent of Beats, after all). I find it ironic that the One series' tagline is "Amazing Camera, Authentic Sound" when Beats' audio processing is anything but authentic — in fact, if anything, it intentionally diverges from the artist's intentions. Every time I hear music with Beats enabled, it just sounds like bass boost to me, which is a trick we've seen in various forms in portable audio products for at least 30 years.
I'm not saying some users don't appreciate Beats — it definitely makes music more "exciting" sounding — but if you're looking for "authentic" music reproduction, Beats definitely isn't the answer. Personally, I'll be leaving it turned off. And fortunately, it's easily toggled either from Settings or from the notification tray while music is playing. It should also be noted that Sense 4.0 (and Sense 3.6 as found on HTC's Android 4.0 upgrades for older devices) makes Beats processing compatible with any audio app, which is a big improvement; previously, it only worked with HTC's baked-in apps.
Now that a few people are receiving their One X's can anyone answer my question please
Daemos said:
To the OP the cowon is a fine DAC but if you just need music playback (and if you need FLAC) there might be better options in your budget
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah its just music playback i want if i have to get another device. What do you think of the Cowon J3 ??
I agree nikzDHD about waiting for the GSM Arena review. I read the Verge review earlier and it sounds good though i would prefer a more detailed review on the subject.
darrenjdoc said:
Now that a few people are receiving their One X's can anyone answer my question pleaseYeah its just music playback i want if i have to get another device. What do you think of the Cowon J3 ??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly, I wouldn't trust the verge's gsmarena's or most other techsite's for their "audio quality" reviews.
just FYI. having fancy bar charts, graphs etc isn't the end all, having someone be able to compare it to another device, with tons of experience, using high end audio gear is MUCH more important.
Unfortunately phones usually don't get tested in audiophile type things and you are better at looking at audiophile forums and seeing if experienced members have used them.
I'm just saying for SQ, cowon isn't the best there is, but their EQ system is one of the best, but EQ can't replace energy, soundstage, or detail reproduction, all it does is emphasize certain regions of the sound changing the "sound signature" like I said my RoCoo P is superior to the Cowon but is far cheaper, but the UI sucks, and it's missing features, but I use it almost every day when I need to walk somewhere.
I suggest reading here: http://www.head-fi.org/f/15/portable-source-gear then after reading through there potentially asking your question there, but please do list your headphones, source type, type of music, and if you *need* eq or not.
It all depends on your budget and how large of a device you want to carry. I can recommend things like the ibasso DX100 or hifiman HM-801 which are basically almost as good as you can get in a portable audio player, but they cost more than a new phone, and they are very bulky.
um.. no disrespect/no intended banter to the above poster
but we simply just want to find out if the audio quality is sufficient for use of mp3s
in comparison to say the S2, which everyone knows has disappointing sound quality . Yes we all know the S1 had a good DAC etc, this thread is more so about the phones sound quality and not about how much of an audiophile we are etc.
I need to know as if it's good enough, I don't have to bring my Cowon J3 with me everyday to work as well : )
darrenjdoc said:
Now that a few people are receiving their One X's can anyone answer my question pleaseYeah its just music playback i want if i have to get another device. What do you think of the Cowon J3 ??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't recommend the sansa clip enough. Cheap, good battery, flac support and even better with a portable amp! One of the best sounding players I've had.
thanhson87 said:
um.. no disrespect/no intended banter to the above poster
but we simply just want to find out if the audio quality is sufficient for use of mp3s
in comparison to say the S2, which everyone knows has disappointing sound quality . Yes we all know the S1 had a good DAC etc, this thread is more so about the phones sound quality and not about how much of an audiophile we are etc.
I need to know as if it's good enough, I don't have to bring my Cowon J3 with me everyday to work as well : )
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What is "sufficient"? What is "good enough"? It varies for different people.
If you want to know if it plays music, yes it'll play mp3s. If it's good enough to you or not, I can't say.
I can tell you this, in terms of SQ I'd rank what I've used as this SGS2 << SGS1 < rockboxed Sansa Clip/fuse (first gen) < Rockboxed earlier ipod < Cowon players < RoCoo P
This is of course FLAC, if we add mp3 playback I'd say the iphone/ipod touch fits in better than the SGS1 but can = sansa clip/fuse
These are also only what I'd consider portable DAPs.
The OP wanted to know if they should keep the SGS2 and get a J3 or get a one X instead and was focused on audio quality.
I just happened to say I think he could get better than the J3 for better SQ for the money. I'm just trying to help the OP.
Most people just want to carry one device, I've also got a rockboxed Sansa Clip its small enough to take anywhere and sound quality is very good. Again to OP Sansa Clip is the cheapest way of getting some good sound but good sound is only good if you pair it up with a good set of headphones to take advantage of it.
If only Supercurio lived in the UK I would of let him borrow my phone his analysis is very good.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
I have a Sansa clip+ lying in a box that i haven't used in a long time and just rockboxed it. Teamed with my Shure E535's and a few flac albums this little guy sounds heads and shoulders above my SGS2. Actually shocked how such a small player can sound so good. Going to get a portable amp and this will save me a few quids. Many thanks for the replies
nice! Yeah a rockboxed clip+ is definately the way to go for small awesome sound. They are also basically impossible to beat at the price you can get a clip+ and fuze for
if you want my help, let me know how much you want to spend on an amp and i'll point you in the right direction
But basically in terms of portable (and affordable amps) ibasso, jds labs and fiio (if you get their higher end stuff)
Good luck with your search, hopefully you can find a good amp that pairs well with the 535's
I am very tempted by a pair of Brookstone Dual Drive Earbuds - but it would be very relevant if the volume control also works OK with Samsung Galaxy S3 GT-i9300 ?! Does anybody have one or tested one??
I have them. I just tried it for you - and the one button does work for pausing and controlling music at least using the stock audio player. Compatibility will depend on the app, but in general the control button does work. Be aware that they're bass heavy earphones, the mids and treble suffer by comparison.
That said - I'd rather recommend the Sony MH1C earphones that are causing a stir on head-phi. You can now get them for $30 or so on Amazon or EBAY, the OEM version usually packaged with phones. That said - I bought them at $20 before the demand went nuts.
That said - they're worth every penny for audiophiles. The clarity is amazing for the price, and I own some expensive headphones. But also - I haven't used the remote on the MH1C with my S3, though I'm pretty sure it will work. I just don't have those headphones here at work, and won't have access to them until tomorrow.
In short - the Brookstone DDMS work with the S3, but for the money I'd far rather recommend the Sony MH1C instead - even if the remote didn't work.
I am confused ...
P0ll0L0c0 said:
I have them. I just tried it for you - and the one button does work for pausing and controlling music at least using the stock audio player. Compatibility will depend on the app, but in general the control button does work. Be aware that they're bass heavy earphones, the mids and treble suffer by comparison.
...
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I am a little confused - the Brookstone Dual Drive Earbuds that I had in mind - http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41thmw4bv+L._SL500_.jpg - clearly have 3 buttons and two of them are supposed to alter volume on an iPhone
P0ll0L0c0 said:
...
That said - I'd rather recommend the Sony MH1C earphones that are causing a stir on head-phi. You can now get them for $30 or so on Amazon or EBAY, the OEM version usually packaged with phones. That said - I bought them at $20 before the demand went nuts.
...
In short - the Brookstone DDMS work with the S3, but for the money I'd far rather recommend the Sony MH1C instead - even if the remote didn't work.
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I was never very impressed with Sony earbuds (but I was with some high-end Sony headphones, the price was however not competitive), but I never tried the MH1C - I might try to test it first somehow but I doubt I will buy if all the controls do not work on the S3 - I already have some very good (older) Panasonic stuff for just listening (clearly superior to the stock stuff coming with S3), what I was interested was something dual-drive that could completely replace the full original Samsung functionality ...
One option that remains in theory is to get another S3 original replacements (not so expensive - about 3-4 EUR but so far I could only find white) and the Brookstone Dual Drive Earbud and then cut the cables above the controls and restore with some professional soldering ...
Doh, sorry. About the same time as the Brookstone IEM's came out, Able Planet came out with dual dynamic driver IEM's. I bought the Able Planet IEM's when they went on clearance, and confused the two. But the reviews for audio quality are very similar. They are very bass oriented. Here's a series of opinions on the Able Planet IEM's from Head-fi:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/605919/able-planet-dual-dynamic-driver-iems-impressions-thread/30
The Able Planets only have one button for pausing and playing music. The Sony MH1C have the same three buttons as the Brookstones I believe. I'll test the controls tonight.
I'd never been impressed with Sony IEM's before either. But I saw the hype on these start to grow at head-fi, and took a dive when the OEM (no retail packaging, in a ziplock bag) versions went on sale for $20. I bought head-direct Re0's for $80 a couple years ago, and the MH1C's sound better overall. I bought Triple Fi TF10's (3 balanced armatures) for $100 a few years ago, and these sound better overall as well. I have quad driver custom earphones, and these get me about 80% of the way to that sound. I'm really surprised at the clarity across lows to highs. I'm not fond of the flat cables however.
In short - I'll try the remote buttons tonight with the S3, and I'm pretty confident you'll prefer the sound of the MH1C earphones to the Brookstone Dual Drivers. Unless you are a bass-head, in which case all bets are off.
I tested my Sony MH1C's with the stock music player - and they worked absolutely great, no problems whatsoever. The 3 main buttons worked to change the volume up and down, as well as pause/play music. There's a 4th button that enabled an app on Sony phones - and I couldn't figure out how to make it do anything. Someone mentioned an app that can make it useful - but I didn't try too hard. The sound quality was pretty great, and even though these like more power (from an amp) - the volume would go high enough to hurt my ears on the S3.
In short - I'd recommend these for use on the Galaxy S3 without reservation. This was the link I'd bought from:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008CCSD7K/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00
It looks like they're out of stock, but EBAY had the OEM (non-retail packaging) for $26.
If you end up going with the Brookstones, please report back how it went.
I was lucky and got an HTC 10 with high res earbuds but now my other headphones suck except the beyerdynamic DT 770 pro but they are not for everyday use
What do you guys use?
Btw. Are the Apple Earpods working for you? Mine are not recognized by the phone...
there really isn't a specific recommendation.... it's totally dependant on your tastes...
I will buy your hi res headphones from you
Hehe I don't sell them
I have beats Tour and beats power and they sound aweful.
My beloved earpods are not recognized by my phone, sadly.
Maybe they are too old.
I also tested some Philips and they were aweful too.
I need some recommendations
I bought 1more dual driver and im really satisfy
Enviado do meu HTC 10 através de Tapatalk
I'm using ultimate ears triple fi 10 with headphone amplifier. Works great, but i have to put off boom sound software feature to get full range music. The bass boost with boom sound is just rubbish and kills the mids completly. So i dont really use 10's special music features unless the enhanced powered headphone jack. Besides that every 820 device should sound the same as they are using the same DAC.
xperia x root said:
... every 820 device should sound the same as they are using the same DAC.
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HTC claimed they worked with Qualcomm to optimise the output circuitry to work with the DAC so it would be better than other implementations. I don't know how much difference it made...
What type of earphones are you looking for? In ear, on ear, over ear?
Sent from my HTC 10 using XDA-Developers mobile app
No in ears
Something like https://www.amazon.de/gp/aw/d/B0080..._SR100,100_&psc=1&refRID=WSNP2ASJPR562DCAQCKY
Or.
https://www.amazon.de/gp/aw/d/B014W...bo+play+h7&dpPl=1&dpID=419IfVJf+sL&ref=plSrch
I've been very satisfied with the RHA Ma750s. If you like cheaper earpods I've tried Samsung's ear pods that are included w/ the gs6 which sound pretty good.
I've also found on bass heavy sets (in my case Bose IE2s, in your case beats tour) it helps to create an audio profile and set the first 2 frequencies to minimum, set mid to 3-4, and set the two high freqs to 9-10. This helps with the lack of treble response on bass heavy earbuds.
I recommend checking out head-fi forums for some advice, but for ear buds, I love my AKG K318s. They are open back ear buds and the have pretty fantastic clarity and openness to them for being ear buds. They are great in the mids to highs, but bass response isn't that great - depends on your music tastes. They are perfect for rock/classical/vocals stuff like that. For bassier stuff, I use a pair of V-Moda BassFreq but I dont believe either of these are made anymore. I use mostly Sennheiser Momentum over-ear and on-ears at work, and Philips SHP9500/Grado SR80 at home.
I use klipsch x12i in ears.
They're pricey but well worth it.
Came from klipsch x10i and x11i.
Once you've had a pair, you're hooked.
They sound amazing...
The HTC 10 is a great audio device but it certainly doesn't sound the same as any other mobile device using the Qualcomm 820 SoC....
https://www.qualcomm.com/news/snapdragon/2016/06/02/qualcomm-aqstic-sets-new-standard-audiophiles
Audiotechnica ATH-M50 headphones for the win!
I use the headphones at work and there is a SIGNIFICANT sound quality difference from when I plug it into my PC vs my HTC 10. The 10 adds another dimension to the music and makes it sounds more... vibrant?
chetly968 said:
The HTC 10 is a great audio device but it certainly doesn't sound the same as any other mobile device using the Qualcomm 820 SoC....
https://www.qualcomm.com/news/snapdragon/2016/06/02/qualcomm-aqstic-sets-new-standard-audiophiles
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Not quite my friend...
Taken from:
http://www.androidcentral.com/htc-10-audio-testing-boomsound-evolved
"Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 does a lot of things right, but clear audio isn't one of those things. Something in the digital to analog converter circuit introduces an extreme amount of noise and crosstalk into the analog output, and phones like the U.S. Galaxy S7 and LG G5 sound pretty poor because of this. After doing some testing, I was presented with results that just didn't make sense from the HTC 10 — it was better than it should be, even with extra work and attention to the analog circuit that brings signal from the DAC output to the headphone jack. You can only do so much magic to a bad signal. I asked HTC how they did it, and found out that some assumptions about the HTC 10 audio hardware that the internet (and myself) has are incorrect. The HTC 10 uses a stand-alone DAC as well as headphone amp and isn't using the Snapdragon 820 DAC. This is pretty important, and why the HTC 10 sounds as good as it does.
We use a discrete DAC (not one on the SoC) in addition to the amp and have done a ton of PCB engineering to insure the best possible signal-to-noise ratio. Credit to HTC engineering, not off-the-shelf components.
So much for relying on the internet. That's a mistake I won't make again.
Needless to say, the results of my benchmark testing with the HTC 10 are pretty damn outstanding."
The discrete DAC is the Qualcomm Aqstic and it sounds awesome, the best I've ever heard in a phone.
https://www.qualcomm.com/news/snapdragon/2016/06/02/qualcomm-aqstic-sets-new-standard-audiophiles
Xiaomi Piston 3's sound AMAZING for the price, which is around $12, but for best SQ you need to be careful to avoid fakes, replace the tips (included tips are rubbish), and burn them in for ~50 hrs.
I currently use the Audio-Technica ATH-CKR10 and it sounds amazing for my type of music (edm, trance, vocal trance) although they are quite expensive at around 200 your best bet is to get them from amazon and make sure its fulfilled by amazon, for some reason the other listings are always 300-600 bucks....
Ordered some Sony bluetooth over the ear headphones on Amazon prime day, work great. They were 50% off
Sent from my 2PS64 using XDA-Developers mobile app
whatthefunk said:
The discrete DAC is the Qualcomm Aqstic and it sounds awesome, the best I've ever heard in a phone.
https://www.qualcomm.com/news/snapdragon/2016/06/02/qualcomm-aqstic-sets-new-standard-audiophiles
Xiaomi Piston 3's sound AMAZING for the price, which is around $12, but for best SQ you need to be careful to avoid fakes, replace the tips (included tips are rubbish), and burn them in for ~50 hrs.
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Would you mind sharing a link of a legit seller for the Xiaomi earbuds? I tried purchasing a set last summer but got burned by eBay seller and received a knock off. One of the earbuds volume was significantly lower (almost nonexistent) than the other earbud. Would like to try out some quality hi-res earbuds, my 2013 Beats Tours are pretty disappointing in both the sound department, as well as them constantly falling out of my ears.
But as far as Headphones go, My Beats Studio 2.0's sound amazing when I Calibrate the sound profile to them. The Dolby effects "Studio" setting really helps separate the sound stage nicely. So nice, it's allowed me to fight off the itch to mess around with V4A and all the other sound mods I have run in the past, and a much nicer richer listening experience as well.
Sent from my HTC 10 using Tapatalk
For bang for the bucks, try VSONIC GR07, despite the lame plastic chassis, it really does sound like a ~200-dollar-headphone. I like it more than my UE triple.fi, even UE900, sound-wise.
So i'm using the "Bose Soundsport" while in gym, on the bike or just walking outside. Although i'm not a big fan of Bose products i can highly recommend these because they are so damn comfortable as they are between real In-Ears and EarPods and sound excellent for their size. (way better than the High Res HTC In-Ears)
At home or while working i take my "Bowers & Wilkins P7", which were brought on a new level when i switched from HTC M7 to HTC 10!
But in the end it depends on what sound you like and the quality you use...for me it was always hard to find good headphones as i hear very different genres like Hiphop, Rock, Punk-Rock, House, Jazz etc.