the Interceptor's general AUDIO thread

I am definetly looking at second hand, I was on head-fi and found some ms1i's that sold and would've loved to jump on them. As for on the go, I am not looking to spend anymore money there, I currently have V-moda vibes and their are currently the best headphones/earphones in the house and I can live with them for use with my iPod, protability with the new ones is not required at all and would just be a slight bonus feature.

About the Zero you are talking about, how does it work with the computer, I know there is optical and coax, but my computer only has optical, but wouldn't that be using the onboard card instead of just the amp?

With the higher budget (I am logging a bunch of hours the next few weeks and also hope to get a better job) what phones do you suggest around 300$ (I'd almost like that a max, but can give some leway).
 
Well, optical is definitely a better option than via the 3.5mm output on the soundcard.

I hooked up my Zero to my computer via the bundled USB to optical converter.

Can you do DIY? If you can, I suggest building the CTH hybrid amp. I plan on building one once I finish my exams next Monday.

For around $300, Sennheiser HD650 or Ultrasone Pro 900 should be easily within your reach. The HD650 is a classic, and its my next favorite phone after the Pro 900.

Alternatively, you could climb the Grado ladder and snap up any of the higher-end models. I'm going to suggest the Grado HF-2 as a possible purchase.

You'd probably want to spend as much as possible on the headphones first as they will give you the biggest jump in performance. The amp is a secondary consideration, and something like the Zero should serve you well as an entry-level amp. I have a Pimeta as well as the Zero, and they both wern't expensive amps but give a very nice boost to performance.

Just remember that you can always trade away the headphones for something else if you don't like them. Nothing beats giving equipment a test run to see whether you truly like them or not. I do this via the head-fi trading section all the time, and thus I've had the chance to own many different headphones.
 
Last edited:
I was looking for what you meantioned on the Head-fi BST section, and actually found non of those. The Grados sell for $425 new, which is too much. I found the HD650's on Amazon for 269.99, are those way better than the K701s?

Also do you know any other places to buy used from?
 
NAIDANAC A said:
I was looking for what you meantioned on the Head-fi BST section, and actually found non of those. The Grados sell for $425 new, which is too much. I found the HD650's on Amazon for 269.99, are those way better than the K701s?
Click to expand...
Not really. They're different animals. The K701 emphasizes voices more and thus sounds nicely direct when listening to vocals, yet can be a bit thin with different music. The HD650 (which I personally love) is more on the neutral side of things, if a bit dark. That however makes it very meaty and pure fun to be listened to at high volumes. Also, the bass is absolutely excellent: very deep, supertight and always right on the spot. In terms of details, these don't give each other much.
 
Bloody hell...I have been looking at posts on Headfi and people who talk about rock all say GRADO GRADO GRADO. Lots say the 225 is a good pair.

I found a used set of Alessandro MS2i for $240 and SR-225 for $160. On the forums people there are saying that Grados and Pink Floyd sound amazing together, and considering how much I love that band...

Also, as I think I am almost completely swayed towards Grados or MS' which amp would you suggest for those, or just the ones you already posted? Specifically the ZERO? I also heard decent things about the iBasso BOA, and once again am torn.
 
Its hard to compare the Zero and the Boa since one is a portable unit where as one is a desktop unit. I think the Zero is much better than the iBasso, but then it would be since it has a lot more juice.

I think if you only listened to rock, the Grado would be the choice, but if you listen to other genres as well then the HD650 is the way to go. Also, I find Grados can be too bright and painful to listen to after half an hour.
 
Grados are on the bright side. They provide an in-your-face-sound which is amazingly lively and involving. On the other hand, the wrong music and high volumes can be a bit too much in-your-face at times. A Sennheiser or an AKG is boring in direct comparison, but the much neater companion in the long run. Especially the HD650 enables listening to high volumes for long periods without problems. It needs amplification though, but it looks like you're going to get that anyway.

If you go Grado, try the larger ear pads. I listened to the GS1000 (a stunning pair of cans, but smoother in sound than most of the other Grados) for a period of time, which has the large ear pads as opposed to the smaller pads of the lower models. The large ones are a huge improvement in terms of comfort. As far as I know, the pads are interchangeable and available individually.

EDIT: http://www.headphone.com/guide/by-manufacturer/grado/grado-earpads-gs-1000-cushions-pair.php
 
Last edited:
^What he said. Bowl pads or Sennheiser HD414 pads really bring out the sound on Grados.
 
So I have spent the last few weeks in South Korea doing a small musical... Thought I would share some pics/specs in case someone is interested.

Lets start with a shot from the back of the venue, stalls level.

IMG_4401.jpg


Looking back the other way.

IMG_4422.jpg


Now for a room this size we speced:

24x Adamson Y-10 (12 per side)
4x Meyer 700HP
Inhouse EAW Centre cluster (unsure of exact specs)
2x Meyer UPJ-1P for infill
5x Turbo Sound Impact 50's for front fill/FX
2x Meyer UPA-1P's for side fill
2x Meyer UP1-J's for Over Head fill

some pics of the "little" buggers

rigging...
DSC00768-2.jpg


Korean crew fitting the last box
DSC00769-2.jpg


from the front
DSC00770-2.jpg


from memory its 2x 10" + 6" + 2" compression driver per unit.

Pics of it up in the air:

IMG_4430.jpg


IMG_4432.jpg



Now all of this was powered/controlled by:
12x Lab Gruppen Fp4300's (iirc)
2x Dolby Lake Contours
1x Meyer Galileo 616
1x Apple Macbook pro (software interfaces)


Out front:
IMG_4764.jpg


Yamaha M7CL 48

2x tascam players
1x tascam CD-R
1x XTA 32 band
Script holder
Wifi internal network for remote control of desk and system controllers
System tech... for when I CBF doing something., or something broke.


I think thats all, happy to give more photos info if anyone cares to ask for it.

Edit: And lets not forget those super sexy DT770's getting all the power they need :D
 
Last edited:
Any 600? 5.1home theater setup does not sound anything close to a bose 5.1 system.
Why do hifi people hate bose so much?
 
-Cpt. J.- said:
Any 600? 5.1home theater setup does not sound anything close to a bose 5.1 system.
Why do hifi people hate bose so much?
Click to expand...
I hate Bose for convincing the average buyer that you can get real sound out of some tiny cubes and a subwoofer with questionable construction. I respect them for their highly technical approach, but in real life, physics doesn't leave much of that. Also, I don't know which 5.1 Bose system you can get for 600 Euros.

Have you ever asked yourself why the Bose surround setups always are a lonely isle somewhere in an electronics store, far away from the room with other 5.1 setups? Simple. Cause if you would compare it to other systems, you would notice it's not as good. Of course, a small surround sound setup will sound impressive for itself, especially regarding that the speakers are so tiny. But against proper speakers, the Bose stuff doesn't stand a chance.
 
Last edited:
I think I'm going to get laughed at this, but, how is the Logitech X530?

Are they any alternatives? My budget is around $100. At that price, would getting a 2.1 be better than a 5.1?
 
zephyrus17 said:
I think I'm going to get laughed at this, but, how is the Logitech X530?

Are they any alternatives? My budget is around $100. At that price, would getting a 2.1 be better than a 5.1?
Click to expand...
The X530 is not the worst choice for the money, current systems won't be better at least. Whether you need 5.1 or 2.1 depends on what you want to do with it. If you just need good sound for your computer, 2.1 is sufficient. Only if you need to have surround sound to watch movies or play games, you should get 5.1. You need to remember though that you have to be able to put up all 5 speakers properly in order to have a proper surround effect.
 
the Interceptor said:
The X530 is not the worst choice for the money, current systems won't be better at least. Whether you need 5.1 or 2.1 depends on what you want to do with it. If you just need good sound for your computer, 2.1 is sufficient. Only if you need to have surround sound to watch movies or play games, you should get 5.1. You need to remember though that you have to be able to put up all 5 speakers properly in order to have a proper surround effect.
Click to expand...
I do watch movies and play games from my X360. So the 5.1 would sound nice in Halo 3 :D

Well, I've attached the list of the speakers from MSY (the highlighting isn't done by me). It's probably the shop with the cheapest PC stuff. Any items there that are good picks? Sadly, the prices can't compare to those in US

There's another shop with ones not sold in MSY:
Altec Lensing 151i, Altec Lensing VS4121, Logitech V20, Logitech X-540

Those including the attached jpeg are the speakers i'm considering
 

Attachments

  • Speakers.JPG
    Speakers.JPG
    81.9 KB · Views: 93
zephyrus17 said:
I do watch movies and play games from my X360. So the 5.1 would sound nice in Halo 3 :D

Well, I've attached the list of the speakers from MSY (the highlighting isn't done by me). It's probably the shop with the cheapest PC stuff. Any items there that are good picks? Sadly, the prices can't compare to those in US

There's another shop with ones not sold in MSY:
Altec Lensing 151i, Altec Lensing VS4121, Logitech V20, Logitech X-540

Those including the attached jpeg are the speakers i'm considering
Click to expand...
From those offers, the X-530 still is your best choice. Note though that you can't connect your XBOX 360 directly to the speaker set: the X-530 needs an already decoded (= split into the 5.1 channels) signal, which the XBOX doesn't provide. Seems like there is an adaptor available to connect a console to the speakers, but as it seems, that only provides stereo sound.
 
But I can just connect that to the tv. A guy on another forum said that "make sure you have a headphone jack (green), mic in jack (orange), and speaker out jack (mine's black, could be any color as long as there is a third jack)"

But I only have an orange and green. And he says that "With a 2-channel sound card you will not hear sound from the rear speakers unless you activate Matrix mode.

So basically you should be good if you decided to get this system. The matrix mode on this model makes it possible for a 2-channel sound card to create a 5.1 sound."

Is it "true" 5.1 or emulated?
 
Basically you need a device of some sort that offers a decoded 5.1 signal through six individual channels. PC soundcards provide this through three stereo headphone jacks, each one carrying two channels. Just having these jacks somewhere doesn't mean that they're of any use to you. What you can do is simply feed the speaker system with only the stereo signal of the line out jack. That basically is the same as the cinch stereo output on a console or a tv set. Through the appropriate adaptor, you can easily feed that signal into the amplifier of the X-530.

Where the matrix mode comes from I'm not sure, but it's not real 5.1, rather than an analogue upmix from the stereo signal. Technically that's okay since the times of Dolby Pro Logic, but true 5.1 still is better. And the XBOX 360 produces digital surround. What you need is either a decoder that breaks up the digital signal into 6 discrete channels or a different speaker system that has a digital input and thus splits up the channels internally.
 
hmmm That's quite tedious. Sadly, I can't change my sound card since i'm using a Thinkpad T61p laptop

Are you saying that essentially, with the line out and the mic in, I can only have 4 'true' channels and the other two are simulated?

The thing is, I'm trying to connect the speakers to both my TV and my laptop at the same time. So when I use my laptop the speakers are used; and when I use my X360, the sound comes from the tv (which has a line out and a mic in). I'll be needing an audio splitter for that, I guess.

If that X360 audio decoder only provides 2 channels, then I might as well keep to my plan of plugging to my tv
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top