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2008-01-22
, 22:48
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Posts: 66 |
Thanked: 7 times |
Joined on Jan 2008
@ Madison, WI
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#42
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Lack of an EQ is a SEVERE shortcoming!
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2008-01-22
, 23:05
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Posts: 168 |
Thanked: 51 times |
Joined on Jun 2007
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#43
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Originally Posted by zeleftikam
Not necessarily. My iPod doesn't have an equalizer in it, just a bunch of silly presets. Granted, I do like having an equalizer. The one in my Walkman does a good job of getting the sound I really prefer.
Lack of an EQ is a SEVERE shortcoming!
When using the equalizer in the Walkman to increase bass, the final sound is very good. When using the iPod's bass boosting preset, the sound in muddy. That is, whenever a vocal occurs at the same time as a strong drumbeat you can hear the distortion. This does not occur on the Sony.
So it is not simply a matter of having an equalizer (which I do desire) but also having one that does not corrupt the music you are listening to, forcing you to turn it off.
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2008-01-22
, 23:17
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Posts: 214 |
Thanked: 30 times |
Joined on Jan 2008
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#44
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Originally Posted by ascherjim
The major problem with the n800 is that it does not have an analog line out. Hooking up an amplifier doesn't really help anything because you are just making the crap(from the POV of an audiophile, not when compared to most other players on the market) amplifier built in sound louder. The ipod can get an analog line out by using a special dock connector. But even there it isn't perfect. The n800 has the POTENTIAL to be amazing sounding because while it lacks an analog line out, it does have a digital "line out" in the form of a USB port.
Here is a two-year-old link that I think has something useful to say about this matter. http://www.slate.com/id/2113059/
The author recommends, among other things, use of a headphone amplifier. He praises the Headroom amps. Their Total Airhead model, introduced by them subsequent to his posting and costing about $100, is designed for use with mp3 players (and is about the same size, which it attaches to with supplied velcro pads), I am using one (after having ripped my classical CD's at the 320 bit rate) and the sound is great. For those interested, the Headroom site is here. www.headroom.com. The Total Airhead runs seemingly forever (but the claim is 40 hours) on four AAA batteries.
Hooking up an Airhead to the n800 wont improve sound quality dramatically. It won't hurt, but it wouldnt be worth the money/size/weight. The Total Bithead on the other hand can be connected to the USB port. We just need someone to actually test it out and give some results.
Lack of an EQ is a SEVERE shortcoming!
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2008-01-22
, 23:30
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Posts: 450 |
Thanked: 16 times |
Joined on Mar 2006
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#45
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Originally Posted by drizek
I suspect this is an accurate characterization. The developers of the new 80GB Zune make this claim, and have left off the equalizer that was a feature of their previous 30GB model. Maybe it was left off primarily to save battery usage, but they also claim the new Zune has better, purer sound quality.
Most audiophiles don't use an EQ. EQ is designed to compensate for the shortcomings of your equipment, but if you have good equipment to begin with then you can listen to the music the way the artist intended it.
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2008-01-23
, 16:16
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Posts: 13 |
Thanked: 1 time |
Joined on Nov 2007
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#46
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Originally Posted by DingerX
Yea, I just made the opposite assumption. He stated "in-ear earphones" and for me that doesn't mean "earbuds", it means ear-canal phones. Most IEMs that I have used, Shure E2Cs, Ety ER-4, FS Atrio, are a world away from the Nokia or Ipod earbuds and get close to my Sony 7506 or Sennheiser HD-280s(which I like less).
Clearly, what he meant by "Earbuds" was "consumer-grade stuff that came with the device", and not "IEMs" as a whole..
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2008-01-23
, 16:26
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Posts: 13 |
Thanked: 1 time |
Joined on Nov 2007
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#47
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Originally Posted by ascherjim
I think the site is actually at http://headphone.com.
For those interested, the Headroom site is here. www.headroom.com.
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2008-01-23
, 16:53
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Posts: 450 |
Thanked: 16 times |
Joined on Mar 2006
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#48
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Originally Posted by malong335
Malong: Thanks for the correction. Jim
I think the site is actually at http://headphone.com.
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2008-01-23
, 17:12
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Posts: 162 |
Thanked: 3 times |
Joined on Jun 2006
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#49
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Originally Posted by malong335
That Sony 7506 is far and away the best headphones for a device like the N800, by the way. They're not as accurate as a similarly-priced Sennheiser would be, but the Sennheiser needs an amplifier in order to shine. The MDR-7506, OTOH, has the ability to drag sterling sound and a strong bass even from the crappier MP3-playing devices, old iPods, you name it (I've tried more than a few). It really brings them to life and it doesn't need an amplifier to do it. There's a reason Sony has been producing this model, with only cosmetic changes over time, since the 1980's.
Most IEMs that I have used, Shure E2Cs, Ety ER-4, FS Atrio, are a world away from the Nokia or Ipod earbuds and get close to my Sony 7506 or Sennheiser HD-280s(which I like less).
Last edited by Drewvt; 2008-01-23 at 17:15.
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2008-01-23
, 17:36
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Posts: 13 |
Thanked: 1 time |
Joined on Nov 2007
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#50
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Originally Posted by Drewvt
Just curious, what Sennheiser's do you like? The HD-280s are not as good as the 7506 IMHO. While I would never mix in any headphones, the 7506 sounds more accurate and flat than the HD-280.
They're not as accurate as a similarly-priced Sennheiser would be, but the Sennheiser needs an amplifier in order to shine.
The author recommends, among other things, use of a headphone amplifier. He praises the Headroom amps. Their Total Airhead model, introduced by them subsequent to his posting and costing about $100, is designed for use with mp3 players (and is about the same size, which it attaches to with supplied velcro pads), I am using one (after having ripped my classical CD's at the 320 bit rate) and the sound is great. For those interested, the Headroom site is here. www.headroom.com. The Total Airhead runs seemingly forever (but the claim is 40 hours) on four AAA batteries.
Last edited by ascherjim; 2008-01-22 at 22:42.