Headphones and Speakers in the time of Covid
Discussion
During the lockdown and the many days of working from home, I started to feel like I wasn't enjoying my music as much as I once was since I was just scrolling through comments on youtube or texting while it went on as digitally compressed background noise.
I thought it would be a good idea to get a stereo system, with a budget of maybe £100 if my parent's old music centre didn't work...
Of course, mission creep soon set in and I've now spent the thick end of £500 on two cabinets of second hand 80's separates and am seriously considering filling the spare space in my cabinet with a completely pointless VHS player.
I must say it is a massive improvement, and the retro light show is entertainment in itself!
My battered old Sennheiser Urbanites were (and are) brilliant for watching telly and everyday listening, but I I am now in the market for some bookshelf speakers and a pair of proper over-ear hifi headphones. I've been looking at Grado Sr325 headphones and Tannoy Platinum B6 speakers and reviews seem good. But I'm quite conscious of the fact I'm essentially spending a significant sum of money on the basis that they look cool and cost a lot of money, but I know essentially nothing about what they actually sound like...
Has anyone here bought speakers or headphones blind (or should I say deaf?
) before, or is it as stupid as it sounds?
I thought it would be a good idea to get a stereo system, with a budget of maybe £100 if my parent's old music centre didn't work...
Of course, mission creep soon set in and I've now spent the thick end of £500 on two cabinets of second hand 80's separates and am seriously considering filling the spare space in my cabinet with a completely pointless VHS player.
I must say it is a massive improvement, and the retro light show is entertainment in itself!My battered old Sennheiser Urbanites were (and are) brilliant for watching telly and everyday listening, but I I am now in the market for some bookshelf speakers and a pair of proper over-ear hifi headphones. I've been looking at Grado Sr325 headphones and Tannoy Platinum B6 speakers and reviews seem good. But I'm quite conscious of the fact I'm essentially spending a significant sum of money on the basis that they look cool and cost a lot of money, but I know essentially nothing about what they actually sound like...
Has anyone here bought speakers or headphones blind (or should I say deaf?
) before, or is it as stupid as it sounds?If you want decent headphones and dont want to break the bank try some meze 99 classics.
Cheap enough to take a punt and good quality from the makers of some of the most expensive headphones going.
I bought some at the start of the first lockdown and very happy with them, although I found the leather pads very sweaty but "suede" options can be purchased online.
To my ears they're very good for the money, but they'll expose any dodgy equipment further up the chain
Cheap enough to take a punt and good quality from the makers of some of the most expensive headphones going.
I bought some at the start of the first lockdown and very happy with them, although I found the leather pads very sweaty but "suede" options can be purchased online.
To my ears they're very good for the money, but they'll expose any dodgy equipment further up the chain
sociopath said:
If you want decent headphones and dont want to break the bank try some meze 99 classics.
Cheap enough to take a punt and good quality from the makers of some of the most expensive headphones going.
I bought some at the start of the first lockdown and very happy with them, although I found the leather pads very sweaty but "suede" options can be purchased online.
To my ears they're very good for the money, but they'll expose any dodgy equipment further up the chain
That's the thing I'm worried about...Cheap enough to take a punt and good quality from the makers of some of the most expensive headphones going.
I bought some at the start of the first lockdown and very happy with them, although I found the leather pads very sweaty but "suede" options can be purchased online.
To my ears they're very good for the money, but they'll expose any dodgy equipment further up the chain
My current headphones might be flattering the system, and getting more expensive phones might just lead me down another very expensive rabbit hole without much in the way of musical enjoyment!
I had been looking at the Mezes, they do seem very good, and they'd match the Tannoy speakers and the cabinets too
Current Setup:
Yamaha A-300 amp
Dual CS 505-2 with the plastic base
Sony CDP750. I usually plug my phones straight in to cut out amplifier hiss
Sansui Se-8X Equaliser (only really used on cassettes)
Yamaha KX-500 tape deck
Denon DR-M30HX tape deck
Most common listening:
80s pop and rock, all sorts of formats
Pop from 50s and 60s on vinyl
70's and 80's J-pop, rock and traditional Japanese on vinyl
My dad's 80s mix tapes
Speakers would have to be good at low volumes since I live in a semi-detached.
Forgot give an idea of what I'd actually be using them for before asking for recommendations
I was researching speakers to fit in a specific size space, those Tannoy P6 are very handsome indeed - you won't go wrong with a pair of Tannoy and if you love the looks...what are you waiting on man!
I've only ever bought speakers blind but I researched thoroughly to see if they suited what I was after (non fatiguing/good imaging) with the expectation I'd move them on if I didn't like them - still have them all.
What colour Tannoy then?
I've only ever bought speakers blind but I researched thoroughly to see if they suited what I was after (non fatiguing/good imaging) with the expectation I'd move them on if I didn't like them - still have them all.
What colour Tannoy then?
stevoknevo said:
I was researching speakers to fit in a specific size space, those Tannoy P6 are very handsome indeed - you won't go wrong with a pair of Tannoy and if you love the looks...what are you waiting on man!
I've only ever bought speakers blind but I researched thoroughly to see if they suited what I was after (non fatiguing/good imaging) with the expectation I'd move them on if I didn't like them - still have them all.
What colour Tannoy then?
I'm looking at the dark walnut ones so far, just need to check I have enough space for them!I've only ever bought speakers blind but I researched thoroughly to see if they suited what I was after (non fatiguing/good imaging) with the expectation I'd move them on if I didn't like them - still have them all.
What colour Tannoy then?
In the time since lockdown 1.0, I've bought:-
Marantz PM-6006UK and Monitor Audio Bronze 5's for the living room. Used an old Beresford Caiman II DAC I had lying about to give a sound quality bump, and some control to the gain.
Used a spare NAD D3020, a pair of DALI Zensor 1 and a pair of speaker stands in my home office which I use to bluetooth my phone to while I'm working.
Bought an extra pair of B&W P7 Wireless headphones for the Mrs and an Avantree Oasis transmitter so we could have late light loud listening sessions without pissing off the neighbours (alas she seems to be getting headaches from this).
Bought an Audioquest Dragonfly Red DAC to plug into my laptop so I can use my B&W P7W's in wired mode while she watches s
t on the TV. No joke, but I'd say this is the best sounding setup of the lot.
I bought pretty much all of this gear blind. I am not disappointed. I have been into Hifi for years now but really, just reading can get you where you want to be, although I don't have golden ears so....
It has been a godsend for my sanity having good quality tunes!
Marantz PM-6006UK and Monitor Audio Bronze 5's for the living room. Used an old Beresford Caiman II DAC I had lying about to give a sound quality bump, and some control to the gain.
Used a spare NAD D3020, a pair of DALI Zensor 1 and a pair of speaker stands in my home office which I use to bluetooth my phone to while I'm working.
Bought an extra pair of B&W P7 Wireless headphones for the Mrs and an Avantree Oasis transmitter so we could have late light loud listening sessions without pissing off the neighbours (alas she seems to be getting headaches from this).
Bought an Audioquest Dragonfly Red DAC to plug into my laptop so I can use my B&W P7W's in wired mode while she watches s
t on the TV. No joke, but I'd say this is the best sounding setup of the lot.I bought pretty much all of this gear blind. I am not disappointed. I have been into Hifi for years now but really, just reading can get you where you want to be, although I don't have golden ears so....
It has been a godsend for my sanity having good quality tunes!
TameRacingDriver said:
In the time since lockdown 1.0, I've bought:-
Marantz PM-6006UK and Monitor Audio Bronze 5's for the living room. Used an old Beresford Caiman II DAC I had lying about to give a sound quality bump, and some control to the gain.
Used a spare NAD D3020, a pair of DALI Zensor 1 and a pair of speaker stands in my home office which I use to bluetooth my phone to while I'm working.
Bought an extra pair of B&W P7 Wireless headphones for the Mrs and an Avantree Oasis transmitter so we could have late light loud listening sessions without pissing off the neighbours (alas she seems to be getting headaches from this).
Bought an Audioquest Dragonfly Red DAC to plug into my laptop so I can use my B&W P7W's in wired mode while she watches st on the TV. No joke, but I'd say this is the best sounding setup of the lot.
I bought pretty much all of this gear blind. I am not disappointed. I have been into Hifi for years now but really, just reading can get you where you want to be, although I don't have golden ears so....
It has been a godsend for my sanity having good quality tunes!
I have a dragonfly black. Best upgrade I've ever made. Marantz PM-6006UK and Monitor Audio Bronze 5's for the living room. Used an old Beresford Caiman II DAC I had lying about to give a sound quality bump, and some control to the gain.
Used a spare NAD D3020, a pair of DALI Zensor 1 and a pair of speaker stands in my home office which I use to bluetooth my phone to while I'm working.
Bought an extra pair of B&W P7 Wireless headphones for the Mrs and an Avantree Oasis transmitter so we could have late light loud listening sessions without pissing off the neighbours (alas she seems to be getting headaches from this).
Bought an Audioquest Dragonfly Red DAC to plug into my laptop so I can use my B&W P7W's in wired mode while she watches s
t on the TV. No joke, but I'd say this is the best sounding setup of the lot.I bought pretty much all of this gear blind. I am not disappointed. I have been into Hifi for years now but really, just reading can get you where you want to be, although I don't have golden ears so....
It has been a godsend for my sanity having good quality tunes!
heisthegaffer said:
I have a dragonfly black. Best upgrade I've ever made.
It has been an excellent purchase, cost me all of £80, and it has been a great companion for my headphones, it sounds really clean, powerful, detailed, just a really nice sound, I love it, I am mesmerised when I listen to it. I originally bought it to plug into my desktop PC, and plug it into my NAD D3020 in my office, and it made a noticeable difference from the inbuilt DAC in the NAD, but I sold that PC and got a laptop so now use it with that downstairs with the headphones, and wow, I've had some very nice headphones systems in the past, my last favourite setup being a modded MF Digilog DAC, ANT Amber headphone amp and Sennheiser HD600s, and I really enjoyed that, but this little dongle and these B&Ws take the crown convincingly, just better in every area. Enjoy!TameRacingDriver said:
heisthegaffer said:
I have a dragonfly black. Best upgrade I've ever made.
It has been an excellent purchase, cost me all of £80, and it has been a great companion for my headphones, it sounds really clean, powerful, detailed, just a really nice sound, I love it, I am mesmerised when I listen to it. I originally bought it to plug into my desktop PC, and plug it into my NAD D3020 in my office, and it made a noticeable difference from the inbuilt DAC in the NAD, but I sold that PC and got a laptop so now use it with that downstairs with the headphones, and wow, I've had some very nice headphones systems in the past, my last favourite setup being a modded MF Digilog DAC, ANT Amber headphone amp and Sennheiser HD600s, and I really enjoyed that, but this little dongle and these B&Ws take the crown convincingly, just better in every area. Enjoy!Thought I'd come back with an update.
I went for some Grado SR325e's in the end.
They're only 15-20 hours into the burning in process, but so far the separation is excellent, the highs are a bit harsh, hopefully that will imporve with time but nonetheless they absolutely transformed cassettes that were almost unlistenable with my Urbanites, and the good ones... well, they're incredible. Can't wait to try them out with some vinyl and CDs.
Turns out I haven't got the space for the tannoys, the two cabinets of stuff look the business but don't leave space for much else!
Menwhile the turntable has suddenly started sounding awfully distorted in the highs, I suspect a chipped stylus due to my own ham-fistedness so that's in hibernation until the new cartridge upgrade arrives.
The awesome Sony CDP-750 sadly met its end in a similar incident of ham-fistedness when I walked into the cabinet door while the tray was still open, then bodged the repair by removing the tray gear trying to find the cause, thus hopelessly misaligning the whole mechanism. I hadn't realised the little tab guides had snapped off, meaning the tray was coming in wonky every time., until it was too late
I replaced it with a Denon DCD-610 but it just sounded...bad. Really bright and harsh like a musical climate controlled cleanroom. My first lesson in compatibility and buying before listening I suppose
I went for some Grado SR325e's in the end.
They're only 15-20 hours into the burning in process, but so far the separation is excellent, the highs are a bit harsh, hopefully that will imporve with time but nonetheless they absolutely transformed cassettes that were almost unlistenable with my Urbanites, and the good ones... well, they're incredible. Can't wait to try them out with some vinyl and CDs.
Turns out I haven't got the space for the tannoys, the two cabinets of stuff look the business but don't leave space for much else!
Menwhile the turntable has suddenly started sounding awfully distorted in the highs, I suspect a chipped stylus due to my own ham-fistedness so that's in hibernation until the new cartridge upgrade arrives.
The awesome Sony CDP-750 sadly met its end in a similar incident of ham-fistedness when I walked into the cabinet door while the tray was still open, then bodged the repair by removing the tray gear trying to find the cause, thus hopelessly misaligning the whole mechanism. I hadn't realised the little tab guides had snapped off, meaning the tray was coming in wonky every time., until it was too late
I replaced it with a Denon DCD-610 but it just sounded...bad. Really bright and harsh like a musical climate controlled cleanroom. My first lesson in compatibility and buying before listening I suppose
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