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Written by Aenn Seidhe Priest
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Saturday, 11 April 2009 01:31 |
This is not for the faint bank accounts.
Ingredients
Software player and encoder: Foobar2000 player with Secret Rabbit Code resampling plugin and BS2B "headphone stereo" plugin.
Free wave processor: SoX - features an analogue filter emulation.
CD audio declip utility: Declip Pro (32-bit) - fixes CD dynamics squashed/clipped by mastering.
Alternately (expensive): Waves S1 Stereoimager+ (Blumlein-style stereo imaging, great for headphones) and Izotope Trash (as dynamics processor).
Headphones: AKG K-240 Studio (Mk. II is more expensive and mostly the same thing, except for extras like vinyl pads; *not* K-242HD with a fixed cable) or AKG K-271 Studio (less bass, more isolation) or any other model with a mini-XLR socket. K-141 and K-171 aren't that recommended as they're supra-aural, more fatiguing and with a less natural sound. K-702 will boost total cost beyond $1000.
Cable for AKG headphones: Sweetcome Diva Mk. II or Sweetcome Diva Junior. Those are the best cost/performance cables.
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Read more...
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Written by Aenn Seidhe Priest
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Thursday, 02 April 2009 02:08 |
A concise review of Roland RH-50, some of the best-value $50 closed headphones.
Featuring some acoustic insights and a few hints on modding...
The full review. |
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Written by Matthew Scarlett
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Sunday, 15 March 2009 00:55 |
This is another one of those, 'grab it while you can' deals. The Goldring GX100 headphones are currently going for the merely price of £7.99 from Planet Gizmo. My goodness, I bought a pizza last night that cost more than that (pepperoni). I've already got two of my friends to ditch their ipod earphones and Buy the Goldring's instead.
I got mine!
Better than the GX200?
Well, the GX100 has made more of an impression on me, especially at £7.99!! The sound is good, even at the retail price.
Better than the Denon AH-C252?
I think so. the bass extension is better, and the whole presentation is better defined.
Anyway, click here, buy them and enjoy!
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Written by Aenn Seidhe Priest
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Wednesday, 11 March 2009 01:53 |
So, the last two sets to make their way here are Roland RH-50 and WeSC Oboe Tangerine. Quite a curious combination. Both cost roughly $50 (less) online. Both are supra-aural. Both have the same impedance - 32-ohm. Both have a fairly high efficiency, above 100 dB/mW, and should be easily driveable by a portable player. So what are the differences?
The RH-50 are Roland's second in price after RH-25. RH-25 are the cheapest model, with a suggested retail price of $25 ($50 for RH-50). RH-50 are fairly-priced basic closed monitor headphones. They really are semi-open, but there's so little of "open" in the design that "slightly ventilated closed" is a more precise description. Vents on an enclosure lead to a single hole covered with acoustic damping material. The hole acts as a "pressure valve", releasing extra tension from air within the enclosures. So there's no air escape route, though there is a weak sound emitter of sorts. For the purpose of sound leaking though it's as if they were fully closed - isolation's pretty good for inexpensive closed headphones.
Roland RH-50.
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Written by Aenn Seidhe Priest
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Thursday, 05 March 2009 01:51 |
Here's the full review of Qinpu Q-6 speakers and Q-1 amplifier. These are small, easily portable speakers with a magical effect for acoustical music records. The most curious bit is that those are tiny "omni" speakers - they don't beam a square soundstage in front of them like regular speakers. Instead, reflector spikes spread sound all around the speakers.
The Q-6 sound literally like "an orchestra hanging in the air". |
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