Black Friday or Not?

Steep said:
Can't beat Sennheiser for headphones.
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I have an oldish model-hd600~ and a pair of closed back Sonys, if I was buying another set I’d be looking at Focals.
Some are outrageous.

Focal - Hifonix

Explore the outstanding range of Focal headphones at Hifonix, where innovation meets exceptional design. Known for their unmatched sound quality and comfort, Focal headphones provide an immersive listening experience tailored to every need. Whether you’re seeking open-back models for...
hifonix.co.uk hifonix.co.uk
 
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Steep said:
Can't beat Sennheiser for headphones.
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Still a very good brand but have fallen behind a bit with technology, the future is magnetic planar diaphragms rather than conventional transducers of which HIFIMAN are leading the way.
 
mj4456 said:
I have an oldish model-hd600~ and a pair of closed back Sonys, if I was buying another set I’d be looking at Focals.
Some are outrageous.

Focal - Hifonix

Explore the outstanding range of Focal headphones at Hifonix, where innovation meets exceptional design. Known for their unmatched sound quality and comfort, Focal headphones provide an immersive listening experience tailored to every need. Whether you’re seeking open-back models for...
hifonix.co.uk hifonix.co.uk
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Focal are a curious brand i once went and auditioned a few pairs in Leeds and wasn't impressed.
they seem to have a bit of a love/hate out there.
 
Mr Bump said:
Still a very good brand but have fallen behind a bit with technology, the future is magnetic planar diaphragms rather than conventional transducers of which HIFIMAN are leading the way.
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I think for those [like me] on a budget, looking for decent wireless - Sennheiser have to be up there - The M4 are topping the likes of the Sony Xm6 across reviews [for overall sound, maybe not features] for 1/2 the price

Obviously high end expensive sets will top them, but for what they are
 
Cagey75 said:
I think for those [like me] on a budget, looking for decent wireless - Sennheiser have to be up there - The M4 are topping the likes of the Sony Xm6 across reviews [for overall sound, maybe not features] for 1/2 the price

Obviously high end expensive sets will top them, but for what they are
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I have a pair of Sennheiser RS185 headphones that I bought 7 years ago for what I considered silly money, I replaced the ear cushions and the rechargeable batteries about 2 years ago and they are still going strong. Turns out buying expensive turned to be cheaper :)
 
Cagey75 said:
I think for those [like me] on a budget, looking for decent wireless - Sennheiser have to be up there - The M4 are topping the likes of the Sony Xm6 across reviews [for overall sound, maybe not features] for 1/2 the price

Obviously high end expensive sets will top them, but for what they are
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ah ok, yeah wireless a different kettle :)
high(er) end stuff is strictly wires.
 
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Mr Bump said:
ah ok, yeah wireless a different kettle :)
high(er) end stuff is strictly wires.
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Yeah my brother is into music production and always uses wired sets. I just like the freedom of wireless, I do like decent sound but certainly no audiophile
 
Cagey75 said:
Yeah my brother is into music production and always uses wired sets. I just like the freedom of wireless, I do like decent sound but certainly no audiophile
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yep and that is what it is all about enjoying the music, when i go for a wander in GC i stuff in a pair of £20 soundcore p20i just blootoothed to phone and thats all i need
 
Steep said:
I have a pair of Sennheiser RS185 headphones that I bought 7 years ago for what I considered silly money, I replaced the ear cushions and the rechargeable batteries about 2 years ago and they are still going strong. Turns out buying expensive turned to be cheaper :)
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great thing about sennheiser is the part support i had some HD800s a few years back and bought new earcushions and a new headband for very good money
 
Not sure that anyone over 30 will hear any significant difference between a £50 pair and a £500+ pair! A blind test could be very revealing...
 
Nod said:
Not sure that anyone over 30 will hear any significant difference between a £50 pair and a £500+ pair! A blind test could be very revealing...
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Depends on your familiarity with the headsets. For example I could blindly tell the difference between my old Q30 [can be got now for about £40] and the Momentum 4 [closer to £200] because different brands have a specific sound profile where you just know 'this is Soundcore or this is Sennheiser'

I would like to imagine the difference between a £50 and £500 set was very obvious, But probably not always! There's some very decent cheap sets out there nowadays. I got a cheap set of earbuds for €40 and to my ears, they sound better than a set my partner spent €200 on
 
Nod said:
Not sure that anyone over 30 will hear any significant difference between a £50 pair and a £500+ pair! A blind test could be very revealing...
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umm are you actually kidding?
 
Cagey75 said:
I would like to imagine the difference between a £50 and £500 set was very obvious, But probably not always! There's some very decent cheap sets out there nowadays. I got a cheap set of earbuds for €40 and to my ears, they sound better than a set my partner spent €200 on
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The quality game at £500 is massive its the sweet spot on headphones but also remember its also the source, my Hifiman Arya Stealth edition are powered by a DAC/HP Amp that costs £900 you have to factor it all in.
 
Psycho-acoustics are funny things, but we can accept all kinds of things as normal and good. Remember minidisc players? Audio crushed within an inch of its life, andyet some would connect them to real hifi as though they were a valid sound source. Ditto streamed MP3 over dialup.

People can sometimes spot a difference, but that's often as far as it goes, and it can require an educated ear to actually recognise what it's hearing. I've run sound from time to time, and trying to explain about the frequency spectrum, overlap, separation and so-on to a lay person can cause a lot of confusion at first when all they hear is bass and treble (maybe some mids) and want to know why your EQ doesn't smile.
 
ancient_mariner said:
when all they hear is bass and treble (maybe some mids) and want to know why your EQ doesn't smile.
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Ha, this was me for so long! Even on my old Hi-Fi systems with physical EQ, it was almost always a V shape I settled on. Nowadays it's more an 'S' curve [on it's side] , I am always ... always tempted to push the low end up though, and often still do for the likes of Hip-Hop or old skool dance :)
 
Cagey75 said:
Ha, this was me for so long! Even on my old Hi-Fi systems with physical EQ, it was almost always a V shape I settled on. Nowadays it's more an 'S' curve [on it's side] , I am always ... always tempted to push the low end up though, and often still do for the likes of Hip-Hop or old skool dance :)
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I find this with my Creative Labs EQ settings for the sound card in my PC, it's amazing the difference a little tweak can do.

What really impresses me are things like Audyssey calibration. I know there's far more advanced stuff out there, but even the difference the Audyssey one makes is impressive and I doubt I would be able to do it manually.
 
Nod said:
Not sure that anyone over 30 will hear any significant difference between a £50 pair and a £500+ pair! A blind test could be very revealing...
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This is fun https://abx.digitalfeed.net/ (it tests whether you personally on the actual equipment you use can tell the difference between lossy and lossless compression)
 
JonathanRyan said:
This is fun https://abx.digitalfeed.net/ (it tests whether you personally on the actual equipment you use can tell the difference between lossy and lossless compression)
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as a long time listener and user of digital formats i can categorically say there is a huge difference as resolution scales up it is about equipment though , you only get out what you put in, and it is not an over 30s thing, better digital resolution is all about how many bits are created of an analog waveform not about high(er) frequencies that's an urban myth . in CD format the waveform is 16 bits and a sampling rate of 44,100 samples a second which is quite capable of up to about 20khz when you run the same analogue waveform through at say 96/24 you create a more accurate copy of the waveform that is how high definition digital audio actually works. All he way up to DSD/SACD which creates a huge digital file.
 
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