Audiophiles hifi appreciation thread old and new

excellent! I'll have a look underneath.

Yesterday, my Bose QC3 headphones finally died after a hard 6 years of use.
gutted.

Yesterday, my Bose QC3 headphones finally died after a hard 6 years of use.
gutted.

Contact Bose. My mums died after 5 years and Bose fixed them for free.

tried when the hinges broke last year... they told me to fuck off.
I've been thinking of getting the QC15's for a while anyway... maybe they'll give me a discount.

... and i'll reply to your PM when i know my availability this week!

Though they are a bit garish try the Monster Beats by Dre, same price as the QC15's but in my opinion sound far better than the QC3's and QC15's.

really? Dre.. as in Dr. Dre?.. He makes headphones now?
Are they noise cancelling?

Yep, he puts his name to them though they are made by Monster. Though their noise cancelling is not as effective as the Bose, audibly IMO they are far superior.

http://beatsbydre.com/products/Products.aspx?pid=B3808&cat=1

quick bump on that post #360...

Yep, he puts his name to them though they are made by Monster. Though their noise cancelling is not as effective as the Bose, audibly IMO they are far superior.

http://beatsbydre.com/products/Products.aspx?pid=B3808&cat=1

The monster stuff is all shit, ignore it... it's crap. Just go buy Audio Technica instead.

As for lpg's problem, sounding off? You haven't blown them have you? If they can travel cleanly and you are sure there is no contact along the wires that is shorting them then I'd be most suspicious that you've over-driven them at some point.

My new toy, a Cowon J3 mp3 player... it plays .flac and sounds incredible... drives some pretty powerful headphones really well and sounds lush. Oh, and yada yada great software, navigation, transfer, artwork preview, battery life, etc:
http://www.cowonglobal.com/product_wide/COWONJ3/product_page_1.php

I've not played them that loud, DK! honest ...they don't even sound great loud :)They aren't reallhy buzzing at high volume..they just dont sound as near as clear as they did a few years ago. Shit, I remember being blown away at how nice they sounded! Now the bass is a bit subdued and muddy. Higher frequencies sound fine. hmm..maybe they are blown. I'll change the cables & try a better amp and see if that helps.

cheers

The monster stuff is all shit, ignore it... it's crap. Just go buy Audio Technica instead.

+1 on the AT. Just ask a techie.

@ spaghoops
do you need noise cancellation ? try grado earphones great sound good quality and comfy to boot
cheaper i guess too
try riher sounds

I'm looking for a surround sound system for my impending new tv... is this the right place to ask for suggestions?

@ spaghoops
do you need noise cancellation ? try grado earphones great sound good quality and comfy to boot
cheaper i guess too
try riher sounds

Yep... noise cencelling is a must. I just dont see the point of not having it these days.

I do like the Grados but, they are open backed aren't they? good for home use, but no good for travelling.

no. Surround systems are crap value (unless you're absolutely loaded), spend the money on a decent two-channel and upgrade later if you really want surround sound.

I think in average living rooms it takes up too much space if positioned properly, and doesn't really make the movie experience a huge amount better. If you've got a dedicated theatre room, go for it, but I'm really not a fan of the satellite/sub systems almost everyone has these days. A big midrange hole and they sound like shit for music. Better to get two big floorstanders and a decent amp, will last for 20 years, job done.

I'm looking for a surround sound system for my impending new tv... is this the right place to ask for suggestions?

no. Surround systems are crap value (unless you're absolutely loaded), spend the money on a decent two-channel and upgrade later if you really want surround sound.

^ This

I just bought: http://www.richersounds.com/product/av-receivers/sony/strdn610/sony-strdn610
And: http://www.richersounds.com/product/floorstanders/cambridge-audio/s70/camb-s70-blk

Great sound and upgradable if you do want the sub / rears etc.
Also, as the speakers are bi-wireable, you can set the AVR to bi-amp and it produces really rich bass as well :)

• It was cheeeeeeeeaap
  

I don't get headphones. Maybe I need to try. Only my pre has no socket.

You'll probably need a headphone amp: http://www.whathifi.com/Reviews/Accessories-Reviews/Headphone-amps-Reviews/

I would try some open backed ones if you just want to listen at home. I have these and they are incredible: http://www.whathifi.com/Review/Sennheiser-RS-180/

Ta, yes at home. I am stricly vinyl.

Ta, yes at home. I am stricly vinyl.

Cool, if you are vinyl, you might not want the digital transfer on the wireless headphones. It shouldn't remove anything as they use a lossless technology from Kleer but wired might be better.

I have a pair of these: http://www.sennheiser.co.uk/uk/home_en.nsf/root/private_headphones_audiophile-headphones_005343

You are welcome to borrow them if you want to try them out.

fuck wireless, just a get a long cable, unless you like to dance around your house air guitaring to van halen.

go for sennheiser, beyer, AKG, or AT open backed phones. try a few out and choose the one you like.

fuck wireless

Why?

because you're paying extra for the wireless technology.
if you spend the same on wired phones you'd get much better quality for the same price. I mean if you like the wireless, great, but you're paying more for convenience and degraded sound.

because you're paying extra for the wireless technology.
if you spend the same on wired phones you'd get much better quality for the same price. I mean if you like the wireless, great, but you're paying more for convenience and degraded sound.

I agree you are paying more for convenience but certainly not degraded sound (so long as you are using something like Kleer). Sure 2.4Ghz or Bluetooth tech is lossy and therefore a waste of time but i find it much more enjoyable to sit / lie down without the wires.

It's not everybody's taste but i wouldn't just disregard it.

there's an extra A-D and D-A conversion with wireless tech that certainly adds to sound degradation, but I'm a hifi wanker like that :) It's all about enjoying music really!