The very finest headphones made for playback?

[skiaholik]

The Bose QC2 Headphones are pretty sweet for noise canceling over the ear headphones. But they'll run ya a few hundred and I wouldn't use them for skiing, just traveling and home use.

[fez]

you sure it was the SR-1 not RS-1? the RS-1 is one of their top of the line headphone. i think they retail for around $700.

btw rideit, headphone.com also makes some portable amps:

this guy runs on rechargeabe li-ion batteries and specs 20 hours play time with a 2-3 hour recharge:


and this one can be powerd by AAA batteries or via usb cable (no provision for ac power)



the total bithead and some ECHs would probably be your most compact solution.

[rideit]

What I really am looking for would be an integrated headphone amp/equalizer, that has it's own rechargeable Li/Ion battery.
Once I figure out the right headphones.

[upallnight]

For reference, this would be to enhance PC/MP3 listening options,(as well as on -line listening, Pandora, streaming, online XM, etc) in order to overcome non-zero-loss applications.
I find the amps in phones/PC's I-Pods/MP 3's to be full of distortion, lame spatial qualities, obvious limiting/compression issues, etc...and I am an old deaf fuck.
I hope that helps.

when dealing with lossy compression (MP3s, in your example), once it's gone, it's gone. in other words, you are not going to regain or recreate any quality after the fact -- you will just be introducing more distortion.

it's possibly you might prefer that distortion, but you should at least be clear about what you're doing.

when you say you "find the amps in phones/PC's I-Pods/MP 3's to be full of distortion...", i think you have a couple issues going on:
1) "phones": there are some incredibly transparent headphones out there. (bose are not it), so an upgrade will probably solve that problem, or take a step in the right direction.

2) "PC's I-Pods" (sic): First, the PC: Your PC probably has a really basic audio chipset, and it also has a dirty power supply. Audio is an afterthought, and it sounds like it. Build a dedicated music server and things will improve. Spend a ton on a good, isolated power supply.

Second, iPods are actually quite good for what they are. The problem is...

3) "MP3s": ...that your source sucks. Not all MP3s are created equal (the original source could be bad, the particular encoder you use could be bad, the bitrate could be sub-optimal, etc.). Generally speaking, though, the iPod can sound quite good when dealing with a good source (lossless compression) and good 'phones.

If you are serious about audio -- and it sounds like you are attempting to be -- I'd strongly caution you against trying to recreate something that is gone, and I'd encourage you to figure out better ways to record your music if at all possible (I know it's not always the case). Further, I'd strongly caution against inserting EQ circuitry into the mix and, instead, invest more money in your phones or head amp. The money you divert from the phones/amp into EQ will shortchange everything, and it will insert more circuitry, which often means more losses along the way.

Searching for a good ear bud is much different than electrostatic phones.

Good luck in your search.

[rideit]

Thanks, UAN, much of that is basic, in terms of home/car applications. (I have been into some pretty high end systems for those for a few decades) but this whole portable world is new to me. (aside from DAT/Sony D5/Mitsu/Naki/Sennheiser recording systems, I was a taper of live shows for years n' years).
I am looking for a lossless non-apple format, but have basically come up empty. Also, I lately have been listening to heavily limiter-compression applied sources, more for convienence (I have XM, and use Pandora, streaming, etc) because I am searching for new music constantly. I would like to overcome that limiter/compression 'deadness', even if it means compromising true original fidelity.
I am looking for a way to maximize those sources in a portable platform, preferably one convienient enough for BC use, as well as casual car listening .(For serious audio apps, I have a bangin', well tuned, well powered car and home system, just not headphones).
Also, I would like to be able to plug in my 4 gig phone/MP3 to my McIntosh amps and get crystal (as much as possible) sound, but I know that I am shooting for the moon.

PS:
Recently I went searching for better soundcard/drivers for my Dell, and found nothing worthwhile...do you have any reccs?
Do you suggest any particular voltage stabilization options for power supplY?

Also, when I typed 'phones', I meant my HTC telephone/PC, which has a pretty good audio playback system...just not good enough.

[Most Assured Guru]

What I really am looking for would be an integrated headphone amp/equalizer, that has it's own rechargeable Li/Ion battery.
Once I figure out the right headphones.

Every question you can dream up will be answered at Head-Fi which features:

the Headphones, Earphone, In-Ear Headphones forum; and another just for...

...Headphone Amps

Tons more. Basic forum set-up.

[upallnight]

I am looking for a lossless non-apple format, but have basically come up empty.

FLAC is the answer to all your prayers. Seriously. (Apple's lossless format is actually quite good.)

Also, I would like to be able to plug in my 4 gig phone/MP3 to my McIntosh amps and get crystal (as much as possible) sound, but I know that I am shooting for the moon.

it's entirely possible. one big problem with most PCs and portable devices is an inferior DAC. if you can get the device to stream a digital output (not TOSlink, either -- coax, preferred), then you can connect it to a proper DAC and the rest of your system.

PS:
Recently I went searching for better soundcard/drivers for my Dell, and found nothing worthwhile...do you have any reccs?
Do you suggest any particular voltage stabilization options for power supplY?

i can't advise you on that one -- but here's the thing. when you have a device that is doing many things (eg your PC), it generally will not do better than a dedicated device (imagine a PC dedicated solely to audio).

PCs are notorious for having poor power supplies, and there is often quite a bit of digital interference. when you have an internal sound card, it's also subject to the same interference. i recommend doing only the minimum necessary with your PC, which is to output a digital stream to another device, which will perform conversion and amplify, equalize, or do whatever else you need.

note: the best headphones are SUPER revealing (and could actually make shitty source material sound even worse to your ears) -- but the reason i bring this up is that head amps usually have a battery operated power supply. battery powered sources tend to sound cleaner than anything operating off of an AC supply. (in fact, you can get home audio gear with a battery PS.

sorry i couldn't be of more help re: PC soundcards, but they're not the best option IMHO unless you have a dedicated machine.

[rideit]

Holy head explosion, as it were.
My PC is basically used for two things:
Listening to music (which has been a mediocre application, so far!)
And:
Surfing TGR, which has been even more mediocre, and time wasting! (yah, I know, let's leave that one alone...)

Anyhoo, I still am looking for the best audio enhancement options for questionable source material, in the quest for listening to new (to me) music, and then hunting it down for better original source quality.

I hope that makes sense...I want great sound, cheap and easy up front, in hopes that with a bit of later investment, I find the 'golden nugget' version.

[upallnight]

My PC is basically used for two things:
Listening to music (which has been a mediocre application, so far!)
And:
Surfing TGR, which has been even more mediocre, and time wasting! (yah, I know, let's leave that one alone...)

in doing those "2 things", though, there are really tons of things going on -- tons of processes running, and tons of extraneous hardware (for music playback, that is). i understand what you're looking for, but "the best" doesn't really enter into the picture when you're talking about a PC used for other things.

look for a basic soundcard with digital output...and then use the outboard DAC that you presumably have for your home system...and find the head amp of your choosing.

[runethechamp]

For reporduction of the human voice, you cannot beat Stax headphones.

http://www.stax.co.jp/Export/SR007mk2.html

At a shade over $4k, they are pricy though.

STAX fucking rules. I never bought a pair, but listened to them several times at hi-fi stores in Norway. Holy crap those headphones give you a good sense of space. I remember a demo cd they had that would easily put sounds and people both in front and behind you, and move them around you and even all the way up to your ear. It was freaky how realistic that was.

On the other hand, they score poorly on price and portability.

[truckeelocal]

The Shure SE530 I have found to be a very mobile high-quality in-ear solution. The 'PTH' option is useless (to me). As others have pointed out these will reveal upstream problems with the source material and as such are probably overkill for anything but a professional application (see what musicians are using on stage).

[pechelman]

wow
howd i miss this thread

Finest headphone for playback for portable use with an intended usage in the backcountry?
That my friend is called an earbud.

You do not want any shure\etyomtic\super-fi\wetstone whatever InEarMonitor because they will block too much ambient noise.

Unfortunately, an earbud kinda sucks in general and the only really good ones are made by Yuin.

other than that, Id say youre looking for a foldable open air headphone like the Sennheiser PX100

when you group that many demands into one thing
ie
finest for playback
portable
backcountry skiing

your options get whittled down

talk to me about finest and portable and this will be a much different story
also keep in mind one persons definition of portable may be completely different than anothers. I routinely travel with the above headroom micro amp and FULL SIZE closed headphones along with my mp3 player.

also
one rule of thumb with headphones, is that bose is never the answer

[Alek]

$$ for $$ there is no better open-ear headphone than the Grado SR-60. I'm wearing a pair as we speak.



Greatest $70 you'll ever spend on music.

Thirded! Even listening to MP3s I hear stuff in my music that I never heard before.

[Fear Of A Flat Planet]

also
one rule of thumb with headphones, is that bose is never the answer

Truest statement yet. Overpriced under-performers.

[Cliff Huckable]

Every question you can dream up will be answered at Head-Fi which features:

the Headphones, Earphone, In-Ear Headphones forum; and another just for...

...Headphone Amps

Tons more. Basic forum set-up.

Why ask on a ski forum when there's a Headphone Forum?

[warthog]

Don't know about the quality, but I have a pair of Koss UR 29 headphones. They are bomber, and pack up pretty tight. Good sound, great for the plane. Tunes crying babies out real well.

[BurnHard]

I say, depends on what you want ... Do you want high fidelity or do you prefer bass-heavy, 'warm' sounding headphones? High-fidelity headphones reproduce the sound exactly as it should be, every instrument at its correct frequency, without bass boost or other enhancements. One of the best hi-fi headphones imo are the AKG-701 - absolutely comfortable and awesome sound. Even if you prefer warmer, more bass-intense sound, you can use your equalizer to drive those AKG headphones to more pleasing frequencies.

The Sennheiser HD650 are more 'comfort' headphones IMO - they aren't hi-fi like the AKG, they don't reproduce the music as it should, rather they add lots of base and modulate the mids and highs to make a more pleasing sound for people that don't necessarily want exact reproduction.

Just my 2cents. I tried both, LOVE the AKG's. Definitely get an amp, a cheap one like the Bithead to start with is already a huge improvement over no amp.

[RShea]

PS:
Recently I went searching for better soundcard/drivers for my Dell, and found nothing worthwhile...do you have any reccs?
Do you suggest any particular voltage stabilization options for power supplY?

I would comment that you do not specify the model of Dell you have. But if the Dell has on board sound, then a driver update would have to be from the Dell web site. Unless the driver installed is causing problems, little would be gained from just a driver update. It will usually not improve the sound quality noticably at all. You probably need to think about disabling the on board sound and getting a new sound card (if this is a desktop Dell)- Creative Labs and a few others out there (Turtle Beach is another) are some of the better ones brand wise. They make high end cards that can go for up to $250 or so.

http://www.updatexp.com/how-to-choose-a-sound-card.html
is one of the articles that discuss the issues. Features and output are some of the differences, along with software included- editing etc.

As for the power supply, biggest issue you have is shielding of the power and stable voltages to the bus rails. The higher end power supplies will have extra EMI and RFI shielding for the wires going to the board and devices, and good ratings on the rails (there are 5 volt, 12 volt, 3 volt etc. used in a computer for various things.) Other issue is the quietness of the fan(s) inside the power supply if you are going to standard speakers (not as bad in a setting with the headphones) - so a situation where you have it in a living area the noise would be noticable during the times of no sound coming out of the system (movies, music with intermissions, etc.)

http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/08/...ower_supplies/