Headphones and Sound Systems: A Beginner's guide (with Q&A)

Hey all. I believe I've seen one or two headphone related posts around here, but no solid resources or centers of discussion for headphones and other sound devices. Since I believe that a good sound system is a must for any stoner, I want to take the time to write out a little beginner's guide and field questions from anyone who is interested in sound. I have a pretty expansive knowledge of sound equipment, especially on the low-mid end s(ince that's all I've ever been able to afford)

The Components
To many, a sound system is a CD player hooked up to some speakers, or their car stereo, or just an iPod with white buds. However, the way that many "audiophiles" choose to build their system is as follows:

Source-->DAC-->Amplifier-->Drivers

For those serious about sound, these will all be separate components. However, a lot of the time, a system will have two or more components in one box (i.e., if you have speakers hooked into a CD player, then your source, dac, and amplifier are all in the same box. In my system, the DAC and amp are both in the same box.)



---Source: The source is simply where the music comes from. This can be your CD player, your computer, your iPod, or your record player.
Many audiophiles have a motto: "Source first." Not that a good source makes for a good system, but a subpar source can ruin a system full of otherwise good components. However, it doesn't take much to have a good source. Any source with some sort of digital output (Optical, coaxial, or [for PCs only] USB) is totally suitable for a great home setup. This is because a digital signal is simply 1's and 0's. Unless there is something seriously, seriously wrong with your system, this signal will never change. A $15,000 CD player will output the same digital signal as a $30 one.

My recommendations: A computer is a great first source: if you're reading this, you already have one, and it is capable of transmitting full-quality audio to your DAC or amplifier through USB (Or coaxial or SPDIF, which a lot of newer full-size computers have.) However, my favorite source is a record player- they may be antiquated, but once you hear one, you'll know why they're making a comeback. They have a beautiful, natural sound that is still unrivaled. Of course, if you don't have the space or money, an iPod will work, but it is a much lower quality source.

---DAC: The DAC (digital-analog converter) is the unit which takes the digital data, the 1's and 0's, and turns it into an analog signal to go to your amp or drivers. This is totally crucial, and it's basically pointless to use an amplifier if you don't have one. All sources have a built-in DAC, but a lot of the time (especially in the case of computers) they are quite bad. The ones in CD players usually just suck and the ones in computers are hampered by electronic noise (other components near the sound card.) Having a good external DAC will do wonders in cleaning up the sound and improving SQ (sound quality) overall.

A DAC is normally connected via Optical, SPDIF, or USB. You may recognize "optical" from the back of your 360 or PS3- yes, a good DAC can be connected to your console! I use optical from my 360 to go to my DAC and the sound is excellent- it greatly enhances a dimension of gaming that goes mostly ignored, or worse, that people spend money on at Gamestop (those awful "surround sound" or "Gaming" headphones.) In MW2 I can just camp in one spot and have about a 6 second lead on anyone approaching, along with knowing where they're coming from, how fast they're moving, and whether they're standing or crouching. these consoles can also be used as high-quality music sources.

My recommendations: I give this recommendation without having heard the product, I admit, but the buzz it's generating is incredible. The NuForce Icon uDAC is a very small, very capable DAC. NuForce is famed for putting together extremely professional, high-quality components that punch way above their class. This particular DAC is only $100, so honestly if you're just getting into HiFi I don't see why you wouldn't jump on this one.

I don't have any experience with it, but the HRT MusicStreamer(+) has gotten excellent reviews and is available locally in many places... I believe it was Barnes and Noble maybe? One of those big book stores carries (or carried) it.

You can also look into offerings from iBasso, whose claim to fame is taking a high-quality DAC and a great headphone amp and stuffing it into an attractive portable package. They make portable amplifiers, portable DACs, and portable DAC/amps. I don't think I've read a bad review on any of them.

---Amplifier: The amplifier does exactly what you think it does: pumps up the sound. A good amplifier will increase gain, while filling out the signal and adding its own personal "sound signature" (well, some "audiophiles" will argue that an amp shouldn't change the sound at all, but I digress). Many amps are "voiced" with a particular headphone or speaker. This means that the creator used this driver (often his/her favorite) when developing the amplifier, so that it sounds best for this type of headphone or speaker.

The two basic types of amps are tube and solid state. Tube amps are old technology and have more musical distortion than solid state. However, many, including myself, consider this a pleasant distortion. In my experience, a tube amp has better bass, a more natural and warm sound, and more "liquidy" midrange than a solid state amp.



A solid state amp will generally have a more neutral and accurate sound. A good SS amp usually allows the DAC or source to color the sound. A tube amp will add a bit more coloration than an SS one and thus it may be harder if you're trying to pick out subtle differences between sources or something stupid like that.

My recommendations: I have no experience whatsoever with speaker amps, and I have only used one heapdhone amp for an extended period of time. The one I used with the Millet MiniMax, which was voiced for the headphones I had at the time. And it was fucking killer. The bass was incredibly fast, tight, and fat. And the mids... I thought I would have to spend thousands more to get such amazingly visceral, punchy drums and guitar. Since I listen to a lot of "rock" (and all of its sub-genres) this was probably the perfect system for me.

I can't really recommend any amps generally, but if you want to post a reply, I can give you a recommendation on what amp would go well with your headphones.

---Drivers: This just refers to your headphones or your speakers. This will make the biggest change to your sound. I moved from a $200 DAC to an $800 one, and the change definitely wasn't as big as when I went from one brand's $80 headphone to another's $200 headphone. So this is where you want to be most careful with your selection. Many headphone manufacturers have a "house sound." For example, Grado are edgy, fast, and mid- and treble-centered, with fast, tight, but slightly weak bass. Sennheiser are slower, veiled, with a big soundstage, and a wonderful smooth sound that lends itself to jazz, acoustic, and other slower genres. So do your homework on this decision! Or ask me

My recommendations: I used Grado for a long time and they were excellent for rock, metal, and acoustic guitar. Drums also sound great on them. However, they can be uncomfortable for long listening sessions (but if you don't mind them either looking a little ghetto or sounding worse, you can do a number of muds to alleviate that.) The Sennheiser HD485 I had were actually more Grado-ish than other Sennheiser models I've heard. But they were great for stuff like rap and DnB, because they had fat bass. This, along with their amazing comfort, made them great for both movies and long listening sessions. However, purely sound-wise, the Grado I had (SR225i and HF-1) blew them out of the water.


So there you have it... a small introduction to sound systems. I really had to restrain myself to keep from typing out pages and pages, since I could babble about this stuff all day. So if anyone has comments or questions, bring em on and I'll keep an eye on this thread.

 

Hmm well for monitoring I think that that's a fine setup. If you really wanted to pull out all the nuances possible in the music when you're monitoring (and this would really enhance future playback of recorded work) then yes, I would pick up a decent external sound card or USB DAC. But I don't know what kind of signal Reason can output? Will it output to an external sound card just like a media player?


Bizzy, yes, I agree that the AD-700 are a great budget pair of headphones. Have you tried gaming with them? I believe that's how the AD-700 craze started, when they were discovered as a very cheap, extremely capable pair of gaming phones.

 

^That, and the sound is a bit over-colored IMO, too much bass, bad mids, no soundstage etc.

 

Yep, it is also (formerly) known as the MDR-V6 (they are the exact same headphone just new name.) A lot of people really like them.

I currently run an electrostatic headphone setup, it is so goddamn fast Great for rock. And my speakers are a pair of Cambridge Scirocco S30, I run both setups through a Peachtree Decco DAC/Amplifier.

 

Really, a pair of powered monitors? I wouldn't have guessed that. But no, I have not, I really wish I could though now that I'm reading up about them. No luck finding them on eBay or available for sale anywhere...

The Sennheiser 555's are pretty bleh, I prefer a pair of headphones that leaves your ears bleeding, that's why I use Grado and Stax

 

Looks like it's 2-0 in favor of studio monitors. Are they really that good? I've only ever heard consumer speakers, my favorites being some Magnepan planars.