DIY-Audio-Heaven (opens in new tab)

(diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com)

149 pointsbfm2y ago28 comments

28 comments

bfmOP2y ago

Given the recent discussions about hi-fi headphone misleading marketing https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36377875, and how hard it is to quantify quality, I found this resource a while ago and loved how they tear them apart and fixed the shortcomings of $40 headphones with simple hacks like adding a coffee filter on the cup to make them sound better than $500 models

grugagag2y ago

Got some SHP9500 open ear headphones, as far as I can tell of outstanding quality for the money, $39.99. It’s true that bass is quite soft but I find myself jamming out for longer sessions because they are very comfortable. There are various hacks and mods out there for these as well. I highly recommend these headphones for good bang for the buck ratio.

bfmOP2y ago

After purchasing the Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO, I discovered the Superlux HD 662 EVO on this website and decided to buy them for $38 to see how they would compare. I was pleasantly surprised by the significant difference in quality, considering the Superlux headphones were almost five times cheaper. This experience led me to return the Beyerdynamic headphones and approach overpriced headphone reviews with more skepticism.

2 more replies

daef2y ago

USD 40,- sounds like a steal. azn offers them for 180 eurodollar: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B00ENMK1DW/

2 more replies

lagniappe2y ago

This reminds me of Crinnacles In-Ear Fidelity graph database of IEMs. https://crinacle.com/graphs/iems/ iirc it is the largest database of IEMs in existence.

Also, wow I haven't seen this wordpress theme in 10 years, it used to be my favorite!

jeffbee2y ago

Kind of an odd undertaking, though. The biggest improvement you can get with IEMs by far is custom fitting. You could take one of those middle-of-the-pack IEMs from that big list, spend a few hundred on fitted tips, and get a better result than the non-custom stuff at the top of the list.

slapo2y ago

What's this based on? AFAIK, custom molded tips, should create a better seal than generic ear tips, but unless they're molded with optimal insertion depth for a given in-ear, they might change the perceived frequency response. Bearing in mind that the material of the tip also matters, one might not necessarily get an "improvement", but merely a change in sound signature and a more secure fit.

syassami2y ago

Since we're on this topic: a great thread on modding the Fostex T50RP. Some folks even turned this into a few small businesses. Some were selling modded versions and others selling mod-kits.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/fostex-t50rp-incremental-mod...

rainbowzootsuit2y ago

Headwize used to be the place I'd hang out to discuss and enjoy DIY headphones and headphone amplifiers.

The site is now memorialized below but has a wealth of information.

https://headwizememorial.wordpress.com/

CobaltFire2y ago

It's been a few years since I went there, and now I'm sad to see it's gone.

Those reviews helped me get some excellent bang for the buck headphones years ago.

ruph1232y ago

Looks great, there goes my Sunday afternoon.

On the topic of trustworthy review sites, especially for headphones, I thought rtings.com is the standard. Detailed data-driven reviews and supposedly crowd-funded. What do people think about rtings?

astrange2y ago

Objective headphone reviews are only valid in the same setting, which means if your room sounds different, your head is shaped different, or you're wearing glasses they stop being true.

Noise cancelling headphones and IEMs are better than reviews make it sound due to this.

spurgu2y ago

> Objective headphone reviews are only valid in the same setting, which means if your room sounds different, your head is shaped different, or you're wearing glasses they stop being true.

I get this with speakers but how are any of these valid with headphones?

3 more replies

anotherevan2y ago

What I'm after and can't seem to find are good quality¹ glasses frames that have (bone-conduction) headphones built in to the stems. I want to replace my existing prescription glasses with this.

¹ E.g. Spring hinges, nose pads.

password43212y ago

These have nose pads: Cooyee CY02 https://amzn.com/dp/B0BS5KRC5X $100

Source: https://www.headphonesty.com/2023/02/bone-conduction-sunglas...

patchtopic2y ago

it would be really great if someone did this level of objective measurement to settle the "HD555 is a crippled HD595" debate :-)

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

28 comments

bfmOP2y ago

grugagag2y ago

bfmOP2y ago

2 more replies

daef2y ago

USD 40,- sounds like a steal. azn offers them for 180 eurodollar: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B00ENMK1DW/

2 more replies

lagniappe2y ago

This reminds me of Crinnacles In-Ear Fidelity graph database of IEMs. https://crinacle.com/graphs/iems/ iirc it is the largest database of IEMs in existence.

Also, wow I haven't seen this wordpress theme in 10 years, it used to be my favorite!

jeffbee2y ago

slapo2y ago

syassami2y ago

Since we're on this topic: a great thread on modding the Fostex T50RP. Some folks even turned this into a few small businesses. Some were selling modded versions and others selling mod-kits.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/fostex-t50rp-incremental-mod...

rainbowzootsuit2y ago

Headwize used to be the place I'd hang out to discuss and enjoy DIY headphones and headphone amplifiers.

The site is now memorialized below but has a wealth of information.

https://headwizememorial.wordpress.com/

CobaltFire2y ago

It's been a few years since I went there, and now I'm sad to see it's gone.

Those reviews helped me get some excellent bang for the buck headphones years ago.

ruph1232y ago

Looks great, there goes my Sunday afternoon.

On the topic of trustworthy review sites, especially for headphones, I thought rtings.com is the standard. Detailed data-driven reviews and supposedly crowd-funded. What do people think about rtings?

astrange2y ago

Objective headphone reviews are only valid in the same setting, which means if your room sounds different, your head is shaped different, or you're wearing glasses they stop being true.

Noise cancelling headphones and IEMs are better than reviews make it sound due to this.

spurgu2y ago

> Objective headphone reviews are only valid in the same setting, which means if your room sounds different, your head is shaped different, or you're wearing glasses they stop being true.

I get this with speakers but how are any of these valid with headphones?

3 more replies

anotherevan2y ago

What I'm after and can't seem to find are good quality¹ glasses frames that have (bone-conduction) headphones built in to the stems. I want to replace my existing prescription glasses with this.

¹ E.g. Spring hinges, nose pads.

password43212y ago

These have nose pads: Cooyee CY02 https://amzn.com/dp/B0BS5KRC5X $100

Source: https://www.headphonesty.com/2023/02/bone-conduction-sunglas...

patchtopic2y ago

it would be really great if someone did this level of objective measurement to settle the "HD555 is a crippled HD595" debate :-)

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse