New to Headphones

[littlegiant]

I received my Hifiman HE400i headphones. Referencing my equipment and hearing limitations from above, this is what I heard;
1. While watching a movie, the clarity of the voices was amazing. I haven't been able to understand words at this level for many years.
2. While listening to a violin concerto and then a symphony, the overall fidelity was poor. Almost like listening to an old 78 rpm record before we had Hi Fidelity records. I know the problem is my hearing and not the headphones.

My hearing is diminished in the upper ranges, but it is not absent. Good hearing aids can compensate for a portion of this. My question is, can a headphone amp help bring back some of that lost fidelity? I know they can help with other ancillary listening issues. I just need help with overall fidelity. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[jayvis1]

My question is, can a headphone amp help bring back some of that lost fidelity?

In your case, the answer to that question is NO. You should probably try a number of other headphones to see if any have the ability to perform closer to your wishes.

[PierreB]

When you listen to violin and concerto, where is your HiFiMan connect.
In your Pioneer or your other system. Something is wrong and I don’t think it’s your headphone. But maybe I’m wrong.
I also have hearing aids but I never use them when I listen with my HiFiMan.

[Jack in Wilmington]

Originally Posted by PierreB

When you listen to violin and concerto, where is your HiFiMan connect.
In your Pioneer or your other system. Something is wrong and I don’t think it’s your headphone. But maybe I’m wrong.
I also have hearing aids but I never use them when I listen with my HiFiMan.

Do you have HE400i's also? As an older headphone user who's hearing isn't what it used to be, I feel like my HiFiMan's get me to the notes that I might miss when listening to my speakers.

[PierreB]

Yes I have a HE400i. But like I said, I use it with my iPad since I don’t have a phone input on my integrate amp. I read somewhere in a forum that the cables are not that good and a change with a balance one made a good difference. I never feel the need to change the cable.
For the price I paid, I’m very happy.

[littlegiant]

I appreciate all the input.

To answer a couple of the questions;
1. When I listened to the violin concerto and symphony, I plugged the Hifiman directly into the Anthem AVM processor. Next I tried the Oppo 205 CD/DVR player. They both sounded the same; low fidelity similar to how I hear music without my new hearing aids.
2. If a headphone amp is not going to help my situation, do you think a Schiit Loki equalizer might help?

[doggiehowser]

I guess an equaliser could help - but my concern is from seeing damage to amps/speakers over the years from guys who listen loud and then crank up bass/treble controls, you risk damaging the amplifiers or speakers/headphones or both. You could be pushing the drivers beyond their rated specs.

I am not sure what system you have but if you have a reasonably good pair of stereo speakers that can reproduce a good frequency range and you have a way of playing the audio from your phone to the stereo system (mini stereo line out or Airplay or worst case scenario Bluetooth, this is one option you could do:

a. download a signal generator on your phone

this is the one I use
https://apps.apple.com/au/app/audio-...or/id543661843

b. try playing some test tones through your speakers and see if you aren't hearing some of these frequencies.. hopefully it might tell u if it is your hearing or the headphones.

c. if your hearing is still good, maybe the headphones might have been damaged.

d. if your hearing is compromised too much, I am not sure boosting the frequencies to compensate would help. EQ is meant to flavour the sound IMHO not compensate for something we aren't hearing.

[W9TR]

A couple of lifetimes ago I designed custom audio systems for corporate jet aircraft. One of our clients had profound frequency dependent hearing loss. We took his hearing test curves and set up an equalizer to create an inverse response curve that compensated for his hearing loss.

It worked so well it brought him to tears. He heard things he hadn’t heard in 30 years. He could listen to and enjoy music again.

So, yes, if you have frequency dependent hearing loss then an equalizer will help.

There also may be some equalizer controls available in your AVM 60. Most pre/pros have them and it would be worth checking out.

Happy listening.

Tom

[PierreB]

Also you can try another headphone (Grado-Sennheiser.....) and see if it’s better or not.

[littlegiant]

I know my hearing problems are my own and not due to any equipment problems. I've had my hearing tested twice and the deficiencies are in the upper ranges. I'm encouraged to hear that you were able to help your client regain his ability to hear music again......almost all of it. The only equalizer I am aware of for headphones is the Schiit Loki, but my knowledge in this area is limited. So I guess I'll contact Schiit and try and get a feel if their product might help.

I have re-read the owners manual for the Anthem AVM 60 Processor twice and I can't find any reference to any tone controls other than basic treble and bass. So I guess I'm left with pursuing an equalizer.

Just to be clear, I plan on using my Hifiman HE400i via both of my sound systems that have speakers and amplifiers. I do not listen to anything via a smart phone, computer, streaming, bluetooth, or tablet. I'm old school......old, old, old school.

You guys have been great. Thanks a million.