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  #21  
Old 05-27-2021, 02:40 PM
JemHadar JemHadar is offline
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Originally Posted by 70sMac View Post
Jem666..... Please bear in mind that I've never owned a pair of decent headphones, so I really need some help with the acronyms. For instance, what does "IEM" and "ANC" mean?


Oops, my bad [emoji854]

IEM…In Ear Monitors…aka earbuds…although some make a distinction between IEMs and earbuds depending on how deep the tip is inserted into the ear canal. IEMs usually go deeper and offer better sound isolation.

ANC…Active Noise Cancellation…Active Noise Cancelling…same thing

True Wireless IEM…the Bluetooth receivers are integrated in the earpiece so no dongles or wires.

Last edited by JemHadar; 05-27-2021 at 03:12 PM.
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  #22  
Old 05-27-2021, 02:43 PM
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I'm a wired 'phone guy. Senn's are well made and good value. I have been v.impressed with the 560s but they are open backed. The 600 series runs I believe at 300 ohms so you will be tied to am amp.
I've read about some good over-ear closed-back headphones -- the Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pros -- that come in three different input impedance (Z) variations. Apparently, you can buy them with with 32 Ohm Z, 80 Ohm Z or 250 Ohm Z. My feeling is that the 32 Ohm model was made specifically for small playback devices and the 250 Ohm model was made for use with an amplifier. As I don't own a headphone amp, I'm leaning toward the 80 ohm model.

Do you have any thoughts on this?
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  #23  
Old 05-27-2021, 03:11 PM
JemHadar JemHadar is offline
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Default Nice Cans?

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Originally Posted by 70sMac View Post
I've read about some good over-ear closed-back headphones -- the Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pros -- that come in three different input impedance (Z) variations. Apparently, you can buy them with with 32 Ohm Z, 80 Ohm Z or 250 Ohm Z. My feeling is that the 32 Ohm model was made specifically for small playback devices and the 250 Ohm model was made for use with an amplifier. As I don't own a headphone amp, I'm leaning toward the 80 ohm model.



Do you have any thoughts on this?

The Beyerdynamic Pro models have very distinct tunings to accommodate professional use cases like live music mixing, broadcasting, monitoring, sound editing…etc. These tunings are quite different from non professional headphones…best to audition them first…but then…that is the case for every headphone [emoji854]

As far as impedance is concerned…your output device, present or future, will be leading…phone, DAP (Digital Audio Player), receiver, tubes, solid state ?

Last edited by JemHadar; 05-27-2021 at 04:21 PM.
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  #24  
Old 05-27-2021, 03:43 PM
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Originally Posted by Jem666 View Post
The Beyerdynamic Pro models have very distinct tunings to accommodate professional use cases like live music mixing, broadcasting, sound editing…etc. These tunings are quite different from non professional headphones…best to audition them first…but then…that is the case for every headphone [emoji854]

As far as impedance is concerned…your output device, present or future, will be leading…phone, DAP (Digital Audio Player), receiver, tubes, solid state ?
Jem666..... As we are very old-school stereo listeners, we are just now getting into learning about digital [fill in the blank]. At this point in time, the only active headphone jack in our rack is the one on the front of our Oppo 105D. As this player has proven to be extremely versatile for us, I see us using that jack for the most part. We also have an MX130 with a headphone jack, so, perhaps, I can figure out a way to put that back into the system for stereo headphone listening.
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  #25  
Old 05-27-2021, 04:21 PM
JemHadar JemHadar is offline
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Default Nice Cans?

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Originally Posted by 70sMac View Post
Jem666..... As we are very old-school stereo listeners, we are just now getting into learning about digital [fill in the blank]. At this point in time, the only active headphone jack in our rack is the one on the front of our Oppo 105D. As this player has proven to be extremely versatile for us, I see us using that jack for the most part. We also have an MX130 with a headphone jack, so, perhaps, I can figure out a way to put that back into the system for stereo headphone listening.


The MX130 Manual mentions the use of low impedance dynamic headphones. Unfortunately neither the McIntosh nor Oppo specifications list their respective output impedance…however 32 Ohm or 80 Ohm should work just fine…250 Ohm is definitely not suited for your use case.

I would strongly recommend to audition the DT770 Pro first or buy from someone with a return policy. They are excellent professional tools and do the job for which they are designed…but for musical enjoyment at home you can do much better. Several fellow AA members have made excellent recommendations in this thread. Sennheiser or their Drop iterations come to mind.

Last edited by JemHadar; 05-27-2021 at 04:42 PM.
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  #26  
Old 05-28-2021, 12:06 AM
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Default Amateur Headphones?

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Originally Posted by Jem666 View Post
The MX130 Manual mentions the use of low impedance dynamic headphones. Unfortunately neither the McIntosh nor Oppo specifications list their respective output impedance…however 32 Ohm or 80 Ohm should work just fine…250 Ohm is definitely not suited for your use case.

I would strongly recommend to audition the DT770 Pro first or buy from someone with a return policy. They are excellent professional tools and do the job for which they are designed…but for musical enjoyment at home you can do much better. Several fellow AA members have made excellent recommendations in this thread. Sennheiser or their Drop iterations come to mind.
Jem666..... As I live a looong way from any audio stores that would carry this kind of thing, I'm kind of stuck with what I can research.

If you have any thoughts on what you have in mind, I'd really appreciate your recommendation. That way, at least, I can do some research...but please bear in mind that I'm not looking to spend more than $200 on this first pair of headphones.
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  #27  
Old 05-28-2021, 03:25 AM
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Then it's the Senn 560s to your rescue. Nice long lead as well, and they work with portable dac/amps. Modern 'phones, in the main, esp in the budget range have really come on in sound quality over recent years, and this is probably the finest example in your price range. I can't really recommend any other closed back except what has been mentioned. You get great benefits from a headphone amp. You could get a nice reasonably priced Dac and Amp duo from Shiit audio to place on top or at the side of your Hi Fi, I think both come around $100-150 for the pair.
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  #28  
Old 05-28-2021, 04:35 AM
JemHadar JemHadar is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by radio times View Post
Then it's the Senn 560s to your rescue. Nice long lead as well, and they work with portable dac/amps. Modern 'phones, in the main, esp in the budget range have really come on in sound quality over recent years, and this is probably the finest example in your price range. I can't really recommend any other closed back except what has been mentioned. You get great benefits from a headphone amp. You could get a nice reasonably priced Dac and Amp duo from Shiit audio to place on top or at the side of your Hi Fi, I think both come around $100-150 for the pair.


+1
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  #29  
Old 05-28-2021, 02:16 PM
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Default Wired and Wireless

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Originally Posted by radio times View Post
Then it's the Senn 560s to your rescue. Nice long lead as well, and they work with portable dac/amps. Modern 'phones, in the main, esp in the budget range have really come on in sound quality over recent years, and this is probably the finest example in your price range. I can't really recommend any other closed back except what has been mentioned. You get great benefits from a headphone amp. You could get a nice reasonably priced Dac and Amp duo from Shiit audio to place on top or at the side of your Hi Fi, I think both come around $100-150 for the pair.
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Originally Posted by Jem666 View Post
+1
I recently received a Schiit DAC from a good friend, so that part is well under control. On the other hand, we don't own a headphone amplifier, so I'll have to do some reading/asking about that.

The only Sennheiser 560S models I can pull up are open-back in design. Given our goals, this won't work for us. Based on what I've read, thus far, we're in the market for a reasonably priced ($200 or less) over-ear closed-back headphone...which leads me back to wireless models.

Does anyone have any thoughts on the Sennheiser Momentum 3.0 wireless cans? If I'm understanding the reviews correctly, it would seem that you can use this model either wireless or with a cord. As I'm new to cans, I'm probably being naive here, but wouldn't that get you the best of both worlds?
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OUR VINTAGE MAC: MAC4100, MAC4200 | AMPS: MC452, MC300 | MAC PRE/PROS: MX151, MX130, MX121 | B&W SPEAKERS: (2) N802s, (2) N805s, (1) HTM3S | NEWER EQUIPMENT: Oppo 203 & 105D, Sony X800M2, Denon CDR-W1500 | VIDEO DISPLAY: 65" LG OLED | IMPORTANT NOTE: Zero High-speed internet connections
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  #30  
Old 05-28-2021, 02:51 PM
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You can check the reviews but at this point I just wouldn't get wireless, wired is still much better. Others may chip in but I don't know any closed backs at your price range that can match the sadly a bit open 560s. It's the Modi and Magni Schiit combo of dac/amp I was referring to, small boxes that stack. The Sony XM4 is a good pair but it's well north of your budget. There might be a good pair of closed backs under $200, it's worth researching. Hi Fi man I think do a pair but I'm not sure of their build quality, and they may be open. Also 'phones need burn in, at least 20- 40 hours so don't judge on initial listen. I own a pair of Sony closed backs and they are creamed by the 560s at around the same price, but it may be possible.
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