General Headphone Audio

mrk · Tuesday at 23:50

I just checked the X9 driver folder and do have the xml, most of the tabs are set to Auto so set them all to Visible and see this:

I am assuming that because the streaming value is set to on when needed that the Eversolo driver is actually doing what it needs to and actually adhering to the "need" and leaving it on internally whereas the FiiO driver was ignoring the need and just leaving it off hence the delay. The other tabs are interesting but nothing really useful as ASIO handles all the values dynamically anyway so I figure Eversolo left them visible on Auto for this reason.

Timber · Wednesday at 00:10

mrk said:
I just checked the X9 driver folder and do have the xml, most of the tabs are set to Auto so set them all to Visible and see this:

I am assuming that because the streaming value is set to on when needed that the Eversolo driver is actually doing what it needs to and actually adhering to the "need" and leaving it on internally whereas the FiiO driver was ignoring the need and just leaving it off hence the delay. The other tabs are interesting but nothing really useful as ASIO handles all the values dynamically anyway so I figure Eversolo left them visible on Auto for this reason.

I've checked and none of the four driver packages I have installed have the XML file.

But as to the wake delay outside of the Creative devices where there is a somewhat explained behaviour, I'm not sure why some DACs are behaving differently. The Fosi K7 is the outlier of the four 'more audiophile' DACs in my collection. As you say maybe something else in the firmware that manufacturers some are setting, or overlooking.

mrk · Wednesday at 00:19

I was going to suggest manually creating the XML file as a test but the values and reg references up top are driver specific so this likely won't work anyway.

Also the Fidelio X2HR is £77.99 currently on Amazon, as a dynamic headphone it is really excellent on bass from memory when I had it at launch, the weight and build quality also lands in the premium category as everything is put together nicely.

I'm actually tempted to have them as spare for dynamics.

A year old review from someone who went from HD600 to X2HR:

Rroff · Wednesday at 00:28

mrk said:
Fidelio X2HR

Mine hardly get any use - details are a bit raw, they struggle a bit with positional soundstage with certain types of cinema and gaming content, if I didn't have anything else and was spending about that kind of money I'd probably lean towards the Sennheiser 560S and there are other good alternatives.

The Fidelio are very nice build quality wise but they are quite big which might bother some.

Timber · Wednesday at 00:48

mrk said:
Fidelio X2HR

I've never heard them, but I did own the X1's and didn't get on with them (remember you had to replace the stock cable because of the impedance level). I thought they were muddy. I suspect the X2HR probably resolve some of the issues I had with the X1s and probably are quite good for gaming, particularly single-player stuff where that bass could shine. I'm not sure about music though and I sense there are better options, but the price is a bargain.

In that video certainly snapped those marble-tops in half. In a later video the HD600 headband is shown being replaced so at least he realised they can be fixed easily.

mrk · Wednesday at 00:48

It was several years ago I had them so memory of them is foggy but yeah I guess there was a reason I sold them on an went back to the HD650 at the time, probably that very reasons.

Rroff · Wednesday at 00:52

Timber said:
I've never heard them, but I did own the X1's and didn't get on with them (remember you had to replace the stock cable because of the impedance level). I thought they were muddy. I suspect the X2HR probably resolve some of the issues I had with the X1s and probably are quite good for gaming, particularly single-player stuff where that bass could shine. I'm not sure about music though and I sense there are better options, but the price is a bargain.

In that video certainly snapped those marble-tops in half. In a later video the HD600 headband is shown being replaced so at least he realised they can be fixed easily.

I'd say the X1 were better for music, despite that, which probably says a lot about the X2HR. The X2HR are not muddy at all but they trade that for rawness in my opinion. For me they sit in a bit of a no man's land between the X1 and Sony MDRs - the MDR-7506 is probably another good option at this price range though not as nice looking as the X2HR and obviously the consideration of open vs closed.

Yaayuh! · Wednesday at 07:51

Has this turned into a Chi-Fi thread?

Angst · Wednesday at 09:47

I had been thinking of custom-building some dynamic headphones using 3d printing and some off-the-shelf drivers when I came across Project Omega https://github.com/DMS3tv/Open-Omega. They look well designed and measure nicely, so I will be having a go at putting a pair together I think. It will be an interesting project and at the end will be cool to compare them against the hd650's.

Raymond Lin · Wednesday at 10:31

After the disappointment of Apple Airpod Pro 3 I went cheap today....CMF Buds 2 Plus for £34.

If they even last 12 months, I am quids in. If they fail inside 12 months, I'll get a replacement. Win win.

mrk · Wednesday at 10:51

I think I will be looking at some TWS buds soon for gym use so those do look interesting although as I will be rinse cleaning them from time to time, water resistance will be an important feature as well.

Raymond Lin · Wednesday at 11:10

I have been looking at the Nothing Ear (a) previously and they are always around the £70 mark. I have the Nothing Ear (2) and for what they are for, they are fine for the money but even the (2) were £110 when i got them as i came from the Airpod Pro 1, but for the money they don't sound better than my £50 Dunu Titan 2, not even close. Even the isolation in the Titan 2 is better without ANC.

So I just can't bring myself to spend over £100 or even £70 on something these days that sounds meh (truth be told) just for the wireless aspect. £34 for the convenience i can live with.

Timber · Wednesday at 11:10

Rroff said:
I'd say the X1 were better for music, despite that, which probably says a lot about the X2HR. The X2HR are not muddy at all but they trade that for rawness in my opinion. For me they sit in a bit of a no man's land between the X1 and Sony MDRs - the MDR-7506 is probably another good option at this price range though not as nice looking as the X2HR and obviously the consideration of open vs closed.

Unfortunately I can't really remember the X1s that well. Just that initial sense of what I called muddiness at the time never unrelented. I imagine with the bass and soundstage I'd like the X2HRs for games and movies.

I've said this before, but the MDR-7506 are a pair of headphones I've come close to buying. Put on the right Yaxi pads and I think they'd be interesting. The issue though is that I prefer open-backs and rarely have a need for a closed-back. And if I wanted to buy the FT1s, or 7506s every time I just think back to the DT 770s. There was something about them for general use, podcasts and gaming that was nice. Also so comfortable. And I'd grab them again I think. Particularly the high impedance ones, I also wonder how they would sound on a OTL/tube setup.

Angst said:
I had been thinking of custom-building some dynamic headphones using 3d printing and some off-the-shelf drivers when I came across Project Omega https://github.com/DMS3tv/Open-Omega. They look well designed and measure nicely, so I will be having a go at putting a pair together I think. It will be an interesting project and at the end will be cool to compare them against the hd650's.

I remember watching DMS launch these. I think they were c.£800-900. Making them open-source is cool.

Just out of interest what is the cost of the parts, or is that part of the further research?

I suppose if you have access to 3D printed that's the easier part. But there needs to be some sort of structural element for the headband, yokes on the earpads etc. And then the electrical elements like the drivers etc.

mrk · Wednesday at 11:16

Raymond Lin said:
I have been looking at the Nothing Ear (a) previously and they are always around the £70 mark. I have the Nothing Ear (2) and for what they are for, they are fine for the money but even the (2) were £110 when i got them as i came from the Airpod Pro 1, but for the money they don't sound better than my £50 Dunu Titan 2, not even close. Even the isolation in the Titan 2 is better without ANC.

So I just can't bring myself to spend over £100 or even £70 on something these days that sounds meh (truth be told) just for the wireless aspect. £34 for the convenience i can live with.

I've ordered the CMF Buds 2 Pro for £44, seems a great price for the specs and they are IP55 rated so can rinse them under the sink no probs. Will be interesting to see what the dual drivers are like, and of course what LDAC is like on them in both Windows and mobile. Doesn't say what other CODECs are supported but will see in Windows as a low latency one would be nice for general desktop use from time to time I guess when I don't want to use the big cans assuming they do sound good.

Raymond Lin · Wednesday at 11:25

mrk said:
I've ordered the CMF Buds 2 Pro for £44, seems a great price for the specs and they are IP55 rated so can rinse them under the sink no probs. Will be interesting to see what the dual drivers are like, and of course what LDAC is like on them in both Windows and mobile. Doesn't say what other CODECs are supported but will see in Windows as a low latency one would be nice for general desktop use from time to time I guess when I don't want to use the big cans assuming they do sound good.

Yeah, I was flipping between the Pro or the Plus and cheap won out lol.

oh, read this https://www.reddit.com/r/CMFTech/comments/1kcaqu8/are_cmf_buds_2_plus_better_than_cmf_buds_pro_2/

and this

mrk · Wednesday at 11:29

Just noticed that the Nothing app has a "low lag" mode option so I guess this uses a low latency CODEC or some other method. YouTube on Windows will be what I use to test that on assuming the app setting stores onto the buds and not resident only via the app on mobile.

Raymond Lin · Wednesday at 11:29

and this

CMF Buds 2 Plus vs CMF Buds Pro 2: Better sound or smarter controls?

CMF Buds Pro 2 vs Buds 2 Plus: Which budget earbuds offer better sound, features, and value? Find out which pair is right for you.

www.soundguys.com

Angst · Wednesday at 11:31

Timber said:
I remember watching DMS launch these. I think they were c.£800-900. Making them open-source is cool.

Just out of interest what is the cost of the parts, or is that part of the further research?

I suppose if you have access to 3D printed that's the easier part. But there needs to be some sort of structural element for the headband, yokes on the earpads etc. And then the electrical elements like the drivers etc.

Yea the fact hes provided all the plans for the parts etc for free is really cool, Capra even designed and released a fully printable headband and yokes etc to work with it. Pretty much everything apart from the drivers and wiring etc is printable so it keeps the cost down quite a bit.

mrk · Wednesday at 11:32

Raymond Lin said:
and this

CMF Buds 2 Plus vs CMF Buds Pro 2: Better sound or smarter controls?

CMF Buds Pro 2 vs Buds 2 Plus: Which budget earbuds offer better sound, features, and value? Find out which pair is right for you.

www.soundguys.com

The Buds 2 Plus, by contrast, sound significantly more refined out of the box. The bass is tighter, the treble is controlled, and the overall presentation is cleaner. You can still bump up the Ultra Bass if that’s your jam, but the default tuning works better across genres. I particularly appreciated the separation and natural width when listening to jazz and acoustic tracks.

Seems the PLus is the type of tuning that's more my type

Timber · Wednesday at 11:37

Angst said:
Yea the fact hes provided all the plans for the parts etc for free is really cool, Capra even designed and released a fully printable headband and yokes etc to work with it. Pretty much everything apart from the drivers and wiring etc is printable so it keeps the cost down quite a bit.

Well good luck, imagine it's an interesting one to do and probably teach you quite a bit.

Those CMF buds looks nice. I do wear a CMF Nothing Watch Pro 2 that I bought last year. Really like that aesthetic style/look that Nothing have.