I like music....old school though. Not much of the current stuff in my library.
I was into that 50 years ago. Then I started hanging out in the bars downtown, listening to the up and coming bands.
My music is a mix of new and old. Personally, I currently find myself in the middle of a very rare renaissance of new music; it's a special time. I've found a few new sources that have provided me with a huge amount of new music that I really enjoy. I've been posting some example in the what are you currently listening to thread.
http://www.gtamotorcycle.com/vbforum/showthread.php?186552-What-Are-You-Currently-Listening-To. Lots of variety there too.
Any recommendations on wireless, noise cancelling headphones?
Bose quiet comfort 35?
Sennheiser 550?
I've often wondered why people want noise cancelling headphones? Post up some reasons, maybe I'm missing something.
I've heard good things about both of those. Imo, I find Bose a master marketing company and not so much of an enthusiast sound quality company. On one hand, their technology in the noise cancelling arena is very good. OTOH, their sound quality is not very good, basic consumer grade.
Noise cancelling headphones are a compromise. Personally, I'd rather have ear plugs for noise suppression, and decent head phones for listening, be it iem's, isolated over ear (closed back style, which also does a good enough job for me in noise isolation), or not isolated over ear (open back style).
A few articles I found in reading up on noise cancelling headphones. Some may be interested in reading.
Are noise cancelling headphones worth it?
https://www.forbes.com/sites/geoffr...-cancelling-headphones-worth-it/#528fc40446d5
Are expensive headphones worth it?
https://www.forbes.com/sites/geoffr...e-expensive-headphones-worth-it/#63cfaffd7f94
Open back vs closed back headphones
https://www.forbes.com/sites/geoffr...ack-vs-closed-back-headphones/2/#4d7f9c0b7e53
Hope it helps. GL. Interesting discussion.
I use iem's on planes. Not wireless or noise cancelling but they work well for making the world outside disappear and I don't need to worry about dead batteries causing me trouble.
As much as I dislike bose sound, if I was buying noise cancelling phones, they would be the way I would look.
I always and only used iem's forever (the last 20 years), until I got my Sennheiser HD 598's over the ear headphones last christmas (9 months ago). Love my 598's now, they were a revelation and I'm a convert. I use them often and outside as well. iem's do have superior portability and more noise isolation. Each style has its strengths and weaknesses. I've never tried a high end more expensive pair of iem's, and yes you can even spend hundreds of dollars on iem's. Interesting reading up on the pricey enthusiast level iem's on the internet and maybe some here will want to check that out. Personally, I know that I prefer the sound quality of open back headphones, which present music in a way that iem's and closed back headphones simply can't.
For value iem's, I highly recommend this site for lots of options, some great prices and large discounts.
http://www.blueshop.ca/smartphone-headsets.htm
They rebranded their site name recently, but have been a notable seller and around for a while. I ordered 3 different pairs from them and it's the real deal, including the Samsung Active In-Ear Headphones. Interestingly, I did notice some of the prices have increased from when I purchased last year.
Bit of nostalgia: 25+ years ago I was flogging electronic components and made a call at a shop in Markham where they made high end amplifiers.
I ended up in the back shop, the typical block wall / metal roof industrial unit while the techie was running a unit through its paces. The thing looked like it came out of a WWII radio stack with all kinds of orange glow from the tubes.
The sound was amazing, so absolutely brilliant.
I went home to my blah transistors.
for anyone interested in the warmth of tube amplification
here's an affordable and fun way to give it a listen
DIY integrated stereo tube amplifier kit
I built one of these several years back and was really impressed with the sound for $200
https://www.tubesandmore.com/products/amp-kit-stereo-integrated-tube-amplifier
Tubes are a sure sign of audiophiles and for many people they never go back to solid state (SS)
. I've got some tubes in my two channel system and it made a huge and positive difference.
Tubes are a deep dive rabbit hole. There are dozens of different tube types that sound different, combined with different audio circuit design topologies that make similar audio components sound different, etc.
FWIW, in the audiophile world there are hundreds of different technologies and approaches to producing sound. With tubes, it is often done with the preamplifier and/or amplifier component. In my experience, tube amplifiers only produce world class quality at high prices, especially if you are driving less than very efficient speakers to high volumes. OTOH, a tube preamplifier is an easy way to introduce great tube sound into a music system while not breaking the bank. There are even tube amplifiers for headphones, etc.
Lots of great topics here.
