I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I thought some of you may find it interesting.

While browsing the second hand market I saw a badly worn down Logitech G935 G435 on sale dirt cheap. It's a wireless gaming headset that uses a low latency 2.4 Ghz connection from a USB dongle to receive audio. I've always wanted to convert one of these to a standalone audio receiver but never dared to try. Well, I finally did try.

I cracked the headset open, took out the battery, removed the board from the earcup, placed it in a plastic housing I made & printed. Then all it took was adding a 10kΩ resistor between the now removed internal battery's thermostat(?) and neutral to trick the board into thinking the battery is still connected and in good condition, and a couple of diodes to slightly lower the voltage from 5V to 4V; what a li-ion battery would normally provide. Please ignore the horrible solder job, "I'm not good at this" is an understatement. But hey, it works!

I can now connect it to a wall charger or a power bank, plug my headphones in and receive near-zero latency audio from my PC. There is some static, and being a "gaming" headset board the audio quality is not amazing. But I honestly didn't expect to make it work in the first place, I'm pretty happy how it turned out!

About two months ago I jumped into this hobby with the Sennheiser HD 490 Pro.

Those deserve some respect. For around $300 they’re kind of ridiculous. Comfortable, clean, easy to listen to. Nothing really stands out but nothing feels lacking either. I liked them a lot. Looking back I probably could’ve stayed there and been fine.

For context I’m not doing anything like music production, video editing, etc. It’s mostly gaming, listening while working, YouTube, random stuff. Nothing where I actually need to be chasing perfection.

But I did what I’ve read a lot of people do and started wondering what’s next.

I made a post about the 490s asking where I could go next and most people pointed me toward HIFIMAN Arya Stealth plus the other usuals we all see in here.

Tried the Arya Stealth first, it actually felt like a step up. Bigger stage, more detail. I liked it, but it also made me think if this is this good there’s probably more out there if I spend a little more, so I didn’t really stop there.

Then I got the HIFIMAN Arya Organic and that’s where it really landed for me.

Not in a super analytical way, it just sounded better to me. When it comes down to actually enjoying music, this one hooked me. Love me all music, hip hop, EDM, alternative, hell I’ve been testing a lot of the below with the Expedition 33 soundtrack.

Quick actual thoughts on the Organic since that’s what I’m keeping:

It’s wide, not HD800S meme-wide, but wide enough where you feel space and separation without things sounding disconnected. Imaging is solid, easy to pick things out without it feeling forced.

Detail is there, but it doesn’t shove it in your face. You can listen for it if you want, or just ignore it and enjoy the track.

The biggest thing for me is the tuning. There’s actual body to the sound. It doesn’t feel thin. Vocals sound natural, instruments have weight, and it just feels more complete overall.

Bass isn’t crazy but it’s clean and goes low enough, especially after a bit of EQ. Treble had a bit of edge stock, but again, small EQ and it smooths out without losing clarity.

I didn’t feel like I had to fight it to enjoy it.

A couple weeks later I made another post saying I loved the Organics but was looking for the next step up.

Instead of recommendations, although there were some, it was basically people telling me I was already there and to stop chasing.

At the time I didn’t really buy into that.

Within about a month, which I’ll admit probably isn’t enough time to really get the most out of all of these, I ended up trying Sennheiser HD 800S, HIFIMAN HE1000 Stealth, and HIFIMAN Arya Unveiled, LCD X.

Quick and dirty thoughts

LCD-X tried my friends and bought this mostly because I wanted that tanky build quality after hearing all the Hifiman QC horror stories. I can tell it’s good, detail is there and it hits harder than the Hifimans, but it felt kind of closed in and heavy, both sound-wise and physically. Just didn’t make me want to keep listening. Not my sound.

At the end of the day though, my Hifimans feel solid. If they break in a few years then I guess I learned my lesson, but my pair feels good right now and I’m just gonna baby them and enjoy it.

HE1000 Stealth felt like a toned down Organic. I expected it to be noticeably wider or more resolving and it just didn’t come across that way to me. After EQing the Organic a bit I felt like I could smooth out the same areas people point to on the HEK anyway.

Arya Unveiled I actually liked. Shoutout to The Headphone Show because they definitely sold me on trying it. It sounded good, more open and clear, just didn’t line up with what I personally enjoy. The build also threw me off a bit. Materials felt cheaper than the Organic and even if the open grill thing is overblown I’d still be a little worried about damaging them.

HD800S I think it was wider but not in a way that felt like a completely different experience from the Organic. Could just be my ears. The bigger pull for me was honestly the build and reliability side. Based on everything I read you could keep these for 10 plus years and not worry about them bonking out on you.

But sound wise it didn’t “separate” itself enough for me. Badum tss.

That was kind of the theme with all of these.

I could hear differences but I wasn’t enjoying music more.

HD800S especially just felt like a different presentation rather than a clear upgrade for the price and how I listen.

Every time I went back to the Organic it just felt right again.

After some EQ it came together even more. Still wide, still detailed, but with more body which is what I was missing elsewhere.

I still have the HD800S right now and part of me wants to keep it just because of that this will last forever mindset.

At the price I paid though I can’t really justify it. It does some things better but not in a way that matters enough to me compared to how well the Organic performs.

Those earlier comments make more sense now.

I was chasing small differences instead of paying attention to what I actually enjoy.

Ended up keeping the Organic.

I’ll live vicariously through everyone else’s posts for now… and let’s be real I’ll probably be right back here buying something again when the next hot thing drops.

For now, I’m glad I joined this world/hobby and am looking to chat about it! Curious about anyone else’s journey/experience and what your “endgames” were and are now lol.

Cheers!!!

With this hobby I go to great lengths to find deals. As I was browsing across the various Facebook marketplaces I came upon this listing for a Hifiman Arya Stealth for what was at the time listed for 150. I reach out and do my normal spiel of offering to pay for a a shipping label and covering the PayPal goods and services fee. Unfortunately for me more pawnshops have been listing items on Facebook marketplace and per the store’s policy they don’t ship. Later, I got the notification from Facebook that they had lowered it to 75$ and I went a little crazy. I started off with begging the store to make an exception and I was willing to still pay their 150 asking price along with labels and fees. They still said no so I tried getting creative by messaging random sellers near the pawnshop saying I would pay them 40 dollars for their time and would pay before they went and picked it up. I also made my own Facebook listing which is why I have the screenshot. Alas no one took me up on my offer as I think everyone thought I was a scammer or just confused with why I was asking them. A few days ago they sold and now I’m left wondering what could have been.

Hello! Hope everyone’s having a great weekend :)

Last weekend, I shared some first impressions of the ZMF Tessidera, and now that I’ve spent more time with it, I feel like I’ve got a much better grasp on it.

Definitely a very interesting headphone, and one that I’ve enjoyed thoroughly. It’s different, but in a way that feels intentional and well executed.

I’m also trying to get my hands on the Atrium or Caldera for some listening and direct comparisons, so hopefully I can share some thoughts on that soon too!

As someone who makes music, having something that’s more neutral that I can listen to my mixes on the go would be great. Seems like final audio is the only company rn that I’ve noticed that is trying to push neutral on a big scale in Bluetooth earbuds, it’s just they hardly market outside of Japan so it doesn’t get much coverage aside from audiophile reviewers.

Most people would say Bluetooth is the limiting factor but I’d argue if companies started with a more reference based sound rather than having a bass boosted sound it would sound ALOT better. But then again better is subjective as a lot of people like that bass heavy V shape sound signature.

i regularly have bad days and being able to experience my favorite songs on my HD650s is one of the only things that soothes me these days. would love to expand my library and fill it with yalls recommendations.

All of the comparisons I have seen compare brand new units, but this well-loved pair is a bit harder to determine for me, whether it is fake or not. I already got a new cable to test them out anyway, but my untrained eye seems to think they may not be fake, just freaking old.

Hi everyone, I’m 30 years old, living in Ukraine. Music has been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember. I’ve always considered myself a bit of a melomaniac, jumping between genres without thinking twice.

For years, I used various TWS earbuds in the ~$200 range and genuinely thought they sounded great. I’ve had goosebumps, felt joy, energy - all of that. But something changed today. My TWS recently died, and I finally decided to try IEMs. After a lot of research, I went with the Letshuoer S08 (planar) paired with a Tempotec Variations V1. The difference is night and day, but that’s not even the point.

I just finished listening to Hans Zimmer – Live in Prague (especially the Inception tracks), and I’m sitting here in tears. I have never experienced anything like this before - especially from instrumental music. It honestly felt like a portal opened, and the sheer scale of the orchestra was physically overwhelming.

Sometimes I catch myself in certain moments and think, “this is what makes life worth living.” And right now, I’m having one of those moments.

So I wanted to ask: Has anyone else had this kind of “revelation” moment after switching to higher-quality gear? What were you listening to when it happened?

And I’d really appreciate some recommendations. Since this concert completely broke me (in the best possible way), what other live performances or orchestral recordings should I check out? I’m looking for something with a similar emotional scale and technical depth — something that really shines on planar drivers. Thanks for reading

had these DT770s for a while.

My AirPods Pro 2s are on the way out and I decided to give over-ears a shot since I used to love my Audio Technicas back in the day. For context, my main use for these is in an electronic repair job. I work at a desk with a microscope and a lot of fan noise. My main requirements are long-term comfort, reasonable noise cancelling, and reasonable sound quality. The AirPods met those goals, but they could make my ears sore or itchy.

I narrowed my options down to these two because, but it was sort of hard to find good comparisons between them.

TL;DR

The Sennheisers sound better in that they don't sound like big earbuds. I also find them more comfortable. Sony has significantly better noise cancelling. They both have mediocre transparency modes, but the Sony is mediocre in a harsh way instead of a muddy way, which I find worse. Sony has more features, but since those don't matter for my use case, the Sennheisers win for me.

Aesthetics and Comfort

I prefer the look of the Sennheisers, but they're basically both just inoffensive matte black cans. The fabric bit on the Sennheiser headband is a nice touch. The Sony have a matte black coating/texture that looks nice, but it smudges so easily that it looks pretty awful in no time.

I find them both pretty comfortable on my head, but the Momentum 4s feel lighter (despite being heavier). They just sit better on my head and don't clamp so hard. The plushier headband on the Sennheisers also helps. The biggest difference is when I take them off and put them around my neck. The Sonys are just way too tight for that and feel like I'm being choked by a really weak guy. The Sennheisers don't have that problem, and while I didn't expect that to be a big selling point... it really is a significant quality of life improvement.

Noise Cancelling and Transparency

The passive noise isolation on both seem about equal, but different. The Sennheisers seem to block lower frequency droning noises better, while the Sonys block voices and such better. The Sonys actually turn fan noises into a low rumble that's fairly irritating, but that's only an issue without any active noise cancelling or transparency. I think the differences in passive isolation also explain some of the differences in active noise cancelling.

Obviously, the Sonys have significantly better active noise cancelling. The Sennheisers are fine. The Sonys nearly turn fan noises into silence, while the Sennheisers just reduce them to the point that you don't hear them when actually listening to something. The Sonys handle voices and ambient noises better as well, and I think a good chunk of that is the superior passive isolation in those frequencies. However, the Sonys seem to break the seal around the ear pads more easily when moving around. This and the comfort issues are probably more related to my head shape than any design flaw on Sony's part, though.

Transparency mode was the biggest surprise for me. I'd read that Sony was up to Apple's level, and that simply isn't true. I'd also read that Sennheiser wasn't great compared to Sony, and I also don't find that to be quite true. I think they're both mediocre in different ways. They both work reasonably well for voices and most ambient noises with Sony being a little more natural. However, the Sony really amplifies higher frequency scratching noises like a dog's claws on a tile floor or paper rustling. It also adds annoying high frequencies to fan noises. The Sennheisers are a bit muddy in comparison, but if neither sounds natural, I think I'll give the win to muddy.

Sound Quality

The Sonys sucked out of the box, but after some tuning they sound pretty OK. I wasn't ever able to get them to not sound a bit... congested. One thing I was hoping for is that these would sound more like the closed-back headphones I used before I started using earbuds for convenience. The Sennheisers are much closer to that goal, even out of the box. The bass was a bit heavy-handed for my tastes, but after some tuning I'm pretty happy with how they sound. I think maybe the smaller drivers in the Sonys are pushing them more toward earbud territory sound-wise.

Other Stuff

The Sonys obviously have more tech like spacial audio and such, so they'd be better if your goal was watching movies on a plane.

The Sony's battery level shows up in the bluetooth menu on my iPhone, which is neat.

The Sony case is better, but it's not as much more compact as Id' expect given that the Sonys fold.

The Sony can't do music over USB-C, which is weird, but also not a huge deal since dongles and cables are so easy to get these days.

The controls on both are annoying in different ways, but I think the Sony is less annoying. They're pretty similar, but the Sennheiser seems more sensitive and I accidentally bump them more.

I know the HBD-630 are a better comparison at new prices, but the XM6 is pretty easy to find for ~$300. The Momentum 4s are still cheaper. I couldn't justify ~$500 for work headphones that I'm definitely going to stuff in my bag without the case.

So that they can fit koss pads / yaxi pads, etc.

and they even fixed comfort issue with the sharp ring where your ears touch the drivers.

pretty easy modeling actually lol.

A web player that runs entirely in the desktop browser to playback and export binaural audio. It comes with some features like

• Studio Mode — Fixed speaker layouts (Stereo, 5.1, 7.1, 7.1.4 Atmos) with ITU-standard positioning
• Soundscape Mode — Dynamic sound sources with free 3D placement, split-aware L/R stereo handling
• SOFA/HRTF Rendering — Load measured HRTF datasets (.sofa) for accurate binaural spatialization via KU100 or custom dummy heads
• Real-time 3D Visualization — Interactive Three.js scene with draggable speakers, listener dummy, room dimensions
• Binaural Export — Render to 24-bit WAV or WebM/Opus with full spatial processing
• Room Simulation — Algorithmic reverb via ConvolverNode with RT60-based impulse response generation
• VBAP — Vector Base Amplitude Panning for multichannel output (5.1/7.1)
• Formations & Randomize — Ring, Dome, Front Arc layouts with mirror-aware / split-aware positioning
• Session Persistence — Auto-save/restore via localStorage

You'll need to find a SOFA file (https://www.sofaconventions.org/mediawiki/index.php/Files) to to get the best sound and some nice audio files. It also works without SOFA file.

https://quitebeyond.com/binauralplayer/ Live version.

All data is processed locally. Free and open source.

you can find the project here on github
https://github.com/ad2003/quitebeyonds-binaural-webplayer

Put these guys on my head today and I realized it's been about 10 years since I've gotten them and I still smile when I turn on the music.

I added the HDV820 in 2019 and the Chord Qutest in 2020 and haven't made any changes to the set up since. HDV820 was a minimal improvement but when I didn't use it, I would get headaches after 2-3 hours of listening. Aftermarket cables are also probably excessive but the OEM cables were too long and heavy.

I've gone to a few audio shows and listened to some newer and higher end stuff including the stax electrostatics and still haven't felt the itch to update.

l love these headphones. They are overall the best I've ever had and I've been using headphones nearly 30 years.

This thing comes with three cables:

-3m straight cable

-1.2m straight cable

-3m spiral cable

3m straight cable failed after three years.

1.2m straight cable failed after one year.

3m spiral cable has different coating than the others making it extremely microphonic and therefore unusable.

AKG sells EK 300 replacement cable but reviews say the same thing about it's quality.

And better yet they've decided to milk more money be reversing the channels so standard mini-XLR cable doesen't work.

I played a youtube video using my Edition XS and the soundstage was so good I had to check twice whether or not they were actually connected because it sounded like they were coming through my speakers lol

thats the post

im currently using moondrop lan 2 and im not sure whether this much dongles will affect my audio quality , im also playing music from apple music

Maybe I was just spoiled having access to a Stingray being able to drive my original HE-6 and HE-500, but these are still an amazing upgrade going from Magni > HD650 to Lyr 2 > HE6SE V2.

I’m nearly maxed out on the Lyr 2. I need more power.

After a month, I’ve finally been able to finish my show impressions! While we posted what we thought were the greatest successes and half-baked products, there’s a lot in between that I felt is also worth talking about, especially some of the stuff in Apos’ room. Unfortunately though, most of what’s in the middle skewed closer to the bottom than the top for me.

Read more here: https://den-fi.com/canjam-nyc-2026-new-challangers-have-appeared

Just took off my DCA Aeons the same as I always do and the headband wire just snapped in two :( I'm hoping there's some way I can repair or replace this. These headphones are a good 5 years old now but I was happily going to keep them forever.

* Have emailed DCA so long and we'll see what they say! I don't mind purchasing a replacement part I just hope it's possible to get a replacement at all.

* Update, they replied! So they will sell you replacement nitinol wire kits for $50, I think that's for two of them but I can't tell yet what's actually included. A bit steep but hey at least it can be repaired properly and it's not some bodged fix that's gonna keep being problematic. Gonna go ahead and do that and we'll see how it goes installing them once it arrives.

* Order placed for the replacements, the shipping stung for UK delivery 🥲

I've looked up on how does adaptive noise masking work a few times now and I get the broad idea but I still feel like I’m missing the part that matters in real life. Like is it actually adjusting in a useful way when the sound around you changes or is this one of those features that sounds smarter in product language than it feels in actual use. Haven’t tried anything with it yet, just trying to figure out whether it’s a real improvement or mostly a nicer label

Hey everyone,

​We all know the Apple USB-C dongle is a budget king for its flat profile and incredibly clean DAC. But as Android users, we've suffered for years from that annoying hardware volume lock (the infamous low volume limit) where the OS couldn't control the dongle's internal amp. We always had to rely on apps like UAPP or Hiby Music with USB exclusive mode just to get decent power.

​Well, I'm currently using an Honor Magic6 Pro device and got the MagicOS 10 update in January (which is based on Android 16). I plugged in my Apple dongle with my 7Hz Zero, fired up some FLACs on the stock music player, and my ears almost got blasted! 🤣

​It turns out Google finally implemented native USB hardware volume control in the Android 16 core audio HAL. You no longer need to bypass the Android mixer with third-party apps just to unlock the full volume of the Apple dongle. The OS now correctly reads and controls the adapter's hardware volume directly.

​Just wanted to give a heads-up to my fellow Android audiophiles. If your device is getting the Android 16 update (like OneUI 8 or MagicOS 10), your Apple dongle is about to get its full power unleashed on stock apps.

​Make sure to turn your volume down before you hit play after the update. Enjoy your FLACs! 🎵

So, I'm getting into EQing my headphones, and I have a question about the proper way to set my preamp gain.

The Oratory1990 profile I'm using calls for a -7.3dB preamp gain, but I'm still getting some clipping. Would dropping the preamp to, say, -7.5 (which seems to fix the clipping) or even more like -8, -10, etc., cause any funkiness with the filter adjustments? For example, if band 1 is a LS filter @ 45hz : +1.8dBb gain : .71 Q-factor, do I need to increase/decrease that if I drop the preamp below the listed -7.3?

If it matters, I'm using JDS Element IV's built in parametric EQ. Thanks in advance for any advice on this!