Head/earphones Recommendations Thread

holyAngelX

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hey guys. I recently bought Philips SHP9500 and plugged directly into mobo but find the volume abit soft even at full vol. PS i new to this. Any ways to increase volume ?

DAC/ Amplifier ? Any cheap recommendations ?
What motherboard you have? Nowadays its actually quite good, especially since your headphone is only 32 ohm. I dunno about branded OEM but for DIY Desktop, you shouldn't be using the motherboard 3.5mm port in the back, that usually aren't amplified as its meant to go to active speaker. You should be using the 3.5mm port from your CPU casing. That connects to the HD audio pins on your motherboard, which has the amplifier, meant for IEM and headphones. Check your motherboard manual, it will show whether it has the HD audio pins
 

zhihe1996

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What motherboard you have? Nowadays its actually quite good, especially since your headphone is only 32 ohm. I dunno about branded OEM but for DIY Desktop, you shouldn't be using the motherboard 3.5mm port in the back, that usually aren't amplified as its meant to go to active speaker. You should be using the 3.5mm port from your CPU casing. That connects to the HD audio pins on your motherboard, which has the amplifier, meant for IEM and headphones. Check your motherboard manual, it will show whether it has the HD audio pins
Appreciate the reply. I'm using ASrock B450m Pro4 Mobo. I actually listened to chesterqw and bought the apple USB C to 3.5 and it is now working great. Big improvement in volume.
 

holyAngelX

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Appreciate the reply. I'm using ASrock B450m Pro4 Mobo. I actually listened to chesterqw and bought the apple USB C to 3.5 and it is now working great. Big improvement in volume.
Ok, so its a modern board. I checked and you have Front Panel Audio Header (HD_AUDIO1) at the very bottom left. Also need to check bios and Enable/disable front panel HD audio (if connected). You can try and compare with the apple USB C adapter. I haven't tried that dongle but my understanding is that it kinda functions like a mini dac/amp so you have that volume boost (more power). It shouldn't be "better" than the onboard mobo amp though.

That said, I dunno how good the shielding on your mobo is and how sensitive your headset is. So if you end up with a electrical noise, then the external apple USB C adapter would be better. Though a budget cheap external DAC would fare better than both options, can also drive your headset louder
 

RyanJ

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51096501762_632ac9dae8_b.jpg


51096407751_76c9ea003e_b.jpg


Satisfying discernible improvement, using PXC550ii. Not dramatically huge life changing improvement but appreciable. Sounds cleaner

Very appealing form factor but quite abit of heft too.

The provided Dragontail usbC connector has a snug fit
 

burn_rubber

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51096501762_632ac9dae8_b.jpg


51096407751_76c9ea003e_b.jpg


Satisfying discernible improvement, using PXC550ii. Not dramatically huge life changing improvement but appreciable. Sounds cleaner

Very appealing form factor but quite abit of heft too.

The provided Dragontail usbC connector has a snug fit

Looks good -- did you buy from local retailer or online?
 

chromehead

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duno if this is the right place to post regarding type-c to 3.5mm dongles

bought 2 recently, 1 by ATZ (probably a rebadge) and 1 by samsung (some "analong vietnam kdm40b U.S." markings)

ATZ sounds louder when used on Pixel 4a (has own 3.5) and Tab S6 (no 3.5).. but got noticeable white noise when playing. Plugged into PC no white noise

Samsung one sounds softer when plugged into the same two devices. Google Assistant options when plugged in to both. White noise floor is lower than the ATZ. Plugged into PC no white noise, but cannot play music properly like there is something music players on pc to auto toggle play/pause rapidly.

both appears locked at 16bit 44k when i checked through windows system menu, i see other people and their dongles can toggle different rates?

are USB-c dongles suppose to have some white noise floor? How come plug into PC the noise is gone?
My mobo is the MSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon, seems to be advertised for the isolated pcb for audio portion. Didn't notice much change from cursory hearing through the dongle or MOBO, as was more concerned the noise from those dongles for phone and tablet use.
 

purpleberry

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Any good wired IEMS to recommend? Budget around $100. So far been reading on Tin Audio T4.
 

Alexz_Hong

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Any good wired IEMS to recommend? Budget around $100. So far been reading on Tin Audio T4.
Moondrop Aria? haven't tried that myself but seems to be getting really good reviews all around. local price is around 100 too. But will recommend going to demo it for yourself. there is a shop at sim lim with demo unit i think, saw their listing on shopee. They also have tin hifi stuff there also so you can make the comparison there too. if got time can also go zepp & co to see what options they have.
 

chromehead

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yo peeps, Paw S1 vs BTR5.. which one? using with phone and tablet, and maybe pc.
not much flac these days unless i go climb more, mostly streamed music

or just get DAP like the Hiby R3 Pro that can do DAC/AMP as well for pc
 

bencheongcm

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Moondrop Aria? haven't tried that myself but seems to be getting really good reviews all around. local price is around 100 too. But will recommend going to demo it for yourself. there is a shop at sim lim with demo unit i think, saw their listing on shopee. They also have tin hifi stuff there also so you can make the comparison there too. if got time can also go zepp & co to see what options they have.

anyone who have not tried IEM or dont know where to start can try this or KZ EDX. Sure will get hook later to try higher end IEM,
 

Yua Mikami

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first time using a pricey earphone when i watch this video whenever he moves his camera i can hear the vibration



so is it normal? or i got con? my budget earbud can't really hear the vibration
 

Alexz_Hong

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first time using a pricey earphone when i watch this video whenever he moves his camera i can hear the vibration



so is it normal? or i got con? my budget earbud can't really hear the vibration

you mean the thumping sound at like 0.35, 0:39, 1:03, etc? It could just mean that the earphones you are using now have better sub-bass extension compared to your budget earphones.
 

Yua Mikami

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you mean the thumping sound at like 0.35, 0:39, 1:03, etc? It could just mean that the earphones you are using now have better sub-bass extension compared to your budget earphones.
thanks for the reply.

you are right the thumping sound, i still can't get use to hearing more details in a yt video LOL
 

Alexz_Hong

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thanks for the reply.

you are right the thumping sound, i still can't get use to hearing more details in a yt video LOL
:ROFLMAO: it do be like that sometimes. depending on their tuning, even pricey earphones can sometimes make low quality mp3 files or poorly recorded/mastered tracks sound worse by exposing their flaws. lol.
 

Grandturismo

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Anyone using Anker Soundcore Life Q30? Online reviews not bad, looking to grab a set when theres discount
 
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