aerius Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 Or the myths which people like to parrot to the point where they've become accepted "fact". 1) Grados don't really need an amp and don't benefit all that much from one. While it's true that Grados will sound pretty decent straight out of a PCDP or iPod, they improve a hell of a lot when driven off a good amp. A 225 is pretty listenable out of my Walkman, but gets a fair bit better out of my Gilmore Lite, and it's better still on Biggie's pimped out tube amp. I'd argue that a Grado will scale as nicely as any other headphone. 2) The "tube sound" myth. Tube amps have rolled off highs & lows, rounded off transients, lacking dynamics, fuzzy imaging, but great midrange. Congratulations, you've described the typical shitty design of 95% of production tube amps. I can't blame people too much though, since not too many have heard a properly designed tube amp. Like the one I have which is +/-0.5dB from 10Hz-40kHz, and which has all the best attributes of tube & solidstate. 3) It'll be better once it's broken in. Maybe, maybe not. I never tire of bringing up the Senn 650 case, where people complained that the damn thing got worse after it was broken in. So what are your favourite myths, favourite as in everytime you hear someone say it you feel like beating some sense into them with a ball bat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron_Dreamer Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 Your #2 is only so widely accepted exactly because of what you state; that it's true of 95% of tube amps. Sure, there are ones that break the mold (Zana Deux comes to mind), but those are certainly the exception rather than the rule. I'd agree that #2 should not be blindly accepted as fact, however, I'd hardly call it a myth, which implies there is no truth to it at all, when, in fact, it's true in most cases. At worst I'd call it a stereotype, just like the stereotype that solid state amps typically sound cold, harsh, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister X Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 Not just Grados.... the entire myth that low impedance headphones are easy to drive getting real old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
en480c4 Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 Blanket Statements... Senns can't rock, Grados are the only rock can, and so on. There are so many subtleties in music that blanket statements border on ridiculous. I understand that some cans aren't for everyone, and that only proves that such blanket statements are hilarious.Headphone reviews are worth a damn... Sure, you can get a general idea, but you certainly should be surprised if you buy something without listening to it and are disappointed. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that synergy between components is key, and nothing can replace hearing something with your own rig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusty Chalk Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 My personal favourite is that if a particular piece of gear is not good for a certain type of music (techno, rock), then it can still be good for another (chamber music, vocals). If a headphone (or amp or source or speakers) are only good for a certain type of music, then they are not good. I also agree with a lot of those previously mentioned. Tube amps rock! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand Enigma Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 Oh I have a good one. 1) Headphones are just as good or better than a nice speaker rig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grawk Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 At any pricerange I shop at, headphones are better than comparably priced speaker rigs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand Enigma Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 stop being poor day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiberian Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 My personal favourite is that if a particular piece of gear is not good for a certain type of music (techno, rock), then it can still be good for another (chamber music, vocals). If a headphone (or amp or source or speakers) are only good for a certain type of music, then they are not good. I also agree with a lot of those previously mentioned. Tube amps rock! hear, hear! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiberian Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 burn-in in general is snake oil to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusty Chalk Posted September 11, 2006 Report Share Posted September 11, 2006 Oh I have a good one. 1) Headphones are just as good or better than a nice speaker rig Hey now! They are better. For certain things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSloth Posted September 11, 2006 Report Share Posted September 11, 2006 Cold/Lean/Thin/Hyper-Detailed = neutral. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron_Dreamer Posted September 11, 2006 Report Share Posted September 11, 2006 Or warm/fat/thick/dull = natural Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xand1x Posted September 11, 2006 Report Share Posted September 11, 2006 Generalizations about solid state and tube gear. ss = cold, analytical, dry. tube = warm, lush, rolled off, less detailed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysanthemum Posted September 11, 2006 Report Share Posted September 11, 2006 Truse me! This Mustang was owned by a grandma in Sarasota and only driven to church on Sundays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysanthemum Posted September 11, 2006 Report Share Posted September 11, 2006 Yes dear! You are the only person I have ever had sex with. ....................................Opps! Audio only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin Posted September 11, 2006 Report Share Posted September 11, 2006 My list is too long...but here's one - Battery powered equipment has a lower noise floor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSloth Posted September 11, 2006 Report Share Posted September 11, 2006 A transducer is no less appropriate for reproducing classical music due to strongly rolled off bass response... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysanthemum Posted September 11, 2006 Report Share Posted September 11, 2006 RSA makes great amps with bullit proof power supplies. : Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusty Chalk Posted September 11, 2006 Report Share Posted September 11, 2006 That one should spend most of one's money on the speakers &&/|| headphones for best results. I think markl is the biggest purveyor of this myth, but he ain't alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aerius Posted September 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 If your amp has limited power, you should get these dinky little mediocre efficiency bookshelf speakers which have no bass. I've struggled for years to figure that one out, and still can't. Small bookshelf speakers tend to have mediocre to half-decent efficiency which doesn't really help if the amp has limited power. I don't know about you but if I got stuck with a 10W amp I'm getting a big pair of horn speakers so I can fill my room with big badass sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusty Chalk Posted October 7, 2006 Report Share Posted October 7, 2006 Headphones (other than the K1000) have a soundstage on normal, non-binaural music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tachikoma Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 Stax headphones are worthless for rock/trance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhd812 Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 At any pricerange I shop at, headphones are better than comparably priced speaker rigs. Its not your price range, its your room acoustics... when I picked up my room tunes stuff from the Chicago dealer's apartment I listened to his rig (or should I say room?). he had a cheap ass dvd player probably $50-$60,cheap ass solid state no name amp for $200,$6 in cables and he had a set of floorstanders the company he sells for makes (think they were $3,500..but they were truely nothing but wood and one driver) in this meduim sized room with about $1000 in treatments.. I sat down and to be honest, I have heard setups costing shit loads more then the building he was in let alone the rig...wait to be honest I never heard anything like it. it was so 3-d I felt I was in a magic show instead of listening to a 2 channel setup.. room acoustics don't care how much money you put in your rig.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grawk Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 And I'm not gonna spend thousands changing how rooms sound, so there we have it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.