HiFi Audio Setup Thread

[cam_wmh]

Originally Posted by cam_wmh

It's awesome! I'm still working on this desk, gotta tie in an electrical outlet into the wall, so its a mess. Otherwise I'd take pics. I will soon tho.

God, I forgot about this. I’ll take pics this week hopefully.

Question;

IEMS; I’m considering the SIMGOT EW300’s w/DSP & USB-C.

Ever tried? Im also curious how they work with my iPhone 15 Pro.

Thx team!

[cam_wmh]

Bought em. Looking forward to gaming with em. Figured I'd use em with my iPhone when in a pinch, but will usually use my Airpod Pro's.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by cam_wmh

God, I forgot about this. I’ll take pics this week hopefully.

Question;

IEMS; I’m considering the SIMGOT EW300’s w/DSP & USB-C.

Ever tried? Im also curious how they work with my iPhone 15 Pro.

Thx team!

I've liked IEMs for music on the go, but at home I'd rather a set of tin cans. No idea about gaming with them though. I've never tried high end IEMs to know when they start really taking off. I don't know where the Sennheiser IEMs I tried 8+ years ago might rank vs the average IEMs available today, and I seem to recall the minimum quality of IEMs has increased rapidly in the last few years.

I seem to recall IEM sound was really good, but sound stage wise, it was a bit small. Like it'd be great for a studio recording, but an orchestra or concert hall wouldn't be completely there. It was honestly like hearing certain nuance things better and others less (but not exactly an overall worse experience). Maybe sorta like a situation where there's 3D effect vs none? IIRC IEM vs headphone was kinda different in their own way but not necessarily one is hands down better than the other. Maybe as if I have high end bookshelf speakers 2.0 set up vs a mid end 3.1 speakers set up? But also not sure if it was a limitation of the lower end model IEM I tried.

I believe up to around the $150-250 mark, I think IEMs can provide good value, but $200+, unless it's a very specific situation or for compact travel/portability reasons, I'm personally thinking a pair of headphones will still generally be better for everyday use than IEMs (ie: Desktop gaming and music).

I'd love to know what you think as a comparison of IEM vs Airpod compared to something like Razer 3D head tracking vs no 3D head tracking for games vs movies vs music.

[DoubleF]

Well... dang it. My curiosity has got the best of me and I am picking up the ATH-E50 IEMs.

Edit: OK... This had we worried for a bit, but with a bit of testing, I'd say I'd like to clarify a few things. IEMS have really dang good sound without needing special equipment set up. Sound stage wise it wasn't size and 3D effect, it was transparency, which I'll explain in a little bit.

I like these for music, but they're a bit different and I don't always enjoy that. Gaming with them was a bit weird. IMO it's doable with accuracy but not quite what I expect for immersion. Same as movies. Maybe I'm not used to the difference between IEM and headphones, but I felt kinda tired listening to the IEM within an hour.

So sound stage wise, IEM can still be big (ie: concert hall). But the diff is IEM injects sound inside your head ear buds style vs tin cans are external to your head. That means for some studio recordings, there's a noticeable difference to me. Which is a weird combo of 3D effect vs sound stage. These IEM make me feel like things are zoomed in. It's weird because certain aspects feel like a headphone at 2-3x the price, yet other aspects feel like it's not even on par with headphones half the price. I was still surprised and was like, "Damn..." when I first listened to the IEM though.

This IEM felt at times like i was standing in the middle of the different instruments as a ghost. Lots of sound accuracy as if the sound wasn't going through something or someone. It's not bad, but sorta weird to me because the sound felt deconstructed or like what it was like playing in an orchestra vs tin cans more like being in the audience. Tin cans felt like I'm at the edge of the room listening to everyone in the same spot. It seems more normal?

Bass frequencies are accurate, but not thumping. But the IEM feeling zoomed in means I felt like I was focusing on random detailed parts of the sound vs immersed in all the sound at the same time. Like zooming in on the snare and vocals vs just soaking it all in at the same time, if that makes sense.

Movies and gaming wise, again there's accuracy, but the injection of sound in head zooming in effect of these IEM makes it seem odd to me. I am definitely more used to headphones.

For me, IEM are great if I want to be analytical of the sound as if I were part of the creative experience. Headphones are great if I want to soak in the sound as if I were part of the end user/audience.

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by Cappy

Canuckaudiomart looks like a good place for speakers. have you had any issues buying from there before? shipping etc?

Im pretty well set on a Pro-ject Debut Carbon Evo for a turntable. Now working through speakers - about a $1,000.00 budget. Would prefer active speakers just for simplicity and space

Speakers tend to be fairly easy second hand, if they work and there are no visible holes in the drivers or the like there's not much that can go wrong, some older speakers have foam parts that can degrade (older 1990's Kefs) but it is all fixable

Older hi end stuff is all pretty repairable, almost all of my amps and turntables have gone in for repairs, I have no doubt there's a good repair place in Calgary, in Vancouver I go to Innovative Audio, again the internet is your friend, check audio talk boards to see who is recommended

[Cappy]

It looks like I'm going to pick up a secondhand turntable - seller says, just out of box. Anything i should be wary of, focus on when i look at it this weekend?

[Fuzz]

What is it?

[Cappy]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

What is it?

and have you steal my deal?!

Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evo

[Fuzz]

Looks great, I can assure you one turntable is enough for me.


Since it is just out of the box, depending if he has a good reason to sell it, I'd check for any sign of damage or reason they are rejecting it. Make sure the platter spins flat. The tone arm should balance nicely(not adjusted all the way) and not have much play. Also, needle should look clean and good.

[The Yen Man]

Originally Posted by Cappy

Canuckaudiomart looks like a good place for speakers. have you had any issues buying from there before? shipping etc?

Im pretty well set on a Pro-ject Debut Carbon Evo for a turntable. Now working through speakers - about a $1,000.00 budget. Would prefer active speakers just for simplicity and space

Never used the site for speakers, but have bought a DAC and CD transport from there (yes, I still spin CDs lol). It's a pretty good community. I'm not sure I trust them fully for cables and speaker wire though. Some of the prices make me suspect whether they are knock offs or not.

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by Cappy

It looks like I'm going to pick up a secondhand turntable - seller says, just out of box. Anything i should be wary of, focus on when i look at it this weekend?

Belt drive Turntables will sometimes need to have the belts replaced, I doubt it with the Project though, that tends to be after 40 or 50 years as the rubber degrades.
Belt replacement is also a cheap fix you can usually do yourself, other than ordering the right part its just taking the old rubber band off the pulleys and putting the new one in its place

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by cam_wmh

Bought em. Looking forward to gaming with em. Figured I'd use em with my iPhone when in a pinch, but will usually use my Airpod Pro's.

After a bit more use, IMO it may not a good idea to use IEMs regularly as it can be a potential risk to hearing. I notice that the preferred volume I use to hear all the nuances and sound is kinda high. If volume too quiet and lots of random background detail cannot be clearly heard.

I like IEM, but I don't think I'll plan to use it for more than a few hours at a time. Longer than that, I'll need to be cognizant to drop the volume by around 10-20% (basically detail level similar to lower end ear buds). Long term, I want to be able to continue enjoying the music.

Short term/occasional use in rotation and for short durations, this is probably fine, but longer term, this can probably damage hearing. Of all the options, open back headphones is probably best for regular use long term to avoid hearing loss.

[DownInFlames]

The thing I like about IEMs is you can enjoy music at lower volumes because of the isolation. I've sort of trained myself to recognize the general volume level, and I rarely go above 80 dB. I can happily keep it as low as 50 dB if I'm listening in a dark room.


I also don't listen often with a technical ear so I just enjoy the music without a need to hear every little detail. For that I agree that speakers are best, and then over-ear headphones are second.