Hey guys,
First post, go easy. So, I consume so much music, more so than anyone I know - and I’ve done it for the past few years through my various iPods and iPhones, previously I would make sure to hunt down 320kbps mp3s of music I wanted from let’s just say dangerous places on the internet, I was very tender in age, but I digress..
So, I’ve been perfectly happy with my Spotify subscription and setting my playback quality to ‘automatic’ because while my internet isn’t too bad it struggles to cope with ‘extreme’, long story short - it’s perfectly enjoyable. I listen to music through my Apple EarPods and after typing that and considering the forums I’m in, makes me a little bit nervous - however, I love them, they work for me and my needs, I haven’t listened to any other earphones/headphones that sound superior (not that I have had vast experience). Last month I had the opportunity to test a few headphones I was interested in, Bose QC 35ii’s, Audio Technical M50x’s, Beats studio 3’s (I know I know) and a few other audio technica models - I felt a bit let down by both the flat (which is what they’re meant to be I assume) m50s and the lacking-in-clarity Qc35s, this was my first time experiencing anc as well which was interesting. I was very impressed by the studios and the sound signature for my particular tastes and dominant genre - hip hop/rap. While I enjoyed them and would say they’re the best headphones I’ve heard, I can’t justify the price being 10x more than that of EarPods.
If you’re still with me, I appreciate you, I would really like to figure this whole new world out.
So, recently, after the release of one of my favourite artists’ albums Scorpion (Drake fans hello), I got playing with equaliser settings in Spotify and also comparing the playback with my Tidal HiFi subscription trial. From what I can gather tidal Hifi is meant to deliver highest quality audio as it’s uncompressed (I get the gist) and to be honest there’s no real difference for me. The snares of ‘Finesse’ are slightly easier on the ears than an inflated mid range (is that the right language?) thanks to Spotify. This experience has left me with many questions.
Can I actually make my experience much better at all? Plugging headphones into an iPhone is so convenient, as is opening spotify or tidal and pressing play - if I were to up the ante I would need a DAC or a headphone amp along with high end headphones right? I then got to looking at audio outputs and came across the Lg v20 and v30 which are meant to be powerhouses in terms of hifi audio, this is only important if the file types I’m listening to are different and ‘better’ than for instance 320kbps mp3s on Spotify ? Do I need any other external equipment?
I realise this is a largely incoherent paragraph and I apologise but it’s all so exciting, this new world I’ve stumbled upon.
I did some digging and found iphones supposedly have some of the best DACs built in so again, how much better can output and listening to music get for the average joe like myself.
Ultimately looking to upgrade my audio listening experience if it’s possible to do so without too much disruption from plug and play that I’m used to, what’s the best possible way to consume audio through headphones?
In terms of my situation - what can I do and will it have a noticeable impact?
I’ve also just ordered a pair of Vmoda m100s which I hope sound better than my EarPods.
Personally, through what I can gather - I can upgrade the compression of audio files I listen to - easiest process for me would be to get a tidal high subscription. Then find an audio playing device which is able to output the quality of tidal hifi (I’m also aware of Tidal Masters on desktop and listening to music through my computer but that’s a whole nother can of worms I haven’t opened), for instance and Lg V30, then find a pair of headphones I really enjoy listening to.. does that pretty much sum up the process to consuming audio ‘better’ than I am currently? In no way I’m dissatisfied, I’m just wondering if there’s ‘more’
Thanks guys, sorry for such a long winded post.
Hey guys,
First post, go easy. So, I consume so much music, more so than anyone I know - and I’ve done it for the past few years through my various iPods and iPhones, previously I would make sure to hunt down 320kbps mp3s of music I wanted from let’s just say dangerous places on the internet, I was very tender in age, but I digress..
So, I’ve been perfectly happy with my Spotify subscription and setting my playback quality to ‘automatic’ because while my internet isn’t too bad it struggles to cope with ‘extreme’, long story short - it’s perfectly enjoyable. I listen to music through my Apple EarPods and after typing that and considering the forums I’m in, makes me a little bit nervous - however, I love them, they work for me and my needs, I haven’t listened to any other earphones/headphones that sound superior (not that I have had vast experience). Last month I had the opportunity to test a few headphones I was interested in, Bose QC 35ii’s, Audio Technical M50x’s, Beats studio 3’s (I know I know) and a few other audio technica models - I felt a bit let down by both the flat (which is what they’re meant to be I assume) m50s and the lacking-in-clarity Qc35s, this was my first time experiencing anc as well which was interesting. I was very impressed by the studios and the sound signature for my particular tastes and dominant genre - hip hop/rap. While I enjoyed them and would say they’re the best headphones I’ve heard, I can’t justify the price being 10x more than that of EarPods.
If you’re still with me, I appreciate you, I would really like to figure this whole new world out.
So, recently, after the release of one of my favourite artists’ albums Scorpion (Drake fans hello), I got playing with equaliser settings in Spotify and also comparing the playback with my Tidal HiFi subscription trial. From what I can gather tidal Hifi is meant to deliver highest quality audio as it’s uncompressed (I get the gist) and to be honest there’s no real difference for me. The snares of ‘Finesse’ are slightly easier on the ears than an inflated mid range (is that the right language?) thanks to Spotify. This experience has left me with many questions.
Can I actually make my experience much better at all? Plugging headphones into an iPhone is so convenient, as is opening spotify or tidal and pressing play - if I were to up the ante I would need a DAC or a headphone amp along with high end headphones right? I then got to looking at audio outputs and came across the Lg v20 and v30 which are meant to be powerhouses in terms of hifi audio, this is only important if the file types I’m listening to are different and ‘better’ than for instance 320kbps mp3s on Spotify ? Do I need any other external equipment?
I realise this is a largely incoherent paragraph and I apologise but it’s all so exciting, this new world I’ve stumbled upon.
I did some digging and found iphones supposedly have some of the best DACs built in so again, how much better can output and listening to music get for the average joe like myself.
Ultimately looking to upgrade my audio listening experience if it’s possible to do so without too much disruption from plug and play that I’m used to, what’s the best possible way to consume audio through headphones?
In terms of my situation - what can I do and will it have a noticeable impact?
I’ve also just ordered a pair of Vmoda m100s which I hope sound better than my EarPods.
Personally, through what I can gather - I can upgrade the compression of audio files I listen to - easiest process for me would be to get a tidal high subscription. Then find an audio playing device which is able to output the quality of tidal hifi (I’m also aware of Tidal Masters on desktop and listening to music through my computer but that’s a whole nother can of worms I haven’t opened), for instance and Lg V30, then find a pair of headphones I really enjoy listening to.. does that pretty much sum up the process to consuming audio ‘better’ than I am currently? In no way I’m dissatisfied, I’m just wondering if there’s ‘more’
Thanks guys, sorry for such a long winded post.