Portable set up on a budget

xkcd0137 said:
Check for sale prices too. You can also look at the Tribit Maxsound (4k), its bit better than xSound Go. Also xSound Go was updated very recently with TypeC port and bump in speakers too, ask the seller SZSTDirect-IN if he has them in stock. You can also check LG XBOOM LK72B/BE - I have not used this one but LG speakers are usually okay.
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Xsound doesn't seem to be available on Flipkart or Amazon. Not sure I want spend 2k extra on maxsound if it's only slightly better than xsound. As for xboom, I guess I should've specified earlier that I'm looking for portable rechargeable speakers. There's frequent power failure here.
 
Scramjet said:
Xsound doesn't seem to be available on Flipkart or Amazon. Not sure I want spend 2k extra on maxsound if it's only slightly better than xsound. As for xboom, I guess I should've specified earlier that I'm looking for portable rechargeable speakers. There's frequent power failure here.
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Yup. OOS right now, might be restocking the updated version.
 
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20201012_194820.jpg20201012_194753.jpg This simple set up should be enough for most people for great audio on the go. Total cost in INR approx 10k (6.5K+1.5K+2K). I feel like an idiot to spend more than 5 times on a single IEM few years ago.
 
red dragon said:
Get the HD598 if possible. I love them. Never heard Samson SR850 myself, but they are usually highly praised in the community. They are possibly somewhat treble happy ( personally I like that sound signature) Philips SHP9500 is another option. But they are not easy to find here.
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i forgot this was a thread for portable headphone. kindly make one with non portable ? i just need a headphone with good soundstage for gaming & music. it's okay if it's not portable.

i have a friend's bro who lives in Germany. are Beyerdynamic/Sennheiser headphones cheaper in Germany than US (i am just assuming coz it's grerman brand :D ) ? & if yes, any other over ear open back suggetion for my need ?
website for comparing prices in Germany ?
 
red dragon said:
For travel you need a closed back. I've never watched television with headphones, but obviously for that you need a large coiled cable.
For your usage would suggest M40x, decent sounding, with a lot of bass ( psy trance should sound great) comes with a coiled and straight cable.
Another option can be the Beyer DT 770, sounds fantastic, superbly built, but the cable is non removable, and it's slightly expensive.
If you want to go on-ear, HD25 is available at 10k in Amazon India.
Now this is by far my most favourite of the three. It is not very comfortable, looks old, made out of plastic entirely ( high quality plastic) but each and every part is removable.
One of the rare headphones which is super fun sounding without being V shaped ( somewhat W shaped probably, I'm not too keen on FRCs) scales very well with amps. but works pretty good from mobile phones also.
This sound quality is not for everyone. They are like inexpensive Grado with a lot of mid and sub bass ( very fast and layered bass) don't get disheartened by inexpensive Grado ( all the Grados sound same, the higher you go, the highs get tamer with some bass added in)
This is the reason why I respect Grado and Etymotic. They don't change their sound signature with price. Even Ety kids sound exactly same like ER4 except the kids have slightly rolled off highs and significantly reduced maximum volume ( to protect the hearing capabilities of a kid)
If you ever go to Grado or Ety route, you will be able to appreciate the gradual changes as you go higher and higher.
Sorry for confusing you even more!!
Will try to make things simpler,
M40 is the safest bet ( crowd pleasers)
DT770 has the best sound for most people.
HD25 some people just love the very detailed sound in a small soundstage ( that's why so popular in broadcasting studios, vocals are super clear with abundant bass and sharp highs) they sound worst with badly recorded/ encoded music.
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Thanks a lot for your detailed insight. I'll check out the HD25. Just to clarify a couple of points:
1. for the TV i meant connectivity via BT - not necessarily corded. Since this also works for me to use the headset with the phone when traveling or when jogging since the disturbance from body movement along the wire is avoided.
2. Music - I meant I actually dont listen to psy etc. I'm not particularly heavy on the bass either since I often found many headsets to overdo the bass but have a very muddy soundstage for mids and vocals. I like expansive soundstanges more than the over the top bass heavy ones.

So to sum it up I'm guessing what you're saying is I will need 2 headsets? 1 wireless for travel etc and 1 corded for the PC/wired use?
 
Purely from the poor audio memory, 599 definitely has a smaller soundstage but very good instrument seperation.
The treble is slightly hotter than 598. It's probably a little more acurate than 598. But 598 is more relaxing and forgiving.
One thing I clearly remember, 599 was definitely a not forgiving headphone for badly recorded music. And it possibly uses a different driver from all 5 series.
For 9k it's not a bad deal, but I'm sure you can get it used for much less.
For 9-10k HD 25 will always get my vote.
If you need open back, if possible wait for the 560S to arrive or try to source a SHP9500.
mach9 said:
Thanks a lot for your detailed insight. I'll check out the HD25. Just to clarify a couple of points:
1. for the TV i meant connectivity via BT - not necessarily corded. Since this also works for me to use the headset with the phone when traveling or when jogging since the disturbance from body movement along the wire is avoided.
2. Music - I meant I actually dont listen to psy etc. I'm not particularly heavy on the bass either since I often found many headsets to overdo the bass but have a very muddy soundstage for mids and vocals. I like expansive soundstanges more than the over the top bass heavy ones.

So to sum it up I'm guessing what you're saying is I will need 2 headsets? 1 wireless for travel etc and 1 corded for the PC/wired use?
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No, no. If you don't mind wireless audio quality, can get the PXC550 II. It sounds phenomenal with usb audio ( can charge and listen to music at the same time)
Perfect for travel too ( ANC is not like Sony/ Bose, but very decent...) It's the only wireless headphone I can tolerate. Micro USB is the most annoying thing in it.
Recently discovered, the anti wind mode works pretty good for phone calls while driving.
Not su
cloudval said:
i forgot this was a thread for portable headphone. kindly make one with non portable ? i just need a headphone with good soundstage for gaming & music. it's okay if it's not portable.

i have a friend's bro who lives in Germany. are Beyerdynamic/Sennheiser headphones cheaper in Germany than US (i am just assuming coz it's grerman brand :D ) ? & if yes, any other over ear open back suggetion for my need ?
website for comparing prices in Germany ?
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Not sure about Germany, but Beyer often provides significant discount in this part of Europe ( unlike Sennheiser)
From all the relatively affordable Beyer, I would suggest you DT 880. It's open back but doesn't leak much sound. And the treble is not wild like DT990.
Please feel free to ask about full sized headphones here. Of course I don't know much, but have owned a few and can provide my subjective and often biased opinion.
 
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FiiO M3 Pro is a DAP right.. So its better to use DAP than an mobile + DAC ?
I have a Soundmagic E10c and was looking for a budget USB DAC for both mobile and PC use..
iBasso DC 02 ? Are there any better options ?
 
dixoncx said:
FiiO M3 Pro is a DAP right.. So its better to use DAP than an mobile + DAC ?
I have a Soundmagic E10c and was looking for a budget USB DAC for both mobile and PC use..
iBasso DC 02 ? Are there any better options ?
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Lots better options out there from the Chi-Fi world. Check out offerings from Tempotec and E1DA. In Jan this year I got E1DA 9038s for the price of M3 Pro and it is a far more powerful DAC/AMP capable of even driving my 300 ohm HD 650. So, I prefer the mobile+DAC/AMP combo over a DAP because I have to carry and charge one device less, get better UI experience than most DAPs and still get equal or better sound quality.
 
Reading great reviews about E1DA everywhere.
According to many they are much better than Dragonfly Cobalt.
Will possibly end up buying one soon.
BTW, I was so impressed with BL03 and T2 that never really compared them closely to the Sennheiser IE40 Pro ( my previous daily beater before the chi-fi invasion)
Now I did carefully and can confidently say, these are fantastic too.
Love the non braided cable, which remains straight no matter how badly you stuff them in your jeans pocket. Zero microphonic.
Despite all plastic, they are fairly tough ( I partially stepped on the right shell, with no damage)
Being super light and small, fits easily an isolates pretty well ( much better than KZ/ BLON/ Tin)
Now the sound...no veil..non boosted, fairly fast bass, pleasant mids, and a lot of treble..not any particular frequency, but the lower treble is abundant ( it's a new signature to my ears) as a treble junkie, kind of love it, but it can cause fatigue.
Overall these are sharp sounding IEMs, should be great for onstage use.
I absolutely hate the sound signature of Momentum line, this is definitely better.
For 70-80 bucks, these are indeed very good.
My only gripe is the proprietary connector. It looks like MMCX but different.
If it had MMCX, would suggest these over T2.
If you are after a cheap stage monitor, these absolutely crush Shure SE215 in the sound department.
Thanks a lot Sennheiser for giving us an option within 100 bucks which doesn't sound like those Momentum crap.
I know Momentum sells a lot, but they are unusable for any audio related work.
Now we have a decent option from a big brand without the usual sweetened flavour.
 
I am looking for bluetooth earphones with some sweatproof rating.
suggest something maybe chi-fi only for use at the gym.
Budget is from Rs.1500 to 7k can be extended a bit more.
Not interested in extra-bass, only neutral balanced sound with features like Aptx or may be Aptx HD
not interested in TWS.
I considered oneplus wireless z and oneplus wireless 2 but I think both are without any kind of IP rating.
 
I've seen some mee iems at headphonezone but only one model is bluetooth that is out of stock.
for other mee models I need to buy seperate bluetooth cable with mmcx or required connector, then again it will take more than a month from china.
 
Sorry for late reply...those are BLON bl03 and Tin Audio T2 ( the DAP is the cheapest Fiio DAP, M3 Pro)
I should have added Sennheiser IE40 pro in that list, it's available for 80 EUR. And honestly it absolutely smokes the T2 and bl03 with proper seal.
It's a rather obscure IEM and I simply don't understand how and why Sennheiser is selling them at this price. The bigger brothers ie400 and 500 cost 350 and 450 EUR, both of them come with more foam tips, ie500 with a braided and beautiful cable, but the difference in sound is absolutely negligible (400 and 500 sound completely identical and their treble is possibly a little more refined compared to 40)
All of them sound huge...more like full sized headphones ( but proper seal is absolutely must) I'm rediscovering this IEM with proper seal.
I don't know if chi-fi can compete with this kind of refinements.
Both T2 and bl03 are fantastic, but IE40 is definitely a major upgrade with proper seal ( it brings out the sub bass a little more and somehow makes the sound ****ing huge...it's not exactly soundstage...it's just magic!!)
I will make a thread on this.
 
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