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Old 5th November 2019, 14:54   #451
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Re: The Headphones Thread

I recently purchased Marshall Monitor Bluetooth Headphones.

https://www.marshallheadphones.com/g...untry-dropdown

This is my review of the same after using for about 2 weeks:

I enjoy Trance/Techno music and sometimes Rock and was on a hunt for over the head headphones that cover your ears and not sit on them. While shortlisting I narrowed down the list to Sony WH 1000XM3, Sony WH XB900N, Bose Quiet Comfort 2 and Marshall Monitor Bluetooth.

I found Sony WH 1000XM3 not that great in terms of Bass response and volume levels on quiet side. So discarded.

Similarly Bose was not to my liking. I realised all Headphones with ANC feature were not to my sound liking. So concentrated on Headphones without ANC.

Sony XB was nice but was distorting the bass at high volumes and rock music did not have the clarity in Guitar sounds.

Marshall Monitor both with wire & wireless sounds very clean and accurate in terms of sound. Best part packs lot of punch but not very boomy or muddy bass.

Have tried it with MacBook, iPad, iPhone & iPod Classic. Best SQ was experienced with iPod & MacBook.

Battery life is good, lasts me around 35 hours on single charge with volume at 80%.

Volume on Bluetooth is as good as wired however with wired bass is bit more and EQ changes more noticeable.

Note: Beware of fake Monitor headphones being sold online. When buying immediately check with Android phone or Laptop if APTX codec is present as in fake ones only SBC is there.
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Old 13th December 2019, 00:57   #452
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Re: The Headphones Thread

Short review of Soundmagic E50C High Impedance Earphones

NOTE: Soundmagic E50C requires amplification to bring out the best in them. If you do not have a DAC device, read no further, as the performance of the headphones is just about average without it.

I will split this write-up into 5 parts:
A. Background
B. Headphones search & Cost
C. Pictures
D. The SQ
E. Pros and Cons

A. Background

Cross-posting part of my post from another thread:

Quote:
I have a liking for good audio. Some members may have seen me on the erst-while se-nse forums fiddling around with Sony Ericsson W810 audio drivers.
Yes, I do have a liking for good audio. I'm not a hard core audiophile like few others on the forum, but yes, may be just put my feet on the first step to being one.

I had a terrific aural experience with the modded sound-drivers on my Sony Ericsson W810i phone which was with me till the year 2010. Thereafter my love with good audio hit the brakes as I started to focus more on my professional life.

This year I gifted myself with LG V30+ which has a Quad DAC Chip and the Korean units ship with B&O headphones.

The purchase of this headphone was driven by the fact that my LG V30+ smartphone has a Quad DAC chip, which I'm told will require high impedance headphones to bring out the best of the process this chipset does.

Here's some gyaan material which gives insight into the Quad DAC chip:

Quote:
Starting with the most sought after requirement for music and audio enthusiasts, high fidelity playback. For those still listening over a wired connection, the LG V30 sports another 32-bit Quad DAC in place of the built in Snapdragon SoC solution – this time in all global markets. Ignoring that “32-bit Quad” marketing jargon for a minute, the DAC chip is ESS Technology’s ES9218P, a familiar chip in LG’s recent flagships.

The chip features stereo quad parallel delta sigma converter channels with a 32-bit interpolation filter for a low noise conversion process, which ESS calls its HyperStream II architecture. For the spec insatiable audiophiles, the ES9218 boasts 2.0Vrms output, 130 dB SNR and -114 dB Total Harmonic Distortion, and support for up to 32-bit 384kHz PCM and DSD256 file formats. Of course, real world additional circuit performance, required drive from the amp, and input file type will affect these stats somewhat, but they’re impressive nonetheless.
The Headphones Thread-lg-quaddac.jpg

Quote:
It’s pretty clear then that the LG V30 boasts a premium audio setup. The handset has all the bases covered with a top of the line DAC for your wired headphones, support for higher resolution Bluetooth streaming with aptX HD, and the industry’s latest file format trend in MQA. Not forgetting a powerful microphone setup to ensure you’ve got great audio to go along with the footage captured from the equally impressive looking camera.
If you place a lot of value on the quality of your portable or streamed music collection, the LG V30 should certainly be on your radar if you’re looking for a new smart phone.

Gyaan source


Now that the gyaan is done with, let me brief about the B&O headphones that came bundled with the phone.

The SQ of these headphones is undoubtedly very good. I have also tried these B&O headphones on an Apple iPhone SE and Redmi 8A and found its output to be good enough. However, I was left wanting as I didn't find it wow-some as against the hype that is associated with B&O brand. May be my expectations from a "free bundled headphones" were too high.

The Headphones Thread-b-o-1-edit.jpg

The Headphones Thread-b-o-2-edit.jpg

Hence, the search for a high impedance phone began.


B. Headphones search & Cost

Whats the fuss about headphones impedance you ask?

- Impedance is very technical measurement that is hard to explain without equations and scientific jargon. We'll simplify it and break it down in terms of headphones with low and high impedance.

- Most headphones with low impedance (less than 25 ohms, approximately) require little power to deliver high audio levels. For example, low impedance headphones will work well with equipment with weak amplification like portable music players, phones, and other portable devices.

- Headphones with higher impedance (25 ohms and over, approximately) demand more power to deliver high audio levels. As a result, they are protected from damage caused by overloading. They can also be used with a wider range of audio equipment.

- DJ headphones generally range from 25 to 70 ohms

Source

I tried a chinese make high impedence headphone called Faaeal Rosemary due to Vitamin M constraints. These were not in-ear types and costed me around Rs.1500/-. But sadly, even though the SQ was good, I was again left disappointed as there was hardly any susceptible difference.

Before buying the Faaeal ones, I had also shortlisted the Soundmagic E50C and Soundmagic E80C earphones which were being sold at roughly Rs.4000 and Rs.5500 respectively. But, as I have mentioned earlier budget constraints made me search for alternatives.

Come festive season and our leading online shopping giants had a big sale as usual. It was in this sale that I saw the Soundmagic E50C listed in flipkart for Rs.2890/-* only as against the near 4K prices on other stores. I decided to take the plunge, with still some apprehensions and fear of facing another possible dejection. But, it wasn't to be. More on it later.

* Noted to be listed at Rs.2799/- presently before going out of stock.

I found this website to be of very good use particularly to understand the signature sound of the headphones and also other details which aid greatly in taking an informed decision. Check the screenshots below for instance of the details of my headphones:

The Headphones Thread-hpz-1.jpg

The Headphones Thread-hpz-2.jpg

Disclaimer: Have no association with this site in any way whatsoever.


C. Pictures:


The box

The Headphones Thread-box-pic-1.jpg

The Headphones Thread-box-pic-left-edit.jpg

The Headphones Thread-box-pic-right-edit.jpg

The contents of the box include the earphones themselves, a very premium and durable carry case, a set of (wait for it!!) 8 earphone tips, including a premium "Comply" earphone tip. I need to still use this "Comply" pair and check whether they are really any different.

The Headphones Thread-contents-1-edit.jpg

The Headphones Thread-contents-2-edit.jpg

The "Comply" Earphone tips, claims to be made with a memory foam (huh!?)

The Headphones Thread-comply-earphones-edit.jpg

The earphones

The Headphones Thread-earphones-1-edit.jpg

The Headphones Thread-earphones-l-r-edit.jpg

The angled earphone jack

The Headphones Thread-earphone-jack.jpg

The earphone tip set

The Headphones Thread-eartips-1.jpg

The Headphones Thread-eartips-2-edit.jpg

D. The SQ

My first impression on the very first song was - "WOW!! Finally.. paisa vasool of the amount spent on the LG V30 plus!!"

The sound signature is balanced with no special emphasis on bass or treble. I started to find the details in some songs which I had never noticed before. There is no unwanted boom, yet the lows pack decent punch. You get to experience the detailed differentiation between the instruments. The harmonics are clean and crisp. The real magic is when you hear songs in genuine FLAC (lossless) format. My LG phone has a default LG melody in FLAC format, the depth of the details in this melody is amazing.

I generally hear a few particular songs to their full length to understand the SQ of the headphones. "Brian Transeau - Simply Being Loved" is one such song as it has many layered music elements. Even with this song I could hear so much details which I felt I missed listening to all these years.

To conclude - the SQ of this earphone is fantastic understanding the price bracket in which it retails. Total VFM.

E. Pros and Cons

+ VFM
+ Plenty of accessories
+ Balanced sound signature - very balanced indeed

- Wires are of flimsy quality, fear it may get cut near the mic terminal.
- Out of stock mostly

Please feel free to ask anything that I may have missed out.

Last edited by aah78 : 13th December 2019 at 01:39. Reason: 4->5 on request.
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Old 14th December 2019, 03:24   #453
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Re: The Headphones Thread

Soundmagic E50c is a good choice. Dont worry the cables are strong and of good quality. I am using the elder brother E80s since 4 years! They have 64Ohms impedence. My previous iPhone 6s used to drive them with ease, so does my XR.
I also have the Fiio Q1MKll Amp/Dac. Now upgraded to Fiio F9 pro, but E80s are my daily drivers.
The E80s have more pronounced treble than E50c.
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Old 14th December 2019, 07:27   #454
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I second combination of LG V30+ and Soundmagic earphones. I have Soundmagic E 80c and E10c earphones and the sound quality with LG V30+ is one of the best one can get with a phone+earphone combination due to LG Quad DAC. In fact, I have taken a vow not to buy any phone other than LG V series in future due to the unbeatable sound quality.
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Old 14th December 2019, 08:52   #455
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Re: The Headphones Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by civic-dk View Post
I second combination of LG V30+ and Soundmagic earphones. I have Soundmagic E 80c and E10c earphones and the sound quality with LG V30+ is one of the best one can get with a phone+earphone combination due to LG Quad DAC. In fact, I have taken a vow not to buy any phone other than LG V series in future due to the unbeatable sound quality.
The Hifi Quad DAC drivers Sound magic earphones the best. I own E10c and my brother has E50c
I gifted him LG V30+ and decided to stick to V series after that only for 2 main features, of which the headphone jack is one of them. Now I own a V40 and E10c has never disappointed me so far in combination with V40. Here is the link (The Everyday Carry Thread - What do you carry with you everyday?) to my EDC.
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Old 28th January 2020, 10:54   #456
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Re: The Headphones Thread

I am looking for some small form factor blu tooth headpones since I travel by the Metro to work and back. Currently own an old pair of Sennheiser PX80 headphones, barring the manual wire I still love this pair for the clean crisp sound.

I hate ear pods due to the completely blocked out form the outside world feel it gives you. Hence need a non ear bud model.

Had the size been smaller I would have still gone in for the Sennheiser HD 4.40-BT Bluetooth Headphones, but for now would prefer a sleek model.

After some browsing I came across this Aftershokz Trekz Titanium Open-Ear Wireless Stereo Headphones.

Just wanted to know if anyone owns it and what is your feedback ?

I mostly listen to music , so how is the audio quality ?
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Old 29th January 2020, 13:54   #457
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Re: The Headphones Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fillmore View Post
I am looking for some small form factor blu tooth headpones ..

I hate ear pods due to the completely blocked out form the outside world feel it gives you. Hence need a non ear bud model.
Mods,
I hope you will excuse the back to back post since I did not get any responses.
I think in my previous post I skipped the key differentiator here.

These headphones are not traditional headphones, they are Bone conducting headphones which use a totally different technology. i.e. unlike direct sound waves here it is vibrations that are transmitted to your temples and into your ear canal without even touching your ear hole like what normal headphones or earphones do.

So wanted to know if anyone has experienced them and if the sound is on par with traditional headphones.

Ref Aftershock wireless Bon Conducting Headphones

Last edited by Fillmore : 29th January 2020 at 13:55.
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Old 17th March 2020, 09:49   #458
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Re: The Headphones Thread

Any suggestions/recommendations for a USB computer headset (with microphone). This is to take calls on WebEx, Zoom, Skype, etc
I have a Logitech H340 but have had problems sometimes on WebEx calls with folks on the other side saying audio is feeble and they can barely hear me.
*The same headset seems to work brilliantly sometimes, maybe due to audio quality suffering due to lack of bandwidth sometimes ?

Last edited by NPV : 17th March 2020 at 09:51.
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Old 17th March 2020, 09:59   #459
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Re: The Headphones Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by NPV View Post
Any suggestions/recommendations for a USB computer headset (with microphone). This is to take calls on WebEx, Zoom, Skype, etc
I have a Logitech H340 but have had problems sometimes on WebEx calls with folks on the other side saying audio is feeble and they can barely hear me.
*The same headset seems to work brilliantly sometimes, maybe due to audio quality suffering due to lack of bandwidth sometimes ?
It could be microphone wiring that's giving problem.
A way to troubleshoot is to record your voice and twist the wire from different places.
Do note the time of recording and place you have twisted or bent.

If you are looking for replacement, I will recommend the Plantronics Audio 628 81960-11 USB On-Ear Headphone,
I have used it for 15 days and initial impressions are good without any complaints of feeble mic.
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Old 17th March 2020, 11:39   #460
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Re: The Headphones Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by procrastinator View Post
It could be microphone wiring that's giving problem.
It's a new one and problem is intermittent and usually it's the peak hour calls when mic feels feeble.

Quote:
If you are looking for replacement, I will recommend the Plantronics Audio 628 81960-11 USB On-Ear Headphone,.
Thanks. Wondering if I should also consider the headsets with a separate 3.5mm audio connector ? Will that make a difference ?
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Old 17th March 2020, 22:07   #461
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Re: The Headphones Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by NPV View Post
Thanks. Wondering if I should also consider the headsets with a separate 3.5mm audio connector ? Will that make a difference ?
My preference was headset with 3.5mm jack. The calls could have been taken from phone. But this headset is Skype certified. It has controls to accept and mute call. They claim mic which cancels noise.
Apparently, it is made for this purpose and trade off is fine.

(Thanks to existing earphones, calls from phone are possible too)
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Old 17th March 2020, 22:22   #462
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Re: The Headphones Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by NPV View Post
It's a new one and problem is intermittent and usually it's the peak hour calls when mic feels feeble....
If it's your internet connection causing issues, headset type won't make a difference.


Quote:
Wondering if I should also consider the headsets with a separate 3.5mm audio connector ? Will that make a difference ?
Look for something with a swappable end-points. I used to have a Plantronics one that had removable 3.5mm jack and USB end-points (USB one had a DA40 digital-analog adapter).
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Old 18th March 2020, 06:25   #463
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Re: The Headphones Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by NPV View Post
Any suggestions/recommendations for a USB computer headset (with microphone). This is to take calls on WebEx, Zoom, Skype, etc
I have a Logitech H340 but have had problems sometimes on WebEx calls with folks on the other side saying audio is feeble and they can barely hear me.
*The same headset seems to work brilliantly sometimes, maybe due to audio quality suffering due to lack of bandwidth sometimes ?
I have been using a Jabra Evolve 20S given to me by my firm and this has been pretty much the go to for all conference calls. I work from home mostly and most of my work is on calls therefore this helps totally. The other option I had was use my Cowin E5 Bluetooth headset. However, over a period of time the earphones used to make my ears hot. I switched back to Jabra which is an on the ear headset, light weight and has a usb input which helps

I am sure there are more headsets which can pair well for conference calls, but strangely MS recommends Jabra only for their products = Skype, Teams etc
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Old 18th March 2020, 07:34   #464
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Re: The Headphones Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao View Post
If it's your internet connection causing issues, headset type won't make a difference.
Not sure, it has happened on calls taken at office and home intermittently!


Quote:
Look for something with a swappable end-points. I used to have a Plantronics one that had removable 3.5mm jack and USB end-points (USB one had a DA40 digital-analog adapter).
Few years ago, I used one from Plantronics that had a detachable mic.

Quote:
Originally Posted by subraiyr View Post
I am sure there are more headsets which can pair well for conference calls, but strangely MS recommends Jabra only for their products = Skype, Teams etc
I'm not comfortable with ear buds/pods so prefer on ear headsets or wrap around (back of the neck) ones.

I also want to get a conferencing speakerphone with mic like the Jabra Speak 410 (after a month or so), but first, a simple, not too expensive headset with mic, tending towards the Plantronics 628.

Last edited by NPV : 18th March 2020 at 07:36.
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Old 18th March 2020, 12:23   #465
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Re: The Headphones Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by NPV View Post
Not sure, it has happened on calls taken at office and home intermittently!
Office networks at most workplaces are atrocious once US shifts get in. Takes a while to settle down.


Quote:
I also want to get a conferencing speakerphone with mic like the Jabra Speak 410 (after a month or so), but first, a simple, not too expensive headset with mic, tending towards the Plantronics 628.
For the headset, see if you can get something with noise cancellation on the mic. Makes a world of difference.
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