Submitted by thehunchonguyen t3_z4zu8c in headphones
Hey guys, I'm going to be making a Youtube video that is a beginners guide to getting into Audio in 2022. I was wondering what tips you would have for beginners into this wonderful hobby.
For examples, what IEMs, Headphones, Speakers, Dac/Amps would you recommend?
Thanks so much for the advice! Just curious, what streaming service do you currently use? Or do you mainly listen to CDs or Vinyl?
Haha, I still don't understand the whole idea of spending more on cables than your actual transducers! I've had salespeople try to convince me to spend $10,000 on speaker cables.
What EQ software would you recommend? I haven't actually taken the time to learn how to EQ yet and would love to learn!
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Thank god I'm on Windows I'm definitely giving EQ a try!
My advice would honestly be to avoid making a video like this if you feel the need to crowdsource advice from Reddit. You should either be recording your own thoughts or citing research you've found on your own for the bulk of an audio guide for beginners.
For reference, this (with accompanying video here) is an example beginner's intro written by someone with knowledge and experience. What you absolutely don't want to do is make a video that's just a worse version of this with bad advice and misinformation randomly sprinkled in from Internet randos like me.
Hi, I actually have a decent amount of experience, but no one can know everything about a subject. In the scientific community research always shared and it is a collaborative mindset that allows us to make advances in the field. In Medicine multiple physicians work together to provide the best patient care, that's why we need 2nd and 3rd opinions.
I understand your concern and thank you for your feedback.
I remember when the upgrade bug hit and I was listening to the next best headphones, speakers, iems so much that I forgot to sit back and enjoy the music...the reason why I got into the hobby.
My advice? Buy once, cry once.
Just rip the Band-Aid off, save up longer than you normally would and get the best you can reasonably afford.
That's great advice, especially once you know what sound signature you like. Unless you like to collect IEMs, Headphones,and Speakers I don't see the point in buying a bunch of similar priced gear.
Don't fall into flavor of the month FOMO crap. There is so much marketing bullshit in this category. You often see people ending up with 10 pairs of 'affordable" IEMs. What's the point? you are just throwing money away. Buy one good pair instead. Newcomers are very vulnerable to falling into this trap and just hoarding junk. Set up a budget first, be pretty strict with it, and buy within that category with the expectation that you will be using it X years. Know what you want and what will satisfy you. You can go someplace and try things before buying if possible.
The best bang for buck for IEMs are in the under $200 category. Above that it gets into snake oil and diminishing returns with dubious claims at best. Products below $100 often have obvious shortcomings that can leave you wanting. It's better to buy something in $150 range that is good than hoarding cheap stuff because you are not happy with what you got imo.
You also get good accessories with these products usually while you don't with cheap stuff and you might end up buying them anyway so might as well save up there as well. Going budget isn't necessarily going to end up budget if you FOMO it and keep buying stuff. There is no point in hoarding IEMs. You will only use like 2 pairs at best, the rest will just sit there.
Right now imo, the planar IEMs are very legit and affordable. The flaws can largely be rectified with EQ much much more effectively than dynamic drivers of similar cost. They sound so effortlessly clean and fast and likely will impress newcomers easily.
Great advice! I also agree with you on the fact that the $200 price point is a sweet spot. I would honestly recommend exploring headphones once you past that price point!
I preferred my hifiman sundara to my blessing 2 dusk so I ended up returning it! The moondrop Kato's are my ideal iem at $200 for now.
As for my picks I would recommend
Beginner IEM I would honestly first play around with the different sound signatures with sets that are sub $50 first and once you find what you like make the appropriate upgrade. For example Mele -> IKKO OH 10 7hz Zero -> Kato
Headphones: I would recommend starting out with the SHP9500 then upgrading to the Sundara ( I owned the hd650 and hd600s and wasn't a fan of the Sennheiser veil; I also wanted better technicalities)
Speakers: It depends on your preference to go for a powered or passive system. For now I would recommend the Kanto Yu 4 with a decent subwoofer.
Ignorance is truly bliss my wallet would have thanked me if I could.
I remember my journey started when I accidentally fked my self because I took a walk into my local hifi store and demoed my first pair of headphones and speaker systems. Frankly one can't go back to listening to any old headphones after getting to try the Arya and LCD X. The speakers were even crazier.
I have a problem, I collect everything, headphones, iems, watches, firearms, lego, knives... I need a support group or something, my wallet is on life support.
I was able to buy a pair of Sanus SF22 speaker stands for $20 on Facebook Marketplace and some 6XXs for $125!
Used is truly the way to go
Haha I'm also in the same boat I'm also into watches, gunpla, fragrances, Pokemon cards...it's something about having a bunch of them that make me happy. That's why I decided to make some reviews while I'm collecting all of this stuff.
currently I mostly use Bandcamp with some flacs I rip from CDs. Frankly speaking though unless you are into collecting people are generally fine with Spotify.
Unfortunately this advice will not really work for small EU countries.
The US is the best used market but there is a active uk & eu market too. ebay & head-fi.com's classifieds are good places to start.
Im in the uk & post brexit, would find it much easier in a small eu country.
Agreed. Try stuff. Find places to trial gear.
You can look at graphs and measurements, but if a certain headphone or iem resonates with you, that’s the point.
Yes! I believe that above all else the end user must like the headphone or iem, it doesn't matter how it measures if you like it!
- Invest your money into headphones/IEMs, not DACs and amps. Most sources are good enough. A cheap-ish DAC/amp combination that has enough power is all you need if your phone cannot power the headphones.
- Frequency response is the primary factor in a good headphone. The Harman curves are a good initial target - you are unlikely to completely hate things tuned like that. Stay away from "esoteric" tunings that "highlight unexpected details in the music". You do not want to hear unexpected details, you want to hear the entire piece. (crinacle's frequency response measurements are a great source)
- EQ is a great way to deal with issues with the frequency response. Cannot fix all problems, but a lot. The AutoEQ project (on GitHub) and oratory1990's manual EQ profiles are your friend. On Android try out wavelet, on Windows use EqualizerAPO, possibly with PeacGUI.
- Comfort is vital. The angels singing into your ears is worth little if you have to pause every 15 minutes because something hurts.
- Good sound does not need to cost much, especially with IEMs. You can get enjoyable IEMS for ~20 UDS.
- Diminishing returns with more expensive headphones are real. Whether they are worth it depends on you - what music you listen to, how you listen, and whether you can easily afford it. Do not ruin yourself financially for marginal gains. (I have a couple of 1k-USD headphones but could live with ones that are a lot cheaper if I had to without thinking that I am missing anything absolutely essential in the music.)
- Cables are a scam. They do not make any audible difference.
nanomerce t1_ixtlv5g wrote
Just try stuff out, start with something popular and explore from there. Don't worry too much about getting the "perfect" iem/headphone for the price and explore the different characteristics of whichever IEM/Headphone you decide to pick up. I think that's the best way to enjoy audio.