What headphones do you use with your g750?

[derpcules]

Like the title says and what do you think of the "awesome amp"?

Im using one of the most sensitive and lowest impendance iems on the market (ie 80) and i get a noticable background hiss (Before I followed the guide to get maxx audio installed properly it was too much but now its tolerable, thanks to everyone posting about that particular solution. The only way to control impendance/gain setting is through maxx audio so if youre getting crazy hiss with low impendance headphones its probably because the default gain setting is high without maxx audio installed.).

Money is no object within reason when it comes to sound quality for me. Only reason i bought htc one was the sound quality through headphones. I always have the best available source files for my music, never anything below 320 kps mp3s and thats rare its almost always flac.
I own a cambridge magic + for my speaker setup.

Im considering buying Shure SRH940-E or hd 650 because i dont want a whole string of dacs and amps, I want something that works well with the built in amp wich i can hear is more than enough in clarity except for the hiss. Im leaning towards Shure SRH940-E because detail is everything to me but its so clinical it enhances all faults in the source from what ive read, so im wondering if hd 650 might be a better choice if the built in amp has that hiss regardless of impendance/sensitivity.

Anyone using either of those phones?

Im not going to buy hd 800 because that price class is beyond reason for next to no gain imo. Its to use with this laptop without a string of extra gear, thats the point.

I think the headphone amp is great for what it is ( more separation and clarity than any other built in solution ive heard even on bad recordings like youtube) except for the bad gain settings/hiss.

[hmscott]

zalbard wrote:
Update (with a fix!):
So, yes, it is 100% impedance mismatch.

I bought "Ultimate Ears Airline Sound-level Attenuator Adapter" (plenty on EBay, but I don't want to give links as to not look like I am advertising). It is essentially an inline 100 Ohm resistor. It cost me whooping $9 USD. 🙂

Now I can use my 32 Ohm headphones pretty much without any noise.

Here's a link to an image of what I am talking about: http://i.ebayimg.com/t/GENUINE-Ultimate-Ears-Airline-Sound-level-Attenuator-Adapter-for-UE-Earphones...

And it's not the only option (although probably the most convenient one). Head-Fi lists a few more.

Hope it helps.

Awesome zalbard, this should be a sticky!

http://www.head-fi.org/t/601669/impedance-adapters-cables-explained-listed

[zalbard]

By the way, some people report that the problem is gone if drivers are uninstalled... If that is the case, there may be a software fix. Realtek and ASUS will just have to figure this one out.

[villiansv]

As promised - just had a chance to compare Beyerdynamic DT770 Pros in 2 versions - 80 and 250 ohms.

With a decent source (fiio e07k dac/amp) there is zero hiss, even with volume maxed out.

Plugged directly in the laptop jack, and straining I can hear some little hiss with both, of course the 250 ohm exhibit it slightly less. However, it is REALLY hard to notice the hiss on either pair. I'd say on a scale from 0 to 10 where 0 is no hiss, the 250ohms are a 1 and the 80 are a 2. In both cases I have to actually pause music and then actively unplug/replug the headphones to make sure I can hear the difference in hiss vs no hiss.

I can't speak for uninstalling the drivers. However, if testing with very hissy in-ear buds plugged in during windows startup, you will notice the hiss increases noticeably when reaching the login/desktop screen. Whether that is caused by drivers loading, or simply windows volume adjustments, I can't say.

[hmscott]

villiansv wrote:
As promised - just had a chance to compare Beyerdynamic DT770 Pros in 2 versions - 80 and 250 ohms.
With a decent source (fiio e07k dac/amp) there is zero hiss, even with volume maxed out.
Plugged directly in the laptop jack, and straining I can hear some little hiss with both, of course the 250 ohm exhibit it slightly less. However, it is REALLY hard to notice the hiss on either pair. I'd say on a scale from 0 to 10 where 0 is no hiss, the 250ohms are a 1 and the 80 are a 2. In both cases I have to actually pause music and then actively unplug/replug the headphones to make sure I can hear the difference in hiss vs no hiss.
I can't speak for uninstalling the drivers. However, if testing with very hissy in-ear buds plugged in during windows startup, you will notice the hiss increases noticeably when reaching the login/desktop screen. Whether that is caused by drivers loading, or simply windows volume adjustments, I can't say.

Thanks for coming through on the listening test villansv 🙂

Good to hear the 250ohm/80ohm headphones have such low hiss.

And, it sounds like ear buds are out for a good listen. The Beyerdynamic site has earbuds, and for the ones I looked at, they were all 12 ohms.

I went to the North American Beyerdynamic website, and they have an interesting classification for each ohm-age - the rest of the headphone materials are the same:

The three available versions:
DT 770 PRO, 32 ohms, for mobile applications
DT 770 PRO, 80 ohms, for recording applications within the studio
DT 770 PRO, 250 ohms, for mixing applications in the studio

http://north-america.beyerdynamic.com/shop/dt-770-pro.html

I wonder if the 32 ohm models are high enough impedance over the 12 ohm earbuds to be listenable?

And, does anyone have 600ohm headphones to compare? They might be too far out on the impedance scale to use with any portable devices other than the G750, or a portable amp, so they would be of limited use.

http://north-america.beyerdynamic.com/shop/hah/headphones-and-headsets/at-home/music-pleasure/dt-990...

[villiansv]

The DT770 Pros actually differ in sound across various specs. The 80-ohms are more bass-heavy (why I chose them, as I tend to listen to music that favors bass a bit), while the 250-ohm are more neutral (why my wife's media-oriented job has them, probably). I can't say much for the 32-ohms though, but I'm sure some websites have reviews.

For what it's worth, both are actually usable with a cell phone, even the 250-ohm versions (I think in general the DT770s are considered easy to drive, despite high impedances), though they can't get loud enough to be unbearable (probably a good thing). Tested on Lumia 920 and Galaxy S2. My wife's HTC 8X gets louder, but that's because it has a builtin amp. In any case, the DT770s aren't headphones to go out with, so usability with portable devices isn't that important (hence why I don't get the need for a 32-ohm version, but what do I know). They're quite big, though incredibly light and comfy.

[hmscott]

villiansv wrote:
The DT770 Pros actually differ in sound across various specs. The 80-ohms are more bass-heavy (why I chose them, as I tend to listen to music that favors bass a bit), while the 250-ohm are more neutral (why my wife's media-oriented job has them, probably). I can't say much for the 32-ohms though, but I'm sure some websites have reviews.
For what it's worth, both are actually usable with a cell phone, even the 250-ohm versions (I think in general the DT770s are considered easy to drive, despite high impedances), though they can't get loud enough to be unbearable (probably a good thing). Tested on Lumia 920 and Galaxy S2. My wife's HTC 8X gets louder, but that's because it has a builtin amp. In any case, the DT770s aren't headphones to go out with, so usability with portable devices isn't that important (hence why I don't get the need for a 32-ohm version, but what do I know). They're quite big, though incredibly light and comfy.

At the Link I found for the DT770, the Technical specs are the same, same frequency range, same efficiency rating, same weight - I don't see where they are materially different except for the impedance. Do you have a link?

Nice to hear that the 250ohm/80ohm are driven ok by a portable device. I guess the 250ohm is the best choice so far for hiss free neutral sound 🙂

[villiansv]

hmscott wrote:
At the Link I found for the DT770, the Technical specs are the same, same frequency range, same efficiency rating, same weight - I don't see where they are materially different except for the impedance. Do you have a link?

Nice to hear that the 250ohm/80ohm are driven ok by a portable device. I guess the 250ohm is the best choice so far for hiss free neutral sound 🙂

Sources:
1. http://nwavguy.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/beyerdynamic-dt-770-pro-80-review.html - (strongly recommend anything this guy likes)
2. http://www.head-fi.org/t/646368/beyerdynamic-dt-770-pro-250-ohm-32-ohm-or-80-ohms (and many other similar head-fi.org posts). Grain of salt here - head-fi.org is not really an objective site, their credo is "subjectively sounds good, so it's good". In total opposition to the NwAvGuy from 1st link.
3. http://north-america.beyerdynamic.com/service/faqs.html - Different Impedances - "The transducers of the 80 ohms versions are stronger and more powerful, a bit more low-mid accentuated and therefore this version is ideal for powerful reproducing of low-frequency material f.e. coming from a bass guitar. The 250 ohms version sounds more smooth and voluminous and can be used for mixing situations within the studio to analyse the whole mix."

[hmscott]

villiansv wrote:
Sources:
1. http://nwavguy.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/beyerdynamic-dt-770-pro-80-review.html - (strongly recommend anything this guy likes)
2. http://www.head-fi.org/t/646368/beyerdynamic-dt-770-pro-250-ohm-32-ohm-or-80-ohms (and many other similar head-fi.org posts). Grain of salt here - head-fi.org is not really an objective site, their credo is "subjectively sounds good, so it's good". In total opposition to the NwAvGuy from 1st link.
3. http://north-america.beyerdynamic.com/service/faqs.html - Different Impedances - "The transducers of the 80 ohms versions are stronger and more powerful, a bit more low-mid accentuated and therefore this version is ideal for powerful reproducing of low-frequency material f.e. coming from a bass guitar. The 250 ohms version sounds more smooth and voluminous and can be used for mixing situations within the studio to analyse the whole mix."

Thanks for the links villiansv, they are extensive and have lots of good info.

What I got out of reading the FAQ link is that the wire windings, made out of different materials thicker/thinner heavier/lighter wire, to accomplish the desired impedance, are the major difference affecting the sound.

There may be a translation related miscommunication in that the quotes before and after it - are having to do with how the different models voice changes based on the weight/mass of the wire as affecting the characteristics of the sound.

And, there are definitely different build materials in different priced models - of the list you have given - which can also change the characteristics of the sound.

My comment was limited to the Link I gave which only showed 3 identically configured models, except for the impedance differences. Now I see too many configurations to be comfortable purchasing them without listening to the specific model first 🙂

For now. I am happy with my Sennheiser MM550's which don't use the headphone amp, and my Sony MDR-XB500's using the headphone amp.

[zalbard]

villiansv wrote:
As promised - just had a chance to compare Beyerdynamic DT770 Pros in 2 versions - 80 and 250 ohms.

With a decent source (fiio e07k dac/amp) there is zero hiss, even with volume maxed out.

Plugged directly in the laptop jack, and straining I can hear some little hiss with both, of course the 250 ohm exhibit it slightly less. However, it is REALLY hard to notice the hiss on either pair. I'd say on a scale from 0 to 10 where 0 is no hiss, the 250ohms are a 1 and the 80 are a 2. In both cases I have to actually pause music and then actively unplug/replug the headphones to make sure I can hear the difference in hiss vs no hiss.

I can't speak for uninstalling the drivers. However, if testing with very hissy in-ear buds plugged in during windows startup, you will notice the hiss increases noticeably when reaching the login/desktop screen. Whether that is caused by drivers loading, or simply windows volume adjustments, I can't say.

That's good information and confirms that more impedance is required. Thanks!

hmscott wrote:
I wonder if the 32 ohm models are high enough impedance over the 12 ohm earbuds to be listenable?

See my earlier review in the same thread. The answer is: absolutely not.

[Myroslav]

So. After further playing around, i dug up my lumia 920 headphones (ear buds). I see the hiss and occasional cracks you guys are talking about. Since i rarely use 3.5mm audio, i went out and bought today Sennheiser's 350 (on sale, 120 bucks). There is zero hiss, zero cracks. The g750 amp is amazing, giving this headset awesome bass. Impedance on these is 150 ohms, and i like it so much i will keep this set.

PS i am running on the latest driver (7023)