[SOLVED] Will I notice any difference with good headphones if all I listen to is internet radio and youtube?

[barnyard80]

I'm thinking of getting these: Sony WH-1000XM3, as whathifi.com says they are the best.

All I listen to is random music on youtube, and classicfm internet radio station.

I currently use these: https://www.trustedreviews.com/reviews/soundmagic-eh11

To use them, I plug them into the audio jack of my PC. It has an Asus TUF B550 motherboard, and Meshify C case.

Will the Sony headphones sound better?

 

[siaan312]

Well, sony has lots of different headsets, in general, sony is known for better outdoor headsets, with features like waterproofness, better haptics and nicer body. if you want better sound (although, sound is subjective) getting audiophile headphones is better, like the senhisser hd6XX or similar.
Open back headsets sound better in general too.

but, to be honest with you, they don't sound "better" they sound more natural and with less curves.
The sound is "flat" and is much more true to life.
But depending on what music you like that isn't always better, like me, i listen to pop and electronic, and i use razer nari ultimates (they vibrate on your head with base. it sounds stupid, and its a pain to turn on everytime when i listen to music, but its pretty good actually.)

For most people, a normal mid range "gaming" or just everyday headset is good enough for sound quality since the difference is small.
even 1000$ headsets are not that huge a jump from "gaming grade" hyperX Cloud II or something.

but again, everyone's ears are different and some have much different opinions.

The WH-1000XM3 have good sound, but there are definitely better options.
But, they are VERY comfortable, are wireless, and have THE MOST INCREDIBLE ACTIVE NOISE CANCELLATION EVER (sorry for caps. im serious though, its amazing.)
they also have google assistant built in and overall solidly built.
theyre really good headsets, but have more going for them than just the sound.

 

[barnyard80]

Interesting that you mention noise cancellation. So if I use those, and I am next to a fairly quiet PC, will that PC become practically silent?

 

[sizzling]

I'm thinking of getting these: Sony WH-1000XM3, as whathifi.com says they are the best.

All I listen to is random music on youtube, and classicfm internet radio station.

I currently use these: https://www.trustedreviews.com/reviews/soundmagic-eh11

To use them, I plug them into the audio jack of my PC. It has an Asus TUF B550 motherboard, and Meshify C case.

Will the Sony headphones sound better?

Seeing as you say classicfm I strongly recommend you try the headphones before buying. The XM3’s have an over emphasised bass which for me makes them a bad choice for classical music. I’m not saying they are bad but personally I think the Bose QC35II’s would be better as they have a more natural response. I would say between QC35II’s and the XM3’s it is down to personal choice of what you prefer. Check out the rtings reviews, one of the best review sites around for audio. I prefer the Bose myself.

 

[Deleted member 217926]

I wouldn't even consider wireless noise cancelling headphones for classical music. I'd look at something open back and neutral. The Sennheiser HD600 or 660S, AKG K701 or K712 Pro, Beyerdynamic DT880 ( or 1990 Pro for way more money ), HiFiMan HE400i or Sundara etc.

I'm also a moderator on What Hi-Fi. Their headphone reviews are 'meh'.

 

[Deleted member 217926]

Should also add the Sennheiser HD598 or 599 and the Philips Fidelio X2HR to the list as they'll run off your board and not need a headphone amp. The X2 is a great value right now at about $145 on Amazon if you're in the US. It's bassy but it doesn't bleed into the mids and color other frequencies. Huge soundstage.

 

[barnyard80]

Why is noise cancellation bad for classical?

And what do you mean by "run off your board"?

 

[Deleted member 217926]

Most of the money put into manufacturing noise cancelling headphones goes towards the noise cancelling technology. Where as audiophile headphones of the same cost have all of that put into the drivers and sound quality. Not that the QC35 and Sony are bad and they can be fun but they're not comparable with similarly priced audiophile cans.

Off the board without a headphone amp. The motherboard doesn't look like it has one integrated. Many motherboards come with them now.

 

[USAFRet]

Why is noise cancellation bad for classical?

And what do you mean by "run off your board"?

"noise cancellation" is manipulation of the output via software, to hopefully simulate what you would hear in a quiet room.

If you want the actual audio stream, go into a quiet room and listen with good devices.

It is "bad for classical" because the dynamic range for that can be much larger than typical 21st century commercial music or game audio.

 

[Deleted member 217926]

Mostly driver quality and tuning vs an 'audiophile' set. And the fact that they have to be closed back. There is an attempt at an audiophile noise cancelling set but it's Massdrop ( Drop ) specific.

https://drop.com/buy/drop-wireless-headphones

They took the planar driver from the old Oppo PM3 and added a THX amplification circuit. Haven't tried them but reviews are quite positive.

 

[siaan312]

Interesting that you mention noise cancellation. So if I use those, and I am next to a fairly quiet PC, will that PC become practically silent?

pretty much, but it does alter the sound of the music slightly.

 

[hang-the-9]

Unless you actually need noise canceling and wireless (say in a busy office or travel) there are far better ways to spend $2-300 for headphones. If you like music with all it's detail and nuances I suggest going with some specific audio streaming service rather than youtube and I actually just went to classicfm site to try them, the sound is a bit off, you can tell it's been compressed for streaming not as open and crisp, less separation than a good recording should have. You may want to try a subscription to Amazon Music and maybe some higher bitrate services like Tidal or higher end Amazon Music sub.

I'm a fan of Drop audio stuff, they usually have higher end drivers and build in cheaper parts than you would get from the headphone makers directly, their Sennheiser 58x Jubilee and and 6xx models are good buys, although you need to wait a bit to get them from there. They also have a decent set of Planar headphones at a good price https://drop.com/buy/drop-hifiman-he4xx-planar-magnetic-headphones I had a chance to get a used set of the HE4xx for 100 and still kicking myself for passing on it. You can even get a nice external DAC\AMP along with good headphones for the same price as some fancier wireless set. https://www.amazon.com/iFi-Zen-DAC-Converter-Unbalanced/dp/B07YZK5MDS?ref_=ast_sto_dp

 

[DSzymborski]

Yeah, if classical music is important, I'd avoid all the wireless/noise-canceling things and just buy the best neutral headphones within your budget.

Hang-the-9's advice is good. I'd also make sure to buy from somewhere with an easy return policy as it's possible you may not like the results. Line up a few pieces to listen to as a test. Personally, I like using modern recordings of Bruckner's 9th, Birtwistle's Earth Dances, and Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time if I'm listening with a pair of cans I haven't used before.