I am 70 and have been listening to my music on 'hi-fi' systems for 50 years. I currently have 7 turntables, 6 amps, 2 CD players, and 4 pairs of speakers...I have 15 headphones/iems and have been frustrated so many times when seeking my ideal sound that suits my musical tastes. I listen to all genres of music from Opera to Black metal via Country, Reggae, Jazz and everything else in between...and have always sought the best value sound for my money...I buy used equipment, read reviews and watch you tube videos such as this one...I have a friend whose system, which I listen to often is probably worth almost £500,000....I just think that is stupid money and have never spent more than £900 on any piece of equipment...most of my purchases have been made after reading and researching and recently I realised that some of the best sounds I have ever heard are from sub £50 iems that have blown me out of the water....this phenomenon is a recent one and even today many people are playing catch up...your experience of hi fi today is so different to mine...technological advances have changed the landscape and now young people listen to music in a more personal way, i.e. dap/mobile phone etc and these changes have meant that cheaper headphones/iem are now producing music in a way that we would never have imagined even 10 years ago....I love my new KZ ZS10 PRO, my VE Monk plus and my Moondrop Arias and Chu....it is great that even at my age I am able to discover new equipment to excite my musical journey....keep up the good work..

Infected Mushroom is awesome for "test tracks" - they got mastering down to a science and it's fast and complex and incorporates the complete frequency range. And yes.. I agree on every single point. Good job!

Excellent video. Well thought out and conveyed.

great great content. thoughtfulness and construct of the argument is super solid

Balanced insight and despite what you share on your time and tenure in, there is wisdom and good reminders here; even for those who have been more in the non headphone centric audiophile community. Another key factor for me is comfort and ergo fit and depending on the purpose of use…..because at the end of the day, I am wearing my speakers. This was such good and down to earth articulation too and I look forward to more of your videos in the future.

one thing a lot of people don't realize is reviews and reviewers are only giving their own opinions of what they think of gear. so many times people will worship these audio reviewers like gods and without any actual listening time with a headphone, just agree with the masses and write off a headphone altogether just because so-and-so said so. i know someone who saved up and bought a headphone, called me to tell me they think they found their endgame and then a week later put it up for sale because a reviewer crapped all over it on KZfaq. over a span of 5 years they kept going back to that headphone before realizing they really liked it for the music they listen to, people on the internet are full of it, and ended up buying the headphones again. as smart or well put together those reviews may seem, essentially it's just a guy in their basement rambling about how much they hate this and that. who's to say they even know what they're even talking about. try things. find what you like. share if you want but make sure to ignore the trashy echoes of audio know-it-alls who regurgitate measurements and graphs and treat it like bible.

Great video. I'm just getting back into listening to and enjoying my music on headphones and found this very helpful.

Wow for my entire surprise I really enjoyed your video Precog, and also got some useful take aways. Thank you dude! :)

Wonderful take, thanks you so much for the advices.

Thanks for sharing your pov on this. I agree.

I couldn't agree more with you Precog. Very well written and truthfull video.

From my experience so far I think you are spot-on on all points, especially the "price bracket" ; Maybe my hearing is broken but when comparing headphones from different price categories I find no reliable auditory cue to tell the price difference between them if the they are tuned right and sound good.

Thanks for this. This helps a lot

Excellent well measured approach.

great, I loved this honest explanation thanks crack

very nice video. I owned too many headphones before i realise i was treble sensitive. Can you recommend an iem for classical and jazz for treble sensitive in the 500-1000$ range?

One of the most important lessons that I’ve learned over the years is that riding the hype train is one of the most expensive things you can do as an audiophile. Just trust your ears, is the best thing to do.

I started with buying low price iems to see what sound signature I like. Turned out in like different iems for different genres. If I had to keep one iem for all my listening it would be the u12t though. It may not be the best for any particular genre but it’s at least very good if not amazing for everything

Any chance you might share a labelled version of the scatter chart so we know what earphones are good for their money?

Hi, excellent introduction for all IEM users!! thanks. I have a pair of JH Lolas (universal fit). I wanted to ask you if there is any kind of EQ that I can use to tune them right for my taste. I´m a singer and guitar player and sometimes I need to tweak a little bit some frequencies. Best regards and thanks.

Second hand IER-Z1R buyer here. Best decision. Buying used gives a lot of peace of mind. Worst case scenario you can sell it at a small loss. Buying new implies much higher risk, because selling gives you a bigger lost.

It is very helpful video. I wish I could send this info to myself in the past :)

Great video Precog. Lots of excellent tips for beginners in the hobby. While I disagree with your opinion that source gear and most importantly the synergy between a headphone and that source gear doesn’t matter. I respect your opinions. I think synergy with source gear plays a massive role.

My AKG Q400 headphones made me an audiophile and later bought Q acoustics 3020i bookshelf speakers during Covid to replace my worn out Bose 601 series i speakers and oh boy those Q Acoustics speakers sound so much better. I still love my vintage Pioneer A-9 amplifier. Vintage class AB amplifiers and modern loudspeakers can provide the perfect sound for some audiophiles. Since that amplifier is 110 watts per channel at 8 ohms and 125 watts per channel at 4 ohms, that amp would probably be best paired with dual 6.5 inch tower speakers or 10 inch stand mount speakers. Class AB amplifiers from the 70s and 80s are very fast and responsive while providing musical qualities to the audio signal. Providing a happy medium between tubes and GaNFET class D.

Frequency response graphs to me are kind of like a dyno graph for a sports car. It can give you a rough estimate of what it's like, but that's all. You can't look at a dyno and know exactly how that car will feel to drive because there are too many factors that contribute to the overall experience. Same with headphones, you can't look at the frequency response and conclude you know exactly what it will sound like to experience that headphone on your own ears.

well this is worth visiting once every while. I am one of those undescerning and skeptikal, even partially deaf guy who also loves listening to diverse genres of music, attracted by new and classic gear and the dynamics of chifi market. Latter aspects make me forget the principles you outline. thank you for the video!

While I mostly agree with your criticism of using “audiophile music” as test tracks, I do think they still test some important metrics in a system. A Sinatra song might not have the fastest tempo or the lowest most complex bass lines, but it can be a great test for timbre and tonality. A Death Grips song, on the other hand (or anything else aggressive and fast-paced) might have very busy instrumentation and fast, sophisticated bass lines, but it might not be the best test of timbre and tonality and that’s partially because it’s not the most well-recorded or dynamic song (nor should it be, that’s the not the aesthetic it’s going for). But, yeah, I’d agree that at the end of the day you should compile gear that optimizes playback of your individual library.

I test treble with Filosofem now. Made me appreciate Variations even more.

is your playlist added to your public account? I cant find it with the same name

Well said, precog. As a fellow fan of Kim Lip’s “Eclipse” as a test track, I agree that “audiophile music” is honestly unappealing to me. I wanna listen to what I like, and I don’t want to be shamed for my preferences, either.

Hi :) When u have bought the u12T u propably didnt have that strict idea about ur preferencies. And ur mind just accommodate that this is it (as a part of the protection, they were really expensive) just my theory, maybe one of the possibilities. And because of that you like them until today maybe :)

I guess I was lucky. I first purchased the CA Comet and dragon fly and I HATED both of those. Luckily, I bought both used, so it wasn't such an expensive mistake. I still use the Comet as a back-up phone call iem. My second purchase was the CA Andromeda SS and Ifi xdsd. I tune the Andromeda to my liking with Wavelet. THIS combination for me is the bomb. I love the mids-focused SS Andromeda and coupled with the warm Burr-Brown dac in the xdsd, it's just purrfect to my ears. I've considered purchasing one of the newer iems that's come on the market over the past three years, but I realized it's always been because of fomo, not because I'm unhappy with what I have. I figure I'll stick with what I got until something breaks. I guess this means I'm definitely not a real audiophile. Lol. By the way, glad to see you've made a new video Precog. I've missed your iem reviews. I was hoping that the trolls hadn't driven you away from making videos. Glad to see they haven't.

Thanks for the comments, so which is your favorite Headphone/iem Hifi + budget?

Good to see u back in a THS video Precog. Wish you'd do the U6T review for better or worse, it seem a shame the IEM has seen so little air time... Here's a quick tip too for anyone. Buy the cheapest crappest set of IEM's new or used. If you are struggling to gel with headphone/earphone B, after owning headphone/earphone A, then listen to the garbage set for 20 mins!! Then put your new purchase on/in again!! :)

Good job, man. Really solid advice. Well done.

Yes! Preach!

I hear zero difference between my THX 789 and the $9 Apple USB-C dongle on a set of Thieaudio Oracles. When I first tried the dongle (bought a laptop and needed something portable that wasn't redundant for my true desktop setup) I almost couldn't believe it, but I was pleasantly surprised that I couldn't hear any difference. It feels good knowing that I don't have to spend that much money on an amplifier or DAC in the future if I need to replace gear due to failure!

Very smart!!

Agree with buying used, Basically ALL my gear are used and for the most part it's fine, be mind of where you're living tho, I'm living in the tropics and already 2 planar gear break on me, prob Micromold. Treating your ears to different gears are so right, there's something like recency bias, like I bought an Andromeda and expecting an IEM that can fix my pain from having to return a KSE1200 and I was disappointed, hard. Now a week after, I got to find the advantage the Andro have, it's a unique one. Now the Andro and my Z1R are my top pair.

Good video thank you. One thing that I noticed that is always missing is the SOURCE. I am not talking about DACs amps which are important but the source and how crucial that is in your chain. Seems like great majority use their phones or computers and neither was made to be a dedicated music player.

I wanted to thank you for this very good presentation and all the info you have shared. You have a great demeanor and it comes across in a really nice way. I have been actively enjoying music since I was about 10. I am 61 now. You can imagine the changes that have happened in my life in the realm of equipment! I wanted to share an analogy with you. Some years ago I had the privilege of getting Lasik treatment on my eyes. It was amazing. No more nearsightedness! My eye Dr. told me about a colleague who instead of using the term 20/20 vision called it 20/Happy. Meaning the person was not particularly unable or unaware of any seeing issues. I thought that this was a great way to literally look at things! I find myself applying the same concept to my ongoing music quest... as a guitar player we call it the quest for tone. It is a never ending thing and rightfully so, but along the way we should be able to enjoy and be happy with our musical experience. You summed up all of these ideas very well in your video. I look forward to hearing more from you! God bless you and all you love. --Brian

U can def tell on a graph if something is going to sound really bad. Iems are really dependent on correct freq response to have proper imaging and sound localization Also avoid single dynamic driver iems.

speakers are simple: neutral speakers can be found in the less than 300€ for near field. Little more spending for bookshelf speakers. Other preferences in sound can range from low 300-400 to infinity. Headphones: start with Koss, Beyer or Sennheiser. Koss shows what type of sound is your type or not: bass, mids and treble in general. Do not go into the high end shelf first because imo timbre is more important same as balance between bass and treble than resolution. I am happy with a base resolution. Speakers are easier than headphones for sure. Nitpicking can be far bigger and fatigue with bad headphones.

I've been an audiophile since lockdown, it's a funny addiction, I recently got the ifi go blu and treated myself to the ifi gold bar as an early Christmas/birthday present.. the ifi gold bar sounds about 4% better than the go blu and cost £500.... It's ridiculous what all the reviewers seem to be hearing as the difference is so slight. It has at least scratched the itch and I'm not compelled to upgrade for the foreseeable future, as overpriced and unnecessary as it is though I think I'm still gonna keep it 🤖🙃🤗

best speaker for me: - genelec sam line with dsp - neumann audio berlin kh150 dsp - ik multimedia iloud precision line dsp [- if budget not matters: steinway lyngdorf open baffle] best headphones: - focal utopia 2022 - mark levinson 5909 - bowers px8 best iem: - dorado 2020

It's a healthy to think that likely there are other options you'd prefer over what you have if you could listen to everything over a longer time. The self-imposed over valuing of one's own gear is certainly enjoyable, but blinds a lot of people and makes their recommendations very questionable. People have vastly different preferences and are used to very different things so it is extremely difficult to be accurate with recommendations to an individual.

Wiim Streamer (has EQ, soon PEQ) + Topping DX3pro+ + Hifiman Edition XS = musical bliss 😊

Subbed !!

The truth of my journey has been I’ve gone from entry fun systems to listening rooms stuffed with gear ..to recently discovering the world of headphones and IEM’s…seriously the latter have been the most fun and the most revealing of my audio experiences. This weekend is the Toronto Audio Festival…I’ll be there with my Moondrop Variations and my IFI Go Blue..🤣

I wish I would have applied "buy once, cry once" philosophy to the hobby earlier. The difference between my 6xx and my ZMF Verite Closed for example, is so huge, that I wish I would've just went all out at the very beginning instead of trying to save money. Yes, diminishing returns applies, obviously. But you absolutely get what you pay for. Not everyone is observant to the differences, because everyone's hearing is different. You really have to try things yourself to see what works for you. You can read 100 impression posts and look at 100 charts, but you wont know if you enjoy it until you hear it yourself.

This is a good video. Thanks for making it. I don’t know how much you’re interested in the science of audio reproduction/how humans perceive it but you might find it interesting to look into the work of Floyd Toole. He was one of the first to make a science of audio reproduction, he literally wrote the text book on it. Especially his earliest work should be required reading for every audiophile. The KZfaq channel Erin’s Audio Corner did an interview with him a couple years ago (it’s easy to find). They talk about this and the rest of his storied career in an easily digestible way. I get the impression you’d find that quite interesting

I would recommend chocolate chip trip as a good Audiophile test track. It has lots of Dynamics and extended frequency response

buy used, have patience, and watch reviews and you will score ! ......I purchased an IEM that usually sells for $850.00 and more.....and am very happy with my $400.00 Shuoer EJ07 that I picked up on ebay ...Original packing-accessories and purchased from the listing individual that happens to be a KZfaq reviewer.......The reviewer used them for (5) hours ......

A lot of the time when people hear large differences in cables especially it's just a survival tactic to feel like money was well spent

I think before an audiophile, just buy headphones you like and enjoy the music. Unfortunately, besides camjam or bestbuy, there are only limited dealer stores nearby and we can't try most of hi end gear before we buy. Most impressions rely on headfi and reviews. But They are not your ears. Even you love the review and get the headphone, sometimes you still have to return. And most dealer and online stores have limitation of return. I will say if you don't hear before you buy, it is just like gambling headphones.

something else don't chase perfection you will NEVER find it be happy with what you can afford don't think cause something cost 10 times as much as is better

To each his own

8:08 that timer is really slow lol

My entire system was built off Head-Fi Classifieds. It's a great way to save money and meet people who share the same passion for audio.

At the beginning I fell into the “I want clarity and transparency” trap and my ears hated it, made me realize my ears did not like those types of frequency responses. Then I started buying different stuff and realized what I liked. Discovered ZMF and here I am 5 years later.

One point I disagree is hi end gear is just a number. Yes, diminishing returns are in effect, but they still can't charge whatever they want. Say 50k, 100k. Also I don't agree manufacture can charge price for end game IEMs similar to end game headphones. Because IEMs almost can't perform as good as headphones. Ex: empire ears odin vs focal stellia, etc.

One thing I’d say is don’t buy a bunch of lower priced headphones to substitute for you really want. Wait a little and save up and then get want you really want.

Unless a cable is actual trash then there shouldn't be any differences between iem cables when it comes to sound.

Well, of course demoing, and more - never demoing in vacuum (because if you don't have strong reference in your head - you can't evaluate without comparing), trying to demo with you gear or similar - it is simple, and becomes obvious quit fast. But another thing is more complicated and for some music genres quiet frustrating - quality of record. Good dynamic range without unnecessary boost, normalization, and limiter, where instruments are put in the scene thoughtfully, good digital quality, mastering without stupid peaks in mid-bass or higher mid/lower treble, list goes on. And funniest part - if in genres you listen to really high quality is something rare - testing with high quality records in genres you don't like won't help you))0) But for the other hand - you may stumble upon something you will actually like, as for me - i started to like orchestral music in headphones only with my first somewhat hi-fi headphones and dac, just because you NEED dynamic range and soundstage for this, and when your gear delivers - orchestral is great.

Very helpful, Sir. Despite your claim that you've been in this hobby for only a few years, your points and insights betray a maturity that suggests otherwise. I'm not saying that you're misspeaking when you say you're relatively new to the hobby. I'm just surprised at the depth and wisdom you shared, considering how "new" you are to this avocation. 😊

The chord at the bottom of your shirt made me think it was dog hair on my screen lol

There is also a caveat that goes with most if not all reviewers. Reviews can not possibly be able to talk about durability and consistancy in the long run. Because they experience everything new. Even if they love a device and buy it and keep it, they still have to review many other devices for weeks on end. So when they get back to using the device they love it's still brand new. A reviewer can never experience a device the way a normal consumer would experience the same device. My thoughts are: 1. Don't take yes for an answer. If something can go wrong it will. 2. Your foremost decision should be your price point. Pick a price point and stick to it. Unless you get some birthday or Christmas money. Don't exceed $20.00 over your limit. The $20.00 can go to shipping and tax costs. 3. As was mentioned in this video, consider buying third party. Even if it's brand new, you can get some deals. Save for the delusional people who price their items used for more money than you can buy it new on Amazon or elsewhere. To be honest my first consideration after price is does it stand the test of time. The answer to that question for all devices like these is, no. Or at best, not yes. It depends on how well you take care of it. I guess I'm lucky. I don't live on my phone 24/7. Also all my devices such as laptops, phone, and tablets all have headphone jacks. Also I don't expect these sorts of devices to perform miracles. At the end of the day all I want is an IEM that has good build quality, doesn't shout at me, can handle Keith Moon, John Bonham, and knows what to do with Joe Morello, Dave Brubeck, John Coltrane, Joni Mitchell, and Beethoven. I just watched a video where a guy, I can't remember his name was talking about 10 different IEMs ranging in price from $35.00 - $3.000. He went through all of them in chronological price point order. Logic would dictate that when he got to the $3,000 entry they would be flawless. Wouldn't you know it, they weren't. He said some of the less expensive IEMs did a few things better. So if you spend $3,000 and you can not expect absolute perfection, what are we all doing? We are chasing the tail of a nightmare expecting a rainbow and a pot of gold at the end. Considering this specific circumstance of buying things to put in our ears to listen to particular noises, In this case Westley perishes in the pit of despair, Buttercup dies, and Indigo never finds the 6 fingered man. But we all have a great time driving around in our VW microbus looking for a place to dump the trash. I am browsing for an IEM which I will only use in bed relaxing before I go to sleep so I could care less about ambient sound, or noise cancelation. Or I'll use them when my mom is blaring her caterwauling opera. I've listened to opera all my life as a result of being my mom's daughter and I can't stand it. Actually that's not true. I like the music. Just eliminate the singing. And I'm convinced that all operas are tragedies because no one has an indoor voice. But I digress, sorry. I'm considering getting the Moondrop Kato. Ebay has a few new ones for around $140.00. If anyone has a suggestion as to another brand or model I'm all ears. Could you imagine if humans had 4 ears? If we did, would we have quadraphonic sound all the time? Would we have to buy 4 of these damn things? You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant...

“The Cog is wise.” - Metal 571

IU!

most hyped iem are ok but not worth price. only few worth it ie 600, u12 is overyped

"Some gear that measures well will not sound good to you. Some gear that measures poorly will sound great."

Give u a tips bro, transducer does burn nobly With a gd systems, imagin' u used endgame system!! My experience discover dis newbies specialist. peace!

just don't by anything over $500 actually you don't need anything over $300 usually anything over $300 is Heavily Overpriced sometimes into thousands % if you go and check prices you can see that even $5000 IEMs or Headphones cost like $150-300 to be made and get to store

price is just a number (mostly) abnehmender grenznutzen preference is the most important (dont waste money) (but dont ignore meassurements) try more, spend less buy used enhjoy the music

🍄

Audiophiles generally have their heads up their asses. Most have spent the majority of their lives listening to artificially reproduced music and tend to fall into the trap of buying equipment based on what they enjoy and how they "think" things should sound. I'm an ex-musician who spent years playing with live acoustic instruments like (bass, trumpet, piano, drums etc.) so I "know" EXACTLY how things "should" sound. I've owned some of the best audiophile equipment you can buy and I've heard the very best $200,000 (stereo) systems. I can tell you that, at a tenth the price and without question, a $10,000 - $15,000 Genelec active DSP system will absolutely DESTROY the best from Wilson, Sonos Faber, Mark Levinson, Krell, YBA, Conrad Johnson, Audio Research etc etc etc. If the audiophile press covered the leading digital studio technology honestly it would COMPLETELY destroy the "hi end" audio industry (which is nothing more than scam selling overpriced and outdated technologies).

This was just an excuse for the Genelac flex

Can't go wrong with some K-Pop

At this point, all I'm hoping for is Bluetooth LE to implement lossless, so we can get over the fancy wire snobbery. Having a megabyte bandwidth per channel ie 2mbps total connection should resolve the current limitations on wireless audio.

Never go full audiophile. I'm a recovering audiophile that got brought back to reality by Amir and ASR.

it's better to by 5 IEMs for $1000 then just one or two and just like Expensive Cables Expensive IEMs and Headphones and Dacs and Amps are just one BIG SCAM you can verify that for yourself

R^2 = 0.1 lol

When you become more advanced you'll realised the massive benefits of EQ.

He looks cute.

I’m much older than you so my perspective is a bit different. I came of age in an era where brick and mortar stores were king. I was able to walk in and listen to hear I was interested in. I was also able to get an education and pick the brains of audio enthusiasts more knowledgeable than myself in person. One point of contention I would have with you is that I am one who does hear differences between cables. No placebo effect here! I especially hear material differences. IMHO, live, unamplified acoustic music should be the benchmark for testing any equipment. I’ve found that if equipment can do that right, it’ll do everything else right!

Technically the u12t isn't a flagship

obligatory comment saying headphones aren't audiophile and bragging about his 900 pound aluminum enclosure magico speakers

First to comment ✌️

I love this approach, full of humility and respect 🫡 Hope it will help now comers 😊