Tech General Chat

[Misumi]

Project coming together slowly but surely. Going back to aircooling for this. Roughly half the custom parts are fitted. Test board mounted for taking more measurements. I'm still undecided on case fans, but I've narrowed it down to the Noctua S12A, Bequiet Silent Wings, or Noiseblocker Eloops. Leaning on Noctua since the color scheme would work for once.

 

 

The finalized pieces so far. There's about a dozen major parts left to design, which I can't start unless a couple more parts arrive.

 

[SilverRST]

 

So when it's April, it's been 4 years since I have been using my good old GTX780 and for 2 f*cking months I'm waiting for the GTX1080Ti to get its prices back to normal.

Now it's out of stock and prices have gone up to €1100, GTFO. Cryptocrap are digital cancer.

 

 

i just hope my 1080 last long enough for crypto to go up in flames, either that or its just better to pre-order the GTX1280 today

 

I know what you mean. This is total bullsh*t and puts us gamers in dark times when we want to upgrade to better and faster GPU's.

It's a f*cking joke.

[DEALUX]

I kinda want to get the AKG K550s but there are some conflicting reports regarding bass response and whatnot. I wish I could take my K712s out but they're not usable in noisy environments which sucks because they obliterate most in-ear headphones in terms of neutrality and speed\detail.

[sivispacem]

The 550s are the most rounded headphones I've ever had. Can't recommend them enough, though I can't speak for the MK2 or MK3 reimaginings.

[DEALUX]

MK2 and MK3 are the same except the latter has a removable cable, which should have been a feature from the get go since some much cheaper AKGs already have that. The difference in terms of sound is mostly in the highs. The original model had some problems in the 6 KHz region apparently and the newer models fixed that.

 

Looking at some Innerfidelity graphs, it seems that the K550 has deeper bass and less roll-off but it varies quite a bit more when you move the earcups around compared to the K712. The K712 has better pads with larger interior space.

Edited February 10, 2018 by Dealux

[sivispacem]

The K712 will sound better, no doubt about that. They're open backed, so it's simple physics.

The K550s do the best job of sounding open backed of any reasonably priced over-ears I've ever tested. By "reasonably priced", I mean under about £500.

[DEALUX]

Yes, the K712 have a bigger and more accurate stereo image due to the open back design. I'm just hoping the K550 have similar detail. I started hating my IEMs as of late. They come nowhere near the AKGs in terms of transparency and detail and they have some harshness right in the area where snares hit which makes my ears hurt a bit while I'm listening to d&b. The K712 are so easy to listen to on well produced songs. It's relaxing even at high volumes and there's a ton of detail everywhere. I sometimes go back and listen to them again and I fall in love with them all over again.

[sivispacem]

Overall I'd say the 550s have about 80% of the dynamic depth of the K712s, and probably 90% of the perceptible soundstage. Accuracy? Pretty much bang-on. They absolutely blew me away when I first tried them.

[DEALUX]

Have you had a chance to try the K712s? The issue with the bass on the K550 might be because they are not as well designed as the K712 and they clamp less (plus earpads are different).

 

Frequency response graphs look interesting. The K550 look like they have some sub bass boost. I didn't feel like the K712 were lacking in that regard, especially for an open back. I reckon they are usable as low as 40 Hz for mixing and are pretty audible as low as 32 Hz or even lower, which is something you can't get with speakers unless you have a big sub or some really expensive monitors.

 

[sivispacem]

They're designed as reference headphones, and I can't say I've ever felt any kind of artificiality or unresponsiveness to the bass in them.

They are quite position sensitive- this you can see from the charts above. That's a foible of them being closed-back but designed in such a way to permit an open soundstage.

 

I would hazard that most people who experience issues with bass response are either a) struggling to drive them properly, b) not wearing them right, or c) a combination of the above.

[DEALUX]

I revisited the K612 graph again and I realized how eerily similar it is to the K712, at least on paper. I might buy those too again just to see if the first pair I had was faulty in some way. I remember them having significantly less bass than the K712 but they were harder to drive and had some harshness in some areas, which is strange given their similarity on a graph. One guy on an AKG FB page post also told me the K612 have good bass and they were surprised to hear that mine didn't sound very good.

Edited February 10, 2018 by Dealux

[sivispacem]

The graph is simply amplitude, "harshness" and response won't be particularly well represented there (the focus is on spectrum and balance). Harshness is quite subjective too, and not always an artefact of the headphones but also source and amplification. After a few days driving through my Audioengine, the Topping I keep at work sounds harsh with my 550s.

[DEALUX]

Apparently some guy asked AKG for some spare parts and they told him the drivers in the K612 are identical to the K712. I mean they have similar specs and based on memory they sounded pretty close in some areas (they had the same kind of coloration in the female vocal range). Maybe what makes the K712 so great is the physical design of the earcups and pads. I can't remember exactly how the pads worked on the K612 but maybe I could swap those with the K712 pads and see if there's any change (but K712 pads are like $50 a piece, so buying another set is not going to save me any money).

[Andreaz1]

I tried K550's for a few minutes and immediately returned them. The bass was non existent and it sounded incredibly crap. I still don't know if there was something wrong with how they were driven, the pair that I got was faulty, or if they were simply meant to sound like that.

 

Couldn't believe it after the praise I've read about them everywhere online.

Edited February 10, 2018 by Andreaz1

[DEALUX]

Had a similar experience with the K612 but they did exhibit a great deal of detail for their price (I can literally get a pair for $100 now) and had an impressive soundstage.

 

I think the K550 are relatively efficient so the amp\source shouldn't matter so much. I can literally drive my K712 off of a phone and they still sound great and plenty loud and they are one of the harder to drive AKGs. I'm really considering pulling the trigger on a pair of K550s this week.

 

If they sounded crap to you maybe the music you were listening to was poorly recorded or something. I know some older stuff sounds kinda plain on my current AKGs but very rarely harsh or anything like that unless the mixing for the song was done as a joke essentially. Modern EDM stuff for instance (or pop music) sounds the best because it was made on more modern gear and stuff. It took me a while to adjust to the more neutral sounding sound signature but in the end it made sense because there's so much detail to hear everywhere. The other reason why I can't listen to in-ear headphones is that I don't like the bloated bass sound anymore. I'll trade bloated bass for deeper and more neutral bass any day.

 

Edit: If you're a bass head (but not to an extreme extent) and want to upgrade your phones, the OPPO PM3 are a good upgrade but definitely not cheap. I would have loved to save up for a pair of these planar magnetic headphones but they don't have the best highs and soundstage is narrow. However, the bass is pretty much a straight line all the way down to 10 Hz and the mids are pretty good as well.

Edited February 10, 2018 by Dealux

[sivispacem]

I can't drive my 550s properly off a phone or iPod classic. Even at full volume they lack depth and precision. They need a headphone amp IMO.

[DEALUX]

My hearing is not the best this time of the year but I did some quick testing between my phone and the Oppo HA-2 (on my K712s) and I can barely tell any difference between the crappy DAC in my phone and the hi-res Sabre32 one in the Oppo. Cheap DACs tend to sound grainier I think and thus there's less transparency but the overall sound is still almost identical. There's definitely not a lack of bass response or anything like that and they play above my comfortable hearing level on a OnePlus One.

 

Kinda sucks since I paid $300 for the interface lol but maybe my hearing isn't the best atm and I'm making sure the source is not the weak link in my audio setup by using an expensive portable DAC.

[Misumi]

There's someone selling a ASUS Prime Z370-P board with a Corsair H60 cooler for $50USD on ebay if anyone is looking. Not sure if the board is any good, but it seems cheap for a board + cooler.

 

Edit: Forgot to add, it's an auction with about 6 days left I believe. 0 bids at the moment.

Edited February 13, 2018 by Noale

[DEALUX]

 

 

lol at this getting compared to an HD800. I might be on the lookout for one of these as well but have nothing to power them with atm. I ordered the K550 yesterday and I'm eagerly waiting for it to arrive.

[Matrelith]

After three weeks of not being able to give me an ETA on the graphics card, I decided to remove it from my order and look elsewhere. I knew that I wouldn't be able to find another GTX 1060 for under €300,-, but €400,- was my maximum limit. I ended up with the MSI GTX Geforce 106 Gaming X 6G for €380,-. A solid investment in my opinion.

 

 

The rest of my PC should be done by Monday, then I can finally game.

Edited February 15, 2018 by Matrelith

[Misumi]

Noctua says their fans can't be disassembled without destroying it. So I disassembled it.

 

Now I put it back together and it still works, however it's slightly noisier. It looked like there was no fluid left in the bearing, and I have no fluid here at home. Apart from engine oil, the closest thing to lubricant I have right now is olive oil. How stupid would it be to use that as bearing fluid?

 

Will it decrease the noise? Is it going to leak? Will it make my PC smell like an Italian restaurant? Regular or extra virgin?

[Sombra]

I'd guess it depends on the viscosity of the fluid; too little and it'll not spin at optimal speeds/run dry and kill the motor? Too much and again it'll not spin at optimal speeds and could potentially leak/chuck olive oil around the rig. You not got any hair clippers or whatever? They tend to come with oil for the blades. Not really the same thing but a year or two back my friend gave me some bicycle bearing oil, I used it on skateboard bearings and it royally f*cked them.

[Misumi]

I'm going to try grease on that fan.

 

In the mean time, I've taken apart another one of my newer Noctuas.

 

 

Great success

 

[sivispacem]

Like ripping up twenties.

[DEALUX]

Overall I'd say the 550s have about 80% of the dynamic depth of the K712s, and probably 90% of the perceptible soundstage. Accuracy? Pretty much bang-on. They absolutely blew me away when I first tried them.

Got my K550 MK2 today.

 

 

 

 

Comparing them to the K712 it's very obvious that the K550 aren't as good but your estimation was pretty spot on. They do have about 80-90% of the detail of the K712 (it sounds like an older version of the driver). The soundstage is big for a closed back and somewhat accurate but the K712 is obviously better (you can pinpoint the direction of sounds much easier). The K550 sounds a bit confused in terms of directionality.

 

I'm happy to report that there is definitely not a lack in bass response. In fact the sub bass response on the K550 is a bit unreal for a headphone, quite a close match to my studio monitors. However, to my ear the K712 still has a bit more refined bass and I honestly kinda prefer the roll-off on that as opposed to the straight line like bass (or perhaps slightly above neutral) of the K550. Mids and treble are quite good on the K550 as well but not as refined as the K712 but perhaps more neutral leaning (the K712 is known for its somewhat colored sound). Only complaint I have is that the sound overall is a bit treble shy. The K712 definitely sounds more airy and detailed in that regard as well. Vocal performance on the K550 is good but the K712 can almost make you cry at times with its vocal clarity and sharp imaging both in the center and at the sides.

 

Overall I'd say it's a great headphone, well worth the $150-200. Perhaps the pads could have been a little higher quality but otherwise the comfort is good once you get them settled properly on your head but they can get a bit sweaty in a warm environment.

 

Edit: Drivers seem quite a bit different between the two. The K712 membrane is more exposed which probably explains to some extent why it outputs so much detail.

 

 

 

Edited February 21, 2018 by Dealux

[Matrelith]

Small update: my PC is finally finished! The rest of the parts did arrive on Monday, so I spent the day carefully installing my graphics card (first time doing that) and making sure everything is order. S'all looking good. Installing the card was a bit tricky, but everything went really smooth. Now I can enjoy playing with what is basically my first real game PC. With all the cryptomining f*cking over the graphics card market, I'm glad my build is at least finished now.

[Sombra]

nice

 

[DEALUX]

I want to buy a 27" 4K monitor from Dell to pair with an Xbox One X. Change my mind.

 

What I really want is a 1440p G-sync monitor for when I decide to buy another GPU for my PC and since Xbox is planning to bring 1440p support to the One X it will work well both for a PC and the X. However, G-sync monitors are way too overpriced from what I can gather.

[sivispacem]

I picked up a 6 month old Asus ROG Swift for £400. If you don't mind buying a second had one there are great deals to be had.

[Audi]

My 1440 monitor went on sale just when I was in the market. $400 before tax. Only 24" display but has gsync and 165Hz refresh rate so I'm happy. The 27" version was also on sale but for around $500.