Headphone Specs Explained (2017) • Hacker News Board

Re: Headphone Specs Explained (2017)

#11

Post by lmilcin » Sat, Dec 28, 2019, 8:55 PM UTC

unlinked_dll wrote: post #2

Something alluded to but not said explicitly is that specs don’t tell you if an audio product is “good.” Very few people can look at a spec sheet for any product and tell you if it’s “good” or “better” than something else. You need to listen to it. Impedance/sensitivity just tell you how well it will play with your system. Stuff like “high impedance == more clarity” is snake oil. I say this as a former pro audio spec…

There is a huge amount of unspecified details. I have recently changed pads on my Beyerdynamic DT990s from cloth to leather. I had to quickly revert back. The sound became very boomy, practically unbearable. I suspect the tight seal provided by leather to be responsible.

Re: Headphone Specs Explained (2017)

#12

Post by sanjiwatsuki » Sat, Dec 28, 2019, 9:15 PM UTC

This article is really inaccurate. The impedance isn't a good signal for how much power needs to be pumped into the headphone. The impedance also doesn't act as a good signal for what devices could generate enough volume. It also isn't a good signal for being able to "more accurately and vividly reproduce sound." Almost everything in this section isn't accurate.

Lower impedance headphones are "harder" to drive at the same voltage because they require more current. Often, amplifiers will have lower maximum outputs when driving into a lower impedance.

The sensitivity section isn't too bad but a lot of this article is pure snake oil and bad science. A lot of the amplifier talk in this article also doesn't hold up to scrutiny.

Re: Headphone Specs Explained (2017)

#13

Post by leetcrew » Sat, Dec 28, 2019, 9:27 PM UTC

abhishekjha wrote: post #6

Is there something equivalent for computer parts as in "computer parts specs explained"? Like it should explain how to choose a processor/RAM/(I/O)/battery and other components which make up a computer.

I mean, basically just read reviews and look at benchmarks on sites like anandtech. there's not a lot of mystery in computer hardware specs. find a benchmark that approximates your workload and buy the top scoring part that you can afford. in theory, you could delve into the architectural details of different CPUs but it will take a lot of knowledge for this to be a better use of your time than just looking at benchmarks.

Re: Headphone Specs Explained (2017)

#14

Post by nradov » Sat, Dec 28, 2019, 9:50 PM UTC

unlinked_dll wrote: post #2

Something alluded to but not said explicitly is that specs don’t tell you if an audio product is “good.” Very few people can look at a spec sheet for any product and tell you if it’s “good” or “better” than something else. You need to listen to it. Impedance/sensitivity just tell you how well it will play with your system. Stuff like “high impedance == more clarity” is snake oil. I say this as a former pro audio spec…

Unless you do a blind listening test, most consumers will fool themselves into believing that the more expensive or attractive looking headphones sound "better".

Re: Headphone Specs Explained (2017)

#15

Post by beefalo » Sat, Dec 28, 2019, 10:42 PM UTC

abhishekjha wrote: post #6

Is there something equivalent for computer parts as in "computer parts specs explained"? Like it should explain how to choose a processor/RAM/(I/O)/battery and other components which make up a computer.

I think you would have a similar problem as audio gear. You can know all of the specs but there is some hidden info in the processor/GPU architecture that is only determined by performance testing. Same as audio gear is mostly affected by implementation in the design than the raw specs of drivers

Re: Headphone Specs Explained (2017)

#16

Post by Waterluvian » Sat, Dec 28, 2019, 10:52 PM UTC

nradov wrote: post #14

unlinked_dll wrote: post #2

Something alluded to but not said explicitly is that specs don’t tell you if an audio product is “good.” Very few people can look at a spec sheet for any product and tell you if it’s “good” or “better” than something else. You need to listen to it. Impedance/sensitivity just tell you how well it will play with your system. Stuff like “high impedance == more clarity” is snake oil. I say this as a former pro audio spec…

Unless you do a blind listening test, most consumers will fool themselves into believing that the more expensive or attractive looking headphones sound "better".

Company idea (or maybe Consumer Reports is good enough):

Don't hire experts to review products. Do a double blind study with like 100 participants. I pay you $5 to access this years study of 80 different popular/common headphones. But of course do this for all kinds of products that need this kind of review.

I would happily pay for a sample of how the population feels about products and how they on average rank them.

Let me x/y plot things like rating vs. Price/warranty/whatever

Don't ruin your pages with advertising.

Be annoyingly clear and repetitive that you only make money from the fee and everything else is done in a way that reduces bias wherever possible.

And don't screw up the UX (looking at you, graphics cards and CPU sites stuck in 2003)

Re: Headphone Specs Explained (2017)

#17

Post by fsh » Sat, Dec 28, 2019, 10:54 PM UTC

falcolas wrote: post #5

In addition to understanding impedance and sensitivity, doing actual tests of the headphones to see how they match up with your hearing and tastes is important (and getting harder to do with high end headphones). I personally use the following: https://www.audiocheck.net/soundtests_headphones.php

The audio characteristics of headphones can also be objectively measured using test gear. rtings.com has a very nice database with comprehensive measurements for a large number of headphones.

Re: Headphone Specs Explained (2017)

#18

Post by analog31 » Sat, Dec 28, 2019, 11:15 PM UTC

>>> Impedance is electrical resistance – essentially, how well something resists an electrical current that passes through it. It’s a “measure of the opposition that a circuit presents to a current when a voltage is applied.” (Thanks, Wikipedia). Even if that makes no sense, headphone impedance is still very easy to interpret. It’s measured in ohms (Ω) and what it tells you is how much power your headphones will need to get to a reasonable listening volume.

For someone who understands what voltage, current, impedance, and power are, this paragraph is going to look like someone either doesn't understand the subject matter at all, or that something has been lost in an attempt to simplify it for laypeople.

Re: Headphone Specs Explained (2017)

#19

Post by falcolas » Sat, Dec 28, 2019, 11:29 PM UTC

fsh wrote: post #17

falcolas wrote: post #5

In addition to understanding impedance and sensitivity, doing actual tests of the headphones to see how they match up with your hearing and tastes is important (and getting harder to do with high end headphones). I personally use the following: https://www.audiocheck.net/soundtests_headphones.php

The audio characteristics of headphones can also be objectively measured using test gear. rtings.com has a very nice database with comprehensive measurements for a large number of headphones.

True - there an objective method of measuring headphones. That said, what headphones sound good to me, with my "slight" hearing loss and a taste for both classical and dubstep, will be different than what sounds good to you.

Re: Headphone Specs Explained (2017)

#20

Post by unlinked_dll » Sat, Dec 28, 2019, 11:33 PM UTC

nradov wrote: post #14

unlinked_dll wrote: post #2

Something alluded to but not said explicitly is that specs don’t tell you if an audio product is “good.” Very few people can look at a spec sheet for any product and tell you if it’s “good” or “better” than something else. You need to listen to it. Impedance/sensitivity just tell you how well it will play with your system. Stuff like “high impedance == more clarity” is snake oil. I say this as a former pro audio spec…

Unless you do a blind listening test, most consumers will fool themselves into believing that the more expensive or attractive looking headphones sound "better".

There's nothing wrong with people buying things that they like more than other things for whatever reason. Audio is especially subjective compared to other products, possibly one of the most subjective product categories in consumer electronics.

Blind listening tests also aren't a silver bullet for headphones. Fidelity is just one factor in deciding whether the product is right for you, other things like headband quality, general fit, comfort, weight, etc all play into whether or not you'll like it. But the overall point I'm making is that none of this is obvious from looking at a spec sheet, you need to try it yourself, IRL.