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Scott17
4
Oct 6, 2017
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So quick question. If I'm doing most of my listening from spotify premium does it make sense to buy these or to buy something like the noble x as my source file will not be up to the standard to get the most out of the Kaiser 10's?
Oct 6, 2017
MadDad
120
Oct 6, 2017
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Scott17Once your source files are at a certain level of quality -- Spotify Premium is great -- you'll get way more improvement upgrading your earphones than you will upgrading anything else. Amps, DACs, cables, and lossless files are all tiny incremental improvements. So tiny that if your ears can't hear the difference, it's not worth the money to upgrade them. I currently have the Shure SE846 and can't tell the difference between high-res MP3 and lossless. Your ears will definitely hear the difference between the Noble X and K10u.
Oct 6, 2017
Scott17
4
Oct 6, 2017
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MadDadthank you for that response. I'm still relatively new to purchasing high-end audio so your response was very informative and greatly appreciated.
Oct 6, 2017
MadDad
120
Oct 6, 2017
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Scott17If you love music and are thinking about getting into high-end audio, you should ask yourself whether you want to enjoy the journey or just get to the final destination. I took the journey and kind of regret it. I started off with a relatively small purchase of the B&O Earset 3. Then, moved on to the H6, SE425, and SE846. I just jumped on this drop for the K10u as well. I spent $3000 getting to the same place that you can for only $899. The drawback in just going to your final destination is that you miss out on the joy you get each time you have your eye on something, buy it, and enjoy how it made your life better.
Oct 6, 2017
MRCc
24
Oct 6, 2017
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MadDadI personally can tell a huge difference between a good and bad dac, amp, source file, etc. I can also tell the difference between Tidal HD and Spotify unless listening on awful equipment or the source recording is bad. Your overall sound is only as good as the weakest link. If I had a $1000 overall budget I can promise you half of that would be for a dac/amp combo. If you are buying these with the idea of plugging them directly into a phone you will likely be disappointed. Spotify premium will be ok, but you’ll want at minimum a Dragonfly or better external dac/amp too. Tidal will give you a bump in quality if your equipment chain is good. I can’t tell the difference so much with a Dragonfly Black, but with a Mojo the difference is clear.
Oct 6, 2017
Scott17
4
Oct 6, 2017
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MadDadGreat point haha think I'm more interested in the destination than the journey. Started off with a pair of monster turbine iems years back, then in the past year bought a pair of Hifiman He 400S, Hifiman 400i's , O2 amp , Sennheiser IE 80's and Sennehiser hd 6xx drop. So this is all new to me, not sure I know at all what I'm doing either lol
Oct 6, 2017
Scott17
4
Oct 6, 2017
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MRCcThanks man. Recently picked up an ifi idsd micro so I should be okay in that department.
Oct 6, 2017
MadDad
120
Oct 6, 2017
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MRCcIt's all subjective. You've got better ears than I do. I got a FLAC rip of Random Access Memories and spent about an hour a day for a week trying to hear the difference between it and the regular digital download on Amazon. I couldn't pick out the differences. The NPR comparison page further cemented my evaluation of my ear sensitivity. http://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2015/06/02/411473508/how-well-can-you-hear-audio-quality
If you can't hear the difference, it's not worth the money to upgrade.
Oct 6, 2017
MRCc
24
Oct 6, 2017
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MadDadFair enough. I actually prefer cheaper gear sometimes depending on what I’m listening to. For example, you can get a compressed “wall of sound” effect with cheaper dacs that you don‘t get with nicer ones. It can make recorded music sound more live at times. The right combo of equipment and source can create just the right sound to fit your ear. Definitely subjective. Although better equipment/sources generally win out in the long run.
Oct 6, 2017
MadDad
120
Oct 6, 2017
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MRCcI know what you mean. I have the Pinnacle PX plugged into my Bose computer speakers on my office desk. The Bose speakers have something built in where the bass is boosted at a high level. It sounds like crap on my SE846 but makes the PX sound fun.
Oct 6, 2017
MadDad
120
Oct 7, 2017
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How am I spreading disinformation?
Oct 7, 2017
fijistic
8
Oct 7, 2017
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MadDadThe question is, would this "really" be your final iem? hahaha Stay thirsty my friend. The journey never ends.
Oct 7, 2017
MadDad
120
Oct 8, 2017
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fijisticLol. That's true. I thought the SE846 was my endgame IEM and then I jumped on the PX and these.
Oct 8, 2017
scottoo
26
Mar 29, 2018
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MadDadHey MadDad, good meeting you yesterday :) i just took the npr music quiz using my phone via iFi 3.0 usb - mojo- se530 :) i could hear subtle differences in the first Neil Young sample, but picked the 128 version :) I went back on each version listening and picking out what was different in each one for instance voice smoothness (this fooled me actually as the 128 seemed more gritty and real;) vs the almost overly smooth voice on the other two samples ) then listened to the background for cues on depth, detail, which in this case was where it was most obvious. The cold play track was easiest as I felt irritated by the more compressed backgrounds ;) Another clue can be emotion, which can come through with more subtlety nuances or inflections like on the Susan Vega track. great link! thanks!!
Mar 29, 2018
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