3 ms·

This is a good system, though I tend to use my own MP3 player and a couple of albums that I know really well from my hi-fi (which has small but high-quality stu

by scholia 11y ago

This is a good system, though I tend to use my own MP3 player and a couple of albums that I know really well from my hi-fi (which has small but high-quality studio monitors). The key point is to listen for details and the separation between instruments. If you just listen to the music, the human ear/brain is far too good at filling in the missing bits... I'm not sure any headphones can give you a proper 3D sound stage of the sort that you can get with good loudspeakers (especially the LS3/5a). For that, I use recordings of Shostakovitch's string quartets to see how well I can locate (and distinguish between) four instruments. Although I'm not fond of it as music, Ravel's Bolero is also a good test track for headphones, because of the way the same theme is repeated by many different instruments. I use Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7b noise-cancelling headphones, but I don't think there's one headset that suits everyone, any more than there's one pair of speakers, or one car....

DenisM 11y ago
Thank you, I'm off to look for Shostakovich quartets. Any particular recording you would advise? I mean a specific record of known-good quality, preferably on iTunes, Amazon, or similar. I often find myself spending a lot of time listening to different records of the same piece, just to make sure I get a good one.
- scholia 11y ago
  I use the Borodin (original members) version because they're the ones I know best. I'm sure alternative versions, or the Beethoven or Bartok string quartets, would also do the job, possibly better. One strike against this set is that most or possibly all of the CDs have been produced from LPs. Having bought the vinyl versions (twice!) many decades ago, this is good for me but not so good for you. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Shostakovich-String-Quartets-1-13-D/dp/B00008WQB4/ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Shostakovich-String-Quartets-1-13-D/... One thing about newer recordings is that they may well be closer-miked and not have such a "natural" sound stage.

by scholia 11y ago

DenisM 11y ago

Thank you, I'm off to look for Shostakovich quartets. Any particular recording you would advise? I mean a specific record of known-good quality, preferably on iTunes, Amazon, or similar. I often find myself spending a lot of time listening to different records of the same piece, just to make sure I get a good one.

scholia 11y ago
I use the Borodin (original members) version because they're the ones I know best. I'm sure alternative versions, or the Beethoven or Bartok string quartets, would also do the job, possibly better. One strike against this set is that most or possibly all of the CDs have been produced from LPs. Having bought the vinyl versions (twice!) many decades ago, this is good for me but not so good for you. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Shostakovich-String-Quartets-1-13-D/dp/B00008WQB4/ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Shostakovich-String-Quartets-1-13-D/... One thing about newer recordings is that they may well be closer-miked and not have such a "natural" sound stage.