IMPORTANT.. MUST READ Whilst I thought I was keeping things purposely simple I'm getting comments regarding impedance. So to be clear. I'm not saying high impedance headphones can be easier driven than low impedance headphones. The discussion was originally about planars and dynamics but it was a bit too long winded so I cut it out. Heres what I took out the original edit as it was originally too long. "ohm + sensitivity relation is important. Just because a headphone is low ohm does not mean you can drive it easily and vice versa. It's all about how much MW is required to drive a headphone to highest level." I spoke about planar headphones especially because it's important to know that on the most part they require a lot more juice to power, for example, even though my sundaras are 30 ohm they require 314mv at 94dbspl which is inbetween HD 650 & 600 sennheisers!) and it also isn't reccomended to use a high impedance headphone amp with low impedance headphones as this can result in power issues and also lots of frequency related problems. WHY DOES OUTPUT IMPEDANCE MATTER? It matters for at least three reasons: The greater the output impedance the greater the voltage drop with lower impedance loads. This drop can be large to enough to prevent driving low impedance headphones to sufficiently loud levels. A real world example is the Behringer UCA202 with a 50 ohm output impedance. It struggles with some 16 - 32 ohm headphones. Headphone impedance changes with frequency. If the output impedance is much above zero this means the voltage delivered to the headphones will also change with frequency. The greater the output impedance, the greater the frequency response deviations. Different headphones will interact in different, and typically unpredictable, ways with the source. Sometimes these variations can be large and plainly audible. As output impedance increases electrical damping is reduced. The bass performance of the headphones, as designed by the manufacture, may be audibly compromised if there’s insufficient damping. The bass might become more “boomy” and less controlled. The transient response becomes worse and the deep bass performance is compromised (the headphones will roll off sooner at low frequencies). A few, such as those who like a very warm “tube like” sound, might enjoy this sort of under damped bass. But it’s almost always less accurate compared to using a low impedance source. I just massively simplified that in my video. So just ensure you have a headphone amp with an impedance ideally of no more than 2 ohms and do your research. Also for those looking for the scientific back up and research carried out by others, here is Amir's review of my topping dx7 pro+ on audio science review. www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/topping-dx7-pro-review-dac-hp-amp.36978/ Honestly check out the rest of his reviews.. Valuable resource for the community. Don't go to sound on sound or any other paid advertising sites.. This is the right address!! Also here are some links for some of the product's mentioned (yes they are affiliate links.. Best I could get as I can't get them to send any gear my way 🤣) Presonus Revelator io24 audio interface www.thomann.de/gb/presonus_revelator_io24.htm?partner_id=94442 Topping L30 mk2 apos.audio/products/topping-l30-ii-headphone-amp?sca_ref=2631045.fe2CvXDSYM Hifiman Sundara planar headphones apos.audio/products/hifiman-sundara-planar-magnetic-headphones?sca_ref=2631045.fe2CvXDSYM Topping DX7 pro+ apos.audio/products/topping-dx7-pro-dac-amp-apos-certified?sca_ref=2631045.fe2CvXDSYM Audeze LCD-X apos.audio/products/audeze-lcd-x-open-back-headphone?sca_ref=2631045.fe2CvXDSYM
@mljakobsen
Жыл бұрын
Does the TOPPING DX7 Pro+ have ASIO drivers?
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
It installed its own drivers on windows as soon as I plugged it in. Outside the daw I just select it in the windows speaker selection, In the daw I use the ASIO driver I had installed already
@Superdelphinus
Жыл бұрын
I’ve never heard of this website before, thanks for sharing!
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
It's DAC so it's not an issue
@paulgilbody
8 ай бұрын
Thanks Paul - you keep costing me money. But I now have an L30 and an E30 and you are so right - what a difference in clarity! I'm still confused on the 80dB SPL listening level and how to measure that? In another video you mentioned 'gain staging' your monitoring path but I'm not sure how to do this. Currently I have the E30 set to 0dB output, L30 output gain at 0dB and driving Sennheiser HD650s so that they're loud but not threshold of pain. I'm also using iRealphones for crosstalk and (I assume) Harman curve with HD-650 model loaded. Am I missing anything? Another question - if my DAW session is 48k/24bit is there any point in setting the E30 to higher resolution? Appreciating your candid content.
@sub-jec-tiv
Жыл бұрын
Regarding listening levels… In the very early part of balancing a mix, like balancing the kick/bass etc., i do turn down to where you can barely hear it. At that level, things completely disappear, and just above that level, you can hear clearly how main elements are sitting with one another. It’s super helpful. Once i have very basic balance, then it’s time to turn it up to proper level. Every once in a while checking loud and soft. I find i get the best results keeping at a good level, but occasionally turning wayyy down and up a little, briefly. And then, take breaks! Let your ears and brain reset.
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
🤓🤓
@ianwright3831
Жыл бұрын
I do a combo of mixing on headphones and mixing on speakers. I'm trying to lean more into headphones as my room is problematic to say the least and following watching this video I realise that I was listening too low on cans. I have a level that I like to mix at on monitors and I thought that if I was mixing on headphones then I should have them "feel" as loud as monitors. But after watching this I cranked my headphones when I was working and that alone was a game changer. I know "we perceive louder as better" but it's not that, the louder volume made the problems in the mix more apparent, masking etc. To Paul's line about "you can't mix what you can't hear" because of distortion etc from your crappy headphone amp or DAC "you also can't mix what you can't hear if you've got your cans down too low to hear where the problems are." Thanks very much Paul, I've a track to car test later after working on it at a higher level over the weekend and I'm hopeful that it's closer to being done than it's ever been.
@ianwright3831
Жыл бұрын
also paul, if I have your attention. I was kicking the tyres on the topping headphone amp you recommended and they were also trying to sell me on their E 30 II DAC, any opinions on that unit? I'd be hopeful that it'd work as well as the DAC on the DX7 pro as I've no need for pres and TBH I wouldn't be willing to make that kind of investment at this stage.
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
My first mix listening loud was a big improvement. Explains a lot why I was adding in so much low end before. Pushing yourself to get as close to the flattest Fletcher munson curve is a big thing for mixing. I'm still trying to get my head round the fact that our ears are essentially a 2500 band multiband compressor.. Crazy 🤯
@ianwright3831
Жыл бұрын
@@PaulThird I think that's a big part of it. This particular song I'm trying to pitch the tonal balance in between 2 references. And I kept struggling to figure out why it sounded so bad when I bounced it out to try it elsewhere despite being happy with it in my room. When I turned the volume up I quickly realised that I'd actually mixed it to be darker than the darker of the 2 tracks I was trying to get in between
@JamEZmusic86
Жыл бұрын
It gets me everytime. Turn the mix up loud, it falls apart. Bane of my life right now
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
It was an adjustment I had to get used to. I mixed very quiet before
@mageprometheus
Жыл бұрын
Thanks, Paul. As a God Mode sound designer and producer I don't need to mix and master my perfect tracks. Mage! Mage, wake up! You're dreaming again. 😄
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
We can all dream 🤣
@dr00beats
Жыл бұрын
Came back to say I just upgraded to RME ADI-2 with Audeze LCD-X and, well, after a week or so adjusting, I am extremely grateful for your advice, and effectively showing me where my weak link in the chain is. If you have a consumer interface with spdif or optical out, do yourself a favour, you will never look back.
@jriron1
Жыл бұрын
Nice tips!, my mixes got way better when I started to use headphones.. but as always.. using references all the time... and I think its very important to know the frequencies your headphone pulls down.. or pump up... it can helps us to do less mistakes...
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
Yup. Learning your headphones takes a while
@theswedishmusicstudio
Жыл бұрын
I’m not sure how to measure 85dbspl on a pair of headphones… but if i set my speakers at 85db with a spl meter. And then try to match the level on my headphones, my brain is melting. Even on speakers, 85db is brain meltingly loud. I always try to change levels all the time. I have a stream deck hooked up to my rme ufx ii and have different snapshots set at different levels. 0, -6 and -25 db. I do most of my mixing at -6. That is roughly 75dbspl. Snapshots for different eq curves too. One ”hifi bad” with a huge shelf boost starting at 2k and nothing below 80hz. And one that sounds like my car. You really should get yourself a rme card. It improved my workflow many times the money i spent buying it. And it sounds great too. ;)
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
Feels loud to me as well but I've got used to it now. After reading mixing engineers handbook I knew the 80-85db thing was actually true. I used a db app on my phone and just stuck the microphone in the cups haha not ideal but it's a ball park. I then bought an SPL meter to make sure and the phone mic was off by 3-5 db which isn't massive but enough to justify the £30 for the meter
@jessfermino
Жыл бұрын
Ive been mixing thru headphones using the Audioquest Dragonfly. For years its been my go-to DAC and headphone amp. The difference of that DAC/amp to other audio interface is literally NIGHT & DAY. It was a good investment for me instead of buying budget(to mid-tier) audio interfaces. Accurate listening in headphones is very crucial. Cheers! 🙂🙂
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
🤓🤓
@evanmcgregor3758
Жыл бұрын
Hi Jess. I'm looking at getting a headphone amp and noticed the Audioquest Dragonfly have the bonus of being very small! Do you recommend a particular model? Also, does the fact that they are USB increase the CPU usage? (as opposed to thunderbolt/ USB-C)
@jessfermino
Жыл бұрын
@@evanmcgregor3758 HI! Im using Dragonfly Black 1.5. to my knowledge it doesn't consume any CPU usage. its a plug-and-play USB. No drivers needed. Cheers! 😄
@HollerAtcherBoi
Жыл бұрын
Ladies and gentleman, I’ve just subscribed to this channel. My life will never be the same.
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
🤓🤓
@gurubuzzzz
Жыл бұрын
I have a 2 day old baby chicken 🐔 whose mother got taken by a fox all 7 siblings also died. The only way I calmed it down was to put pair of headphones next to it with your soothing voice from this video on repeat. It fell asleep and rested for a couple of hours. BTW the chic didn't care that it was coming out of a cheap DA.
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
My voice doesn't need an expensive DAC 😜😜 hahaha
@gurubuzzzz
Жыл бұрын
@@PaulThird 😪Sadly...the baby chic died...if only I invested in a high-end DA, I could be having scrambled eggs.
@housebrigade
Жыл бұрын
What headphones were they?
@gurubuzzzz
Жыл бұрын
@@housebrigade Sennheiser HD280.
@gurubuzzzz
Жыл бұрын
@@PaulThird I finally got an expensive DAC and things are so clear. I finally heard your voice clearly enough that now I can confidently rule out that you speak in an Australian accent.
@VTPStudios
Жыл бұрын
Absolutely so so important to have a good headphone amp , my favourite is the little labs monotor
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
🤓
@designwithdaniel
6 ай бұрын
I’ve had enough of hearing distortion in my DT770 80ohms, despite the Zoom Livetrack mixer headphone out being rated 100ohms (no problems at all through my A&H mixer which I use for live). I just bought a Topping L50 to counter this and improve SQ. Glad to see it wasn’t overkill. I bought first, then done my research so good to see we’re on the same page!
@PaulThird
6 ай бұрын
🤓🤓
@marksherwood726
3 ай бұрын
i went from a 2i2 2nd gen to the audient 14mk2 and difference is night and day for all the reasons you give :) great content......
@sweetpo1
Жыл бұрын
I am running a Topping MXs with and optical feed from my RME hsdpe IO with HD650's (not the 650 "S") and it is the best headphone setup I have ever used, super detailed and super clean, love it! I do want the RME Adiac pro but this Topping is truly amazing for the price. (edit) Just want to add that is use the XLR digi out to my Genelec SAM 8330, if anyone is wondering about RME and is it worth it, my answer would be yes all day and night the flexibility is brilliant. If you are working at home and only recording 1 or 2 inputs get one of the PCIE cards, it is all you need and you can upgrade by adding an adat IO at a later date.
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
It's a wonder more don't know about the topping range 🤓
@sweetpo1
Жыл бұрын
@@PaulThird Yeah, I was looking at them for months, i must have visited audiosciencereview a 1000 times, so much so pressiing "a" in my browser would take me there, 🤣. If anyone is thinking Topping is just audiophile nonsense, you couldn't be more wrong. Just buy one, if you don't like it (unlikely) they hold their value well you wont loose much on a resale.
@gibson2623
Жыл бұрын
80 dB is quite loud for your ears, for some time of exposure.....85 dB start to do damage your ears clearly, and fast ;)
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
Nah not really. You can mix 16 hours at 80db spl. 8 hours straight at 85db spl. Theres been enough scientific tests done to show that. If that's loud you should go into some studios haha there are some pros that listen as loud as 90-95db and 80-85db is their conversation level 😅 Reading mixing engineers handbook opened my eyes quite a bit. In the end its all about taking regular breaks and not exposing your ears for long listening at any level. Your perception and judgement can lost pretty quick so if you are pacing yourself then 80-85db will be a breeze. The human ear is a very fascinating part of the human body and protects itself more than you think. Theres a great AES lecture all about it
@gibson2623
Жыл бұрын
ok Paul, that s good to know. Thanks for your clarification. Anyway, I tend not to go louder than 80dBs, even with guitar amps . Loved the video man, as usual. Keep it up, thank you ;)❤
@wibblewobble1934
Жыл бұрын
Most audio interface headphone outputs are garbage, but the ones on RME are the best I've ever heard, when I jumped to an RME UFX years back, it finally retired my Earmax Valve headphone amp I was so impressed by it.
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
RME are great 🤓
@2pinmusic
Жыл бұрын
Good video Paul. Which headphones are you mixing in? The Audeze? I’m struggling to decide which to go for
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
Hifiman sundara
@2pinmusic
Жыл бұрын
@@PaulThird thanks for your reply. Cool you use these over the high end headphones/focal/audeze??
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
Sundaras are high end, they just don't cost as much as focals and audeze. www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/hifiman-sundara-review-headphone.22529/ My mentor had lcdx and compared to sundara. Ditched audeze and uses sundara every day
@2pinmusic
Жыл бұрын
@@PaulThird thanks, ok so I guess EQing the headphone amp is necessary with these
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
With any headphone tbh. They all need correction of some sort
@djGreenALERT
Жыл бұрын
I could watch your videos all day long Paul. The headphone amp was something that had never even crossed my mind until now.
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
🤓🤓
@sm5574
Жыл бұрын
You should also spend some time listening to your mixes at a quieter level, like quiet enough that you could hear someone call your name. Beyond a certain point, the louder you play back your audio the more the system (or even your ears) will start to compress the sound; if you're mixing that loud, then you're mixing to a level of compression that no one else will hear, and your mixes will fall apart at lower levels. The track levels could be off, the frequencies could be out of balance, etc. I'm not saying this should be your primary mixing level, but you should definitely try your mixes out at quieter levels if that isn't something you are used to.
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
I did say that in the original edit but I went a bit OTT haha A mixture of both is good for the right balance but I think I made sure to push the loud aspect of it as I know not many are doing that. Most new to mixing on headphones will simply mix at their own comfortable level and not consider mixing around 80-85db as its not natural to them. I've read big legendary mixers having "their loud" at 90-95db and 80-85db being their conversation level, like what they go down to as a moderate level. I think in modern times many not growing up in big studios have learned to listen quieter cause its more comfortable and they don't know any better. True that these older pro mixers still listened at quieter levels for translation and finding an overall balance but what they 100% do every time is mix loud at some stage and make decisions based on that level where in modern day times I would say people don't even know to crank the phones and the importance of checking that. Put it this way, you can mix 16 hours at 82db and 8 hours at 85db. It's not as loud as everybody thinks but if you've not been introduced to loud levels as a normal every day occurrence then you probably won't instinctively do it. Most big records are played in clubs and venues so ensuring your mixes sound on point at those levels is vital, as is consumer headphone levels but that level isn't an issue as far as I can see cause most new engineers are mixing at that level cause that's what they listen at. Even some of the comments saying Paul that's too loud.. I'm like fuuuuck you are in for a shock if you walk into a studio with big expensive monitors haha
@oceanix1929
Ай бұрын
Hey Paul! Just found out your channel and already subscribed. Great content! I am wondering if you are still using the L30 II with the DX7, or is the hp amp on the DX7 the same as the L30 or better? Cheers!
@PaulThird
Ай бұрын
I just use the dx7 pro+. L30ii is being used in the atmos room for binaural
@The_Absurdistt
3 ай бұрын
Amazing content. Although I love using my Audient id44 for tracking, I needed a set of headphones that work well for mixing., so, I purchased the Neumann NDH 30. Now I need a headphone amp that is worthy for theNDH30. I'm guessing the Topping will be a decent choice. What is the suggested method for integrating the Topping to my DAW (Reaper)? Cheers.
@PaulThird
3 ай бұрын
Depends if it's a topping DAC or amp
@The_Absurdistt
3 ай бұрын
@@PaulThird Well, I think you sold me on the Topping DX7 Pro+. I'm not exactly sure how to connect it to the id44... I'm guessing the preferred connection should be the id44 optical out to the Topping DX7 Pro+ optical in. Also considering your suggestion for the Goodhertz can opener for crosstalk. Any additional suggestions? cheers.
@PaulThird
3 ай бұрын
Optical out of id44 (set that specific optical out in ID software as Spdif) you will need to set your daw to output to that corresponding adat
@za4310
Жыл бұрын
A struggle ive had is that a lot of studio monitor headphones are great for hearing detail when tracking but are extremely colored in a way the can sound great but makes it difficult to guess how it will translate. Tried 7506, 770, 990, and k240. I have a bunch lying around that are more for listening, hifiman, grado, etc. and those were probably safe to write off but the pair I didnt try for the longest time was my sennheiser 598. That a basic plugin to simulate crossfeed and mono and youre golden. I actually dont prefer them for listening because i find everything sounds very warm and almost murky. I gave it a try and matched my recordings to how songs i love sound on them. I was able to judge the dimensions and also pleasantness of the sound better than elsewhere and it translated better to both other headphones and speakers. I love the sizzle of v shaped studio headphones and when i listened back on those it was there. Im not saying sennheiser is neutral, but in the same way youve recommended louder listening there was something about the sound signsture of the sennheiser that felt very easier to work with a produced good results.
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
🤓🤓
@za4310
Жыл бұрын
@@PaulThird by the way, i picked up the amp you recommended. Very very very good idea. The day i got it i started working on a new album and im at the 40 minute mark now. The amp, the use of the 598, and a sterling ribbon mic were the biggest changes i made to my workstation and im super happy with the results. I owe you a big thanks for your contribution
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
🤜🤛
@melodology-5383
Жыл бұрын
I'm glad I found these info. Totally makes sense. I went to the links you provided in the description. While I was shopping for a headphones amp, I found the L30 ii and E30 ii DAC. What are the differences between them?? Sorry everyone, please excuse my ignorance.. I'm simply recording my one classical guitar + keyboard + vocal... All of them connected to an audio interface (SSL+) which is connected to an ipad (GarageBand). I use ONLY in ear monitors (17 impedance) for mixing and editing. Now, what will serve me more L30ii or E30ii or should I get both?? Again sorry for my confusion. I'm literally new the the recording world. Cheers to all of you 👏
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
apos.audio/products/topping-dx1-dac-amp?sca_ref=2631045.fe2CvXDSYM Check that out. Best Budget DAC/AMP combo on the market. L30ii is just a headphone amp, E30 ii is just a DAC. The 2 need each other to work in a headphone setup. The l30 mk2 requires a DAC to feed an analog signal into it and the e300ii needs an amp or speaker to output its converted signal The new DX1 gives you a good compromise of both for under £100. Think of the dx1 as just slightly below the DAC performance (stats wise) of an audient id14 mk2 but with a better performing headphone amp as it has the power to drive really any headphone and comes with 0.5ohm headphone output impedance which means that it remains very linear. The 2 use different chips so I dunno if the dx1 may still sound better as the chipset does make a big difference but the audient DAC is pretty good from my experience. Not excellent but pretty decent considering the price. L30ii & E30ii (the dx1 uses the same AKM chip but e30ii uses 2 instead of 1) gives better performance but its all about whether you can be bothered linking the 2 and paying an extra £200. As the topping dx7 pro+ is my main listening output I invested in the best but for my portable setup dx1 is gonna be perfect for me. USB powered without sacrifying quality and its size is so compact it's the equivalent of carrying out a USB hard drive haha
@melodology-5383
Жыл бұрын
@@PaulThird God goodness, thank you very much for your Easley explained answer. I think I m going with the dx1, though when I checked their website they are have the Dx 3 pro on sale.. it's like 50 EUR difference. What do you think?
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
Dunno it's hard. The dx3 pro+ was like their best seller for the longest time. I dunno what the exact difference is between pro & pro+ but I remember reading that the pro didn't like very low ohm (around 20 ohm) headphones but if you had higher impedance cans you were golden. Pro+ was an all rounder and many still believe its the best they've done. If its the dx3 pro and not pro+ then it's still a good performing dac amp. Uses the same AKM chipset as the dx1 so I really dunno what difference there is gonna be. If its pro+ then 100% that over dx1. If it's only £50 then bite their hand off
@melodology-5383
Жыл бұрын
@@PaulThird you are the best. Cheers to you and happy new year in advance 🌹🌹
@madshamanstudios
Жыл бұрын
Appreciate the wonderfully detailed info that sheds light on some brand quality. I do want to add: let's not normalize mixing on headphones. Headphones are excellent for analyzing the stereo field in the listener's headphone experience. And multiple headphones allow you to test your mix in different brands. But there is no brand of headphones that should be used as a mixing tool to balance audio. For linearity, for high quality service in mixing and mastering, we rely on monitors.
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
That's not true I know tons of professional engineers mixing on headphones successfully. One in particular is one of the biggest engineers in Turkey getting millions of streams using sundaras and RME
@madshamanstudios
Жыл бұрын
@@PaulThird it is true. Monitors are simply the correct choice over headphones, and headphones should be used when necessary. There is no pair of headphones that outranks a pair of quality monitors in mixing. But as you say, there are many successful engineers using headphones. I doubt they are using headphones alone. All mixes are finalized in monitors. If you insist, I would love to know who this monitor-less big engineer in Turkey is, and listen to the mixes. If they sound that good, I will color myself impressed. Not trying to be a sourpuss here; I do care about new engineers learning the craft, and I always discourage the normalization of headphones usage because they are inaccurate relative to monitors. As as sidenote, every headphones discussion should include a warning for new users about the potential damage and hearing loss to your ears. There are going to be a lot of damaged ears in 20 years; as coaches in engineering we should help new engineers avoid that.
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
Emrah Celik (mixyap). He has a fully kitted out studio with very expensive monitoring but has done countless mixes on sundaras and RME.
@madshamanstudios
Жыл бұрын
@@PaulThird can't find songs just a lot of educational content about various products. Anyway don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of your work and I love your content, so thank you for your tremendous hard work in creating all these videos. Just putting my fine point on an issue I'm passionate about. Thank you for taking the time to respond. Honored to hear from you.
@FlatTire
Ай бұрын
Just ordered Schiit Magni+ to drive my HD600... I hope it's as good as the reviews say
@Bring_MeSunshine
Жыл бұрын
Hmm. worth a thought, there. I've got a mobile recording rig with two audient ASP880's going into an iD44 - PayPal and other credit facilities - been there, too. Well, at home, I use an Audient iD22. I mostly mix, or record me, so I don't need the 'rig', but what I have noticed is the single headphone out on the iD22 is considerably, louder, punchier and fuller than the either of the Headphone outs on the iD44. Same headphones; Audio Technica ath M50. But, I can't use the iD22 for the rig, because it's only got one light pipe. And the wee Mackie 4-way headphone amps I used recently didn't really help me as much as I thought they would. Need to do some research. Good channel, Paul. Love your cheeky-chappie honesty
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
🤓🤓
@PlatypusPerspective
Жыл бұрын
The desirability of having low output impedance for a headphone amplifier will depend on the design principle of the headphones in use. Unfortunately, few headphones are provided with information regarding the source impedance they are designed for. I suspect it's fair to assume modern low impedance headphones are probably designed for a low source impedance, being designed in similar fashion to speakers expecting effective electrical damping. Headphones designed to an older tradition may well be intended to operate with a source impedance more like the 120 Ohms specified in IEC standard 61938 and are likely to sound their best with such source impedance, having their frequency response and mechanical damping optimized to suit. Driven from a low impedance source, such a design risks sounding over-damped or lumpy in frequency response. It is possible that headphones designated as Studio or Monitoring headphones may have this characteristic since this would imply they expect to be used with the output of a mixing console, which will usually have this higher output impedance. But since a name like "Studio" might be attached to any headphones to suggest being high-end, you couldn't rely on that.
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
Suppose that's why you research your headphones before you buy them 🤓
@PlatypusPerspective
Жыл бұрын
@@PaulThird Preferably being able to listen to them on your own studio equipment. 🙂
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
True. That's why buying gear with 30 day money back return policies is always a smart idea
@Septimius
Жыл бұрын
Paul, when you say 80-85 dB, do you mean dBA, or dBC? I think both of those are too loud to recommend, but dBC might be more passable. However, that's still loud levels. You'd wear your ears out if that was your normal levels. Like, you'd get hearing damage over time. I don't like that you say you need to mix at that level. The suggestion should rather be "remember to check your mix at higher listening levels, too", because that's a totally fair argument. Poor mixes do fall apart at higher volume levels, and it's important to keep track of, but I don't think we should argue to always have that listening level.
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
Read mixing engineering books and you'll read clear as day that they are listening around 80-85db.. The odd even louder. You can mix up to 8 hours at those levels and tbh you shouldn't be mixing more than 8 hours anyway as your ears will be shot by then. 80db is busy traffic. Science is just science. There's a reason why these guys mix at these levels. I asked the pro's I know and they all said 80-85db. In terms of weighted I measure dbC as that's what I was told but check that out www.sengpielaudio.com/PermissibleExposureTime.htm Solid information, collected and averaged
@rocktonmusikschule
Жыл бұрын
Totally agree. Upgrading from a focusrite interface to a MOTU Ultralite was for me a big change . I mix 50% on headphones and a better headphone amp helps a loooot.
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
Think the converter chip in the motu is a slightly older version of whats in my dx7 pro+. Both ESS SABRE pro 🤓
@rocktonmusikschule
Жыл бұрын
@@PaulThird 😂😂😂 yessss...you should sell gear Paul!
@wuujujuuju
Жыл бұрын
@@PaulThird so have you ditched interfaces altogether? Or will you run your stack into your interface? I’m considering running a JDS Labs Atom amp into a Motu m2, but this video has me wondering if I should just get an Atom stack for mixing with Sundaras and ditch the m2..
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
Just now I'm running apollo x6 for recording and switching to topping driver for mixing
@johnwalter6410
10 ай бұрын
Im use a grace m900. Its a $700 DAC. Its 0 ohm output, 4 different DAC filters. You are correct,. Its night and day.
@PaulThird
10 ай бұрын
🤓🤓
@RetroPlus
Жыл бұрын
You may have convinced me to get a headphone amp, i am currently using planar mixing headphones plugged into the focusrite 2i2. I thought because it can get loud enough for me that it was good enough, but i'm going to try the Topping L30 mk2 and i'm interested to see the difference that will make for the clarity.
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
🤓🤓
@g.o.9513
Жыл бұрын
Wonder if the headphones amp made a difference, please share.
@RetroPlus
Жыл бұрын
@@g.o.9513 I bought the topping l30ii and It seemingly makes no difference unless you're coming from something truly crap, it turns out my focusrite 2i2 was indeed good enough to power my planars and i can't tell any obvious differences between the two when volume matched.
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
That's really surprising cause I've had a lot of people comment and DM to thank me for reccomending the L30ii and quite a few had 2i2's and offer focusrites If you can't hear it then you hear it but if you still have L30ii could you do me a favour and try the test I do when comparing headphone amps. This also applies to anybody else reading this. FYI Gain needed depends on the sensitivity of the headphone. My sundaras had a low sensitivity but not all planars do. A lot do need a lot of gain but depends Also, Before you do this ensure you are listening around 80-85db spl 1. Listen to hella good by no doubt and listen particularly to the snare. There should be an audible transient difference as the topping measures a very quick transient response which is where many hp amps struggle. You'll gear a difference in the snap of the transient. 2. Listen to the chorus synth in hella good and compare the distortion of it as I normally find this as a good distortion test as that synth can lose clarity very quickly on lower quality systems (this is probably more of a DAC thing but I recall hearing it compared to the audient hp amp) 3. Listen to the acoustics and vocal clarity of stay by post malone. Normally I find the vocal is a little more intelligible and guitar a little more detailed due to the transients and ultra low distrortion. 4. For low end listen to typhoon by royal blood. This should be a good low end distortion and transient test. Like the no doubt track listen to the transient response and if the low end of the kick is slightly cleaner If after all that there is no difference to your ears, then it doesn't really matter what you use or buy headphone amp wise. And that's not me being a dick, there's just no point expirimenting further with hp amps as the topping measures better than nearly all hp amps out there As a final note though, remember that the DAC will always bottle neck the headphone amp. So if you can't hear a difference in a headphone amp then try comparing interface to a good dac amp or dac amp combo
@RetroPlus
Жыл бұрын
@@PaulThird I did keep the topping as i got a great deal on it and it's good to have just in case i ever get high impedance headphones. And I just tried these tests, i still can't really hear an obvious difference between my 2i2's headphone out and the topping. To give more info, my headphones i'm using are the avantone planars which are 32 ohms and have a sensitivity of 104 dB/1mW, which i think it quite easy to drive? I'm not sure, but also i tend to listen to my music and mix at quieter volumes to prevent ear fatigue over long sessions. It is possible that i might just not be trained to listen out for transients, but i personally can't tell an obvious difference between the two, at least with these headphones.
@thefunkfactory
Жыл бұрын
Hi Paul, enjoying your channel. As a fellow Scots tight a*** I tried for ages to squeeze good results out if cheap gear (with some success) but during the pandemic when I stepped up my home recording I got increasingly frustrated with how my mixes transferred outside of my studio. After trying a more modern interface with a good reputation for DA conversion (which wasn’t cheap) but didn’t get on with my computer. I ended doing the same as you and (using finance) I upgraded to the RME Fireface UCXII interface you pictured plus some Adam monitors. It was an expensive outlay but the difference in terms of what I can hear in my mixes and the transparency of the conversion is night and day. My conclusion is that with patience and a lot of referencing and moving your mix round different audio systems you can definitely get good results but it is so much easier and efficient to be able to hear issues straight away as you can with better gear. Keep up the good content, much appreciated!
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
My experience is the same. I did my first mix this week listening at 80-85db with the dx7 pro+ using the least amount of plugins I've ever used and my mastering engineers told me that the mix I produced was such a big improvement, even from the mix I made fixing my tilt
@Superdelphinus
Жыл бұрын
Thank you Paul third
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
🤓🤓
@CubaseAcademy
Жыл бұрын
I added a Neve RNHP for this reason. Thanks for another great video.
@edsterling5258
Жыл бұрын
Great vid. Entertaining and smart. You are wise beyond your years.
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
🤜🤛
@diegomotta2249
Жыл бұрын
Hi Paul, just updated my setup with a ADI-2 DAC FS from an M-AUDIO AIR and the difference is BIG. The details, the power without distortion, so good. I also purchased a MINIDSP E.A.R.S. to calibrate my ATH M50X with ADI-2 equalizer instead of using sonarworks...so much better. It's a winning couple. You can also EQ left and right separately, which is the best because my M50X freq response is different from left to right. Now waiting for my LCD-XC to complete my upgrade.
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
The eq feature in adi 2 FS is really what makes it a standout unit. You add that on top of the audio quality it's pretty much hard to beat
@MarinSubasic
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for your input, many wise things you´re saying here. I personally went from RME ADI DS heigh end converters to Digigrid, and thought wow this is so much better!! Then recently tested a MOTU 828es and again: It was better, more clarity, definition and soundstage. I learned from a friend whos works for a manufacturer for music gear, that it is not only about RME or else, but it makes a different how old the convertes are. In the last couple of years AKM and ESS developed amazing products and that is what´s making it happen. ESS Sabre chips is what MOTU uses and many others like RME are using AKM chips, but they are alle great. Even the cheaper presonus Quatums are using AKM´s and the sound awesome, watch the comparison from the Quatum vs the Apollo x16 here on KZitem, it´s a blind test and you can not tell a difference!
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
Toppings flagship devices are ESS chipset with their own circuitry. Their budget options are AKM and they still measure better than a lot of mid price interfaces but interesting how topping prefer ESS chipset
@callehellstrom
Жыл бұрын
Cool! I just got the Slate VSX after years of thinking about it.. they are really next level from my earlier setup with Sonarsworks and AKG K550mkII.. next in your setup 😎?
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
I got somebody to contact them for me but they weren't interested haha 😢
@callehellstrom
Жыл бұрын
@@PaulThird Too bad!!
@ITRiBUTEI
Ай бұрын
I have a RME Babyface Pro FS I was curious if i needed a headphone amp , as i use headphones to mix If i do, or if you recommend doing so, will you please recommend something I trust your opinion after binging almost half your videos so far lmfao Thank You for your knowledge
@joeyboswell9644
Жыл бұрын
I moved over from Lynx Hilo to RME ADI-2 Pro FS R FS last year for mastering and the RME is absolutely amazing in every detail. The headphone monitoring in the RME is one of the best on the market.
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
🤓🤓
@kadekbalian
Жыл бұрын
Hey Paul, awesome tips! I'm slowly upgrading my headphone setup for production/mixing. Might be a dumb question, but do these Topping DACs have any more latency than pro audio interfaces?
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
Latency is something to worry about when recording as its a full round trip. ADC picking up the signal and then being converted to digital, and then transferred back to analog in the DAC so you can hear it. Using a DAC is just purely for monitoring purposes so just digital to analog conversion. That's why you would need a seperate interface for recording. I have a recording setup and a mixing setup that I switch between. Alternatively if you want the best of both worlds in one package then an RME interface like UCX ii would be your best shout but you'll pay slightly more dependent on how many pre's you need. My whole recording and monitoring set up costs around £950 where a 2 channel RME ucx ii costs around £1200. Can be argued you'd be may as well paying the extra for the RME as the ADC side is better spec but I like the revelator pre's and the real time DSP uses presonus fat channel which includes their high quality emus like 1176, la2a, pultec, gate, etc which has become pretty invaluable for my situation for recording the podcast, zoom calls, live stuff etc etc So it really comes down to your specific situation and what you can afford
@kadekbalian
Жыл бұрын
@@PaulThird Thanks man! My headphone setup right now consists of an Apogee Duet (ipad/mac version) feeding a Subpac S2 from the headphone out and a Topping L30 (mk1 late serial) from the line out, with a Focal Elex plugged into that. Looking at ASR tests, the Duet could be the weakest link in the chain atm, and I feel like what you're saying in your video kinda supports that theory for me. So I'm thinking I should probably get one of those great measuring cheaper Topping DACs for monitoring as a logical next step, and keep the Apogee for recording, like you did. Or should I get rid of the L30 and go balanced with a DX7, is the upgrade to balanced worth the difference? The Elex came with a balanced cable as well. Btw for long hours of production and just pleasure listening I love the waves nx abbey road plugin with the head tracker with this setup (at 96k). I lose a little bit of detail, but I get a very deep and holographic stereo image especially on the main monitors that to my ears I can't find in other room sim plugins so far. Some say the tracker is a gimmick, but I can actually work longer when I have it on. I just bypass the plugin when I need the intimate and insane detail of the Elex, but I spend most of my time on the nearfields or mains so I don't get ear fatigue. I've rolled the bass off so it evenly fades into the visceral lows of the Subpac, which gets a separate clean signal. Loving this setup going 2 years now.
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
The DAC is a huge part of what you are hearing. I didn't think I'd hear much difference going from the id44/l30 mk2 combo to the dx7 pro+ but it actually makes a lot of sense as it's proper DAC where the l30 mk2 is being fed the signal from the audient line outs which imparts its own sound. Just a purer signal with the dx7 pro+ but the converters also play a big role as they are using ESS SABRE ES9038PRO chipset which is their flagship. Those chips get used a lot for home theatre use and stuff. And also its really high quality 24 bit Bluetooth transition as well which I've still not even tested haha
@AquashiiMusic
Жыл бұрын
Great vid Paul! How do you have the Topping DX7 Pro+ setup in Studio One? Do you have that setup as the main driver in the settings or are you using the revelators drivers and somehow connecting to the DX7 Pro+? And are you then going out of the DX7 Pro+ into the L30 m2? Sorry for the confusion but I was looking at the RME too and seeing you do this... I've got the duck thing going on at the moment too until big grandma duck drops the golden egg ;)
@AquashiiMusic
Жыл бұрын
And do you have the option to hook up monitors if you wanted to or are all your outputs taken up?
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
I use ASIO in studio one and the dx7 driver outside of the daw
@AquashiiMusic
Жыл бұрын
@@PaulThird thank you
@shivr3270
Жыл бұрын
Hey man i am mixing on headphones and plan to do so for the next few years at least. I agree with you on everything but I dont want to have different devices for each component in the chain, something compact is what I look for. Do you think RME Fireface latest version covers everything perfectly, AD/DA, headphone amp?
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
Yeah. Can't go wrong with a top line RME for an all round interface. Very good investment
@relaxationatmosnation
Жыл бұрын
Please explain how you can measure 85db listening level on a headphone?
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
kzitem.info4i1LelGJhK4?feature=share
@relaxationatmosnation
Жыл бұрын
@@PaulThird Thank you I didn't think of that!
@sekritskworl-sekrit_studios
Жыл бұрын
Where is the 85dbs mark on the headphones?
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
Use a db app on your phone and it'll get you the ballpark. I bought an SPL meter just to make sure
@gregsLyrics
Жыл бұрын
out of the mouth of the audio god, himself. PT speaks more truth than most can understand. Wise words, indeed.
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
🤜🤛
@deojnaes5056
3 ай бұрын
What are your thoughts about the hifiman he400se?
@PaulThird
3 ай бұрын
Very good headphone for the price but doesn't exceed in anything. You aren't gonna get close up front detail of the ananda nano or soundstage of the HE1000SE, or even the average that's the sundara but it's gonna give you a £100 headphone that is clean enough to take eq and sound better than most dynamics double or triple it's price
@viciousblissvideos
Жыл бұрын
Good video, Paul. It’s the same conclusion I’ve arrived at. Have you ever read Nwavguy’s site? He details the creation of his odac and O2 amp. Audeze headphones are something I always found strange when I’ve heard them. I’ve heard some electrostat setups at Axpona that were great but I only liked them maybe 5% more than using the Nwavguy stuff with a K701. There was some RME interface that measured about as well or better than the Hilo. Great to see you posting the data about impedance. These companies could all just try to integrate the O2 approach so low and high impedance phones will work well. Instead they don’t usually bother to tell us much of anything about the headphone section. You’re doing everyone a big favor with the advice you gave here.
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
🤓🤓
@zfm1097
Жыл бұрын
Obviously, headphone mixing is the most practical route for most people, but music, sound vibration is also felt physically and maybe this aspect is getting lost. Also, the crosstalk thing, although it can be replicated for mixing with headphones, if most music is heard through headphones, should we create a separate 'headphone mix' with faux crosstalk that isn't present in a 'loudspeaker mix'? I presume you're not suggesting we print the crosstalk, but just use it for reference while mixing, but isn't the point to make a headphone mix translate to stereo loudspeakers, that most people aren't using(?) Cheers.
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
As much as headphones are the dominant force in consumer listening, it doesn't change the fact that music has been mixed and mastered on speakers for decades. Headphones were always a secondary thing that wasn't really bothered about, kinda like how mono is seen now. So as mixers we still need to adhere by those standards as music will still be played on tv's, car stereos, Bluetooth speakers etc. The aim is to find the right level of translation which tbh Ive not found an issue on headphones because I use a specific harman eq curve and high quality crosstalk algorithms. Its all about translation. When Ive mixed on headphones with hifiman sundara through realphones I've taken the speaker sim & eq off & the mix still translates really well on any headphone. So I don't really worry about it at all. I don't get issues with headphone to monitor mixes either cause of realphones. However if I listen to my realphones setup and it sounds really off without it then I know there's a translation issue but I've not had that yet. The feel of monitors is always going to be different from headphones but remember that headphones has its own feel. Get a good pair of planars and a high quality headphone amp you'll feel your skull rattling with the low end haha Translation is everything. So I still check mixes on crappy monitors and stuff. That's the key to mixing on headphones, is combining the setup and learning with multiple references
@canvoodoo
Жыл бұрын
Love to now your thoughts on the new Avid interface Mbox thingy.
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
Completely overpriced
@akagerhard
Жыл бұрын
Yep, the RME stuff is great. Total Mix FX is a pain though (it's powerful, but it's a pain). Also: If you have sensitive ears or usually don't listen to music on headphones: don't mix on headphones. Just don't. Even mixing on iLouds will get you better results in that case AND feel like a vacation. Get your room half-decent, do the rest with room-correction software and enjoy your life.
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
I love listening on headphones haha Ed still doesn't believe me that Ill never mix on monitors. It's just my preference
@NikolausBrocke
Жыл бұрын
@@PaulThird If you are used to it, why not. I only use my headphones for cross checking and only with Sienna. I am used to monitors. I feel insecure with mixing on headphones.
@jzg7890
Жыл бұрын
The new mm-500 from audeze is freaking incredible!
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
A certain someone I know is getting them sent to him.. And it's f*cking not me! Haha 😢
@jzg7890
Жыл бұрын
@@PaulThird ahahha, that's because you haven't tried them yet i would assume 😇
@dazbuc
Жыл бұрын
Helloooo, another night and day set of tips. Cheers!!
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
🤜🤛
@Mixfootage
6 ай бұрын
I mix/master on headphones so does the audio interface matter for audio mix & master..? If yes, how much does it improve the sound quality?
@PaulThird
6 ай бұрын
Yup. The quality of the DAC and HP amp bottleneck the quality of the signal being transmitted to the headphones.
@Mixfootage
6 ай бұрын
Which audio interface is currently the best..?@@PaulThird
@PaulThird
6 ай бұрын
Depends on your budget and the features you need as a whole
@davidrupture8892
Жыл бұрын
Took you advice Paul and bought the l30 sound great!! . I. See what you mean about transients . Thanks for all that you do.
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
Great to see people hearing what I am 🤓
@mikehoyland6288
Жыл бұрын
Hi Paul, just out of interest, are you using correction software on your headphones? Whats your view on it?
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
I use realphones correction which is based more on the harman curve
@Rio-uv1gs
Жыл бұрын
Yep did this couple yeara back...got an amp linked it to the audio interface cause I got some B. dynamic headphones that need more power to work.
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
🤓🤓
@Rio-uv1gs
Жыл бұрын
@@PaulThird 🤓
@Rio-uv1gs
Жыл бұрын
@@PaulThird JDS LABS 😁
@flamersss
Жыл бұрын
l have a SSL2 interface, what headphones would you recommend to mix with that? so far i have beyerdynamic dt 770’s 80 ohms Senheisser HD 280 Pros Audio Technicas M40x
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
I'd reccomend the ones that sound the best to you. The pair that translate into better mixes on more playback systems. . Nothing wrong with having other headphones for referencing though
@flamersss
Жыл бұрын
@@PaulThird Thanks! I was asking because i kept seeing videos that low impedance headphones can mess with the interface and cause a distortion if you raise it up or something? Idk the Ohms for the SSL2 so i was wondering which headphones were the best for it.
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
Being honest, the topping l30 mk2 is like £140 and measures better than any headphone amp out there as far as I'm aware. Line outs of ssl into RCA in of topping, plug ANY headphone into it.. Job done, thank me later 👍 www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/topping-l30-ii-review-headphone-amp.36027/
@akagerhard
Жыл бұрын
Hello, the SSL 2 can handle 80 ohms for sure. Anything past 250 Ohms is where you'd really need to switch interface. Don't you worry about that. The beyerdynamic dt 770s and 880s are a reference for a reason. Many universities teach with them for a reason - it's a classic. I think your interface matches your headphones. If one day, you decide to go up in budget, I recommend to skip the mid-tier of 400 Buck-Interfaces and go straight for something >800. Personally I am a RME-boy, so I'd recommend the Fireface for studio and the Babyface for travel or even studio (depending on your budget and what you do). When it comes to choosing headphones you really need to test them. Heads and ears are very different and this plays a bigger role with headphones than with speakers - and even speakers are very much a taste-thing (I like iLouds and Neumanns as speakers, I also got a pair of Beyerdynamic DT1990 Pro and Focal Spirit One Studio Classic (not sold anymore) headphones). I suggest not to worry too much about having the "perfect" headphones for now - unless you're spending ~100 Bucks a month on plugins. In that case don't buy plugins for 8 months and get yourself a top-tier interface first and a top-tier pair of headphones 5-12 months later. Way better to invest in hardware (computer, interface, mic, headphones, speakers, room-treatment and room-optimizers (trinnov). The things I want to buy now, are the things I'd already own, if I hadn't spent the money on plugins that I never use. Now I've written a lot more than you asked for, but that's how I am somtimes, excuse me. So what headphones to use with your SSL2 interface? Yours are great for that! If you want to upgrade, upgrade the whole shabang. And don't buy plugins. The free kilohearts, melda and ableton/pro tools stock plugins are great and I use them all the time. I also use the fancy plugin here and there.. but at this point I'm pretty sure I do it mainly because I paid for them. I'd tell you which ones, but then you'd maybe go ahead and buy them instead of hardware and my whole novel here would have been for nothing - haha.
@juliansherwood2115
7 ай бұрын
Could you do a quick vid about how to actually use the Topping L30II? I would either be using it with an audio interface (apollo) or straight from laptop... I can't find any instructions anywhere online about this. Do you need a separate DAC or does the L30II have a DAC in it??
@PaulThird
7 ай бұрын
No DAC. Line outs of interface to RCA in of topping
@8notes_
2 ай бұрын
Hey Paul, I hope you get to see this, please Advice me, I mix on headphones 80% of the time. I've got Audioent ID24, and I've got Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro 250ohms and Sennheiser HD650. What RME product should I get for better monitoring both on headphones and my Monitors (Adam Audio A7X). Thanks
@PaulThird
2 ай бұрын
ADI 2 PRO FS
@8notes_
2 ай бұрын
@@PaulThird thank you very much!!!
@martinezdecap
7 ай бұрын
Hello, Thanks for the update! What is better, the new Topping Dx9 or the RME Adi-2?
@PaulThird
7 ай бұрын
I'd say dx9
@martinezdecap
7 ай бұрын
@@PaulThird thank you sir! I have another question. If I run my Apollo twin x line output 3 and 4 into a DAC/amp combo, will I run into an issue? From my understanding the Apollo twin already acts as DAC, however I’ve heard it’s not a very powerful DAC. Will I run into issues if I run a DAC/AMP combo out of my apollo twin x line out 3 and 4 ?
@PaulThird
7 ай бұрын
Yes cause you are running a DAC into a DAC but it wouldn't work anyway as the topping DAC amps only have digital inputs purposely to stop what you have suggested Unfortunately your twin x has no optical out so there's no way of connecting it to the topping. Your only option is to buy a headphone amp, not DAC amp if you still want to use the apollo
@martinezdecap
7 ай бұрын
@@PaulThird thank you for help! I will check out amp and not a DAC
@thefam9179
Жыл бұрын
Is your rme better then a baby face pro? Why didn’t you just get a baby face?
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
I don't own an RME. I was thinking about an RME
@elzurixmusic
11 ай бұрын
Great video, but very confusing to me because of your claims about the new amplifier. I'm currently struggling to understand the differences between amplifiers, and since you already have the same interface as I do (Audient), this gets even more confusing to me, because it makes no sense to me that another amplifier just changes the sound of the headphones. Many people told me that amps have one purpose, to give enough current or power to the headphones, while keeping a flat frequency response. The Audient from what I've read, does that very well. The only thing I know about the interface that might back up your claims is that the Audient headphone output impedance is 22 ohms, so it might color low impedance headphones and might make them sound, tonality wise, worse. But having better details, crisper transients and better imaging? it makes no sense to me, it might be that topping colors the sound differently, and makes you think that the headphones just sounds better. But at the end of day you're using the same headphones, how can it really sound any different? So now I just want to explain my situation: Audient iD4 mk 1, powering DT 770, DT 1990 and Kali LP6 (which you also have) all above 80 ohms To give you an example of how I hear things, my inbuilt PC jack sounds exactly the same to my cheap dongle and to the Audient iD4, the only difference is power, and maybe maybe a tiny bit of distortion with my PC connection. I know sound is subjective, which is why I'm really curious what you think about all of this, maybe I'm getting it all wrong and interfaces compromise on headphone jacks, maybe topping is just insane, or maybe it's just a problem with Audient.
@PaulThird
11 ай бұрын
www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/topping-l30-ii-review-headphone-amp.36027/ There is a lot science involved and various factors that can affect the sound of headphones. The topping is the opposite of coloured. It's as clean and transparent as any headphone amp on the market. You essentially want a headphone amp to have an output impedance of no more than 1-2ohm (Julian Krause says the same). This is because of the way that low ohm dynamic headphones & low ohm IEM's are affected with higher impedance headphone amps. This can cause dampening which affects the frequency response as well as added distortion. A big problem with interface headphone amps is power, and not just high power, high power with low distortion. When you get into the realms of planar magnet headphones and high impedance headphones like Sennheiser HD600, you require an amp that can drive the headphones adequately to the required levels due to many of them having low sensitivity. That's why high power with low distortion is very important. Even IEM's can get pretty noisy through low quality headphone amps. As for transient response the amplifier has to react to transients of the source to be able to amplify them. It's not a power supply, it's an amplifier. Transient response measures how quickly an audio system can respond to changes in sound level. Specifically, it refers to the system's ability to accurately reproduce transients, which are the sudden changes in sound level that occur at the start of a waveform. So if the headphone amp isnt quick enough to react to the initial transient of the waveform then it will result in a softer sound in its amplification. If it's quick enough to react to the analog signal then it should be able to effectively amplify the whole transient. We are dealing with analog sound waves passing through circuitry and if you think of the headphone amp as your bottleneck then it's going to theoretically have an affect on the purity of the signal in the same way you pass a guitar signal through a DI box or a 1073.. its an amplifier at the end of the day and the quality of that circuitry & signal path has a limiting affect of the purity of the original signal, how pure the signal comes out the other end is defined by the signal path of the amplifier. Budget Interfaces normally cant afford or have the space to include a high quality signal path for every headphone. Universal audio told me that themselves. It's a compromise, where a well built headphone amp has no compromise, it's built only to amplify the signal going into a headphone. Its price, size and circuit path reflect that
@1337murk
Жыл бұрын
Sennheiser HD800's and Prism AD/DA here
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
🤓🤓
@djcolinturnbull
Жыл бұрын
How is the Pro + compared to the Pro?? What’s the difference ?
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
When released in September dx7 pro+ had the best SINAD (THD+N) of any DAC measured on audio science review. We are splitting hairs though cause the dx7 pro DAC measures -119db THD+N which means it has 15db less noise and distortion than the DAC of an audient id44. -123db THD+N of dx7 pro+ is still in reality a 4db improvement of a measurement that was already more than anybody would need from a DAC. However, the Dx7 pro Headphone amp has an output impedance of 6 ohm which can affect linearity in headphones under 60 ohm. Not advisable for a lot of planars (audeze, hifiman etc). Dx7 pro+ has virtually a zero headphone output impedance which is awesome. The dx7 pro+ is basically the best that topping can offer using the best converter chips and their own circuitry. Refined everything and corrected every issue in dx7 pro. Perfect linearity. No ESS IMD hump, jitter is that low its practically unmeasurable. In Amir's own words. A guy that's properly tested practically every high grade DAC and amp on the market. "impeccable performance for a DAC" The pro+ headohone amp has the same signal to noise ratio as the RME ADI 2, incredibly low noise and distortion and it doesn't clip at 32 & 300 ohm so if you hear any distortion it's the headphone, not the amp. The dx7 pro+ is basically end game for a DAC/AMP.
@djcolinturnbull
Жыл бұрын
@@PaulThird you are the man! Thank you for taking the time to respond and clearly explain all of this!! I was extremely happy with my pro until I read this 🤣🤣 I still am but every little bit helps! Cheers!
@8notes_
2 ай бұрын
I love this guy!😂
@danepaulstewart8464
Жыл бұрын
This Topping headphone amp. Well mate, it sure panned out for me. REEEEALLY good for the lucre. It made a huge improvement in the sound of my cans. Like, it almost actually seems viable now. I never would have guessed. Stop off in Chicago Illinois one day when you’re in the US. I’ll buy you a few pints. NAMM has been here in the past. Maybe it will be again. 👍😎👍
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
🤜🤛
@e.d.8215
Жыл бұрын
Hello, thank you for the interesting video. Can you use the Topping DX7 directly as an audio interface (only for monitoring)? Or is there a reason why you go via the Audient audio interface?
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
Yes if you use ASIO driver in the daw. Outside of DAW you can use dx7 pro+ driver. I keep the revelator & l30 mk2 combo for recording as the dx7 pro+ is purely a DAC. No ADC in there.
@restymalinao2023
Жыл бұрын
Are you using sundara with this? How was it? I'm currently using hifiman sundara with focusrite solo, the power is just too low.
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
Sundaras have a lower sensitivity so need more juice in order to drive them. Thus why a headphone amp like the L30ii is perfect for all headphones. Even Dan Clark stealth
@XxratonakethonxX
Жыл бұрын
thank you so much, you are the best!!!!!
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
🤜🤛
@profscarfmanhat8034
8 ай бұрын
I have a Clarett+ 2Pre and a set of Neumann NDH-30 phones. Upgrading from Scarlett 2i2. Do I really need a headphone amp as well? Which would blow the Clarett away?
@PaulThird
8 ай бұрын
If you are mixing predominantly on the NDH-30 I'd say yes
@donrich3927
Жыл бұрын
Does anyone know how to measure how loud you headphones are playing. I’ve been trying to figure out how i even know what 80-85 sounds like.
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
Most I know use dB apps on their phone. Place the phone mic (ensure a case is off) inbetween the cups and measure Not exact but gets you ball park
@periurban
Жыл бұрын
@@PaulThird That probably doesn't give you anywhere near an accurate sound level. I read somewhere that when tested an iPhone mic was misreporting the environment by 10dB, and given that sound pressures are logarithmic that result is less than useless.
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
That's why you use multiple phones and a few different apps to cross reference. If your really anal about it I suppose you could buy an SPL meter from amazon and do it that way 🤷♂️
@periurban
Жыл бұрын
@@PaulThird I'm actually looking at those right now! One man's anal is another man's science! lol
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
@@periurban bought an SPL meter and my phone was off by 3-5db. Probs enough to justify the £30 for the meter
@DrEvil026
Жыл бұрын
I have Audeze LCD-x 2021 which are very easy to drive and i powered them with focusrite scarelet 18i8 2nd gen. From my listening experience it sounds very good. I have custom eq curve when i am listening on them as well as i'm mixing. I do not know am i missing something because not having dac, amp or better interface in terms of sound. Loudness is not a problem. Do you think is it worth to invest more into these setup? Thanks
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
Believe it or not focusrite headphone amps are one of the exceptions to the rule. 18i8 has a headphone impedance of 1ohm which you'll struggle to find on other interfaces. You can run any headphone on that and tonally not worry about the sound where your lcdx 2021 really wouldn't be reccomended on most other interfaces cause they have a much higher headphone output impedance Dunno how much power it has for hungry planars and high impedance cans though. The DAC is a very big factor. I know cause I've got arguably the best external headphone amp and I can hear differences in DAC whether it be audient, universal audio, presonus. The dx7 pro+ is something I've never heard elsewhere. Maybe it's the ESS sabre chip combined with toppings own dac circuitry.. Not entirely sure but a good DAC can do wonders to what you hear. Interface to interface.. Its subtle until you get into RME universal audio etc
@brendanhoffmann8402
Жыл бұрын
I got a new tool for mixing. I usually mix on Sennheiser HD599 headphones but just got some Sennheiser HD520 from 1985 which are 600 Ohms! So am going to get a Topping L50 to drive them for another perspective of the mix. Using a Focusrite 6i6 2nd gen for my audio interface. (I'm pretty much amateur at mixing though), I only really record one guy these days and that's only one song every couple of weeks.
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
🤓🤓
@widedogg
Жыл бұрын
First of all happy christmas to you and your family. second - I have a second gen scarlett 18i20, the thd is worse than the topping, but it's the same on the line outs as the headphone amp, wouldn't that be the weakest point in the chain and defeat the point? or is the extra level coming from the topping meaning lower output from the scarlett solving that? would love to know if it's worth it to add to my setup but obviously don't wanna spend if there's gonna be no point. or am I missing the point entirely and should be getting an external DAC as well to bypass the scarlett entirely?
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
DAC makes a big difference. The DAC chipset each use has a lot to do with the sound. The headphone amps will always be bottle necked by the interfaces DAC & line outs but the amps are more for ensuring lowest headphone output impedance as well as power for hungry headphones. That's where low THD headphone amps really come into their own to my ears when they are being pushed to power hungry cans. I think most of the scarlett stuff is 1ohm which is great BUT I always hear an improvement on transients and distortion with the topping l30 compared to budget interfaces. The best scenario is to get a dac/amp combo which is what I did.
@widedogg
Жыл бұрын
@@PaulThird thanks for the reply! that makes me think investing in the dx7 would maybe make more sense. I mostly use the vsx headphones these days so I'm not battling impedance really, so again I guess I get concerned I'll not get the full benefits. After watching so many of your videos though (and trying out nebula because of you) it's difficult not to get excited about something when you get excited about it haha. suppose I can always get something and return it if I'm not hearing enough difference though. apologies for my adhd rambling, nice to talk to someone so knowledgeable though who isn't being paid to sell me something
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
Dx7 pro+ sounds better than my apollo x6 + l30 mk2 setup. It's defintely good investment
@iuihlutuk
Жыл бұрын
Chibai Paul, The Night vs Day part gives me anxiety and reason to consider good DAC 🤦 ..BTW, Do you know any good song/ mix reference track that is clean sounding, flat and boring but good balance that you can tweak with EQ for taste and use that EQ curve on while monitoring during mixing, so that it compensates our taste / style of how we treat the Freq/Timbre/Dynamics in our mixes... 🤔
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
I just pick one mixer I like and reference a track he's done that is similar to the track I'm mixing
@RiffsRhythm
9 ай бұрын
Very informative vid! Looking at specs alone the motu m2 interface seems to have the best specs for its price range. How would this compare in sound quality (headphones) to a RME do you think? I have the audient id14 and was thinking of upgrading to the motu for its headphone capability. Worth it?
@PaulThird
9 ай бұрын
I can't see it sounding better. There are only a handful of interfaces that deliver high quality headphone amps with enough clean linear power to sufficiently drive hungry planars and many high impedance cans To put it into context. It's like £200 which isn't shaving the arse off the price of a topping l30 mk2 which is just a headphone amp haha
@RiffsRhythm
9 ай бұрын
@@PaulThird thanks! What would be a noticeable upgrade for me? I guess I can connect the headphone up to interface? Id14?
@PaulThird
9 ай бұрын
Yeah the topping l30ii connects to interface line outs so you'd need TS to RCA cables
@chanaiiH
Жыл бұрын
And yes i read that online Me: 👁️👄👁️
@stu-po
Жыл бұрын
The CDC describes 85 DB as "Gas-powered lawnmowers and leaf blowers" and "Damage to hearing possible after 2 hours of exposure"
@Septimius
Жыл бұрын
Also, Paul isn't denoting if he's talking about dBA or dBC. dBA is normally used for "how loud is too loud", but dBC makes more sense in audio contexts. 80-85 dBA is... that's too loud. 85 dBC? I think that's also too loud, but it's a bit more of a discussion. But I totally agree. I don't like that Paul is saying "you need to blast your mix". He should rather have said "remember to check your mix at higher volumes, too".
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
I've read no more than 8 hours at levels of 85dbA cabin noise inside a commercial plane is around 81-88dBA and people are flying 12-16 hours and no body having hearing damage 🤓 80-85db is even in the mixing engineers handbook with big engineers being quoted at mixing at these levels, some even louder!
@KonradSkowronski
Ай бұрын
Interesting stuff. Just wanted to ask if Topping L30 II sounds better than Topping DX3 Pro+ and built in SSL 2+ hp amp? How would you rate these three?
@PaulThird
Ай бұрын
Topping dx3 pro+ is the full package. Don't rate any of the SSL interfaces
@KonradSkowronski
Ай бұрын
@@PaulThird Thx for the answer Paul. But would be L30 II an upgrade vs DX3 Pro+? I didn't fully get - "don't rate any of the SSL interfaces" - It means you don't know them to judge how their hp amps sound?
@PaulThird
Ай бұрын
I know how they measure and I know a few guys that have had them and tested them. Emrah tested the SSL and told me that the hp amp audibly colors and distorts the sound when pushing the volume. Pretty much useless for cleanly driving headphones with low sensitivity. If you look at the specs it'll tell you enough. Output impedance of 10 ohms which is decent but not great. You are looking for impedance of 1 ohm as anything above 1-2ohm can impact the frequency response of low ohm dynamic headphones. THD of 0.05% is -66db which is in the audible range and not specifying at what mW/ohm so most likely even higher when pushed which explains Emrah's issue. 100mW max power into 32 ohm is very poor. Toppings e2x2/e4x4 interface has a professional grade hp amp and offers 580mW into 32 ohm. Even toppings £100 dx1 dac amp offers nearly 3 times the power at 32 ohm with 280mW. SSL doesn't have the power to drive planars correctly, nor offer clean power, or guarantee a flat frequency response with low ohm headphones That's why I don't rate ssl interfaces for headphones
@KonradSkowronski
Ай бұрын
@@PaulThird Thx for feather explanation Paul, I appreciate it. Now it's clear to me. So both DX3 Pro + and L30 II are an upgrade vs SSL2+. I already have DX3 Pro+, is its worth to buy an L30 II for mixing purposes? I can't afford RME or DX7 Pro yet;)
@PaulThird
Ай бұрын
Nah dx3 pro+ will give you as much as you need. L30ii in conjuction with dx3 will give you more clean gain but you only need that if you plan on driving something super hungry like dan clarks or something
@soundcore183
Жыл бұрын
Thinking about getting Sennheiser HD 650 and sonarworks for getting a linear response
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
What interface you puting that into? And be careful with sonarworks man. The whole linear response thing didn't work for me in practice compared to an eq curve tailored more to harman. It works for some but it really didn't work for me
@soundcore183
Жыл бұрын
@@PaulThird I have a native instruments audio mk 2 I think it is crap because it has some bad errors. going to invest in antelope / rme because it is nice to have some outboard dsp. Toneboosters have a similar much inexpensive headphone filters. There are also headphones from slate audio which have tailored filters.
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
Yeah the 650's need a lot of juice to drive them so you'd be looking for a good headphone amp. Need nearly 3x the power of your more consumer grade headphones. Over 300mv for 94db spl
@riasure
23 күн бұрын
Hi Paul, I just wanted to know would you still recommend the DX7 pro? I am particularly interested in getting a headphone dac or perhaps a new interface. Have you heard the dac on the Neumann mt48? And if so does it compare to the DX7 pro in your opinion?
@PaulThird
23 күн бұрын
I still use dx7 pro+ every day. Ed Thorne then bought one and uses that as his main DAC amp and he has the MT48. Said he prefers the topping over the MT48 for conversion and driving headphones
@riasure
23 күн бұрын
@@PaulThird thanks so much for the reply. Am wanting to drive Neumann ndh 20’s and Sennheiser hd650’s. Am desperately trying to improve mixing skills and I am not happy with the headphone amp on Apollo twin MK1-mids and highs sound way to harsh. I take note of your recommendations, as you seem to be on the money and I recall you mentioning that particular model a while back and then again most recently with your show with Ed and whilst I am not Scottish I do appreciate the savings on buying the dx7 pro + over the Neumann if it is sonically the better option:-)!! Interesting that Ed prefers this over the Mt48 also!
@PaulThird
23 күн бұрын
Dx7 pro+ is still one of the best measuring DAC's on the market. Pretty much end game in regards to performance
@riasure
23 күн бұрын
@@PaulThird well that’s good to know that your still rooting for it and so I am looking at retailers as we speak. Thanks again Paul👍.
@riasure
22 күн бұрын
Hi Paul, I am gonna have to cheap out and for now get the L30 mk2, until my budget allows for dx7 pro,🙂but my question is.....How can I also connect monitors as at the moment as I am having to decide between connecting my monitors to Volt 276 or the L30 mk2 and I would like to do both. What's the best way to do this? As I was following your video and you have come out of monitor outputs into the L30 but I need to connect monitors too. Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
@EXKORTEX
3 күн бұрын
Does this only apply to planer magnetic headphones?
@PaulThird
Күн бұрын
No
@OrangeMicMusic
Жыл бұрын
Hi Paul! You had a chance to A/B test in real time , the headphones straight into audio interface versus headphones into Headphones amp + DAC? I'm interested on how much in percentage can you evaluate the change between them ? Starting to mix on various locations a couple of years ago, I ran some A/B tests between different interfaces, headphones amps and DACs (mid priced vs more expensive) and there was not more than....I would say, 2-3 % difference. In the end I settled to Aplollo Twin + Beyerdynamic DT 880 - 32 ohm (no headphone amp or DAC needed) as the best option, price vs increase in quality.
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
I was that anal about it all, every time I recorded the headphones through my mic to ensure that each setup was at the same level for the AB's. Then I'd have to unplug and listen each time. I don't have a splitter so it was genuinely quick in and out. At the end of the day when it's level matched as close as you can get and you can physically pick out more details in one compared to the other it's an easy test. The seperation is the easiest thing to pick out through the dx7 pro+. Backing vocals especially. I listened to various mixes and I just had more detail. Better transient response, more low end detail where I could hear the notes slightly clearer with more punch from the kick. Going back to the id44 and l30mk2 felt narrower with less seperation and going back to just the id44 headphone amp on its own was even narrower with way less detail, way less transients and almost like a thin film over it masking the details. Hard to describe. Could be that I'm using planar headphones which aren't suited to a 50 ohm headphone amp and relatively known to be harder to drive than most dynamics. So when using the l30mk2 with it which is under 1ohm and more gain than I could ever want then it's obvious there is gonna be a difference due to less electrical damping and less deviations in frequency response, as well as less distortion. You can't drive a lot of planar headphones to loud levels using most audio interface headphone amps as they have such a low sensitivity, as do your really high impedance dynamic cans. So my headphones and headphone amp are the 2 main reasons why it's so easy to tell the difference. If I was to use your 32 ohm beyerdynamics would I still hear a difference in the id44. Yes cause its 50ohm going into a 32ohm but with a modern id14 mk2 22ohm maybe not as much of a difference. Your beyers are low ohm dynamics and way more sensitive than a planar and can be driven by near enough anything, that's why those beyers are super consumer based as they are so flexible. Would my sundaras suffer the same fate through the apollo twin x? gonna say yes as UA have purposely been very shady in revealing their headphone output impedance. Even in the manual which isn't a good sign for a planar user like me. For example my sundaras require 318mv for 94dbspl which is inbetween sennheiser hd650 & 600. So a near perfectly clean and superbly linear 1ohm powerful headphone amp is always gonna have a big difference with a low ohm power hungry planar headphone which also has faster transient response than a dynamic headphone as well as less distortion and more low end extension. That's why i hear a massive jump in transients and also hear the l30 l30mk2 as cleaner compared to the id44 headphone amp. In regards to the DAC difference we are then comparing toppings flagship converter to a consumer grade DAC chip. Comparing a DAC that measures better than any on audio science review. The best SINAD as well as a textbook perfect linear frequency response, and a choice of anti aliasing filters so you can avoid any ringing. Almost zero output impedance with extremely low noise and distortion. With the id44/l30 mk2 combo you are dealing with a signal being output from the line outs of the audient which in itself has a sound, then into a headphone amp, so not the purest of signals. The topping dx7 pro+ on its own was an easy win vs a budget audio interface & headphone amp combo. I didn't think the differences in converters and circuitry would play such a big role but I now get that's why people have paid so much for RME in the past when the conversion is that good. I'm gonna test it out in the new year with Ed as he's using UA in his set up and he's considering audeze headphones so we are gonna test the l30 mk2 with his twin and x8p as I don't think he'll want to invest in a seperate DAC.
@OrangeMicMusic
Жыл бұрын
@@PaulThird super cool and detailed story, thanks Paul :). In all of this business it's important that everyone feels okay with decisions when it comes to hear details when mixing. My journey was much simpler, I just decided that the difference is too small to justify the price increase, and also watching other professionals about how they're mixing/mastering on headphones.
@queenpurple8433
Жыл бұрын
How can I know if my headphones or speakers are 85DB from where I’m sitting or the size of My headphones/ears ?
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
Use a good db app on your phone, put the phone mic in between the cups and measure. Not fool proof but gets you ball park. Use a few phones and different apps though to make sure you are getting semi consistent results I bought an SPL meter just to make sure
@justnelly337
Жыл бұрын
Hi Paul, i’ve got an sennheiser hd650. Its 300 ohms…and its connected to the scarlett 2i2 interface…do i still need an headphone amp to achieve more out of my headphones?
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
Should be fine frequency response wise as it 1 ohm hp output impedance. Transients wise you'll probably hear a difference with the L30ii though. I can't say for sure cause I've never tried a focusrite but transient response is awesome on the topping
@amanat7861
Жыл бұрын
Hello Paul Thankyou for this very very interesting Content because this is Really what is Happening right now MIXING ON HEADPHONES sometimes because of Low Budget and most of the times because of mixing outside of Studio Any Headphone suggestions? By the way i always Calliberate using Sound ID for the best Results
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
Hifiman sundara. That's what I use
@sparella
Жыл бұрын
If I were able to use open backs I would be looking into Avantone Planar. Because my room is noisy I use closed back: Ollo S4R. I'm very satisfied with the Ollos and have no desire to "upgrade". Neutral closed back are really hard to find. I also use KRK KNS8400 for tracking, and Grado RS1 for casual listening. I do not recommend either of those for mixing.
@pelennorDSP
Жыл бұрын
I'm using the Superlux HD 681 Evo, and they are amazing for the price. As in, noticeable improvement over the Audio Technica ATH-M50X I was using before.
@samueloluyinkaojomu6548
Жыл бұрын
I own an Audient ID14 mkii presently was thinking of upgrading to an ID44 mkii. But recently I have been thinking of getting an interface with reference grade AD/DA converter so I can mix well. Do you think a Prism Lyra 2 is best for that or what 2 channel DA/AD converter can you recommend
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
Nah I'd say go for an RME ucx ii over the prism. Half the price and can't see any reason why prism would give you better results
@jarjar45123
Жыл бұрын
Hi, interesting video! Question: how can you tell how loud headphones are in db?
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
kzitem.info4i1LelGJhK4?feature=share
@erkamau9629
Жыл бұрын
Ciao, I read about Your gear but I don't see anything about near (or mid or fa) field monitor . And about Your Rooms size ?
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
I don't use monitors
@eranddroory9987
Жыл бұрын
One mote question Mr. Third. I god a lake people headphone Amp. Like it a lot built like a tank but I get a kinda loud pop when I turn it on with the phones plugged in. You have that experience on your both your units? 😊
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
Couldn't say, my setup turns on all at the same time. As soon as I switch on the computer everything powers up so I never have my headphones on when the amp switches on
@HonoraryBreathTaker
Жыл бұрын
Can audio interface run in parallel with DAC+amp? I just need to use audio interface for recording guitar and getting audio to speakers
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
In most you can run the amp straight from the interface line outs (if you are not using monitors or have 2 sets of line outs) but not a DAC/AMP unless both your interface and DAC/AMP allows optical or coaxial spdif connection. The reason you need an spdif connection is because the interface always has to be the master so the DAC/AMP has to run as a slave and recieve digital audio from the interface. OR you simply use the interface in the daw when recording and switch to the DAC/AMP for mixing
@mahavpm
9 ай бұрын
Love it!
@PaulThird
9 ай бұрын
🤓🤓
@AlexLapugean
Жыл бұрын
Hmm.... wouldn't a lower impedance require LESS power to drive? Impedance can be thought of as resistance to current flow, so the more a circuit has, the more power is requred to achieve the same amount of work. That is why, for headptones with 200-300 Ohm impedance, you actually need interface with quite a bit of power to drive them, one common issue with them is that with lower end interfaces, you max the interface output and you still don't have a high enough level. On a different topic, how would you go about measuring the SPL of headphones? And what measuing standard is best for measuring heaadphones?
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
ohm + sensitivity relation is important. Just because a headphone is low ohm does not mean you can drive it easily or vise versa. Try driving 23 ohm Dan Clark or 20 ohm LCD-X with most audio interfaces.. Not gonna happen. it's all about how much MW is required to drive a headphone to highest level. That's what I was taught
@AlexLapugean
Жыл бұрын
@@PaulThird Oh, I of course do not say that the only factor to the output SPL level you get is the impedance of the headphone, but you did mention that on lower impedance headphones you need more power, and that is what I wanted to clarify. And maybe any tips on measuring spl level for headphones? :D Cheers!
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
I was reffering to planar headphones which I think are all low impedance, and are all quite difficult to drive as well. Essentially any headphone amp you use should be at an output impedance of no more than 2 ohms for optimal sound. Here's some good info on it WHY DOES OUTPUT IMPEDANCE MATTER? It matters for at least three reasons: The greater the output impedance the greater the voltage drop with lower impedance loads. This drop can be large to enough to prevent driving low impedance headphones to sufficiently loud levels. A real world example is the Behringer UCA202 with a 50 ohm output impedance. It struggles with some 16 - 32 ohm headphones. Headphone impedance changes with frequency. If the output impedance is much above zero this means the voltage delivered to the headphones will also change with frequency. The greater the output impedance, the greater the frequency response deviations. Different headphones will interact in different, and typically unpredictable, ways with the source. Sometimes these variations can be large and plainly audible. As output impedance increases electrical damping is reduced. The bass performance of the headphones, as designed by the manufacture, may be audibly compromised if there’s insufficient damping. The bass might become more “boomy” and less controlled. The transient response becomes worse and the deep bass performance is compromised (the headphones will roll off sooner at low frequencies). A few, such as those who like a very warm “tube like” sound, might enjoy this sort of under damped bass. But it’s almost always less accurate compared to using a low impedance source.
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
As for measuring spl levels. You can get db apps on your phone and measure it by placing them in between the cups. For example, I did it there with the bose headphones I use for editing videos in work. Played a dua lipa track on KZitem through the bose on the hp laptop and I measured 80-85db spl at 90% of the laptop volume. So it's loud but can get even louder and that's on an already volume limited system. It goes up to 100% because safety wise they can go up to that and still aren't gonna get complaints of peoples ear bleeding haha Its loud at first when you are not used to it but you certainly hear the difference when in mixes when your ear becomes adjusted which it will. Our ears have natural compression and are made to protect our ears. Listening at 80-85db doesn't hurt, it just takes a little while to get accustomed to it
@AlexLapugean
Жыл бұрын
@@PaulThird Thank you very much for the info, very helpful! BTW, have you ever considered using eq's that have equal loudness curve implemented to mix at lower levels and compensating the frequency ballance? Like Slick EQ M by Tokyo Dawn Records. The idea basically is that you can use that eq to progressively appy an equal loudness curve that would boost the lows and the highs, to compensate the loss of relative perceived loudness due to lower volumes. For example, you know that it should be flat at 85dB, and for each dB of level decreased, you boost 1dB with that EL curve.
@deswestens
8 ай бұрын
Jaycen Joshua plug ✅
@grownprosper
8 ай бұрын
Would you recommend to still get a DAC for mixing if I were to invest in an audio interface like the Rme ufx 3? Or should I invest in a more affordable interface and get Topping's DAC? I am using a scarlet 4i4 with Ananda Nano to mainly record vocals with some instruments atm.
@PaulThird
8 ай бұрын
Yup. Headphone amp in the UFX3 is sub par. 200mW at 32ohm isn't the best considering the anandas need a bit of Juice to drive them properly. Plus 0.02% THD is -74db which is audible enough to colour the sound. To put it into context £100 bus powered topping dx1 has a better performing headphone amp with more power and less THD+N
@grownprosper
8 ай бұрын
@@PaulThird Oh wow super thank you for your insights!!
@leirumanuel
Жыл бұрын
Hey. In the end I bought Topping A50
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
🤓🤓
@donsmith1563
Жыл бұрын
So do you think the Topping DX7 Pro+ is on a level with RME for sound quality?
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
Measurements say so but I can't comment as I've not got an RME to compare but is highly rated by Amir who uses an RME if I'm correct
@youngmetroh
Жыл бұрын
Will the dx7 pro + make a difference put against the apollo twin x converters for studio monitors and headphones monitoring alike?
@PaulThird
Жыл бұрын
I'm gonna say yes, purely because there arent many DAC/headphone amp combos that measure as good as the dx7 pro+ or RME. But that's my guess regarding an apollo, not an actual tested opinion BUT I do plan on testing that out with Ed early in the year when I go to London
@mamadumutarojalo2129
8 ай бұрын
What your thoughts on Topping D90 + A90 stack with balanced XLR cables, im planning on getting lcd x I’m a music producer
@PaulThird
8 ай бұрын
Just get dx7 pro+. Best conversion and headphone amp wise all the power you will ever need. No need to stack
Пікірлер: 637