
Headphones and Earphones Benchmarking Test Files - 6cxs2hd6
http://www.audiocheck.net/soundtests_headphones.php
======
fr0sty
The binaural recordings are more than a little spooky. Even knowing before
hand that they were going to play the sound of someone knocking on doors I had
to fight the temptation to turn and look at sho was knocking on the desk next
to me.

~~~
rabino
I'm on a second floor, right beside a window. I clicked play without reading
the description. It scared the life out of me.

~~~
woobar
I'am also on 2nd floor next to window. I read this comment first and then went
to play the test file. And I still moved my head to the right to see who's
knocking.

~~~
vytasgd
read the comment, read the article and did all the tests. Got to this one and
it still freaked me out. That's crazy.

------
gabzuka
This reminded me of this (somewhat related) article about the science behind
audio quality, signals and all the myths surrounding it. Very recommended.

[http://people.xiph.org/~xiphmont/demo/neil-
young.html](http://people.xiph.org/~xiphmont/demo/neil-young.html)

------
atwebb
Still checking out the post but to anyone looking at getting a nice set of
headphones, the Sennheiser 600s (mentioned in the post) can be picked up
(especially used or open box) much cheaper than $500. I'd actually recommend
going ahead and looking at the 650s which run $350 and under on eBay or
directly from Senn during a sale. Gotta be able to have open backed headphones
though, they leak a lot.

~~~
clarry
Just keep in mind that the expensive and well regarded headphones aren't
always the best for you. There's no _best_ really, as far as subjective
listening experience goes.

I have the Sennheiser HD650s and AKG K701s. Used to have the HD595 also. I
tend to prefer the latter for most music, as well as speech. The Senns I find
more preferrable for movies and classical music.

I also have an ancient pair of Grado SR-80s (or SR-60s?), which are by no
means an expensive high-end headphone. But I still like their sound on some
things.

Other people prefer considerably bassier headphones and I can see how that is
a valid preference, especially considering how some electronic music is
mixed.. in fact, I wouldn't mind having such a pair for myself.

~~~
laxatives
Yeah, I have to agree that you really start to see diminishing returns. Going
from Koss PortaPros to HD595's was a huge change and I spent most of my free
time the next week listening to music. I just upgraded again to HifiMan
HE500's and thought they sounded better, but my listening experience is more
or less unchanged. Worse, they are quite heavy planar magnetic headphones and
I don't enjoy wearing them as much. Maybe I need a better headphone amp, but
part of me is convinced I might have hit my ceiling for my listening
perception. Maybe I should have just gotten those Grados...

~~~
green7ea
I have a similar setup than you do and bought the schiit modi and magni (~200$
dac and amp). I'm very happy with the purchase and recommand it as a first
dac/amp.

[http://schiit.com/](http://schiit.com/)

------
chiph
In the heyday of car audio, there were test CDs that had similar material -
tracks to compare left/right, phasing, soundstage, frequency response, and so
on. They're still available from Crutchfield - look for "AutoSound 2000".

While geared for car audio (tight control over listener position, questionable
speaker placement and acoustics), they're also good for home systems, and
somewhat good for headphone/earphone selection. You want disc 2 for basic
setup, and disc 1 if you plan on using an oscilloscope or spectrum analyzer.

~~~
robert_tweed
There's actually at least one on Spotify - search for "Sheffield Lab". Very
handy for end-to-end testing your streaming setup.

------
rtk7
But these are mp3s, they're 44,1 kHz VBRs. How is this supposed to be
accurate? Shouldn't these files be PCM .wav or at least .FLAC?

~~~
shawabawa3
They are 320kbps mp3's. The difference between that and flac is practically
undetectable to the human ear[0]

    
    
      [0] http://www.music.mcgill.ca/~hockman/documents/Pras_presentation2009.pdf
    

edit: The knocking one is 320kbps, the others seems to be lower. I imagine the
pure tone ones compress very well.

~~~
rtk7
Yes. What my concern about this is is actually the lower and higher
frequencies in the mp3s. With these the loss was neglectable. I thought
preserving the full range and quality was paramount with audio testing, but
I'm not an expert or an audiophile, it was just my preconception. (Listening
to an original .wav song with my headphones and then an mp3 of 192 or 320 kpbs
quality, the difference seems obvious, but mostly at the low- and the high-
ends.)

~~~
gknoy
Have you considered doing a test of this? Write a program that plays a random
choice from the three formats, and keep track (hidden from you) of which is
which. Have it quiz you on which it is playing / has played, and see if you
get interesting results! :)

~~~
gabzuka
you could use Foobar's blind test component for this
[http://www.foobar2000.org/components/view/foo_abx](http://www.foobar2000.org/components/view/foo_abx)

------
petarb
The door knocking sound is absolutely phenomenal in a sense that my brain has
never been tricked like this by such a simple sound into thinking that it
wasn't from my headphones but from the surrounding area.

------
falcolas
Great idea, but it's not just evaluating your headphones, but also your DAC,
amplifier (both of which are typically crap in most computers), and your own
hearing limits.

[EDIT]: Headphone tone and response also changes over time - what sounds ideal
at 0 hours will sound very different after 100 hours of break-in and use.

Would help if there was a note about this on the site, and recommendations for
basic steps you can take to correct for these.

I'm spoiled - headphone.com is based out of my hometown, so I can listen to
any headphones I want on their expensive equipment and find what really works
the best.

~~~
minikites
Headphone "break-in" is a myth up there with coloring the edges of your CDs
with a green magic marker.

~~~
falcolas
"What I do know is that during the course of these measurements some things
changed. __While the data showed only very small differences, the data was
clearly above the noise, and a general trend observable. __The data also
showed a discontinuity around the 20 hour mark in both the FR and THD data.
While, it seems to me, much of the change observed could easily be due to
movement, especially in the frequencies above 5kHz, some changes seem more
likely due to break-in. In particular, the changes in frequency response
around the fundamental resonance of the driver at 80Hz, and in %THD+noise at
the same frequency and at around 40Hz. "

[http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/evidence-headphone-
brea...](http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/evidence-headphone-break)

~~~
minikites
You missed the paragraph right before that:

> Did I show break-in exists? No. There are too many variables still. Was it
> simply movement? I don't know. If I did it again to another brand new pair
> would I get the same results? I don't know. If I did it to an already broken
> in pair would I get the same results? I don't know.

Testing one pair of headphones one time doesn't show anything.

~~~
falcolas
The author seems to be suffering from a "there's no such thing as headphone
break-in" bias. Their results show changes, but they deny it (while
subsequently accepting it: "some changes seem more likely due to break-in").
Broader tests would be certainly be useful, but that test certainly doesn't
prove that break-in is a myth, either.

Given that people accept break-in is required for, and changes the sound
qualities of, larger speakers, it would seem that the benefit of doubt should
go to the "headphones do break-in over time". After all, headphones _are_
speakers, just smaller.

To quote John Grado: "All mechanical things need break-in."

~~~
minikites
Also,

> To quote John Grado: "All mechanical things need break-in."

Really? How many slices of bread should I go through to make sure the pop-up
mechanism in my toaster is solid before making my bespoke artisanal toast? How
long should I run my oscillating fan before allowing moving air to touch my
delicate skin? Should I limit myself to only stapling two pages until my
stapler is properly adjusted?

Sarcasm aside, even very complicated pieces of equipment like combustion
engines don't require break-in: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Break-
in_%28mechanical_run-in%...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Break-
in_%28mechanical_run-in%29#Modern_versus_older_break-in_regimens)

~~~
Zergy
Amusing that you bring up engines which do require break in. A brand new motor
operates less efficiently producing both less horsepower and less fuel
efficent than a broken in motor.

"In general, people no longer break in the engines of their own vehicles after
purchasing a car or motorcycle, because the process is done in production."
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Break-in_(mechanical_run-
in)#En...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Break-in_\(mechanical_run-
in\)#Engine_break-in)

Anyways there is very little dispute that headphones sound different off the
shelf compared to having been used for a significant amount of time. People
dispute if those changes are noticeable or not, but few dispute that the sound
signature changes.

Anyways you have brought forth no evidence to support your claim, while
dismissing evidence against you opinion as non-conclusive. At the least you
might want to be less dismissive and silly with your analogies.

~~~
minikites
I did in a separate comment:

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7686552](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7686552)

> Shure has tested some thoroughly used pairs of its E1 earphones, which first
> launched in 1997. And guess what? They measure the same now as when they
> came off the line. In fact, during the 15 years Shure has been actively
> selling earphones, its engineers have reached the same conclusion again and
> again: The sound produced by these tiny transducers during final testing is
> the same sound you’ll get in a day, in a year, and in five years… unless
> something goes wrong.

~~~
Zergy
"Matt Engstrom, director of monitoring products at Shure, admits there is
evidence that suggests transducers in larger headphones can experience burn-
in, and that this could, in theory, produce different sound over time."

I would agree that IEMs (the E1 is an IEM which is different than headphones)
don't require burn in and the signiture change is not noticable. But even your
evidence against burn in doesn't dispute headphones with large drivers
(traditionally audiphile grade headphones) have sound signiture that alter
with use.

Thank you for providing more evidence for my point and against yours. I would
reccomend reading past the title next time.

~~~
2muchcoffeeman
The full paragraph is:

"Matt Engstrom, director of monitoring products at Shure, admits there is
evidence that suggests transducers in larger headphones can experience burn-
in, and that this could, in theory, produce different sound over time. Again,
no one has shown this conclusively, largely because a) companies aren’t
rushing to tell audiophiles they’ve been wrong all these years and b) there’s
no single industry standard for testing headphones."

Matt Engstrom is not very sure is he? His evidence "suggests" burn-in which
"could, in theory" (sounds like the colloquial meaning of 'theory' too, not
the scientific meaning) change the sound.

So really no one knows.

------
jgeerts
I almost got a heart attack listening to the 'Binaural Test', I have a v-moda
crossfade m-100 and it's so incredibly realistic.

It's even freaky when I know that it's just an audio file playing.

------
DonGateley
A real sleeper in headphone market is the $33 Philips SHL9705A-28. They are as
comfortable as anything on-ear that I have listened to and better sounding
than most of the high-end devices. They put the ATH-M50 to shame. The
AKG-K702, not so much. I like their sound better than either the Senn HD598 or
HD650 to which they are very similar. I listen to and objectively measure and
test 'phones for a living.

Aw shucks. I see they are discontinued (some left on Amazon though.) That's
the problem with Philips, they have such a huge line that consumers can't find
their way through it to find the gems and thus they languish. In general I
will say emphatically that nobody offers better cost/performance than Philips.

------
lucb1e
Can anybody tell me why not all music or audio is recorded binaurally? Because
it sounds incredibly realistic, I really do not understand why this is not
used at all, not even released together with normal releases. Or at the movies
or something.

This is the first time in years I even see it mentioned and people sound all
surprised and somewhat freaked out. It's not new technology or something, as
far as I know anyway. My father happens to be an audiophile so that's why I
happen to know, but it seems like really cool technology that nobody uses.

~~~
robert_tweed
Most music isn't recorded live. Most instruments are recorded individually in
mono, either because they _are_ mono (e.g., and electric guitar, keyboard) or
because they are rigged with a mic (e.g., drums). The stereo effect then gets
added in the mix.

~~~
lucb1e
Hmm right. What about movies though? Those would sound super great, wouldn't
they?

Edit: Or wait, they record sounds for movies individually too, most of the
sound you hear is not there "live" or something... Or at least I think I saw
that in some making-of once.

~~~
robert_tweed
I think you mean this:

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foley_(filmmaking)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foley_\(filmmaking\))

~~~
lucb1e
Yeah that's indeed what I meant. Is that why movies are not binaural?

------
cantgethenode
The article mentions headphones priced from 500, 400, 300 and 40 USD. Anybody
got any recommendations for something around 100-120 USD? I Currently have the
Audio Technica ATH PRO5 MS and looking to upgrade.

And I just saw aroch's link
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7685820](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7685820)

~~~
aaronem
If your upper limit's a little flexible, you might consider the Sennheiser
HD558, which usually retails around $150; I've had mine for some months, and
it is my considered opinion that they're the best headphone to be had under
$300.

In particular, they make the MDR-7506 look bloated in the lows and weak in the
mids and highs; I once compared the two headphones with a Karajan/Berlin
Philharmonic recording of Tchaikovsky's overture '1812', and it wasn't even a
contest -- the 7506 rendered the final crescendo so badly, with the cannon
fire so thoroughly overwhelming the entire rest of the orchestra, that I
couldn't even stand to listen to all of it.

As with almost all Sennheiser products, the HD558s are as neutral as possible
(modulo the odd bit of foam, so I gather), and that's not for everyone; I
listen mostly to music from the common practice era, so neutrality suits me
well, but more modern music probably wants a more forgiving headphone --
listen to new pop masters in a set of "warts and all" cans, and you're going
to hear a lot of warts. In any case, if you can make the opportunity to try
out the HD558s before you make your choice, I think it's well worth your while
so to do.

~~~
mattgreenrocks
Any recs on a headphone that doesn't destroy modern music? I listen to prog
rock/metal/classical/techno and I think I'm just looking for a nice soundstage
and 'fun' headphone. I listen to some of this stuff on the HD280 and it sounds
really flat.

I tried the HD700 in the store and it was unbelievable. But I'm not paying
that much for headphones.

~~~
aaronem
I'd love to help, but the only personal experience I have is with Sennheisers,
which even their detractors concede are the most neutral line on the market.
Since neutrality is paramount among my requirements for headphones, that suits
me just fine, but it's left me without sufficient experience to serve as basis
for the sort of recommendation you seek.

------
nodesocket
I've had a set of Sol Republic Tracks HD's
([http://www.solrepublic.com/](http://www.solrepublic.com/)) for a bit now,
and absolutely love them. Their sound quality is amazing, especially lows.

------
sergiotapia
What's a nice pair of wireless headphones that are rechargable? I'm not
interested a $500+ pair, but something a bit more mid-range.

I'm tired of tangled wires and my imac sort of spoiled me in that regard.

------
bdamm
I discovered that I have a ton of internal noise in the 17kHz to 22kHz range,
so I cannot even hear those tones because they do not exceed the noise tones I
apparently am hearing all the time.

------
rsync
I'd like to do some audio tests / checks on some normal home theater speakers
... no headphones involved.

Any reason not to use these, or are there better sample/reference files for
that ?

~~~
keithpeter
I've seen a local public address/sound system company using filtered noise
with a spectrum analyser to set up loudspeaker systems in 'difficult' halls.
The people in charge suggested that single sine waves at _high_ power may not
be so good for the speakers.

------
PakG1
You know what's funny? After the left-right tests, I realized that I'd been
wearing my headset wrong the whole time I owned them... @@

------
parkaboy
Happy to see Beyerdynamic finally getting some much needed love.

------
sizzle
can anyone here comment on the S-Logic tech in Ultrasone headphones?

~~~
agoeldi
Yes. S-Logic is designed to give you a much broader soundstage in a closed
headphone. It uses a driver that doesn't hit the ear canal directly, but that
is slightly angled to use the ear's outer rim in order to add some depth.
Depending on the headphone model it works very well.

Ultrasone sells a lot of different headphones that target different audiences.
For instance, the Edition models tend to be very design-oriented and typically
get very mixed reviews in terms of sound quality (I can't confirm that from my
own experience). Others are for the pro market and tend to sound much more
balanced.

I own the Signature Pro, which has the newer generation S-Logic Plus, and I'm
extremely happy with it. The soundstage is as wide as that of great open-back
headphones (e.g. Sennheiser HD650, which I also have), but you get the
isolation and bass punch of closed headphones. I retired all my older
headphones (HD650, Grado RS1, Shure SE-535) after getting the Signature Pro.
Unfortunately, this model is not exactly cheap ($1300 list price) and quite
ugly, but I've never heard better music reproduction.

~~~
sizzle
thank you for the thoughtful reply, much appreciated. I am looking to upgrade
from my audiotechnica ath-m50 studio monitors

