This is Part II of the Koss Mini-Series and Also Budget King #1!!
Is the Koss KPH30i a perfect headphone? What about it stands out? Who is it for?
All of these answers and more, comin’ up in this Koss KPH30i Review!
Greetings bass head, and Welcome aboard… Stuart Charles here, HomeStudioBasics.com helping YOU make sound decisions leading to a beautiful audio experience that will make you fall in love with music, all over again, so…
Video Discussion
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This is part of the Budget Kings Series, which takes a look at some of the best options for under $100.
- Budget King #1: This review
- Budget King #2: The open back Philips SHP9500 Review!
- Budget King #3: The closed back Sony MDR-7506 Review!
- Budget King #4: The closed back Creative Aurvana Live! Review
- Budget King #5: The semi-open AKG K240 Studio Review!
- Budget King #6: The closed back Status Audio CB-1 Review!
Is the KPH30i a perfect headphone?
Koss KPH30i
Price: Check Amazon! | Check eBay!
As seen here with the FiiO BTR3K.
In The Box
Koss KPH30i headphones
Limited Lifetime Warranty Card
Specs/Graph
Graph: Crinacle
- Type: Semi-Open back, Dynamic
- Fit: Supra-Aural (On-Ear)
- Frequency response: 15Hz – 25kHz.
- Impedance: 60 Ohms. What is Headphone Impedance?
- Sensitivity: 101dB/mW.
- Material: Plastic, Foam.
- Color: Beige, White/Blue, Grey/Black.
- Cable: Non-detachable 3.5mm.
- Weight: 12.5 Oz. (75g)
Two separate graphs that I’ve seen show that strange cut/dip around 4kHz, but I can’t say it’s had a negative effect on the way these sound.
The first graph I looked at came from a guy named Samma3a.
Check out what he had to say, a sentiment I happen to agree with:
I also do not perceive that dip. Seems a bit strange, but Crinacle’s graph above shows it as well.
In any event, let’s get into the review.
The Koss KPH30i was, and still is, certainly one of the most talked about headphones in the audiophile community.
Before I first bought a pair around 2021, people were gushing over them left and right. It seemed like you couldn’t even open a browser tab without the darn things popping up, almost screaming at you to buy them.
And why wouldn’t you buy them? They’re only around $20-30. What could possibly go wrong?
NOTHING, that’s what. They were so dirt cheap that I felt I owed it to myself to see what all the hubbub was about.
A lot of times, when products are hyped up as much as the 30i is, there’s a good chance you’re going to be let down.
So I tailored my expectations accordingly, especially given their meager profile and rather unassuming stature.
They arrive in a sheepish-looking box with a window and look like something hanging on the shelf of your local drugstore circa 1995.
The good news is that, unlike those other trashy headphones, you won’t need a crowbar to open the damn box. So already we’re off to a good start.
The 30i comes with no accessories but does include a lifetime limited warranty; basically unheard of in the world of audio products.
So Koss stands behind these headphones wholeheartedly, and for good reason.
Make no mistake, they are certainly ultra-light, but they don’t feel cheap. They’re incredibly economical and efficient; a no-frills, utilitarian, somewhat retro design.
There’s a soft piece of rubber that attaches to either side and runs parallel to the plastic headband. Consider this the padding, and because they’re so light, it’s about all you’ll need like Radiohead.
In other words, comfort is very good although because they are On-Ear, you’ll start to feel them dig a little into your auricles after extended listening sessions.
Aside from that, the headband adjustments are of the click-mechanism variety, with 2 pieces on either side connecting to the overarching headband piece. The non-detachable cable is rather flimsy and comes out of each cup, terminating in a 3.5mm jack at the business end.
The padding does resemble those old cheap Sony foam pads, so you may want to invest in some Yaxi pads if you’re particular about that sort of thing.
Like some of the other stories on this website, I can vividly remember the moment I first tried them.
I was sitting on my apartment balcony and had the FiiO BTR3K at the time. I figured it would just about be the perfect pairing since the 3K doesn’t output all that much power and the 30i hardly needs any.
This setup is also super compact and travel-friendly, so I’d highly recommend it if you’re just starting.
In any event, I remember firing up “Frail State Of Mind” by The 1975 and being completely blown away by how good it sounded.
It was as close to perfect as it gets in this price range.
What makes this even more astounding is when you consider the fact that I heard these after hearing 135+ other headphones. That’s right, you read that correctly.
The semi-open-backed KPH30i for $20-30 sounds at least as good or better than the majority of them, and that’s not an exaggeration.
You’d be hard-pressed to find many headphones in this price range tuned as well as these, and that’s the honest truth. Unfortunately, the majority of products below $100 sound like complete dog shit, but there are exceptions.
And, fortunately for you, many of them happen to be in this Budget Kings series.
For a long time, I felt like the SHP9500 was the best headphone under $100, and certainly, you could make the argument that it still is.
If it’s any indication of how much I love the 9500, I bought one in 2017 and don’t ever plan on selling it.
But the 30i, at around $20-$30, makes a strong case for being a better overall value (and arguably a better sound) thus why I bumped it up to #1.
What about it stands out?
Putting one on your head is a revelation of sorts, in that, nothing about the sound signature comes across as out of place, over-emphasized, weird, or wrong.
I can’t really point out a single flaw with it. This is outrageous, again, considering its price.
All of the hype surrounding the 30i is completely and absolutely warranted; without question.
It’s the one thing that most audiophiles and regular people agree on; unless you’re this goofball:
It’s one of those things that can only be appreciated in retrospect.
After hearing a lot of good headphones, some mediocre, some amazing, and some terrible, the 30i is most certainly a breath of fresh air.
The mid-bass thumps without sounding bloated like a 40x, the treble is detailed and crisp without sounding neither too veiled nor too bright, and the mid-range is sublime.
Vocals and instruments stand out, but in a way that isn’t too shouty or in your face.
If there was ever a “perfect” sound signature, I think the 30i would be as close as it gets.
Put another way, I’m becoming increasingly cynical by the day the more trashy products are sent my way. They’re seemingly all tuned horribly and have terrible mid-bass flaws, so listening to a 30i almost feels like an epiphany.
For the newcomer to audio, hearing a 30i as your first foray into the hobby may result in some incredibly unrealistic expectations moving forward. Meaning, you may think it’s all sunshine and rainbows.
Well, it’s not.
Just know that these headphones are the exception and not the rule; meaning, most products in this price range are going to sound pretty awful if we’re being honest about it.
The 30i bucks that trend, and for an On-Ear headphone, the Soundstage here is quite good too.
It’s not a K702, but what is?
It’s definitely above average and has no business sounding this open and spacious, especially for its price.
Instruments are spaced out nicely and the music is given ample room to breathe and express itself. Timbre is also exemplary and instruments have an element of realism that few others below $100 can match.
Because of these things, I fully recommend that most people bypass everything you may have heard about, and just go straight for the 30i as your introduction to the hobby.
Yeah, you’ll be going down the rabbit hole soon after, but who cares? You would have eventually dove in head first anyway:
I talk a lot about the MDR-7506 and SHP9500 as perfect entry-level headphones (and they still mostly are), but the 30i outclasses both because there aren’t any glaring flaws with its sound.
You could make the case that the cut at 4k is problematic, and it would be in the majority of other cases. But here it’s just something that isn’t all that noticeable given how good everything else sounds.
If you’re looking for something more durable and comfortable, the 9500 is a great option and something I still own.
The 7506 comes in third because of the earcup issues, annoying non-detachable coiled cable, and sometimes overly bright treble.
Still, it’s both are solid options and I think everyone should get a chance to try them due to their excellent overall resolution and solid tuning.
Amplification
Pictured: DragonFly Red, BTR3K
You won’t need an amp for the 30i, but I’ve found it to work quite well with anything I may have lying around.
- Recommended: How to Choose a Headphone Amp [Definitive Guide]
Again, a great pair would be something like a BTR3K, which you can listen to at home wired, or on the go via Bluetooth.
It’s incredibly convenient because the 30i’s cable is short and compact, and the headphone is highly transportable.
You can wear this bad boy on your neck without looking like you just walked out of a Head-Fi meet with a duffel bag full of overpriced DACS.
Put another way, spend any more money than a BTR3K and I think you’re wasting money.
Closing Thoughts
If the 7506 is pure sound, and the 9500 is pure-er, the 30i is definitely the pure-est.
It’s an experience you won’t soon forget and a headphone that personally changed my life and made me re-evaluate what I thought I knew about recorded music.
So buy one today. It’s $20. Chump change.
You really have nothing to lose, and most certainly everything to gain.
This is a headphone you’ll cherish for a long time, perhaps even forever.
Learn More:
Ready for the next article in the series?
At A Glance
Well, that’s about it for today my friend! I hope you’ve enjoyed this Koss KPH30i Review and Discussion, and came away with some valuable insight.
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Questions? Comments? Requests? Did I miss the mark on something? Please let me know down below or Contact me!!
What do YOU think about the 30i? Is it a perfect headphone? I would love to hear from you. Until next time…
All the best and God bless,
-Stu
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Koss KPH30i
Pros
- Insane value
- Better than the majority of audiophile offerings
- No need for an amp, but does well with one
- Highly transportable
- Tremendous sound
Cons
- A tad flimsy
- Comfort isn't the greatest
32 comments
How would you say it compares to Porta Pro? Is there a noticeable difference?
Hey man, that one is coming next, but there is more mid-bass on the Porta Pro for sure. I guess I would say it’s a tad more of a V-shaped type sound (without the harsh treble) vs. the more uniform, even sound of the 30i. I will be doing an official Porta Pro review and then a shootout to round out this series, so stay tuned! 🙂 Let me know if that helps.
It definitely helps, thanks for your reply! I bought both Porta Pro and 30i which is yet to arrive. KPH30i is harder to get outside the US so I had to buy it from abroad. Both of these headphones are pretty hyped online and I must admit I was somewhat disappointed by Porta Pro because of muddiness (mid-bass?) and lack of detail. Although it really works well with some songs. Obviously they are cheap so not sure if my disappointment is warranted. Your description of the differences to 30i makes me think that I might enjoy 30i more.
Would you say either of these is worth ~50USD shipped? This is what I paid and I guess what many non-Americans would have to due to regional price differences.
Also, sorry if I accidentally left a double comment 🙂
Hey man no worries! So you’re saying Porta Pro 50 USD shipped and 30i 50 USD shipped for 100 total or 50 total? I think the 30i hits way above its price point at what I paid ($20 on Drop), so yeah! The only thing is that it’s flimsy and can get a bit uncomfortable. The sound is impeccable and you’re going to love it! I think you’ll probably end up returning the Porta Pro.
Hi Stu,
Thanks for all your budget king reviews and this one in particular. It really is amazing that Koss have such a sound built into a set that many would immediately skip over due to build/look compared to traditional ‘sturdy’ over ears.
Love your clarity, explanations and links that add extra value and comprehensiveness to your reviews.
Really helpful.
Thanks
Hey man thank you so much! And my pleasure. Glad you enjoyed it. I certainly skipped over this one for quite awhile haha. Your kind words encourage me more than you know!
Reach out anytime.
-Stu
Have you ever mod a headphone? Mine broke easily. I got some couple of pair but prefer something more durable.
And the driver still good, so it’s a bit waste to throw it out.
I have actually never aside from pad swaps and stuff. I’d like to do the detachable cable mod for the 7506 though. Perhaps you’d like the 400se which is priced really well: https://homestudiobasics.com/hifiman-he400se-review/
Hi! I just stumbled over your youtube channel and just saw you have a website so yeah here i am lol. So i just saw this budget king today and looking at your review it seems impressive. but i have question regarding the build quality, it scores 4.5 / 5.0 which strange because all i see about this headphone is that it looks so fragile. So my question is, what makes this headphone’s build quality so good?
Hey man!
Those claims could very well be true, I just haven’t personally experienced them. Also, keep in mind that I didn’t have the 30i for 2+ years. I included it in a giveaway in 2021. I’d have to buy another pair and keep them for a long time, but there’s not much to it that can break down other than it snapping so I wouldn’t worry about it too much. That and it’s so cheap you could always just buy another pair. The sound most certainly makes up for any of that and as long as you’re not throwing them around, you should be okay xD
Stu: You are so right on with your review of the Koss KPH30i headphones! I bought a set, pretty neutral sound, with some mid bass thump (which I like). Can you please start reviewing wireless earbuds too? I like the fact that you seem to listen to every possible brand / model you can. ahmed924944
Hey Ahmed924944!
Thank you for the kind swords! I do have a Wireless earbud coming in very soon and there are some others I also need to get to as well 🙂 Be on the lookout!
I have the Koss KSC75 and the KPH30i. I also have the Koss KTXpro1 which uses the same titanium coated driver as the KSC75. The KPH30i & PortaPro use the same driver without the titanium coating. In terms of pleasurable listening I would rank them as 1) KSC75 2)KTXpro1 3)KPH30i. The KSC75 seem to have more clarity and detail than the others and presents as more balanced and refined. I heard details I never knew existed in the music I’ve listened to for 30 years. The bass is nimble and controlled with excellent timbre though overall is much reduced in amplitude compared to most common mass produced headphones. Apparently most people prefer loud, dominating bass.
Unlike yourself and many others I find the KSC75 the most comfortable. Slightly more work to get them on, but once in place they simply disappear. No pressure, no itching, no sweating. Just sweet glorious sound. The clamp pressure on the KPH30i make them impossible to wear much more than 30 minutes. The oversized Grado earpads extend pressure tolerance but result in sweatiness and itching.
The Koss KTXpro1 are warmer with more bass than the KSC75. They still retain above average detail & excellent tone. The bass is looser & not as refined as the KSC75 but is more prominent. I am able to wear these for many hours without discomfort.
To me the KSC75 are audiophile headphones in many ways. They do have reduced bass but do not carry the hefty price tag. Unfortunately they are quite fragile & need to be treated very gently.
Thank you for your thoughts, Rob!
Yaxi pads and the Parts Express headband really make the KSC75’s sing.
Sweet!
This was the first, and probably last time I bought headphones based on (not-so-professional) reviews alone. Read yours multiple times. Gave it a week so it wouldn’t be impulse-buying. Read other reviews. But… it just does’t cut it. Sure, the soundstage is amazing for its price. Very much so. I.e. it’s outrageously wide (again, for its price, e.g. compared to M50x even) and its punch can bring a smile to your face… for 2 minutes. Then it just isn’t fun anymore. It’s so dull and bookshelfy. That’s the word that kept coming back in my mind. Bookshelfy. The carpeted, veiled kind. Sure, you can’t expect a 35-40 dollar one’s transient speeds and rhythm to be precise and transparent, either. In fact, it’s quite a lot less muddy and boomy than many at its range, and in its own way actually clear-ish, but still with soft with smeared band seperation. Too much to warrant the hype.
I tried really hard to make it work, have good use for him. No matter what source, no matter how I EQ where applicable, it’s just too dull. In the best case it’s tolerable but squelchy-fatiguing. Found myself actually falling asleep during three different albums on different times of day forcing my attention to details.
Oh, and you should’ve mentioned the finnicky controls on it. You know a product is intended for the ‘cell-phone generation’ when, if you plug it into any, ANY hi-fi CD-player or preamp (tried with two different adaptors), you have to keep its volume/phonecall-answer button pressed. …the whole time. If you don’t want a mono-reverby karaoke effect.
All-in-all, a just-about deal breaker. If you are on a low budget and could only save up 40 bucks, wait thrice as long and get a K702.
P.s.: The 4kHz dip? Yes, you can definitely sense it 😛 Without question. On any material. … Just train your ears more.
Don’t take this the wrong way man, but you just wrote an entire novel complaining about $30 headphones lol. I do love the K702 though and it’s definitely something I recommend for most people.
Also, it’s just your opinion. You’re entitled to it and that’s fine. The problem I have is that one person makes their opinion gospel as if it’s the final say in the matter. It’s not. Like me, you’re just a guy with a viewpoint. That’s OKAY! And I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you. But please don’t try and discredit others who enjoy the headphones and recognize their merits.
You tell’em, WOOO!!!!!
Thanks for stopping by, Joe!
Hi Stu!
Hope everything’s well for you.
KPH30 Wireless just came out last week, and I can barely see a review anywhere… any chance you will review them?
I kinda have mixed feelings about them. They fixed the “flimsy-ness” part of the KPH30i, made them larger (which is also better and worse at the same time)… and changed the driver. Now it’s a 32 Ohms driver. Also, they don’t bundle with them a USB-C to 3.5mm passthrough, like they do with the Porta Pro Wireless. They don’t provide a portable case for them neither.
So… dunno. Mixed feelings. They’re solid now, no longer fragile… buttons are larger and better laid out than on the Porta Pro Wireless… and cups are even larger now. So there are improvements and stuff to get excited about. I think it will take several months until they come to Europe… so I won’t get to test them myself anytime soon. Since I have the wired version and the Porta Pro Wireless, I no longer *need* another pair of headphones… but I am still curious about them.
You’re one of the few reviewers whom I actually trust to recommend good gear at the best bang for the buck, so I’m curious what you think. Especially since you reviewed the wired version before and really came to appreciate them for what they are.
Hope to hear from you soon. Take care!
Mihai
Mihai,
Always great to hear from you brother! Sorry for the delay. I’ve been away from the computer for a few days (much needed honestly lol). Fishing, boating, getting out in nature, etc. My sister, niece and I went on a hike around their house out in the country. It was fun! We got a bit lost in the woods haha. It was kind of exhilarating to be honest with you. A little weird, but always interesting. My mind immediately went to blair witch project xD What have you been up to?
Just looked up the KPH30W and they’re unavailable! I will bookmark them for when they come back.
I really appreciate the kind words and vote of confidence! I will certainly keep them in mind. How are you liking the Porta Pro Wireless? Is it about the same signature as the wired version?
Talk soon,
-Stu
Hi there Stu!
Glad you took the time for a little vacation. Yea, I know how it feels. Last year I travelled a bit more, but this year I focused more on gear and gadgets. 😀 Hopefully next year I will take more time off the screens and get to travel more again.
I have a nephew too, he went to college last year in another city… came back home this month for the summer, so we also had some family meetings. 😀
Fishing is something that my family enjoys a lot! 😀 To me it’s kinda boring, so I skip it most of the times. XD But boating? Maaan!! I could do it for hours and still wouldn’t be enough! I love being on a boat, I love the water, the sea… actually seagulls are my favourite birds! 😀 It kinda puts my mind at peace, you kno? Gives my brain much needed pause and a break from all the mundane stuff.
Blair Witch, maaan… that reference sure triggered me! :)) It seems like yesterday that movie launched! I had to check on imdb… 26 years?? God! When did all that time flew by? And it still seems like I haven’t done much with my life lol. :)) But, yea… that movie surely redefined what indie projects are and how they can be done properly.
But, yea… I get what you’re saying. I also love nature, walking through the woods and stuff… it’s very relaxing. We have a lot of brown bears in our country, so I don’t do that much. XD
On the side of audio… Lately I just got into listening records! 😀 Bought a brand new turntable, it’s an Audio-Technica AT-LP120XBT-USB. When I was a kid, way, waay back… I used to listen to a lot to records. Back then you could find records with fairy tales at the bookstore. My parents used to gift me one from time to time, and I remember sitting all day long with the chin in my hands, elbows on the table… and just watch that record spinning. I don’t know why, but it fascinated me back then! Or sitting on the bed record cover on my lap… and watching that cover all the time while I was listening to the tale. The places my mind would go in those moments… you would not believe! Or maybe you know this only too well. 😀
So, yeah… maybe it’s just nostalgia. But I thought… heck. Maybe I should get into listening my music on vinyl records? It sure is a way to get more involved with your music. After all, I love music, I love gadgets… and I love all this analogue stuff. Getting away from the digital. Screens, notifications, ads, pop-ups, noise… all that, gone! Heck, you can’t even pause or skip songs! XD I mean, you can… but not precisely. So it helps against all the distractions and stuff that make your mind restless. It kinda helps getting rooted, somehow. I don’t know how to explain this better. But is roots you and helps holding time still. It’s just you… your record… that cover… and the music you love. It’s bliss! It connects you to the music you love and it is a more involved process than just pressing play in Tidal on the phone.
Don’t get me wrong, I still love listening to my music on Tidal everyday! Streaming services allow me to listen to my music while commuting and while at work, so I’m grateful for that. Also, it helps me discover new music (and remember songs that I once loved and have since forgot). I would not give up my Tidal subscription for anything. 😀 But I now know records have their place, too – and I don’t want to give up on them neither.
So, because I don’t have a proper audio setup, I started it from waaay down! XD The turntable has a phono amp, but turned out I actually have no speakers! :)) Fortunately, turntable also has bluetooth output, so I started from there. 😀 I have a BTR17, which serves me well in this. 😀 Codec is aptX HD, so quality is good enough. Power was kinda low for K702… but it had no problem powering Koss headphones (more about that in a bit :D). So far I don’t have a big records collection… yet! 😀 But I’m working on that. 😀 I look forward to spin all the legendary stuff… Dark side of the Moon, Nevermind, Thriller, Slippery when wet, Brothers in arms, Dookie, Master of Puppets… you kno… the works. XD All those albums that made history. Experiencing them on vinyl is something that I really look forward to!
So far I only got the 50th anniversary for Abbey Road and a couple of HIM albums (a finnish band)… But hopefully my collection will improve soon enough! 😀
And, of course… this new hobby of mine got me on the lookout for a new pair of speakers. Next week I’m pulling the trigger on some Adam Audio D3V dekstop monitors. I hope they’ll serve for both discerning all the details in the audio and to properly enjoy the music.
Adam Audio seems to be a company with products that both professionals and listeners enjoy. 😀 Actually, if you have any recommendation for a pair of speakers… feel free to drop it here. 😀 Problem is space. And noise (I live in an apartment). So desktop speakers will have to suffice. No room for speakers with drives bigger than 4″… more like 3.5″. I was also considering Audioengine HD3, Kanto ORA and IK Multimedia iLoud Micro… but in the end I think I’ll stick to the D3Vs. They sure seem to get many recommendations from all sort of people. YouTube influencers, producers, audio engineers, guitarists, bedroom artists, DJs, old guys with grey hair… you name it. Everyone is raving about those! So they kinda piqued my interest and I might just pull the trigger on those.
Now back to Koss… lol, I managed to write a wall of text again. :)) Just after reading your comments about being unavailable… I checked YouTube. And, yeah… Zeos’ review came up 2 days ago. :)) 45 minutes long, too. Didn’t get to watch his review, but maybe I’ll do it this week. So, the thing is… in his videos, he doesn’t show many graphics, numbers, frequency response… doesn’t even use too many technical words or expressions neither. But, buoooyyy… Does that guy SELL!! :)) I swear, man… If I’d ever start a business in producing headphones or audio gear? I’d just instruct the marketing guy to send him stuff to review, and that’s it! :))
Now this is not me talking bad about him, please don’t take it like that. I appreciate the guy. Dude’s good at what’s doing and he’s entertaining. When talking about YouTube sometimes that’s all that matters. Not judging or anything. It’s because of guys like you and him that I got to try Koss headphones. 😀 And I’m really grateful because of it. 😀 But it kinda explains the lack of stock. :)) Especially since before his video there were exactly only TWO other reviews in English on YouTube, and his review was the ONLY customer review on Amazon! :))
About the Porta Pro Wireless now… well, here’s the funny thing. I had several Koss headphones before. Let’s see… KSC75, KPH40, KPH30i, KSC35 wireless… but I never got the original Porta Pros. :)) The ones that are most famous. 😀 I looked it up online, and it seems they are… basically the same? They even have almost the same frequency response. Soo… I guess they would sound… similar?
I now use them daily for commuting and listening to the new records that I got. 😀 Before them, I had some cheap Sony buds for commuting. The WF510. They were ok for the job, I guess. Not the greatest, not the worst. Good bang for the buck. Basic stuff… got the job done. However… I don’t really enjoy wearing buds. Having things getting stuffed in my body orifices is… ugh. I just don’t like it. :)) Can’t really ride the bus while wearing big cans, neither. Many people do, but it’s not exactly my style. And especially in summer, too.
Soo… Koss Porta Pro were the perfect fit for me. 😀 I wouldn’t call them exactly discreet… but they’re no cans, neither. On-ear headphones are always more discreet than over-ear. Build materials are good… for a Koss product. :)) I mean, headband is steel, and of good quality. They stay fit on the head, are not loose like the KPH30i. You can even take them for a run, they’ll not fall off. The plastic parts aren’t many, and it doesn’t scream *cheap* like other headphones of theirs. Also, I appreciate the bundle that I got with them. They offer a case and a passthrough cable, USB-C to 3.5mm. Most other USB-C to 3.5mm cables of other brands include a DAC, so I was afraid this will affect the sound quality? But no, it says on the box… it’s a passthrough cable. So, while wired, they should sound exactly like classic Porta Pros. And the case makes them the perfect travel and commuting companion. I listened to them daily for 2 weeks straight, just to get them burned in. And after that, I compared them to my old KPH30i’s. Here’s the thing… I never considered myself a basshead. I always enjoyed mids mostly. Guitars, vocals… those things that make up the most part of the mix. But these? Brother, let me tell you… they made me a believer! :)) So now I know why they were so famous in the first place! 😀
If I’d have to compare the two of them writing a single sentence, it would be this: If KPH30i puts mids in the front and gives better soundstage, Porta Pro are more on point and they put bass and drums in the front. Which is a good thing, because I didn’t really appreciate bass as much before. Because it stays in the low end, normal ears can barely hear the instrument, not to mention differentiate it from the guitar. They don’t do magic, they won’t show things that are not there, no headphone does. If sound is there, you’ll hear it; if it’s not, you won’t. But it sure makes you pay more attention to the bass! And it makes it more apparent… and more vibrant.
Two weeks later, yesterday, got them off and put the old KPH30i back on my head. And they sounded as good as ever. Clean, mids forward, more melodic. Bigger scene. But… that rugged bass? It was gone! And I found myself thinking… dude, where’s da bass? Where’s the ruggedness? Where’s that pleasant vibration, the scratch? It was gone! Soo… yea. I still don’t consider myself a bass head. I keep enjoying what I always enjoyed most, and that is mids. But at least now I fully appreciate what good bass can do to a song. I never had a bassy set of headphone before… and, to some degree, I think you could say the Porta Pros educated me.
So what I said here maybe it was no news to you… you being a professional in the world of audio. But it sure was new to me. Maybe this sounds like big words, and I don’t want to give them bigger credit than they deserve… at the end of the day, they’re just a pair of good headphones… they’re not the second coming or anything. I think it’s just me discovering more nuances of the music. But it sure is gratifying and it’s a nice experience. Can’t wait to discover more once I’ll get the new stereo speakers! 😀
… and I’ll keep my eyes on the KPH30 Wireless reviews. 😀 Kinda strange they dropped the i from the KPH30i naming in this version, though. I was used to call them like that. 😀
Oh, almost forgot… I saw your new article on guitar basics. 😀 I saw it today just before going to work, so I didn’t have time to read it carefully. But I’ll surely do! 😀 You once told me that you have plans for more musical projects on the channel… Is this part of that? If so, big congrats for kickstarting this part of your project! 😀 I’ll be sure to watch it closely. 😀
Mihai,
What’s up brother?!
Yeah, time away from the screen is super important. I’ve been listening to Andrew Huberman’s podcast and he had a guy on that talked about the importance of getting out in nature. This is something I did as a kid without thinking about it, but as an adult it’s like pulling teeth sometimes haha. I went out to a nearby river yesterday to film some B-Roll just to do something different. Def keep an eye out for that video coming soon!
Heh, if fishing is boring to you, try using something like a Rooster Tail or Strike King Mini King for bass. For me, power fishing is much more fun than finesse, but I’m trying to learn how to be more patient lol. For instance, slowly finessing a worm at the bottom of a water column is extremely tedious to me xD. I like reeling spinners, crankbaits, twitching jerkbaits, etc. Just the other day I was at my dad’s and he lives on a lake. This kid came up to me out of nowhere and started asking me a bunch of questions about fishing. Then later on he wacky rigged a worm I gave him and caught a huge bass. So now I’m a believer lol. I normally never use trick worms but I’m going to definitely be doing it in the coming months.
I love boating too! I want to get a fishing boat or like a Jet Ski or something. Ha. Seagulls are pretty annoying to me it’s so funny you like them. They’re little opportunistic pigs always looking for snacks. xD Whenever my buddy and I go camping at the beach it’s like clockwork. We start cooking and they start swarming. I agree though; being near the ocean is incredible, relaxing, spiritual, majestic, etc. Insert word salad here _________ 😛
Haha yeah Blair Witch to me is one of a select few horror films that’s actually quite terrifying. The premise and all that. And yeah, I’ve been thinking about the passage of time lately as well. It’s just weird to think about old times and of course, in 15-20 years if we’re still around (God willing) we’ll think back on 2025 as ancient history lol.
My friend and I also stopped off at this place called Pettigrew State Park during one of our camping excursions to the Outer Banks. During the day time of course lol. You couldn’t pay me to camp there given the stories I’ve heard. It’s a pretty creepy place (pitch black for miles getting there too) and was actually in this show called “These Woods Are Haunted.” You should check it out it’s on HBO Max. Great series. The area is out in the middle of nowhere basically and even in the day is just really kind of eerie.
Yeah, no to brown bears or any bears haha. No to Bigfoot and h to the no on Dogman. xD
It’s so funny you mention records. I’ve been putting together a couple of videos for my new channel (which you also asked about) and I think you’ll really enjoy it. I have some B-Roll of me spinning vinyl/holding records and talking about some beats/music I got cooking. I really hope you’ll check it out! The videos are almost done. One will be on my main channel (HomeStudioBasics) and it will point to the intro video on the new channel. I will keep you posted. 🙂 But yeah, I love spinning records like you. It’s one of my favorite things because like you said, it’s very intimate and kind of gets you out of the point and click stuff on Spotify/Tidal. And it IS super nostalgic too! Who doesn’t love nostalgia haha.
That’s cool you got a new turntable! I’ve been thinking about getting another one but the one I have has been going strong since 2014. It’s the AT-LP60!
But no, I know exactly what you mean. One of my favorite things to do is go to the thrift store and peruse the used records bin for sampling/making beats. You can find some absolute gems in there. It’s so crazy how many people throughout history have made music, many of whom were complete unknowns. Kind of sad in a way. Yeah, I started a new collection. A lot of the records I had years ago were damaged so I threw them away. Way back in the day, they were only 25 cents, but nowadays they’re more expensive. So I have to really sift through them with a fine tooth comb and only buy ones that are in good to great condition. It actually makes it more fun because in the past I would literally just take every single one home with me which was like maybe 50 at a time haha.
Adam Audio is a great company. They actually reached out to me a couple months ago about the H200. I’m trying to get them to send me some speakers for A/B comparison against my Yamaha HS7s. By the way, those are great monitors. I know you said you don’t have the space right now but in the future I’d highly consider them. They’re what I mix my beats on 90% of the time. The other 10% I use the H200/K702 and typically use a FT1 for recording/tracking rap vocals.
Do keep me posted about the D3V! Perhaps I will try them out at some point. I was just thinking, Yamaha recently came out with the HS3 which I heard are really great. I’m really tempted to buy them on a whim LOL.
Well, I have a wall of text coming your way so no worries haha. It’s nice chatting with you!
TBH I’m not a huge fan of Z because he shills everything, but that’s neither here nor there. I’m a firm believer that most gear can be discarded and there are a lot of bad products that “influencers” tell people to buy which to me is shady and dishonest. I honestly can’t stand it and it makes me want to punch a hole in the wall, but I digress. Haha.
Yeah, I liked the Porta Pro, but not as much as the 30i. I feel like the Porta has a bit too much bloat/mud in the mid/high bass area and should be cut, but they’re certainly better than a lot of more expensive trash that permeates the landscape. It’s funny; I should probably like the Porta Pros more given I’m a bass head, but nowadays I appreciate the cut around 200-300 and a rises/bump at 60-90. That’s where all the good bass resides. As a producer, I wish more companies would get this right. The Porta Pro is basically just a more extreme version of the 30i as it boosts by an additional 5dB or thereabouts (around 10dB total). I think the 30i finds the right middle ground at +5dB, but still could probably use more cut at 200-300. Listening to a Porta Pro just gets exhausting after a short time imo, but it’s certainly better than the God awful 99 Neo (amongst others lol).
Thank you for that! I’m just a guy who produces music but I DO think that gives me a leg up on a lot of other YouTubers and influencers who actually don’t know what the f they’re talking about haha.
I don’t really like buds either haha. THe feeling of headphones enveloping my ears is kind of like a security blanket or something. I will say the ones I’m reviewing that will be on the channel soon are really good and you ought to give them a go. They sound marvelous. Also I will admit that what some reviewers say about IEMs being better than headphones is kind of true. The resolution on a good set of buds completely outclasses even some of the better headphones, but I’m actually more of a monitor/speaker guy nowadays. I never thought I’d say that since I’ve been a headphone whore for the better part of 20 years xD
But yeah man! I mentioned it earlier, but yes, please keep an eye out for the new stuff and new channel! I will also be buying a domain/website as well. Super excited about it and will keep you updated as I build everything out.
Thank you again for your comment and looking forward to chatting again.
Best,
-Stu
Hey, Stu!
Nice to see you’re having fun with power fishing! It sure is different than what I tried til now, and yeah… I get it. It sure sounds a lot more exciting than fishing for smaller types of fish.
Yeah, most people I know don’t like seagulls neither. :)) But they make nice targets for shooting photos. 😀 And while being on a ship it’s really nice with them floating around and just seeing them up there, really close, flying along with the ship. 😀
About time passing… yea, I think about it too. It’s weird though. Music from the 2000s still sounds contemporary to me and I don’t consider music from the 90s as “old music”. I grew up in the 90s and to me “old music” is stuff from the 50s and 60s. And I still think of it like that. When I hear younger people talking about albums like… dunno… let’s say, Hybrid Theory from Linkin Park. And they’re like… “yeah, classic rock”. And I’m like… no, it isn’t. It’s modern. Classic rock is something like Def Leppard, or Queen, or Aerosmith… And then I think about it and am like… man, it’s been 25 years!! I guess younger people could say Hybrid Theory is like classic rock to them. So… yea, maybe it is. But to me? It sounds as modern as the day it lunched! So… yeah. Time is kinda weird like that. XD Or, at least, the perception of it.
Yeah, nostalgia is the primary reason behind the new vinyl resurgence, for sure. However, it’s more than that. At least, to me. Yesterday I found myself taking a good look at my record, seeing if it’s clean, checking for spots, brushing the disc… I even ordered a Spin-Clean Record Washer, so I can properly maintain my records. So, yeah… it really is something special. It’s like taking care of a pet, somehow, lol. :)) Cleaning, maintaining, brushing stylus after each play, brushing the record before it… washing records on a regular basis… is something that makes you get more involved. And after you put all that effort in to maintain it, it becomes something that you actually care about!
And not only that… But it’s something you own. In this day and age you can say this about fewer and fewer things. You don’t own the music, you have the right to listen to it. You don’t own the game, you only have the right to play it. And all things that come with that. Contracts between record labels and audio streaming services exchange hands and could go south anytime. Spotify finally reported net profits in 2024 after years of losses, so you may never know. A song can be online today, but tomorrow it may not.
The record? It’s yours. You own that. Not just the right to listen, as is the case for the streaming platforms… but the record as an object. It’s yours. They can’t take it from you. It’s something that you have in your house, on your bookshelf. It’s… a comforting thought. Though I may obsess too much about it and it surely is a lesser issue to most people than I make it out to be. 😛
Although, I read about times when people no longer could access online movies that they BOUGHT (not renting, but actually buying), because company had to pull the plug on the content. Soo… yeah. Even if you pay for it it, as long as it’s stored in the cloud, on some server, in a place you have no knowledge about… yeah, it’s somewhat volatile. But records? Records are solid! 😀
Maan… I ALMOST pulled the trigger on a LP60 myself! 😀 Audio-Technica no longer makes it, but it is still available at online stores around here. I doubt people can get better value than that. It’s crazy! I ended up picking LP120x, but I was a bit undecided. LP120x is great, but… it has features that I’ll never end up using. It feels like a mix between a TT for listening and one for DJing. In the end the only reasons why I picked LP120x is because it is manual, has upgradeable cartridge, adjustable counter weight and anti skating mechanisms.
Yea… records are really are expensive! New ones cost like 18-25 euro… can’t really afford more than 2 or 3 a month. However, I think there’s an upside to this. 😀 If you buy less, you listen to each one more. 😀 For example, the last record that I bought I listened to it for a whole week – once maybe twice a day! 😀 Even used different headphones with it, to compare sound. Tried it with the KPH30i, the Porta Pros and the K702. 😀 And, yeah… it’s really nice to listen to it and spot all those differences. 😀 Also, because I can’t buy so many, it’s a really conscious choice. It’s like… I’m aware that I can get only one record this week, so I put more thought to it. And makes me more picky about it. And I appreciate it more. Hopefully, this won’t become like my Steam library lol. :)) And another advantage is that, at least from what I’ve read online, most of the records that are pressed today are of good quality! 😀 So, if you just started building your new collection, like I did… I think there is no better time for it! 😀
Yeah… IEMs are all the rage this days. And I get it. It makes sense. It’s in your ear… you hear it better. However, I’m curious: can you also get good sound scene and imaging from those too? Or is it something that is reserved only for headphones and speakers?
Yea, it’s interesting what you say about speakers / monitors… because I think it like that, too. 😀 I listen to headphones out of necessity, because I don’t want to disturb other people. But, in my opinion, music is made to be listened on speakers. At the end of the day, yea… everyone enjoys music the way they want. And we should all celebrate music and being able to listen to it, no matter the way we’re doing it. So I’m not going to tell someone how they should or should not experience their music lol. :)) That’s between them and their music. 😀 But… to me? Yea, it makes sense to be experienced on speakers. The natural choice, if there are no other constraints.
Appreciate your nod to Adam Audio! I pulled the trigger on the D3Vs. 😀 I doubt they’ll arrive this weekend, but maybe Monday or Tuesday I’ll get to hear them. So excited about it! 😀
Will keep you posted and I look forward to your next videos and new channel! Can’t wait to see the stuff that you’re working on. 😀 The new website, the new channel, the incoming reviews, the guitar lessons… whoaa, a lot of things coming up! 😀
I once tried my hand at doing some kind of gaming news website of my own, a long time ago… but it required a lot of time from me to maintain, and that was something that I didn’t have. But at least I learned a thing or two, and made me appreciate this kind of stuff more. 😀
Seems like this is a good year for you, and I’m really glad! 😀 You’re doing great, keep up the good work! 😀
Mihai,
It’s funny because technically the 90s would be considered “classic rock” if we’re evaluating based on time and generation. But yeah, your criteria is correct. I just get tired of hearing the same 90s alternative rock bs every time I walk into a store. I get the fact that good music is “timeless”, but man, it’s so refreshing to walk into a restaurant where they’re playing newer stuff or even music I listen to. The other day I went to a bar and grill and they were playing indie music that I really like. I was shocked. That almost never happens unless you’re in a privately owned business or something.
I’m spinning one right now! Going to have to pick up some of that spin clean record washer lol. My dad gave me his old “disc washer” which I still use when the records get dusty. That said, as a guy who samples, that extra dust creates those really nice crackles that you can hear in the beat which gives the instrumental some nice flavor. Sounds like you’re heavily involved! This has inspired me greatly. I may go to the thrift store and peruse the record bin today 🙂
Very true. I like having a nice record collection, especially now that I know they’re all of good quality with the sleeves and case in tact and all. It is a great hobby.
Lately I’ve also been getting back into the old consoles and stuff. I had a Super Nintendo years back and sold it at my parents’ garage sale as a kid thinking I “outgrew” it. Boy was I ever wrong. Years later I bought another, but now I want to get my hands on a regular Nintendo because I never had one. My dad did in about ’88, and I can barely remember us playing it. These rabbit holes run really deep because on eBay you can find people fixing up old CRT televisions and making them look ultra crisp. I kind of want one of those too as you get the full experience of the game since those are the TVs the games were played on originally.
Anyway, I went off on a tangent haha. I agree about streaming services. I remember when you had to go into a store to buy a CD, and it was a fun experience perusing all the shelves at say, Best Buy or Circuit City. It was a neat way to actually discover music. I’ll never complain about convenience, but I find myself not being as “into” the experience of finding new artists like I was way back when. Despite all the music right there at my fingertips, it’s no longer a fun endeavor to me and actually seems more challenging to dig for music. Makes no sense I know. I sort of just end up putting a playlist on shuffle or finding a good song and going to the song radio. One good method I’ve found is to just play a song you like and let it shuffle automatically after the song is finished. I’ve found some gems that way. If you have any tips for how you discover new music, let me know. Here are my playlists by the way.
Very true. I’ve only noticed a few songs that basically “went grey” and it’s obviously because of a dispute or something, but yeah, the same goes for gaming and films as you’ve mentioned. The convenience of it is how they get us (me at least). I bought a digital copy of Metal Gear Solid Legacy Collection for PS4, and yeah, not having those physical copies is kind of annoying. But then you get into the whole, “I don’t necessarily have the space to collect all this stuff.” For instance, i still have about 25 or so films on my shelf, but I just don’t have the room to have a serious collection of, well, anything. And if it goes away, whatever I guess. I can live without it haha.
Nice! I have a collectors item now haha (LP60). Wonder how much I could sell it for? Just kidding 😛 I’m pretty satisfied with mine but I would like to start scratching samples so I’d need a dedicated rig for that. FL Studio has a scratcher and it’s not half bad, but I prefer a more hands on approach.
I do the same thing with records I buy from the thrift store. They typically get 4 or 5 runs before I switch, just so I can savor the moment xD And of course potentially find samples for beats. That’s also how I feel about choosing. I know I have to make it count, so more thought goes into things like looking/evaluating the cover to gauge if a good sample is contained therein, or reading the back, pulling out the sleeve, etc. It really is a cool experience if you treat it that way.
As far as IEMs, yeah! I think they can provide fantastic Soundstage and imaging if you have the right ones. Some of the ones I tried from HIFIMAN had pretty amazing height and depth, as well as your typical good width. Not all headphones have these things, plus I think resolution is better as well. I do think a lot of it depends on the track though. I always tell people, even my old Skull Candy Uproar Wireless, an awfully tuned headphone, can have the perception of amazing Soundstage if you’re listening to a track that was formulated in such a way as to showcase it.
Yeah, I’ve actually become more of a speaker/monitor whore nowadays. 95% of the time I’m mixing on my HS7s, only occasionally checking the mix on headphones. That said, I like headphones because of the more intimate experience, but you’re right: music was made for speakers I think and I’m realizing that more and more as I mix down my own tracks.
Keep me posted on the D3Vs! Yeah thank you man! I will keep you in the loop. Both videos for the channels are basically done. After that I will upload the first single from an upcoming album. But yeah, I was working on a beat last night actually. The problem is I know that once I start it’s hard for me to walk away from it lol. So it’s kind of a ritual for me to sit down and make or EQ one, and i think that’s how it should be. Just a fun hobby that I put everything into. Sometimes I avoid it because I know I’ll go hours without getting up and moving around. xD
You should start another website as a hobby or something! There is work involved as you know, but it’s very rewarding because it’s yours, you know?
Anyway, great to hear from you as always.
All the best and God bless,
-Stu
Hey, Stu!
Yea, I bet it must be really annoying to hear all the time the same songs… Totally get it. Happens to me too, sometimes. Although while commuting sometimes I listen to the same track on repeat. For WEEKS! :)) But that happens only when I find nothing else to play. I don’t listen very often to music made after 2010s, but yeah… sometimes I swear, it’s like everywhere they’re all playing the same 10 songs. :)) I’m all for the classics, sure… but even there, some diversity wouldn’t hurt. However, listening to mainstream music has some advantages, because it’s easier to find something else to play. I know I’m easy that way and that I’m kinda shallow… but it’s easier when you enjoy mainstream stuff. Sometimes indie stuff is hard to come by.
And since you mentioned it… music discovery. Yeah… a whole topic in itself, and one we can discuss at great length!
Well, I guess everybody has their ways. And, true, I do find it difficult. However, there are a few things that I usually do to discover new things to listen to.
– first, I use Tidal. And Tidal has a nifty feature called “My Daily Discovery”. It’s an AI generated playlist of 10 songs. It’s based on what artists you like, what songs you play… stuff like that. It’s like the Facebook and Google commercials algorithms, but less advanced. Basically, Tidal learns from the music you usually enjoy, and it suggests tracks. If you skip it before you listen half of it, it will recommend it less. If you play it to the end or add to the favourites, it will recommend it more and stuff similar to it. It’s basic stuff, kinda hit or miss, but… it hits more often than not? Sure, it’s not 100% guaranteed, it doesn’t give stuff I didn’t know before… but at least it’s stuff that I enjoy listening to. I know you use Spotify, and I heard it’s great for music discovery. YouTube, too. I know folks that use Tidal or Qobuz for the quality and Spotify and YouTube precisely for music discovery. To me, the 10 songs that Tidal provides daily is enough, so I don’t need other streaming services. Also, Apple Music sucks in this regard. 😀
– this also involves some kind of streaming app… but it’s more like curated content than AI generated playlists. So Tidal (and Apple Music too – and they’re better at this) have this playlists you can check out… like, listening by the genre, or decade. And you can find playlists like “best of the “. You’ll probably know most of them, but at least it’s more diverse than your average local radio. XD
– another way I use for discovering music is the old fashioned way, by listening to the radio (insert The Carpenters – Yesterday Once More song here XD). Again, most of the times it won’t give me new stuff to listen to… but at least it’s somewhat enjoying. And while local stations aren’t something to write home about, I find good music by listening to music on stations from the internet. So there’s this radio station called the Breeze… I found different stations with the same name – some from New Zeeland, some from UK, some from US… but the music they play follows the same theme. Since mainstream music isn’t exactly your thing, you may not be interested in this, but I’m sure there’s some hip-hop radio stations across the internet that you can take inspiration from!
– automated music discovery and radios aside, things become more difficult when talking about music discovery. First other thing that comes to mind is… favourite artists. Yes, we all know their hits and mainstream stuff… but some of them (especially the notorious ones) have an entire career behind them, with a library full of music to listen and discover. Yeah, sometimes there are one hit wonders too… but those are the exceptions. Most of the time the artists that make it to the mainstream have a number of albums before being famous and they continue to create music long after they leave the charts. And what I look forward to discover this year (and the next one) is Prince and David Bowie. Sure, we all know their hits… but they produced a lot more. And since they’re famous… they can’t be all bad. I didn’t really listen to them much before… but when they both died in 2016, something inside me felt wrong. And I was like… damn, some of the most creative guys and influential artists in music and entertainment… I owe it to them to discover more of their work! Looking through wikipedia now, Prince has 40 albums, 13 EPs… that’s huge! Sure, he’s mostly known for 1999, Purple Rain and Sign o’ the Times… but surely there’s more to it. David Bowie… another giant! 26 studio albums, 8 EPs… and more stuff. Sure, the famous one are Hunky Dory, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, Heroes… but there are a lot more nuances to discover. He was a complex man, and he released stuff through most of his life. So there’s ton to listen and discover. So I’d suggest to find some artists that you’re already familiar with, that you enjoy listening to, and listen to their discography. One album at a time, every album two-three times a day, for two or three days. Should give you months of listening! 😀
– another way that I use to discover music is related to the previous one. For example, several years ago I was like… ok, time for me to listen to all of The Beatles discography, and find out why everyone else was raving about them back in the day. And, sure I knew the hits… but there was more to discover. And after that I started to get familiar with the members. So, after the split most of them went separately or with other groups, and did more music. Paul released some solo stuff, but also with Wings. While listening to The Beatles I found out that George is my favourite, and he also did something on his own (All Things Must Pass), but also while being part of this supergroup called Traveling Wilburys, consisting of Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty. So after finishing with both George’s solo work and with Traveling Wilburys, I can go and check out all the other artists as well. And, sure, you can’t talk about George Harrison without mentioning his friendship with Eric Clapton; and with that comes Cream, Derek and the Dominos… I’m sure you get the idea. 😀
– music from other media – things like movies and games. And I have a personal example here, too. 😀 So, I liked this 90s movie, called A Bronx Tale. Seeing your references in your videos I’m sure you’re familiar with this. 😀 Well, the movie starts with a track by Dion & The Belmonts. In the 50s they had a lot of radio time, so they get the mention in this movie, especially since they also started from Bronx. And I liked that song from the movie, I also already knew another of Dion’s famous tracks… and I was like… ok, lemme research this guy some more. Well, while doing doo wop music, he only released like, maybe two or three albums… and two more with The Belmonts… but, buoooy did he had singles! I mean… I’m listening right now to some music of his. It’s these albums on Tidal… The History of Dion & The Belmonts. And it’s 9 or 10 albums, 10 songs each! I listened to Dion from time to time for my last 15 years or so, I’d say I’m pretty familiar with his doo wop stuff… and I’m still discovering doo wop songs of his that I didn’t know! And that’s only talking doo wop! Cuz after the 60s ended, he went and focused more on blues. So there’s still stuff that I don’t know of him. And he’s still composing and playing and touring! To this very day! In 2020 he released Blues with Friends. The album features Joe Bonamassa, Van Morrison, Jeff Beck, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen… I mean… it’s amazing! In 2021 he released another album, Stomping Ground. And in 2024, Dion released his third No. 1 blues album, Girl Friends. I mean… that’s coming from the same guy who used to sing Runaround Sue 64 years ago!! And I came to know all this only because I liked A Bronx Tale way back when! 😀
– I know I mentioned games before, but I think they deserve their own entry. Some games have beautiful music! The Witcher had great music throughout the series. And as a eastern european myself, I totally digged it. Also, I know Ubisoft gets a lot of hate lately, especially the Assassin’s Creed games. But, maaan!! Do they have MUSIC on those games! I think you can find it on youtube, just search for “music of assassin’s creed” or something like that. There are videos that are hours long! And, of course, there’s Black Flag, a different beast altogether, because it introduces you to sea shanties, and there’s a whole genre to explore. Besides Ubisoft… Japanese games always had great music. Final Fantasy series is famous for it. Death Stranding also introduces you to some indie music, too, like Low Roar (RIP 🙁 ). And I know you also enjoy the Fallout games… they all had good music, especially if you like old music, like I do. 😀 The radios from the GTA games… great songs there, too! In fact… almost every car game has good music. I don’t like the music from the latest NFS games, but I find Forza Horizon 5 has quite some interesting picks.
– since we already talked about vinyl records, sometimes that’s also a good place to start – just look at what’s available locally. Sadly, I don’t have a music store in town, but I browse online. And, among other things, I found out there are many records sold in my country of classics like Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley… that kinda of stuff. I don’t listen much to Presley lately, but I think Fitzgerald and Armstrong could be worthwhile looking up. Recently my interest in Sinatra was rekindled, so I also listened to his first two albums.
– if nothing else hits the mark, when it comes to finding new music, I go to Reddit and look up what other people recommend, related to some of the stuff that I listen. Again, it’s hit or miss, because we all have such different tastes. But sometimes, I may find something that rings good to my ear. 😀
– sometimes when I’m really bored of a genre for a time, I skip to totally different genre. Of course listening to rock, especially the mainstream tracks, can get boring fast. And that’s when I switch to latino music. Or folk. Dunno… something that rings different. Sure, I don’t enjoy modern music as much… except country. I found out that country music still sounds pleasant to my ear, and sometimes I switch to that. Again, I go to Tidal or Apple Music for this. A playlist like “best country songs of ” usually does the job. Being a genre that I don’t listen to as often, it always sounds fresh. 😀
– and not the least important… what I like to do from time to time… go to the classics. No, not the 90s or 50s or 70s… the real classics. 😀 Like… classical music. Many artists and youtubers I follow praise Bach as being the father of modern music as we know it… so I was curious. And now, sometimes when I go to bed, I set YouTube to play something like Glenn Gould, The Goldberg Variations. And there’s a lot of Bach to discover, but that’s my starting place. Of course, you could start from someplace else, or with another classical composer. There’s Mozart, Vivaldi, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky… I’m sure you can find something that you’ll enjoy. The interesting part is that, being classical works, there are only papers of it, and everyone plays them differently. It’s interesting to listen do different plays and find out what you enjoy and why. I think this also helps with developing a good ear for music. 😀
– and of course… recommendations! I took a look at your playlists and found out stuff that could be down my alley. 😀 Stuff like Fleetwood Mac, Eagles, Neil Young, Led Zeppelin, but especially Allman Brothers… that’s stuff I continuously postpone to start listening more seriously. (those, and Jim Croce, too. I really MUST start listening to Jim Croce one of these days!) Really, Fleetwood Mac and Allman Brothers… those are some bands that already were on my list. Seeing them there only made them rank higher now. 😀 I’m really, REALLY interested in Duane Allman especially. I mentioned Harrison and Clapton previously… few know that Duane was involved in the making of Layla (and most stuff from that album), which is arguably Clapton’s magnum opus. Part of that psychedelic intro, that makes the song so special? Yea, that was Duane!
And that’s about all things related to music discovery that I can think of. At least for now anyway. 😀
Now, to cover some of the other things you mentioned… yea, I also loved the SNES era. 😀 Sometimes I also go back to it, but mostly through emulation. CRTs… maaan, that’s something! I always thought that image looked best and most natural on CRTs. But being big and less ergonomic, they would sell less units than your average modern LCD TV. I think this is why they eventually stopped being made. Because shipping and containers. I mean… everything we buy it’s shipped around the globe in big 40 feet containers that are then loaded on ships. And you must ask yourself… how many CRT TVs can be loaded in a container and how many LCD ones? In my opinion, this is the real reason why we lost the CRT TVs: they were bulky, expensive to produce and, above all, difficult to ship.
So I was reading about stuff you said about shelf space… and almost burst in laughing! :)) I mean… that’s some of my biggest concerns. First world problems, I know. :)) I mean… I could get so much more stuff… if only I had the space for it! :)) And, yeah… that’s why I appreciate digital media. too. I love that I started this collection… but I so wish I could have more shelf space! :))
The D3Vs area great, by the way! 😀 Wish I could tell you more about them, but I don’t know too much about this stuff… that’s why I watch your channel lol. :)) They do sound neutral to the T. But… in a pleasant way? Can’t really understand why. For example… K702 headphones? I can’t listen too much on them. Sure, they’re comfy… love the feeling of them on my head and ears (and I can’t say that about too many headphones!)… but they sound flat. And, I mean… that’s what they’re supposed to do, lol. :)) But I don’t really enjoy listening much on them. I much prefer the KPH30i. Those are not neutral, of course… but they aren’t bassy or focused on highs neither. But they are more melodic and music on them is more enjoying.
The D3Vs though? To me, it’s hard to grasp. Because these are both neutral and a joy to listen to music! And I mean it! I thought it was only because of spinning records that I enjoy them so much… but it’s not. I find myself playing digital stuff through my Hiby R4 DAP, too (one of these days maybe we should talk about DAPs too :)) )! It has this effect… like, being in a place that you don’t want to leave. :)) It’s hard for me to describe it differently. Maybe it’s because I didn’t have speakers for a long time. Before the D3Vs I had consumer stuff. Not bad, but… consumer stuff. Creative Pebbles, to be more precise. I think they were… the v3 2.0? lol. Why would they name it like that? :)) Anyway, those aren’t bad… I mean, as laptop speakers? You can do much, much worse than Creative Pebbles! :)) … but they aren’t really audiophile or pro material neither. Still. For 30-40 euros you can’t really judge them much.
The D3Vs, though? Those are on totally another level! Both sound quality and price! :)) I find them revealing. You can hear everything at them. All the instruments, the highs, the lows… everything. If it’s on the track, you’re going to hear it. The lateral passive radiators are interesting too. 😀 I mean… I never saw anything like that before. They are passive radiators, they don’t produce sound… but they vibrate along with the bass. And the vibrating helps the speakers push more air. In some way, Adam Audio feels like they cheated with these, but in a good way. 😀 Also… I don’t know if it’s something that relates to these speakers in particular or to monitors in general… it’s a sensation I can hardly describe, but I’ll try. Usually, when I listen to other speakers… you can tell sound coming from a direction. So when the speakers are in front of you, you can not only hear the music, but also feel it coming from the front. The D3Vs though? That’s the strangest thing, and first time ever… I don’t feel the sound coming from one specific direction. I don’t feel it coming from the front, even if both speakers are in front of me, on the desk, pointed towards me, in an equilateral triangle, with points of the triangle being both speakers and my head, at the ear level. I know this is the proper way to set them, and so I did. But… the sound? It just… is. I can’t tell from where. I can differentiate left and right channel. But I can’t tell where it’s coming from. It just… is. It’s *there*. In the room. I don’t understand why and how.
And here’s another thing. I don’t listen to loud volume… I live in an apartment, I have neighbours… can’t really rock it hard, no matter how much I’d want to. So the volume stays at 9 o’clock while I listen to digital, and close to 11 o’clock while listening records (I need a better phono amp XD). However, though they’re not loud, if I leave the room… I can still hear them? And not just a faint sound… like, no, properly hearing them! If the door’s open and I’m in another room, I have no problem listening to them, even at low-ish volume. Which is really, really weird to me. Because I was used to commercial speakers… that can sound loud… but they would lose said volume if you’d distance farther from them.
So, yeah… these are the main particularities, as much as I’m able to tell. They’re very, very neutral, pleasant to listen to, can’t tell where the sound is coming from (but still being able to differentiate channels), and music still rings clear in other rooms, even at low volume.
Bear in mind that I’m in no way an expert! I’m what you would probably call a “normie”. I love music, I love talking about music, I find videos about gear to be both educating and entertaining (and I learned a lot from you), and I love gadgets… but that’s it. I’m no audiophile, no expert. However, I know for sure there’s something special about these speakers… cuz even my mom told me she could feel the bass, even if she admitted that the volume was low. And this surprised her. :)) And I may not know much, but at least I know this: these are not bassy! :)) Yet, somehow, even an old lady like my mom, 70 years old, was able to distinguish it. 😀
If you could find a place where there are shown, and give them a listen, I’d highly recommend! Not to mention that I’m really, REALLY curious how would they sound to you, you having a trained ear and all that. 😀
Well, that’s it for today. Had a slow day at work, that’s how I managed to write all this. :)) Anyway, you take care! Keep doing what you do best, I’ll definitely be around to check things out. 😀
Best regards and God bless,
Mihai
Mihai,
Hah! I used to do that too, but now I do the opposite. I think to myself “Man, this song is good, but I don’t want to get sick of it. Let’s just skip over it until the mood is right.” I’ve changed a bit in my old age. xD 😛
Thank you! I had Tidal. May get it again at some point. Haven’t really decided. I’m pretty sure Spotify does this same sort of thing, yeah mate? It’s nice when you get into a groove and it’s recommending good stuff over and over. I’m kind of in a nice run right now actually. I find it sometimes kind of veers off though and starts playing stuff that’s less and less like what you were enjoying, which is strange. Like it sort of subtly shifts genres after awhile, but ever so slowly. It’s kind of annoying actually. This is when I usually refresh by going back to what I was originally listneing to.
Yeah, I used to listen to WKNC 88.1 here in NC! It was great for discovering new stuff. I may have to give it another go! It’s been years. Thanks for the reminder! If you like Classical music, 89.7 is great and they also stream online @ The Classical Station. I discover great samples this way too 🙂
Yeah it’s funny you mention Prince because I honestly don’t know much about him or his music but was recently reading about him. So many people really love him not only for his amazing music/work ethic but for the type of person he was. And I kind of went down a bit of a rabbit hole about his death but that’s a discussion for another day lol. I think that’s a great idea re: digging through artists. Also funny you mention that because I had started some Playlists dedicated to entire bands/artists catalogue in order. I did Pink Floyd, Bjork, Death Cab for Cutie. I may continue it since sometimes I get a hankering to just listen to one artist all day long. So yeah I do this but not as frequently. Here’s the Pink Floyd one.
Yeah! That’s a great way to do it. George is also my favorite member of the band haha. There’s a couple docs I want to share if you haven’t seen them: One is called “Life in 12 Bars” about Eric Clapton, but it also goes into a lot of stuff with Harrison and the love triangle thing with Pattie Boyd. The second one is called “Living in the Material World” and both are 2 of the best I’ve seen. I actually sampled a bit from Life in 12 bars for one of my beats. 🙂 It will be on the upcoming album. But yeah the Clapton doc goes into all that stuff too about Derek and The Dominos, Blind Faith, etc. It’s a really fascinating watch.
Bronx Tale is awesome! Love that one. But yeah you’re right haha. Because I watch so many movies and docs, I’m constantly finding new samples, songs, etc.
Man, I’ve been wanting to play the Witcher for quite awhile. Apparently it won game of the year when it was released. The third one I believe. You’re opening up a whole can of worms because I was talking with my friend about how I/we need to play Death Stranding. I have this thing where I literally will wait years and years before playing or watching something because I just never feel like it lol. Then I randomly decide I want to xD This most recently happened with Uncharted 4. I’ve got the platinum trophy for 1-3 but just bought 4 a couple months ago. Haha don’t ask me why. But yeah Fallout’s music is amazing. I also want to try the Final Fantasy games I just never got into them when i was younger. I’ve heard mixed things about them.
Speaking of vinyl, I picked up 7 records today at the thrift store. Looking forward to going through them for potential samples. I love some Frank Sinatra. Once I was walking along the sidewalk and someone had thrown a Sinatra CD out the window onto the grass. It was hilarious to me because I envisioned the person being so angry before aggressively throwing it xD
That’s another good idea! I usually get pigeonholed into one or 2 genres that I mostly listen to and rarely venture out. I stick to Indie Pop, Hip-Hop, Jazz, and Classical, and some other stuff while occasionally listening to some ambient (MAN, if you haven’t, you really need to). Ambient is one of those genres that just makes me feel super nostalgic and weird, in the best way possible.
This may sound strange, but I’m actually not a huge fan of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, etc. I appreciate their music/contributions, but I’m more of a Debussy, Ravel, Holst, Aaron Copland, Edvarg Grieg, Gershwin, kind of guy. That type of stuff really moves me, whereas the other composers I just sort of shrug my shoulders. Idk. But yeah I listen to and sample a lot of Classical.
Yeah! When I was younger I used to listen to Rock a lot more, but in some ways I outgrew it a bit I think. I still listen to those artists from time to time, but I’m not as into that type of music anymore if that makes sense. Still timeless classics though. That’s one of my “change of pace” genres actually. But yeah, you should! I recently made this playlist for my mom’s husband on our beach trip, and it has a mix of current stuff I listen to and some older songs you may enjoy.
Yeah man Allman Brothers was one of my favorite bands back in the day. I was just talking a bout Duane Allman with my mom’s husband actually (on the beach trip). It’s a shame he died so young being that talented on guitar. I got to see the Allman Brothers in 2004 when Greg was still alive. They really put on a great show. Yes! I think they go into that in the Clapton doc if I’m not mistaken (Duane’s Layla influence). It’s been awhile since I watched it.
Yeah CRT TVs were hHHEEEAAAVVVVY. I don’t know if I already mentioned it, but my dad had a Sony Trinitron and if you remember those, they were gargantuan and weighed like 200 lbs. I honestly have no idea how we ever managed, but I vividly remember us both having to lift it together to move it around. It’s kind of insane to think about haha. He also had a Zenith almost exactly like this one that I watched Atlanta Braves games on every night during the summer. Ugh the nostalgia! I would like to get a small one just for console gaming. Speaking of, I finally bought an NES! I got the original box, zapper, and everything. I also restored the 72-pin connector and retro brighted it. 🙂 It’s so much fun taking stuff apart and tinkering with it lol.
Glad you’re enjoying the D3V’s! Haha no worries! I totally understand what you mean about the 702. I personally love listening that flat, but there are times when I’m not feelin’ it. It mostly has to do with the way the song was engineered though. Some people are really bad at mixing haha.
I actually think I was supposed to review the Pebbles haha. Reminds me of Cereal. But yeah Adam Audio is top notch. I really want to review more of their studio monitors.
Wow. That sounds pretty amazing re: not being able to pinpoint where the sound is coming from. One really cool thing about my Yamaha HS7s is sometimes it sounds like the music is in the room with me, or behind me, etc. but the mark of a good mix in my opinion is when you can place everything on the Soundstage and everything was panned nicely. This is what I strive for when I’m making beats.
Same here, last Thursday I was listening to a couple of my beats with a friend and we turned it up somewhat, but I can’t blast it either. It’s funny because I always tell him how bad I want to. xD It’s better for me nowadays to mix/EQ low and occasionally turn it up some to check dB levels of various instruments/samples and stuff.
Thank you so much for the vote of confidence! I really appreciate your kind words. I’m always working to get better at mixing/hearing/listening etc. I really do believe very low is best. I usually get the main melody/structure of the beat this way and then add bass lines, EQ, add samples, etc. And yeah! I really want to hear some more Adam products for sure.
But yeah man! Always great to hear from you. Singles from the album should be coming shortly! Where do you work btw?
In any event, God Bless you my friend and talk soon,
-Stu
Hey, Stu!
Hope this message finds you well! 😀 Last week I was on vacation, now I’m back to work and I have some free time to answer properly. 😀
First, the Spotify vs Apple Music vs Tidal… I had all of them. On a music quality level I can’t really differentiate (which doesn’t mean much, since my ears aren’t really trained). Yes, I have my preferences, but quality is not the main issue and I like each for different things.
Apple Music was a good choice while I had an iPhone. Loved iTunes because I could purchase and download songs and albums and not just stream.
Spotify I think is the best when it comes down to music discovery, and it’s worth the sub at least for this alone (and we covered that topic extensively already). So, yeah… as you said, for this use case I think nothing beats Spotify.
Tidal I prefer because I can use it with different player apps in Play Store and it’s the most transparent when it comes to technical details of the songs played (it shows frequency, bitrate, bandwidth).
I think you can’t go wrong with neither. I’d be interested in Qobuz, but it’s not yet available in my country.
Prince used to be very mainstream in the 80s. I real admire the guy, because he is known not only for being a good singer, but for many other things as well. He was a very good guitarist. Also, he used to make his own music. Instruments, production, voice, lyrics… it was the Prince way. Sure, he didn’t do it for ALL of his music… but there’s plenty of Prince music where he would be the guy behind every instrument, writing, arrangement… the works. And if this would not be enough, he was also regarded as a great performer and show man. His Super Bowl halftime performance from 2007 is, arguably, to this day, the one to beat. You should check it out, if you hadn’t already. 😀
Now, I didn’t listen to all his music… and I’m far from saying he was some kind of King Midas of music. Of course he had his flops. But I still think there’s a lot of good material there. I mean… 39 albums during lifetime and one released posthumously. 40 albums is an atrocious amount of music… There are many great artists that didn’t release more than 8 studio albums in their entire career, and they don’t feel lacking or lesser for that. So 40 is… totally insane! 😀
Your docs recommendations are most welcome! 😀 Yea, the love triangle thing between Harrison, Clapton and Pattie Boyd is something that was known to me, and how this lead eventually to Layla being written. Clapton’s fondness for chocolate was also an inspiration for Harrison to write Savoy Truffle (Beatles song). Great upbeat track! 😀 I’ll definitely check out those docs. 😀
And if I’m not mistaken, Eric Clapton was the one who directed the Concert for George event. A lot of great indian music was played at that event, I’m sure you can find many uses for your sampling sessions. 😀 If anything, you can’t ever go wrong with indian / arabic / oriental tunes. I’m not the biggest judge of music, but if you ask me… that’s how Timbaland struck gold. “Big Pimpin'” (arguably Jay-Z’s biggest success) contains such an egyptian sample; More Than a Woman, (performed by Aaliyah), another of Timbaland’s works, also used an egyptian sample. And, yeah… those are great performers, nothing against them. But if you listen the tracks… it’s the samples that make them really stand out.
Death Stranding… I just finished it a few weeks ago. 😀 One of the best games I ever played. Kojima is… not of this world! :)) Right now I’m replaying Cyberpunk 2077, another game from the same studio that made The Witcher 3. That one I never played. Yeah, I’m also the type of guy who waits for the hype to be put to rest, game gets fixed with patches… and one year later maybe I get a complete edition repackaged properly. 😀 And if on sale… then, yeah, I may be interested in a purchase. 😀
I don’t usually play games near release, cuz they’re mostly broken, unfinished and overpriced. XD But Death Stranding is pretty safe to play, since it already got a sequel. 😀 And, yeah… maybe I’ll get to play The Witcher 3 too soon. I skipped it all this time because in the past decade I couldn’t throw a rock without hitting an article or a “best of” video who would put it at the top of the list. XD And, yeah… nothing wrong with that, maybe the game really is that good. But I usually stay away from games that are universally praised by everybody. At least until the enthusiasm curve goes down for a while.
Final Fantasy… played a few of them. Not all of them. They’re linear. They usually have a good story. You have to be into Japanese culture and humour to enjoy some parts. I have this friend of mine that can’t get jap humour and it’s always a red flag for him. :)) If you like anime, manga, this kind of stuff… Yea, Final Fantasy is a safe bet. Most of the characters aren’t really complex. Most of them have one or maybe two traits that define their personality and that’s it. It’s rather childish in that regard. Music and art direction in general, however… totally out of this world! If you enjoy high fantasy stuff, Japanese imagination dials stuff up to 11.
With Uncharted series I was just like you. :)) At first, I didn’t have a PlayStation system. Then I postponed it. And now it sits in my wishlist and waits for a heavy discount before I jump in it! 😀 Uncharted holds a special place in my heart, because it was directed by Amy Hennig, and she’s the one responsible for one of my favourite game series of all time: Legacy of Kain. So… yeah. I’m really curious to see what she did after leaving Crystal Dynamics and joining Naughty Dog.
I kinda dig where you’re coming from when talking about rock music. At least classic rock. Yeah… classics are great, nothing wrong with them. Especially if you don’t play it too often. They’re classics for a reason, a darn good one. But… yeah. I digged it more in my 20s than I do it now. I kinda got to outgrew it too. My problem is I still didn’t find anything better or at least as good as that. I’m into easy rock / soft rock type of music. Don’t listen to heavy stuff, not any more. Besides… that music is really, really fast! I still have problems differentiating simple instruments that are few, slow and far in-between. Metal is waay too fast for me! :))
I kinda feel like rock died, you kno? And, no… it never does. The music doesn’t. But the rock bands kinda did. I was watching this video on youtube the other day… name a great rock BAND that made it to the first 20s on Spotify in the last 10 years! It must be new. Old bands like Bon Jovi, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Red Hot Chilli Peppers or whatnot don’t count. Yea, they still released, they still had top songs… but those are old bands. So how about new bands? How about the camaraderie? The connection? The chemistry between different band members while doing their part? I fear it’s kinda gone now. Soo… yeah. I’d so much want to outgrew the classics when it comes to rock! Unfortunately all I can do is switch the genre and then come back to it when it feels less stale. Because after some time it does feel fresh again. So, on one hand… yeah, it’s great that in today’s day and age one can go in their bedroom and make everything by themselves. Like you do. And the way I’d like to do it too. But, on the other way… I feel we lost something on the way here.
Congrats on the NES, Stu! What’s your favorite NES game? For me it has to be Super Mario Bros! :)) And there were more, but I can’t remember them right now. 😀
I’m really curious to see you review the Creative Pebbles, if you have the time for it. 😀 To me they’re… consumer stuff. But good consumer stuff. 😀 It’s like Sony. Has good products, but audiophiles will always trash them. :)) For a laptop I don’t think you can ask for more when it comes to small desktop speakers. But I’m really curious about your opinion! 😀
Speaking of latest acquisitions… lately I made the jump into chi-fi. :)) Got my first IEMs. 😀 It’s the Moondrop Chu II. Aaaand… FINALLY, I can hear a difference! :)) Because til now I only had headphones. And, yea… I could tell some were tuned in a way, some were tuned differently, and maybe some were better. But every time I heard the same sounds, just different. Now, with IEMs… finally I’m hearing not just differently, but more! It’s why I got into this hobby in the first place! :)) And I was SO frustrated cuz with every new pair of headphones came new disappointment of not being able to pinpoint new details. But now that day has finally come!
Also… got a new DAP. The FiiO M21. The cassette player case is also on the way. I’m a sucker for that nostalgia look. :)) And to top it all off… Also ordered the Moondrop Space Travel TWS. Should arrive tomorrow. It will be used for commuting. This message is already too long already, so maybe I’ll share my opinion of them at a later date. 😀 Long story short? DAP is great, IEMs are great. Trouble with IEMs is the fit. They hurt my ears. 🙁 So I guess my searching for the perfect setup will continue. :))
Oh, yea… guess I skipped introductions. :)) Mihai, 42. I am a mechanical engineer based in Romania, Eastern Europe. I work in the shipbuilding industry. My employer is based in Netherlands, while the division I work for is from Hamburg, Germany. I do ship rudder design. I love my work! 😀 However, if I wouldn’t be a design engineer, then I’d surely would have loved to be a sound engineer! 😀 Unfortunately, there’s no faculty / college with such a specialization here in Romania. Not any that I know of, at least. But there are some music ones. You can learn proper music and music theory. Maybe I’ll do just that… once I retire, ha ha! 😀 However, like I said, I love my work. Music and video games are hobbies and past time activities.
Speaking of work… gotta get back to it. 😀 It was nice hearing from you, Stu, as always! Looking forward to the singles from your next album!
God bless!
Mihai
Mihai,
Great to hear from you brother!
Hope you had a nice vacation. Where did you go?
Yeah, before Tidal went to paid only subscriptions, I had another listen with it vs. Spotify and I have to say I think the recordings are better. Because of this I may pay for it again but I found myself listening to Spotify the majority of the time because of what you said: discovery is a bit better I think + all my playlists are on Spotify. I’ve heard some things about Qobuz but haven’t tried it.
Yeah I don’t think I actually saw that Prince performance from 2007!! Will check it out and get back to you 🙂 But yeah, I just had a gander on Spotify and it looks to be over 50 haha. I know 40 is probably an official studio album number but man, you’re right. That’s pretty crazy. I remember thinking Pink Floyd had a rather large catalogue but Prince was on another level apparently.
Interesting tidbit about Savoy Truffle! Lol speaking of the White Album, two things: The first girl i ever fell in love with used to tease me about the White Album because I loved it (well parts of it) so much: “Who listens to the White Album anyway?” she would say xD Obviously this was part of her showing affection, but there are some truly horrific songs on there haha. It also contains some of my most favorite ones as well. Quick cool story bro: My friend and I went camping in May and we decided to listen to a horrible song just for fun. Somehow we landed on the White Album and fired up “The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill.” I can’t remember the last time I laughed that hard. We were both dying hahah. It was so bad. Seriously, listen to it. It’s one of the worst songs I’ve ever heard bar none. But then you have classics like Happiness is a warm gun, Rocky Raccoon, Martha My Dear, Dear Prudence, and more. A very strange album for sure.
Dude, the beat for Big Pimpin’ is one of my favorites. Not a huge fan of Jay-Z, but man that beat is crazy good. Do you remember the Neptunes/Pharrell Williams/Chad Hugo? They had some insane beats back in the day as well. “Luv U Better” (LL Jool K), “U Don’t Have To Call” (Usher, Originally intended for Michael Jackson), “Girls Dem Sugar” (Beenie Man, Perhaps my favorite), “I Just Wanna Love U (Give It To Me)”, “Knock Yourself Out” (Jada), “Feel It Boy” (Beenie Man), I CAN’T STOP! LOL, “Beautiful” (Snoop), “Change Clothes” (the one beat I don’t mind hearing Jay-Z on lol).. OK I’m done. You just transported me back in time. I’m back! xD
Death Stranding! Man now you’re making me want to impulse buy it on eBay lol. I just might! I take it you’ve played the MGS series? Lol and yeah, I highly doubt Witcher is as good as everyone says, but who knows we’ll see.. eventually haha. But same. I always wait until the hype dies down.
I mostly want to play Final Fantasy for the potential juicy samples. Apparently some of the games are horrible and some are amazing? IDK. OK yeah that makes sense.
I will check out Legacy of Kain! Ah, looks like that was part of Crystal Dynamics/Eidos. Ever played Tomb Raider? It’s cool you know some of the back history of a lot of this stuff (music too).
Yeah man I mean every once in awhile I’ll get a hankering for some Rod Stewart, or Phil Collins/Genesis. Fire up “Young Turks.” I may have already mentioned that but whatever lol it makes me want to rip my clothes off and run around naked. My best friend is a huge metal head but it’s not really my cup. I do really like some of it though. For instance, Lemmy is just so gonzo you can’t not love him. I wish I could remember the song, but it was high-octane all the way and we were both banging our heads.
I too feel like Rock died, but I don’t know if it’s just my youth/teenage me that died or if it’s rock in general. Probably a mix of both. Rock doesn’t really move me like it used to. Even songs I was obsessed with as a teenager don’t quite hit the same way. I was the biggest Pink Floyd fan you could imagine, but it’s just not the same. It’s funny you mention that because there’s a gap between what I listen to now and the rock songs of old where I can’t really tell you what went on in between. I literally have almost no knowledge of anything from the 80s, some stuff from the 90s but it’s all overplayed radio crap that they somehow still play to this day when you walk into stores. Kind of makes me want to throw up in my mouth.
Lately I’ve been just listening to ambient because it takes me to another place. Try Mark Pritchard’s “Under the Sun” album.
No we absolutely lost something. I think it’s a sense of melody lol. Or something. To me, a lot of music I listen to sounds the same. I love listening to beats but it’s like everyone’s just copying each other and it’s weird. Ugh. I think it started with the whole Lo-Fi craze some years back. I never latched on, but I do like some of it. It just got way out of control and everyone started doing it. I don’t know what the new fad is now.. trap? Who knows.
Dude! Yeah I’ve been playing the crap out of the OG Super Mario Bros. since I fixed up the console. Now my obsession is these ROM games on eBay that you can get. Here’s an example of one. They have so many. I have to be careful lol or I’ll just BUY ALL THE GAMES. I just bought a ROM for Donkey Kong Country 2 on SNES. Should be really fun.
Yeah, the problem with Sony is they have a lot of trash, and a few really good products. I wish they’d update the MDR-7506 for modern times. As for the pebble (lol) I may review it at some point but I haven’t heard from Creative in awhile. They were supposed to send me some other stuff too.
Yes, as much as I hate to admit it, IEMs do have superior resolution to most headphones and being a headphone whore my whole life, it’s hard to come to terms with. I mostly listen on my HS7s nowadays regardless.
I was just going to say that. I don’t like how IEMs feel in my ears sometimes and they bother me too. I also heard they aren’t that good for you especially if you listen BT.
Dude that sounds like an awesome job! You can do sound/music stuff in your spare time 🙂 You don’t need a formal education anymore either.
In any event, it’s always great to chat with you man! And thank you! I will keep you posted on the music stuff.
Best,
-Stu
Hello,
I still use the Koss Kph30i headphones I bought two years ago with my old iPad Pro, which has a 3.5mm jack. After your review, I liked them even more. I’d like to ask you about the Beyerdynamic Dt 900 Pro X. If I buy these headphones without an amplifier, will I notice a difference in sound quality, stage width, and resolution on the iPad Pro, or will the Koss be enough for me? Thanks in advance. Sorry for the English translation.
Memo
Thank you for stopping by Memo! I haven’t heard the 900 pro x, but in looking at a graph they may have really screwed up the bass response. The 990 Pro was perfect across the board, but the 900 seems to boost areas that should be cut in the mud region. I may proceed with extreme caution here. You may be better off with the 990. And no worries! The translation was fine 🙂 Please keep me posted.
-Stu