Best Earbud (not earplug) headphones to buy?

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Pre-Process Two

The input for this is 24 bit wav previously encoded at PreProcess Step1 with Channel Mixer + Dolby Headphone live room.

The ultimate software hack is to shove dolby encoded 24 bit wav files into a full featured radio station processor and then eq this to match a specific set of headphones (or car). Here we go. . .


Materials needed:
Foobar2000 and the following DSP's in this order
foo_dsp_invhardlimit.dll
foo_dsp_winamp.dll
*Configure it to 24 bits and to load SA Stereo Tool
SA Stereo Tool
Put invhardlimit and winamp wrapper (and your choice of stereo eq) into the DSP playback section at file menu, preferences, playback, dsp. (to avoid a crash remove all other DSPs).
*You can optionally add a custom stereo equalizer to the end of this chain of DSP's. Thereby you can plug in your choice of earbuds, headphones into your PC (or your car audio system into your laptop) to create the customized output.
Also set Foobar2000 to 24bit playback.

Next, go to Foobar2000 file menu, preferences, advanced, tools, converter, and set the number of threads to 1 (block simultaneous conversions) because SA Stereo Tool can run only one file through it at a time.

Load the file attached to this post into SA Stereo Tool. Just save the file in the root of My Documents on your hard drive and SA Stereo Tool can find it easily.

Create a new playlist in Foobar2000 with all of the Dolby Headphone processed 24 bit wav files from PreProcess Step1 (scroll up to that post if you need to catch up).

Disable all PC custom sound card features so that you have basic playback from your sound card and then plug in your choice of earbuds to adjust the EQ (or optional Stereo EQ plugin for foobar2000). You can also make some fine tuning with SA Stereo Tool. With the Stereo Boost, make sure that "never reduce below original level" is unchecked so that we can Focus the dolby headphone processing for sharper imaging instead of the big showy smear it normally does. And, make sure that Stereo Image processor is unchecked because it flutters. The file attached to this post already has those settings done.
Adapt the audio to fit your choice of headphones (or car).

On the playlist, select all, right click, ReplayGain and Scan Per File Track Gain. Now you'll be able to level out the volume by applying the replaygain info to the files during the conversion process.

Next, select all, start up converter, and copy all of your DSP and EQ settings into the processing section of converter, and double-check all settings before conversion.


There's 3 different choices of output, depending on player. . .

If you have a big TF card in your Sansa, you can choose WavPack as the output, settings mentioned previously (scroll up and find the posts).

If you don't have a big TF card, Sansa Clip+ with RockBox can successfully decode WMA Standard 24 bit--it is second best to WavPack and takes up much less space and encodes faster than WavPack.
Converter, Output Format, Add New, Encoder type Custom
Encoder: C:\Program Files\Windows Media Components\Encoder\WMCmd.vbs
Extension: WMA
Parameters: -silent -a_codec WMA9STD -a_mode 2 -a_setting Q75_44_2 -input %s -output %d
Format: Lossless/Hybrid (allows you to select 24 bit)
BPS: 24
Encoder Name: WMA Standard
Bitrate: (blank)
Settings: VBR 75
*Select 24 bits before encoding

For Generic MP3 player, I'd suggest to output in WAV 16 bit (Standard CD quality) in a different folder, and then use Nero MP3 (VBR, with the MP3Pro feature shut off) as the encoding for any generic player. Like WavPack, Nero MP3Pro (with the MP3Pro HE content feature disabled for better compatibility) has an anti-flutter feature and no extra static added. An additional step is needed--Load all of the MP3 VBR files into a new playlist in Foobar2000, select all, right click, Utilities, and Fix MP3 VBR Header.


Much to the point, we've plugged our choice of earbuds, headphone or car into the computer output and done all the fine tuning before saving the files.

Yes, any player capable of decent basic playback can have every feature installed. . . into a custom set of audio files.

Go to file, preferences, playback, DSP and remove all of the DSP's from the foobar2000 playback section before checking the output files (since these DSPs were also used in the encoding process and we wouldn't want to double-up).

Here's a handy settings file for SA Stereo Tool.
 

Attachments

  • SA_Stereo_Tool.zip
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Wow, dude wow!
P r o d i g i o u s!

Can you describe the sound of the foobar 5.1 Headphone experience:

5.1 Headphone experience *Foobar configuration for all stereo music files*

If you're going to all this trouble, I take it, it sounds gooooood!

Perhaps you should start a new thread for the foobar 5.1 so the entire headphone forum can try it out!

Cheers,
Jeff

PS That's quite a process! Would posting a small 20 second clip breach copywrite, so that we could get a taste?
 
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What's 'Joint Stereo' ... is that old hippy classic rock! ;) What rate mp3? Thanks, Jeff
Joint stereo is like normal mp3 and LP and FM radio, a monophonic center with stereo information added at edges on an as-needed basis. If this is exposed to any sort of stereo expansion, the result is increased flutter and/or amplified static.

The MP3's that I've tried with Sansa Clip+ have been every bit rate, and I've tried RA, Nero, and Lame in ABR, CBR, and VBR varities. All of them failed at passable resolution if when the crossfeed/width controls were also used. However, abnormal Dual Mono maximum bitrate encoded mp3 files, without dither, can succeed. So does WavPack, and the extremely slow WavPack encoder seems to have some sort of grit filter so that the resulting file is particularly pleasant to use with crossfeed/width expander.

AudioLapDance said:
Can you describe the sound of the foobar 5.1 Headphone experience: 5.1 Headphone experience *Foobar configuration for all stereo music files* If you're going to all this trouble, I take it, it sounds gooooood!
The dolby headphone wrapper patches holes in joint stereo files pretty good, like SRS except for really much clearer bari and bass. I'd prefer to have source material well enough to omit that step. SA Stereo Tool is much nicer and probably wouldn't need the dolby effect at all if source is flac, wavpack dualmono max bitrate MP3 or CD.
 
Rockbox Fail-stereo width=normalizer. And new production Sansa Clip+ is fake hardware

Annoying distortion: Sansa Clip+ w/ Rockbox - Hydrogenaudio Forums

Rockbox Fail:
Rockbox is blameless for the static/hash, although it does have one severe fault: A setting of 100% does not disable the stereo width function but rather degrades all natural ambiance to a preset figure, MASKING the stereo width differences between tracks. To avoid monotony, it needs upgraded to install an option for boost only (instead of dumbing down, normalizing all tracks), AND it needs a new option added for true disable.

Sansa Fail:
The main source of distortion in the Sansa Clip+ is an immoral bait and switch by Sansa since new production is Not exactly the same hardware that won the 2009 Cnet editor's choice. Today, that reputation is often sold without the performance. In tracking this, players that distort noticeably was previously a hit or miss problem, but it seems they have begun to fail on quality much more often in the newest production.

Despite the same external appearance, the new production hardware has exacerbated the problem of hash/static/noise at either side of transients. Thus, I suggest that you consider the new production as fake, and the quality potentially useless for audio.

I also tried the Sansa *18 and *16 firmwares. They were different, as reported, but a different sounding version of horrible quality was not an adequate repair for low end hardware of reduced quality.

So, this particular prospect, new updated/fake hardware from Sansa of China, with firmware fine tuned to suit the only old version, earns and audio quality score of: F- because there's possibly no currently produced player worse than this.

When I explained to Newegg that Sansa wasn't providing exactly the same hardware as had won editor's choice in 2009, and that Sansa has cheated both Newegg and I by selling us a lower quality substitute, then Newegg allowed a late return without restocking fee and they even paid for the return shipping.

A+ KUDOS to Newegg customer service. Thank you!
F- to Sansa for bait and switch, and absent quality control.
 
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Sennheiser for the win! That wasn't surprising, but it is pleasant.

Yep, Sennheiser MX-365 has the powerful bass of Hisound Pro drivers, the Sennheiser has a more palatable midrange from its all-plastic casing, and the price is much lower. With the tamer mids, the less expensive Sennheizer is far more pleasant for loud playback. Anyway, the Sennheiser MX-365 will probably work with any old mp3 player's "jazz" setting, a milder contour than the average "rock" setting. This doesn't require an extreme of software hackery-foolery.

The only difficult task with the Sennheizer was installing the pads. But, they'll play more clearly if you don't install the pads.

The MX-365 is well done and priced right.
I would appreciate actually a bit less bass, a bit more bari, but this is very minor and it is a personal preference. Regardless, I'm enjoying the MX-365 right now. Anything that's quite clear and doesn't blare when played loud, is something I really like!

LOLZ!!! The pads that were came with the Sennheiser fixed up the AKG earbuds to perform very nicely! Metal screen earbuds seem to need the pads. Now, the AKG are actually producing typical AKG sound. Cool.

Holy Cow!! I just tried "Center Hole" pads with the Sennheizer. Yep, that's really good, clear and comfy. But, it INCREASED the bass and that was neither necessary nor wise. This bass power is ridiculous, and I nearly fainted, so I turned down the EQ a bit. Oh yeah, clear and blastin, not blarin, I'm gonna go buy another pair of the MX-365 and some of the weird center-hole pads, right away. :) Yay! high end sound from a mildly eq'd $20 earbud, some donut shaped foam, and an elderly MP3 player with weird little spinning drive. lolz! Whatever it takes, right? Yay for pocket hi-fi!!! :D

lolz! Started out asking for more bass, decent power and clear audio. I'd actually like a bit less bass now. :) Got that too, now that the AKG were so easily fixed. Nice and level.

It is nice when things work ridiculously well. That impresses me so much more and is potentially more fun than any sort of underwhelming.

P.S.
I'm probably going to run down the battery on the Iriver again. No need of customized files, just load and go. I've been wondering for a long time now, what DAC I might like for projects. Apparently, that is Wolfson. If it takes more battery to power it, that's okay.
 
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