Personal computing discussed
Moderators: renee, Captain Ned
derFunkenstein wrote:My goodness, give it more than three hours.
And no, I've never heard (harrr) of this brand. Probably some fly-by-night Kickstarter fad or a shell company to sell stuff made by some Chinese ODM. Bet you can find the same thing with a new name on AliExpress.
general_tux wrote:I haven't paid much attention to Flips since I first heard about them years ago. They seemed like an expensive novelty to me. When they were asking the same amount of money as my ATH-M50x's, I couldn't see the point unless you really needed some small, under-powered travel speakers too. Do you really think they are that good? What other headphones or speakers have you compared them to?
whm1974 wrote:What was this stereo system? And just because a set of speakers gets loud, doesn't mean they are not under powered. What is the frequency response like? Are the high frequencies tinny? Are the low frequencies full without distortion or do the drivers start to over extend once you get low? Do you have to adjust the equalizer to get them to sound right?The stereo system I was using before. And I wouldn't call them under-powered speakers either. They are loud enough for my hearing loss to hear while watching movies and such without having to wear my hearing aids.
Looking for Knowledge wrote:When drunk.....
I want to have sex, but find I am more likely to be shot down than when I am sober.
general_tux wrote:whm1974 wrote:What was this stereo system? And just because a set of speakers gets loud, doesn't mean they are not under powered. What is the frequency response like? Are the high frequencies tinny? Are the low frequencies full without distortion or do the drivers start to over extend once you get low? Do you have to adjust the equalizer to get them to sound right?The stereo system I was using before. And I wouldn't call them under-powered speakers either. They are loud enough for my hearing loss to hear while watching movies and such without having to wear my hearing aids.
whm1974 wrote:The problem is, a lot of people don't understand how good headphones/speakers can be. I know lots of people who swear that "these speakers/headphones are perfect" or something similar, but then completely change their mind once they have heard anything that is a cut above what you typically find at Walmart, Best Buy, etc. Without a real reference, most people don't know how to truly compare audio gear. I would really want to see a frequency response curve on those headphones to see what this "perfect" sound is like.They don't sound tinny to me at all, and I don't have to mess with an equalizer either. Anyway these things do sound perfect with my on board audio.
general_tux wrote:whm1974 wrote:The problem is, a lot of people don't understand how good headphones/speakers can be. I know lots of people who swear that "these speakers/headphones are perfect" or something similar, but then completely change their mind once they have heard anything that is a cut above what you typically find at Walmart, Best Buy, etc. Without a real reference, most people don't know how to truly compare audio gear. I would really want to see a frequency response curve on those headphones to see what this "perfect" sound is like.They don't sound tinny to me at all, and I don't have to mess with an equalizer either. Anyway these things do sound perfect with my on board audio.
Consumer Reports wrote:Tested as headphones, the overall sound was closed in, with compressed dynamics. The bass had good impact, but it was muddy and didn't go very deep. Midrange was very muffled, mid- and upper-treble were very rolled off, and lower treble was sizzly.
...
As a portable speaker, perhaps the biggest issue was that the Flips began to distort quite noticeably when pushed to louder volume levels, less so when we backed off the volume. In speaker mode, the lower and mid bass was very rolled off, and bass in general had very little overall impact. Midrange was raspy, with a noticeable plastic resonance, and treble was sizzly, with a rolled off upper treble.
Sound and Vision wrote:James Taylor’s vocal on “Shower the People” from Live at the Beacon Theatre sounded like he was singing through a bath towel folded over a few times.
“Sounds like it does when the stereo’s playing and my head’s under the pillow,” my fellow Tech^2 blogger Geoff Morrison commented.
whm1974 wrote:Audiophiles... I guess you have $1000 headphones and speakers don't you?
just brew it! wrote:whm1974 wrote:Audiophiles... I guess you have $1000 headphones and speakers don't you?
You can get some pretty nice sounding headphones for under $100. And based on the reviews I'm seeing, Flips don't qualify.
Captain Ned wrote:I'll stick with my Oppo PM3s just the same. Planar-magnetic and closed-back, so both high quality and office-friendly. Travel duties belong to the Shure SE530s.
Redocbew wrote:+1 Whm thread
+1 oddball widget
+1 question asked "is this just me?"
This means we'll end up talking about beer or something again.
Looking for Knowledge wrote:When drunk.....
I want to have sex, but find I am more likely to be shot down than when I am sober.
Chrispy_ wrote:All this talk of $100 headphones?, I'd bet a pair of Koss Portapro would knock the socks of the Flips, given those pretty damning reviews. $30-35 if you look around, though I'm not a fan of the aesthetics.
Hell, the Monoprice 8323 are still on sale and they're damn good for $16. I'd rate them above anything 'fashion-brand' up to at least $75, at which point my personal favorite is the Sony MDR (Specifically the Sony MDR-7506) which is without any question the most common recording studio headphone I've ever encountered. No matter where I'm setting up there will be a pair of these, often battered and taped together with splits in the ear cushions, but the sound quality is simply that good for the money.
Without being too blunt, whm, you argument sounds like someone trying to defend the old style apple earbuds that are widely regarded as the worst main-band earphones ever made. Either your hearing is damaged or you've never heard better - and you have my sympathy in either case.
See if you can get to a store and try some of the classic, unanimously-praised $100 sets like the Grado SR80, Shure SRH440, Sony MDR-7506 or Sennheiser HD280 headphones. They're the sort of kit you'll see lying around professional recording studios; They're what the musicians probably worked with whilst they recorded what you're listening to. I'm sure there are other great headphones out there based on reviews, but I don't like to recommend any headphones I haven't heard for myself.
Chrispy_ wrote:The Sony MDR-V6 / 7506's may be the most comfortable headsets that I ever owned, but I spent quite a bit more than $100 for my high-end Sennheisers.See if you can get to a store and try some of the classic, unanimously-praised $100 sets like the Grado SR80, Shure SRH440, Sony MDR-7506 or Sennheiser HD280 headphones.
Chrispy_ wrote:Without being too blunt, whm, you argument sounds like someone trying to defend the old style apple earbuds that are widely regarded as the worst main-band earphones ever made. Either your hearing is damaged or you've never heard better - and you have my sympathy in either case.
just brew it! wrote:I suppose depending on the nature of the hearing loss, fidelity of your headphones/speakers may be less important. Do you know if it is across the board, or particular frequency bands that you have difficulty hearing?
Usacomp2k3 wrote:The headphones that were packaged with the Zune were some of the best earbuds Available. Plus the magnetic attachment on the back kept them from getting twisted. Oh, and interchangeable foam or rubber ear gaskets.
Chrispy_ wrote: