@E. O. L🤫L Beats Headphones are High Definition in Comparison 🤭 Critical to a Fault 🤔 Unfortunately, faceless Audio Formats can't compete with Endorsement of Brands and Products! 💰👀
iFi products are just such good value! I would recommend them to anyone just starting out or wanting to explore more possibilities with audio. Great video, thank you!
some ifi products are good value but not all. They make a lot of snake oil products. I love my zen dac 2 but it would be better if they removed all of that MQA bs and made it 120$. They even sell shit like audiophile digital cables.
Yes depending on the headphones it can sound good. Good but at least mine can’t compare to great cable ones. Plus the quality of life aspect can be so and so. If you only use one pair of headphones with one device you probably won’t have an issue. Trouble starts when you want to mix several headphones with one, two or three phones or PCs. I absolutely hate that! Phones try to connect to different headphones, headphones are taken over by other devices if you turn those on, headphones are suddenly not recognized at all, ….. it’s a nightmare.
@@lifehacker123 I mainly use mine for traveling to and from work. Wireless and ANC are just too good for public transport, at home I'd just use kph30is instead of Bluetooth or what have you
I listen to most of my music via LDAC, for the type of music I listen to it seems to be indistinguishable from a wired connection. I'm using a bluetooth dac/amp that is thumb sized, runs for 10 hours and can power any IEM and most headphones. One device that can be used with any wired headphone and when the battery eventually degrades, my headphones are unaffected.
I haven’t kept up on the latest chipsets so I thought I’d have a check in, see how the quality was coming along. Your video answered the question quickly and concisely, thank you! As well great content. 👍
I went the way mentioned in 2:30. I was gonna get a BT headphone but then said nah this time. Instead I got a Fiio BTR5, a Sennheiser 560s, and a V-Moda M-100 Master. If I'm just at my desk listening on my mac, I plug it in to use as a USB DAC. I believe it's a bit less convenient with still having a cable yes, but more versatile like this. Not a proper desktop setup, not a fully wireless solution. Just in between :) I would appreciate any comment on V-Moda M-100 Master btw. I believe it's not much present in "audiophile" community. Neither it's a very expensive set. I kinda enjoy it though. Feels full, immersive, and easy to listen. Tried HD569 and AKG361. Senn felt much better with sound stage and maybe a bit better with detail but became fatiguing after a while. AKG was easy to listen but not that immersive and very uncomfortable for me. Wanted to try DT770 but unfortunately doesn't work for me with a non-removable long cable. Open to other recommendations as well :)
LDAC can stream most CD-quality FLAC files uncompressed at it's highest-quality setting. Only a few of my music files (longer classical pieces, etc.) go above 990kbps.
I think of Bluetooth more for convenience. I have a Bluetooth Bose headphones with noise cancellation mainly for travel. It works really well and they do sound good. I can’t say it is better than wire. I am looking for a good wired headphone to do the comparison one day.
I think for audiophiles, a wired with good build is far more superior than bluetooth. But its not as mainstream as the bluetooth to casual music listener. I used to think bluetooth headphones like beats or sony xm4 are good enough until i know audiophiles wired headphones like the sennheisers exist.
Obviously BT headphones have great utility and as battery tech gets better, more of the battery space can be used for the DAC and amp. Where I see a bigger problem is the radio frequency congestion. It's wonderful that there are BT codecs now that are called lossless, but how lossless can you maintain it in a space where dozens or hundreds of people are using their headphones. Or when you put your phone in a trouser pocket and the signal has to partially go through your body to reach the headphones and you're walking fast, so the phone is constantly jumping around in your pocket.
I think the real game changer is not just wireless audio transmission - but wireless POWER transmission as well. Now THAT... could turn the tables. Until then, I think the same reason why audiophiles still have huge, heavy cabinets and monoblocks and thicc cables. Vinyls. Phonos. 12 inch+ subs. Loudspeakers were invented about two centuries ago, headphones were over a century ago, and to this day, enthusiasts still do everything hardwired. That niche will remain for a long time to come.
I was thinking about this in the morning, I was using my HD 560S connected directly to the smartphone, then change to the BTR5 and it was better, I though "that can't be, I'm on BT" but then there's the DAC Amp of the BTR5 vs the DAC of the phone and I guess it makes sense. I guess I should try with my earbuds later.
I have a Topping D90 and when I pair it to my iPad via BT, it does sound good for general audio, like voice, movies, tv shows, but if I try to play Tidal or Apple Lossless music I can hear a very noticeable difference in quality. If I am casually listening it won't bother me, but I can definitely hear a difference in the bass and things like cymbals. It also makes me wonder if the AAC codec is decoded on the iPad side before it's sent to the device. I would use my MacBook for BT, but it's a bit of trouble to turn on AptX.
No matter how good it gets Bluetooth simply can never be as good because of the resampling that happens. You will always lose detail even if it is a marginal. This is why listening to UA-cam on aac Bluetooth is still worse than listening to it through a wire. Even if the codec matches the service exactly you are not getting a bit for bit transfer. I think it’s because of the fact that your headphones need to be read to receive calls and switch apps instantly and it’s easier to just resample everything to have a seamless experience. Once Bluetooth starts prioritizing music apps and having dedicated bit streams for apps this will solve the problem. I think Apple Music on iPhones might already be doing this. But everyone else needs to get on board.
What is the bitrate difference between Bluetooth, Spotify and CD for example? I read different results all over Google. BT transfer is around 300kbps while a CD delivers on a wire around 1411kbps and Spotify top end is 320kbps? The argument being many of us cannot hear the difference at 320kbps but is that Hi-FI and getting the 1411kbps is no different?
The question of questions is: Does a wireles BT transmission from your audio-device to a high end hifi system affect the signal when the audio-device deliveres high res audio data. In my opinion there has to be a DA/AC and if plugged in a jack also a AC/DC converter involved which can not be from good quality as if it doens not cost 3.000 bucks or more. Same issue with active cross-overs hyped nowadays for active/passive speakers. You got a cd player with external DAC and convert this signal in a crossover by a 5 bucks ADC, refine it digital and send it through a 5 buck DAC again to be amplified. So, what is your opinion on that using BT to transmit audio to your hifi system? What is the loss? In my experience it sounds metallic and channel separation is more like a wish. Thanks forinput.
id be fine with a 500 gram pair of bluetooth headphones to not have to carry around a dac and amp too.. the cool thing about bluetooth is picking it up pressing the on button, hearing "connected" and then boom music in your ears. and if you dont want it, you can just turn it off (even if just for 5 minutes) and put it somewhere without having to unplug the dac and amp etc. 500g would probably be fine to make a decent dac and amp inside the headphones... not great but much better than anything you find in those 190g things. i dont need to go running with high quality headphones... thats what the shit ones are for and i dont need the absolute best quality.. its ok to have 3 pairs. ok ones for working out, good ones for doing chores around the house and really good wired ones for sitting down and actively listening to music
It uses cheap DAC and ADC and a cheap amp inside headphones. It just sucks as a complete system but BT itself can be almost loss free. Audio is always a signal chain suffering the weakest chain. In a head phone these 3 are the limit. Agood DAC costs a few 1.000 bucks and does not fit in a head phone unless you ain't Hulk 😊
The issue with LDAC's 990kbps is that this is a theoretical max value, get in a train or sit next to your WiFi and you'll be at half that. Overall I've found that Bluetooth is satisfactory when watching videos or wanting a background music, but less so when you actually want to listen to the music, where it really is less engaging even with a decent implementation (Fiio Btr5 +IEMs) and you do also get the occasional cuts.
I agree, but it does seem to be more robust on Sony's own devices, as well as some (non Android) DAPs. I see it as a way to remove the wire from pocket to headphones, not a way to broadcast round the house. Apart from a few areas near my holiday home (where all types of connection are seriously affected) my Hiby player seems to lock on to 990 pretty well.
I think it's a bit too snobby to say bluetooth isn't hifi this isn't a bash toward you just some people will say it's not hifi to me personally so long as the gear your listening to sounds good then it's hifi it doesn't need to hit a certain kbps or whatever would it be nice sure but I don't think we should rule it out just cuz its not lossless
"Bags of mostly water" - I see you, trekkie!
I like how informative and unbiased those videos are. Love the unbiased straight approach 👍
BT can sound great but definitely not lossless CD quality.
L🤭L According to Hi-Fi Influencer 🤦♂️ Sub par Audio Products only exist in The Twilight Zone! 🧐
@E. O.
L🤫L Beats Headphones are High Definition in Comparison 🤭 Critical to a Fault 🤔 Unfortunately, faceless Audio Formats can't compete with Endorsement of Brands and Products! 💰👀
Good discussion that often gets mixed up.
iFi products are just such good value! I would recommend them to anyone just starting out or wanting to explore more possibilities with audio. Great video, thank you!
some ifi products are good value but not all. They make a lot of snake oil products. I love my zen dac 2 but it would be better if they removed all of that MQA bs and made it 120$. They even sell shit like audiophile digital cables.
Fiio Brt5 is a really good bluetooth dac and amp
I use Bluetooth for convenience, it sounds more than good enough for the quality of life in my opinion. Save the wires for sat at the desk at home
Yes depending on the headphones it can sound good. Good but at least mine can’t compare to great cable ones.
Plus the quality of life aspect can be so and so. If you only use one pair of headphones with one device you probably won’t have an issue. Trouble starts when you want to mix several headphones with one, two or three phones or PCs. I absolutely hate that! Phones try to connect to different headphones, headphones are taken over by other devices if you turn those on, headphones are suddenly not recognized at all, ….. it’s a nightmare.
@@lifehacker123 I mainly use mine for traveling to and from work. Wireless and ANC are just too good for public transport, at home I'd just use kph30is instead of Bluetooth or what have you
yikes
I listen to most of my music via LDAC, for the type of music I listen to it seems to be indistinguishable from a wired connection. I'm using a bluetooth dac/amp that is thumb sized, runs for 10 hours and can power any IEM and most headphones. One device that can be used with any wired headphone and when the battery eventually degrades, my headphones are unaffected.
I haven’t kept up on the latest chipsets so I thought I’d have a check in,
see how the quality was coming along. Your video answered the question quickly and concisely, thank you!
As well great content. 👍
This is the same discussion that happened when MP3's came out. But we are now in the streaming age and just like MP3's, bluetooth is the new format!
I went the way mentioned in 2:30. I was gonna get a BT headphone but then said nah this time.
Instead I got a Fiio BTR5, a Sennheiser 560s, and a V-Moda M-100 Master. If I'm just at my desk listening on my mac, I plug it in to use as a USB DAC. I believe it's a bit less convenient with still having a cable yes, but more versatile like this. Not a proper desktop setup, not a fully wireless solution. Just in between :)
I would appreciate any comment on V-Moda M-100 Master btw. I believe it's not much present in "audiophile" community. Neither it's a very expensive set. I kinda enjoy it though. Feels full, immersive, and easy to listen. Tried HD569 and AKG361. Senn felt much better with sound stage and maybe a bit better with detail but became fatiguing after a while. AKG was easy to listen but not that immersive and very uncomfortable for me. Wanted to try DT770 but unfortunately doesn't work for me with a non-removable long cable. Open to other recommendations as well :)
Maybe one day when Bluetooth can stream audio uncompressed. Not now but who knows what the future holds?
LDAC can stream most CD-quality FLAC files uncompressed at it's highest-quality setting. Only a few of my music files (longer classical pieces, etc.) go above 990kbps.
Have you guys heard of what Qualcomm are doing with bluetooth. Making it lossless.
great studio lighting by the way. almost has a Caravaggio vibe to it!
I use aptX HD to stream from my computer setup to my media center and it does sound pretty good . . .
I think of Bluetooth more for convenience. I have a Bluetooth Bose headphones with noise cancellation mainly for travel. It works really well and they do sound good. I can’t say it is better than wire. I am looking for a good wired headphone to do the comparison one day.
I think for audiophiles, a wired with good build is far more superior than bluetooth. But its not as mainstream as the bluetooth to casual music listener. I used to think bluetooth headphones like beats or sony xm4 are good enough until i know audiophiles wired headphones like the sennheisers exist.
Obviously BT headphones have great utility and as battery tech gets better, more of the battery space can be used for the DAC and amp. Where I see a bigger problem is the radio frequency congestion. It's wonderful that there are BT codecs now that are called lossless, but how lossless can you maintain it in a space where dozens or hundreds of people are using their headphones. Or when you put your phone in a trouser pocket and the signal has to partially go through your body to reach the headphones and you're walking fast, so the phone is constantly jumping around in your pocket.
I think the real game changer is not just wireless audio transmission - but wireless POWER transmission as well. Now THAT... could turn the tables.
Until then, I think the same reason why audiophiles still have huge, heavy cabinets and monoblocks and thicc cables. Vinyls. Phonos. 12 inch+ subs. Loudspeakers were invented about two centuries ago, headphones were over a century ago, and to this day, enthusiasts still do everything hardwired. That niche will remain for a long time to come.
Listening to this episode right now through a blue tooth TWS iem. Sounds just fine!
TWS are $hitty apple knockoffs lol
I was thinking about this in the morning, I was using my HD 560S connected directly to the smartphone, then change to the BTR5 and it was better, I though "that can't be, I'm on BT" but then there's the DAC Amp of the BTR5 vs the DAC of the phone and I guess it makes sense. I guess I should try with my earbuds later.
Isnt thats why they create the btr5 in the first place? To replace the dac in the phone?
The btr5 has a better dac and a lot more power than your Phone
@@impulsenr01 yes, it does
Well done, useful thoughts ❤
I have a Topping D90 and when I pair it to my iPad via BT, it does sound good for general audio, like voice, movies, tv shows, but if I try to play Tidal or Apple Lossless music I can hear a very noticeable difference in quality. If I am casually listening it won't bother me, but I can definitely hear a difference in the bass and things like cymbals. It also makes me wonder if the AAC codec is decoded on the iPad side before it's sent to the device. I would use my MacBook for BT, but it's a bit of trouble to turn on AptX.
The xCAN provides a nice amount of power but the sound out of the Radsone ES100 is better imo.
No matter how good it gets Bluetooth simply can never be as good because of the resampling that happens. You will always lose detail even if it is a marginal. This is why listening to UA-cam on aac Bluetooth is still worse than listening to it through a wire. Even if the codec matches the service exactly you are not getting a bit for bit transfer. I think it’s because of the fact that your headphones need to be read to receive calls and switch apps instantly and it’s easier to just resample everything to have a seamless experience. Once Bluetooth starts prioritizing music apps and having dedicated bit streams for apps this will solve the problem. I think Apple Music on iPhones might already be doing this. But everyone else needs to get on board.
What is the bitrate difference between Bluetooth, Spotify and CD for example? I read different results all over Google. BT transfer is around 300kbps while a CD delivers on a wire around 1411kbps and Spotify top end is 320kbps? The argument being many of us cannot hear the difference at 320kbps but is that Hi-FI and getting the 1411kbps is no different?
The question of questions is:
Does a wireles BT transmission from your audio-device to a high end hifi system affect the signal when the audio-device deliveres high res audio data. In my opinion there has to be a DA/AC and if plugged in a jack also a AC/DC converter involved which can not be from good quality as if it doens not cost 3.000 bucks or more. Same issue with active cross-overs hyped nowadays for active/passive speakers. You got a cd player with external DAC and convert this signal in a crossover by a 5 bucks ADC, refine it digital and send it through a 5 buck DAC again to be amplified. So, what is your opinion on that using BT to transmit audio to your hifi system? What is the loss? In my experience it sounds metallic and channel separation is more like a wish. Thanks forinput.
Hewo! I hope everyone is having a good day!
Thanks, i do. I hope you too.
Yes thanks! Hope you have a goodun too xx
id be fine with a 500 gram pair of bluetooth headphones to not have to carry around a dac and amp too.. the cool thing about bluetooth is picking it up pressing the on button, hearing "connected" and then boom music in your ears. and if you dont want it, you can just turn it off (even if just for 5 minutes) and put it somewhere without having to unplug the dac and amp etc. 500g would probably be fine to make a decent dac and amp inside the headphones... not great but much better than anything you find in those 190g things. i dont need to go running with high quality headphones... thats what the shit ones are for and i dont need the absolute best quality.. its ok to have 3 pairs. ok ones for working out, good ones for doing chores around the house and really good wired ones for sitting down and actively listening to music
Is that at Xperia 1 mark ii I see at 2:36?
great video
I loved listening to this
at 2x speed
to save time
I do that too sometimes
Just wondering, I'm planning to purchase a pair of closed backs. When do you think your close backs will be done?
Still a work in progress! Gotta make sure they're top notch 😄
@@ABYSSHeadphones okay hopefully its done by the end of this year. I'll wait till it gets released. Is it gonna use the same connectors as the diana?
I was under the impression that BT lossless was impossible. I thought it couldn’t handle the transfer speed. Is this not true?
It uses cheap DAC and ADC and a cheap amp inside headphones. It just sucks as a complete system but BT itself can be almost loss free. Audio is always a signal chain suffering the weakest chain. In a head phone these 3 are the limit. Agood DAC costs a few 1.000 bucks and does not fit in a head phone unless you ain't Hulk 😊
How's Chinese IEMs Chifi?
For regular use chifi or tws?
Frm my experience,
Chifi iem/headphone + bluetooth amplifier is BETTER than any truly wireless buds
Cd sounds better than streaming. Bluetooth is not any better.
Bt protocol is still the same. Has not became better
The issue with LDAC's 990kbps is that this is a theoretical max value, get in a train or sit next to your WiFi and you'll be at half that. Overall I've found that Bluetooth is satisfactory when watching videos or wanting a background music, but less so when you actually want to listen to the music, where it really is less engaging even with a decent implementation (Fiio Btr5 +IEMs) and you do also get the occasional cuts.
I agree, but it does seem to be more robust on Sony's own devices, as well as some (non Android) DAPs. I see it as a way to remove the wire from pocket to headphones, not a way to broadcast round the house. Apart from a few areas near my holiday home (where all types of connection are seriously affected) my Hiby player seems to lock on to 990 pretty well.
You can manually force 990kps on Android. That's what I do when I dont have my cable with me. It works great with my xm3 and LG G7
@@EugenioFFCosta how?
Bill gates once said...
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I think it's a bit too snobby to say bluetooth isn't hifi this isn't a bash toward you just some people will say it's not hifi to me personally so long as the gear your listening to sounds good then it's hifi it doesn't need to hit a certain kbps or whatever would it be nice sure but I don't think we should rule it out just cuz its not lossless
Poo tooth...
Nope, next question..
Ramblin'...? Raspberries!! : )
Snozberries!