Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[mansaxel]

For those with closed back headphones...
Turn it up to 11  ....

https://youtu.be/DHh-SB_Ak2I?t=666

Cool! Typical PA mixer tap sound. (Good and clean, though.) I usually make a matrix mix that has a bit more guitars and, if present, a bit less electronic keyboards, if I'm taping.

[mnementh]

There is of course another alternative POV, which says that the sound mixer/recording engineer listens to all of it through headphones while s/he is making the master; so why shouldn't we listen to it that way...?

No, they do not.   The only time I have ever seen headphones on an engineer in any recording studio I have ever personally been in where they were recording with one of these:   

The only other times I have seen headphones on the engoneer is on the actual studio floor, either to find out why the foldback isn't working or the rare case where they were filling in for a missing musician/vocalist.

There's a reason that studios spend a small fortune on monitors and listening area treatments (like the lavish Westlake style LEDE rooms) and it's not to ignore them and put headphones on.

Edit: Can't even spell straight today...

Yeah, neper already corrected me and I already admitted my ignorance. As I said, it was (at least once upon a time) a popular argument bandied aboot for listening via headphones.

I'll assume I was "collateral damage" in yet another aspect of audiophoolery that has abounded since the days when one's hardest choices were nude vs bonded...

mnem
as I get older, my tolerance for any gross mismatch in fidelity vs assache gets smaller and smaller...

[Cerebus]

For those with closed back headphones...
Turn it up to 11  ....

https://youtu.be/DHh-SB_Ak2I?t=666

Cool! Typical PA mixer tap sound. (Good and clean, though.) I usually make a matrix mix that has a bit more guitars and, if present, a bit less electronic keyboards, if I'm taping.

Would benefit from a slap with the autotune stick!

[mnementh]

https://drop.com/buy/massdrop-x-sennheiser-hd-58x-jubilee-headphones

Honestly seemed a little too good to be true at that price. Any opinions...?

mnem
 

I hate you, I do not know why I am still thinking to buy them or not. I hate you.

Ummm..... You're welcome...? 

mnem

[bitseeker]

Greetings, all. Ooh, music stuff. Time to start reading back in the thread.

Meanwhile,



this is the most boat-anchory bit of TE I've acquired thus far. I've been on the casual lookout for one of these test sets, either an 8920 or 8924, for a while but they tend to be pricey. I finally came across this one



It has a 6-Watt input, instead of the usual 3-Watt, but not the beefier 60- or 100-Watt. It does have the mechanical attenuator, which makes its calibrated bottom end 400 kHz instead of the 30 MHz of the ones with electronic attenuator.

Unfortunately, the seller packed it in a box that was just barely larger than the enclosure.



So, as you'd expect, there was some fallout. The worst of it was the front bezel, which took an impact.





The N connector is also loose, but I'm not sure if that was from shipping or an existing condition. I'll have to get the front panel off to confirm. Hopefully, it just needs to be tightened up on the rear.



A couple minor issues were the rear corners where the box was rounded in transit. It also rounded the case lid's corners.





I ran through all the tests in the ROM and everything seems to be working fine, including that loose N connector.

The seller was very responsive and apologetic. I was able to find a used bezel, so he covered that cost. It's from overseas, so it'll be a little while before I'll be able to restore this one, but an overall happy ending.

[Cerebus]

I have a pair of DT 150 that serve that purpose, but the 7506 and the HD25 work impressively well too. The DT 150 suffer  from some issue with one of the drivers, so will have to source one.

I have a pair of DT150s for that kind of thing. Used to use DT100s purely because there was always a pair of DT100s around somewhere. Switched to DT150s when my last pair of DT100s went walkabout as it's nice to have the slightly better bottom end and the DT150 offers a little bit better isolation from the environment than the DT100s.

The advantage of DT100s and their cousins is (1) If like thee and me you've heard the actual source, the version of that on good monitors and the version on DT1xx's you know what they sound like -  you can compensate, (2) even drummers can't break them easily, and if they do (3) you can get spares for each and every part of them and have been able to since the 1970s and probably still will be able to until the dust finally settles over the Bayer factory.

[Cerebus]

Greetings, all. Ooh, music stuff. Time to start reading back in the thread.

It will descend into drummer jokes, it always does.

Q: How you you tell when the drum riser's level?
A: The drummer's drooling evenly out of both corners of his mouth. [Rimshot]

[bitseeker]

Q: How you you tell when the drum riser's level?
A: The drummer's drooling evenly out of both corners of his mouth. [Rimshot]

 

[mnementh]

I got soooo clooooose so many times... with different amps and crossovers... but never got it quite right.

I've tried a number of so-called quadro or surround headphones using individual transducers for the four (or whatever number of) channels and the verdict couldn't be simpler: they all don't work. Period. There are still some of them sold to computer gamers but all serious manufacturers like Beyer or Sennheiser have given up on them years ago.

The only thing that does work to some extent is HRTF, i.e. processing the signal into a binaural format and then listening through conventional stereo headphones. I'm still using this one:

https://global.beyerdynamic.com/catalog/product/view/id/40/s/headzone-pro-xt/

I suspect the reason why they never work correctly is that as left and right  the drivers are so close to the ear and fired directly into the ear and as such the ear only hears the back and front drivers as both being left or right. On the other hand using speakers, the ears also pick up the reflected sounds in the other ear and so the brain is able to  deduce a spacial awareness of where the sound is coming from in the same fashion as a descent cinema surround sound system can provide that added dimension?

It's all down to processing. With multidriver gaming headphones, there are a lot of things you can adjust to enhance the tiny bit of separation they provide, as the sound is being generated in real time by a 5.1 Ch DSP. The drawback is that the sound feels very "plastic" and for good reason: none of it is natural; it is 100% synthetic to begin with.

When your source material is itself a digital artifact, digital processing artifacts are a lot harder to distinguish as compared to music which at some time actually existed in meatspace and made physical vibrations in real air.

Human ears are remarkably adept at distinguishing when something sounds wrong or unnatural; well, aside from when someone is trying to sell them something. 

mnem
psssssst... Wanna buy some headphones..?
 

[mnementh]

I hate you, I do not know why I am still thinking to buy them or not. I hate you.

FUUUUU I bought them.... I simply can't resist.

Sometimes I need smooth chocolate in my delicate hears.

Oooooh... You already did. Well congrats then...? 

mnem
 

[mnementh]

For those with closed back headphones...
Turn it up to 11  ....

https://youtu.be/DHh-SB_Ak2I?t=666

Cool! Typical PA mixer tap sound. (Good and clean, though.) I usually make a matrix mix that has a bit more guitars and, if present, a bit less electronic keyboards, if I'm taping.

Would benefit from a slap with the autotune stick!

mnem
yes, you may touch it.

[mnementh]

Greetings, all. Ooh, music stuff. Time to start reading back in the thread.

It will descend into drummer jokes, it always does.

Q: How you you tell when the drum riser's level?
A: The drummer's drooling evenly out of both corners of his mouth. [Rimshot]

    BWAHAHAHA!!!

Q: How do you tune the drummer?
A: Kick the throne out from under him so he power cycles.  *bah-dump-bump*

mnem
C, was that your job too...?

[bitseeker]

Self-fulfilling prophecy.

[mnementh]

So glad I didn't disappoint. 

mnem
*impairing productivity since nineteen mumblety-mumble*

[Zucca]

https://drop.com/buy/massdrop-x-sennheiser-hd-58x-jubilee-headphones

Honestly seemed a little too good to be true at that price. Any opinions...?

mnem
 

I hate you, I do not know why I am still thinking to buy them or not. I hate you.

Ummm..... You're welcome...? 

mnem

How about a TEA mod/hack for those headphones?



holly guacamolly 

[mnementh]

Whole pile of Amazon was waiting for me when we got back from visiting dad; took me 10 minutes to swap in the 870 EVO and 7 minutes for Win10 to install from a USB3.1 flash drive.

Now waiting on the usual drivers and updates to install, then installing MS Orifice. Then, hopefully, wifey will let me live again.

mnem
PMS stands for Paul Must Suffer.

[GreyWoolfe]

One of my favorite Saturday morning imports was Star Blazers ; an American adaptation of a Japanese anime space opera centered around the crew of the IJN Yamato (yes, the one that survived atomic bomb testing) recovered and refitted as a starship to find some mystical starstuffs needed to rejuvenate a war-ravaged post-apocalyptic earth.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Blazers

It formed the beginnings of a lifelong interest in certain genres of anime; I found the serial nature of the storyline compelling and the whole notion of the IJN Yamato in deep space touched on a previously unknown reserve of nostalgia for a 12-ish year old country boy growing up in the wilds of Pittsburgh. 

*~mnemories~*

Damn you, mnem.  I haven't seen star blazers in decades and now you have forced me to binge watch.  I hope you're pleased with yourself.

[TERRA Operative]

TM500 is life.

Finally got me a scope, only 15MHz so a far cry from my 1GHz beast.
Will be good for audio stuff maybe, I just love small CRT's so a nice addition to that collection.

Will be a fun one to restore and then add to the shrine of TM500 gear I have. 

[mnementh]

https://drop.com/buy/massdrop-x-sennheiser-hd-58x-jubilee-headphones

Honestly seemed a little too good to be true at that price. Any opinions...?

mnem
 

I hate you, I do not know why I am still thinking to buy them or not. I hate you.

Ummm..... You're welcome...? 

mnem

How about a TEA mod/hack for those headphones?



holly guacamolly 

  OMFG, STFU ALREADY!!!

This guy rambles like some rambly-rambling rambler-type person...

TL/DR: Cut some 1 inch discs of random fabric type material and tape them over the back of the drivers to alter the bass response. This guy likes tea-bag felt. The outer covers pop off real easy.

There's 44:30 seconds of your life not wasted.

mnem
YOUUUUUU'RE WELLLLL-COMMMMME!!!

[mnementh]

One of my favorite Saturday morning imports was Star Blazers ; an American adaptation of a Japanese anime space opera centered around the crew of the IJN Yamato (yes, the one that survived atomic bomb testing) recovered and refitted as a starship to find some mystical starstuffs needed to rejuvenate a war-ravaged post-apocalyptic earth.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Blazers

It formed the beginnings of a lifelong interest in certain genres of anime; I found the serial nature of the storyline compelling and the whole notion of the IJN Yamato in deep space touched on a previously unknown reserve of nostalgia for a 12-ish year old country boy growing up in the wilds of Pittsburgh. 

*~mnemories~*

Damn you, mnem.  I haven't seen star blazers in decades and now you have forced me to binge watch.  I hope you're pleased with yourself.

If you infected your wife (or anyone else, actually) then yes, very. 

mnem
*toddles off to ded a contented widdle dwagon*

[mansaxel]

For those with closed back headphones...
Turn it up to 11  ....

https://youtu.be/DHh-SB_Ak2I?t=666

Cool! Typical PA mixer tap sound. (Good and clean, though.) I usually make a matrix mix that has a bit more guitars and, if present, a bit less electronic keyboards, if I'm taping.

Would benefit from a slap with the autotune stick!

Autotune is probably excellent if applied with moderation, and is IME never used so, which makes me suspect it. Also, I'm a good engineer and know what to criticise and not. At least in public. :-)

[DC1MC]

...
Autotune is probably excellent if applied with moderation, and is IME never used so, which makes me suspect it. Also, I'm a good engineer and know what to criticise and not. At least in public. :-)

DoOooo yOoooUUuu beEliveee in lOOOveEee after lOOOveEee....

[cyclin_al]

What's wrong with collecting gas turbines 

I was waiting for that one!

I spend so much time with people who make them.  They have to go to good homes somewhere....

[cyclin_al]

I got soooo clooooose so many times... with different amps and crossovers... but never got it quite right.

I've tried a number of so-called quadro or surround headphones using individual transducers for the four (or whatever number of) channels and the verdict couldn't be simpler: they all don't work. Period. There are still some of them sold to computer gamers but all serious manufacturers like Beyer or Sennheiser have given up on them years ago.

The only thing that does work to some extent is HRTF, i.e. processing the signal into a binaural format and then listening through conventional stereo headphones. I'm still using this one:

https://global.beyerdynamic.com/catalog/product/view/id/40/s/headzone-pro-xt/

LOL... yeah, the discrete driver setup for 5.1 sound actually works in a gaming application, because the games are produced in 5.1 sound, the sound card is designed around 5.1 sound, the frequency response is relatively narrow, and the standards for "acceptable artifacting" are generally pretty low in this scenario.

Sortof the same way a general-purpose computer monitor makes a lousy TV, and making a computer monitor that displays moving images well takes a lot of work and burns a lot of horsepower/bandwidth.

mnem
 

Memories ... from way back!

I played around with binaural processing back in university.
First attempt processing was a 5 minute sample.  Started processing in the afternoon.  Came back the next morning and it was still processing.
At least, I learned very quickly about DMA.  It helped, but not nearly enough to hold my interest.
I think that was just around the same time I first saw a mountain bike with 26" wheels and no suspension... the feedback was much more instantaneous 

[dl6lr]

FUUUUU I bought them.... I simply can't resist.

Sometimes I need smooth chocolate in my delicate hears.

I hope you realized the girl is not included