My 5.1 adapter/system for stereo headphones guide.

[Headphone Czar]

5.1 adapter/systems for stereo headphones guide.
By: Kool Bubba Ice
03:33 PM PDT
Views: 0

What do I need?
Headphones & a 5.1 adapter. See below for some recommendations.


1. JVC SUDH1
Pros: Can be had below retail. Portable & small. Nice build quality. Supports DTS.

Cons: Eats batteries like crazy.
Not made for hard to drive headphones.

audiocubes.com jvc.com



2. Astro mix amp

Pros: Used DH next gen chip set. Nice selections of inputs including USB. Not as power hungry as the JVC. Mute function. The ability to mix voice comms.

Cons: Must buy a retail. Sellers are limited. No DTS support.

astrogaming.com



Digital 5.1 receivers

Pros: Can be used as a hub. Ample power to drive high OHM headphones. Lots of connections. No recharging.

Cons: Big & bulky. Only entry level receivers to have DH are from Harman kardon & Maranazt. Expensive.
harmankardon.com marantz.com


Pioneer 5.1 headphones (no particular model.)

Pros: Can use a second headphone (wired) to get 5.1/DH. Some models support coax. Quality stereo headphone. Portable. Can be had for less then retail.

Cons: Wireless. Have to be within a certain distance for headphones to work.
Audiocubes.com


Hi end 5.1 adapters:

Beyerdynamic Gamezone: 2,000. Retail.
beyerdynamic.com
AKG Hearo 999 Audiospere II: 1,099. Retail. (450.00)
headphone.com
Audio Technica ATH DWL5000 Digital wireless headphone system: 1,149.99. Retail.
audiocubes.com



Other category:
Most, if not all 5.1 digital receivers support simulated SS through headphones. The quality varies from good to bad. Many companies use their own DSP to save money instead of going with the proven DH.
Yamaha's Silent Cinema seems to be the best out of the 'home made' DSP..But I haven't tried JVC/Sony/Denon DSP to compare. I used a Yamaha receiver for 5.1 SS with my 595's.. This was 2 yrs ago. My comparison with the DH might be a bit muddy. From what I remember Yamaha's DSP had great seperation, but lacked Dolby headphones 3D & up close presentation. DH is also more spacious & speaker like.
jvc.com sony.com. yamaha.com denon.com.

dolbyheadphone.com

[Headphone Czar]

I go by KBI/Kool Bubba Ice/Headphone Czar.

[Teazle]

I have the JVC SUDH1. Biggest drawback is that it's restricted to lossy surround. However, IIRC the Dolby Headphone algorithms are supposed to support up to 6-ch 24/96 PCM. (On another forum a while back I read about a guy ripping his DVD-As and playing back on his PC with DH.)

Does anyone know of any hardware -- maybe one of the receivers? -- which has HDMI in and can virtualise multichannel lossless audio with Dolby Headphone? (Must be done in real time for Blu-ray audio, & without sync problems.) TIA.

[Headphone Czar]

Originally Posted by Teazle

I have the JVC SUDH1. Biggest drawback is that it's restricted to lossy surround. However, IIRC the Dolby Headphone algorithms are supposed to support up to 6-ch 24/96 PCM. (On another forum a while back I read about a guy ripping his DVD-As and playing back on his PC with DH.)

Does anyone know of any hardware -- maybe one of the receivers? -- which has HDMI in and can virtualise multichannel lossless audio with Dolby Headphone? (Must be done in real time for Blu-ray audio, & without sync problems.) TIA.

I'm going to try when I get my reciever next week.

[Teazle]

http://www.genaudioinc.com/default.aspx


No products available yet, but should be in future ...

[zicmubleu]

I am interested in getting a set of headphones for my system and prefer wired headphones over wireless. However the prices are all over the map from $1400 Sennheiser HD800 Premiere down to JVC HADX3 Digital Referencing Stereo at $110, just at Amazon.com.

I would think a good set of headphones would be a great way to compare speaker sound to a known reference sound experience but I don't want to spend a fortune either. I sort of consider $200 a bit much for headphones, but I am somewhat out of touch with headphone pricing. What are your recommendations for a good stereo headphone set? Some wearing comfort is desirable but quality of sound reproduction is first and foremost - on a budget.

[benmbe]

Hi zicmubleu,

I have just read you request for advice and thought I would reply sir'

I have little experience of the different Heaphone brands, but what I do know ''and this is a personal view'' is that Sennheiser Headphones are great all rounders.

I have a cheap say £35 pair which is ok but not recommended really and then next up is the HD 600's which are very comfortable for long periods of listening and cost me £250 and then about 6 years after this I then Purchased the HD 650's, of which are very slightly richer in the base region, with an also slight ''and I mean very! slight'' improvement in the upper frequencies, but both are great all rounders.

What I will say though is this!....If you can stretch with funds to purchase these(600 / 650,) then I am very sure you will not be disapointed.

I shall also be purchasing a couple of Headphone amps......this being new territory for me, but one of which I am looking forward to, reason being that all serious Headphone users either consider or swear by them..........

Ther are a great number of Manufacturers that produce these amps, of which a number are well established.....All this of course makes sense as the headphone jack socket that's provided with most AV receivers quite frankly is a second thought and just like the bog standard cables that acompany each item of hardware just about doe's the job.

The manufacturers leave it to each customer to choose if they want to upgrade or not, so if you choose to upgrade friend, you will not be dissapointed.

This of course is all well and good if you do your home work, reading up on these things and listening test's before you buy.

Hope you are able to purchase at some stage.

Genuine and honest Regards

[zicmubleu]

Originally Posted by benmbe

Hi zicmubleu,

I have little experience of the different Heaphone brands, but what I do know ''and this is a personal view'' is that Sennheiser Headphones are great all rounders.

.

What I will say though is this!....If you can stretch with funds to purchase these(600 / 650,) then I am very sure you will not be disapointed.

I shall also be purchasing a couple of Headphone amps......this being new territory for me, but one of which I am looking forward to, reason being that all serious Headphone users either consider or swear by them..........

Ther are a great number of Manufacturers that produce these amps, of which a number are well established.....All this of course makes sense as the headphone jack socket that's provided with most AV receivers quite frankly is a second thought and just like the bog standard cables that acompany each item of hardware just about doe's the job.

Thanks for the advice benmbe. I just checked the pricing of the Sennheiser 650 and 600 at Amazon and found it at $500 and $300 respectively. Based on what you have said the 600s are probably better than my ears. Now you have my curiousity peaked about the headphone amplifiers. My original intent was to use headphones to compare sound quality of a set of speakers. Everyone advises to go and listen to a set of speakers before making a decision but what I want to know is what the music really should sound like versus what seems like a better sound. IMO there is a difference.

I will try to do some digging into the headphone amplifier aspect, would you use that directly from a CD player output for example? I don't remember if my Pioneer AV49 has a headphone out jack or not but would presume so, and my thinking is that the best output quality of the player would be at this point, however that means using its codecs vs a pre/pro, which I don't have, etc. so maybe that is in error.

Thanks again for your input.

[Headphone Czar]

Originally Posted by zicmubleu

I am interested in getting a set of headphones for my system and prefer wired headphones over wireless. However the prices are all over the map from $1400 Sennheiser HD800 Premiere down to JVC HADX3 Digital Referencing Stereo at $110, just at Amazon.com.

I would think a good set of headphones would be a great way to compare speaker sound to a known reference sound experience but I don't want to spend a fortune either. I sort of consider $200 a bit much for headphones, but I am somewhat out of touch with headphone pricing. What are your recommendations for a good stereo headphone set? Some wearing comfort is desirable but quality of sound reproduction is first and foremost - on a budget.

Yes, headphone prices vary from 10.00-9,000.
What sonic characteristics are you looking for? What genre of music do you listen to? Would you buy used...Open or closed? Right off the bat I would recommend the Sennheiser HD580, Audio Technic AD700, Grado 80, Denon 1001. All can be had for under 200 new. The 580 can be had for 140 used.

[zicmubleu]

Originally Posted by Headphone Czar

Yes, headphone prices vary from 10.00-9,000.
What sonic characteristics are you looking for? What genre of music do you listen to? Would you buy used...Open or closed? Right off the bat I would recommend the Sennheiser HD580, Audio Technic AD700, Grado 80, Denon 1001. All can be had for under 200 new. The 580 can be had for 140 used.

Thanks for the suggestions, the under $200 sounds encouraging. Right now I need to wait until I get my income tax figured out, might owe a bit. But to answer your question I am most interested in a set of headphones that will give me a good or truest representation of the SACD disc that the artist intended, for comparison to a set of speakers. I know that is not the normal way to qualify a headphone but after reading thread after thread about speakers and how you are supposed to audition them, etc. it just doesn't work for me. I want to be able to listen to a source, feel confident what it should sound like and then listen to it through the speakers and see how well they did with sound accuracy.

I have always considered headphones an ideal way to hear the music with minimum distortion and outside noises. Obviously spending $5k on a set of headphones might give me the best sound a headphone can deliver but I think we are talking miniscule differences, for me, compared to the lower end headphones you mentioned. The wearing comfort of the headphone is important but not nearly as critical since I only plan on using them for short periods of time. Blocking out ambient noise in the room is very important. Hopefully that is enough explanation for you to further refine or reaffirm your choices. Thanks for your thoughts.

One last thing, and hopefully this won't dissuade you from giving me more advice, I am planning on building my own speakers just for the fun of it and the challenge. I would like to be able to compare the final result against the headphones to see how well I manage to do. Not to mention the budget issues. I don't have golden ears but I can still tell what I like. Oh and I work slowly, don't expect pictures anytime soon!

[Headphone Czar]

Originally Posted by zicmubleu

Thanks for the suggestions, the under $200 sounds encouraging. Right now I need to wait until I get my income tax figured out, might owe a bit. But to answer your question I am most interested in a set of headphones that will give me a good or truest representation of the SACD disc that the artist intended, for comparison to a set of speakers. I know that is not the normal way to qualify a headphone but after reading thread after thread about speakers and how you are supposed to audition them, etc. it just doesn't work for me. I want to be able to listen to a source, feel confident what it should sound like and then listen to it through the speakers and see how well they did with sound accuracy.

I have always considered headphones an ideal way to hear the music with minimum distortion and outside noises. Obviously spending $5k on a set of headphones might give me the best sound a headphone can deliver but I think we are talking miniscule differences, for me, compared to the lower end headphones you mentioned. The wearing comfort of the headphone is important but not nearly as critical since I only plan on using them for short periods of time. Blocking out ambient noise in the room is very important. Hopefully that is enough explanation for you to further refine or reaffirm your choices. Thanks for your thoughts.

One last thing, and hopefully this won't dissuade you from giving me more advice, I am planning on building my own speakers just for the fun of it and the challenge. I would like to be able to compare the final result against the headphones to see how well I manage to do. Not to mention the budget issues. I don't have golden ears but I can still tell what I like. Oh and I work slowly, don't expect pictures anytime soon!

Seems like you want a nuetral, tonal balance sound..Little to no colorization to influence the muscians intent. Ala, no extereme emphasis to make the song sound 'better.' The HD600 would be perfect for this. They can be had used for 225.00. Little over your budget, but worth it. They are open though. The HD580 are similiar to the 600s, and can be had for 140 used. They are also open. The AKG 501 is great for chamber music, classical,accoustics, and Jazz...They offer a huge head stage (sound stage) with great instrument seperation. Mid range is arguably the best for the 150 asking price. The Beyerdynamic DT100 are closed and offer good isolation. They also have a flat respones, or very close to it..So little to no added flavor..They are monitor headphones, so they tend to be analytical and 'dry.' They are not musical, but will give you a accurate portrayal of the music..Bass is also on the light side, but offers good quality and snap. IMO, the 600s would suit your needs best..

[zicmubleu]

Originally Posted by benmbe

What I will say though is this!....If you can stretch with funds to purchase these(600 / 650,) then I am very sure you will not be disapointed.

Originally Posted by Headphone Czar

Seems like you want a nuetral, tonal balance sound..Little to no colorization to influence the muscians intent. Ala, no extereme emphasis to make the song sound 'better.' The HD600 would be perfect for this. They can be had used for 225.00. Little over your budget, but worth it. They are open though.
The Beyerdynamic DT100 are closed and offer good isolation. They also have a flat respones, or very close to it..So little to no added flavor..They are monitor headphones, so they tend to be analytical and 'dry.' They are not musical, but will give you a accurate portrayal of the music..Bass is also on the light side, but offers good quality and snap. IMO, the 600s would suit your needs best..

Thanks Headphone Czar, with your recommendation as well as benmbe I have decided that the Sennheiser HD600 should serve my needs well, so I have ordered a set from Amazon. They are a bit more than I had initially expected to pay but they appear to be what I was looking for overall. I really thought you were going to recommend the Byerdynamic DT100 since it was a closed design - which I think is what I wanted. But when I read what it said about open design for the Sennheiser it seemed OK, should still block out ambient room noise. Thanks again to both of you.

[Headphone Czar]

Originally Posted by zicmubleu

Thanks Headphone Czar, with your recommendation as well as benmbe I have decided that the Sennheiser HD600 should serve my needs well, so I have ordered a set from Amazon. They are a bit more than I had initially expected to pay but they appear to be what I was looking for overall. I really thought you were going to recommend the Byerdynamic DT100 since it was a closed design - which I think is what I wanted. But when I read what it said about open design for the Sennheiser it seemed OK, should still block out ambient room noise. Thanks again to both of you.

Well, I was leaning with the DT100, but they are not musical. The 600s are more musical, but still retain the balance and neurality you are looking for. I hope you like them. They are 300 ohms, so, the more juice, the better they will sound. I use my 650s out of my A/V receiver, the Yamaha 1800. And they sound good. But I heard better on expensive dedicated headphone amps, costing between 400-900. But the majority of listeners will be more then satsified with the sound using a quality stereo or A/V receiver. Glad I could help. Enjoy the music..*)

[benmbe]

Hi guys,

I know that there price is very high, but Sennheiser have the trust of many enthusiasts, who know that they are serious and thorough about their designs.

Also another detail that Sennheiser has highlighted is the fact that there are a small number of Manufacturers that are building Headphones using very rare wood...namely being Mahogony.

Sennheiser tests all the materials qualities, and have found that the price of high quality metals and so on, in this day and age' means that they can offer the best sound quality and comfort than what they would have produced ''say 10 to 15 yrs ago''

On a personal note ''I found that reading up on everything that you are going to purchase will always produce.....the best result, That being the customer will always be happy, Unless it's delivered damaged that is.

I have placed a deposit on the Sennheiser HD 800's, this will take a few months to pay for in the shop, but I shall look forward to hearing the results.

No wonder I don't get out much.....Oh well!.....never mind, at least i'm not wasting my money on other things.....The pursuite of happiness

I hope everyone on this forum is well and weathering the economic climate?

I suppose a lot of us are watching each day, and are glad to be working.

I shall look forward to hearing from yourselves.

Take good care everyone.

Genuine and Honest regards to all

[Headphone Czar]

Very lucky.. The 800s might be the 'best' ever.. 56mm drivers in unheard of..

[zicmubleu]

Headphone Czar and benmbe I just wanted to let you know my HD600s arrived yesterday and I listened to some Andrea Bocelli "Andrea" on SACD and then the new Enya "And Winter Came" and was duly impressed. With the Enya I could easily and distinctly hear her various mixed tracks whereas with speakers I can never separate the sound. Bocelli of course sounded fantastic, the clarity was impressive. I really felt the pressure release from my head when I took the headphones off but the quality of the sound is what I had hoped for. I was concerned about my AVR not having the proper power level for this type headphone but it was no problem and now I will look for my headphone extension cord. The last time I used headphones was back in the early 70s and this experience gave me a flashback feeling to those times, being immersed in the sound. Thanks again for the great suggestion/recommendation of these headphones. Tonight some Moody Blues or maybe some ELP Lucky Man - push that low end.

[Headphone Czar]

I'm very glad to hear it. The other phones I listed were technically better in certain areas, but the 600 offer a nice blend of neutraliy and musicality the others lacked. They were analytical to the extreme.. Many audiophiles feel the 650 is a downgrade compared to the 600.

[benmbe]

Hi zicmubleu / Headphone Czar,

It's always refreshing to correspond with others who have the same genuine attitude and enthusiasm.

No matter what the purchase, it all takes hard work and we all know this, so when we purchase an item and are equally happy with the end result, it's always so satisfying.......Really pleased your happy and enjoy reading both of your threads guys.

Keep in touch both ?

Sincere and Honest Regards

Mark

[Arclite]

Hey Everyone,

Great thread. I'm about to buy a blue ray player and need some headphone suggestions. I live in an apartment, so I can't really have a full blown speaker set up and still be able to listen to movies at any reasonable volume.

My Situation:
I'm familiar with PC headphones, as I've had a few 5.1 sets already. My first set was a pair of $50 Zalmans (the funny looking ones). They had good separation, but poor sound quality. After that I got a pair of Turtle Beach headphones that cost me $80. They had better sound (esp base) but were of poor construction and one of the earphones ripped off completely just after the warranty expired. My current PC 5.1 headphones are a pair of Tritton AX 51 Pros. They have good base and sound reproduction for games and movies, but separation is hit or miss. Using the THX 5.1 speaker set up on my Revenge of the Sith DVD, it's hard to discern the separation. When I watched I Am Legend, I kept thinking someone else was walking around in the room behind me, but it was sound from the rear channel. All things taken together, if I had a set like these for my Blue Ray player, I'd be satisfied. They cost me $100. I need two sets, one for me and one for my wife. I'd like to avoid wireless unless it's infrared. I don't like the idea of encasing my brain in high frequency EMF for hours at a time.

My Blue Ray Player:
I'm considering either the Panasonic DMP-BD60K ($250) or the DMP-BD80K ($350). The big difference is the DMP-BD80K has separate on-board 7.1-channel analog outputs and the cheaper one doesn't.

My Questions:
1. What Blue Ray player do I need? Do I actually need the analog outputs for headphones, or can I use the optical output on the cheaper one?

2. True 5.1 (8 speaker headphones) vs. simulated 5.1? Any recommendations? I've never actually heard simulated surround, so I'm not sure if it's comparable to true 5.1 or not.

3. What kind of connector do I need? Can I use USB headphones (I assume not, due to driver issues, but thought I'd ask)? Can I convert 3.5mm to optical? Do they make headphones with an HDMI input?

Thanks for letting me pick your brain.

[zicmubleu]

Originally Posted by Arclite

Hey Everyone,

Great thread. I'm about to buy a blue ray player and need some headphone suggestions. I live in an apartment, so I can't really have a full blown speaker set up and still be able to listen to movies at any reasonable volume.

My Situation:
All things taken together, if I had a set like these for my Blue Ray player, I'd be satisfied. They cost me $100. I need two sets, one for me and one for my wife. I'd like to avoid wireless unless it's infrared. I don't like the idea of encasing my brain in high frequency EMF for hours at a time.

My Blue Ray Player:
I'm considering either the Panasonic DMP-BD60K ($250) or the DMP-BD80K ($350). The big difference is the DMP-BD80K has separate on-board 7.1-channel analog outputs and the cheaper one doesn't.

My Questions:
1. What Blue Ray player do I need? Do I actually need the analog outputs for headphones, or can I use the optical output on the cheaper one?

2. True 5.1 (8 speaker headphones) vs. simulated 5.1? Any recommendations? I've never actually heard simulated surround, so I'm not sure if it's comparable to true 5.1 or not.

3. What kind of connector do I need? Can I use USB headphones (I assume not, due to driver issues, but thought I'd ask)? Can I convert 3.5mm to optical? Do they make headphones with an HDMI input?

Thanks for letting me pick your brain.

I can't truly answer your questions, and I am not familiar with the Blu-ray players you mentioned, but I doubt that they have a headphone out jack. Typical headphones use something like a 300 ohm output which is generally found on a receiver. I don't look at separates, pre/pros, amps, etc., no use being tempted, so I don't know if they commonly have headphone out jacks but would guess they do and maybe at the preamp stage. I also think most headphones are going to be a conventional stereo design, so something like a receiver will be needed to combine the 7.1 sound into a two channel format. In addition you mention the need for two headphones, I think you will be looking for some sort of headphone amplifier for this purpose so that each person can adjust the volume to their liking. And again I don't know if there are two output amplifiers available or not, I would think so, but without that you would need a Y adapter and headphones with some sort of volume control built in. The wireless design might be just your ticket and solve several problems at once. I don't think the power levels are great enough to cause you a lot of concern, and probably there are wireless units that provide a cable to the headphone so that the wireless portion is removed from your body a bit.

Just curious what island are you on? The Big Island of Hawai`i or another?

I responded only to let you know there is life on this thread, it may take a few days for people with real knowledge to see your plea for help and respond.