Portable Audio Systems: Myths and Reality

We publish a series of transcripts for our podcast Sound . One of the last conversations recorded as part of the show has already been published in a post format, but today we decided to return to the very first release (dated 10.22.2013), in which Dmitry Kabanov and Timofey Shikolenkov talk about how the idea of ​​recording this podcast originated debunk some myths related to the topic of audio, and argue about the often unknown but widespread, but curious, components of portable audio systems.

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Dmitry: We decided to start by saying what the idea came from, how we came to make a program devoted specifically to technology, gadgets that are “screwed” to your smartphones or to your home audio systems that you can carry with yourself anywhere, and not just to understand them, but to make your life, your music really better, more enjoyable and have a better time.

Timofey: Improving the quality of life, let's say. In general, the idea went from the fact that modern media have almost forgotten that there is music. The fact that there is a whole industry of sound, which in the 80s was "on horseback", everyone was talking about it, everyone knew about it. Now, for the most part, they are talking about some kind of computer technology, about some incomprehensible numbers, talking about smartphones, about Apple, and everything connected with it. And about the fact that they have not stopped listening to music, [they don’t say]. And about what is happening around this, what technologies exist around this [users do not know], and here, too, the whole world is huge.

And it turns out that I meet with various people who are not connected with our subject matter, I start talking about what is in general: what devices exist, what technologies are there, new opportunities for people, and I see expanding eyes. And every time, on the one hand, it surprises and pleases me: I told something new, added some quality of life to a person. He now understands something. On the other hand, I’m frustrated because a huge number of people are simply not aware of the opportunities offered by technology in the field of music, in the field of sound, to people who are passionate about it.

Dmitry: Well, yes. We do not have to go far. While I was choosing and looking for headphones for myself, by fate I got into Audiomania: I just didn’t suspect the existence of such devices as a sound amplifier, a portable sound amplifier for smartphones ... And choosing headphones, let's say, above average, in order to listen to music, to process the same podcasts, I, without thinking, decided to just stick them into my iPhone. Such a device as a sound amplifier for smartphones for me simply did not exist until that moment.

When we started to look at what they are, what form factor, functionality, I just decided to take a couple of weeks and study this whole thing. When you start to understand small things, an unknown field opens up for you. But all this is so demanding that I want to understand, delve into these gadgets, look at what is, what is not, compare prices. What it will give, what - will not give. What is better to carry with you in the subway, through which it is better to listen to podcasts, and what is better to put at home. What is better to take as a portable boombox, if you can call it that. Because at my home, for example, I don’t even know how it is called correctly, there is a Jawbone-speaker that works via bluetooth and connects to a regular mini-jack.

Timofey: Yes, this is an eternal problem. When we add some new products (and now we are gradually expanding the range towards modern digital devices), there is always a problem: how to call this business in Russian. Our world is becoming digital, despite the fact that our ears, of course, continue to be analog, so in the process of expanding the range we collect a consultation each time and think how to name this or that product group: in America, for example, in Europe there is The term “portable speakers” means portable speakers.

If you call it "portable speakers" or "portable speakers", it becomes absolutely incomprehensible what it is. And here a lot of questions arise, new terms appear. The same headphone amplifiers. When you speak to someone who is not aware of the topic, "headphone amplifier", it causes a smile.

Dmitry: There is a huge box ...


FiiO E17K Portable Headphone Amplifier

Timofey: Yes, but why amplify headphones? And if you also talk about “portable headphone amplifiers”, it’s generally something. What is this for? I take the headphones, connect them to my smartphone, to the iPhone, to the Android device, Samsung to some, everything is audible, everything is fine. At the same time (now it is noticeable), many people on the streets walk with big headphones. Here there are several moments at once: firstly, people “close” from the external background, which prevents them from enjoying music, and secondly, people still want to buy headphones that sound high quality to listen to everything that the performer has invested in this composition: voice and everything else.

And often I see on the forums that people say: “I’m listening, and there’s not the sound, there’s not enough bass.” And scolded headphones. But in fact, the headphones are good. That is, they come home, connect them to something “big” and hear everything is fine. But for some reason, they scold the headphones anyway. It turns out that they can not blame the iPhone. How to scold the iPhone? This is their favorite gadget. Someone had been saving it for a long time, someone had been dreaming for a very long time, waiting for a new model to be released.

Dmitry: If you look from the position of the average person, from which, most likely, I will perform in this program on an ongoing basis - I can’t say that I am an expert in audio technology - and speaking of headphones and devices that I use to listen to music, then I am an absolutely ordinary person, like everything else. And when I choose headphones, the maximum that I pay attention to is, of course, “the more expensive, the steeper”, and “the less resistance, the better.” The wider the range, the better.

Timofey: Yes, the classics of the genre! We are often asked why our site does not have the ability to compare speakers and headphones by performance. But the fact is that it is practically useless. It is clear that if you compare the resistance, you can understand how much this amplifier will pull, this speaker system. In fact, much more factors.

Dmitry: Well, it's like saying that the passenger car wheels are small, but if you screw the big ones, it will be better. But in fact, they are adapted to this particular model, precisely to this class of cars, and it is useless to twist something here, to fasten the wheels from KAMAZ. Also with resistance, and with a range.

Timofey: Actually, there are a lot of parameters. If you take the speakers alone, there are several dozen parameters. And trying to put them in my head somehow lay down and compare is useless. To compare according to classical characteristics: the frequency range, power, resistance, this will give something, of course, but on the whole it is useless to compare, since there are speakers of completely different classes. In this case, the characteristics they look the same.

Therefore, there is such a misconception: if these are the main characteristics: power, frequency, range, maybe resistance, are the same, then there is no difference at all. Here is a big column, this is also a big column. This costs 10,000 rubles, this costs 50,000 rubles, the characteristics of the basic are the same, which means there is no difference. So, the one for 50,000 is just a “divorce of suckers” for those who have a lot of money. They will buy expensive, not cheap.

Dmitry: And if someone else’s acquaintance, some kind of musician or a star, is depicted on the box in the picture, it’s really “scatters”.

Timofey: Yes, this is a separate song. And the funny thing is that people like modern ones, somehow they [like] are not very susceptible to classic advertising, but for some reason they are bought for such simple things.

Dmitry: It seems to me that the point here is precisely that a person cannot be completely sure that he is right, being guided by these characteristics that we have spoken: price, etc.

Timofey: Therefore, we must listen.

Dmitry: Yes, oddly enough, the fact that someone famous is listening to, advertising a product is a decisive factor for him.

Timofey: At the same time, we forget that everyone’s ears are different. And musical preferences are different. And everyone likes to listen to music in different ways. It is clear that there is such a desire to unscrew low frequencies more from the 80s – 90s. Just because they are missing. And they are lacking not because they are not there, but because the sound equipment that was used [then] simply cannot reproduce the spectrum that is incorporated in the musical composition. As a result, I want to add because it seems that something is missing.

Dmitry: As a result, all this never reaches the headphones.

Timofey: If we go back to where we started, about amplifiers ... by the way, they [exist] not only for smartphones, oddly enough. That is, now there are a huge number of portable players. It all started with a fairly large device. I remember this: I have been at the forefront of this market since the early 2000s. It all started with a fairly large boxes, and there really could be put more or less decent amplifier. Then the trend "the less, the better." As a result, the latest players are smaller than a matchbox.

Dmitry: It is with these questions, with these tasks, it seems to me that we will deal with this and the following programs. How to choose? What to choose? What to pay attention to? What kind of devices are there? What is the technique? How to compare it? What to listen to? And what to listen to?

Timofey: Yes, the topic is inexhaustible. I think you can talk about it for years. Well, actually, we do it. The first thing I would like to say on this subject, and most importantly: you cannot choose audio equipment, relying on some famous person who chose these headphones for themselves. I understand that you now have on your head, for example, the Beats, and you probably bought them for a reason.

Dmitry: To my shame, we still revealed this fact of the first release.

Timofey: There are reasons why you bought them. These are expensive headphones. They invested a lot of PR. And this PR, of course, affects the price, since there can be no miracles here.

Dmitry: Well, of course. This is a big business. As far as I know, this company was bought back by those who resold it. Subsequently, it has invested hundreds of millions of dollars. The brand is sold and sold well. To him "screwed" famous people. Everyone is happy and happy.

Timofey: A world-class brand.

Dmitry: In fact, I very clearly felt that from a practical point of view, if you do not look at the tasty picture, as they are used, they simply become loose, become loose, and all the plastic begins to crack. If you drop them from 20-30 centimeters to any surface, they simply crumble, and you have to take the “Moment” glue, and start everything all over again. I bought them a hundred years ago, so I’m just driving a record with them. They are just suitable for such purposes.

Timofey: They are, in fact, many, for which they are suitable. Headphones are decent. The question is different. The question is that people go to the store, see this box. They take it and do not even think about what is inside. And here, of course, there is such an amusing factor: people like it simply because people like it. Even if they don't like it, they persuade themselves that they like it. And this is where everything stops. There are people who can persuade themselves. I do not know, unfortunately, fortunately? .. The main thing is that they have satisfied their demand. They wanted just such headphones, they wanted them to look that way.

Since, after all, for the most part, this is a youth audience, the music there is appropriate. It is, in general, quite simple to play, so it is suitable for almost any audio equipment, including cheap. If you delve into the audio formats, then you can already use different formats with compression, the same mp3. It will still be more or less normal. That is, it turns out a bunch: cheap equipment - cheap music from the production point of view.

Dmitry: It seems to me that it is important to understand here that in fact the purchase is not cheap. Even if compared with the same smartphones, iPhones or anything else, then this is actually half or even a good smartphone. It's amazing how people approach this purchase compared to the same smartphones. They can compare smartphones for weeks, choose on Yandex.Market, somewhere else, look at the characteristics: screen, memory, processor. But when it comes to headphones, a person just goes into the store, spends 10 minutes, grabs, does not even listen to them, and that’s all.

Timofey: Fortunately, not only that. Fortunately, there are people who understand that it is necessary to choose something musical by listening to music. And preferably the one that you know well, well know how it should sound. Unless, of course, you know, if there is, on what to listen, with what to compare. But, anyway, you can come to the store and listen to some headphones. And large, or small. By the way, there is another myth. I think in the course of the play we will debunk the myths that have a huge amount of audio around.

Dmitry: Yes, definitely.

Timofey: And one of the myths is that small headphones, plug-in, “droplets,” as they say they like, that they are always worse on bass than big ones. This is a real myth. These are just different technologies. And there are small earphones that “bless” about th-th and can be compared with very large ones. That is, the conversation here is no longer about how big they are. Here, by the way, about the acoustics is also the same story, they say, the more speakers, the better.


Intra channel Denon AH-C101 headphones for lovers of the “strong” bass line

Dmitry: A lot of myths. Starting from the fact that until the last moment, it seemed to me that the columns made of glass should be of an order of magnitude worse quality than, for example, columns of wood. But as it turns out ...

Timofey: The material from which the speaker is made of a speaker ... well, the ideal speakers should be concrete. It is durable, it does not resonate, does not vibrate, does not create additional overtones. Everything. Here are the perfect speakers.

Dmitry: It will be a little bit heavy to drag on the 10th floor.

Timofey: There are problems with logistics immediately. It is impossible to deliver anywhere. Therefore, it turns out that [instead of concrete it is used] MDF is the material from which practically all acoustic systems in the world are produced, both expensive and cheap - any. Absolutely cheap, of course, it is possible to make plastic either, or some other materials. There are very decent speakers made, for example, from aluminum.

The question is not what the material will be, but how to correctly apply it: these are forms and various additional materials that are used in production. The most difficult engineering calculation. Not everyone understands that the speaker system is not just a wooden box, made of several boards of rectangular size, in which speakers are inserted, wires are twisted and that's all. In fact, it is not so simple.

Those who count it all are engineers with a lot of experience, people tend to do this all their lives. Not just passionate, involved. This is a part of their life. And they do not represent themselves in a different way. If you just pick up a box or something, pick up even very expensive speakers, insert it and connect it, then a “squeaker”, that is, a subwoofer, will immediately burn, just because you need to filter the sound. Then there can be no sound at all from the mid-range and subwoofer ... that is, it will, you just will not hear it.

There are a lot of subtleties. It seems that everything is very simple, but in fact everything is very difficult. Each speaker, it is as unique as fingerprints. We often have stories: people had fun hanging out in the evening, burned some speaker in some expensive speaker system, come to us. We sell speakers, including. They come to us and say: "And help with the replacement."

Dmitry: It's a little harder than replacing a light bulb in the kitchen.

Timofey: It is generally impossible practically if the speaker is made for this particular speaker system, and this often happens if it is not very expensive acoustics. All is made by a set. Only such a speaker is made for this speaker system. Find an analog is impossible. Analogs simply do not exist.

This can be compared with spare parts for the car. If one year of production of the car, then there is such a spare part, if the other one is different. They do not fit each other. And here is still worse. You can screw in the speaker, the hole fits, and the terminals are exactly the same, and it looks very similar. But, for example, does not sound. Or not the volume - the volume of the box in which the speaker was placed is not suitable for the new speaker. And then the subtleties are an insane amount. Dozens of parameters that need to be compared. Equal does not happen.

Dmitry: Well, of course. Moreover, the higher the class, the higher ...

Timofey: And here the class is not even very important. Maybe a column for 5,000 rubles, again, the person says: “Here, I have such a cheap column. I want it to sound better. I want to buy an expensive speaker, replace the one that stands in it, and then I will have a cool sound. ” I deceived everyone, bought a cheap speaker, bought an expensive speaker, and as a result I got a speaker that sounds better than a very expensive one, which costs ten times more. Nothing happens, unfortunately. If everything were so simple, probably everyone would have done so.

Dmitry: Well, of course.Still, even if we return to the class of amateur, cheaper, philistine devices: some kind of portable audio equipment and small home audio systems, it seems to me that here we have a rather extensive field for discussion.

But, it seems to me, it is worth going in stages. And in the course of releases, first disassemble one class of devices, then another. To make it easier for students to navigate and, having learned a small fraction of that expertise, begin to understand all this. And to put this knowledge into practice, simply by going to a regular store and listening to different models, sorting it out, figuring out what music will allow them to determine whether one or another model, say, headphones, is suitable for them or not.

Timofey:That's just with the usual shops we have a problem. Regular stores, unfortunately, do not provide such services. Even if the assortment has a large selection of headphones, you can hardly listen to them anywhere.

Dmitriy:Here it is important to understand that you should not make a start from the established practice, when the first store where you go to buy headphones or audio equipment is a computer store. It seems to me that this perception has already taken shape in all of us since the beginning of the 2000s - the late 90s, at least for people from my generation. And I understand very clearly that I still want to go to some store where I buy the same laptops or some kind of gadgets, and see what they have there. Therefore, there is everywhere and this technique is laid out at the edges. There are Beats, there are some more expensive headphones, which I do not even know how to wear. They just do not close anything, but they are twice as expensive as the Beats.

Timofey:Pricing is probably a separate topic. But computer stores - yes, why not ... there are multimedia speakers, a certain class of devices. That is, the speakers, which are designed specifically for the computer to emit some sounds, system messages, toys, voice. Naturally, it is unlikely to listen to music through them so that they take over the soul.

Yesterday I had a completely amazing story. In exactly the same way, I met a person who was absolutely “not in our topic”, met in a completely different business connected with E-commerce. And we have no conversations in Audiomania, we have listening rooms, because almost all the conversations we have are about music. We are sitting, talking, the conversation is nearing completion, and I say: "Well, let's do something, listen to the music." He says: “Yes, yes!” I see that a person’s eyes are burning. He sees the equipment around him, he sees the acoustics. I say: "What are you listening to?" He: "I love dubstep."


Big listening room in the salon "Audiomania at Electrozavodskaya" (Moscow)

I watch demo discs that are [in the showroom] - there is nothing suitable. Well, I think, well, man is the first time, the first impression. He had never seen anything like it. I did not try to "collect" anything for him specifically. In the showroom just stood equipment, and not very expensive. Speakers for 40 000 rubles for a pair, the same class amplifier and player. Here he sits down. I see this smile of a skeptic, who understands that the equipment that stands in his house, which he bought at a computer store, it, in general, sounds the same. I just give him the first oncoming track, and I see how his face is changing. He opens his mouth and says: "My back chills run." I say: "That's right! Is this the first time? ”-“ Yes, this is the first time. ”

The man plunged into this world, he realized that all his life he had listened to only a part of the music. Emotions from her were "cut off." And here, at last, he heard and felt the music, felt the emotions that ...

Dmitry: And then a color appeared on the TV ...

Timothy:Yes Yes Yes. This is something from that opera. And this story happens all the time. Especially, I often argue with people and in forums: I stumble upon some link to us, go to see what they write, and there begins such a classic conversation: “Yes, all this is nonsense! Nobody needs all this! You can buy a column in a wooden case in a computer store, and everything will be fine. " Yes, of course, everything will be fine. Another question, with what to compare something? People have nothing to compare with, but they have their own opinion. And here I begin to argue. And initially I say: "Let's argue for money." People immediately: “Oh, cool! Now I will come to you. And I will not hear anything, no difference. ” A person comes, turns on, and this is the change of the face ... I'm waiting for him.

One time there was a case, a person had tears. A man came in with such a classic “trollface” expression, and this is how it all changes, and changes up to tears, to goosebumps. How it changes people. They just do not know. And it is very, very disappointing. Returning to portable devices: what we started with, headphone amplifiers are small, they allow you to get the same emotions on, of course, good, decent headphones, but not connected directly to the player and / or smartphone, but connected through this very amplifier . There are bass, which, it would seem, these headphones can not play.

What do people often compare with [sounding]? With a computer.A person on the road listens to a smartphone, where there is an amplifier that cannot “shake” the headphones, and its characteristics, naturally, are relevant. It turns the volume to maximum, non-linear distortion, etc. The man comes home, connects the headphones to the computer, and he listens there. It all sounds different. I can not say that it is very good or very bad.

Dmitry: Usually it seems that this is the best that you can think of.

Timofey:And in fact there is another story. It’s the same there: the computers are now small, the boards are small, and we’re generally silent about some kind of amplification. Pro digital-to-analog conversion, that is, a key link in modern audio technology. Because all music is digital: we download music from the Network with different quality. And then this file must be decoded, so that from ones and zeros turn into sound, since the ears are analog for all that. People compare what they listen to on a smartphone, what they listen to on a computer, somewhere better, somewhere worse, but this and that is far from what these headphones can give.

Because even in an expensive computer ... I see that we now have a decent enough computer here. This is a good computer. But if we talk about sound quality, for example, if you use an external sound card - and people use external sound cards, and, oddly enough, they buy professional ones. I often see on iXBT a huge number of posts [about that] which professional sound card to choose. And people really choose professional boards.

Dmitry: And what is a professional fee?

Timofey: This is a record board. They are not for that at all. How do people compare? They look characteristics: "Oh, the numbers are big." 24 bits. 192 kHz. These are the big numbers. So it sounds cool.

Dmitry: And they turn on their mp3 music.

Timofey:Fortunately, many now understand that there are high frequencies, high bit depth. They download lossless formats, flac [for example] and listen to them. Good.But they take these boards, which have a large number of possibilities, and compare them at a price, say, with digital-to-analog converters, which are now sold separately. Arcam rPac


external D / A converter is intended primarily to enhance the sound of audio files played from a computer or laptop.

This is also a separate class of devices, and a huge world, these are devices that are intended only for playing music. They have a USB interface, they connect to a computer and on the back they have either a headphone jack and a built-in headphone amplifier, or analog terminals, the usual “tulip”, which can already be connected to the amplifier. This class of devices really blew up the market a year ago. For our listeners, I think it will be a surprise, they have not heard, have not seen this. But if seen, great!

Dmitry: I do not know at all.

Timofey: This is a huge market. He is now growing at an insane pace. People really listen to music on the computer. This is absolutely normal. Download and listen. All perfectly.And there is a huge amount of space where you can put all this. Hard drives are now crazy sizes. And how to listen? Either they connected the wiring to the amplifier, if any, to which to connect, or they connected the multimedia speakers.

Dmitry: For example, I very often used the old stereo system, the audio system, which was together with a DVD player. And connected it to the computer.

Timofey: Well, better than multimedia speakers, right?

Dmitriy:Indeed, when an intermediate device appears, it allows you to feel exactly the very emotions and quality to get at the output. It seems to me that if I had learned about all this technology about 5 years ago, when I started studying at the university, and all the hours I spent on the subway, on buses, this is an insane amount of time - I sat in these terrible droplets, gags, I sat in these Beats, and in other closed headphones ...

It seems to me that people [now] spend an insane amount of time in the transport and in the environment where they want to feel some kind of separation from the outside world, close from everyone, hide from everyone, listen to their favorite music, podcasts, audiobooks. So this knowledge, it will help to significantly change and transform this time is not just a falling asleep under the rumbling, hissing bass. And really helps to draw their attention to the music that they listened to all this time, but have not heard.

Timofey:Yes that's for sure! It's a pity that 5 years ago this equipment was not there yet. Still, it all appears only in recent years. Here are portable headphone amplifiers, they were already last year. But it was a fragmentary sale. Someone from somewhere brought in a suitcase or pocket. "Here, look what a piece I have." No one knows about it until now. Although I have a feeling that this device is really necessary for everyone.

Dmitry: But now, in my opinion, they are not sold in all these shops near the metro.

Timofey: They do not know how to sell them. They do not know what it is. Because it needs to be explained to everyone. They have no time for this.

Dmitry: Companies that produce, sell headphones themselves, they do not complete them together?

Timofey: NoIn general, there is, by the way, TDK is a brand from the 90s, which, I think, is familiar to many. Now they are very cool to change direction, and they, including, have headphones with a built-in amplifier. And there are inserted batteries, and you can turn on or off the amplifier. Such a hybrid device. But mostly, of course, there are none.


Headphones TDK ST750 with a built-in amplifier

Dmitry: It seems to me that even if we are talking about the cheapest, the simplest amplifiers, it is important to understand that there are more likely control elements to be placed on them - louder, quieter - and this is very convenient to use if You do not have all these buttons on your headphones, and you are not comfortable climbing into your pocket and switching them all on your smartphone.

Timofey:A classic story when a person wants to buy expensive headphones, good ones, but they do not know how to control a smartphone. He begins to choose: whether or not to buy headphones cheaper, simpler, not very well sounding, but in order not to get the phone, do not press these buttons. And there is an amplifier for headphones, which looks like a remote control, and also with a built-in microphone.

We take our favorite headphones, connect to this amplifier-panel and solve several problems at once. First, manage the smartphone, which lies in your pocket. Now, on the threshold of cold weather, this is probably very relevant. And you can also talk, because there is a microphone. We kill at once all possible hares.

Dmitry: Well, yes, even at home you can safely talk on Skype.

Timofey:As for the house, there is a separate story. There are headphone amplifiers with built-in DACs, i.e., hybrid devices. When we walk down the street, we use it as an amplifier, we control something: louder, louder, we use various sound settings that we like more. When we get home, we connect it to the computer, and use it as an external sound card. At the same time, again, we kill all the hares. Poor hares!

Several serious problems are solved at once. But, again, they are solved only when people realize that this is a problem. While they are not aware of the existence of such devices, they do not even think that, in fact, music may sound better. Music can not just “close” us in the headphones from the environment and drown everything that happens around, it can really bring the emotions that I told about.

Dmitry: From my own experience I can say for sure that the last, probably, three years, while I was studying, after 10-15 minutes I just started to fall asleep because the bass lulled very quickly. Especially when you realize that you do not have a very good quality file that you downloaded was not completely legal.

Timofey: But few people worry about that.

Dmitriy:Yes. And everything starts to sing-whistle, and now you have already fallen asleep, and you wake up when everything starts to whistle completely in your ears or is simply cut down.

Timofey: Well, yes. Unfortunately, there is such a thing.

Dmitry: Therefore it is important.

Timofey: If I go to the subway, I often pry, who has what settings [when listening to the sound]. People turn the volume to maximum.

Dmitry: Of course.

Timofey:Because [volume] is not enough. And when the volume on the smartphone, on the player is twisted to the maximum, those characteristics that are embedded in this device are not the best - this is its extreme state. And in this place begins to miss the bass. It turns out that this is not music. This is not understand what. This is some kind of strange cacophony sounding in headphones.

OK, it drowns out the environment. OK, she somehow stimulates and does not give, maybe, fall asleep, wakes in the morning. But, nevertheless, I don’t even know how much [in this sound] percent of what can really be heard.

Dmitry: It seems to me that there is a rather interesting dilemma: where to turn the volume up to the maximum - on the computer on the speakers or on the sound card?

Timofey:Depends on which way we shoot the sound. If a computer has only one output, and this is a headphone output, then this means that it is a boosted output, which, in an amicable way, is not intended to connect any kind of acoustics at all. This output is already enhanced. There are already amplifiers. And a little dangerous to connect there another amplifier. You can ruin the input cascade.

Therefore, of course, if this is a headphone output, then in no case should it be twisted to its maximum. Below the middle, it is desirable. Because it is already enhanced output. Is it dangerous. And on the speakers, if these are active speakers, multimedia, there is “like comfort”. In any case, the volume control on any device, twisted to a maximum, anyway, adds noise, adds distortion, adds everything that we generally would not like to hear.

Dmitry: It seems to me that it will be interesting in the course of issues to understand the different use cases of listening to music and look at the same run, sport, such activities, when it is important to feel comfortable - the same gags (even for those people who can tolerate them in their ears), they [for these purposes] are not very suitable. And vigorous activity, and some kind of weather conditions, they greatly affect [listening]. The same winter, when it will be -30 or -35. Phiaton MS 200 Moderna


headphones are designed for sports: durable, compact, not afraid of sweat and gentle rain

Timothy:In principle, [for this purpose] there are [special] devices. Although, of course, any equipment at negative temperatures behaves not very adequately. But as for the plug-in headphones, which not everyone can tolerate: it is clear that there are people who are really hard, but for the most part this is due to the fact that the ear cushions are very different. And decent headphones come with a few of them.

Since the ears are different, you can pick up those that will be as comfortable as possible. You can try it once, and that’s all, there’s no problem. After all, people really say: “Oh, no. I plug in headphones - never in my life. Because I do not like something in my ears. ” Although there are people who really do fall out of the ears all the time.

Dmitriy:I have seen people who are trying to put ordinary droplets in their ears to full depth, and people who cannot, like myself, endure the sensation of my breath when I “hear myself” with these plugs. It is simply impossible to convey.

Timofey: This is all very individual. In general, everything related to sound, everything related to music, its reproduction, is all very individual. That is why there are no absolutely good headphones, the very best. Similarly, there are no very good speakers, speakers. Similarly, there are no absolutely best recording formats. Everything is very individual.

Vinyl players are still on sale. New renaissance. To us, again, people who are far from this whole topic, come and say: "Oh, you have here for DJs." I say "No. For DJs, we just have nothing. We have home appliances. ” Here we have these vinyl players - for the home. "And my grandmother has a whole box of records." And here again, a half-hour lecture begins on what [in this case,] modern technologies, modern materials are used. This is something. They were not in those years when the players appeared.

Even those heads that are used now in modern players - there is such a stuffing of technology in this tiny device. We, by the way, have a channel on YouTube called “ AudiomaniaVideo", There you can see the head close very large and from all sides. She turns there, spinning. The operator when I first made such a video with this head, I was sitting without stopping, because on the big screen this is especially amazing.


A souvenir model of a vinyl record player Ricatech EP1950 Elvis Presley Limited Edition , made in the form of a retro-briefcase

What and how it is all made - a separate story. And records. The production technology of vinyl records has also changed. Other materials, other means for production. Remastered digital, which is used before production, he stepped far forward. If earlier there were terrible devices, terrible in their characteristics, now it is a completely different level. And people take original materials, process them, write them down, and a completely different impression is obtained. In addition, vinyl is a kind of fetish. Take a plate, get it out of the envelope, put it. This, of course, is not a topic for everyone, not everyone can understand it.

Again, you have to try it once, take it to feel it - life will never be the same. For some, it's forever. Therefore, there is no universal answer, what is good, what is bad. Must listen to music. And the equipment must be listened to. And choose her ears. Because choosing the equipment with your eyes is the same as choosing TV with your ears. It's impossible.

And this is not necessarily very expensive equipment, it can be speakers, for example, for 15, for 20 thousand. They are different among themselves, and they sound very different. It depends on the equipment to which they are connected. From amplifiers. The nature of the sound can be very different. The same goes for headphones. Here the conversation is not about whether they are small or large, closed or open.

Talk about how they are all different. Headphones are also small speakers. Just sent directly to the ears. Just another little production technology and playback technology. But in essence this is the same thing, just in a different package, in a different form. Therefore, it is necessary to listen to music.

Dmitriy:Even if we look at a glance, take some separate type of the same headphone, and roughly estimate the number of brands and subspecies that are in this lineup, the score will go, it seems to me, not even dozens.

Timofey: If you compare marks, a lot of stories pop up. There was a story, a child told me, son. They met in the camp and began to be measured phones, as usual. But he has an iPhone, an old one, but an iPhone. And they say to him:

- What is your version of Android?
He says:
- I do not have Android.
- No, all phones have some version of Android.
He says:
- No, I have no Android.
- Yes, you have Android. Say what.

In adults, a different way of perceiving products and brands. Each age has its own “theme”. People grow up a little, and the topic of showing off the letter “b” on the earpiece already disappears, they begin to think that, in general, the main thing is what I hear, and not what others see around. Because they, in general, do not care. And here it becomes necessary to listen. And, often, in our theme, brands that make a good enough technique, unfortunately, are not widely known. And you have to tell a story every time.

We have on the site about each brand a lot of text. Just because people don’t have any idea what brand it is. They hear about him for the first time. Naturally, it is difficult for them, they think that this is some kind of Chinese “non-fake, but hand-made article”. [It has gone since that time] when in the 80s a huge number of all kinds of obscure brands flooded the country. People, when they hear about some brand unknown to them, are suspicious of this. Thinksound ts02 in


-ear headphones , made in wooden case, delivered in a canvas bag and made entirely from environmentally friendly materials

But, naturally, in their circles and in the professional press, this is all discussed: reviews, awards and all that. But while ordinary people do not know. For example, the American company Thinksound, which makes the headset wooden small plug-in. Great headphones. Few have heard. At the same time they are, you can take to listen. They not only sound good, they are also eco-friendly. There is practically no plastic. Somehow the myth also works in parallel, that the tree is in sound, it is good.

Dmitry: It works very well. It works great for me.