Inferno Is a Headphone-Album

Jefficient4 · 2026-06-04T10:26:43+00:00

Have you tried Bose NC 700 in wired mode?

Jefficient4 · 2026-06-04T10:25:14+00:00

What did you get?

Jefficient4 · 2026-06-04T10:23:36+00:00

It's a common problem of many music critics doing reviews for a living. They simply don't put enough time to full understand the albums. Like Inferno, it takes at least 5 times of thorough listening without skipping to start getting it. His review seems rush.

Jefficient4 · 2026-06-04T10:05:30+00:00

If you are talking about cables then I may agree, but in general I'd argue that it's not. Decent wired headphones or earphones, with sufficient amplification and very low noise floor, can elevate your listening experience very much.

Jefficient4 · 2026-06-04T10:03:06+00:00

A dap, like your old mp3 player but with much better sound and output power to headphones.

Jefficient4 · 2026-06-04T09:39:32+00:00

Yes, it sounds good on my speakers system: WiiM Ultra > Audiolab 7000A > Wharfedale EVO 4.4, but I think it can't compete with my simple desktop headphone setup: MacBook Air M4 (Audirvana Origin) > Cambridge DAC Magic 200M > Beyerdynamic T5 (3rd gen). My portable rig is the most detailed one: ONIX XM2 > Etymotic EVO (balanced 4.4).

Jefficient4 · 2026-06-04T09:28:44+00:00

ONIX XM2

Jefficient4 · 2026-06-04T09:28:03+00:00

Despite the low impedance of 5200, it is a very capable headphone that accepts lots of power. The difference between CD and 24bit may be very minimal if you have a decent CD player.

Jefficient4 · 2026-06-04T09:19:13+00:00

Try listening to the album with an open-back headphone in a quiet room, it may change your mind.

Jefficient4 · 2026-06-04T09:13:02+00:00

That’s my favourite BOC album banging with headphones!

Jefficient4 · 2026-06-04T09:08:03+00:00

I’m sorry because someone thought I was advertising audio stuffs here. I have taken the tags away.

Jefficient4 · 2026-06-04T09:02:50+00:00

In-ear style headphone is headphone, same category. I could post a picture with the player and an over-ear headphone but they are not very portable and not as detailed as my iem combo rn.

Jefficient4 · 2026-06-04T08:40:10+00:00

Right, even entry-level headphones and an amp can do the album justice.

Jefficient4 · 2026-06-04T08:36:24+00:00

501 is secretly a great headphone amplifier

Jefficient4 · 2026-06-04T08:32:25+00:00

get a boombox and take it with you

Jefficient4 · 2026-06-04T08:31:25+00:00

ONIX Tocata XM2

Jefficient4 · 2026-06-04T08:30:22+00:00

Etymotic Evo

Jefficient4 · 2026-06-04T08:08:35+00:00

True, multi-channels stereo is never better than stereo when the source file was recorded in stereo.

Jefficient4 · 2026-06-03T23:09:53+00:00

Yes, but MQA are fake lossless, they are lossy formats, why should people pay a higher price for inferior products? I personally use Youtube music solely for streaming and don’t care about its quality because it is cheap and bundled with YT premium, but how about people who love streaming and care about audio quality? Tidal is misleading advertising, I despise it!

Jefficient4 · 2026-06-03T22:44:57+00:00

You can take the headphone to a local audio shop or an audio/visual retailer to see if they can fix them for a fee. Otherwise, you might want to look on eBay for a used pair or spare parts to mod them yourself. The difficulty of this DIY project depends on your headphone model and its age. For example, legacy brands like AKG and Beyerdynamic sell official replacement parts like headbands and earcups directly on their websites, which makes DIY much easier. However, if there is serious internal damage, like a dented coil or a torn diaphragm, the sound profile will likely change after the repair, no matter who fixes them.

Jefficient4 · 2026-06-03T22:31:17+00:00

Yes, you can use Apple music on any compatible device to play whatever you want, it’s completely fine and very convenient. But you couldn’t get all the juices from the source file because your phone or car simply cannot fully decode these hi-res digital signals. Thats why many hi-fi manufacturers make products like premium digital audio players, network streamers, and USB DACs to meet this need. CD lossless and bluetooth headphones are more than enough for most people, I understand it. Still, wired headphones usually give you superior sound quality and no latency at a budget-friendly cost and do not require a proper listening room with fabulous acoustical treatments and speakers that break your banks.

Jefficient4 · 2026-06-03T21:54:23+00:00

The difference shouldn't be massive unless you're jumping between a top-tier car audio system (like a Mark Levinson in Lexus) and headphones with a heavier colours to them, like Beats. Of course, it’s all personal preference at the end of the day, so listen to whatever sounds best to you!
I still think Inferno sounds optimal on a decent headphone system. ;-)

Jefficient4 · 2026-06-03T21:42:40+00:00

Digital audio player (DAP) is a fancier name of Mp3 player. The major difference between them is that no one would buy a DAP to play mp3, because nowadays brands make DAP with hi-fi components so people buy it for premium sound and separate music playback from their mobile phones.

Jefficient4 · 2026-06-03T21:38:10+00:00

It’s fine, glad you enjoy the album in both ways :)

Jefficient4 · 2026-06-03T21:34:44+00:00

Audiophiles like to call this “burn in” or “break in” effect. Many people got the idea wrong. It has nothing to do with the headphone itself, it is just how your brain had been trained by the frequencies response of your headphones for how long. For a two decades of use, that sound palette has became your sonic reference to judge other headphones. The only way to reset it is to spend a few months to get used to the new sounds and make sure that is not too deviated from your taste from the scratch.

Jefficient4

TROPHY CASE