Which is the most IMPORTANT for great sound quality?

HIFI audio | three sets of audiophiles: lossless audio source, music player, headphones, which one is more important?

When we first listen music, we didn't have a lot of choices, just listening to music. However, with the rapid development of technology and the continuous improvement of life, the demands of the audiophiles on the sound quality and the sense of hearing have gradually increased. And many high-end music player, hifi headphones, and lossless audio source now change our direct feeling of music. So, which one is it that directly affects our sense of hearing? Lossless sound source, headphones, music player, which is the most important for great sound quality?

We can do a little test:

Which is more important for lossless audio sources, music player, and headphones?
1. The audio sources is the most important
2. The music player is the most important
3. Headphones are the most important
4. All are important

But in fact, there is no accurate answer to this question. These three relationships have a cask effect, which is indispensable and affect each other.

As far as the music player is concerned, it is not enough to comment on the quality of the sound because it requires a combination of headphones. The difference in music player, the resolution of the sound quality is not the same, that is, the use of a very cheap headphones can also reflect the difference in sound quality of the music player. Therefore, the final sound quality difference and the sense of hearing cannot be separated from the music player and headphones to talk about.

Earphone manufacturers' earphone style changes vary greatly. The earbuds can be used independently of the sound, and can be used with a PC, with a mobile phone, or even with a desk. From this point of view, the headphones are more important than the music player, and it is more practical. And when the headphones get a better quality, there is no need to stick to the music player, but the sound quality does not necessarily achieve the desired effect. So, the more obvious the headphones, the more fundamental the music player, the level of the music player can affect the performance of the headphones, affecting the sense of hearing.

If you use a mobile phone or a few hundred players to play music. You will find that because the headphone style is different, the impedance and sensitivity are different, and the sound coming out is very different. Therefore, whether headphones can introduce high-quality sounds will be limited by the music player. The sound of the same earphone may have a qualitative change on different music players. Due to the influence of decoding and thrust, the general requirements for thrust in the ear are not particularly large, that is, the influence of decoding. If the decoding is not good enough, the sound will be a few levels, indicating that the effect of decoding is greater than the headphones.

The front of the decoding is the sound source. We can find a recording from the 1940s and 1950s. You will find that the sound quality is the same regardless of the headphones or the music player, because the quality of the recording can determine the quality of the sound. Sound sources are more important than hardware. Of course, this does not mean that the headphone is not important, because any one ring has a problem, the sound will be greatly reduced.

We all know that the most common combination of music is the sound source -> Music player -> headphones, this process is irreversible. If the Music player does not output or has no audio output, is the presence of headphones necessary? So, the headphones exist for the "sound source -> music player". In other words, without the analog playback device such as earbuds, the Music player and all music players seem to have no sound system.

So, a set of playback systems, it is difficult to say that the music player or the headphone is important. Which part of the quality is worse will affect the overall effect, so the relationship between them can only be said to have mutual influence.

In the lossless sound source, music player, and earphones, the earphone acts as a transducer, and the distortion is the largest. Therefore, the difference in the sense of hearing brought by the music player is much smaller than the difference in the sense of hearing brought by the headphones. If you have to make a choice on the music player and the headphones, in the economic capability range, I still recommend upgrading the headphones first, the headphones reach a certain level, and the music player can't meet the change front. It's because the style of the different headphones is very intuitive, and even in a noisy environment, this difference can be clearly and clearly felt. So, it is recommended to choose a good headphone first, and finally choose a good music player.

Regardless of the importance of the source, music player, and headphones, we should know that the ear is the first, because everyone's hearing experience is different. As far as the ordinary audiophiles are concerned, the change brought by good headphones is greater than that of good playback devices. Because the sound is a systematic project, which board is broken will not work. For the needs of ordinary audiophiles, choosing headphones is more obvious and faster. A better headphone is more important than a player, because it is impossible for ordinary audiophiles to pursue thousands of headphones. The headphones need the thrust of professional players. Auxiliary, and hundreds of headphones on the market can already meet the demand, and most mobile phone thrust is enough. Of course, crazy audiophiles are another matter.