In a few months I get to see that, we're moving there in June. It'll be my first time in mountains since I was a kid.

Take the two files, put them in an audio program (you can probably do it with Audacity), flip the polarity of one of them. When played, if the result is silence, the two files have cancelled each other out. This would mean that they are completely identical at a digital level. It's a way of testing if there is any actual difference between two files. If they cancel each other out, it means they were identical. Exactly the same. Thus, meaning that if you think you hear a difference between them, it's pure placebo.

However, if these are different masterings as others are suggesting, then this test is moot. You end up with a different file altogether. But it could still be worth a try.

Would you be able to tell the difference if you didn't know they were different file types? I'd try to do a blind test if possible. Knowing beforehand which is which is a very powerful subconscious persuasive tool, something that has been proven in various studies.

My favorite mids are middling.

$5 product with a social media marketing markup.

That's just Reddit for you. Hive mind weirdness. The really odd thing is you can never predict how it will go. Sometimes you'll get wildly upvoted, sometimes downvoted. If this same topic came up a month from now, and I wrote the same response, it could be totally different.

I like my headphones for their own unique flavor, I didn't buy them to make them sound like something else.

EQ if you like, don't EQ if you like. There are no rules. Do what you enjoy.

Crap, all I have are these ATH-AD500X.

> My problem is my ears stick out.

Put deeper pads on the headphones. Pad swapping, or "pad rolling" is part of the hobby. Any headphone worth a dang is going to have swappable pads, since they're considered a wear item and will need to be replaced eventually anyway. There are tons of aftermarket options out there for pads, for a huge range of headphones.

Comfort is going to depend entirely on your specific ear structure. I found them perfectly comfortable. I wear glasses if that matters.

With how popular these are and virtually never hearing complaints about them, I think you'll be fine.

The Koss KSC75 / 75X are the go-to for this style if that's what you want, they're stupid good for the cheap price. A lot of us have modded headbands on them, but they're fine with the clip on as well, if you find it comfortable.

Hearing the noise floor of your amp is a pretty normal thing and isn't much to worry about.

Sure. The louder silence is, the more dangerous it is.

/s

For Bluetooth sure, there are tons of Bluetooth adapters out there.

I have something in my ears the majority of the time, buds/IEMs at least 8 hours a day, then I have to sleep with earplugs. I've done this for years with no negative side effects. I just make sure to give them a break between the times I'm at work and sleeping, so I tend to use speakers or normal headphones the rest of the time. Oh, and make sure you're keeping stuff clean. The hardware and your ears.

And people say Australia is bad.

Looks that way. I have cheaper things, but these are my favorite ones on the cheaper end.

BLON BL03, 7hz Salnotes Zero, CCZ Coffee Bean.

That almost looks like a render. Very nice pic.

How to audiophile in five simple steps.