eggpl@nt
Roadie
- Messages
- 918
This could probably be posted in another section, but since my primary application will be a monitoring solution for my Axe-Fx/Helix/Tonex, I'll post it here.
Today, my pair of Yamaha YH-WL500s arrived. These are wireless headphones, and the main attraction here is the low latency (<4ms, according to Yamaha). The headphone base doubles as the transmitter. You connect the headphone output of your widget to the base, and that's basically all the setup that's required. The headphones connect automatically to the base when set upon my noggin. E Z P Z.
Speaking of noggins, these fit mine nicely--similar to how my Sony MDR7506s fit. Maybe a tad loose, but comfortable for long periods. (I've had them on for ~90 minutes as I'm writing this.) They get a little warm, but that's probably unavoidable. (And it's 90F here today. That's 32C for those using the more sensical system.)
The sound is pretty good. Compared to the Sony MDR7506 sound, they're smoother and a bit fatter. Some frequencies are a bit pokey or stringy, but all-in-all, the sound is completely acceptable. They sound open too, which is nice. Like, I don't absolutely need reverb when playing these.
Now for latency. Let me tell you. They live up to the promise. It's almost jarring how immediate they are. I have nothing more to add here, and this alone makes them a great solution for those who need to play silently sometimes.
My only complaint is a slight crackle. I haven't yet pinned down the reason--whether it's gain staging or wireless interference. I'm not getting a clipping warning anywhere in my signal--in the Axe or on the WL500 base. (A red LED illuminates if the incoming signal is too hot.) And the crackling doesn't always occur at the peak of the signal. In fact, it's most obvious as a big chord decays. I don't think it's so annoying that it outweighs the good, but TBD.
In summary: These are nice. They sound good. They fit good. There really is very little, and basically imperceptible, latency. I just need to find and eliminate the crackling.
Today, my pair of Yamaha YH-WL500s arrived. These are wireless headphones, and the main attraction here is the low latency (<4ms, according to Yamaha). The headphone base doubles as the transmitter. You connect the headphone output of your widget to the base, and that's basically all the setup that's required. The headphones connect automatically to the base when set upon my noggin. E Z P Z.
Speaking of noggins, these fit mine nicely--similar to how my Sony MDR7506s fit. Maybe a tad loose, but comfortable for long periods. (I've had them on for ~90 minutes as I'm writing this.) They get a little warm, but that's probably unavoidable. (And it's 90F here today. That's 32C for those using the more sensical system.)
The sound is pretty good. Compared to the Sony MDR7506 sound, they're smoother and a bit fatter. Some frequencies are a bit pokey or stringy, but all-in-all, the sound is completely acceptable. They sound open too, which is nice. Like, I don't absolutely need reverb when playing these.
Now for latency. Let me tell you. They live up to the promise. It's almost jarring how immediate they are. I have nothing more to add here, and this alone makes them a great solution for those who need to play silently sometimes.
My only complaint is a slight crackle. I haven't yet pinned down the reason--whether it's gain staging or wireless interference. I'm not getting a clipping warning anywhere in my signal--in the Axe or on the WL500 base. (A red LED illuminates if the incoming signal is too hot.) And the crackling doesn't always occur at the peak of the signal. In fact, it's most obvious as a big chord decays. I don't think it's so annoying that it outweighs the good, but TBD.
In summary: These are nice. They sound good. They fit good. There really is very little, and basically imperceptible, latency. I just need to find and eliminate the crackling.
