What stereo do you have?

[Radish6404]

What stereos do you have? My stereo is a Denon PNA 600 Ne with Canton GLE 90 speakers and a Creative Audigy FX soundcard. The sound is very good and detailled for any music. It is also very alive. The Canton GLE 90 are very loud on the Denon PNA 600 Ne, but unfortunatley the amp starts clipping, before the speakers start distording, so I can not listen in dsico volume. The volume is as high ass party volume with 55 percent of the amp power and it isv ery good. I feel the vibrations on my body and on my clothes a lot, the cupboard and the TV are vibrating a lot, also as the floor, but I would like to hear it on disco volume, which would be 80 to 90 percent of the amp. I would like to know what stereos you have.

[abasio]

I no longer have a stereo as I listen to everything on headphones.

I have a Sony ZX707 player, with the balanced output it is big enough to get the best out of decent headphones without the need for an amp.

On the go I usually use the Final Audio A6000 items and at home I recently got a pair of Sennheiser HD 560s open back headphones. I had never owned a pair of open backs before but I really like them for the spaciousness they have on the soundstage.

[Radish6404]

I owned many years ago a Sennheiser HD 500 headphone and was very dissapointed with the details. I sold it on the same day I got it. Even my Sennheiser MX 580 erarphones had more details. For outside I use my Sony Xperia 10 v Smartphone with Sony MDR E8418 earphones I got on ebay. The sound is very good and not much away from the sound of my Canto GLe 90 with my Creative Audigy FX.

[Radish6404]

https://jumpshare.com/s/ZlP7Rn19OncJuZS3vqru

 

Here you can see the abilities of this Denon PNA 600 NE amp. I write this because my speakers are capable of more amp power than this amp has without clipping. Inn this video it is on party volume. Tell me what you think about the sound when I am infront of the speakers? 

 

I would also like to see videos of your stereos at high volume. I spend a lot on my speakers and am very happy with them. Big b$w speakers probably would be better but still my speakers are very loud. I had the choise of KEF, but the seller recommended me the Canton. He sad the bass drivers of the KEF only where passive, don´t know what he meant, but I choose the Canton because of that of the seller. Maybe next year I will buy the next number of amp from Denon in order to be able to listen to my speakers at full volume.

[abasio]

That DENON is a great budget amp that can power those mid range speakers very well, great choices if you have a limited budget and honestly probably as much as you'll ever really need. Buuuuut....if you're really looking for clarity and detail, I wouldn't go for something so warm a pop sounding. For critical listening I prefer something more neutral. I like warm sounding equipment when I want to have fun with the music, but for proper listening sessions, I prefer and neutral headphones or speaker all the way.

[abasio]

7 hours ago, Radish6404 said:

I owned many years ago a Sennheiser HD 500 headphone and was very dissapointed with the details. I sold it on the same day I got it. Even my Sennheiser MX 580 erarphones had more details. For outside I use my Sony Xperia 10 v Smartphone with Sony MDR E8418 earphones I got on ebay. The sound is very good and not much away from the sound of my Canto GLe 90 with my Creative Audigy FX.

E8418? Ouch 😳 

I know they are great for a budget option, but still....if you really want to hear your music, you need something a little more audiophile range than a pair of earbuds that come free with your phone.

I did want to buy the Sony IER-Z1R IEMs but when listening to them, they were only a little better than the FInal Audio A6000s and more than triple the cost, so went with the option that was better for my wallet.

If you're on a bit of a budget but still want a really good sounding IEM for your buck, the Final Audio A5000 are excellent. They're only about 300 euros and they sound like much more expensive gear.

I'd recommend giving and headphones or earphones more than one day to give your ear some time to get used to the sound. It sounds like you've gotten in to gear that bleeds bass right in to you ear, so going to a more refined/detailed sound can be a bit of a shock and sound bad at first, but if you have a bit of patience then you can really get a lot out of some equipment you initially didn't like. 

[Radish6404]

the MDR e848 did not come with the phone, I bought them on ebay used because iwanted goodearphones for my smartphone.They werw expensive earlier and I can´t wear In-Ears, because they block oudside noise and have stepping-sounds. I once tried some In-Ears and it was unbearable for me. There are no normal earphones around nowadays.

[abasio]

They came free with a Sony player I bought in the 90s mate. Great for a freebie at the time, but in 2025 if this is your reference, then I cannot take anything you say about audio fidelity seriously. 

[abasio]

I just checked, they were released as a budget pair in 1995 😲 

They sometimes go for stupid money on eBay because they're so old and nostalgic. 

But they're not good to put in your ears mate. If you have a bit of money, please try something new.

[Radish6404]

Wel I know audio phidelity since i have acerative Audigy FX soundcard and Canton GLe 90 speakers, you should check reviews of the so you see that they are audiophil.

Also they are confortable  and bit enoughin my opinion. I can´t war in-ears that produce stepping noises and isolate completely from theenvironment.

[Radish6404]

12 hours ago, abasio said:

That DENON is a great budget amp that can power those mid range speakers very well, great choices if you have a limited budget and honestly probably as much as you'll ever really need. Buuuuut....if you're really looking for clarity and detail, I wouldn't go for something so warm a pop sounding. For critical listening I prefer something more neutral. I like warm sounding equipment when I want to have fun with the music, but for proper listening sessions, I prefer and neutral headphones or speaker all the way.

Well, for 320 € it should be a bit louder. It should not limitate at 55 percent, but go up to 80 percent without clipping, when the soundcard is at a volume of 50 percent.

[Radish6404]

And, also, abasio. you should never be against t e Sony MDR e848 earphones. Only the cheap Sony like the Sony MDR e828 and E829 do not sound very good, but the MDR e848, which were not very cheap at the time they were nw sound very good. They have a lot of detail and a very good Bass, which can be very deep, if the track has a very deep Bass. TI ebabled the DSEE Sound Enhancer on my phone and the Basss is very deep and hard, better than on my Canton GLe 90 speakers, which cost 1200 € the pair.

[abasio]

I'm afraid that doesn't sound like a great advert for the Canton Speakers. I will definitely not be looking further in to that company if they can't outdo a 30 year pair of cheap earphones. 

Try the Sony IER-Z1Rs if you really want to hear good bass and detail. Or the MDR-Z1Rs if you prefer headphones. On hearing these you will never be able to go back to something like the MDR- e848s

THen again, it's probably better advice NOT to try these. Honestly if you are happy with what you've got, there is no point paying tonnes of money for something else. But at the same time, don't go on forums claiming they are the best thing ever and not expect to get roasted 🔥 

[Radish6404]

Well, you don´t have to complain and fight here at all. I have great sound experience with having 2 stereos, one very expensive and one mid-class Panasonic stereo https://geizhals.de/panasonic-sc-pmx802-v70976.html in Bulgaria with great soundcards. I also have heart many speakers and I have not choosen the Canton speakers just because I wanted to spend a lot of money, but because Iheart many, many speakers, some more expensive, with less good quality like B&W. Also, you have not commented on the video. If you would watch it, you would see that theCanton have an extremly good quality. Well, and the Sony are a little bit better than them, very high quality earphonest. So you do not have to star a fight with me.

https://uploadnow.io/files/pYBCGMk

Here is another video and if you can´t hear the crystal clarity at a volume that makes the windows vibrate, I don´t know.

[abasio]

Not trying to start a fight, I am just curious about how well you regard the MDR- e848s

A decent budget earphones from 30 years ago.

Taste is subjective so I am really interested in why anyone would prefer these over higher end stuff.

[Radish6404]

Well, because they are enough for me. if they are better sounding as my Canton, which get Awards one after another https://www.fairaudio.de/test/canton-gle-90-standlautsprecher/ , and better sounding as my Panasonic

, which get also only 5 stars reviews, and as you can hear , sounds very good, too, than they are fine and alright to me. The problem sits somewhere else for me, and it is the DAC of my Sony smarphone, which is very good, but not as good as my Creative labs FX soundcard. When I have the money however, I will buy the Sony Xperia 1 VI smartphone, which probably has a much better DAC.

[abasio]

Try the Sony DAPs, bulky things but they have decent power to drive fairly demanding headphones without the need for an external amp so is still good for on the go music.

[Radish6404]

40 minutes ago, abasio said:

Not trying to start a fight, I am just curious about how well you regard the MDR- e848s

A decent budget earphones from 30 years ago.

Taste is subjective so I am really interested in why anyone would prefer these over higher end stuff.

And by the way, theehse earphones look superb and very expensive for me.

[abasio]

Sony have always made amazing budget gear. Before I got in to higher end stuff I think I used the free earphones I got with a Sony phone for ages

Sony is one of those companies that make great stuff at every price point.

 

[Radish6404]

Yes, but you have to consider that t he MDR e848 where not the cheapest earphones at that time, but the second most expensive, only the MDR e8888 where more expensive, so they are higher mid-range class. Please think that your sony earphones are more monitor than hi-fi so they are probably much better sound, because if you had only hi-fi stuff like Canton, you would see that your Sony would be at the same level. Also, they came in your package with your minidisic player , which was very expensive at that time. Also, please consider ,that your Sony MDR e848 have a very deep Bass, which probably goes to 32 hz or 24 hz, which for me is very deep. IF I put the earhpones really hard into my ears (not pressing, but putting really well into my ears), I get a harder Bass than over my Canton speakers (altough I use EQ on Mediamonkey) and only the sound enhancer on my Sony smartphone, which is just a little bit like EQ.

[abasio]

 The MDR‑E848 definitely wasn’t the second most expensive in‑ear option in 1995.

Professional in‑ear monitors already existed and cost hundreds of dollars.

In 1995, the first custom dual‑driver IEMs were made.

These custom monitors sold for around US $700–900 per set, far beyond any consumer earbud pricing.

Westone and Shure were also producing early stage monitors like the Shure E1 and E5, similarly priced in the high hundreds of dollars.

So, there were already models costing 20× more than the E848.

Even within Sony’s own consumer lineup, the MDR‑E848 wasn’t the most expensive.

The MDR‑E888 was Sony’s flagship consumer earbud at the time, retailing around ¥5,000–6,000 (about US $50).

Other models like the MDR‑E868 and MDR‑E838 also sat above the E848 in price, in the ¥4,000–5,000 range.

The MDR‑E848 cost about ¥3,300 (~US $30)—upper mid‑tier but not top of the line, even for Sony.

So the E848 was neither the second most expensive earbud, nor close to the highest-priced in-ear option in 1995. At best it was a mid‑high consumer model, well below both Sony’s own E888 and the genuinely expensive IEMs.

 

[Radish6404]

I have the e838, too and they sound much less good than the MDR e848. I don´t care about shure and weestone, In 1995 the things were different. There wherer no SSDs, no Core I5 with 22 cores, no Creatife Audigy soundcards and no Sony Smartphones. You are talking about a time where only walkmans wherer affortable for normal people and the  computers had a hdd of 10 gb at most. Come on man, even professional gear probably did not sound as good as Creative Labs Audigy FX DAC back at that time, so times where different ,a lot of different at that time and sony wherere very good at that time. Also the E838 are the less top model of earphones from Sony, they sell on ebay used much cheaper than the MDR e848 earphones.

IN 1995 a good soundsystem was something like this  and not Canton GLe 90 or Canton Townos and  I listened only to radio. as I was 7. your high-end TV was something like this  , and the most expensive car looked just like this  and did not have a screen or CD, not to talk about mp3 or USB.and there and the fastest prozessor was a Pentium 1 with 100 MHz. Tehre was ntohing good in technology in 1995. I don´t even believe you that the MDR e848 are from 1995.

My father drives this car and ithas a mcuh less good souind than the MDR E848 overa low end smartphone las my Sony Xperia V10 is.

 

[abasio]

So… Pentium processors, old TVs, your dad’s car, and Creative Audigy cards somehow prove the MDR‑E848 was the second‑most expensive in‑ear of 1995? 🤔 Interesting logic.

Look, I’m not arguing whether you like the sound—that’s subjective. If the E848 is the best you’ve heard, great. But liking them doesn’t rewrite history:

• Sony MDR‑E888 was actually the top consumer earbud back then, more expensive than the E848.
• Ultimate Ears and Westone were already selling pro in‑ear monitors for $700–900 in 1995—literally 20× the price of the E848.
• And if we go beyond earbuds, Sennheiser’s HE60/HE90 electrostatics were in the thousands.

So no, the E848 wasn’t anywhere near the top—nice mid‑high consumer buds, sure, but not the “second most expensive in‑ear option of the era.”
 

[Radish6404]

Ther e was no Sony MDr e868, so the Sony MDR e848 was the second most expensive erphones of that time and probably not of that time, since that time there where only Pentium 1 prozessors and crappy wood TVs. You have not watched the Video I uploaded, this one https://uploadnow.io/files/pYBCGMk , to form an opinion about my Canton speakers. I will record mroe videos of my Panasonic stereo, which is of THIS time and of my father´s car, which is from 2006, allready very old and 19 yeras old, but it is an S-class with Harman Cardon audio system, so it is very good. In the end you will hear that from vy very good microphone of my Sony Xperia V 10 smartphone, that they are the best acustic gear I have.

[abasio]

So let me get this straight:

– You deny the existence of the MDR‑E868 even though it was literally in Sony’s catalog.

– You think Pentium 1 processors and wood TVs somehow prove the E848 was the “second most expensive.”

– And now I’m supposed to judge 1995 earbuds based on a smartphone recording of your Canton speakers and your dad’s 2006 car stereo? 🤨

 

Right…

 

Anyway, facts don’t change:

• The MDR‑E888 was more expensive than the E848.

• Ultimate Ears & Westone pro IEMs did exist in 1995 and cost $700–900.

• And yes, the MDR‑E868 also existed—catalog scans are out there if you care.

 

If you’re more interested in uploading random car audio videos than actually looking at historical facts, that’s on you. I’ll stick with documented prices, not nostalgia and smartphone mic recordings. 😉