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163K views 1K replies 186 participants last post by  Joe Gunawan 
#1 ·
Well, I've been haunting the "What gaming headphones to buy?" thread. The only problem, many of the people there have gone to strictly from Gaming setup to more 2 channel and then Audiophile setups. So here I am. This is what I currently own, and what I have planned.... What are your setups?


Own:

Source:

Dell Studio XPS 435MT

iPod 5.5G running RockBox for FLAC support


Dac:

NuForce uDac


Amp:

Little Dot I+ (Stock - for now)

Astro MixAmp

Fiio E5



Headphones:

Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 Ohm (going under re-cable shortly)

Turtle Beach HPX (for Gaming, LOVE THEM)!

Grado SR-80i ( Modified )

Sennheiser HD428 (in the mail)

Sennheiser CX-250 (Maybe they'll go under the knife)


Headphones being acquired:

AKG K701 or K702 (of course, to be modded)


Future:

I will eventually migrate away from my computer as a listening station and get a stand along setup where I will get me a Crazy comfy chair, a very nice tube amp setup (and hopefully Electrostatics).
 
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#665 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by chashint /forum/post/21760979


Budget is flexible, but I did not realize just how expensive some of these headphones are.

My 5.1 / AVR powered sound system cost about 6k and the headphones would be plugged directly into the AVR.

They will be used for late night movies and music.

I like Pink Floyd, Alan Parsons, Supertramp, Enya, Abba, Neil Young, America, Bon Jovi, Blondie, Pretenders, Patti Smyth, Adel, Scorpions..... that should give you a pretty good cross section.

Right now I have a pair of Creative Labs over the ear headphones that cost about 100 five years ago that were bought for PC gaming.

Just recently have started listening to music at night and thought I would look into new headphones.

AVR is Pioneer VSX-23, front speakers are Klipsch RF83s.

The headphone amps in many AVRs are an afterthought by the AVR designer--often they don't do such a great job and are underpowered for certain headphones. For example, I had a Denon 3805 AVR (which cost $1500 new, I think)--the headphone jack was useless for anything but casual listening. And it was definitely underpowered for the Sennheiser 600 and 650--they sounded very thin in the midrange and muddy in the bass. AKG K702s also sounded thin.


Now I have a Denon 4310 AVR (which cost a little more than the 3805 when new) with a somewhat better headphone amp than the 3805. The AKG's sound OK (but not as good as with a separate headphone amp)--I don't have the Senns any more to see how they would do with the 4310. I use some inexpensive Sennheiser PK-100 v.2 headphones (they are about $100 or less) for late night music and TV. The AVR does fine with them. They have decent bass, maybe too much midbass for some people, and they are not peaky on top. They are extremely light, too.


My suggestion would be to buy from somewhere with a moneyback guarantee such as Headroom.com or amazon.com.
 
#666 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by palmfish /forum/post/21761178


What model Creative Labs are they and do you like the way they sound?

Aurvana Live is printed on the head band.

I took a look at the Creative website and they are still listed in the store for $69.99 at this time.


I used to have a pair of Pioneer headphones circa 1978, I thought they were pretty nice. Old age eventually caught up with them and they sorta just fell apart.

After using multiple $5 variey foam headphones for a few years my wife told me to pick out a new pair for my birthday and her budget was $100, so we went to Fry's and I listened to what they had available and I picked these.

So yes I think they sound good and they are a significant step up from the no name generic headphones that come packaged with various gadgets.

I thought the Creative headphones were well worth the $100 we paid at the time.


I have been using them more lately and was just wondering if I might want to look into getting something better or maybe even just more comfortable for longer listening sessions.


After giving my current budget more thought I have decided I would not want to spend more than $500 on new headphones.


If $500 is not enough of a budget to get a significant improvement over what I have that is cool.
 
#667 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by chashint /forum/post/21762211


Aurvana Live is printed on the head band.

I took a look at the Creative website and they are still listed in the store for $69.99 at this time.


I used to have a pair of Pioneer headphones circa 1978, I thought they were pretty nice. Old age eventually caught up with them and they sorta just fell apart.

After using multiple $5 variey foam headphones for a few years my wife told me to pick out a new pair for my birthday and her budget was $100, so we went to Fry's and I listened to what they had available and I picked these.

So yes I think they sound good and they are a significant step up from the no name generic headphones that come packaged with various gadgets.

I thought the Creative headphones were well worth the $100 we paid at the time.


I have been using them more lately and was just wondering if I might want to look into getting something better or maybe even just more comfortable for longer listening sessions.


After giving my current budget more thought I have decided I would not want to spend more than $500 on new headphones.


If $500 is not enough of a budget to get a significant improvement over what I have that is cool.

I have a pair of old Pioneer SE-30a headphones from the 70's - big egg shaped things with white vinyl covering them. They sound pretty good considering their age - a little dark in the treble, but warm and lush throughout the rest of the spectrum.


I have heard from several sources that the Creative Aurvana Live headphones (CALs) are rebadged Denon AH-D1001's. If that's true (and I believe it is), then I can highly recommend the Denon AH-D2000 if you want a higher-end version of these.


I have listened to the D2000's and own D7000's and can vouch for their sound quality. They are low impedance and easy to drive through any headphone jack - from my little Sansa Clip and iPod to my Pioneer Elite AVR, to my dedicated headphone amp.


I also agree with pbarach - the Sennheisers are excellent but they are harder to drive well. I tried mine from my portables and AVR and, while acceptable, they don't really shine unless properly amped.


I think the Denon will make you very happy.
 
#668 ·
^^^

Interesting.

Thanks.


Are there any other rebadges where buying the lower tier brand represents a true bang for the buck home run ?


My budget is still flexible, $500 is more of a target than a hard limit.

Considering the price bracket my other gear is in $500 just seems like 'enough' to spend on headphones.
 
#669 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by chashint /forum/post/21763383


^^^

Interesting.

Thanks.


Are there any other rebadges where buying the lower tier brand represents a true bang for the buck home run ?


My budget is still flexible, $500 is more of a target than a hard limit.

Considering the price bracket my other gear is in $500 just seems like 'enough' to spend on headphones.

I don't know of any. The CALs aren't a "home run" because the D1001 is the bottom of the Denon (circumaural) lineup. I have never heard them but I've read that they share little in common with the D2000 and up. The D2000 is the bottom of Denon's "hi-fi" line.


If you're like many others, you may need to try several different models before you find one's you like.


Take pbarach's advice and buy from somewhere with a money back return policy. Amazon, Headroom, J&R Music, and Electronics Expo are some of the big ones. And don't pay retail - call them up and see how low they'll go.
 
#670 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by chashint /forum/post/21763383


My budget is still flexible, $500 is more of a target than a hard limit.

Considering the price bracket my other gear is in $500 just seems like 'enough' to spend on headphones.

IMO Sennheiser 600 is slightly better and cheaper than the Sennheiser 650. I have both.


It's also very comfortable to wear and the metal bands can be easily/safely bent if they press too hard on your head.


The Sennheiser 600 also costs less than the 650; and I got a nice refurb at $224.


glangford paired his 650's with a Firestone audio cute beyond headphone amp. See: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...2#post20481032


A search at amazon for "Firestone audio cute beyond headphone amp" turns up both the cute beyond (used at $150) and also Firestone Audio Cute CURVE Headphone Amp (new at $199)
 
#671 ·
Yes, I did. Don't forget the OPA 627 opamp upgrade! Music to my ears. As I stated in that post, I didn't do a dac and upgraded to the Oppo BDP-95 as my source. Music to my ears.


On another note, it appears that audiophileproducts.com is out of business. There is no website and headfi.org reports a few people with outstanding orders that never got filled and an email address no longer accepting email. Still available from audioadvisor, the opa upgrade can be had on ebay.
 
#672 ·
I don't want to start a Bose bash but I am wondering if you headphone guys hate Bose as much as the speaker guys do ?
 
#673 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by chashint /forum/post/21764804


I don't want to start a Bose bash but I am wondering if you headphone guys hate Bose as much as the speaker guys do ?

You're comparing apples to oranges.


Meaning that listening to music via quality stereo headphones is a very different experience than listening via quality stereo speakers.


FWIW I'm aware of the current dislike of Bose speakers by the people at the AVS speaker forum. I myself have never owned any Bose speakers, so I have no clue if any of the current Bose speakers offer value for stereo speaker playback/listening. Given the large number of speakers that Bose offers, it wouldn't surprise me if at least some of them offer decent value.
 
#674 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by glangford /forum/post/21764517


Yes, I did. Don't forget the OPA 627 opamp upgrade! Music to my ears. As I stated in that post, I didn't do a dac and upgraded to the Oppo BDP-95 as my source. Music to my ears.


On another note, it appears that audiophileproducts.com is out of business. There is no website and headfi.org reports a few people with outstanding orders that never got filled and an email address no longer accepting email. Still available from audioadvisor, the opa upgrade can be had on ebay.

I was wondering if you still read this thread.


Meaning, very nice to see you posting here.



When I did that search on amazon, a few hours ago, it appeared that the Cute Beyond might be discontinued? But I see per your comment that audioadvisor still has it new at $187.


As I said recently: a search at amazon for "Firestone audio cute beyond headphone amp" turns up both the Cute Beyond (used at $150) and also Firestone Audio Cute CURVE Headphone Amp (new at $199)


The Cute CURVE looks a lot like the Cute Beyond. Seems to me that the Cute CURVE is either a small upgrade or a replacement to the Cute Beyond. Do you have any info on the new Cute CURVE?
 
#675 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by OtherSongs /forum/post/21764950


I was wondering if you still read this thread.


Meaning, very nice to see you posting here.



When I did that search on amazon, a few hours ago, it appeared that the Cute Beyond might be discontinued? But I see per your comment that audioadvisor still has it new at $187.


As I said recently: a search at amazon for "Firestone audio cute beyond headphone amp" turns up both the Cute Beyond (used at $150) and also Firestone Audio Cute CURVE Headphone Amp (new at $199)


The Cute CURVE looks a lot like the Cute Beyond. Seems to me that the Cute CURVE is either a small upgrade or a replacement to the Cute Beyond. Do you have any info on the new Cute CURVE?

Description for the Cute Beyond says it's a Class A design. The Curve is listed as Class B. Specs for them are sketchy though. FR: 40 - 15kHz and no output impedance listed.


I picked up an Objective2 a few weeks ago and am thoroughly pleased with it. $150 from JDS Labs.
 
#676 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by palmfish /forum/post/21762493


I also agree with pbarach - the Sennheisers are excellent but they are harder to drive well. I tried mine from my portables and AVR and, while acceptable, they don't really shine unless properly amped.

I just refurbished my Sennheiser HD580 headphones. Although they always sounded good plugged into my Sony ES AVR, they sound better now that I plug them directly into the internal headphone amp on the Marantz CD6004 CD player. "Cleaner" is the best word I can think of to describe the difference.
 
#677 ·
I have heard from several sources that the Creative Aurvana Live headphones (CALs) are rebadged Denon AH-D1001's. If that's true (and I believe it is), then I can highly recommend the Denon AH-D2000 if you want a higher-end version of these.


It's not really a big deal, but the CALs (Creative Aurvana Live) are not rebadged Denon AH-D1001, but they do have the same diaphragm.
 
#678 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by palmfish /forum/post/21765453


Description for the Cute Beyond says it's a Class A design. The Curve is listed as Class B. Specs for them are sketchy though. FR: 40 - 15kHz and no output impedance listed.


I picked up an Objective2 a few weeks ago and am thoroughly pleased with it. $150 from JDS Labs.

Yes, class a on the beyond, class b (push/pull circuitry) on the curve. I wonder about the FR specs though. On the firestone audio page they are listed as 40 (+0.01 db/-0.02 db), ruler flat. They obviously have some tailoff. I wonder if the op amp upgrade helps. From listening, I seem to have a lower response, but who knows.
 
#679 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by domino92024 /forum/post/0



I just refurbished my Sennheiser HD580 headphones. Although they always sounded good plugged into my Sony ES AVR, they sound better now that I plug them directly into the internal headphone amp on the Marantz CD6004 CD player. "Cleaner" is the best word I can think of to describe the difference.

I have the same Marantz player, and it has a pretty decent headphone amp. So I wonder if the improvement you notice is due to the refurb or to the better amp in the Marantz.
 
#680 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by OtherSongs /forum/post/21764950


I was wondering if you still read this thread.


Meaning, very nice to see you posting here.

Thanks, I always read this thread. Nobody ever has a question that I feel qualified to answer!!
My foray into headphones consists of the Senn 650hd and the cute beyond headphone amp with op amp upgrade so most of the posters questions leave me in the dust.



My next purchase for headphones may be to buy a couple of burson audio discreet op amps which have been fit into a cute beyond headphone amp and give that a whirl. Another option is to dabble in another amp, like the burson audio. The oppo also has balanced outputs so I've toyed with the idea of a headphone amp with balance inputs and recabling the 650s for balanced operations. Any recommendations?
 
#681 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by glangford /forum/post/21766427


Thanks, I always read this thread. Nobody ever has a question that I feel qualified to answer!!
My foray into headphones consists of the Senn 650hd and the cute beyond headphone amp with op amp upgrade so most of the posters questions leave me in the dust.



My next purchase for headphones may be to buy a couple of burson audio discreet op amps which have been fit into a cute beyond headphone amp and give that a whirl. Another option is to dabble in another amp, like the burson audio. The oppo also has balanced outputs so I've toyed with the idea of a headphone amp with balance inputs and recabling the 650s for balanced operations. Any recommendations?

A few recommendations/thoughts:


1. Stay with your 650's as there's no such thing as a "perfect" high end headphone. Different music will sometimes be unbearable with one good headphone and excellent on a different good headphone.


2. Don't spend your time/money on balanced cables for headphone use. I've done it for my home speaker/amps/preamp and it was less than my RCA interconnect cables.


Balanced cables are intended for the pro biz where cables take a beating (foot traffic, carts, etc.) and cable lengths of 100+ feet are common.


3. A better headphone amp... probably yes at some point. I don't have much real experience with headphone amps, so can't advise on that.


4. At best, I'd think futzing around with different op-amps for your Cute Beyond would have limited value. Likely better to just bite the bullet with a better headphone amp.


5. Maybe using that same Canare wire that you bought from e-bay for your headphone extension cable might be the thing to try for rewiring your 650 cable? Gave some thought to it and decided not to go there, so can't advise if it has any merit. markertek is one place (good prices and excellent 800 phone service) to check the number at, and of course google it. Or if you can use one of the connectors, maybe buy another of those extension cables from e-bay?


The one word of caution is that in my own home system experience cables do make a difference, but it tends to be subtle. I hate to say even that in this headphone thread coz the next thing that'll become the topic of discussion and not the main subject which is headphones.


6. Two of the more interesting "recent" posts in this thread were #553 by Nosferatu at http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...6#post21504666


Since I've both the 650 and the 600, I agree with him that the 600 is slightly better, but if I were to do it again I wouldn't bother with spending money on the 600, but I'm not unhappy with having the 600.


Post #571 by Nosferatu gave a ref to http://www.head-fi.org/t/561108/deno...600-comparison


AFAIK the Denon 7000 is over the ear and has very different sound from the Sennheiser 600. That shows up with different recordings in his above review where with one he prefers the 7000 and with another he prefers the 600.


Amazon show Denon 7000 5000 and 2000 as all current, all getting great real user reviews, at about $700 $500 $300 respectively. If you want an alternative headphone to the Sennheiser 650 that you have, maybe one of those is the thing to try? Buy it from a place that has a no hassle return (maybe amazon (?) but not one of their 3rd party dealers).


The one open question is how comfortable they are.


Nosferatu posts in this thread. Odds are he's still reading. Ask him.
 
#682 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by glangford /forum/post/21766410


Yes, class a on the beyond, class b (push/pull circuitry) on the curve.

Push pull is not necessarily class B and there is zero reason for it to be class B in a design like this. It looks most likely to be a copy writer not understanding the difference in classes and topologies.
 
#683 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by OtherSongs /forum/post/21767765


A few recommendations/thoughts:


1. Stay with your 650's as there's no such thing as a "perfect" high end headphone. Different music will sometimes be unbearable with one good headphone and excellent on a different good headphone.


2. Don't spend your time/money on balanced cables for headphone use. I've done it for my home speaker/amps/preamp and it was less than my RCA interconnect cables.


Balanced cables are intended for the pro biz where cables take a beating (foot traffic, carts, etc.) and cable lengths of 100+ feet are common.


3. A better headphone amp... probably yes at some point. I don't have much real experience with headphone amps, so can't advise on that.


4. At best, I'd think futzing around with different op-amps for your Cute Beyond would have limited value. Likely better to just bite the bullet with a better headphone amp.


5. Maybe using that same Canare wire that you bought from e-bay for your headphone extension cable might be the thing to try for rewiring your 650 cable? Gave some thought to it and decided not to go there, so can't advise if it has any merit. markertek is one place (good prices and excellent 800 phone service) to check the number at, and of course google it. Or if you can use one of the connectors, maybe buy another of those extension cables from e-bay?


The one word of caution is that in my own home system experience cables do make a difference, but it tends to be subtle. I hate to say even that in this headphone thread coz the next thing that'll become the topic of discussion and not the main subject which is headphones.


6. Two of the more interesting "recent" posts in this thread were #553 by Nosferatu at http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...6#post21504666


Since I've both the 650 and the 600, I agree with him that the 600 is slightly better, but if I were to do it again I wouldn't bother with spending money on the 600, but I'm not unhappy with having the 600.


Post #571 by Nosferatu gave a ref to http://www.head-fi.org/t/561108/deno...600-comparison


AFAIK the Denon 7000 is over the ear and has very different sound from the Sennheiser 600. That shows up with different recordings in his above review where with one he prefers the 7000 and with another he prefers the 600.


Amazon show Denon 7000 5000 and 2000 as all current, all getting great real user reviews, at about $700 $500 $300 respectively. If you want an alternative headphone to the Sennheiser 650 that you have, maybe one of those is the thing to try? Buy it from a place that has a no hassle return (maybe amazon (?) but not one of their 3rd party dealers).


The one open question is how comfortable they are.


Nosferatu posts in this thread. Odds are he's still reading. Ask him.

Good post - I agree with most of what you said. I do want to comment on the HD600 vs. D7000 remarks/review.


I owned both as well (I sold the 600's after I had a chance to compare them to the 7000's). I am not as clear about soundstage as nosferatu is (I really have a hard time differentiating one headphone from another in this regard because they all put the music inside your skull AFAIC). To my ears, the HD600 and D7000 sounded more or less the same in spaciousness and air, which is to say, about average.


As for perceived frequency response, I believe that they both are very similar in curve all the way from 20KHz down to maybe 150Hz. Yes, the Denons do have more sparkle on top (without any hint of harsness or sibilance), but the most obvious difference is in the lower frequencies. One should note that nosferatu's excellent and thorough review states that he EQ'ed the 600's by adding more bass when he listened to them. This is because, to my ears, the 600's can sound dynamic and punchy down low, they simply do not have the visceral impact of the Denons.


Whenever I would listen to the 600's, I was always thinking I wished the bass was more powerful and hit harder. It was annoying enough to me to induce me to order the Denon's - and I'm glad I did. If I had to make a home theater analogy, I would say that the Senns are like a large bookshelf speaker where the Denon's are more like a full-size tower.


I spent 2 weeks listening to them both casually and critically with the intent of keeping one and selling the other. Sweet treble that sparkles, smooth mids, and authoritative bass characterize the Denon AH-D7000's. They are fun, detailed, and dynamic sounding dominated by powerful bass that's there if the music calls for it, but not if it doesn't. It doesn't overwhelm or bleed into the mids. The HD600 has sweet treble but with less sparkle, mids are more forward and generally a little smoother, but a little less detailed. Bass is present and tight, but not authoritative.


The Sennheisers have more comfortable pads but clamp a little hard. The Denons clamp less forcefully but the pads are oddly shaped and don't quite fit the countour of your head like the Senns. Comfort is a toss-up overall IMO.


Both are jack-of-all-trades headphones that sound good with all types of music from classical, to jazz, to electronica and everything in between.


One more thing, watch for sales. Don't click a button, get on the phone. I got my D7000's new for $575.
 
#684 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by pbarach /forum/post/21766417


I have the same Marantz player, and it has a pretty decent headphone amp. So I wonder if the improvement you notice is due to the refurb or to the better amp in the Marantz.

Well, the "refurb" only included the earpiece foam and the headrest foam, neither of which seriously affected the sound of the headphones. So, I'd say that the Marantz CD6004 has a better headphone amp than does the Sony ES AVR. Please note that the changes in sound were in what I would term a "minor" proportion.
 
#685 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by OtherSongs /forum/post/21767765


A few recommendations/thoughts:


1. Stay with your 650's as there's no such thing as a "perfect" high end headphone. Different music will sometimes be unbearable with one good headphone and excellent on a different good headphone.


2. Don't spend your time/money on balanced cables for headphone use. I've done it for my home speaker/amps/preamp and it was less than my RCA interconnect cables.


Balanced cables are intended for the pro biz where cables take a beating (foot traffic, carts, etc.) and cable lengths of 100+ feet are common.


3. A better headphone amp... probably yes at some point. I don't have much real experience with headphone amps, so can't advise on that.


4. At best, I'd think futzing around with different op-amps for your Cute Beyond would have limited value. Likely better to just bite the bullet with a better headphone amp.


5. Maybe using that same Canare wire that you bought from e-bay for your headphone extension cable might be the thing to try for rewiring your 650 cable? Gave some thought to it and decided not to go there, so can't advise if it has any merit. markertek is one place (good prices and excellent 800 phone service) to check the number at, and of course google it. Or if you can use one of the connectors, maybe buy another of those extension cables from e-bay?


The one word of caution is that in my own home system experience cables do make a difference, but it tends to be subtle. I hate to say even that in this headphone thread coz the next thing that'll become the topic of discussion and not the main subject which is headphones.


6. Two of the more interesting "recent" posts in this thread were #553 by Nosferatu at http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...6#post21504666


Since I've both the 650 and the 600, I agree with him that the 600 is slightly better, but if I were to do it again I wouldn't bother with spending money on the 600, but I'm not unhappy with having the 600.


Post #571 by Nosferatu gave a ref to http://www.head-fi.org/t/561108/deno...600-comparison


AFAIK the Denon 7000 is over the ear and has very different sound from the Sennheiser 600. That shows up with different recordings in his above review where with one he prefers the 7000 and with another he prefers the 600.


Amazon show Denon 7000 5000 and 2000 as all current, all getting great real user reviews, at about $700 $500 $300 respectively. If you want an alternative headphone to the Sennheiser 650 that you have, maybe one of those is the thing to try? Buy it from a place that has a no hassle return (maybe amazon (?) but not one of their 3rd party dealers).


The one open question is how comfortable they are.


Nosferatu posts in this thread. Odds are he's still reading. Ask him.

Thanks, I'll forgo any thought of balanced cabling. Overall I'm pretty happy with my rig and probably won't do anything for the forseeable future. Adding the BDP-95 helped alot, so I don't see any need for upgrades except for upgraditis.
 
#687 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by glangford /forum/post/21766427


Thanks, I always read this thread. Nobody ever has a question that I feel qualified to answer!!
My foray into headphones consists of the Senn 650hd and the cute beyond headphone amp with op amp upgrade so most of the posters questions leave me in the dust.



My next purchase for headphones may be to buy a couple of burson audio discreet op amps which have been fit into a cute beyond headphone amp and give that a whirl. Another option is to dabble in another amp, like the burson audio. The oppo also has balanced outputs so I've toyed with the idea of a headphone amp with balance inputs and recabling the 650s for balanced operations. Any recommendations?

I wouldn't think that running balanced out of your Oppo would be worth getting a new amp and re-cabling for use with your HD650's.

For home use the two advantages that balanced has is, 1. Louder (higher volt output) 2. For use with a very high end headphone system and well mastered audio.
 
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