CHANGSTAR: Audiophile Headphone Reviews and Early 90s Style BBS

  • December 31, 2015, 09:54:49 AM
  • Welcome, Guest
Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  
Pages: 1 2 3 [4] 5 6 7 8 9 10

Author Topic: Spending more on an amp then headphones  (Read 6514 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

keanex

  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Pirate
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +23/-8
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 241
Re: Spending more on an amp then headphones
« Reply #30 on: September 23, 2015, 01:00:53 AM »

None of this competitive focus has however extended to the open circumaural home headphone segment - the traditional concern of audiophiles. If established headphone manufacturers with market and demographics research departements and all that business stuff thought there were a lot of Beats-buyers out there that can be converted to hifi sound at home, surely we would see them release a number of products designed for just such a person: A well designed (both with regards to sound quality and to styling) open-back headphone for home use not more expensive than 500$.
People buy Beats because they have a lot of bass, active noise cancellation, and they are easily recognizable brands, much like Nike or Adidas. They are hugely fashion/wealth statements. I don't see why someone who purchases Beats would think about looking at an open headphone because that's not conducive to a major reason as to why they're buying Beats in the first place. Same goes with why people buy Bose. I've had a few friends come over and try out my open backed headphones, they don't dig them at all. They don't want people to hear what they're listening to. They want something portable and fashionable. Designing an open backed headphone for the Beats market just doesn't make a bit of sense, they don't want an open headphone.

Unless I'm completely mistaking what you're trying to say.
Logged

Xen

  • Powder Monkey
  • *
  • Brownie Points: +13/-1
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 83
Re: Spending more on an amp then headphones
« Reply #31 on: September 23, 2015, 01:31:28 AM »

People buy Beats because they have a lot of bass, ... and they are easily recognizable brands, much like Nike or Adidas. They are hugely fashion/wealth statements.
Pretty much this. Kids who get Beats don't listen to High Fidelity music. They WEAR them so they can be seen as having them.
Logged

Claritas

  • strong in his convictions
  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Pirate
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +4200/-3162
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 495
  • Bachhead
Re: Spending more on an amp then headphones
« Reply #32 on: September 23, 2015, 01:33:28 AM »

The question I've had for years is: why is the ~$300 closed segment such a black hole? Maybe it's a golden age compared with the bad old days, but what a pile of ultimately "A for effort" products. I end up having to tell new audiophiles to buy IEMs instead.
Logged

velvetx

  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Powder Monkey
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +6/-4
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 65
Re: Spending more on an amp then headphones
« Reply #33 on: September 23, 2015, 01:36:45 AM »

Pretty much this. Kids who get Beats don't listen to High Fidelity music. They WEAR them so they can be seen as having them.

Agreed, just made this point that Beats didn't push audiophiles forward instead these are just a fashion statement at this point.
Logged

Griffon

  • Foppish Cat
  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Pirate
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +17/-2
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 152
  • Meow!
Re: Spending more on an amp then headphones
« Reply #34 on: September 23, 2015, 01:49:35 AM »

People buy Beats because they have a lot of bass, active noise cancellation, and they are easily recognizable brands, much like Nike or Adidas. They are hugely fashion/wealth statements. I don't see why someone who purchases Beats would think about looking at an open headphone because that's not conducive to a major reason as to why they're buying Beats in the first place. Same goes with why people buy Bose. I've had a few friends come over and try out my open backed headphones, they don't dig them at all. They don't want people to hear what they're listening to. They want something portable and fashionable. Designing an open backed headphone for the Beats market just doesn't make a bit of sense, they don't want an open headphone.

Unless I'm completely mistaking what you're trying to say.

It seems to me that bass has become the very standard to judge if a popular headphone is good. A good friend of mine has been a Beats and bass lover - the more the better. He thought V-Moda M80 was OK; Noble 4 was anemic; DT880/600 an absolute failure - by far he only recognize TH900 as supeior to his Beats.

And just last Saturday I overheard a senior Beats salesman tutoring a new one in Best Buy - basically the points are exactly what you've said. Dat bass, ANC, fashion, celebrities, herd mentality, it's an Apple thing. I didn't hear a word of fidelity or sound reproduction - they seem to take pride to beef up bass by all means. While the newer Beats line were actually surprisingly OK sounding to my ears, the language of sales made me dislike Beats the brand.

Otherwise, the majority of people with whom I've discussed the fidelity of sound - just don't care fidelity. They tend to think "well lots of people are buying Bose/Beats so they must be good" or "you're too professional, we layman just want something good-looking".
Logged
Meow!

takato14

  • Designated furfag on deck
  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Pirate
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +85/-11
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 446
  • Likes it fuzzy
Re: Spending more on an amp then headphones
« Reply #35 on: September 23, 2015, 03:22:38 AM »

The question I've had for years is: why is the ~$300 closed segment such a black hole? Maybe it's a golden age compared with the bad old days, but what a pile of ultimately "A for effort" products. I end up having to tell new audiophiles to buy IEMs instead.
This isn't just me then. :\
Logged
This industry is really fucking broken

Armaegis

  • Uphill, both ways
  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Pirate
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +76/-3
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 883
  • metallurgist, rocket scientist, swing dancer
Re: Spending more on an amp then headphones
« Reply #36 on: September 23, 2015, 03:54:37 AM »

Not picking on you specifically, Armaegis, but these ratios are precisely the source of all bullshit markups.

I did preface that for someone "just starting" in the hobby. I simply use it as a roundabout way to tell them to spend the majority of their money on the headphone before going nuts with all the amping yadda yadda. I phrase it more in the sense of "don't spend more than" instead of "you must spend up to". It's also easier to convince people when you give them numbers to work with.
Logged
Do you think there may be an acoustic leak from the jack hole? ~Tyll Hertsens

Not sure if I like stuffing one hole or both holes. Tending toward one hole since both holes seems kinda ghey ~Purrin

anetode

  • an objectivist trapped in a subjectivist's body
  • Mate
  • Pirate
  • ****
  • Brownie Points: +178/-7
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1067
Re: Spending more on an amp then headphones
« Reply #37 on: September 23, 2015, 04:02:28 AM »

It's also easier to convince people when you give them numbers to work with.

That is 94.7% accurate.
Logged
Love isn't always on time.

Armaegis

  • Uphill, both ways
  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Pirate
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +76/-3
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 883
  • metallurgist, rocket scientist, swing dancer
Re: Spending more on an amp then headphones
« Reply #38 on: September 23, 2015, 04:08:10 AM »

That is 94.7% accurate.

You can derive better accuracy if you use some regression analysis. It's like feedback for numbers!
Logged
Do you think there may be an acoustic leak from the jack hole? ~Tyll Hertsens

Not sure if I like stuffing one hole or both holes. Tending toward one hole since both holes seems kinda ghey ~Purrin

Griffon

  • Foppish Cat
  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Pirate
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +17/-2
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 152
  • Meow!
Re: Spending more on an amp then headphones
« Reply #39 on: September 23, 2015, 06:05:56 AM »

The question I've had for years is: why is the ~$300 closed segment such a black hole? Maybe it's a golden age compared with the bad old days, but what a pile of ultimately "A for effort" products. I end up having to tell new audiophiles to buy IEMs instead.

Because the in this segment the major competitions are Beats&Bose? Their products are just particular prominent here.

I've asked many non-audiophile people what's their upper spending cap for a pair of quality headphones, and the answers invariably fell within $100~150, unless it's a Beats/Bose. Then I ask why 100~150 for non Beats/Bose, then the answers were also similar - under 150, there are more visible options in major electronic stores and streets. Aside from high-profile celebrity headphones such as Skullcandy and alike, AT M50 has a good reputation; Sennheiser/AKG are big names in professional stuff so their offerings should not be too bad; Sony is also big so their cans should not be a bad buy.

But things get complicated when passing the $150 mark - the people I talked with, they either don't know any "audiophile" brands, and/or they think Beats/Bose understand the consumers' needs (not necessarily sonic needs) better. It also seemed to me they think when things go past 150, they think there's no improvement in sound, or they think the sonic improvement is so marginal it's not worth the investment. However, the design and branding of Beats/Bose are worth the extra money. In terms of branding, Senn/AKG/old Sony have already established themselves as pro/audiophile/niche-oriented. OTOH, it's Beats/Bose who started all the fever branding headphones as a must-own by the young, an icon of music taste.

Another of my friends actually had a very good point - she said, "Look at you. You started with a pair of good cans. Then you wanted better cans. Then you realize your source is not good, so you go for a DAP. Then you want a better DAP. Later you get to know it's masters that all matter, then you go for good recordings like crazy. Then you 'accidently' get a pair of 'hard to drive cans' then you go for an amp. Yet you're still far down the food chain. Look how deep in this shithole you are. People like you and me who really dig things will inevitably go the same route, and the endless cost of this road is the very reason preventing them going into good sound."
Logged
Meow!
Pages: 1 2 3 [4] 5 6 7 8 9 10