Headroom has skullcandy headphones... and is singing their praises?

[aimlink]

Originally Posted by Tyll Hertsens

I'll tell you a little story, I have a 13 year old daughter. I handed here a pair of gaudy plaid Skullcandy headphones and a pair of Denon 1001s. The 1001 is obviously far better sounding.

I asked her which one sounded better; she answered that the Skullcandy did. I acknowledged that the Skullcandy was pretty, but dd it really sound better, and I made her listen again. Well, she claimed the Skullcandy did.

Obviously her perception was dramatically altered by the styling of the cans, but none the less, that was her perception....

How precocious.

[somethingmishy]

Originally Posted by jjsoviet

OMG. Spotted by ma'am in Head-Fi!

Well, I'm not that greatly affected, but I'm worried about them influencing the uninformed public. That will cause somewhat a chain reaction that will just create even worse misinformation.

Hey man, drop the ma'am. So all your frustration is for the greater good of mankind? How noble

[jjsoviet]

Originally Posted by somethingmishy

Hey man, drop the ma'am. So all your frustration is for the greater good of mankind? How noble

Thanks. I'll try to keep those salutations in mind.

Also, I don't think it's noble. I don't know, just a weird attitude of mine.

[Gluegun]

Regarding the sony's....

Are the G75LW really worth 4/5 value? They have the same value rating as the comparable Koss KSC-75's, which are cheaper? What about the V500DJ? Is the V700DJ 3.5/5 value?

What about the Dr. Dre stuff? I demoed them at the store using their own system, so I am going to have to take my DT770's and my CD player, and do a direct comparison with my own music...

[tvrboy]

The first time I saw the new site I was not happy, but I quickly changed my mind. I hope headroom makes a lot more money and becomes really successful so they have greater buying power and can give better deals on the gear I actually want to buy. The only thing I would be mad about is if they stopped selling high-end stuff.

[Tyll Hertsens]

Originally Posted by Gluegun

Regarding the sony's....

Are the G75LW really worth 4/5 value? They have the same value rating as the comparable Koss KSC-75's, which are cheaper?

Well ... when comparing apples to oranges, one number doesn't really do the issue justice.

For starters, the KSC 75 is a clip-on and the G75LW is a behind the neck.

Secondly, let's imagine we're recommending headphones for a skateboarder and a lady executive.

The KSC-75is somewhat better sounding, but the Sony is surprisingly good. Look how closely they measure:




Now, for the sk8er, there's no doubt the KSC75 is the somewhat better value: sounds better, fits better under a helmet or beenie, half the price.

But what about our lady executive? The Sony is way better looking; the price is a non-issue; it's got a retractable cord and folds neatly so it stores in her purse without tangle; and she just uses it to listen to Oprah's podcast when she goes powerwalking during her lunch break. She would 'value' the Sony far more than the Koss.

So ... YES ... for the right customer, the Sony is just as good a value as the Koss.

Remember, not everybody has the values of a headphone enthusiast.

One thing everyone (including me) is going to have to come to terms with here, is the it's NOT all about sound quality for everybody. And that's what we're trying to figure out: how to portray the value of headphones to the wide variety of people out there --- it's not easy.

Originally Posted by Gluegun

Is the V700DJ 3.5/5 value?

That's a tougher one.

I think they suck.

But, Jorge tells me when you walk around campus up at MSU, lots of folks have them. So they're popular; lots of kids want them should we avoid the money we might make if we offer them? Obviously, that would be dumb. The question becomes, how hard are we gonna try to discourage people from pushing the buy button on what they came to buy to try to convince them to buy something else?

Over time we'll develop subtle ways to "damn with feint praise" and steer people to better performing cans; that's gong to take time to figure out. Until then I guess you're just going to have to forgive us for trying to survive and thrive as we advocate for good headphone listening for the broader buying public.

Or not.

I guaranty you though:

1. We've not forgotten what got us here.
2. Change is hard.

[Gluegun]

Originally Posted by Tyll Hertsens

But, Jorge tells me when you walk around campus up at MSU, lots of folks have them. So they're popular; lots of kids want them should we avoid the money we might make if we offer them? Obviously, that would be dumb. The question becomes, how hard are we gonna try to discourage people from pushing the buy button on what they came to buy to try to convince them to buy something else?

Over time we'll develop subtle ways to "damn with feint praise" and steer people to better performing cans; that's gong to take time to figure out. Until then I guess you're just going to have to forgive us for trying to survive and thrive as we advocate for good headphone listening for the broader buying public.

Well I see the V700DJ's all the time, and I think you COULD say something like this:

"Originally made for DJ's mixing beats for high bass genres of electronic music like Trance, with features like crazy ways to fold, and always having enough bass to always be heard by a half-deaf DJ over the club speakers, these have gained quite a bit of popularity on subways and campuses. However, we believe this popularity isn't truly deserved, as they have major problems cracking at the hinges, and DJ's that still have their hearing are better off using more accurate headphones like the V6's, which should, with practice, reduce their beatmatching time (this is considered a good thing). For the student who wants a headphone with DJ style ergonomics and sensibilities, other models deliver this with better build quality. Also, don't be fooled by big name DJ's using these -- they usually get them for free, and while not optimal, they DO get the job done. However, the same can be said by the Sennheiser HD 212 Pro's, which are also DJ style, more durable, better sounding, and MUCH cheaper."

[moogoob]

I agree, practicality is a factor many ignore when talking about cans. My Grado SR80s (over $100CAD and my usual walking around town cans) often get left behind for JVC Marshmallows ($much lessCAD)for bus use - simply due to size, more flexible cord and internal isolation (folks won't hear what I'm playing). External isolation I can care less about. If someone made a set of non-plug-type earbuds that were readily available (the only headphones I really tend to break, plug issues aside are buds/iems) and sounded good I'd go that route instead as they are much easier to insert/remove.

[Eagle_Driver]

Originally Posted by Tyll Hertsens

I think they suck.

In other words, not worth anywhere near the $70 price premium over the cheaper model.

[jonathanjong]

Originally Posted by Tyll Hertsens

I guaranty you though:

1. We've not forgotten what got us here.
2. Change is hard.

We'll be watching.

[cferneyh]

Originally Posted by Tyll Hertsens

Remember, not everybody has the values of a headphone enthusiast.

Well put. Certainly something I get reminded of when I hear: "you bought another pair of headphones?!?"

[aimlink]

Originally Posted by cferneyh

Well put. Certainly something I get reminded of when I hear: "you bought another pair of headphones?!?"

Believe it or not, it's that question coming from many angles and mouths that makes me think twice before getting another one. Perhaps, it's that voice of reason?

[Tyll Hertsens]

Originally Posted by Eagle_Driver

In other words, not worth anywhere near the $70 price premium over the cheaper model.

My experience is that the price of a pair of headphones dosen't have too much to do with how good it sounds.

That gotten a lot better over the last 20 years, but it's still true sometimes.

[Eagle_Driver]

Originally Posted by Tyll Hertsens

My experience is that the price of a pair of headphones dosen't have too much to do with how good it sounds.

That gotten a lot better over the last 20 years, but it's still true sometimes.

This has been my expeience for the most part. Sometimes, a pricier pair of headphones sounded worse than some less-expensive sets.

[wantmyf1]

Originally Posted by cferneyh

Well put. Certainly something I get reminded of when I hear: "you bought another pair of headphones?!?"

Yeah my wife uses that line alot too! Sometimes when she's putting on one pair of her 40 pairs of shoes