"recommend me" threads

i don't think it's any different on the headphone forum

Same "problem" through all the sub-forum.
Guess they just find it easier to start new threads than using the search button.

Yes, using a search would help reduce most of the recommend me threads. However, with the mindset of instant gratification many fail to do so. Perhaps educating all of us might reduce many of this type of post.

Yep. I mean it does take a lot of time to really go through and read extensively about every headphone that might interest you... and to me that sets some of us (mostly all in this thread) apart from the people that just come to find out what sounds "best".

I don't mind answering in these topics but it could get toned down some... maybe.

Just a bunch of lazy people who'd rather wait for the stuff to come to them than go out and get it for themselves.

I think that its a combination of factors:

1) People who come here generally have no idea how many different options there are out there, and what an incredibly wide price range there is and therefore underestimate the intricacy of such a (seemingly) simple question.

2) People don't understand just how active this forum is. Someone who just stumbles across Head-fi by searching for "the best headphones" or something similar will probably come here and just search for their question without realizing that there are hundreds of similar threads created every year. How could something as silly as headphones have an active forum anyway?

3) Those people who do come here through a search will probably be looking for a bunch of nice, short answers from various sources so they can confidently buy the best product. With this is mind, who would want to spend hours learning about headphone terminology, amps, different models with confusing names (RS-1, DT-990, HD-600, etc.) by reading reviews when they could simply ask the question they want answered and move on to other sources?

4) People are great wafflers. I know I fall into this category even now, although less than before. People who do come here and make an effort to search the forums and do research on their own, searching for similar questions to their own, etc. may choose a few phones they are interested in, but may find it hard to make a decision about what is best for their own personal situation, especially if they haven't heard it before, and even more if they are brand new and haven't heard anything else to use as a reference point.
Especially in a struggling economy, it is scary for most people to spend as much money as the people here do on a luxury like expensive headphones.

5) They self-perpetuate. The more "help me" threads there are, the more comfortable other people will feel in posting their own as it would appear to be an accepted practice.


So there you have it, a few of the reasons why I think there are so many "help me" threads here on Head-fi.

I think you hit the nail on the head, cyberidd. Those are some great and very relevant points.

Another one-up on cyberidd's post. The only thing I'd add is that people need to be patient and wait. I can't stand the people who make a thread, gather recommendations, and then repost with a slightly different question. This just wastes more time and oftentimes the "waffling" just gets totally out of hand.

I think some people arent great readers. I know if my dad was looking for a headphone he would have a hard time getting through the forums trying to find what he needed. Others could just not like to read or have bad reading and comprehension skill set making it hard. Others are just plain lazy. <--- and that is just a shame.

Ugh. These are the worst.

I always like the thread that starts with, Can you recommend me an ultra high end headphone for under $100.00.

The OP question has been asked many times on here before. Maybe if the OP used the search function he/she would have seen that and not clogged the forum with yet another?

The point being is this is how these communities work. It's our responsibility as more senior members to help out the newbies. I've been a part of online communities for over 15 years and it's just something I've learned to accept.

Just bear with it and help a fellow newbie out. Even if you've answered the same questions many times before.

Caught, caught!