what aspects of a headphone review do you think are a total waste of time?

The packaging is just part of the "package".  

Things I don't like in a review is when someone doesn't tell you how they personally like or dislike the product.  I tend to read reviews from a few selective writers, and once you "get to know" their style of writing and language use, its easy to tell when they really like an item, rather than just about the product.  

I know many here will disagree. 

guess many of us are shallow without ever realizing it

I don't think headphones should be marked down for having cheap packaging, but with certain premium 'phones it's nice to have premium packaging.. The Sony R10 came with a nice box, same with certain older Grado models. 

I don't really care about the packaging, but I guess if it's nice it's worth noting.

i alway skip the part when a reviewer lists songs they heard with them on and try to describe the sound.. (e.g

"Black Sabbath - Wizard. Ozzy voice was too full, the Drums sounded like trashcans. At 3:09 is when the song started getting funky.

Joy Division - Disorder. The Bass was bloated, the Highs were crisp. The headphones make the song sound warm.)

I love reading the parts about the packaging! Some of the packaging is just so cool, especially the higher end ones.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by vinnievidi 

I understand why people start with the packaging--to create an experience for the reader--but I hate when it takes up 1/3 of the review. Also, is it really necessary to dock points for packaging when a product performs stellar?

I am OK with any parts of the review, but I hate their typical order. Most reviewers place the less important parts first. I write my reviews "upside-down", placing conclusion first, then SQ, then details and so on.

The text. ;)

But seriously, I like to read about people's experiences with a product, what they think is good about it, and what is not so good, which gives you an idea of what to expect from it on a basic level.

Pictures also add to the fun factor of a post.

But I rarely base my purchases from the audio evaluation part of a review, especially the kind that gives detailed impressions of a product or compares it with another, usually with an overabundance of audio lingo mumbo jumbo and little substance.

For one, people generally don't level match which makes comparisons irrelevant, since only a small dB difference would already affect your judgment greatly, and most of the reviewed stuff is has only been used for a short period of time, I feel that you should have used a product for an extended period to really get to know what it can do.

Of course there are experienced people whose reviews are actually helpful and done about products that they are highly familiar with, but those are few and far between.

This is probably less of a problem here, especially with more experienced reviewers, but one thing I really don't like about certain reviews is when the phrase "you could do better for the price" comes up without any followup or substantiation.  What products are better for the price?  How are they better?  How do I know that I could do better without any actual examples?

Also I have to say this here: I'm not a real fan of the head gear reviews.  Part of what makes this forum great is the dialogue between its members.  The head gear reviews don't allow for any kind of feedback from other members outside of the "thumbs up" button.  But now I'm getting off-topic...

Quote:

Originally Posted by kostalex 

I am OK with any parts of the review, but I hate their typical order. Most reviewers place the less important parts first. I write my reviews "upside-down", placing conclusion first, then SQ, then details and so on.

Thats interesting.  Can you point to a review that dies this, I want to see if I like it.  

I've written a few reviews, and even after writing them when I go back to read them they feel kinda... wishy washy. Audio terminology is so ill defined and ultimately pointless if you have no point of reference. I try to stick to comparative reviews now. Even if the reader has not heard one of the mentioned products, at least some level of relative rankings will help put things in perspective.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vinnievidi 

I understand why people start with the packaging--to create an experience for the reader--but I hate when it takes up 1/3 of the review. Also, is it really necessary to dock points for packaging when a product performs stellar?

I agree with you. It's as though you are actually opening up the headphones as if you had bought them yourself. It makes the review more complete but I think that there should be no points gained or lost for packaging. It doesn't make the headphone sound any better or worse. The points should be based on build quality and most of all... the sound.

Ditto

Quote:

Originally Posted by Armaegis 

Audio terminology is so ill defined and ultimately pointless if you have no point of reference. I try to stick to comparative reviews now. Even if the reader has not heard one of the mentioned products, at least some level of relative rankings will help put things in perspective.