Brand Loyalty

well perhaps not brand loyalty, but rather sound signature loyalty, which normally equates to brand loyalty because brands have certain sound sigs.  for me, its Audio Technica and AKG.  neither of which are explicitly known for bottom heaviness, which is good because i don't really care about bass that much.  they instead focus on mids and treble, which i much prefer.  I don't even own a full sized pair of headphones, but if i did, it would definitely be one of these two brands.  as for IEMs, the only logical other IEM i've considered, not including customs, is the CK100.  

Perhaps not brand loyalty, but if I look at my ear- and headphone inventory, I notice that there are mostly Sennheiser, Audio Technica, AKG and Yuin. I've got one pair of Pioneer clip-on earphones and V-Jays. Other than that, it's just the previously mentioned four brands.

 

Yuin: I like Yuin for their cheap and good sounding earbuds (PK2 & PK3). Recently I bought the G2A clip-on earphones and they are really nice.

Sennheiser: I've had a pair of Sennheiser PX100 for a while. Recently bought a pair of HD25 1:II. I've also got MX760 and MX400 (rebranded as Sharp)

AKG: I've had the AKG K420 for a few years and recently bought the K319 earbuds.

Audio Technica is a new favorite that I got to experience when I lived in Japan during 2010. I bought a second hand pair of ES7 and loved them. Later I had to check out what all the fuss was about, so I bought a pair of second hand M50. When I wanted to check out some ATH earbuds, I bought the CM700TI, which are now my favorite earbuds.

 

I like the variety in sound signatures, so I do not think it applies on me. I do have an image of at least Sennheiser, AKG and ATH making high quality products that will not break after 2 months. I know Yuin has not got the best reputation for quality, but their products sound good and are relatively cheap.

I think brand loyalty isn't a good logical way to approach other items that may be of interest, at least in most cases (iem wise). Other aspects are far more important, if you cling to a particular brand you may find yourself missing out on stuff that could've filled your more than the brand chosen (sonic and ergonomic wise) 

I have a sony brand loyalty, but this doesnt really apply to headphones as much...its more electronics

I don't know about brand loyalty.  If something works well for an attractive price point, then that's what I'll go with.

 

That said, so far I find I really like Stax everything.  I have not heard a pair of Stax I did not like.  I started with an SR007 and thought that I would be disappointed since I started from their top but was pleasantly surprised.  They all sound amazing and have their personal strengths and I wouldn't trade or get rid of any of them.  And Stax are the only brand where I'm not so worried about the price--as worrying as they can be--as I feel the value of their headphones are worth every penny.  Now I just need to keep telling myself that long enough and it won't hurt so bad when I shell out for the C32.

Definitely no brand loyalty for me regarding audio equipment.  Unless you tried everything, or a lot of things before you picked your brand, I think it's being closed minded.  However, if you have tried everything and settled on a company for various reasons, that is sensible to me.

 

I think I'm like most people here:  I have "brand loyalty" insofar as I really like the particular sound characteristics of certain brands or lines.

Truth. For me it's Sennheiser for it's sound signature. It's perfect for me. At least the HD650 is.

 

I also really like Fischer Audio, HiFiMan, and Audio-Technica for their lineup of great products.
 

 

That's also true, but I also don't think having brand loyalty is necessarily a bad thing. As long as one still stays open to other products.
 

not a brand loyal at all, im a sell out, i go with the what seems to be best for me. on the other hand, i do have some negative predisposition for some brands, mostly the most mainstream ones.

I'm almost ANTI-brand loyal.

I mean, I'll buy ANYTHING, anything at all. As long as its on sale ;) Trying to save your wallet when you have an unhealthy obsession is hard!

I never understood why someone would just stay with one brand regardless of the qualities that go with it; I'm not saying it's wrong to like a particular company (a lot of people like Westone for their customer service of instance) but if there are things out there better made by someone else, you shouldn't just block them out.

 

Competition brings out the best in manufacturers. 

Dare I mention Apple? I've been using Apple products since around 1979.

When it comes to headphones, I'm non-partisan. If it sounds good, I'll buy it. So far, that includes Sennheiser, AKG, Beyerdynamic, Sony, Grado, Stax, and Shure. I'm also a fan of JHA and Audez'e, though I don't own any of their products yet.

Believe it or not, it looks like Skullcandy might be inching towards the audiophile market. If they build something good, I'll buy it. Same goes for Bose and Monster. Make me happy and you'll get my money and recommendation.

I have owned Monster, Sennheiser, Audio Technica, AKG, Panasonic, JVC, Bose, Ultimate Ears, Radius, Earsonic, MP4Nation, and a few others I just can't remember at the moment I am sure. Then at Christmas I bought a pair of Denon AH-D7000 full size headphones and finally found something I REALLY REALLY liked. So since then I tried to find a poartable and an IEM that had a similar sound and ended up buying two more Denon products, 560R in the IEM front and DN-HP700 in the portable front and have found both to be very good and with similar sonic qualities to my D7000. The 560R is a good/great alternative and the HP700 is an EXCELLENT alternative that actually trumps my D7000 in some ways. So I agree about trying everything to find what you like. But I also think if you find what you like then don't be afraid to stick with it. Just don't be afraid to try new things in case someone makes an even better version of the sound you like and also don't be afraid to venture outside of your comfort zone if you don't have to buy them to try them out (head-fi meets are great for this) as you may find something you wouldn't want to use all the time but are perfect for certain genres or situations.

 

BTW expect a full DN-HP700 review soon ;-)

 congrats sir, and will sure read that review