Pretty sure I'm the youngest member of Head-Fi... - Page 2

I'll admit that the Beats marketing team can't be paid enough. However I have disagree with the idea that Beats brought the consciousness of the public towards what sounds good. All Beats seem to have done is seed the idea that Beats is the only option out there and everything else is lame. I've personally never met a Beats owner who bought the headphones for good sound, seeing Beats everywhere on teenager's necks also supports this idea. Not to mention Beats is promoting rolled of bass as studio quality, and cheap glossy plastic as some kind of new standard. 

 

Yeah, but that older gear was not created for the general public then...and it is not held in high esteem today by the Average Joe.

 

I was around in yesteryear, and I think things are much better nowadays (as far as prices, availability, convenience and such).  I remember that the standards you are talking about could only be enjoyed, in most cases, by a few elite enthusiasts with means.   

 

High-end equipment is now sold at Best Buy...LOL...that is progress.

elvergun it wasn't just "hi end" headphones that sounded better back in the day. Even the relatively cheaper gear still sounded quite good at that time and I'd say better than the beats, which is my point. Progress is not beats. That is regression.

 

Progress will truly come when you have average joes purchasing those "hi end gear" on a regular basis.

Edited by lee730 - 8/13/12 at 7:53am

I'm 13 and I've been listening to Hi-Fi audio since I could remember, having an audiophile father, my first real headphone setup was an audio-technica ATH-AD900, using a trusty Marantz 1060 intergrated amplifier as an amp, now I'm still using my beloved cans with a Luxman A-007 for home use and a PA2V2 for outdoor use for special occasions. I'm hoping to get a decent vintage stax system or the Sony ECR-500 or I'll just make one.

I got hooked on high end audio when i was about your age, my first serious piece of gear was an Onkyo AV receiver and some DB Dynamic speakers which preformed admirably, that setup has been upgraded a few times over the years with my current setup consisting of some serious high end gear. About 5 years ago i got my first over ear headphones the HD485's, i only just recently upgraded to some real cans, the Hifiman HE-400's. People i know ask why ive spent so much on audio gear, at the end of the day its my hobby, its what i like spending my money on.

I joined Head-fi when I was 13. Im currently 14 born in november.

I remember when I asked my father that I could have his small speakers, I don't know what they're called but they're absolutely beautiful with the wood enclosure in a conish like shape, that was used with the Marantz amp, I really didn't like using headphones since my first proper earphones were skullcandies brought by my fathers friend, I did use a Sony MDR-V6 line headphones for a while until I forgot it. Something similar happened to me when I showed my friends my audio-technicas, after they heard it they understood that for the price they were fantastic. Audio is probably the only hobby I've actually concentrated on.

im 15 and still saving money to get fullsize headphones...

 

 

I remember listening to some rather craptastic gear back then.  Also, forget about buying hidden gems like Vsonic via internet shops - you basically had to buy what department stores had to offer.  Instead of Beats, they used to shove boomboxes down your throat.  

 

Thank God for the Koss Portapros.

 

You are right, standards were higher, but few cared or knew about high-end equipment.

 

When I first joined Head-Fi, $300 headphones were only purchased by the members of this site, now you see them everywhere.  Sure, most of the models you see out in the street suck, but at least there is hope that some of those people will upgrade to a better brand. 

True. But our hobby will always be looked upon with some disdain from the general public. Most really don't care about sound as you said. Sound is sound to them lol, I get that comment all the time.
 

 

Actually, a lot of the gear of yesteryear was more than fantastic. Before the advent of huge TVs, families used to aspire to own a banging speaker system for the same reason most people own 60" TVs. It was a better time, and companies made bulletproof (almost literally) stuff. Look and lift at almost any receiver from the 70's, and you'd get it. Companies cared a little less about profits, and a little more in making the best stuff they could possibly make.

 

And I get into the hobby when I was 12, joined when I was 14. Now I'm 18 next month. Freakin' scary. Now I'm planning my dorm setup. Right now I plan on buying a Yulong D100, either a Symphones Magnum or vintage RS1, and an ES10 (or if I magically get lots of money, a Signature Pro). Maybe a K501 too, but that'd be a lot of overkill for a dorm. 

 

It's a slippery slope, kids. 

 

Yeah, and when they do get the bug to upgrade, they pick something like Beats or Bose...lol.

 

The other day a coworker listened to my TF10s...she said they were good...and then she mentioned, in awe, that someone else in the office had really good headphones - turns out that the 'good' headphones she was talking about were a pair of Bose OE2s.  But hey, the guy who sits in the cubicle next to me now owns a new set of TF10s, and I sold my Vsonic GR99s to another coworker, so there is hope.  I'm spreading the word, and some are willing to listen.

Edited by elvergun - 8/13/12 at 8:59am

 

What do you cite as your example? When I was younger very few people bought headphones beyond those that came with their portable device. Moreover, fewer people had portable devices. The whole concept of portable amps is a very modern invention. The low end was more terrible than it is today and if you think otherwise I don't think I can change your mind at that.

 

I don't think emulsify means why you think it means.

 

Audiophiles tend to think that they are somehow of a select group of people who value sound quality above all else and people who don't buy what they buy must be victims of marketing and popular culture. However I think a lot of audiophiles need to look at their own purchasing decisions, the hyperbole that comes with describing audio products and often times lemming like pitchforking against certain products. To me the consumer who spent more than $10 to buy a USB cable is the greatest victim of false marketing. How is the "audiophile" with his $500 USB cable (that has 24 carat gold plating on the part of the cable THAT ISN'T AN ELECTRICAL CONTACT) in any position to judge someone who spent less on a pair of headphones?

 

Beats Studios have passable audio quality by people who have actually heard them and aren't jumping on the "haha beats are crap" bandwagon. Pros are cited as being decent by quite a few people including Tyll at Innerfidelity. You know what is objectively worse than buying into hype? Buying into the nothing that anything popular is inherently of poor quality. A lot of people care about what their products look like and if you don't see why Beats appeal to many people then you obviously are not part of that group of people.

Joined at 14 and turned 15 in February. And as for the beats dilemma, I probably would've never joined this site if it weren't for them. The idea of a better headphone threw me off for a little, and I wouldn't have done the extra research if I hadn't known such a thing existed.
I don't really have a pair of audiophile headphones, but I'll hopefully getting a set of RS2s. I have nowhere to audition, so I guess I just have to take your guys' word on what sounds good and what doesn't.

 

I think he's talking about audio in general. Everyone knows nice headphones weren't that popular until the turn of the century, but like I said in my previous comment, a lot of people cared about how their music sounded before the advent of TVs and other technology. Then again, the stuff made back then isn't nearly as accurate as what we have today--it's much more pleasing to listen to.