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Battle Of The Flagships (58 Headphones Compared) UPDATE: AUDEZ'E LCD-2 Revision 2 (6/4/13) - Page 89

post #1321 of 3969
11/25/12 at 4:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brooko View Post

I think you missed the other little quote I put in there wink.gif

"The majority of the headphones included in this review are flagship models or were considered a flagship model at some point. I did not include any headphone which was not in my personal collection because I wanted to avoid all biases related to listening-time and possible favoritism.
"

I know you're toying with me - but are you seriously suggesting David should buy either Beats or Skull Candy "flagships", and spend serious listening time evaluating them?  Really - in the context of this site, and David's collection, what would be the point?


If I happened to be in possession of either of them, I would gladly lend them for an indefinite period of time.
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post #1322 of 3969
11/25/12 at 4:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brooko View Post

 

I think you missed the other little quote I put in there wink.gif

 

"The majority of the headphones included in this review are flagship models or were considered a flagship model at some point. I did not include any headphone which was not in my personal collection because I wanted to avoid all biases related to listening-time and possible favoritism."

 

I know you're toying with me - but are you seriously suggesting David should buy either Beats or Skull Candy "flagships", and spend serious listening time evaluating them?  Really - in the context of this site, and David's collection, what would be the point?

 

We probably wouldn't learn anything we didn't already know, but I'd throw in a few bucks just to see the expected carnage. Then again, I think the Mix Masters and Beats Pro might beat the W5000 and possibly some of the lower rated iems on the list.

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post #1323 of 3969
11/25/12 at 4:35pm
Its a sickness with people. One person gives an awesome review with so many headphones in it and someone just has to criticize it for not including everything they want in it. There is no pleasing those people LOL. They should make their own reviews and stop bitchin about it.
Edited by donunus - 11/25/12 at 4:36pm
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post #1324 of 3969
11/25/12 at 4:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brooko View Post

 

I think you missed the other little quote I put in there wink.gif

 

"The majority of the headphones included in this review are flagship models or were considered a flagship model at some point. I did not include any headphone which was not in my personal collection because I wanted to avoid all biases related to listening-time and possible favoritism."

 

I know you're toying with me - but are you seriously suggesting David should buy either Beats or Skull Candy "flagships", and spend serious listening time evaluating them?  Really - in the context of this site, and David's collection, what would be the point?

 

I don't think David is masochistic enough to suffer through listening to those things.

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post #1325 of 3969
11/25/12 at 4:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brooko View Post

 

I think you missed the other little quote I put in there wink.gif

 

"The majority of the headphones included in this review are flagship models or were considered a flagship model at some point. I did not include any headphone which was not in my personal collection because I wanted to avoid all biases related to listening-time and possible favoritism."

 

I know you're toying with me - but are you seriously suggesting David should buy either Beats or Skull Candy "flagships", and spend serious listening time evaluating them?  Really - in the context of this site, and David's collection, what would be the point?

 

I'm not suggesting anything, what i said was,'' i can understand how someone (not me) might be curious to know how they would compare against blue blood ''audiophile'' flagships.

 

I have heard both,  the Beats and Skullcandy, and all i can say is i'm not about to replace my Grados GS/HP/PS1000 for either of them.wink.gif

 

Since you've quoted David, i'd like to take this opportunity to say that i admire his patience and dedication for doing such an informative, torough and time consuming review, because to be honest, even if i did posess all of these great headphones, i'd never have the patience to do what he did.

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post #1326 of 3969
11/25/12 at 5:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by stacker45 View Post

 

I'm not suggesting anything, what i said was,'' i can understand how someone (not me) might be curious to know how they would compare against blue blood ''audiophile'' flagships.

 

I have heard both,  the Beats and Skullcandy, and all i can say is i'm not about to replace my Grados GS/HP/PS1000 for either of them.wink.gif

 

Since you've quoted David, i'd like to take this opportunity to say that i admire his patience and dedication for doing such an informative, torough and time consuming review, because to be honest, even if i did posess all of these great headphones, i'd never have the patience to do what he did.


since when has a hifiman he500 blue blood? tongue_smile.gif...i thought it was a nissan 370Z (the sportscar for the 'masses'?) compared to the sennheiser being a mercedes S class and the top of beyers a beemer 7 series and audeze being the porsches panamera..top of grados being the corvettes, the fostex being the nissan GTR for his tunability! and wait..the staxes being rolls royces phantom of the headphone luxury world...oops forgot denon the audis of the bunch...but thanks..owning a he500 makes me feel royal now biggrin.gif

the beats and skullcandy's are more like tuned VW golfs GTI's..allthough fun to drive (i actually had one!)..but nowhere close to the other brands in luxury..but knowing couple of younger people walking around every day with those on their heads shows us that it also can be fun to listen to those..in a different way ofcourse...as we dont drive the same way in a nimble golf gti and in a heavy 7 series Beemer.also... tongue.gif


Edited by hifimanrookie - 11/25/12 at 5:58pm
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post #1327 of 3969
11/25/12 at 6:22pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by JoshuaC-F View Post

still think you should include beats and skullcandy, even if you dont think there great

On the consumer headphone level, I've actually reviewed (and spent a great deal of time with) Beats, Soul by Ludacris, Bose, House Of Marley, 50 Cent and Vmoda headphones.  The only headphone which I was truly impressed with was the M80.  While every manufacturer does have a flagship model, I see these brands as an entirely different market.  Maybe VModa or B&W will be the first to really make its way from the consumer to the audiophile, though they haven't just yet in my opinion.  When I'm judging a consumer headphone, I do not compare it to an HD600 or a SR009 for that matter.  Maybe I should?  But I think it defeats the purpose.  Someone considering Beats will almost definitely not be considering the HD600 as an alternative.  I can perhaps add the flagships in from these companies at some point, but none of them will fare very well.  For all the criticism I give the W5000 (a headphone which I find tonally bizarre), I am considering its intended purpose and the fact that it was clearly designed with the audiophile in mind.  While the highest end Beats in some way sound less offensive to my ears, they do not have nearly the same resolution as the W5000.  I would surmise that if I were true to the intent of this review (which was specifically for the audiophile) that from the standpoint of sound quality alone, the Beats by Dre and all their rivals for the consumer market would not be favored over any headphone included in this evaluation.  The ONLY headphone which would beat the W5000 may be the VModa M80, and I really don't want to say it would without a head-to-head comparison.  From memory, the M80 sounded much more balanced, but again the resolution was probably not in reach of the W5000's.  The W5000 is (to me) horrible sounding for its price.  I've never heard a headphone sound as nasal and unusual at a price so high.  At the $700 price tag a headphone should be void of the issues that I perceive with the W5000. 

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by conquerator2 View Post

 

Yeah I think you definitely should, Dave!

 

If only for the sake of terribleness :D

Hahah

 

If Beats would like to donate a headphone to me, I would gladly do it. :)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kendoji View Post

On that note, somebody posted many, many pages ago that they'd be curious to see the V-Moda M100s reviewed here as well.  I tend to agree.  They are 'bass cannons' in a certain sense, but very good ones imo.  They're terrific fun, and though they're not 'neutral' I personally find them superior to some of the headphones in this review (not that I've heard many!).  I'd love to hear what David makes of them.  :)

The way they are tuned definitely has its purpose.  The concept of sitting with a DAC and an amp and a pair of Beats gives me a headache just at the thought:).  Spending 50 hours, trying to determine which amp has the best synergy with Beats makes me want to blow my brains out :)

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brooko View Post

 

With all due respect - if you look at David's title ("Battle Of The Flagships"), and also his comments in the opening page:

 

 

I don't really think that either Beats or Skullcandy are ever really going to get to be considered 'audiophile flagship standard' - or at least the ones that I have heard.  I for one would see no point in including them (or have David waste his time spending hours of critical listening to give a valid impression).  I would much rather see him review more actual flagships, or headphones capable enough to actually compete with near flagship level.

 

Of course this is only my opinion .....

Thank you:) That's how I feel too, not to dismiss the requests to review Beats and Bose and such, I do understand it would be at the very least amusing to see it in the list (ranking fairly low)

Quote:
Originally Posted by mikemercer View Post

Wow.  Very informative, and well-written too.  With thrift and accuracy, straight to the point (I mean grammatical accuracy).

 

 

I don't agree with all the findings - but that's a good sign.  Just because a headphone, speaker, integrated amp, DAC, or

even a transport for that matter (on and on...) perform a certain way does not mean it will be musical, or not!  That's in the ear

of the beholder.

 

I believe, as a reviewer, we still ALL interpret sound differently, despite what measurements show (hence the reason Harry Pearson

never published lab results in the original The Absolute Sound).  Efforts like this, which is exceptional in my opinion, should be recognized as being 

strong guides based on observations.  In the end you trust your own ears.

 

I do like the fact that he ranked the JH Audio JH13's as the top of the IEM group.  I've tried tons of IEMs since my initial review of the JH-13 Pro

in Positive Feedback - and none of them immerse me in the musical experience as deeply as the JH13.

 

Back to listening!!!!

 

We're comparing the new Fosgate to the E.A.R HP4 w/ all sorts of cans!! (the E.A.R is my new favorite headphone amp, and I'm saving up for one myself).

 

The JH13 are tremendous! :) 

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by stacker45 View Post

 

Ah! but the title doesn't say (''Battle Of The Audiophile Flagships'') it says (Battle Of The Flagships''), now, correct me if i'm wrong, but even Beats and Skullcady both have flagship models in their respective lineups, wich by definition, would  make them eligible for evaluation.

 

I'm just toying with you,but seriously, altough their not my cup of Tea, i can understand how someone might be curious to know how they would compare against blue blood ''audiophile'' flagships.

Should I change the title then? evil_smiley.gif

Quote:
Originally Posted by steve2151 View Post

 

We probably wouldn't learn anything we didn't already know, but I'd throw in a few bucks just to see the expected carnage. Then again, I think the Mix Masters and Beats Pro might beat the W5000 and possibly some of the lower rated iems on the list.

maybe, but i'm not even sure!

Quote:
Originally Posted by donunus View Post

Its a sickness with people. One person gives an awesome review with so many headphones in it and someone just has to criticize it for not including everything they want in it. There is no pleasing those people LOL. They should make their own reviews and stop bitchin about it.

HA! Thanks:)

Quote:
Originally Posted by jerg View Post

 

I don't think David is masochistic enough to suffer through listening to those things.

sadly, I am haha

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by stacker45 View Post

 

I'm not suggesting anything, what i said was,'' i can understand how someone (not me) might be curious to know how they would compare against blue blood ''audiophile'' flagships.

 

I have heard both,  the Beats and Skullcandy, and all i can say is i'm not about to replace my Grados GS/HP/PS1000 for either of them.wink.gif

 

Since you've quoted David, i'd like to take this opportunity to say that i admire his patience and dedication for doing such an informative, torough and time consuming review, because to be honest, even if i did posess all of these great headphones, i'd never have the patience to do what he did.

When I was in the hospital about 3 years ago, I asked my girlfriend at the time to pick me up on pair of inexpensive headphones because I didn't want damage any of my IEMs.  So she came back with $20 lowriders that I heard from a friend.  For $20 bucks I thought they were good.  And that's where I think Skullcandy excels.  I still have em by the way, and I'm willing to trade you them for your GS1000.  Don't worry, I wasn't that sick when I used em, they're clean!

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post #1328 of 3969
11/25/12 at 6:44pm
Thread Starter 

Administrators & Moderators:

 

something weird has happened to my opening post just now.  I haven't editted in over a week, so it isn't something that I've done.  Is there anything that can be done?

 

Thanks

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post #1329 of 3969
11/25/12 at 7:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DavidMahler View Post

Administrators & Moderators:

 

something weird has happened to my opening post just now.  I haven't editted in over a week, so it isn't something that I've done.  Is there anything that can be done?

 

Thanks

 

Could be W5000 striking back. L3000.gif

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post #1330 of 3969
11/25/12 at 7:13pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew_WOT View Post

 

Could be W5000 striking back. L3000.gif

LOL!

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post #1331 of 3969
11/25/12 at 7:37pm
Thread Starter 

Spoke with Jude.  This will get fixed...though it may require a few days.

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post #1332 of 3969
11/25/12 at 9:16pm

Should I change the title then? evil_smiley.gif

 

Nah! my post was written, tongue in cheek, well, not all of it the part about you having a lot of patience was sincere wink.gif


Edited by stacker45 - 11/25/12 at 9:43pm
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post #1333 of 3969
11/25/12 at 9:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hifimanrookie View Post


since when has a hifiman he500 blue blood? tongue_smile.gif...i thought it was a nissan 370Z (the sportscar for the 'masses'?) compared to the sennheiser being a mercedes S class and the top of beyers a beemer 7 series and audeze being the porsches panamera..top of grados being the corvettes, the fostex being the nissan GTR for his tunability! and wait..the staxes being rolls royces phantom of the headphone luxury world...oops forgot denon the audis of the bunch...but thanks..owning a he500 makes me feel royal now biggrin.gif

the beats and skullcandy's are more like tuned VW golfs GTI's..allthough fun to drive (i actually had one!)..but nowhere close to the other brands in luxury..but knowing couple of younger people walking around every day with those on their heads shows us that it also can be fun to listen to those..in a different way ofcourse...as we dont drive the same way in a nimble golf gti and in a heavy 7 series Beemer.also... tongue.gif

 

So you're also a car guy, i'm curious to know then, as to  wich headphones would best represent my Acura RSX Type-S wink.gif

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post #1334 of 3969
11/25/12 at 9:31pm
Thread Starter 

Opening post is FIXED :)

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post #1335 of 3969
11/26/12 at 1:07am
Am glad we are back on subject too.
I have spent (wasted) several hours In high street stores listening to the beats , the marleys , the skullcandys and the bose ones.
I was able to plug my ipod in and of course no one is going to disturb you.
The reasoning behind this was because there were so many of these around and so naturally I was curious.
I did end up buying a pair of denon ahd2000's from those few months of listening.
But to compare any of those to my lcd2s ...... it would be an insult to the intelligence. I would rather that David acquired a flagship model that came from a brand that believes in delivering audiophile sound.
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