[baka1969]

Quote:
Originally Posted by daltonlanny  
" Those who said the Beyerdynamic DT880's are overrated are wrong, IMHO."

I guess that's why there's chocolate and vanilla because I felt the 880 was overrated.

 

[grokit]

Quote:

all the headphones I dislike are overrated and all the ones I like are underrated

 
True that. IMO a more helpful thread would be titled, "The one headphone that disappoints you the least?". My answer to that would be my HD600, I keep coming back to them because of their versatility and utter predictability. I have a 1/8" cable for portable use, a 1/4" cable for desktop use, and a balanced cable for them; I don't even own the stock cable. They are like an old friend that never lets me down.

 
Quote:

apple ibuds.... by FAAAAAAAAAAAAR!

You actually had good expectations for those?!?

 
Quote:

I guess that's why there's chocolate and vanilla...

 
QFT

 

[HyperM3]

I think anything can be overrated when enough people try to justify the extra money spent over and beyond the point of diminishing returns. Its very hard to say something that is free(ipod buds) is overrated when its better than nothing. Same goes with the hi-end models where they might be made of fancy materials, but do those materials warrant the extra money or that 1% of listening difference you might notice from your pair of headphones costing half as much? This thread could go on forever.

 

[Conrthomas]

Skullcandy and Bose are the most overrated. If you google "skullcandy" the second suggestion is "Skullcandy Warranty" hahahaha. That just about says it all. I'm sitting on the edge of my chair waiting for my ATH-A700s to arrive.....they had better be good.......

 

[GuyDebord]

Quote:

My comment was exactly you need better music that inspires you. Better does not mean higher bit rate, etc...
 
Can they sound clinical? Well they do show everything in the recording that is there in a very flat presentation...so if you don't like that, how is that the headphone's issue? If you like your music coloured and less revealing, then by all means do not pick the HD800s.

 
Let  me get this straight, according to you, you need "legacy" edition type remasters to get inspired by the HD800's???? That is exactly what I would call an overrated and uninspiring can, and as I have expressed many times, I also dont care for the HD800's. My Staxen and Earsonics inspire me ALL the time with good and bad recordings, from the crappy mono recordings of Albert Ayler to the masterfully made recordings of IRCAM.
 
Your defense turned against itself.... sorry about that....
 

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

 
Let  me get this straight, according to you, you need "legacy" edition type recordings to get inspired by the HD800's???? That is exactly what I would call an overrated and uninspiring can, and as I have expressed many times, I also dont care for the HD800's. My Staxen and Earsonics inspire me ALL the time with good and bad recordings, from the crappy mono recordings of Albert Ayler to the masterfully made recordings of IRCAM.
 
Your defense turned against itself.... sorry about that....
 

You might want to re-read my quote again. That is IN NO WAY what I said.
 
I said, the HD800s present it as recorded. So if you don't like it, then don't blame the headphones...blame the recording or the music. If you want colouration to cover or change the recording then AS I SAID, get other headphones by all means.
 
Sheesh...

 

[Conrthomas]

Wow, name two brands of headphones, say "holy war" and it exists!

 

[GuyDebord]

Quote:

 
I said, the HD800s present it as recorded. So if you don't like it, then don't blame the headphones...blame the recording or the music. If you want colouration to cover or change the recording then AS I SAID, get other headphones by all means.
 
Sheesh...

Removing the soul from music is not "present it as recorded." Technical, clinical and aseptic rendering is not what many recordings were intended to be listened to. As I always say, there are those who prefer the cleanliness of "hi-fi" sound and there are those who prefer the raw, musical imperfections of performance. The HD800's are the most hi-fi'ish cans I have ever heard, my Staxen, the more musical...

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

Removing the soul from music is not "present it as recorded." Technical, clinical and aseptic rendering is not what many recordings were intended to be listened to. As I always say, there are those who prefer the cleanliness of "hi-fi" sound and there are those who prefer the raw, musical imperfections of performance. The HD800's are the most hi-fi'ish cans I have ever heard, my Staxen, the more musical...

How on earth can headphones that present EVERYTHING (better than any out there that I've heard) that is on the recording as "removing the soul"?
 
Their level of detail retrieval is tops and their presentation balanced throughout the spectrum. I don't see how this removes soul in any way. This is simply non-sensical to my engineering mind.
 
If it's presenting it as is and you find no soul, then there never was any soul. And that is my argument (find music with soul). If you prefer colouration to put in a "fake" soul that was never there, then that is a matter of taste and not the fault of the headphones.
 

 

[GeorgeGoodman]

I think Guy Deboard has a point, and I can sympathize with him. I have never listened to anything close to the level of the Stax and Senns you guys are talking about, but there is a difference between presenting music perfectly and really displaying the music the way it was made. If you sit in front of a drum set and play some drums, it is loud, raw, powerful, and impactful. You actually do feel the kick drum, tom, cymbals and other instruments. Some headphones render the details perfectly, but lack impact or just sound sterile, dry, or clinical. People listen to things differently, and what sounds perfect to one person may sound boring to another. I think it is disrespectful to tell someone they didn't have something "right" (such as music) and that is the reason they did not enjoy those headphones. Considering that it is safe to say that people pretty much know what music inspires them and is fun for them to listen to, that does not make sense. The Hd800 is a very polarizing headphone and whether or not it is overrated is in the ears of the beholder. Furthermore, the title of the thread was most overrated headphones of all time, and fighting over one headphone is not productive. The most overrated headphone I have heard would have to be the Audio-Technica AD700. It had a very boring sound.

 

[rhythmdevils]

I shouldn't have gotten into this mess, but since I already said something, I ought to say it better. 
Might as well add to the hysteria. 

  I said my impression of the HD800 was glassy treble and lacking in bass.  But that was only part of the problem for me, the bigger issue was that it seemed to remove richness that was inherent in the recording and instruments.  I listened to Mono - You Are There, which has some of the most gorgeous electric guitar I've ever heard, completely distorted, but with a lot of tube gear used in the studio and it has this liquid electric warmth to it.  I've never heard another recording quite like it.  That was gone with the HD800 and the emphasis was all on the treble in the guitar, minimizing all the richness of the mid and lower mid ranges of the guitar (but it did sound very clear and detailed).  I don't believe that is how it was recorded, not just because it didn't sound as good, but also because it has never sounded like that on any other system, systems whose sound I know by listening to a lot of music and comparisons to other systems. 
 
So my impression was that the HD800 was incredibly revealing due to it's detail and speed, but that it was certainly colored towards a cold and clinical sound.  I have no doubt it would reveal changes upstream, but I didn't find it accurately reproducing the color of those components or recordings. 
 
Of course that was just my experience with the SP amp.  I'm sure a warmer amp would change it's sound, and maybe that's what it needs.  But the SP amp did use tubes.  And maybe it was just bad synergy, although other people seemed to like it quite a bit.

 

[oqvist]

The HD 800 seem to need coloured music to shine
 

 

[Conrthomas]

Please understand that my opinion is completely biased from what I read, but it is to my understanding that Sennheisers typically have a timbre or rather coloration specific to each headphone, and by buying one you typically are making a compromise. That compromise tends to be accuracy vs. quality, from what I can tell. Therefore it looks as if one would be better off buying a different brand if they want more overall balance. Thats what it looks like to me, which is why I just ordered some ATH-A700s (NOT AD700s, A700s)

 

[turimbar1]

lol I have yet to here anything about the most raved about headphones currently on the market- the LCD-2s. anyone want to take on the Audeze faithful? I have never heard them (but I would LOVE to)
 
if no one steps up, then they take the cake as the most universally loved headphones on here, every other major headphone has already been attacked >_>

 

[moodyrn]

I doubt you would find anyone adding these to the list. I haven't read one impression about anyone not liking them. I know there has to be some who don't love them, but I haven't read anything about it.