Quote: Exactly!

I've bought several vinyl issues from Southern Lord and they all sound excellent.  The label seems to take a lot of pride in their analog releases.  And I don't think it's fair to say that metal records have the "worst" mastering.  That would indicate that there's a "best" mastering available...

I think it depends on the kind of metal, too.  I listen to a lot of doom, drone, and otherwise down-tuned metal and the 650s sounded great to me.  But then I also have some grindcore, crust, thrash, etc. and it sounds great too.   I didn't really have anything else to compare it with at the...

As far as I know, there aren't a lot of options that include an in-line remote and mic.

Yeah, I would think they'd sound like crap. But I love old tech. I also got a laugh when the seller was trying to defend the "high price tag" of some of the items, and I think the most expensive set was around $90. I had already spent $400 on a set earlier that day!

Have any of you seen this site? It's pretty cool. What i find most entertaining is that a lot of people complain about the high impedance of the HD650s (300 ohms), and with good reason....but the first listing on this site has cans with 4000 OHMS OF IMPEDANCE. Crazy to think how far we've...

I'll probably stick to the silicon tips anyway; i've had IEMs before and the foamies get all gunked up with cerumen. Plus I have to keep taking them out when I'm at work, so I end up going through a bunch since they lose their springiness after a while.

Sounds like the only way to be positive is to listen to them.

I just bought the Westone UM3X which, from all accounts, has everything you're looking for. They're pretty widely regarded around here, it seems.

I've been in something of a whirlwind of headphones the last few days... At first I wanted the RS1is. But the small soundstage turned me off of them. Plus I figured I don't need another set of cans. Then I wanted IEMs. The IE8s, in fact, because I do so enjoy my HD650s. But then I heard...

Awesome. Thanks guys, you've given me quite a few options to research! ALSO! I just shopped around for the W5000. Looks like a good contender. I do enjoy the Sennhesier sound, so I guess ideally I'd like the HD800s, but keeping the price tag under $1000 would be nice. So the W5000 may be...

The old title might've been misleading, so I changed it. ^_^

I'm talking artists like Stars of the Lid, Hammock, Eluvium, Jesus in Japan, Steve Roach, etc. Even if you aren't familiar with these artists, the ambient umbra is usually characterized by an immense...MASSIVE soundstage. For a few months I was considering upgrading to the RS1i, but they...

I'm actually having a similar problem since i listen to a lot of atmospheric music like Stars of the Lid and Eluvium. I was considering the RS1i but its reputation for being "all up in your face" has me a little reticent. Now I might be in the market for some choice IEMs. And, if I'm going...

What's the bit rate on those mp3s?

I've found the process is too slow to perceive in real time. You'd want to listen to them out of the box, burn them in, then listen to them again. Also, you can't "over burn in" headphones. You can blow out the driver if you're listening to them too loudly, of course. But for me, burning in and...

I'd say it's a healthy combination of R&D, the name on the equipment, the relatively low demand, and the SES of the people buying. If you're even considering equipment marketed as "audiophile" then you've got money to burn. Companies will gladly charge accordingly.

Huh.  I've got a cousin who lives in Marysville.

Guh, I know. That's part of the reason I've picked up more freelance work. Just to finance this! ^_^

Tdock, I agree with you on many points. If I could have paid $100 and gotten a similar sounding pair as my HD650s, I would have jumped on it, of course (if only I were rich enough not to care!). From what I've read, the "bang for buck" ratio drops considerably as you go higher in the price...

I agree with everything you've said, Currawong. I guess my OP came off sounding a little pointed, and i didn't really intend it to. It's just hard to ensure one is spending his money the best way possible when you have people writing reviews who themselves have only heard one or two varieties...

Thank you sir, you've laid it on quite thickly, indeed. I do also enjoy many varieties of cheese. Did I mention my post is better than yours because I typed it on a $400 keyboard? EDIT: No way are any of my members getting free cheese for only $50/month. These's gonna be tiered access to my...

I totally agree. To me it just seems like there are a lot of people writing reviews using the same jargon as other reviewers without really understanding what it all means. Thanks for the welcome, though. I've been lurking for some time and have been meaning to get a bit more active in the...

Yeah, I know how easily companies can get away with a markup based on the name alone! But I don't have the luxury of testing out all these cans. It took me a while to sift through all the BS and narrow down my choice to the HD650. That was about 8 months ago or so, I'd say. Now I'm looking at...

I understand all that. I just wish people would write their reviews a little differently. Not every set is going to have clear, sparkly highs and well defined lows. But every positive review I read on here has that description. I mean, people hear what they want to hear, I just get irked...