[Shinnbone]

   
Are you sure the ringing wasn't the tubes in my Schiit Vali?

 
I kept my eye on the Vali thread, so I know what you are talking about. Sounds like a very god amp. Unfortunately It was just my work phone ringing.

 

[Speakerphile]

jwong, Best Buy listening wall can't be trusted. None of the headphones I tried at Best Buy sounded that good. Also, the K545 straight out of the box had almost no bass. It should wake up in several hours, then increase even more in about 20 hours. I only kept the K545 for a couple of weeks, but I got the impression that the bass may keep blooming. (If you believe in burn-in, that is … )

 
 
To be fair, the headphones on display sound at least as good as they would out of any standard output device.  Obviously, they won't compare to your home setup, but has any store display met those standards?  I don't know if it's even possible to make 8 headphones sound great on any single display, short of individually selecting ideal amplifiers for each one.  
 
In an effort to be transparent, I do work for them and have some insight into how this display works.  
 
In all sincerity, how would you improve it?  PM me, so we don't take this thread too far off-topic.

 

[wayward91]

so here is my question ... im looking for a headphone to use portably with a fiio e18 and android device . i was originally going to go for the beyer dt250 250 ohm , but the amp may not be up for driving them ?? . then i leant towards the k550 but was put of by the size.
so are these the way to go ? or should i get the dt250 80ohm . 
i do like the akg sound , i have the k702, k271mk2 and like them. i do sometimes find the k702 slightly lacking in bass but apparently these are better in that sense.   but the thing is they cost around £100 more than the beyers in the uk  , are they worth the difference (1.85 * the price) almost double. 

 

[dweaver]

If you like the AKG sound and want more bass than the K70x series and a smaller form factor than the K550, the K545 is your headphone! It will benefit from your amp but not over match it and also sounds very good straight from a portable player. I use my K545 more than my Q701 these days and never feel short changed by it in comparison to my Q701. Buy with confidence and enjoy

 

[Shinnbone]

   
In an effort to be transparent, I do work for them and have some insight into how this display works.  
 
In all sincerity, how would you improve it?  PM me, so we don't take this thread too far off-topic.

 
??? If you really did not want to go off-topic, why didn't you PM me to begin with? Why post a public response to my post, and ask for a private reply?
 
I am not an audio equipment expert. Since you work at BB, you certainly know some people who are (perhaps you are?). I'd think asking them would be better than challenging a mere consumer.
 
But more importantly, you did not give any information on what is behind the wall. What switching system, source, and amp, etc. are used? How are they all connected? Without this information, how can anyone give a proper suggestion?
 
Speaking as a consumer, though I wish I could connect the sample headphones directly to my device. That short cable coming out of the wall does not cut it, since I don't know what is going on behind the wall. I want to be able to unplug the headphones and plug them into my phone directly.  
When I went to a local BB to try out the K545, the sample pair was not working. Other headphones were fine, but no sound was coming from the K545. When I pointed this out to a Magnolia room associate, he fidgeted with the headphones, song selection, and couple of other things, then shrugged. That was pretty much it. All I got was "you can buy them and return them if you don't like them. But you will like them." I went back several days later, and the sample K545 still wasn't working. Spoke to another associate who -- again -- didn't even try to fix the issue. Both times I was told they could not open another box for me to audition.  I would have liked to see the headphones working the second time.

 

[dweaver]

As a consumer I understand and agree with Shinbones complaint, it is annoying to have to deal with these poorly designed messes used in most stores.

As someone who has worked retail and understands the issues with setting up these displays I also understand Speakerphile's point as well.

The reality is that mass consumerism simply doesn't allow for well designed displays because they are to expensive to build. In an age where price is the main decision factor, stores rely on volume of sales to make a profit. This means sales staff are trained to close sales quickly and focus on warranty where the real profit lies versus understanding the products being sold to help guide people to the right product. This means almost all sales are reliant on marketing to motivate the customer so the sale people only have to show the customer where the product is located and then work on selling the added warranty.

Which is why people end up on Head-fi researching the headphone they want. Forums like this supply the missing link in the sales process for the consumer. Allowing people to find the right product for their needs while still getting a price they can afford and not having to rely on sales staff who don't have the experience necessary or the time to help guide them to the right choice. It also shows why online sales account for so much of the sales today. If I buy online I am not limited to what a single store or chain chooses to carry and I don't have to deal with the hassle of sales pressure from the sales clerk who is forced to try and up sell me.

One thing to add. If stores took the time to develop their displays properly. It would allow them to show off high end gear in a proper light so customers would be able to hear the gear and make up their mind based on that. Then the sales staff would only have to focus on finding what the customer wants based on their listening experience and still be able to quickly process the sale. A win win solution in my opinion.

 

[grizzlybeast]

 

  Sharp sounding? In reference to what?
  Rolled off treble was the first thing I've noticed on them out of the box. Burn in helped with the extension a bit, but they never became sharp or grainy, detailed yes, but not in your face showed via accentuated treble kind of details.
  K550 is sharp, HD800, and to lesser extent T1 are sharp. 
  7520? Not to my ears and in my setup. 
  Apologize if there is a different meaning of sharp/smooth in this context. 

  I7520 is sharp to me unmistakably. Not smooth at all. Not because of the highs but because they are forward with not much decay. Sharp is usually associated with edgy which means too much highs. Thats not what I mean and definitely not because of the treble.The combination of detail, dryness(no decay or reverb sound), and forwardness in nature makes me wanna say no other word than sharp,lol. 

 

  Sharp sounding? In reference to what?
Rolled off treble was the first thing I've noticed on them out of the box. Burn in helped with the extension a bit, but they never became sharp or grainy, detailed yes, but not in your face showed via accentuated treble kind of details.
K550 is sharp, HD800, and to lesser extent T1 are sharp. 
7520? Not to my ears and in my setup. 
Apologize if there is a different meaning of sharp/smooth in this context. 

 

Yeahhhh sooo ummm.... I feel kinda dumb here now.... I would like to test the k545 on my gear at home instead of off of a listen at the store. I heard them and still like them over the momentum when I tried them again but the problem with me and the 7520 was the amp they were plugged into. 
 
The Focusrite is what sounds more that way. When I plugged the 7520 back into the emotiva(needs a resistor though for the hiss) they had a lot less bite to them and sounded less sharp. Also the soundstage opened up too and became less congested. 
 
How I am hearing this 7520 now I am sure its a lot less close. But again I would need them both here. If I wasn't selling the 7520 to go for a fostex th600 then I would get the k545 to compare but I guess I will never know. 
 
This 7520 is no joke... just had the wrong amp for it. Its really good to know your gear lol....

 

[Speakerphile]

As a consumer I understand and agree with Shinbones complaint, it is annoying to have to deal with these poorly designed messes used in most stores.

As someone who has worked retail and understands the issues with setting up these displays I also understand Speakerphile's point as well.

The reality is that mass consumerism simply doesn't allow for well designed displays because they are to expensive to build. In an age where price is the main decision factor, stores rely on volume of sales to make a profit. This means sales staff are trained to close sales quickly and focus on warranty where the real profit lies versus understanding the products being sold to help guide people to the right product. This means almost all sales are reliant on marketing to motivate the customer so the sale people only have to show the customer where the product is located and then work on selling the added warranty.

Which is why people end up on Head-fi researching the headphone they want. Forums like this supply the missing link in the sales process for the consumer. Allowing people to find the right product for their needs while still getting a price they can afford and not having to rely on sales staff who don't have the experience necessary or the time to help guide them to the right choice. It also shows why online sales account for so much of the sales today. If I buy online I am not limited to what a single store or chain chooses to carry and I don't have to deal with the hassle of sales pressure from the sales clerk who is forced to try and up sell me.

One thing to add. If stores took the time to develop their displays properly. It would allow them to show off high end gear in a proper light so customers would be able to hear the gear and make up their mind based on that. Then the sales staff would only have to focus on finding what the customer wants based on their listening experience and still be able to quickly process the sale. A win win solution in my opinion.

I appreciate your willingness to look at both sides.  
 
One thing I will say though.  Despite popular opinion, most of the money does not come from warranties.  

 

[Speakerphile]

   
??? If you really did not want to go off-topic, why didn't you PM me to begin with? Why post a public response to my post, and ask for a private reply?
 
I am not an audio equipment expert. Since you work at BB, you certainly know some people who are (perhaps you are?). I'd think asking them would be better than challenging a mere consumer.
 
But more importantly, you did not give any information on what is behind the wall. What switching system, source, and amp, etc. are used? How are they all connected? Without this information, how can anyone give a proper suggestion?
 
Speaking as a consumer, though I wish I could connect the sample headphones directly to my device. That short cable coming out of the wall does not cut it, since I don't know what is going on behind the wall. I want to be able to unplug the headphones and plug them into my phone directly.  
When I went to a local BB to try out the K545, the sample pair was not working. Other headphones were fine, but no sound was coming from the K545. When I pointed this out to a Magnolia room associate, he fidgeted with the headphones, song selection, and couple of other things, then shrugged. That was pretty much it. All I got was "you can buy them and return them if you don't like them. But you will like them." I went back several days later, and the sample K545 still wasn't working. Spoke to another associate who -- again -- didn't even try to fix the issue. Both times I was told they could not open another box for me to audition.  I would have liked to see the headphones working the second time.

Part of my comment was addressed to the discussion.  In an effort to keep the discussion from going even further off-topic I suggested you PM me regarding how you'd improve it.  It was a sincere question.  One that you apparently don't care to entertain.  That's fine.  It was just an effort by myself to get some constructive feedback.  

 

[Andrew_WOT]

   
Part of my comment was addressed to the discussion.  In an effort to keep the discussion from going even further off-topic I suggested you PM me regarding how you'd improve it.  It was a sincere question.  One that you apparently don't care to entertain.  That's fine.  It was just an effort by myself to get some constructive feedback.  

 
So you work at best buy. My recent experience there, I wanted to check in person dishwasher that I selected based on my online research.
When I get to the store and ask salesperson to show it to me... he walked me to his computer and launched the manufacturer site, saying "here you go, let me know if you need any help". And I am not kidding. You should have seen the expression on my wife's face. 

 

[Speakerphile]

   

Not really my area of expertise.  But that is obviously a pretty poor experience.  Thankfully, I don't think that is representative of the typical experience.  

 

[Trunks159]

   

LOL! 

 

[Beagle]

Quote:

 

 

 

[dweaver]

OK lets bring the topic back on track so posts like wayward91 and corresponding answers don't get buried.

 

[dweaver]

I was listening to the sound track from the original Conan the Barbarian and noticed the trumpets, something I have never really paid attention to but they sounded to clear and poignant I just couldn't stop listening. Later I listened to Pink Floyd's Two Suns in the Sunset and had a similar moment with the saxophone when it kicked in. These do such an amazing job with the midrange while maintaining a nice deep bass I just marvel at the music.