Are all headphones the same? (Reply to this please.)
Mar 26, 2006 at 11:20 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 22

Chri5peed

Headphoneus Supremus
Joined
Sep 16, 2005
Posts
3,611
Likes
13
A friend just posted this on another board.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bloke
The headphones on the otherhand both just give out sound, and the difference in quality is only as good as the source and even then I doubt you'd not THAT MUCH difference between a decent £30 set and a £100set.


He is saying all headphones are basically the same in function.


Please give me reasons as to why thats false, nothing subjective, i.e. open to opinion, completely factual.

Thanks
smily_headphones1.gif
 
Mar 26, 2006 at 11:31 PM Post #2 of 22
Well he's partly right, if you have a crappy source, it will still sound like crap on an expensive headphone. But if you have a really good source, and only just decent headphones, it will not sound as good as it would if you have both a really good source and really good headphones.
 
Mar 26, 2006 at 11:33 PM Post #3 of 22
Well, we did have a little NYC mini-meet the other night, and plugged a pair of the PSP pack-in earbuds into jjcha's Dynamight...
 
Mar 26, 2006 at 11:46 PM Post #4 of 22
Well, first, I guess he's right that there is not "THAT much" difference, in the sense that sound comes out of both, and the sound is somewhat similar. But that's true with almost everything. A $30 bottle of wine is similar to a $100 bottle (both contain grapes from a similar region and alcohol in the same amount). And a small town symphony orchestra doesn't sound THAT different from the New York Philharmonic. You pay a lot of money for incremental improvements.

That being said, higher end phones will have used better materials, more closely matched drivers, will have a huge range of sound (check out Qualia or Orpheus). All that stuff is objective, and there is tons more that I won't list.
 
Mar 27, 2006 at 12:00 AM Post #6 of 22
Quote:

Originally Posted by Chri5peed
A friend just posted this on another board.



He is saying all headphones are basically the same in function.


Please give me reasons as to why thats false, nothing subjective, i.e. open to opinion, completely factual.

Thanks
smily_headphones1.gif



look at them as miniaturized speakers

speakers are different for a lot of reasons I hope you understand it well ( membrane materials , case materials , dimensions of drivers and of case , craftmanship , blablabla )

headphones the same

there's the diminishing return factor though , and price for performance ratio ( as in all the things ) to take in consideration . This doesn't change that an sr-60 sounds much worse then an rs-1 ( or an hp-2 ) , and it's not joke.
 
Mar 27, 2006 at 12:10 AM Post #7 of 22
Quote:

Originally Posted by JMT
Thread title edited. Please title your threads more specific.


Thanks muchly. I came looking for replies and saw the new title and thought, 'Hey, thats cool,'
smily_headphones1.gif
 
Mar 27, 2006 at 12:43 AM Post #8 of 22
in the spirit of being an ignorant (or maybe not so...) devils advocate: honda nsx's are just like honda 2-door v6 acords.

they both have 2 doors, and they both just move you around. if the road is crappy, the ride will be crappy on both too. neither has exceptionally poor or excelent fuel mileage. both are equipt with a v6 engine mounted transversely, and a standard transmision is available. both are available in "option packages" that do and do not come with AC. both are available with or without leather seats.

of course that is only focusing ont eh similarities... it is the DIFERENCES that make things DIFERENT.

apples are just like oranges.

they both grow on trees. they both have an acidic juice. they both have a skin protecting the inner fruit. they are both infact fruits. they are often picked by hand by "less than legal" non citicen workforces. the list continues.

trackballs are just like "mice"

both move the little arrow on the screan. both are opperated by hand. both have butons to select, and do stuff. most newer ones are plug and play compatiable with the newer versions of windows. many of both come with a "scrool wheel" to make viewing documents and the like easier.

feces are just like rozes

both emit a strong smell. children enjoy both. you would never think of just throwing them ont eh ground at someones feet. maybe this was a little far-fetched.
 
Mar 27, 2006 at 12:52 AM Post #9 of 22
Quote:

Originally Posted by nikongod
feces is just like roses

both emit a strong smell. children enjoy both. you would never think of just throwing them on the ground at someones feet. maybe this was a little far-fetched.



Umm... I don't think so. The other things you were comparing were very similar, and served the same function, trackballs and mice, different types of cars, but feces and roses --
eek.gif
 
Mar 27, 2006 at 1:22 AM Post #10 of 22
Before we all jump on this and shred the guy... We should all consider the fact that no 2 people hear things the same. Even within our little clan, there are detail freiks who pick notes apart in their heads and there are yet others who could care less, and would rather just groove to the rhythm and humm the melody.

So... Personally I completely disagree. To MY EARS A K01 is night day different than a PS-1 for example. TO MY EARS an HD201 is night and day different than a KSC75.

HOWEVER.... Its completely possible that someone could hear them all the same It comes down too what that individual perceives.

Garrett
 
Mar 27, 2006 at 1:55 AM Post #11 of 22
Lets see...

Sony streetstyle (MDR-G42LP) vs. PX100's. I woner if they'll even vaguely similar.
rolleyes.gif
rolleyes.gif


Of course, it's really also the source that matters, but MORE importantly on your music. If you listen to rap, you won't notice any difference as it all sounds same; overloaded bass with people TALKING (not singing) like in a teacher's lecture.

And how music is encoded. 320KBPS vs. 64KBPS is a big difference.
 
Mar 27, 2006 at 2:01 AM Post #12 of 22
I bought a pair of panasonic headphones from circuit city one time, they were absolutely horrible so I returned them for a pair of cheap sennheisers, it was well worth it, and they cost the same price but one was much much better.
 
Mar 27, 2006 at 2:17 AM Post #13 of 22
Your friend doesn't sound like he has listened to highend headphones. I agree that your source is a very important part of sound quality, but no all headphones aren't the same.

As much as I bashed my superfi5pros(build quality) in an earlier post, I can't get enough of the awesome sound
biggrin.gif
compared to cheaper eabuds(I think I have been spoiled
tongue.gif
).

But difference between a bundled headphone and a great headphone is bigger than if you were comparing e4c vs superfi pro. So if your upgrading by little increments it would be harder to hear the difference.
 
Mar 27, 2006 at 3:16 AM Post #15 of 22
Quote:

Originally Posted by nikongod
feces are just like rozes

both emit a strong smell. children enjoy both. you would never think of just throwing them ont eh ground at someones feet.



very_evil_smiley.gif

Blood pressure 210 :150.
I hope nikongod did'nt just pass away with a stroke or something.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top