[DougofTheAbaci]

 
Quote:

Stop railing the guy and be so stuck up and snotty - giving the rest of us audiofiles a bad name dude!

Not all of us are. But everyone's opinions are going to differ. The wording could be taken as hostile. The problem with forums is people always want context that you can't get via text without knowing the author rather well. You can pick up context and so forth with friends because you know them, you've been near them, you know their speech patterns and mannerisms. But we're all strangers here, for the most part.
 
And when a stranger says, "Is spending all that money really worth it?" it can be taken as a snide remark that attacks something you've based a part of your self-image around. Not many people take that gracefully.
 
Anyway, just my opinion on the matter. As I've said, I think there is a point where it becomes less about quality and maybe more about a statement. Law of diminishing returns and all that. Is an $500 set of headphones better than a $50 set? Oh yeah. Is a $5,000 set better than a $500 set? Sure, but maybe not to the same degree you got from that first jump.

 

[NamelessPFG]

I've found that, when you get into enthusiast-level anything, be it audio, video, computers, gaming, cars, or whatnot, the prices are going to escalate exponentially on the path to perfect performance. The law of diminishing returns will also kick in, but at what point it hits hard obviously depends on the subject.
 
But you don't need to have an enthusiast's wallet to have an enthusiast's mindset, you see. Sometimes it's as simple as making the most out of what you've got (hence the mods and tweaks and such, along with threads on under-$100 "giant killers" that can punch above their weight), possibly bringing out the performance that you didn't know was there to begin with. (Other times, it makes you curse your small wallet because your curiosity won't stop.)
 
Bill1202 brings up an excellent point about not having access to top-of-the-line gear; as much as I want to know what the Stax electrostatic sound is like, I just don't know anybody with a set of Lambda-series cans or anything else electrostatic. (Most don't even know about the Stax brand.) And I certainly can't afford $300 give or take $50 for earspeakers, plus another $250 for a driver unit...and this is one of the more affordable setups! Even if I did have the money, that's a lot to spend on what is essentially a big gamble for a sound that I may not even like in the end, for all I know. (This is assuming that you're buying online, since most of the high-end equipment isn't found locally to begin with, unless you just happen to find a great craigslist post or live near a store with a good selection.)
 
It makes me think a bit more about why people buy this stuff. Some seek to enjoy something more, that usually being music on these forums. Others want a status symbol item. I'm just looking to know what certain equipment can do for me, but I usually don't get the chance without buying it first and waiting for it to ship to my doorstep, for the reason stated above.

 

[koolkat]

Yes.
 
Quote:

There comes a point where it's not about better sound, it's about different sound.

And some people in this thread are so uptight, lol.
 
To share my experience, the jump from ear buds to ONTO was noticeable.
ONTO to HD438s > WOW. 
 
Yep.
 
And there are many headphones better than the ones I have.
 
But if I really wanted the best sound, I'd go to a live concert or something. 
 

 

[oldson]

my first closed cans were hd280 , then i went for ATH-A900 now i have the AH-D7000 . big improvement each time.
still got the hd280 (for late night tv), they do not compete with the denon's.
 
my first open cans were hd600. upgraded to ATH-AD2000. not so much an improvement, just different.
sold both in the end , as i realised i valued isolation.
 
if someone could recommend a £100 set that would compete with my denons, i would be happy to try them.
it aint gonna happen.

 

[firgoe]

I wander what is your expression would be if you find a £100 headphone that is better than your $1000 denon.
 

 
Quote:

my first closed cans were hd280 , then i went for ATH-A900 now i have the AH-D7000 . big improvement each time.
still got the hd280 (for late night tv), they do not compete with the denon's.
 
my first open cans were hd600. upgraded to ATH-AD2000. not so much an improvement, just different.
sold both in the end , as i realised i valued isolation.
 
if someone could recommend a £100 set that would compete with my denons, i would be happy to try them.
it aint gonna happen.

 

 

[stryker7314]

Probably not after your first decent set, but they are like crack, and you can never get enough.

 

[kiteki]

 
Quote:

Isn;t comparing cheaper headphones to more expensive headphones is the same as comparing $4 burgers at mcdonalds vs $9 burgers at more expensive restaurants?
 

Yes.
 
 
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by koolkat /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
 
But if I really wanted the best sound, I'd go to a live concert or something. 
 

Good point.
 
 
 
A fantastic burger and a fantasic concert are one-night-stands though.
 
A fantastic headphone like the ATH-AD2000 is like "I'm just gonna listen to this live concert... all day"
 
 

 

[Ragouki]

Quote:

Probably not after your first decent set, but they are like crack, and you can never get enough.

 

[oldson]

Quote:

I wander what is your expression would be if you find a £100 headphone that is better than your $1000 denon.
 

 


 

i would sell the denons, and waste the spare cash on something else
 

 

[Audio-Omega]

It's worth it because I now enjoy listening to more music.  Sennheiser HD800 has given my music more detail and clarity with a bigger soundstage compared to HD650 and HD570.  It wouldn't be worth it if I was to buy expensive headphones for somebody else.  

 

[Ouspensky]

If you love music, have a great collection of it and appreciate as many genres of music as possible, YES IT IS WORTH IT!!!!

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

But if I really wanted the best sound, I'd go to a live concert or something. 
 

Heya,
 
But have you been to a lot of concerts? Very few bands sound great live unfortunately. I've gone to many, many concerts of all different types. And live performances are more magical in the sense of environment. But the sound is actually poor overall. It's just loud. A $10 CD is better for listening. Concerts are about experience, not sound (for the most part).
 
Very best,

 

[koolkat]

Well, best to me means experiencing the sound naturally, if that makes sense.
 
It's true that some bands are ****ty live, but imo it's more natural hearing them perform
 
in front of you on the stage, with big speakers, than listening to them on the CD over your headphones.
 
 
 
The sound really isn't that poor, it's just the noisy atmosphere and probably something to do with the acoustics but that makes it
 
sound more natural. The only thing I hate about live concerts is sometimes the sound comes off too sharp from the speakers.
 
I'm more of a live music guy. Studio albums get boring too easily. 
 
 
 
 
 

 

[h1a8]

They are worth it ONLY if you heard them for a while.
When I started out I had a Sony a818 and thought that the included premium headphones was the best sound I ever heard. I believed with all my heart that NOTHING can sound better.
I then tried the se530 (first time I spent more than $100 for some headphones) and boy was I blown away. The bass was slightly less but everything else was better. Now I find myself forking out hundreds and hundreds of dollars each year because I'm hooked on better and better headphones.
I'm now considering $700 and up phones.
 
Do yourself a favor. Get a cheap pair of phones (under $60) that sound awesome to you. Make sure you think that nothing can sound better. When you do never go above that. Because if you do then there is no coming back. You will get worst and worst each year spending more and more, looking for something even better. I wish I would have left those se530s alone a long time ago. I would have saved thousands of dollars LOL.

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

They are worth it ONLY if you heard them for a while.
When I started out I had a Sony a818 and thought that the included premium headphones was the best sound I ever heard. I believed with all my heart that NOTHING can sound better.
I then tried the se530 (first time I spent more than $100 for some headphones) and boy was I blown away. The bass was slightly less but everything else was better. Now I find myself forking out hundreds and hundreds of dollars each year because I'm hooked on better and better headphones.
I'm now considering $700 and up phones.
 
Do yourself a favor. Get a cheap pair of phones (under $60) that sound awesome to you. Make sure you think that nothing can sound better. When you do never go above that. Because if you do then there is no coming back. You will get worst and worst each year spending more and more, looking for something even better. I wish I would have left those se530s alone a long time ago. I would have saved thousands of dollars LOL.

And done what with the spare money?
 
Experience is priceless. Whatever that experience is, so long as you really enjoy it, doesn't have a price tag.
 
Very best,