[JML]

Eagle Driver, I thank you for proving my memory is not totally gone!

AudioRedneck, I have steadily lost faith in Consumer Reports' ability to do much other than test for safety. They test too few items, often selecting items haphazardly, and often report results without having much depth or available expertise. And I don't even trust their tests of toasters and vacuum cleaners...

I posted this only for the potential amusement factor, guys.

 

[Audio Redneck]

Quote:

Originally posted by JML I posted this only for the potential amusement factor, guys.

Yeah, right! Your just a stooge, no wait, your a spy sent here by CR to get us to buy subscriptions! And thats not even the half of it! CR doesn't know that you are REALLY a mole for BOSE and on their payroll as well!

You can't fool me, [size=small]ITS A CONSPIRACY I TELL YA!!!!!!![/size]

If you want to prove I'm wrong....send me your Audio Technica cans for a few weeks and I'll take it all back

 

[jona]

I will wait to read the August issue of CR in my local library. My impressions of CR audio reviews over the years is that they are very "utilitarian" in their ratings (and I do remember the V6 being top rated back in '89). Their subjective "ease of use" evaluation counts nearly as much as quality of sound!!! They recently rated home audio receivers and found that sound did not differ significantly among about 20 units tested, although the features and measured power output ratings were interesting. Unfortunately, a headphone jack was a headphone jack in their receiver ratings. I wonder if their headphone evals will at least all use the same source for comparison.

FYI- They rate the BMW 530i as the "best" auto available. "Best"- how??? In that price range, why not its superior V-8 powered brother the 540i? Or why not the Cadillac De Ville with its night-vision option for carrying four 6-foot men cross-country with their luggage? Or why not a 'vette for a couple on a pleasure cruise through some twisty back roads? Or why not a Chrysler Town & Country for a family carrying their gear on a week-long road trip?
Get my drift? CR tends to make arbitrary judgements based upon their particular view of the world. I predict that is exactly what they will do with cans.

Jon

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Today I read the August issue of Consumer Reports, but ALAS! There's no headphone report there!

BUT WAIT...

I saw it being mentioned "In Future Issues...".

As a result, you'll have to wait for the September issue (due in libraries the second Monday in August) in order to see the report and Ratings of headphones.

 

[MooGoesTheCow]

Yup, I just got my consumer reports and there was no headphone review, sadly. Maybe next month

 

[BenG]

Quote:

Originally posted by BDA_ABAT ...were able to attend the road show and evaluate a variety of headphones, amps, and other components in a blinded fashion.... the reviewer wouldn't necessarily know what product (headphone or amp or cable or whatever) he/she was listening to but would then provide a score of their impressions. Score sheets could be developed, standardized and validated prior to the event. The more I think about this, the more do-able and useful it seems. I'm imagining people listening in a booth (maybe even just a small cubicle-like setup), maybe literally with a blindfold, not being able to see the cans, the source or the cable, and providing an assessment without the luxury (and potential bias) of knowing exactly what equipment they were listening to. Could even change certain parameters during the listening sessions to see what impact changing the amp or source or cable had on the score. Mmmm..... whaddya think? Bruce

Blind demonstrations or tests would not be a desirable thing for a high-end company or retailer to do.

 

[daycart1]

Years back CR reviewed "10 speed road bicycles". One brand was not recommended because of unsafe brakes. The top rated bike had identical brakes!! They forgot that brakes have to be set up and adjusted....

I suppose they'll downgrade the Senns for playing "dangerously loud" after forgetting to adjust the volume.

 

[jopi]

Quote:

Originally posted by daycart1 I suppose they'll downgrade the Senns for playing "dangerously loud" after forgetting to adjust the volume.

And the etys will taken off the market because they're a choking hazard.

 

[skippy]

actually i remember a consumer reports publication where they recomended the hd580 and the sporta pro... so they might give out some good recommendations. and then again they might recommend aiwa phones or something... you never know.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Quote:

Originally posted by skippy actually i remember a consumer reports publication where they recomended the hd580 and the sporta pro... so they might give out some good recommendations. and then again they might recommend aiwa phones or something... you never know.

Actually, those recommendations were made in 1995 or 1996 (I think), before the Sporta Pros came out. It was the predecessor of the Sporta Pros, the Porta Pro Jr., that CR had recommended.

Quote:

Originally posted by daycart1 I suppose they'll downgrade the Senns for playing "dangerously loud" after forgetting to adjust the volume.

Also, I remember the CR report of September 1989 that "all of the tested headphones had (and still have) more than sufficient loudness capability to cause or contribute to permanent hearing damage."

 

[a1leyez0nm3]

i hope they dont use bose headphones

 

[purk]

Guys,
CR actually mentioned (1995-1997) that the Senn HD-580 is the best headphones money can buy. I have those issue. They didn't do the real testing, but comment on how the 580 is indeed a very precise phones, and audiophile grading.
CR is not that bad, since they ranked my Pana SL-S651C as the top Discman in 1996.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Based on information obtained from someone back at HeadWize, Consumer Reports has turned thumbs down on the Sennheiser earbuds and Koss The Plugh; they're rated only Fair. The highest-scoring earbuds that the mag has tested are *cough, cough* the Sony MDR-E828LP, $10. The mag also recommends the Koss KTX Pro's (also sold at U.S. RadioSchwacks as the Optimus Pro-35).

More details later, as soon as I read the full report later this week.

 

[Joe Bloggs]

Quote:

Originally posted by Eagle_Driver The highest-scoring earbuds that the mag has tested are *cough, cough* the Sony MDR-E828LP, $10

*Cough* *gag* *choke*

 

[JML]

I forgot about this, and I get the damn thing in the mail (Christmas gift from someone who's been sending it to me for 20 years)! So it's been sitting in the magazine stack for several days.

It's awful, pathetic, silly, etc. It's a half-page add-on to their review of PCDPs. They say to buy new headphones, because what comes with the players sucks. Then they proceed to group these after-market headphones that cost under $20 or so...

Well, they did say that anti-skip compression makes the music sound awful...