[SplashArtist]

Hey my fellow Head Geeks! I was thinking today in the shower (isn't that the best place to think!) if there's any correlation from being a musician that drives your pursuit of audio bliss. I've been playing different instruments and singing for a long time so I kind of wondered if thats why I'm an 'audiophile'. I'm always looking for better sounding drums, guitars, pianos, etc. as well so it kind of got me thinking! What are your guys's thoughts on this? Especially because all of my friends dont get it but non of them are musicians and my sister who also is a musician seems to understand why I buy so many.
regards.
(p.s I popped on some HM5's they should be on their way I'm super excited!)

 

[scoopbb]

all my musician friends think im crazy for wasting money on headphones. they dont really seem to care about what they use as long as it gets the job done. theyve heard my headphones and are too used to their headphones / monitors.
 
one has a pair of dt880s (really old). he went from the 770s to the 880s for mixing, saying the V contour on the 770s weren't suitable for him. the other has a pair of ultrasone pro 650 (his dad has grado 325s. first time ive seen grados in person lol).

 

[zuk0v]

I've never played an instrument. Well, I tried playing the guitar, but I was terrible at it and didn't have any patience so I gave it up quickly. I don't see any evidence to support a theory citing any correlation between musicians and audiophiles. However, I am not an audiophile.
 
It would make sense that those creating the music would be the ones who would also want to hear it the most clearly. However, I have friends who play music, one in a small band, and all of them think I am stupid for "wasting" $500 on a pair of headphones (I think they think all headphones are the same - most show 0 interest in actually test driving my set up). Actually, there's no one in my life that thinks my audio purchases were smart.

 

[forsberg]

Actually, there's no one in my life that thinks my audio purchases were smart.

I can understand them. From an objective point of view, headphones is a pretty obscure hobby.

 

[davidgotsa]

True, but which hobby isn't?  
Quote:

I can understand them. From an objective point of view, headphones is a pretty obscure hobby.

 

 

[forsberg]

True, but which hobby isn't?  

few off the top of my head:

apple products
gaming
model kits
hi-fi (speakers, not headphones)
stamps

imagine if headphones gained mainstream popularity? We'd have albums recorded in binaural, and probably stax quality headphones that cost less than $100 bucks.

 

[forsberg]

I would have to say that headphones are just a bit more popular than ice chewing.

http://icechewing.com

I kid you not.

 

[davidgotsa]

Oh, I think I completely misunderstood what you meant when you said obscure. I thought you meant absurd or something like that. 
 
Quote:

few off the top of my head:
apple products
gaming
model kits
hi-fi (speakers, not headphones)
stamps
imagine if headphones gained mainstream popularity? We'd have albums recorded in binaural, and probably stax quality headphones that cost less than $100 bucks.

 

 

[fred43]

I'm a folk musician and I have a pair of LCD-2s, though I'm not sure that qualifies me as an audiophile. To my chagrin people more often compliment me on my sound, rather than my playing. However I don't think there is a correlation between musicians and audiophiles in general.
 
Going off on a tangent, being a musician can be handy in finding faults with your equipment. I have a Sennheiser HD600 and HD650, both of which developed a rattling / resonance issue at different frequencies in one channel each. I would not have noticed, had I not used them with an electronic piano. Since you control what you play, anything randomly added really stands out. Sennheiser warranty repairs were absolutely useless in diagnosing or even acknowledging the issue. One of the reasons that prompted my eventual purchase of the LCD-2.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

My former bandmates were so amazed at my HD600 and SR225, and whatever amps they heard them with. They were even amazed listening in meets, particularly a DIY Class A mosfet amp there and a GS1000. They considered them "better" than most studio headphone monitor set-ups they've heard, almost like the active speaker monitors except the stage is of course smaller.
 
Just to put it in perspective though, I think the studios we used in the past had AKG K44's or something. Also the ones that got sucked into all this were the drummer and bassist, and suffice to say their instruments are either lifeless or bloated on cheap earphones, so of course hearing the drums "come alive" and bass guitars being as articulate as they know the notes really are (that get lost or get clumped into a glob of bass in most venues they've performed in) is sure to amaze them.

 

[SplashArtist]

Yea true enough, I mean though anything because let's say you record music your going to want the best possible sound quality so for me it would make sense that musicians and producers may be likely candidate to be audiophiles, not just headphones though. But ya it's an odd hobby I don't understand why I love headphones so much I just do. My dad always laughs when he sees how much I 'waste' on headphones, mind you he wasn't laughing when I gave him my modded ksc75's he loves those things hahah.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

If anything the real difference is in where the limited resources go. If a musician and an audiophile both had $2000, of course the musician would be spending on instruments; the audiophile even if he plays any instrument will prioritize playback equipment (until s/he is satisfied). BUT having nearly unlimited resources won't always have them meet in the middle; if you're a musician with that much to spend, you probably spend enough time making music chances are you'd rather chill out without getting too anal about your music, if you listen at all. I mean I'd personally like to see what rich musicians listen through outside the studio - like, what the hell possessed Lars Ulrich to stamp a Skull Candy with Metallica?! (Well, OK that was a rhetorical question; it was all about $$$$)

 

[KimChee]

None of my bandmates care about headphones at all.  It's a bit puzzling.

 

[RexAeterna]

i don't see how can anyone laugh at someone for a productive hobby. they should appreciate your doing other things then just sitting around all day getting high or something.

anyways, op, it depends really. lot of people even if they play instruments won't mean they'll care about what they use for background sound relaxing or something. even lot that want to start recording their own stuff they just rather get cheapest they can get that does the job and could be well or not. you be surprise how lot of musicians would not know what to do if you put them in a recording or mastering studio and tell them to work on something and end up doing a horrible job. yea some do care about what they use cause they want to get serious on recording on there own but that's select few. lot just play to be popular or messing around.

i have my share of played instruments(acoustic/electric guitar, piano, violin , drums ,bass , mandolin , flute) since i was little but i wouldn't call myself any good. i care about my audio being transparent as possible but i would never consider myself an audiophile. i just like music.

 

[SplashArtist]

yea true enough! whats the definiton of an audiophile though really.. I only chase the audio bliss because I enjoy music (either playing or listening) so much and I want it to sound as good as possible, audiophile or not it doesn't really matter. And my dad doesn't laugh and scoff he just thinks it's humorous.