originalsnuffy
Headphoneus Supremus
Maybe we need to hire music sommerlier; the we really can listen with our nose. This IEM smells of shoewax and has velvety textures of rich chocolate mixed with elderberries.
Do we need to trust our own ears more?
- Thread starter IEMusic
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ryanjsoo
Reviewer for The Headphone List
ryanjsoo's Reviews
I was a pretty average consumer for about half a decade before I dabbled in reviews. I will say that honestly, I had no idea what I was hearing for a good while until I started trading, buying and trying new things to gain some sort of reference in relation to what more experienced listeners were talking about in reviews, forums, etc. At the time there were no audio stores in Sydney too so I had no opportunity to demo which made the entire process a lot longer and more costly.
What I bought is what I heard. It didn't help that you'd read a review that said something along the lines of "I could feel the guitar player's fingers on the strings", as I never had that experience and was disappointed when I hit the high-end for a long time. I thought it was fluff, there's always some hyperbole when representing an experience with words. Now that I've listened to a lot of different gear, I have a pretty good idea of what key aspects of the sound to look out for, I don't necessarily hear any differently to other people. But I can see what those reviewers are talking about and isolate better why something sounds as it does.
It's also important to go back down the price ladder as it's much easier to appreciate what's missing rather than what's been gained. It keeps us humble lol!
What I bought is what I heard. It didn't help that you'd read a review that said something along the lines of "I could feel the guitar player's fingers on the strings", as I never had that experience and was disappointed when I hit the high-end for a long time. I thought it was fluff, there's always some hyperbole when representing an experience with words. Now that I've listened to a lot of different gear, I have a pretty good idea of what key aspects of the sound to look out for, I don't necessarily hear any differently to other people. But I can see what those reviewers are talking about and isolate better why something sounds as it does.
It's also important to go back down the price ladder as it's much easier to appreciate what's missing rather than what's been gained. It keeps us humble lol!
buonassi
Headphoneus Supremus
very insightful - and true in my experience as well. As you move up the ladder, the incremental gains in quality are hard to pick out sometimes - especially if you are tweaking with EQ, cables, new sources, etc. And doubly true once you get closer to top tier offerings.
Keeping some 'benchmark' gear around which, 'at the time', was a game changer for me has helped me to better understand what is missing, and by extension, what I've actually gained!
SilverEars
Headphoneus Supremus
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gimmeheadroom
Headphoneus Supremus
You could still trust them. You would just have to pay a monthly fee.
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