[disastermouse]

Of course we do!
 
I think it's odd when we say a certain set of cans is great for this but bad for that - especially about the really high end sets of headphones.
 
My question is this:  Are there examples of cans that are almost 'must-haves' for some styles of music that are then 'worse than what came with your iPod' for others?  Can a set of headphones be THAT unbalanced?  Take the HD 800 for instance, you could say it's terrible for trance or that Similarly high-end Grado would be better for rock music - but isn't it still heads and shoulders crazy better than whatever it was we were listening with before we got into this crazy hobby?

 

[Deep Funk]

My Sony MDR V6 had chemistry with Guns 'N' Roses... Otherwise it was good enough for allround music listening.

 

[DivergeUnify]

Yeah people here nitpick way too much.  They critique their headphones more than they enjoy them

 

[jasonb]

yup, thats what this place does to ya. we all need to spend a little less time here, and a little more time just enjoying the music.

 

[Dabears2240]

Yeah.  People here exaggerate the differences between headphones a ton.  And then upgraditis causes us to always want more, and people are so focused on getting the next thing that they forget to enjoy the music

 

[Reputator]

Quote:

Of course we do!
 
I think it's odd when we say a certain set of cans is great for this but bad for that - especially about the really high end sets of headphones.
 
My question is this:  Are there examples of cans that are almost 'must-haves' for some styles of music that are then 'worse than what came with your iPod' for others?  Can a set of headphones be THAT unbalanced?  Take the HD 800 for instance, you could say it's terrible for trance or that Similarly high-end Grado would be better for rock music - but isn't it still heads and shoulders crazy better than whatever it was we were listening with before we got into this crazy hobby?

Depends really on what you're focusing on when looking at what sounds good. Yes an HD800 will have better details, extension, refinement, soundstage, clarity, etc etc than a pair of iBuds, but is it better in terms of tonality for a rock song than a highend Grado? There's a difference between being technically good, and synergizing better. An HD800 doesn't suddenly lose its qualities when playing certain genres, but that doesn't mean you'll enjoy the music and get into it more than a cheaper headphone better suited for the genre you're listening to.

 

[TheOtus]

Some really nice posts here... Personally, I´m not the one who switches from headphone to another between songs though. Not that I have many headphones, but still. My current main headphone handles everything I listen to pretty well. Some songs may sound more "fun" with portaPro, but both are enjoyable in their own way. I couldn´t justify having, lets say Grado just for rock music. Everything must sound more than bearable at this level in my opinion.

 

[ArmAndHammer]

nah...I critique my headphones WHILE I am enjoying them so I'm good to go.
 
Quote:

Yeah people here nitpick way too much.  They critique their headphones more than they enjoy them

 

[Deep Funk]

Quote:

Of course we do!
 
I think it's odd when we say a certain set of cans is great for this but bad for that - especially about the really high end sets of headphones.
 
My question is this:  Are there examples of cans that are almost 'must-haves' for some styles of music that are then 'worse than what came with your iPod' for others?  Can a set of headphones be THAT unbalanced?  Take the HD 800 for instance, you could say it's terrible for trance or that Similarly high-end Grado would be better for rock music - but isn't it still heads and shoulders crazy better than whatever it was we were listening with before we got into this crazy hobby?

Be careful with the word 'better'. I started with standard phone ear buds, switched to the V6 and now I know how big the difference is. 
 
If you like the difference the word 'better' does not apply in the end. In the end it is what kind of music/sound presentation you like the most and at some point you might find a keeper. That keeper became my benchmark headphone, the DF. Besides, some headphones are more true to the source/recording than other headphones and the HD800 is specified as a true to the source/recording. So it comes down to preferences and the perceived difference in sound quality of the music. That is worth nit picking about if that leads to you being content and as such feeling better. Music... 
 

 

[fatcat28037]

Do we nitpick?...........Does Dolly Parton sleep on her back?

 

[disastermouse]

I just meant that even if a certain headphone isn't a perfect pairing with a certain amp or music style, is it not still infinitely better than what most people are using to listen?

 

[Deep Funk]

Quote:

I just meant that even if a certain headphone isn't a perfect pairing with a certain amp or music style, is it not still infinitely better than what most people are using to listen?

Are you referring to the average consumer? If so you could be right.
 
Otherwise, this is Head-Fi and that means nit picking even if there is the slightest mismatch in audio components. Oh well...
 

 

[Sophonax]

 
Quote:

My question is this:  Are there examples of cans that are almost 'must-haves' for some styles of music that are then 'worse than what came with your iPod' for others?  Can a set of headphones be THAT unbalanced?  Take the HD 800 for instance, you could say it's terrible for trance or that Similarly high-end Grado would be better for rock music - but isn't it still heads and shoulders crazy better than whatever it was we were listening with before we got into this crazy hobby?

 
The only experience I had like this was when I had the K701.  I absolutely loved those headphones with acoustic guitar, but I thought they sounded pretty painful with electric guitar -- though I guess this was just a preference thing, as some people seem to like the K701 with everything.  For me, I wouldn't necessarily call this nit-picking -- the K701 sounded pretty bad to me with electric guitar -- but on the other hand, there's no way I could ever say that the iBuds performed better than the K701 regardless of the source material.
 
To use a car analogy -- a Ford Mustang will perform better than a Volkswagen Beetle, but even a Mustang won't perform anywhere near as well as a Lamborghini.  So while the Mustang is a huge step up from a Beetle, I don't think anyone would call the difference between a Mustang and a Lamborghini nit-picking

 

[fatcat28037]

 
Quote:

I just meant that even if a certain headphone isn't a perfect pairing with a certain amp or music style, is it not still infinitely better than what most people are using to listen?

Given the quality of gear most Head-fiers listen to I'd say we're light years ahead of the general population. We all debate phones, amps and phone/amp combos but really it all comes down to the listener. Our musical tastes differ and most importantly our ears are differ. Not to say some phones and amp aren't better than others and everyone will agree to that, but in the end it really comes down to your EARS. 

 

[Argyris]

I don't think we're "picky," necessarily. I'd say we're a little better at recognizing and finding what we want and a little more concerned about/committed to this goal than the average person.
 
As far as sound goes, I think a concept that is not given enough press is coherence. Note that I don't mean "neutral" when I say this. One of the main differences between the sonic signature of crappy headphones and of nice ones is in the smoothness of their response characteristic. Most consumer level headphones that try to capture the mainstream buyer's attention are bass-heavy, which is fine as there are quite a few audiophile-level cans with prodigious bass. However, the response curves of the former are anything but smooth and integrated; they're usually all over the place. Conversely, true audiophile cans (even basshead ones) tend to have a much smoother response. Headphone enthusiasts can tell the difference, whereas the mainstream buyer most times cannot (at least at first). This isn't a personal preference issue. I don't know of any situation where an incoherent response should be preferred over a coherent one. If some people want to call this "picky," I don't know what to tell them. This is something objective that can be measured, both by equipment and (much more importantly!) by the discerning ears of tens of thousands of Head-Fi'ers.