Ever Wanted to Know How Non-Audiophiles React to High End Headphones?
Feb 7, 2023 at 2:49 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 15
 
Feb 8, 2023 at 7:50 AM Post #6 of 15
Best response I've gotten was, "It sounds more real than reality."
 
Feb 8, 2023 at 2:48 PM Post #7 of 15
More of this :))
Heh, pretty entertaining.

Thank you, guys!

When I let my mother try the Hifiman Ananda plugged into an Aune S6, the first thing she shouted was "Where's my checkbook!".
I take it you meant, Where is YOUR checkbook, ha ha
Best response I've gotten was, "It sounds more real than reality."

These are all the best kinds of responses to get!
 
Feb 8, 2023 at 10:25 PM Post #8 of 15
I saw this video on my feed and I really enjoyed it but I can't help but feel that because the headphones are being handed to them first they really colour their perceptions of the sound. It's like being fed 5 different burgers in a 'blind' test but one of them is clearly inside of a cardboard carton. The ability to touch and feel the headphone informs their perceptions of the sound.

Clearly, you understand what I'm talking about because you blindfold the participants for the same reason.

I wonder if in the future we could get videos like this where the participant is blindfolded and not being able to touch the headphone initially (e.g. you put it on their head).

You could ask participants to price them based on the sound, then you could ask them to price them based on the build afterwards! :)
 
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Feb 10, 2023 at 7:29 AM Post #9 of 15
Did you ask them what they thought the best bang for the buck option was? That would be a pretty important factor for normies getting into the hobby, I think.

I feel like it’s Sennheiser for most of them.
 
Feb 10, 2023 at 9:49 AM Post #10 of 15
The mistake I make is letting them know how much something costs before listening. If I do that, I get a lot of "totally not worth it! You're insane!" before I hit play, especially in the IEM world.
 
Feb 10, 2023 at 4:29 PM Post #11 of 15
It is not the first video I have seen in this form.
Often there was also a woman present.

Interestingly, what is totally atypical with women is that they rate practicality first and comfort before sound (probably it has to fit in the handbag, lol).
With men, it's more the comfort and the sound that comes first.

Price limits also seem to be very variable.
Women prefer to spend less than men and are satisfied with that.
Which is not the case with men.

I have also noticed with my wife what women don't like at all.
They don't like it at all when things are heavy on their heads.
Men often have fewer problems with that.

Where I had my wife was with the IMR Acustics Iem Red 2, if it's missing I know where it is.
She won't touch anything else.
She just loves them.

I am surprised that the Hd600 has been so well received, personally they are one of the most annoying headphones I have returned.
I didn't like the pads, I didn't like the bass thumping and the isolation from the outside wasn't mine either.
And overall I didn't find anything great about them.
It was exactly the same with the He4xx at the time.

I found it funny that the non audiophiles prefer to spend more money on marketing products like Apple,Earbuds ect....
Although there are clearly better Iem's and headphones from a sound and price point of view.
There you see again how you are blinded by such companies.
And much of what is on the market there is really partly harmful to the hearing.
 
Feb 11, 2023 at 4:21 AM Post #12 of 15
It is not the first video I have seen in this form.
Often there was also a woman present.

Interestingly, what is totally atypical with women is that they rate practicality first and comfort before sound (probably it has to fit in the handbag, lol).
With men, it's more the comfort and the sound that comes first.

Price limits also seem to be very variable.
Women prefer to spend less than men and are satisfied with that.
Which is not the case with men.

I have also noticed with my wife what women don't like at all.
They don't like it at all when things are heavy on their heads.
Men often have fewer problems with that.

Where I had my wife was with the IMR Acustics Iem Red 2, if it's missing I know where it is.
She won't touch anything else.
She just loves them.

I am surprised that the Hd600 has been so well received, personally they are one of the most annoying headphones I have returned.
I didn't like the pads, I didn't like the bass thumping and the isolation from the outside wasn't mine either.
And overall I didn't find anything great about them.
It was exactly the same with the He4xx at the time.

I found it funny that the non audiophiles prefer to spend more money on marketing products like Apple,Earbuds ect....
Although there are clearly better Iem's and headphones from a sound and price point of view.
There you see again how you are blinded by such companies.
And much of what is on the market there is really partly harmful to the hearing.
Very poetic... seems like translation to me. I wish you dont dislike me.
 
Feb 12, 2023 at 12:24 AM Post #13 of 15
It is not the first video I have seen in this form.
Often there was also a woman present.

Interestingly, what is totally atypical with women is that they rate practicality first and comfort before sound (probably it has to fit in the handbag, lol).
With men, it's more the comfort and the sound that comes first.

Price limits also seem to be very variable.
Women prefer to spend less than men and are satisfied with that.
Which is not the case with men.

I have also noticed with my wife what women don't like at all.
They don't like it at all when things are heavy on their heads.
Men often have fewer problems with that.

Where I had my wife was with the IMR Acustics Iem Red 2, if it's missing I know where it is.
She won't touch anything else.
She just loves them.

I am surprised that the Hd600 has been so well received, personally they are one of the most annoying headphones I have returned.
I didn't like the pads, I didn't like the bass thumping and the isolation from the outside wasn't mine either.
And overall I didn't find anything great about them.
It was exactly the same with the He4xx at the time.

I found it funny that the non audiophiles prefer to spend more money on marketing products like Apple,Earbuds ect....
Although there are clearly better Iem's and headphones from a sound and price point of view.
There you see again how you are blinded by such companies.
And much of what is on the market there is really partly harmful to the hearing.
If you mentioned Beats over AirPods I'd totally understand. AirPods aren't just marketing. I have thousands of dollars of headphones but the AirPods see a ton of use because of how convenient they are. Nothing beats the user experience of them paired with an iPhone for convenience on the go. Beats on the other hand have nothing special over other headphones of the same price.
 
Feb 13, 2023 at 10:58 PM Post #14 of 15
Agreed, loved my airpods when I had an iPhone. The integration is incredible. Though I like the tech on my Sony xm4's with my Android.
 
Feb 15, 2023 at 4:36 PM Post #15 of 15
If you mentioned Beats over AirPods I'd totally understand. AirPods aren't just marketing. I have thousands of dollars of headphones but the AirPods see a ton of use because of how convenient they are. Nothing beats the user experience of them paired with an iPhone for convenience on the go. Beats on the other hand have nothing special over other headphones of the same price.
Agreed, loved my airpods when I had an iPhone. The integration is incredible. Though I like the tech on my Sony xm4's with my Android.

Yep, Airpods are my go to under $500 these days because I'm an iPhone user and you just can't expect anything better for practicality and portability at this time. The integration is also the best in my experience.
 

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