Hello there Head-Fi, I decided to start blogging today and see if anybody reads. I will write about headphones I own, the state of the used headphone market, and sometimes how much I like Luo Ting
So, let's get started with today's thoughts...
I pre-ordered the HE-5LE last week. To be honest, I didn't even think about the cost. The HE-5 is a superb headphone but it's not perfect for me, so I was intrigued to see how the LE model would improve upon a good basic formula. My old model is a bit harsh in the treble, even with the EF-5. Fang's update says the redesign fixes that issue... I hope so. A major reason I ordered another Head-Direct product is that I want to support Chinese hi-fi companies in general and Head-Direct specifically. So many Americans think that all Chinese products are made by 13 year olds in sweatshops. What an ignorant attitude. Just like Americans to reduce a whole country to a one-sentence stereotype. I even see some of that on Head-Fi, although most Head-Fi members are open-minded. So, I choose to buy the HE-5 instead of the HD800 or T1. I love that my money is going to support a small Chinese company that might make it big in the future! The Head-Direct success story embodies all that I love about Head-Fi. A tiny company with great products can compete against the biggest audio manufacturers in the world, entirely by word of mouth. Well, I will get to the HD800 and T1 eventually. You can't expect me to NOT buy the HD800
Today I'm on vacation in Shanghai. I came here to see Luo Ting, the most beautiful girl in China... and also the most considerate. She took me to both of the Best Buy stores here. Why spend time at an American store when I'm in Shanghai? Because they have lots and lots of headphones to demo. The ones I tried this weekend included the PX100, K77, PXC450, and XB500. Now, i didn't get more than 2 minutes with each, because I didn't want to be rude my friend. But I will say the PX100 sounded good and I will be back tomorrow to buy it. The price here is 299 rmb, which is a bit steep. But I've always been curious about this headphone which so many people praise. The K77... well that was a pleasant surprise. I bought a K99 for cheap last year (thanks jawang!) and thought it was total crap. But the 77 has a bit less bass and more prominent mids. Too bad I couldn't make a side-by-side comparison. I was really really interested to hear the PXC450 and see how it compares to the QuietComfort 2/3. Gotta be honest, with noise cancelling off, the Sennheiser is way better. Well, the batteries were dead, so I didn't get to hear the NC function
I really wanted to try the XB500, but the demo station was messed up. My friend the beautiful Ms. Luo wanted to try the Bose triports, but fortunately I steered her away fro that. I let her listen to my AD2K... hope I didn't ruin regular headphones for her...
I pre-ordered the HE-5LE last week. To be honest, I didn't even think about the cost. The HE-5 is a superb headphone but it's not perfect for me, so I was intrigued to see how the LE model would improve upon a good basic formula. My old model is a bit harsh in the treble, even with the EF-5. Fang's update says the redesign fixes that issue... I hope so. A major reason I ordered another Head-Direct product is that I want to support Chinese hi-fi companies in general and Head-Direct specifically. So many Americans think that all Chinese products are made by 13 year olds in sweatshops. What an ignorant attitude. Just like Americans to reduce a whole country to a one-sentence stereotype. I even see some of that on Head-Fi, although most Head-Fi members are open-minded. So, I choose to buy the HE-5 instead of the HD800 or T1. I love that my money is going to support a small Chinese company that might make it big in the future! The Head-Direct success story embodies all that I love about Head-Fi. A tiny company with great products can compete against the biggest audio manufacturers in the world, entirely by word of mouth. Well, I will get to the HD800 and T1 eventually. You can't expect me to NOT buy the HD800
Today I'm on vacation in Shanghai. I came here to see Luo Ting, the most beautiful girl in China... and also the most considerate. She took me to both of the Best Buy stores here. Why spend time at an American store when I'm in Shanghai? Because they have lots and lots of headphones to demo. The ones I tried this weekend included the PX100, K77, PXC450, and XB500. Now, i didn't get more than 2 minutes with each, because I didn't want to be rude my friend. But I will say the PX100 sounded good and I will be back tomorrow to buy it. The price here is 299 rmb, which is a bit steep. But I've always been curious about this headphone which so many people praise. The K77... well that was a pleasant surprise. I bought a K99 for cheap last year (thanks jawang!) and thought it was total crap. But the 77 has a bit less bass and more prominent mids. Too bad I couldn't make a side-by-side comparison. I was really really interested to hear the PXC450 and see how it compares to the QuietComfort 2/3. Gotta be honest, with noise cancelling off, the Sennheiser is way better. Well, the batteries were dead, so I didn't get to hear the NC function
