[HPuser9083]

Quote:

Beats are just way over priced.

Overpriced and overrated.

 

[Posam]

Quote:

Koss is the worst! I have a pair of those noise cancellation phones and they were terrible sound-wise and cancellation-wise. 

Noise canceling is generally garbage, I had a pair of the $40 sony noise canceling headphones, garbage.

 

[Audio-Phile]

I've used the Bose QC models, noise cancelling was pretty decent, but there was definitely an audible noise.  Also, it wasn't perfect.  I'd rather use passive IEMs for that purpose, my TF10s with Complys block out everything I want, that's all I can imagine anyone needing.  It's not like active phones block everything out either.

 

[Supertoaster]

I tried a pair at my local bestbuy as well. Horrible. It was like all the other sounds were 6 feet under a layer of thick horrible bass 
 
I've never actually tried beats, the one time I was there at bestbuy they were either broken on one side or not there at all

 

[khoi14021993]

Quote:

Well, it's all subjective when it comes to Koss, or anyone else besides Beats, Skullcandy, or Soul. I used to own a pair of UR-40s, and loved them until the plug unfortunately decided to commit suicide. They had the best sound I had ever heard from a low-end pair of headphones and were comfortable as heck. The only two problems I had with them: they were a little cumbersome being full-sized, over-ear headphones, and due to being open-backed, they leaked sound like you wouldn't believe.
 
Some may have terrible luck with Sony, Sennheiser, AKG, Koss, Beyerdynamic, Bose, JBL, etc., while others may have great luck with them.

+1
I've never been lucky with Beyer cans. It all comes down to preference.

 

[JayNetTech5]

Quote:

Noise canceling is generally garbage, I had a pair of the $40 sony noise canceling headphones, garbage.

all noise cancelling headphones get bad ratings.

 

[streetdragon]

i feel that the noise canceling headphones are strictly not for the audiophiles, especially the ones who would go for open backed nice sounding cans (which are practically the exact opposite of super quiet sometimes overrated active noise canceling bad sounding expensive for being overpriced sealed sometimes fancy looking headphones)

they are more for the casual listener on the go using noisy transportation

 

[JayNetTech5]

Quote:

i feel that the noise canceling headphones are strictly not for the audiophiles, especially the ones who would go for open backed nice sounding cans (which are practically the exact opposite of super quiet sometimes overrated active noise canceling bad sounding expensive for being overpriced sealed sometimes fancy looking headphones)

they are more for the casual listener on the go using noisy transportation

 
heard they have a weird hum that makes em crappy too

 

[streetdragon]

either a hum or a hiss,so far the only active noise canceling ones i tried were beats studio, and man i got headaches a few minutes later... no idea how the guys who bought and use it manage to live through it o_o

 

[saintyoo]

a hum or hiss is unavoidable with noise canceling since the headphones need to generate destructive sound waves to prevent you from hearing the outside noise
 
Ideally they should cancel each other out but It's my understanding that noise canceling headphones just emit a range of anti waves rather than detecting certain sounds and actively sending out the correct wavelengths
 
even then the point at which they cancel each other out would have to be at a precise location for you to not hear any outside noise or hissing
 
Post 100!!!

 

[JayNetTech5]

Quote:

a hum or hiss is unavoidable with noise canceling since the headphones need to generate destructive sound waves to prevent you from hearing the outside noise
 
Ideally they should cancel each other out but It's my understanding that noise canceling headphones just emit a range of anti waves rather than detecting certain sounds and actively sending out the correct wavelengths
 
even then the point at which they cancel each other out would have to be at a precise location for you to not hear any outside noise or hissing
 
Post 100!!!

Noise isolating hadphones aren't bad, meaning closed back. You do need to hear some of your surroundings. I mean it can be bad if you are totally blocked out, especially driving a car, riding a bike, etc...

 

[jjacq]

Well the fact that most noise canceling headphones don't even isolate that well makes me wonder why they are even for sale... The video below is far louder than a commercial plane but still. 
 

 

[Lux Nocte]

 So, I was listening to the radio when I flip to a channel where a man trying to sound like an audiophile was talking about how amazing souls are.
 
"O ma gawd guys. These headphones are so amazing, I use them every day in the studio and I can't believe barely anyone has ever heard of them before. They are called Soul and Ludacris approves of them. You know that when a celebrity likes it, it has to be amazing! These headphones are like nothing I've ever heard before! The bass is absolutely amazing and the mids are great and the trebles are awesome and the isolation is cool and they look so sexy!"
 
Granted, I am not a first-class audiophile, but telling the difference between an audiophile review and an advert is not the hardest task in the world. You need to admit the guy was paid a shiny nickel to say this. Especially since the radio station is in Bakersfield, which is essentially the rednecks version of The Vatican.
 
I'm quite sure this king of marketing strategy is why you can now see these kind headphones on the skulls of every minor in existence. They are stupid enough to fall for it. These are the same people who call any type of reviewer a fraud because they said bad things about a product that they liked..

 

[jjacq]

^ I don't see your point in getting mad at businesses that can afford to pay for advertising their products.

Maybe you should think about it this way. Pretend you're vegetarian and you see an ad about salads served in fastfood places. You know that the food is still bad, knowing they're all genetically engineered food but everyone you know is eating them because they say it's good and healthy. You, yourself then are mad because they are "stupid enough" to fall for such a marketing ploy. Moral of the story though, even if the salad your friends are eating is total garbage, perhaps they have come and taken responsibility for their health and started eating right?

Applying the same strategy for headphones, aren't you even a bit happy that headphones like beats and souls have taken a foothold in the mainstream? People care more about sound than they did a while back and plus the fact that they're so overpriced make them more willing to spend for better sound(which reinforces headfi's motto). I started my research about speakers and headphones after people started talking about beats and perhaps many have too. Luckily I didn't buy them but I think they deserve more credit rather than "deceiving people for buying their crappy gear blah blah". Sure they're everywhere and you may say people are stupid for buying them. But what if you are less informed with the products you use and people criticize you for buying such garbage, can you not say that maybe, just maybe, you've been just a victim of clever advertising?
 
Most people in the advertising industry can be very convincing and quite successful at it. Most people will take the bait and buy their products but there would always be some that would be skeptical about it and would research more.

 

[Lux Nocte]

  I am not mad at the advertising, I am mad at the method. There is a fine line between advertising and lying. And no one is going to advertise genetically engineered food as being a good thing, completely separate spectrum. I don't think similar marketed headphones like beats are horrible. I have not tried souls but from what I read they are even better, but even then, there are headphones hundreds of times better, and those are the ones that should be advertised. Unfortunatly only the ones that choose to advertise dishonestly are the ones that come out on top. Don't give me crap about it not being dishonest advertising. If they are paying someone to use the headphones and say how amazing they are, while the user really does not think they are nt that special, it is dishonest. People conceve the idea that these are great headphones that all DJs use.