[Head Injury]

   
I wouldn't go so far as saying it's foul, as long as they share their impressions between, say, stock and aftermarket headphone cables (and any perceived improvements from the latter) after going into detail reviewing the main product. In fact, I find extra information like that to be very interesting as long as it doesn't detract from the main review.

If they're hearing differences between cables, can you really trust that the differences they heard with their new headphone are real? That's why it's a foul, subjective reviews are only as valuable as the trust that can be placed in the reviewer.
 
Of course, we can't really trust any subjective impressions, but I'd first trust the ones that are down to earth.

 

[Music Alchemist]

I'm saying that the mere fact they actually believe they can audibly resolve a cable difference calls into question anything else they say. Everyone has a right to an opinion regarding how a headphone or IEM sounds to them, that's what a review is after all, but if they are willing to accept an utter fantasy (such as silver conductors brightening the sound) then how can you trust any other impression they might have? My tendency is to simply skip over those reviews, but that doesn't leave many.

  If they're hearing differences between cables, can you really trust that the differences they heard with their new headphone are real? That's why it's a foul, subjective reviews are only as valuable as the trust that can be placed in the reviewer.
 
Of course, we can't really trust any subjective impressions, but I'd first trust the ones that are down to earth.

 
Reviews are about sharing your honest impressions. If someone says that they disliked the sound of a headphone with the stock cable, then liked it much more with an aftermarket cable (which is sometimes the case for even very experienced audiophiles), I'm going to take that into account as something to potentially try out, without any preconceptions blinding me. Saying all cables sound the same seems just as dogmatic and unscientific to me as saying all cables sound different. Refusing to consider the possibility and consequently neglecting to pursue further testing shouldn't be what sound science is about.

 

[Folex]

If someone gives a subconsciously bias review is it still honest ?

 

[Music Alchemist]

  If someone gives a subconsciously bias review is it still honest ?

 
Bias goes both ways. I just think things shouldn't be discounted so easily, especially without even listening first-hand. Objective aspects like measurements and so on are nice, but are only part of the equation. At the end of the day, I just want to get gear that sounds better to me.

 

[Folex]

   
Bias goes both ways. I just think things shouldn't be discounted so easily, especially without even listening first-hand. Objective aspects like measurements and so on are nice, but are only part of the equation. At the end of the day, I just want to get gear that sounds better to me.

 
I don't think you can just gloss over the bias question. Even the most self-aware person is going to have some sort of bias. Everyone has different ears, different levels of hearing lost, different sensitivities to headphone material. Then you throw in different amps/dacs that may or may not color the headphone. And then you have to consider how much reading someone has done and how they respond do that. Are they very impressionable? Do they truly understand the audio lingo? There is just too many variables to truly get an "honest" review. 
 
I owned a pair of denon 2000's and absolutely loved them for 2 years. Then 1 day I didn't like them. To my knowledge nothing changed I just woke up and put them on and didn't like the sound. I have no idea what to classify this under. 
 
Edit: My friend Casper sent me a pair of highly modified T50rp that at first I disliked. It's been about 4 days now of constant listening and I am starting to warm up to them. I first noticed the vocals were far superior to what I had. The bass still seems to be a little overpowering but I think I'm getting used to the sound. Another aspect I really can't classify. If I were to give a first day, 2nd day or even 3rd day review I would have given these headphones a 5/10 but after listening to them on the 4th day I'd say they were more 7ish, maybe even 8 out of 10. 

 

[Music Alchemist]

  I don't think you can just gloss over the bias question. Even the most self-aware person is going to have some sort of bias. Everyone has different ears, different levels of hearing lost, different sensitivities to headphone material. Then you throw in different amps/dacs that may or may not color the headphone. And then you have to consider how much reading someone has done and how they respond do that. Are they very impressionable? Do they truly understand the audio lingo? There is just too many variables to truly get an "honest" review. 
 
I owned a pair of denon 2000's and absolutely loved them for 2 years. Then 1 day I didn't like them. To my knowledge nothing changed I just woke up and put them on and didn't like the sound. I have no idea what to classify this under. 

 
You're absolutely right. I just meant that I don't have the type of ingrained preconceptions that would prevent me from listening to something altogether merely because others insist two given components (which, in many cases, they haven't even heard themselves) can't sound any different. Personally, that's one thing I'm especially interested in: comparisons between two or more similar components.

 

[Rajikaru]

Anyone with raw materials and requisite soldering/braiding skills can build a cable.  Or a plug extender, for that matter. Mix in some random material, claim that it provides some vague and unmeasurable benefit, charge 100 times or more what it costs to manufacture it - and hope that there are some gullible enough to fall for it. There will always be some who will. 

And if the history of 'audiophilia' is any indication, there will never be any shortage of proverbial rabbits, or red herrings, to chase in this hobby.  One could literally spend a lifetime (or several) investigating them all.

My advice: Don't chase the rabbit. 

 

[Guidostrunk]

For me. I read and get a general consensus on a certain product, that from description, I may possibly like. Then it's a gamble from there. So far , I haven't been let down at all. First thing I look for is whether the majority find something on the warm or analytical side. It at least helps me in which direction to go. As far as cables and all that stuff go, there's plenty more important things to focus on like source, dac, amp etc. Basically it pretty much boils down to your ears in the end. It makes this hobby exciting , searching for the ultimate personal experience. And yes , your wallet will suffer. Even more so if you get your family involved. Lol.

Cheers.

 

[Folex]

   
You're absolutely right. I just meant that I don't have the type of ingrained preconceptions that would prevent me from listening to something altogether merely because others insist two given components (which, in many cases, they haven't even heard themselves) can't sound any different. Personally, that's one thing I'm especially interested in: comparisons between two or more similar components.

 
I do think you try your absolute hardest to give all audio a fair chance. What is hard to gauge is how much of your subconscious is tainting how you think/feel. I'm not immune to this either. Many times I'll give a review on a product and after weeks of long listens I'll realize my review were bias and it was a bias I wasn't aware at the time of the review. 

 

[Folex]

  Anyone with raw materials and requisite soldering/braiding skills can build a cable.  Or a plug extender, for that matter. Mix in some random material, claim that it provides some vague and unmeasurable benefit, charge 100 times or more what it costs to manufacture it - and hope that there are some gullible enough to fall for it. There will always be some who will. 

And if the history of 'audiophilia' is any indication, there will never be any shortage of proverbial rabbits, or red herrings, to chase in this hobby.  One could literally spend a lifetime (or several) investigating them all.

My advice: Don't chase the rabbit. 

 
That should be the new adage on head-fi; Don't chase the rabbit

 

[No_One411]

A couple of my thoughts. Make of them what you will. 
 
I find "some" headphone (and other gear) reviews helpful, if I know that the author has similar, or opposite tastes to my own. Otherwise, there is no context or baseline for my own extrapolation of thoughts given how the review was written. For example, I have a friend who constantly comments on how sibilant or bright a vast majority of the headphones he listens to are. Here's the caveat, he also listens to a much higher volume than I do, so I have to regard his comments on brightness with a grain of salt. 
 
As far as measurements go, the EE in me screams approval. However, I do think that they should not be made the basis for which your review is written. It is a good way to confirm your findings AFTER they are drawn. For example, if you thought "Headphone A" had a somewhat recessed midrange, looking at measurements can either help back up or otherwise. Obviously, this may not work 100% of the time. My point here is that a positive/negative review based solely on measurements, and a review without any measurements to back up findings are both very hard to follow.
 
Bias is hard to argue both ways. My view here is similar to my view on politics. It would sometimes be helpful if reviewers or politicians openly displayed who their sponsor's or what their motivations are. For example, if I'm reviewing a product that my store (or similar) is selling, I'd be less inclined to give a negative review of the product, due to sales and company relations. This usually results in very wishy washy jargon, and a hesitance to say anything negative at all. 
 
In the end, reviews aren't necessarily a bad thing, and were originally designed to be helpful. I look to reviews to compare my own experiences with, particularly with someone whose tastes I am familiar with, since it adds to credibility in my opinion. Finally, reviews are helpful, but I would not make them the basis for any purchasing decisions you make. It's always important to at least demo the product yourself, since you are the one to decide in the end. Don't be pressured to buy "the next best thing", simply because someone gave it a rave review. You're buying something that YOU will use, so make damn well sure you actually like it.

 

[wuwhere]

   
That should be the new adage on head-fi; Don't chase the rabbit

 
You ain't nothing but a hound dog until you catch the rabbit (hint: go to the Stax thread).

 

[sonitus mirus]

There are some reviewers that loathe what I love and love what I loathe.  I'm not out to change anyone's opinion, as that would be a fool's errand.
 
I had to filter reviews and other comments to find any constructive data.  I suggest identifying those reviewers and forum replies that mostly agree with something you can already describe with some confidence.  Try reading comments and reviews about headphones and audio equipment that you have some experience with first, and those that you can relate to might be the best reference for you to use when searching for a new product.
 
It's the same with any product, and it appears that you have already figured it out and are simply looking for confirmation. 

 

[Music Alchemist]

I consider a headphone review to be incomplete without in-depth comparisons of aftermarket headphone cables.

(kidding, kidding)
 

  I do think you try your absolute hardest to give all audio a fair chance. What is hard to gauge is how much of your subconscious is tainting how you think/feel. I'm not immune to this either. Many times I'll give a review on a product and after weeks of long listens I'll realize my review were bias and it was a bias I wasn't aware at the time of the review. 

 
That's why I haven't published any reviews so far. Plus, I don't have enough gear yet to offer many worthwhile comparisons anyway.
 
Here's a great related example. After years of using the stock firmware, I installed Rockbox on my iPod classic. I was astonished at how different and exciting it sounded, even without touching the EQ settings. After months of enjoying it, I suspected that it was just applying its own EQ. I switched back to the stock firmware and immediately noticed significantly less distortion and a much clearer sound. So I guess the iPod is neutral just like many here have stated. (Perhaps I could mess with the advanced EQ settings on Rockbox to get the same linear frequency response as stock, but it's too much hassle.) If I had published a review before realizing this, it would be a similar story to yours.

 

[ILikeMusic]

You're absolutely right. I just meant that I don't have the type of ingrained preconceptions that would prevent me from listening to something altogether merely because others insist two given components (which, in many cases, they haven't even heard themselves) can't sound any different.

It's not ingrained preconceptions that says cables can't sound different, it's the laws of physics. Human beings cannot resolve any audible difference between different conductor metals or micro ohms resistance or the amount of oxygen in the copper or whatever. It's impossible, period (at least with respect to low voltage/low current heaphone interconnects) and anyone who claims some significant difference based on these things is imagining it, period. And as was said above, if they are imaging those things then what else are they imagining and how much can you trust the accuracy of their review?