[Trunks159]

For as long as I've been on head-fi, I've seen Head-Fi'ers totally disregard how any headphone looks.  I on the other hand value a headphone that looks good, since I'd like to be able to sometimes share my interest in audio with others, and because I'd like to like how a can looks.  They can even often skew the judgement of the sound.  I'm also very interested in art (art, poetry, deep quotes, music), and the appearance of a headphone can reflect the creativity or time spent on it.
 
Now I'm not just going to trash a headphone simply because it doesn't look good enough- that'd be crazy.  However, I will slightly prefer one headphone over another because of looks.
 
As for what style I like, I'm actually not quite sure how to describe it as a whole/  I can only do it indivisually:
 
My favorite looking cans include:
Sony MDR 1r
Philips Fidelio Series
UE6000 (White)
HD598
Sennheiser Momentum On Ear/Over Ear  (On Ear looks better)
AKG K545
Grado Prestige Series
 
My Ugly Cans Include:
HD600/650
DT770/990
LCD 2/3
HD800
tons of other open cans
all of Audio Technica Except A900x,A700x, ATH WS99, ATH M50   (wood looks ugly!)
MDR XB Series
 
Neutral Cans:
KEF M500
Focal Spirit One
MDR 7500 series
AKG Kx67 series, K550
 
 
The new Beats studios look really good, as do the Monster DNA.
My favorite looking would be the UE6000, Momentum One Ear, MDR 1r, AKG K454 Orange/Blue.
 
Any opinions?

 

[Sekka]

It's somewhat important to me, as I do a lot of my listening in public.  I think that the UE 6000 is the best looking headphone on that list, the white version looks incredible.  I think that my white Q701 is pretty aesthetically pleasing, and my HP100 is alright, it's pretty bulky but I don't feel like a moron wearing them like I would if I wore an HM5 or something.  Overall, the Fostex TH900 and custom wood Denon D2/5/7000s are my favorite looking headphones, but they don't have the same appeal when worn.

 

[Trunks159]

Yeah, the UE6000 is just mouth watering.  Q701 looks good too, they're just very big, making them look like they sound really good.
 
The HP100 is... not good lol to say the least.  It's interesting how different our perceptions are.. I feel the same about the TH900 and anything with wood, although the ATH ESW9a looks good.

 

[Sekka]

  Yeah, the UE6000 is just mouth watering.  Q701 looks good too, they're just very big, making them look like they sound really good.
 
The HP100 is... not good lol to say the least.  It's interesting how different our perceptions are.. I feel the same about the TH900 and anything with wood, although the ATH ESW9a looks good.

 
Yeah, I don't like the way they look I am just saying that it isn't so bad that I can't take them out into public.  Even if people are snickering at my giant shining bulky earmuffs, I won't hear them

 
The joke is on them
 
The ESW9a is pretty good when worn because the wood is much lower profile than "flagship wood", which seems to have no regard for aesthetic value beyond a headphone stand.  Just look at the MDR-R10 for an extreme example.  I think the W1000x cups are done pretty well, but the wing system looks strange on the head unless you have enough hair to blend with it somewhat.

 

[Shaffer]

99% of the time I wear the cans at home, so it really doesn't matter what they look like. OK, the pink, fuzzy jobs are sill out of the question, but you get the picture.

 

[Trunks159]

I split it around 50--50 between at home and on the run.
 
Poll Added!

 

[Claritas]

As a general rule, if it looks stupid it sounds good. AKGs, Fostex RP series, HD800, even Grado.
 
But it doesn't follow that if it looks good, it sounds bad. I think Beyers look the best, and they sound all right too. Likewise HD6x0.
 
If something's really ugly, I probably won't care how it sounds. Most of what I consider ugly about headphones is a color I don't like. For example, Qualia 010 with red pads or lime green AKGs. I don't want to have to look at it.

 

[Zalithian]

I think the HD600 is beautiful. Regardless, I don't think looks matter at all unless you're wearing your headphones in public. I personally feel the silver amperior is 300% less sexy than the Momentum. I am a little hesitant to wear the Amperior in public but I would flaunt the black or brown Momentum.

 

[Saren]

I like a headphone that looks nice but it doesn't impact which ones I buy myself at all. My favorite headphones looks wise are probably Grado GS1000, Audio Technica's W3000ANV + W5000, Fostex TH900, Stax 009, Fullsize Momentum, Phillips L1. All for different reasons from being stylish to being retro or having incredible wood grains. I like the looks of the HD600 personally. The ones I think are the ugliest are the Denon D7100.

 

[Trunks159]

Of those cans, I only like the L1 and momentum lol, I guess my age shows.
 
I'm not sure whether it impacts my purchase.  I'd say it probably subconsciously does.  I probably would've gotten the FSP, or HP50 by now if not.