I have went through A LOT of headphones in the last 2.5 years. I like to make sure my wife visually is accepting of my gear. My amps are “pretty” and I definitely gravitate to headphones that catch my eye (and maybe more importantly my wife’s). I love Kennerton and dynamic ZMFs And I will have both as soon as my ltd Verite gets here. That said I have hated headphones because of the looks. HD800....had to go. Abyss....never in this house. HEDDphone....too boring.
The point of this thread is not whether or not you think or I think a headphone is pretty or ugly, it is a question on how important is the look is for you guys?
for me purchasing importance out of 100
1 sound 50
2 looks 40
3 comfort 10 (However I have found a way to get three pretty comfortable headphones LOL)
For me, comfort is the first priority, no point having something very good sounding or beautiful looking if one can't use it for more than a few minutes. (50% weightage)
Next (and very closely ranked to comfort) would be the sound quality (50% weightage). Comfort and sound quality are deal breakers for me.
Lastly (and much further away) would be looks (0%). If it looks good and sounds good, that is a big bonus. If it looks crap but sounds good, I'll still gladly use it, I wouldn't be able to see it anyway when wearing it. Exceptions being something looking so hideous or extreme that nobody dares to wear it outside.
For me, comfort is the first priority, no point having something very good sounding or beautiful looking if one can't use it for more than a few minutes. (50% weightage)
Next (and very closely ranked to comfort) would be the sound quality (50% weightage). Comfort and sound quality are deal breakers for me.
Lastly (and much further away) would be looks (0%). If it looks good and sounds good, that is a big bonus. If it looks crap but sounds good, I'll still gladly use it, I wouldn't be able to see it anyway when wearing it. Exceptions being something looking so hideous or extreme that nobody dares to wear it outside.
For me the priority is 90% sound, 10% comfort
Luckily the Meze Empyrean are also gorgeous to look at, but that never was a factor in the buying decision
I’m with baskingshark on this
Sure it’s a bonus if the headphone looks nice..but I really couldn’t be bothered. I use it for music listening.
If looks were one of my main concerns I’d probably opt for a couple of ZMFs..they look absolutely gorgeous...but I don’t think any of them sound nearly as good as a Sennheiser 6 series.
In many ways headphones are art. They come from many different directions it seems? And when you think about them in general those opposing directions have been around. Look at those first openbacks that Sennheiser made around 1968. They in a way have a functional art aspect to them. Though I’m not sure people look at them that way anymore? They were funny as they were plastic (white plastic) and yellow foam. I remember seeing them and thinking they were cheap in 1975. Then I was told they were $80. In 1975 $80 was a boat load of money. Now all a sudden they became art. So they are low weight and the first open back in history..........again another notch on the art-O-meter!
"Come on, they cost a lot; now put them on! "
“Wow........these sound different than the giant heavy dirt brown Koss full-size close-backs!"
The above shows how concept understanding gets related to value. A person only will value a headphone if it holds a number of things.
a) Style
b) Innovation
c) Sound-quality
d) Functionality
HD 414
The functionality in-essence, comes in with build, sound-quality and comfort.
Hence......typically for most these qualities are unified. There will always be the art student who maybe likes an non-manufactured concept statue made of clay; but that’s off the bell curve scale.
What I’m saying is rarely are you going to get people liking a headphone that looks cool but sounds like wet paper bags.
Mmm, I'd rank the attributes in the following manner -
Sound: 60%
Looks: 30%
Comfort: 10%
Sound is, of course, the paramount factor. If it doesn't sound good, it isn't good. However, aesthetics and design are prominent aspects, too. If the headphone doesn't look good, my interest will wane considerably.
Mmm, I'd rank the attributes in the following manner -
Sound: 60%
Looks: 30%
Comfort: 10%
Sound is, of course, the paramount factor. If it doesn't sound good, it isn't good. However, aesthetics and design are prominent aspects, too. If the headphone doesn't look good, my interest will wane considerably.
Comfort is very minor because don't complain about comfort much, but Grados are painful!
I only wear iems in public and if I do wear over ears in public it's for practical ANC purposes. So, I could care less for looks.
Besides, I can always buy good looking stuff to decorate, but it's quite foolish to pay for looks on a headphone. For other stuff it makes sense, but headphones, why?
Build quality I could understand, but looks that has no practical value, but for poating photos in an audiophile forum (which I'm not into).
Purpose of headphones is sound. I put it over my head, and not look at it.
Per Redcarmoose's post above, I'm going to add functionality but I'll extract "looks" out of it since to me that's separate. To me looks refers purely to their aesthetic, without even touching the headphones. By functionality I mean not only the build quality but also convenience. For example, requiring an energizer for electrostatic headphones is a deterrent for me at the moment because of my limited space.
just look at the abyss 1266 and lambda style stax they're hideous but sound is phenomenal.
sound reigns supreme unless you wanna hear music then remove the headset and look.at it to appreciate its look.then listen again. or maybe watch yourself on a webcam while listening while appreciating its beauty. that's purely dumb.
I just did a review on a $549 IEM (the DUNU Studio SA6) that comes in only random colors. Some folks get yellow, some folks get pink and blue. So you could imagine how this dynamic is new. For me anyway it was a learning experience. Normally when you buy something you KNOW what color it will be. This ordering phenomenon has 2 sides......one, that it’s fun not knowing....and the other........losing some choice control. Though you do seem to get used to whatever color luck has bestowed upon you.
Now these are extra small IEMs and truly it’s only the faceplate that is painted. Yet we now have seen full-size manufacturers which make one-off full-size headphones (each a different color combo) in which each is numbered and people will choose. So it’s very interesting how much effort or thought goes into looks. Normally we see black or silver or wood color designs and simply make emotional purchases anyway.
People tend to actually think that their purchases are some kind of logical thought process. People even envision having some complex analysis profile based on reading and various demonstrations. In reality purchasing comes down not to a logical end but an emotional ending point, and looks have some part in the decision. Though maybe more for some and less for others?
I only bought two pairs on the base of looks only: Momentum IIs and BeoPlay H6s. But they were very cheap at the time.
Erm...add to that the Fidelio X3s, I got them for 207 euro.
My favorite pairs are the NightHawks and NighOwls and I think they look really hideous. Still bought them. They sound gorgeous. And they look just as comfortable as they are, so that's another win.
But if I had lots of money to spend I would pick any pair over the Focal Utopias and Stellia, damn do they look horrible.
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