[MakubexGB]

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.

It's interesting to see how different taste can be. I personally think the Stellia look great, although I do like the look of the Focal Radiance and Elegia better.

 

[Redcarmoose]

Guitars have so much in common with headphones in the whole importance of looks thing. And even if your not a guitar player, when I reiterate you’ll see why. Even if your not a performing guitar player the choice of guitar is a small expression of who you are. Many times these purchases are relationship based; meaning there is a greeting (with the guitar) then a demo and a purchase. After the purchase comes the honeymoon phase and the “get to know” the guitar phase. At that point it may be that you have a better idea of what you have. But guitars are like headphones in that there is an ownership story. At times we may buy stuff that doesn’t exactly look right but has other attributes which over-shadow stuff. There is also the journey into the unknown that has a drama aspect to it. Some may not want that pressure, but for many the curiosity of ownership represents the fun of the hobby. The fact that you don’t know it all.....then later learn truths. That knowing comes normally with time and repeated use. There are many guitar players which have their guitars their whole life and never change.

Still in many ways these musical items have personalities and go along with trends. With-in those trends there are classics and failures. Still the whole ball-of-wax is so subjective that there ends up being this intimate communication between possessions and owner. There is also the whole limited edition and craftsmanship angle. Both guitars and headphones have application personalities which will make some broadly popular and some small segment products. The whole price range of products and mainstream price accessibility factor also takes place. The only difference is we don’t see too many $100,000 vintage headphone set-ups. Still much of the time it’s the look of the guitar as well as the sound and functionality which determines the purchase event. Guitars even have hype trends just like headphones. Amazingly they are both musical instruments which can be owned as precious belongings for what they are able to do sonically!

 

[Strayngs]

Question. For those of you that say looks don't matter at all, would you buy a pair of fostex th900 if they're scratched up to hell can the headband is fraying off? It won't affect the sound at all. And you don't look at them when they're on your head LOL.

 

[megabigeye]

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'd argue that most (all?) decisions are highly logical, just that most people don't understand the logic that goes into them, therefore they seem "illogical." Sight is the primary way humans interpret the world: we see things before we can hear them, touch them, smell them, taste them, or understand them. The only way to not judge things by their looks is to be blind.

Of course, obviously, senses of aesthetic differ. Less obvious is that some people don't understand/know their own aesthetic preference. Just because a person doesn't (consciously) want to purchase something because it's too flashy doesn't mean that they've turned off their ability to judge visually. It might just mean that flashy thing doesn't align with their aesthetic.
I'd also believe that aesthetic is not the ultimate decider in a lot of (most?) headphone purchases, that sound or comfort are more important. But that's like saying a racecar driver won't pick the prettier car if it's slower than the ugly one. Duh. But if all other things are equal, of course they'll pick the one that looks better.

I prefer a more utilitarian look. My headphones that I like the looks of are the HD 650, DT 1990, qJAYS, and Westone UM Pro 50. Each of them looks like it can get the job done, nothing more. My PM-3 look to me like a man in a suit: handsome but boring. I'm really not a fan of ZMF, Focal, Meze, etc. I didn't even consider Noble or Campfire because I think they look ridiculous. All of those brands are "pretty" but uninspired, in my opinion. Sony Qualia, AKG K701, and Sennheiser HD 700 are all headphones that are attractive but not bland or overdone.

 

[Redcarmoose]

I'd argue that most (all?) decisions are highly logical, just that most people don't understand the logic that goes into them, therefore they seem "illogical." Sight is the primary way humans interpret the world: we see things before we can hear them, touch them, smell them, taste them, or understand them. The only way to not judge things by their looks is to be blind.

Of course, obviously, senses of aesthetic differ. Less obvious is that some people don't understand/know their own aesthetic preference. Just because a person doesn't (consciously) want to purchase something because it's too flashy doesn't mean that they've turned off their ability to judge visually. It might just mean that flashy thing doesn't align with their aesthetic.
I'd also believe that aesthetic is not the ultimate decider in a lot of (most?) headphone purchases, that sound or comfort are more important. But that's like saying a racecar driver won't pick the prettier car if it's slower than the ugly one. Duh. But if all other things are equal, of course they'll pick the one that looks better.

I prefer a more utilitarian look. My headphones that I like the looks of are the HD 650, DT 1990, qJAYS, and Westone UM Pro 50. Each of them looks like it can get the job done, nothing more. My PM-3 look to me like a man in a suit: handsome but boring. I'm really not a fan of ZMF, Focal, Meze, etc. I didn't even consider Noble or Campfire because I think they look ridiculous. All of those brands are "pretty" but uninspired, in my opinion. Sony Qualia, AKG K701, and Sennheiser HD 700 are all headphones that are attractive but not bland or overdone.

I’ve interacted with humans making purchases and guided sales forces learning about the purchasing process for a long time. Still that does not make me a total expert or know it all.

Yet it seems there are maybe four group personalities. The Greeks called these human animal profiles or called human ways much like corresponding animal styles. Though I don’t do that.

I’m most confident allowing a grouping of purchasing humans as so........

1) ego
2) structured
3) dominant
4) paced

It could be 10%/90% or 60%/30%/10% or 25%/25%-25%/25% and so on....

So each person is mixture of a group of these. There are full companies that offer psychological profile written exams to fully understand what components are filled in and represent the actual mental emotional, and thinking profile that is taking place during the purchase process. You take the test and learn about the concepts as well as learn to see them in your co-workers and public at large. There is no wrong way to be as everyone is simply their own make up. No one is better for having more of one personality profile. Though it does affect how people get along with each other.

Thus an ego buys in relation to what the world may judge of his action. The pace person will gather the most info along with the structure personally profile, yet they will be time based. So being time based the correct time delineates the correct purchase. Structure will continue to gather information......yet at the end it will be emotional. They don’t know or fully understand it is emotional. Hence how would they?

Dominating personalities will require short firm real answers yet even though it would seem a wisdom/information based decision, again the final idea is emotional. Buying is totally emotional. It’s like love and can’t be put on a spread sheet. People are simply delusional to be able to see the inner-workings at play here. To think they can gather info and make it a Benjamin Franklin style of mental scientific “truth” is still the hardest thing to fully understand.

Obviously I may be fully wrong, yet I’ve seen this play out this way for a very long time in various ways and outcomes.

 

[Ash Telecaster]

Guitars have so much in common with headphones in the whole importance of looks thing. And even if your not a guitar player, when I reiterate you’ll see why. Even if your not a performing guitar player the choice of guitar is a small expression of who you are. Many times these purchases are relationship based; meaning there is a greeting (with the guitar) then a demo and a purchase. After the purchase comes the honeymoon phase and the “get to know” the guitar phase. At that point it may be that you have a better idea of what you have. But guitars are like headphones in that there is an ownership story. At times we may buy stuff that doesn’t exactly look right but has other attributes which over-shadow stuff. There is also the journey into the unknown that has a drama aspect to it. Some may not want that pressure, but for many the curiosity of ownership represents the fun of the hobby. The fact that you don’t know it all.....then later learn truths. That knowing comes normally with time and repeated use. There are many guitar players which have their guitars their whole life and never change.

Still in many ways these musical items have personalities and go along with trends. With-in those trends there are classics and failures. Still the whole ball-of-wax is so subjective that there ends up being this intimate communication between possessions and owner. There is also the whole limited edition and craftsmanship angle. Both guitars and headphones have application personalities which will make some broadly popular and some small segment products. The whole price range of products and mainstream price accessibility factor also takes place. The only difference is we don’t see too many $100,000 vintage headphone set-ups. Still much of the time it’s the look of the guitar as well as the sound and functionality which determines the purchase event. Guitars even have hype trends just like headphones. Amazingly they are both musical instruments which can be owned as precious belongings for what they are able to do sonically!

Hi Redcarmoose,

I couldn't agree more but I'll go one step further. I have numerous guitars that reflect my many moods and my many likes and dislikes and also because sometimes I get bored and just want to play with something that's been on the shelf for a while.

Same with headphones. I have numerous cans. Most of them are $99 consumer grade I also have Beyer dt990, Senn hd650, and am about to pull the trigger on a Sundara.

The looks are not the most important thing to me but they do matter. I want to like this thing that I buy for personal entertainment purposes. Its a package deal.

 

[Redcarmoose]

I'd argue that most (all?) decisions are highly logical, just that most people don't understand the logic that goes into them, therefore they seem "illogical." Sight is the primary way humans interpret the world: we see things before we can hear them, touch them, smell them, taste them, or understand them. The only way to not judge things by their looks is to be blind.

Of course, obviously, senses of aesthetic differ. Less obvious is that some people don't understand/know their own aesthetic preference. Just because a person doesn't (consciously) want to purchase something because it's too flashy doesn't mean that they've turned off their ability to judge visually. It might just mean that flashy thing doesn't align with their aesthetic.
I'd also believe that aesthetic is not the ultimate decider in a lot of (most?) headphone purchases, that sound or comfort are more important. But that's like saying a racecar driver won't pick the prettier car if it's slower than the ugly one. Duh. But if all other things are equal, of course they'll pick the one that looks better.

I prefer a more utilitarian look. My headphones that I like the looks of are the HD 650, DT 1990, qJAYS, and Westone UM Pro 50. Each of them looks like it can get the job done, nothing more. My PM-3 look to me like a man in a suit: handsome but boring. I'm really not a fan of ZMF, Focal, Meze, etc. I didn't even consider Noble or Campfire because I think they look ridiculous. All of those brands are "pretty" but uninspired, in my opinion. Sony Qualia, AKG K701, and Sennheiser HD 700 are all headphones that are attractive but not bland or overdone.

Also I’m not taking about the selection process. If anything we will see the best of logical thought across the board to discover the best headphones. And it’s totally individual how the logic is applied in the headphone purchase. The singling out and even amount spent and time frame can be approached with the best or worst of logic.

What I’m taking about is the move forward at the vary end. If you could see and note when the paperwork is set aside and the purchase fully moves forward for the individual; it’s an emotional progression. It’s so emotional you can see and feel it as none other than emotional.

 

[Redcarmoose]

Hi Redcarmoose,

I couldn't agree more but I'll go one step further. I have numerous guitars that reflect my many moods and my many likes and dislikes and also because sometimes I get bored and just want to play with something that's been on the shelf for a while.

Same with headphones. I have numerous cans. Most of them are $99 consumer grade but I also have a Beyer dt990, Senn hd650, and am about to pull the trigger on a Sundara.

The looks are not the most important thing to me but they do matter. I want to like this thing that I buy for personal entertainment purposes. Its a package deal.

And since we are comparing headphones to guitars there is always sometimes the one that got away. The guitar you sold that you miss dearly and contemplate for years on. Headphone people do the same. I just read a post from someone who finally found the headphone he regretted selling years ago. He found a brand new one in a box and is relived to say he is never letting it go.

 

[Redcarmoose]

I'd argue that most (all?) decisions are highly logical, just that most people don't understand the logic that goes into them, therefore they seem "illogical." Sight is the primary way humans interpret the world: we see things before we can hear them, touch them, smell them, taste them, or understand them. The only way to not judge things by their looks is to be blind.

Of course, obviously, senses of aesthetic differ. Less obvious is that some people don't understand/know their own aesthetic preference. Just because a person doesn't (consciously) want to purchase something because it's too flashy doesn't mean that they've turned off their ability to judge visually. It might just mean that flashy thing doesn't align with their aesthetic.
I'd also believe that aesthetic is not the ultimate decider in a lot of (most?) headphone purchases, that sound or comfort are more important. But that's like saying a racecar driver won't pick the prettier car if it's slower than the ugly one. Duh. But if all other things are equal, of course they'll pick the one that looks better.

I prefer a more utilitarian look. My headphones that I like the looks of are the HD 650, DT 1990, qJAYS, and Westone UM Pro 50. Each of them looks like it can get the job done, nothing more. My PM-3 look to me like a man in a suit: handsome but boring. I'm really not a fan of ZMF, Focal, Meze, etc. I didn't even consider Noble or Campfire because I think they look ridiculous. All of those brands are "pretty" but uninspired, in my opinion. Sony Qualia, AKG K701, and Sennheiser HD 700 are all headphones that are attractive but not bland or overdone.

What you have written actually shows your personality purchasing profile under this system. I took all the paperwork tests and I was graded as Dominant 8.5 and Ego 1.5. So that means that my purchases are primarily due to what I feel are going to be logical best results. The dominant personality profile is both practical and results oriented. So they may spend more if the results can be justified.

My personality would be results oriented with a side of (how do I look).

Personally I think I’m truly about 30% or 40% ego based purchases? Yet the tests said no. But knowing either another’s or your own purchase motivations helps get to the root of why you would buy. It’s interesting because if you follow this system it actually states that the 90% Ego or 100% Ego buyer is actually MORE concerned about how they are perceived by the public. It has very little base on importance of genuine quality or truth. Meaning they feel if the social view approves then move ahead all will be well. That type too wants everyone to get along and will promote group cohesiveness over altercations.

Your post shows you have strong results oriented purchasing behaviors but also maybe ego based due to the second half of your post concerning looks and how headphones are perceived. There is a good chance we both share the dominant/ego personality profile though at what percentage I’m not sure?

 

[chimney189]

I don't think looks matter to me, but comfort matters quite a lot to me. I don't see the point in being uncomfortable while listening to music.

 

[FeedYourHead]

just look at the abyss 1266 and lambda style stax they're hideous but sound is phenomenal.

These kind of raw, "function over form" designs can totally have their own kind of beauty, especially when they're radically different from other products in a class.

I actually love the Stax, but mostly because the design looks so 80's that it hurts. Those things need a Miami Vice paint job and a Radio Shack logo and they'd be perfect.

The Abyss on the other hand, are absolutely tragic; there is no way you could look like anything but a complete moron wearing those!