[logwed]

I wanted a pair of big headphones to wear on the bus and in the car. Bought a pair of Koss Pro4AATs. Discovered what an amp was. The rest is history.

 

[unl3a5h3d]

Found it through overclock.net. I was a computer nerd, now I am an audiophile nerd (in training)

And joining head-fi lead to me buying my NE-8's and then my MS1i's and next there is no telling, it is a never ending journey!

 

[Zorander]

I acquired a pair of HD-580 and a Creek amp (outside Head-fi) to supplement my speaker rig. I browsed around Head-fi to affirm I made a sound choice. Everything looked good and I was content.

A few months later, I experimented with purchasing new, unknown stuff from the classifieds section. All started to tumble from there.

 

[uraflit]

i was referred here by someone at the Tom's Hardware Guide forums out of all places. i was looking for a replacement headset/headphone for a crappy plantronics .90 because i wasn't satisfied with the sound quality.

i started with an hd555...

 

[Meliboeus]

I remember i saw Head-Fi mentioned on a review of some soundcard, i googled it out of curiosity, and found out good headphones were everything i needed.

I have always been fascinated by the whole hi-fi thing, but lacking enough space for a full size speaker rig i had always abandoned the idea...until i discovered how good headphone playback could get.

 

[crowley]

Always loved music, first bought sen cx300 and thought it doesnt get any better than that. Snooped around the net and stumbled upon head-fi, learned/still learning a lot from the people here, my wallet though has had a lot of regrets since

 

[notmuchcash]

I think Live Sound got me listening seriously analytically, and my PSP got me into headphones. Patrick Norton may have mentioned this site on tekzilla, so I used the suggestions here for my next headphone upgrade.

 

[Sorry About Your Wallet]

Well, like the guy on the first post, i've always had a love for music. And i loved blasting it, until i moved out and came into an apartment, and my STINGY neighbors got annoyed so, my best bet were headphones. I first started with some crap skull candys. Then tried a few earbuds, and then to bose, and then went to some sony noise cancellation headphones, i have to admit the noise cancellation was great, but i knew the sound quality could always be upgraded. So i just googled, best headphones, and one of the links led me to headrooms top ten cans. So i looked through the list, did my research on every can, and found the HD650 had GREAT reviews, and the laid back sound description matched my tastes. So i finally bought the cans off ebay from Moon - Audio(Not even knowing they were well known on head - fi.) Well the cans come, and i noticed, it feels like the sound is like not just there, like it as being held back. So i googled some more, and finally ran into HEAD - FI. and just like that comes my DAC and Amp and almost 1k down the drain, now here i am saving for the benchmark usb dac. =PPP

 

[wenhui]

Had a discman since young and it was probably my best friend while growing up. Next up the ladder was a Sony Portable MD and it became my new friend. Smaller than the discman, with multiple discs containing different genres made me really happy during car rides or going to school as I was an introvert and had motion sickness during rides. After discovering the Sony MD forums I read about this site and typed in the URL!

 

[Samgotit]

Jude hit on to me in a hotel bar.

 

[MaZa]

Headwize. Was always a headphone fan and decided to start building up a real rig. Google led me to Headwize and I was there for little while, saw Head-Fi mentioned few times here and there in that site. Decided to checked this place out, liked what I saw and finally here I am.

 

[J W]

I came to headfi to find an alternative to the Sennheiser HD280. The 280s just had too much of a clamp for my head.

 

[koven]

I broke my iBuds and joined this forum.

 

[Lunatique]

I really enjoyed reading some of your stories.

My own story is a bit different from the average member here. I was born in 72 in Taiwan. My childhood was spent half in 8-track and half in cassettes. I've loved music since as a kid, and I used to play cassettes on a cheap radio/cassette player of whatever we had around the house at night while laying in bed going to sleep. I would get so into the music that I would struggle to keep awake so I could listen longer. I would beg my mother to allow me to take piano lessons but she refused (saying I must get straight A's as a requirement, and I am just not that kind of a student--I daydreamed more than I studied).

This love affair with music continued all the way into my teenage years (cassettes by then). Also, moving from Taiwan to the States opened up my ears to a whole new range of music--from New Wave, Synth Pop, Rock/Pop, Jazz Fusion, Film Scores, to a bunch of other stuff. I was also heavily into Japanese entertainment industry, so I was exposed to anime soundtracks and J-pop/rock artists. All of that was heard through average household radio/cassette players, or cheap consumer headphones. When I was out riding my bike to somewhere, I had my portable cassette player and earbuds (cheap stuff--nothing fancy like the expensive feature-laden stuff my classmates sported).

In my teenage years I begged my mother again to let me take piano lessons, and I got the same answer. By then I was already a very serious artist/writer, but I was also constantly hearing original melodies and arrangements in my head, and when I listened to music, I would hear alternate possible melodic developments and orchestration approaches in my head, and my desire to create music was burning in hole in my soul. I knew that's what people refereed to as "having an ear" or "talent" for music. So I said screw it--if no one will support me in my quest to become a composer/musician, then I must do it myself. I just couldn't ignore the fact that I loved music with my heart and soul. It can move me to tears; cheer me up when I'm down, bring me extra joy when I'm happy, keep me company when I'm lonely, and make me contemplate about things I normally wouldn't think about.

I saved up money and bought myself a Roland D-10 synthesizer and PR-100 two-track sequencer when I was 18, and started to teach myself how to compose/arrange music on that rig. I'd work on music monitoring with my step-father's ancient stereo system (and I blew the speakers out eventually). Around that time, the richer kids are already listening to CD's, and we'd all make cassette recordings off of CD's, and they sounded great to us (better than the typical cassette tape). I had started buying a few CD's then even though I couldn't play them at home (except cassette copies of them) and could only play them on my friend's CD player.

That year, I also finally bought myself a decent sounding shelf stereo system for about $1,000 (a pretty nice Panasonic), and I had my sister pay for it with her credit card and I paid her back every month--it took years to pay off! That was also when I finally moved to CD's for real, but for many years after that, I still listened to cassettes along with CD's because I already had a large collection of cassettes. By then I no longer used a portable player since I was old enough to drive and used the car stereo (all of the cars I drove early on only had cassette players).

In 93 I joined an industrial/techno band, and in 94 I decided to get my own solo record deal. I did the rounds in the music industry and sold a song to a celebrity pop singer, was close to signing a deal for my own solo albums, but I hated how they wanted me to be more commercialized in my style, so eventually I refused to sign and went back to being a comic book artist/writer. During that experience I got to see and feel what a high-end professional recording/mixing/mastering studio was like, and it was awesome. I had never heard anything so amazing before--those full size loud speakers were stunning. I also hung around with all kinds of musicians--from underground metal to jazz, and was well-acquainted with the live sound. During all this time, the home system I used was still the typical consumer stereo system and headphones.

In 1996/97 was when I first became aware of the internet and MP3's. Some of my friends were techies that had been playing with computers since they were teenagers, and one of them introduced me to Cool Edit, telling me about MP3's, and showed me how I could transfer my old cassettes to MP3's using Cool Edit. I had used a little bit of computers prior to that--playing old adventure games (mid-80's), learning desktop publishing ('90), and watching my bandmate using a sequencer on a MAC (93), but I really didn't know a damn thing about computers. So my friend left his laptop with me for a while to play with--that was my first time using the internet too, and all of it was so exciting--like finding a magical portal that took you to an alternate fantasy world. I remember the very first things I searched for using a search engine was "Kimagure Orange Road"--one of my favorite anime TV shows at the time, and words could not describe my excitement when I got hits. That site still exists now. (And like any normal hot-blooded young males, I searched for pRon too--haha!) The whole concept of MP3 was also very refreshing to me, although I had no computer at the time so it meant little to me. I also discovered IRC then and it also was a big eye-opener in how people can communicate via typing text in real-time (and in a way, a direct precursor to internet forums for me--a format I sometimes prefer). By then, I had bought my first good quality headphones (I worked late into the night as a comic book artist/writer, and I had roomates)--the Denon AH-D950. I actually lusted after the Sennheiser HD600 even as far back as then, but I couldn't justify spending so much money on headphones. I remember the first time I heard the HD600--it was like a revelation. I had no idea headphones were capable of such amazingly lush, articulate, and smooth sound. It was love at first listen, and had remained an object of desire for years after that. But the Denon was actually quite good--it was hyped in the bass and treble, but still accurate--essentially a "fun" pair of headphones that sounded quite good. It was my only headphone for years, and although it was never all that comfortable to wear (the drivers would sit on the ears after a while even if it's circumaural, and my ears would start to hurt), I never had any real complaints over its sound quality.

In 1998 I worked at The Good Guys (consumer electronics store) and also at Guitar Center, and I became exposed to mid-level consumer and professional audio gear. I would bring CD's and listen to different systems and monitors, and I dreamed of having a nice little home studio of my own, with nice monitors that revealed music to me in ways my Panasonic couldn't.

That year, I bought the parts and built my very first computer rig with the help of my techie riends (for close to $5,000!). I actually went back to college so I could use the financial aid money to afford the computer. That computer allowed me to get into the video game industry, and through that, I learned about games like Half-Life, and I became a gamer. By then, I was already trying to digitize all my old cassettes (many long out-of-print), and I tried to put together a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) to make music on the computer with, but hardware conflicts ended up wasting me $500 on a Turtle Beach Pinnacle system that did not work with my computer. I was very upset because I was so tired of my ancient Roland D-10/PR-100 two-track sequencer by then. Having witnessed what a computer could do for composing/arranging music when working with my bandmate a few years back (all that automation, lots of tracks, flexible assignment of MIDI), I knew I had to move my music-making into that world.

For whatever reasons, I never got into collection MP3's around that time, even after I owned a computer. I was still continuing my large CD collection. I think if the iPOD had been invented back then, I'd have gotten into MP3's much sooner. But I did have a few dozen songs in MP3 then, and slowly started warming up to them. When I took a break from working in video games to travel, I started to understand the real allure of MP3's--I could put a bunch of them on my laptop and not have to worry about carrying a bunch of CD's. Winamp was what everyone used then, and that classic user interface actually became an emotional association I had for MP3's. To date, no software could evoke that emotional connection like the Winamp classic interface.

In 2001 I built my second computer. 2002 I got married, and I decided to give another shot to get a DAW going. I finally got everything working then--I was running Cubase SX and later Sonar Producer, and have stayed with Sonar every since. Finally moving music-making to the computer immediately improved the quality of my music, since the workflow was far more flexible. My trusty Denon AH-D950 finally fell apart then, and I replace it with the Sennheiser HD555. I actually was going to get the HD600--my object of desire for years, but after testing it against the HD555, I realized the HD555 was so close in sound quality that once again I couldn't justify the extra cost. I remained quite happy with the HD555 for years after that. It was so comfy that I often forgot I had them on (and would accidentally rip them off my head when I stood up and walked away from where I was sitting). By then, I had started ripping my large CD collection as MP3's, and in 2003 got my very first MP3 player--the Creative Nomad 3 Jukebox. I considered an iPod but its features seemed pathetic compared to the Creative products--as was the sound quality. I had no ideal headphones to use with the Nomad since I didn't know anything about IEM's then, so I either used crappy earbuds or my full-sized headphones.

Those few years were full of surprises, and we moved around a lot. I built my 3rd computer in 2003. Ever since working at Guitar Center, I had developed this habit of testing reference monitors whenever I had a chance, so in those years, I listened to a bunch of different studio monitors, and learned a lot about them (and lusted after them). After finally settling down by moving back to California in 2006, I felt like I was ready to finally acquire all the stuff I've lusted after for years. I bought a ton of gear that year--basses, guitars, mic's, new audio interfaces, new keyboards...etc. (I think I also discovered HeadRoom around then.) But the crowning jewels were the stunning Klein + Hummel O300D's. They were the best high-end studio reference monitors I've ever heard over the years, and the music coming out of them--it was like hearing music for the first time. CD's I knew like the back of my hands over all the years were transformed--new life breathed into them, with so much I never heard on inferior speakers, monitors, and headphones. In one move, I had jumped from my old Panasonic that had served me since high school, into one of the best and most respected studio monitors ever made in the history of pro audio. And I only paid less than half-price for them off of ebay! (I got them for $3,000, with no other bidders. They retail for $7,000+. I still smile when I think about that.) That Panasonic system is still in use today, as the receiver/speakers for our 50" plasma TV/DVD players. It actually still sounds pretty good for what it is--enough so that we haven't felt the need to upgrade to some hip and trendy surround system.

It was those couple of years when I discovered head-fi while googling. I also got my first IEM--the Shure E4C. I liked it enough (with EQ), but lusted after better IEM's. I also tested a bunch of headphones that year and chose the ATH-M50 as my tracking headphones, and I love the M50--it's amazingly neutral/accurate for being so inexpensive. The Equation RP-21 is my secondary tracking headphones--also very good for being so cheap, but not quite as good as the M50.

Around then, I started to really feel the need to devote more time to music. I was working as a studio art director for video games, and I was moonlighting as a composer for games/films, and I really wanted to drop everything and jut concentrate on music. Over all these years, it's been very clear to me that my passion for music is the strongest--more than art, writing/directing, photography...etc. Part of it has to do with the actual process. Some endeavors are more enjoyable when you experience them as a fan, and when you actually do it as a job or as a hobby, it's not as engaging. But with music, whether enjoying it as a fan or creating it as a composer, the level of love is the same for me--that's how I know it's my number one passion in life (although writing/directing comes close--that's another creative endeavor that could move me to tears and make me feel very strong emotions).

In 2008 I built my 4th computer--my current DAW, I finally had that chance to have my dream home studio. I spent a year researching, designing, and constructing my new studio, and this is what I ended up with:
Cloud Pagoda - Studio

Now that's where I spend every day--from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep. I had quit my job as studio art director and is concentrating on music and writing/directing.

Recently my E4C and HD555 got fried, so I finally got the HD600 after all these years of wanting one, except my standards have gone up a bit by then, and the HD600 lacked the bass my K+H O300D's could put out. I exchanged it for the HD650, and I'm pretty happy with it in general, although its ability to resolve bass detail isn't that good. I'm hoping that sometime in the near future, I could find a pair of headphones that can come close to my K+H's. I replaced the E4C with the Westone 3, and I'm not happy with its sonic signature, and is in the middle of trying to find someone to trade it for the SE530. I'm hoping the SE530 will sound similar to the HD650. I also upgraded the Nomad Jukebox 3 to a Zen 32GB last year. I still don't like iPods due to the lacking feature set, the inflexible navigation, and the lesser sound quality.

And now I'm exclusively listening to high and medium bitrate lossy file formats. My CD collection has mostly been ripped at this point, and I have also amassed a ton of files that far exceeds the quantity of my original CD collection. My Zen 32GB carries all the music I rated 4~5 stars in my entire collection--essentially all my favorite music in the world since I was born. As Chuck D once said, now we are carrying the soundtrack of our lives with us wherever we go. That is what CD's could never give us--that portability and accessibility to every piece of music we have ever loved--with just a couple presses of buttons.

That's pretty much my story up to now.

In the future, I'm hoping to expand my studio since it's feeling a little cramped (human beings are greedy, aren't they?

). I also hope to find a pair of full-sized headphones that will really blow me away like the K+H blew me away. An IEM that sounds great without needing any EQ would be nice too. And of course, I hope my music and writing/directing will take off so I can spend the rest of my life doing what I really love.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sorry About Your Wallet /img/forum/go_quote.gif now here i am saving for the benchmark usb dac. =PPP

FYI,you should probably read up some threads over at gearslutz and a few other pro audio forums. They have done DAC shootouts and so far none that I have seen shows that very expensive DAC's make any real difference in the sound quality people assume they do. In all the double blind tests, most people can't even tell the difference between some cheap Creative soundcard or thousand dollar DAC. Converters in the old days (early days of digital) were notoriously bad, but by now (since quite a few years ago), even the average consumer products have converters that are perfectly fine--as the double blind tests show. I personally don't buy into the whole expensive amp/converter side of audiophile insanity--it's just wasting money for very little actual improvement (if any). If your interface is providing plenty of juice for your headphones without straining, you're okay.

 

[jeffreyj900]

^ I am ashamed to post this after reading your story.

I was searching for a new pair of headphones. I found this place! Stayed only in the Headphone forum for what seemed like forever. One day, I started nosing around and found the Amp forum. The for sale forum was my real down fall though