[KingSocks]

Hey everyone, I recently took a step into the "audiophile" domain and I seem to be getting sucked into it pretty quickly! I have an, I guess you could say, an addictive personality. Whenever I get an interest in something  I go overboard, read all together too much about it, research the crap out of it, then invest a ton of money (a ton of money for me, a college student, probably isn't a lot for you haha) and time before I have even try venturing into whatever my addictive personality has got me caught up in. Now, I've started to be aware of this, and I'm seeking advice on headphones from you guys in hopes that I can pick a pair and avoid the spending more money and time than need be haha. I starting to research with a budget of 50$, I ended up getting some Philips Downtown's that absolutely murdered my ears. I couldn't wear them for longer then 10 mins before having to take them off, so I returned them. Then I got some headphones called Creative Aurvana Live! for 70ish dollars, as recommended by the inner fidelity guy. I think they are better than the Downtowns but I can't tell since I can't compare them side by side, it could just be the better isolation. The day I got the CAL! I saw a deal on amazon for the Philip Fidelio X1's for 150$. I ordered them but due to some error from Amazon I'm not getting them. So now I wondering if a jump from these 70$ phones to 150$ or even to 250$ would be worth it to me. The thing is I have no measuring stick to compare the headphones with other headphones. The only nice headphones I've tried are the 2 I mentioned. In your guys honest opinion, for a college student that loves music and listens to headphones on average 5+ hours a day, do you think I would enjoy better headphones that are more expensive then what I use and if so, what price range do you think the law of diminishing would deem sufficient?
 
 
I know that these questions are very subjective and hard to answer but you guys are all I've got! Also, if it matters, I listen mostly to rock, classical, blues, and acoustic music.

 

[bigfatpaulie]

I think a better question maybe are you happy with your current set?  If you aren't, what about them aren't you satisfied with?  Can you learn to love what you have?  If so, that is by far your most economical option.
 
This, like any other hobby, is subjective.  I mean to say that some get great enjoyment out of top shelf gear, while other are extremely happy with less exotic offerings and have no need to spend more.

 

[nikongod]

Can you find anyone local to you with the headphones you are interested in trying? 
As a college student, there is probably someone on your campus who owns (whatever you are interested in) within a reasonable distance. 
 
Are there any headphone meets in your area? 
If not, that is the perfect reason to set one up. 

 

[KingSocks]

  I think a better question maybe are you happy with your current set?  If you aren't, what about them aren't you satisfied with?  Can you learn to love what you have?  If so, that is by far your most economical option.
 
This, like any other hobby, is subjective.  I mean to say that some get great enjoyment out of top shelf gear, while other are extremely happy with less exotic offerings and have no need to spend more.

 
Actually I am happy with my current set but the jump of quality from my free in ears to my new headphones was very big that it makes me wonder if I would enjoy better headphones even more.
 

  Can you find anyone local to you with the headphones you are interested in trying? 
As a college student, there is probably someone on your campus who owns (whatever you are interested in) within a reasonable distance. 
 
Are there any headphone meets in your area? 
If not, that is the perfect reason to set one up. 

No one around me has any headphones of any quality that I can think of, other then beats, I do live off campus though. Good idea with the meet. I'll look it up and see.