[SHAMuuu]

Ah but that's an over ear headphone isn't it?

A different beast; a principle also employed by Final and Technics I believe. Not dead yet

Yep 55mm +30mm

 

[FangJoker]

This might be my most favorite thread on head fi especially the hd650 bashing. I remember when I first started this hobby people said they paired great with schiit Valhalla and bifrost and to me they were awful. I'm also not a fan of schiit either. They aren't bad but aren't great in the midrange price range. Only their totl stuff is good, but even then there's better in that price range.

Sure the hd650 is better than beats, but there's too many massdrop guys that worship the hd6xx and other bargain audio equipment on their site. Only the focal headphone interests me. I don't see any amps or dacs that I'd consider on their site.

 

[god-bluff]

I must have the memory of a chimpanzee (FYI 20 seconds) but I should have mentioned long ago by far my most disappointing headphone: the Sony MDR 100AAP

This headphone received a ridiculous amount of hype, literally hundreds of pages of blind eulogising. It is utter tat. (EDIT tripe) An insult to the name of Sony for which they should be forever ashamed.

The headphone has no redeeming features other than decent sensitivity and a certain minimalist style. Totally dull, one dimensional sound with not a hint of sparkle. The least exiting, engaging and dynamic headphone I've owned. Appalling design of pads that meant my ears roasted within 60 seconds of wearing even in the none extreme temperatures of an English autumn day. For this Sony had the gall to charge over £100 for the privilege. Even at half that I felt ripped off.

The Sony MDR 10RC (29 quid) on ear headphone whilst not being a favourite by any means is approx 1.39million times better (no exaggeration) but few on ere know of it.

If the MDR1000x is even remotely related to the mdr100aap then that too is also overated

Not by any means a fan?!?!!

 

[god-bluff]

Sorry ignore above

My memory is really playing tricks with.. erm..err, me. The very worst ultra hyped earphone from a couple of years (?) ago is the dreadful Earbell E100. Another £10 purchase I was suckered into and still to this day feel bitter about the theft of my hard earned.

Never again shall I take notice of the hype... Promise

 

[DivaFonda]

I think your other post was valid too. I have never really seen Sony as true high end, just overpriced. For ALMOST EVERYTHING. Some of their electronics are good, but many of their others are just overpriced because of the name and somewhat mediocre. I haven't been impressed with them in years, except for the PS4. My first PS3 had horrible whining and needed to be replaced. My digital camera went bad the first day. My VCR(yes I'm a little old) went bad too soon. They have one headphone set Best Buy sells in Magnolia(cannot remember the model) that seems well built but I'm still hesitant to spend the $500 they want for it due to problems with other items.

 

[Jackson 6]

They have outperformed their price rivals with Mp3 players over the last decade, and I have a 7-8 yr model which still rocks, their N3 in ear is right on point with the i.e 800, and I'm very happy with the current crop. But I have to add the H1 in ear,nothing but treble.

 

[andi16]

From recent discovery in cheap IEM territory:

Overrated: ZhiYin Z5000
(Underrated: Tin Audio T2)

 

[NeonHD]

While all you guys are talking about overrated headphones within the known audiophile community, I think we all know that the most obvious overrated cans are none other than the..... *gag* Beats by Dr Dre *HURL* *RETCH* *THROWS UP ON THE FLOOR*

 

[Philimon]

While all you guys are talking about overrated headphones within the known audiophile community, I think we all know that the most obvious overrated cans are none other than the..... *gag* Beats by Dr Dre *HURL* *RETCH* *THROWS UP ON THE FLOOR*

 

[ScareDe2]

Most overrated headphones: the most expensive headphones, in order, from Sennheiser Orpheus that cost the price of a car to anything costing more than $300.

 

[Rhamnetin]

I'm going to have to add the Focal Utopia. It's not bad at all, but no dynamic headphone has any business being anywhere near $4,000, and as usual for dynamic headphones it's weak in the bass. It gets handily dominated by the Stax SR-009 in every way except imaging, and is also clearly bested with regards to transparency and also bass extension/impact by the Stax SR-007 (which also has much more full/authentic treble) and HiFiMan HE1000/HE1000v2 (which sonically has no weaknesses), both of which cost far less and even then the HE1000/HE1000v2 is overpriced too. So I can't really see why anyone would buy it.

Most overrated headphones: the most expensive headphones, in order, from Sennheiser Orpheus that cost the price of a car to anything costing more than $300.

I would wager you've never listened to any $300+ headphones, or if you have it was directly out of a computer's headphone jack.

 

[ScareDe2]

I would wager you've never listened to any $300+ headphones, or if you have it was directly out of a computer's headphone jack.

And I never tasted an highend exotic fruit from Japan. But I eat rice everyday.

 

[Redcarmoose]

Normally over-rates headphones are simply a trend. A couple people like them, then due to the power of suggestion...many more buyers jump onboard. They tend to not be flagships as those are price inhibitory. The M50 was a great example.

M50 was priced something like $75-$100 at first and had enough detail to separate it from what folks were used to in the entry level market. And while these trends do have some facts, the hype is typically more than reality.

In the over-rated trajectory, a time comes when the used section gets cluttered.

 

[omniweltall]

Hifiman HEK and Susvara. They sound good, but no way worth their price tags. Not even close. Build quality feel like USD300 cans. Even from brand value perspective, Hifiman is no Sennheiser or Focal. Only in this hobby can a manufacturer get away with this incredibly poor value proposition.

 

[Rhamnetin]

Hifiman HEK and Susvara. They sound good, but not way worth their price tags. Not even close. Build quality feel like USD300 cans. Even from brand value perspective, Hifiman is no Sennheiser or Focal. Only in this hobby can a manufacturer get away with this incredibly poor value proposition.

I agree that both are overpriced (especially the SUSVARA lol), but what I don't agree with is the "brand value perspective." No brand is inherently worth more than another, the product speaks for itself.

The build quality of the HE1000v2 (not v1) and presumably SUSVARA is an interesting mixed bag. The headphone body is ok, spring steel I believe but thin, but should be able to take abuse. The pads however are garbage, and the headphone connectors are garbage (which will wear out over time, not good). Sigh... when will they learn?

Both of those headphones do belong in a higher price bracket than any dynamic headphone for sure though. Dynamic headphones cannot achieve that level of performance (particularly transparency and also bass, even though the HE1000 is hardly the last word in planar bass). But they cost more than electrostats... goodbye value. Then again... aren't they actually costlier to produce than electrostats?