[Bassheadd]

I don't know a single person today who is into portable audio. Each and everyone of them are fully happy with the stock systems that came with their phones. Everything from iphones to Nexus to Galaxies. They asked me why I would spend money on headphones/IEMs when pretty much every phone today already comes with a set and if they don't, you can just run over to Walmart and find a decent set for under $25.
 
They tell me what putting that money towards a new TV is much wiser. LOL how many TVs do people these days need? Every time I go into a Best Buy, I see flocks of people walking out with big screen TVs. But for me, I am almost never home and I don't have much interest in being a couch potato. Heck I dont even have a TV. However, portable audio yes. But home TVs, I couldn't care less about. The days of spending thousands of dollars on high end home theatre setups is way past my lifestyle. 
 
Every single person I know does this. They plug in their stock earbuds and many of them have some pretty high end smartphones. But I think portable audio gear is still well worth it. Yes, the gear does't retain value very well over time, so you do take a huge hit when it comes to reselling. But it's the experience that portable audio gives, that makes it worth the cost. If you lease your headphones/IEMs or get in a new set every 1-2 months, then it's not worth it. But for someone like me who keeps and holds onto their headphones/IEMs until they die or fall apart, then it's well worth it. There really isn't a better feeling in the world, than listening to your music in really good sound quality, whether its through headphones, your car, etc. Listening to your favourite tunes in terrible or subpar sound quality really deteriates your experience IMO. Good headphones/IEMs can be expensive yes, but its a long term investment IMO. And for the many years of enjoyment that we get out of it, it's well worth it. 

 

[pureangus62]

Of course someone who isn't passionate about the hobby or has no desire to get into hi-fi sees it as a waste of money. I think shoes/purses/designer clothes are a waste of money but plenty of other people would disagree. I have a ridiculous custom build PC that is way more powerful I need and many people see it as a waste considering I could have saved a couple thousand building something that just gets by and "does the job".
 
As long as youre staying within your means then why be bothered by peoples opinion of your hobbies? Im sure you could tell the same friend that many things he spends more than the average amount on are wasteful.

 

[Bassheadd]

  Of course someone who isn't passionate about the hobby or has no desire to get into hi-fi sees it as a waste of money. I think shoes/purses/designer clothes are a waste of money but plenty of other people would disagree. I have a ridiculous custom build PC that is way more powerful I need and many people see it as a waste considering I could have saved a couple thousand building something that just gets by and "does the job".
 
As long as youre staying within your means then why be bothered by peoples opinion of your hobbies? Im sure you could tell the same friend that many things he spends more than the average amount on are wasteful.

The designer clothes I agree with you 100% on. The days of me spending $80-100 on a shirt or pair of pants are over. Don't get me wrong, I still have some very nice clothing but I only wear it when I have to (which is almost never) and they're 4+ years old.
 
Most of my clothes that I wear on a daily basis are from Walmart and outlet stores and I'm not ashamed to be seen in public with $10 hoodies and $40 runners and $20 shorts or jeans. Even my wallet was only $20. I never wear hair products and my socks are from Walmart. It's all about being in what's most comfortable IMO and I couldn't care less about what others think.

 

[pureangus62]

  The designer clothes I agree with you 100% on. The days of me spending $80-100 on a shirt or pair of pants are over. Don't get me wrong, I still have some very nice clothing but I only wear it when I have to (which is almost never) and they're 4+ years old.
 
Most of my clothes that I wear on a daily basis are from Walmart and outlet stores and I'm not ashamed to be seen in public with $10 hoodies and $40 runners and $20 shorts or jeans. Even my wallet was only $20. I never wear hair products and my socks are from Walmart. It's all about being in what's most comfortable IMO and I couldn't care less about what others think.

Of course theres a balance though. Im all about cheap clothes as long as they look decent aren't going to fade or fall apart after 3 washes. I just cant justify spending a lot on clothes because I simply don't care that a good polo costs $100 based on the logo alone. Plus due to my body shape (bodybuilder) none of the fancy stuff fits me anyway
 
A lot of people cant believe that I spend the amount I do on audio and other stuff (more than the average person but nothing crazy compared to some people around here) but at the end of the day I have no regrets. Though sometimes I wish I could be truly happy with cheap earbuds. Would save me a lot of money hah

 

[willywill]

I hide my gear when i have people over my house only my girl knows how much i have invested in audio gear because she helped me with half of it, other then that i don't talk to no one about it or try to convince them to get a better headphone. Most people will take convenience over quality. All your friends have a opinion on which bluetooth headphone is better, you could talk to them about that.

 

[Bassheadd]

 
Of course theres a balance though. Im all about cheap clothes as long as they look decent aren't going to fade or fall apart after 3 washes. I just cant justify spending a lot on clothes because I simply don't care that a good polo costs $100 based on the logo alone. Plus due to my body shape (bodybuilder) none of the fancy stuff fits me anyway
 
A lot of people cant believe that I spend the amount I do on audio and other stuff (more than the average person but nothing crazy compared to some people around here) but at the end of the day I have no regrets. Though sometimes I wish I could be truly happy with cheap earbuds. Would save me a lot of money hah

Too many people these days have become materialistic and live their lives based on name brands and labels. It all starts with their car, then their clothing, then their drinks. It's quite pathetic really.

 

[MyPants]

  They asked me why I would spend money on headphones/IEMs when pretty much every phone today already comes with a set and if they don't, you can just run over to Walmart and find a decent set for under $25.
 
They tell me what putting that money towards a new TV is much wiser.

 
This is so true and breaks my heart every time. The thing is, I totally understand not being a hardcore audiophile and spending hundreds on a system, but what about stepping up to some $30-60 IEMs on Massdrop/Ebay or something? Ya know, not a huge investment. While my desktop setup is fairly serious, my only set of IEMs is a $35 pair of Sonys that are shockingly good compared to stock earbuds. Not everyone is going to drop $100+ on cans, but for f's sake I try to convince everyone to get a set that isn't abject garbage because it adds SO MUCH to the listening experience for even an unsophisticated listener.

 

[pureangus62]

   
This is so true and breaks my heart every time. The thing is, I totally understand not being a hardcore audiophile and spending hundreds on a system, but what about stepping up to some $30-60 IEMs on Massdrop/Ebay or something? Ya know, not a huge investment. While my desktop setup is fairly serious, my only set of IEMs is a $35 pair of Sonys that are shockingly good compared to stock earbuds. Not everyone is going to drop $100+ on cans, but for f's sake I try to convince everyone to get a set that isn't abject garbage because it adds SO MUCH to the listening experience for even an unsophisticated listener.

A lot of people don't want a listening experience though. They want white noise with repetitive lyrics they can sing to and quote on social media.

 

[MyPants]

 
A lot of people don't want a listening experience though. They want white noise with repetitive lyrics they can sing to and quote on social media.

 
You're actually completely right. Even $30 is too much because they don't really interact with music beyond that very limited range. Pop is so compressed, has relatively little dynamic range, and is generally produced and mastered for terrible equipment anyway, so there isn't much hiding there for high-end gear to reveal I suppose.
 
Incidentally, now that I'm thinking about it, I'M not even that into mobile audio. I find I can only listen to a song so many times within a span before I get sick of it, so I'll just listen to podcasts on the go and save the music until I can get home to my gear and get the full experience.