[Spandy87]

My dad is a musician, classical guitar player. He has recently been trying to record some stuff with a zoom recorder and c1000 mics. All he has ever had to listen to his recordings are awful on-ear headphones from 20 years ago. They are sennheisers, I think an early 400 series, but I have always been amazed at how bad they sound. Like, seriously horrendous. Bloated, loose bass that drowns out what semblance of highs there might have been. Pretty much no body to the midrange whatsoever. Additionally, these need amping to even be audible at a decent volume, which he doesnt have. His only alternative is some terrible koss earbuds that he bought from london drugs (he has a phobia about buying things online, and he lives in a small town).

I got him to try a pair of philips shp9500, and he was blown away. He looked at his headphones and I swear he looked like he was about to throw them out the window. In my head, I'm thinking just wait until you try the x2 when it shows up.

 

[CaveManta]

Originally Posted by Spandy87 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

I got him to try a pair of philips shp9500, and he was blown away. He looked at his headphones and I swear he looked like he was about to throw them out the window. In my head, I'm think just wait until you try the x2 when it shows up.

So after all these years, he finally heard something better. That's far out. Do you think he will end up buying some headphones that are suitable for monitoring/recording? Be sure to tell him about this forum!
 
Originally Posted by Spandy87 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

They are sennheisers, I think an early 400 series, but I have always been amazed at how bad they sound. Like, seriously horrendous. Bloated, loose bass that drowns out what semblance of highs there might have been. . .

Ermagersh, you're showing bias against a headphone. Such elitism. Just kidding!

 
 
Originally Posted by Koolpep /img/forum/go_quote.gif

At the headphone bar she listened then to a few LCDs and (I didn't tell her the prices) and concluded "these sound amazing". Boom! 

   Wow, have you checked out 'Katz's Corner' on Innerfidelity? It's about speaker-fi audiophiles reacting to high-end headphones. They love Audeze, even more than Stax. Apparently Audeze cans sound more like high-end loudspeakers!
   So when you say headphone bar, you're not talking about a pub where you listen to headphones, right? o.o That would be amazing.

 

[Koolpep]

So after all these years, he finally heard something better. That's far out. Do you think he will end up buying some headphones that are suitable for monitoring/recording? Be sure to tell him about this forum!

Originally Posted by Spandy87 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Ermagersh, you're showing bias against a headphone. Such elitism. Just kidding!  

   Wow, have you checked out 'Katz's Corner' on Innerfidelity? It's about speaker-fi audiophiles reacting to high-end headphones. They love Audeze, even more than Stax. Apparently Audeze cans sound more like high-end loudspeakers!
   So when you say headphone bar, you're not talking about a pub where you listen to headphones, right? o.o That would be amazing.

That would be indeed a dream come true, a nice fresh Guinness and trying out headphones or a yummy single malt, sigh.

Anyhow, it's a high end audio shop and they have a rather small but nice collection of headphones and headphone amplifiers positioned at a counter/bar type. Resembles nothing like a pub, very modern and stylish. They have Auralic, Oppo, Audeze, Woo, Sennheiser.

Cheers,
K

 

[mkshm]

  Wow, have you checked out 'Katz's Corner' on Innerfidelity? It's about speaker-fi audiophiles reacting to high-end headphones. They love Audeze, even more than Stax. Apparently Audeze cans sound more like high-end loudspeakers!
 

 
I am coming from speakers background and newer to headphone world. I usually prefer neutral and natural sound signature. During my demonstrations with high end phone setups, I preferred HE-6 & HD800 compared to Audeze & Stax. 
 
(HE6 and HD800 were modded)

 

[panzerfan]

  Coming back to the title of the thread:
 
Non-audiophile reactions to high-end headphones
 
I recently had the pleasure of listening to a Sonus Faber Aida driven by a McIntosh system, these are $129,000 speakers.
 
I had tears in my eyes as the emotions of the singer hit me with a sledgehammer and because it was just so good. My colleague who was with me (earbuds and beats in-ears are the best she ever has been exposed to) said: This was the most beautiful music I have ever heard. Both our minds were blown away. At the headphone bar she listened then to a few LCDs and (I didn't tell her the prices) and concluded "these sound amazing".
 
Boom! 

 
Were you at the sale on Saturday? Travis is moving.
 
Non-audiophile reaction wise, I've had a guy who was curious about my Creative E5 DAC and wondered how it sounds like. The look on his face is precious even from plugging in the earpods, nevermind the beaming expression from having a listen on M-100.
(Mind you, I have set an inverted V EQ for it)

 

[CaveManta]

For the first time, I have lent out a headphone. One of my classmates was saying that she could use a pair of headphones. I leapt at the opportunity! I brought in the M50 the very next day, and let her borrow it^^. Hopefully she won't mind that it's 3 years old..and the earpads are incredibly stiff.
As a non-audiophile, I'm sure she will like it. ..I hope. I wonder if the in-your-face sound will bug her D=.

 

[159650]

  For the first time, I have lent out a headphone. One of my classmates was saying that she could use a pair of headphones. I leapt at the opportunity! I brought in the M50 the very next day, and let her borrow it^^. Hopefully she won't mind that it's 3 years old..and the earpads are incredibly stiff.
As a non-audiophile, I'm sure she will like it. ..I hope. I wonder if the in-your-face sound will bug her D=.

You must like this woman a lot. lol

 

[CaveManta]

She is quite cute. Maybe I have a little crush on her. And you know what they say; If a woman likes headphones, you MUST marry her. So maybe I can convert her into a Head-fier!
Wait..if I did that, she would read this message and...Dang it!

 

[Hapster]

She is quite cute. Maybe I have a little crush on her. And you know what they say; If a woman likes headphones, you MUST marry her. So maybe I can convert her into a Head-fier!
Wait..if I did that, she would read this message and...Dang it! h34r:

Calm down there kiddo. One step at a time.

 

[CaveManta]

It's just so hard to take it easy when a special opportunity like this comes up. I'll start with what she thinks of the headphones. XP

 

[Danpyre]

So, it's Bandcamp week, and the percussion instructor has a pair of customs. He said that he got a cheap Alien Ears model that was a little over $200, and he wished he had paid $200 more for a different model.
So I bring in my ER-4s, and ask him if he would like a listen. He said yes, I quickly go clean them, then give him fairly detailed instructions on how to get the perfect seal with them (the guide was necessary if you haven't heard the ER-4). So after making coffee, he puts them in, listens to a song he's super familiar with, and gives the usual, "I can hear detail I've never heard before!" about it. I don't believe he got a perfect seal, but he said it was just amazing, and he even thanked me for letting him listen to it!
He thinks he may eventually get one. I feel accomplished.

 

[DieForSurviving]

I was checking a local Guitar Center to see if they had any interesting headphones. they had some alright ones. but they said they had more of a selection off in the back.
 
I ended up giving the guy i was talking to a listen to my PRO700MK2s (with replaced, super plushy angled ear-pads) so he could gauge what I'm with, and would be looking for.

His Face face was plastered with disgust, or so what i originally thought... he didn't take them off for the entire song i had selected. So I was confused. He takes them off after the song, and he immediately asks how much they cost.

I reply "'bout 230 ish retail, 120 ish on amazon." His face is best described as 'Are you kidding me?' Turned out he owns Sennheiser HD8 DJs and he liked my headphone a lot more. his face of disgust was actually of terror (cost)

In summary his thoughts were like, these are amazing, and i want them... how much do they cost? *i tell price* and i quote " I need these!"

In the end he said "I don't think we have anything your looking for."

I left after warning him the pads are not stock and that i highly recommend the ones i got, i also directed him to the earpads on his phone.

 

[Hernium]

I was checking a local Guitar Center to see if they had any interesting headphones. they had some alright ones. but they said they had more of a selection off in the back.

 
I ended up giving the guy i was talking to a listen to my PRO700MK2s (with replaced, super plushy angled ear-pads) so he could gauge what I'm with, and would be looking for.


His Face face was plastered with disgust, or so what i originally thought... he didn't take them off for the entire song i had selected. So I was confused. He takes them off after the song, and he immediately asks how much they cost.


I reply "'bout 230 ish retail, 120 ish on amazon." His face is best described as 'Are you kidding me?' Turned out he owns Sennheiser HD8 DJs and he liked my headphone a lot more. his face of disgust was actually of terror (cost)


In summary his thoughts were like, these are amazing, and i want them... how much do they cost? *i tell price* and i quote " I need these!"


In the end he said "I don't think we have anything your looking for."


I left after warning him the pads are not stock and that i highly recommend the ones i got, i also directed him to the earpads on his phone.

The tables have turned on the salesman

 

[DonutDeflector]

The tables have turned on the salesman

Yes they have!

 

[CaveManta]

Yay, my friend didn't just say the M50 is good, but she said she loves them! Now I have to ask what she specifically loves about the sound. ..But it might be confusing for a non-audiophile to describe sound.