[Practical]

I generally get a good reaction to my D2000s as they are quite bass heavy, which is what most non-audiophiles seem most receptive to.

 

[NapalmK]

Quote:

How long does it take to become an audiophile?
 
I'm at the point where, comparing my iGrados to some random buds/cheapo IEMs, I can def. hear a difference in treble, bass, but I'm not sure about mids. Can also tell when something bright, dark, muddy, or clear.

The short answer is it doesn't take long at all. Simply if you're an audiophile you enjoy good quality and sound. I think that those who are impressed by 'audiophile headphones' are apart of this classification. The only caveat is that it takes time and experience to appreciate the differences and discern them. For this reason, I felt that handing out impressions when I didn't have any real experience was if anything detrimental to newbies but that's aside from the point.
 
As for critical listening the time it takes to develop varies between people. When I started out I could really only tell a difference in bass quantity and quality (it was my friends pair of Beats that got me thinking there had to be better headphones out there). However, as I listened more I became accustomed to my cans at the time (D2000s) and started noticing treble presence and quality (this part didn't take very long). The hardest thing to figure out was what to look for in the mids and that came awhile after the treble revelation of the DT990s. I still don't claim to be any good at critical listening or the most knowledgeable so it's definitely a long process.

 

[12345142]

Well said...I don't think there's a concrete definition for an audiophile. I guess it would be 'one who appreciates good sound,' but then the 'good sound' in question is quite subjective. I'm sure you'll find no shortage of users on Head-Fi who dislike the K702s, or conversely, the HD650s, one of the most infamous rivalries in the headphone world.
 
On another note, a friend of mine just got a pair of HD448s, having been influenced by me. He loves them, and for good reason - they're good headphones. Too bad it's the beginning of the end for him, though.

 

[Mushrooshi]

At lunch, I was talking headphones with some dude who had Senn 212s, and his friend is like "Skullcandy is the best. I own my loyalty to them" (dude, srsly, What?), and he was like "Why the hell do cords need to be 10 feet longs?". He also said the senns had "no bass"...
 
I was disappointed, but them one of my friends came up to me and was like "What are some good headphones?", and I introduced her to the rabbit hole.
 

 

[bcasey25raptor]

Quote:

At lunch, I was talking headphones with some dude who had Senn 212s, and his friend is like "Skullcandy is the best. I own my loyalty to them" (dude, srsly, What?), and he was like "Why the hell do cords need to be 10 feet longs?". He also said the senns had "no bass"...
 
I was disappointed, but them one of my friends came up to me and was like "What are some good headphones?", and I introduced her to the rabbit hole.
 

i feel sorry for the guy who worships skullcandies. skullcandy is one of the worst i have heard. heck my 20$ earbuds sound better then the 100$ skullcandies. and they last longer aswell.
 

 

[Varley]

I could attempt to reproduce the song from my own vocal cords and it would sound more musically correct than Skullcandy.

 

[Hrimthursum]

I went to my family's place for a reunion, I showed by DT770's amped with a Pimeta v2 to my cousin (he's a music director in his school) his reaction was: WOW! I never knew that headphones could have so much bass, Bose ain't got crap on this!

 

[NapalmK]

Quote:

i feel sorry for the guy who worships skullcandies. skullcandy is one of the worst i have heard. heck my 20$ earbuds sound better then the 100$ skullcandies. and they last longer aswell.

What!? You didn't like the lumpy, booming bass the tin can vocals and the not existent midrange not to mention the shoddy build quality? Simply to die for (or because of).
 
Anyway back on topic....

 
The reactions of my friends and family have varied wildly. By far the most common reaction is "These sound nice." then taking them off after listening all of 15 seconds and that was that.
 
A few positive reactions have been:
"Whoa, these sound better than my car stereo!" (Ultrasone Pro 750)  *I believe he ended up with Beats because they "looked cooler".
"It's like I can hear everything." (AKG K701)
"It's like I'm there!", "The voices are seducing me.", "Dang dude.", "Do you have a pair of headphones you can sell me?" (Audio Technica AD2000)
"These are amazing." (Grado RS1)  *I got them back 4 hours later.
"It's like I'm in a club." (Denon D2000)
 
I still have to let my college friends give the LCD2s and W1000Xs. I'll report back later on their reactions.
 
'Bad' reactions:
"These are like mini speakers!" (Audio Technica M50)  *As they flipped the cups out and cranked the volume.
"Mine sound better."
"Are they Bose?"
"Where's the bass?"

 

[turimbar1]

Quote:

Just a friendly note people: The discussion of politics on Head-fi isn't permitted.  Please do stick to the topic.

NONSENSE! headphones are all about politix! I mean orthos vs electrostat, hd 800 vs T1 vs LCD2 vs Omega 2, we must decide who is the leader in audiophililand!  
 
but on another note, I have a friend who was raving about his 50$ skullcandies: "the sound quality is so good! Its like having subwoofers ON YOUR HEAD! Its great for rave music!" I tried to explain that I liked more accurate headphones, like the hd555, but he seemed offended and defensive, my wording was very kind too (for someone who just told me skullcandies are the best ever)
 
I gave my bro portapros for christmas, hes listened to my hd555s and LOVED them thankfully (we are almost the same person so that might explain that), he loves the portapros now.
 
gonna give my sennys to my dad who got into audiophilia before he had kids and then got distracted from it (damn kids getting in the way of hobbies, lol). Hes heard them before and loves them, now to give him some high-quality recordings so he can sit back and let his head sing.

 

[Jibbie]

Everyone who has heard my set up thinks it sounds incredible.  I know that there are much better set ups out there, but I doubt they could tell the difference.  They fail to see why I pay so much however.  They think that the amp makes almost no difference, which is fine.  Most non-audiophiles haven't heard very good sound quality before, so giving them even a taste of a half-decent setup enlists the response of, "OMG this is amazing! It's better than any stereo set up I've heard!" Its fun 

 

[kingtz]

A friend of mine a work generally listens with ibuds coming right out of his notebook headphone out. One day, I let him try out my notebook>uDAC>M50 setup. He put in on for about 20 seconds, said, "These sound really good", and them promptly handed the headphones back to me. I know there's not way he can tell if it sounds good or bad by just listening for less than 30 seconds. But yeah, he was clearly just being nice and probably couldn't hear any real difference - or maybe just didn't care.

 

[Varley]

Yea I think the latter is the case - I usually try and get the other half to listen to everything I buy, the first few times she cared, now she's just like 'Yea yea' -
So, whenever she buys a new bag, purse, shoes, etc. I just react in the same way

It's hard when other people reject a passion you have, but so many people; including my mother as well; believe that spending £xxxx on audio equipment is silly - It's a hobby and I'm sure if I was into something a little more attributed like Cricket etc then she would have no problem with me spending £300 on a piece of wood...

It's my money and I earn it, If people want to listen and enjoy, I'm more than happy to help and let them, but If people want to take the piss or moan about how much something is, then I usually put my headphones on

 

[yifu]

LOL we are nearly the same person.
Quote:

Quote:

Just a friendly note people: The discussion of politics on Head-fi isn't permitted.  Please do stick to the topic.

NONSENSE! headphones are all about politix! I mean orthos vs electrostat, hd 800 vs T1 vs LCD2 vs Omega 2, we must decide who is the leader in audiophililand!  
 
but on another note, I have a friend who was raving about his 50$ skullcandies: "the sound quality is so good! Its like having subwoofers ON YOUR HEAD! Its great for rave music!" I tried to explain that I liked more accurate headphones, like the hd555, but he seemed offended and defensive, my wording was very kind too (for someone who just told me skullcandies are the best ever)
 
I gave my bro portapros for christmas, hes listened to my hd555s and LOVED them thankfully (we are almost the same person so that might explain that), he loves the portapros now.
 
gonna give my sennys to my dad who got into audiophilia before he had kids and then got distracted from it (damn kids getting in the way of hobbies, lol). Hes heard them before and loves them, now to give him some high-quality recordings so he can sit back and let his head sing.

 

[Prog Rock Man]

All of this just goes to show that us audiophiles are passionate about the music as well as the hifi. Many people use music as a background noise and are not that passionate about it.

 

[disastermouse]

Quote:

All of this just goes to show that us audiophiles are passionate about the music as well as the hifi. Many people use music as a background noise and are not that passionate about it.

Honestly, Hi-Fi (Mid-Fi, really) has reignited my passion for music!  There's just so much more to hear.  Songs and artists I know like the back of my hand are suddenly...different.  More engaging.  I've nearly been in tears listening to music that I thought would no longer move me to the same extent.
 
So maybe for so many people music is 'background noise' because their equipment cannot adequately express it.