[AhokZYashA]

WHAT!!!!
i have to go there..
 
that is one sort of a badass store, look at those selection..
i believe jaben dont have that much selection of headphones.
 
OMG...

 

[Wharfrat]

@mdraluck23:
 
Hope our paths cross in this pathless land...especially if we moss-covered folks can get a CanJam event going on up here in the good ol NW...You wouldn't have much of an excuse then, wouldn't you?

 

[2enty3]

IF ONLY I WERE AN AUDIOPHILE EARLIER!!!! NOOOOOO!!
 
I went to akihabara in the summer with my family, and saw alot of headphones... but i knew nothing about them....
 
IF ONLY.....

 

[Eric_C]

@AhokZYashA: true, but a bus ride costs a whole lot less than a plane ticket.

 

[Mdraluck23]

Kind of unrelated, but I don't think THIS warrants a new thread.
 
Just seemed like a nice place to post it. There's some mighty fine Head-Fi'ing going on here.

 

[Guidostrunk]

..................

 
Quote:

 
Quote:

I wish there would be a headphone or audio store where you could:
 
1. Listen to ever selection.
2. Bring your own source.
3. Pair them up with other products you may be purchasing that might be in the audio.
 
I have hesitated on buying any headphone worth a bunch of money because all I have to go on is reviews on the internet.  If I buy something and don't like it I have to deal with shipping, and they don't cover shipping stuff back.  Even a small local store I would support if they carried a huge line of stuff to be able to hear, and I would pay more for it.

 
Come to Japan on vacation! I have been living outside of Tokyo this year, studying Japanese at a school in the outskirts of Yokohama. There are a few electronics chains, the most well known being Yodobashi camera and BIC camera. They both have big headphone sections where you can do number 1 and 2 on your list. I often go to the local Yodobashi store and listen to headphones. I am thinking of buying a pair of Sennheiser HD 25 1:II for myself and a pair of AKG K518 LE for my wife. I have been able to listen to them with different DAP:s at Yodobashi and BIC camera stores. However, I will buy them back in Sweden since foreign brands are more expensive in Japan. If you want to find cheaper stuff in Japan, you should buy Japanese products.
 
In a few weeks we return to Sweden, which compared to Japan is like North korea - no possibilies at all to test headphones in stores, small selection etc... Today I will go to Akihabara in Tokyo, where there is a HUGE Yodobashi store. Probably my last visit during this stay in Japan...
Let me tempt you with some pictures I found online:

 
The picture above is from the Yodobashi store in Akihabara. I'll go there and try out some headphones. The last time I was there, the HD 25 1:II had no sound on one side. Perhaps they have fixed it...
 
 
It can also look like this, with each maker having it's own booth:

 
 
 
Some headphones are in glass cabinets, but there is no problem to try them out as well if you ask. The service of Japanese staff is probably the best in the world.

 
 
I'll certainly miss living in Japan. Since my wife is Japanese we will of course come here on vacation. And who knows, we might move here permanently in the future.
 
During my year in Japan, I have bought: ATH ES7, ATH M50, Pioneer SE EX9 clip-on earphones and most recently ATH CM700TI. I bought all of them used on Japanese Yahoo auction. Even if they are second hand, they are almost like new, and best of all - half price compared to store prices.
I have also bought two used Japanese MP3 players: a Kenwood HD20GA7 and a Victor/JVC XA HD 500.
 
Japan truly is an electronics nerd's heaven

 

[openreel]

Quote:

Quote:

I wish there would be a headphone or audio store where you could:
 
1. Listen to ever selection.
2. Bring your own source.
3. Pair them up with other products you may be purchasing that might be in the audio.
 
I have hesitated on buying any headphone worth a bunch of money because all I have to go on is reviews on the internet.  If I buy something and don't like it I have to deal with shipping, and they don't cover shipping stuff back.  Even a small local store I would support if they carried a huge line of stuff to be able to hear, and I would pay more for it.

This is actually mostly possible in Hong Kong, amazingly enough. Mingo has been really open with his store selection and almost every single one of them is demo-able. On top of that, he has a nice selection of amps and DACs to mix and match for effect. His store is the only reason that I was able to listen to so many high-end earphones and headphones and gained so much valuable hi-fi experience.

I was in Hong Kong a month ago at Mingo and true most models are on demo. Pleased to find the Beyer T1 and DT48 but they were boxed and not willing to demo them.They wouldn't even take the DT48 out of the box! Time to move on.

 

[MaxwellDemon]

Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

I wish there would be a headphone or audio store where you could:
 
1. Listen to ever selection.
2. Bring your own source.
3. Pair them up with other products you may be purchasing that might be in the audio.
 
I have hesitated on buying any headphone worth a bunch of money because all I have to go on is reviews on the internet.  If I buy something and don't like it I have to deal with shipping, and they don't cover shipping stuff back.  Even a small local store I would support if they carried a huge line of stuff to be able to hear, and I would pay more for it.

This is actually mostly possible in Hong Kong, amazingly enough. Mingo has been really open with his store selection and almost every single one of them is demo-able. On top of that, he has a nice selection of amps and DACs to mix and match for effect. His store is the only reason that I was able to listen to so many high-end earphones and headphones and gained so much valuable hi-fi experience.

I was in Hong Kong a month ago at Mingo and true most models are on demo. Pleased to find the Beyer T1 and DT48 but they were boxed and not willing to demo them.They wouldn't even take the DT48 out of the box! Time to move on.

 
You mean out of the manufacturer's box? Then yeah, if they don't have a demo version, they won't allow you to demo the headphone. But that's alright, since there are so many others anyway.
 
... Not as much as those pics. That's holy crap.

 

[Proglover]

Quote:

Quote:

drewling all over here
I could spend some hours there, WOW!

Sometimes I can spend hours there.
 
Just save some money, look for a cheap trip to Tokyo and stay here for a week. It is an amazing country to be a tourist in, and for us audio nerds it is heaven.

 actually, I have friends living in Tokyio, it'll cost me the ticket only.
When I go, finally getting really good, fresh sushi. Really love the way Japanese people handle food.
 
On topic: will be spending many hours there with the cans in headphone-heaven.

 

[Danneq]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Proglover /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
 actually, I have friends living in Tokyio, it'll cost me the ticket only.
When I go, finally getting really good, fresh sushi. Really love the way Japanese people handle food.
 
On topic: will be spending many hours there with the cans in headphone-heaven.

 
That sounds perfect! Then you save money on hotel costs and you can spend that on audio stuff (and other electronics stuff)! I went to the big Yodobashi store in Akihabara today. I have been there a few times this year, so it doesn't feel new for me any longer. But it is still an amazing place. Bought some computer stuff instead of audio related stuff. The store has got about 7 floor, and each floor is huge (1 floor with computer stuff, 1 floor with cameras and watches, 1 with audio and video gear etc...). The store is full of Japanese people and tourists.
For other electronics stores in the central Tokyo area, there is a BIC kamera store and a Yodobashi store near the west exit at Shinjuku station. Those stores are much smaller than the one in Akihabara, but still quite good. In both of those stores you can listen to headphones, even if the selection is a bit smaller than at the Yodobashi store in Akihabara. At BIC kamera in Shinjuku I have seen that they sometimes have lower prices than Yodobashi...
 
For other great Japanese food - try udon noodles (thick noodles). I am going to miss udon in Sweden. Soba noodles is nice as well (thinner noodles). Ramen noodles are very popular in Japan (a bit like soba but with much more stuff in the soup). Foreigners are often recommended to try yakiniku.
Then there is the Japanese version of pizza - okonomiyaki. The best thing about that is that when you go to a restaurant to eat it, you make it yourself!
And of course sushi. I need not say that Japanese sushi is the best in the world?
 
I am so going to miss Japanese food back in Sweden...

 

[Danneq]

Quote:

IF ONLY I WERE AN AUDIOPHILE EARLIER!!!! NOOOOOO!!
 
I went to akihabara in the summer with my family, and saw alot of headphones... but i knew nothing about them....
 
IF ONLY.....

 
Ah! I understand how you feel. Well, if your family liked the trip to Japan, perhaps you can convince them that you can go again? Save money and do research on interesting headphones, and write a list with headphones you want to try out. Then you spend a day at the store and listen and compare. And perhaps buy something nice.
 
Personally, I have used MP3 players since 2003, but I have never been that interested in good headphones. I started becoming more interested about 1,5 year ago, and this year when I have lived in Japan I have become really interested. It's good that I have had the opportunity to try out stuff and buy Japanese products much cheaper than in Europe. When I return to Sweden in the end of December, I will be back in a country where even the best electronics stores are a joke compared to Japanese electronics stores.

 

[BlackbeardBen]

Quote:

Yeah, if I tell anyone how much I spend on headphones they think I'm crazy. The general population just has no idea how good headphones can sound. . . ignorance isn't really bliss. 
 
I invited someone over to try my HD 650s once and his reaction was "woah, it's like being there!"

That is almost exactly the response I got from a friend Thursday night with my HD 600s.  I then told him we should go to the local Hi-Fi shop the next day, which we did of course.  I posted this in another thread regarding the experience:
 
Oh, and I converted an audio infidel today!  Last night I played my HD 600s for him and he was blown away - told me he felt like he was there - and today we went to the shop to listen to a bunch of phones.  He had never heard anything better than his stock iPhone earbuds - and I had him listen to the AKG K701, Beyer DT880 (600 ohm), my Senns, and some random cheapo AKG/Beyer/Koss phones.
 
Then we got out the big guns - the Sennheiser HD 800 and Beyerdynamic T1 (everything amp'ed with the Beyer A1, FLAC files from my laptop through my uDAC as the source).  He's a classic rock and jazz fan, so he quickly appreciated the quality of the 'phones - and for the most part, even the subtleties between very similar cans.
 
Before we had gone into the store, he told me he was looking for 'phones under 50 Euros - but by the time we were done, he was trying to figure out how long it would take him to save up 300 Euros (after we got back I looked them up at just over 200 Euros from Amazon.de) for a pair of HD 600s!
 
After listening to everything, we both had found the HD 600 to be our favorites value-wise (i.e. eliminating the HD 800 & T1) and sound signature-wise across the widest range of music.  The mids are just awesome with the HD 600 - the punch and viscerality while remaining well balanced is excellent.  I found myself preferring this aspect over the mids of either of the more expensive 'phones, even though they are probably more accurate in their presentation.  Of course, pretty much everything else was in another league with them (the HD 800/T1), including the level of detail in the mids.
 
Because of the need for an amp (and thus the increase in money spent) for the HD 600, I told him that he'd probably be better off starting with something less, though.  For now my suggestion to him is the Alessandro MS1i, thanks to the excellent price and free international shipping - which is pretty f'ing amazing.  Not too much over his initial budget, either - 84 Euros instead of 50.
 
Now I just have to resist the temptation to get something like the HD 800 or T1...   Heaven forbid I audition a pair of electrostats or orthos.

Maybe I should just concentrate on enjoying my speakers - which I think I still find far more immersive and enjoyable.
 

 
Quote:

 
Quote:

I wish there would be a headphone or audio store where you could:
 
1. Listen to ever selection.
2. Bring your own source.
3. Pair them up with other products you may be purchasing that might be in the audio.
 
I have hesitated on buying any headphone worth a bunch of money because all I have to go on is reviews on the internet.  If I buy something and don't like it I have to deal with shipping, and they don't cover shipping stuff back.  Even a small local store I would support if they carried a huge line of stuff to be able to hear, and I would pay more for it.

 
Come to Japan on vacation! I have been living outside of Tokyo this year, studying Japanese at a school in the outskirts of Yokohama. There are a few electronics chains, the most well known being Yodobashi camera and BIC camera. They both have big headphone sections where you can do number 1 and 2 on your list. I often go to the local Yodobashi store and listen to headphones. I am thinking of buying a pair of Sennheiser HD 25 1:II for myself and a pair of AKG K518 LE for my wife. I have been able to listen to them with different DAP:s at Yodobashi and BIC camera stores. However, I will buy them back in Sweden since foreign brands are more expensive in Japan. If you want to find cheaper stuff in Japan, you should buy Japanese products.
 
In a few weeks we return to Sweden, which compared to Japan is like North korea - no possibilies at all to test headphones in stores, small selection etc... Today I will go to Akihabara in Tokyo, where there is a HUGE Yodobashi store. Probably my last visit during this stay in Japan...
Let me tempt you with some pictures I found online:

 
The picture above is from the Yodobashi store in Akihabara. I'll go there and try out some headphones. The last time I was there, the HD 25 1:II had no sound on one side. Perhaps they have fixed it...
 
 
It can also look like this, with each maker having it's own booth:

 
 
 
Some headphones are in glass cabinets, but there is no problem to try them out as well if you ask. The service of Japanese staff is probably the best in the world.

 
 
I'll certainly miss living in Japan. Since my wife is Japanese we will of course come here on vacation. And who knows, we might move here permanently in the future.
 
During my year in Japan, I have bought: ATH ES7, ATH M50, Pioneer SE EX9 clip-on earphones and most recently ATH CM700TI. I bought all of them used on Japanese Yahoo auction. Even if they are second hand, they are almost like new, and best of all - half price compared to store prices.
I have also bought two used Japanese MP3 players: a Kenwood HD20GA7 and a Victor/JVC XA HD 500.
 
Japan truly is an electronics nerd's heaven

Where in Sweden do you live?  I'm in Skövde studying this year, and HiFi Punkten (conveniently located downtown 100m from the bus station) is great.  Okay, not Japan/Korea/HK/et al., but I live in a city six times bigger in the US and all we have is a pair of Best Buys and an ABC Warehouse that's where the Circuit City used to be.
 
Okay, there's Audio Advisor an hour and a half away at least.  That's far enough that I've never been there.  But here in Sweden I can walk from the university to the shop in about five mintues, and they have most of the worthwhile AKG/Sennheiser/Beyerdynamic headphones available for audition, using whatever source or material you'd like.  But of course, all of them cost almost twice as much as they do in Germany or the US.  I'd say that's the biggest downside here.

 

[Danneq]

Quote:

You forgot to mention the only real reason to visit any foreign country - the beautiful women (and after that, the good beer!)Japan's on my list, but Sweden first!(Yes, I'm kidding. Sorta.)

Swedish women are beautiful. But I prefer Japanese women. And the headphone stores are sooooooooo much better here in Japan than in Sweden!

 

[Danneq]

Quote:

Where in Sweden do you live?  I'm in Skövde studying this year, and HiFi Punkten (conveniently located downtown 100m from the bus station) is great.  Okay, not Japan/Korea/HK/et al., but I live in a city six times bigger in the US and all we have is a pair of Best Buys and an ABC Warehouse that's where the Circuit City used to be.
 
Okay, there's Audio Advisor an hour and a half away at least.  That's far enough that I've never been there.  But here in Sweden I can walk from the university to the shop in about five mintues, and they have most of the worthwhile AKG/Sennheiser/Beyerdynamic headphones available for audition, using whatever source or material you'd like.  But of course, all of them cost almost twice as much as they do in Germany or the US.  I'd say that's the biggest downside here.

 
My hometown in Sweden is Södertälje about 35 kilometers south of Stockholm. The stores I can think of where you can buy audio gear are places like El-giganten, SIBA and Onoff. They are probably a bit like Best Buy and Circuit City in the US in that they are electronics stores that also sell audio stuff.
 
I do know of an audio store in Stockholm where you might get to try headphones if you ask. But as you say, they are expensive in case you decide to buy. I am thinking of buying a pair of Sennheiser HD 25 1:II and a pair of AKG K518 LE next year, and if I order them from Germany they will still be cheaper with the shipping costs of about 25 euro included than if I buy them in Sweden...
On the other hand, European and American gear is more expensive in Japan than in Sweden. However the strong yen/weak dollar has led to prices being lowered. For example the HD 25 1:II was recently lowered from 29.800 yen to 23.800 yen at Yodobashi stores...

 

[bwhsh8r]

My friend
"NAH BRAH you spent too much, I like my beats better" (than AKG K702/dennon d2000)
 
then he puts on my hd800s
 
"WOOOW now THESE I am impressed with, I thought I was going to like the beats better but these man THESE"
 
I get a lot of people who are sticker shocked by my "beater" Sony MDR-SA5000 s when I wear them at school, that and a lot of comments like WOOOW that's a lot to carry around since I use a monster semi-flexible jack to protect my iPod jack, and I have a big stereo to mini-stereo adapter on that.  Then, if I add a CMOY nobody understands it, since they figure whats the point in an iPod if I just turned it back into a brick.