Non-audiophile reactions to high-end headphones
Sep 19, 2012 at 9:17 PM Post #4,892 of 6,432
Just had my brother and his wife stop by and of course they made comments about my "expensive" setup.
So i just let them listen.  It was funny to watch them go from mocking my setup to having nothing to say after a short listening session.  I actually think I might have planted a seed in my sisters head.  She'll have the bug pretty soon i'm thinking. 
It's crazy though how much disdain people have when I tell them about my "hobby" and how i'm constantly upgrading and tweaking my setup. I would probably get a better reaction if I told people I like digging through dumpsters for old banana peels. 
 
Sep 19, 2012 at 9:19 PM Post #4,893 of 6,432
Quote:
The biohazard symbols on ur Toxic accesories definitely wont help if u get held up in the airport! XD

ha ha ha I actually had someone ask me if the cables were toxic. 
I said "of course they're Toxic cables"!!!!
 
Sep 20, 2012 at 9:04 PM Post #4,895 of 6,432
Quote:
Mine is worth roughly a fifth of my headphone setup. lol
 

lol I thought I have spent more than 2850 on headphones, guess not....yet I'm saying that like it's nothing.
 
Sep 22, 2012 at 6:49 PM Post #4,896 of 6,432
I let my grandmother, who has great ears try out my Q701s a few months ago. I played some Mozart, and she stood there with her eyes closed for about 6 minutes, and when i paused it, she just said "Wow... Why did you stop the music?"
 
Sep 22, 2012 at 7:15 PM Post #4,897 of 6,432
Quote:
 

My portable rig. Fostex HP-P1 with a Toxic cable LOD running to an iPod classic(apple lossless)

That looks damn good. What are the cans called?  They match well with the fostex and ipod aesthetically.
tongue.gif

 
Sep 22, 2012 at 7:55 PM Post #4,898 of 6,432
Quote:
That looks damn good. What are the cans called?  They match well with the fostex and ipod aesthetically.
tongue.gif

Ha ha ha. I'm about to open you up to a whole new world. Those are the ultrasone pro 2900s.  Without a doubt my favorite headphone.  Now I say this because of their price and what you get for that price. In my opinion these will give you the most bang for your buck.  They are all around an impressive pair of cans. Now there are certainly better headphones out there but they aren't even close to the price range.
 
Sep 22, 2012 at 8:10 PM Post #4,899 of 6,432
Quote:
Ha ha ha. I'm about to open you up to a whole new world. Those are the ultrasone pro 2900s.  Without a doubt my favorite headphone.  Now I say this because of their price and what you get for that price. In my opinion these will give you the most bang for your buck.  They are all around an impressive pair of cans. Now there are certainly better headphones out there but they aren't even close to the price range.

Nice!
 
Can i get some brief comparisons/impressions between these and the HD650?  No idea what an ultrasone sounds like.  PM is fine if this is too off-topic. 
redface.gif

 
Sep 22, 2012 at 8:20 PM Post #4,900 of 6,432
One morning I got fed up with one of my friends trying to lord his Beats over my HD 650s, so I let him wear mine for a few minutes.  He promptly stood on the table and said "Anyone who has 25 dollars and can get to me first gets my Beats" and he sold his beats right there on the spot and ordered 650s from amazon for overnight shipping.  He's been a headfier ever since and is bothering me to finish my electrostatic DIYs so he can try those (I'm trying to make them sound like Koss esp 950s)
 
Sep 22, 2012 at 8:29 PM Post #4,901 of 6,432
It's been awhile since I checked up on this thread, but I thought I'd post one of latest little exploits:
 
Last night I was out on the town with a few friends, and for some reason we decided it was a good idea to go to Best Buy 20 minutes before they closed on our way to our destination for the night. Once there, I immediately split off and went to Pro Audio, and soon one of my buddies found me there, listening to the TMA-1 to remember why I sold mine. He asked why there was a different listening station so far from MP3, and I explained (lightly) the different between a consumer-focused and profesiional-focused can as well as some of the ad-dollar motives behind it, and he was interested in having a listen. Sadly, the HDJ2000 wasn't properly hooked up (I'm sure he would've been in love with it), but he had one listen to the TMA-1, which to me sounds muddy and not all that exceptional in any regard, and was hooked. He listened to every single headphone on the stand, and when he went over to listen to Beats he was utterly disappointed by the missing detail.
 
What I didn't expect was the exact headphone he was most hooked on (he considered himself a basshead and listens to a lot of dubstep), but now he's got himself an HD280 Pro. When asked why he bought it so suddenly and why he didn't go for the bassy TMA-1 or HDJ1500, he explained that he loved the way the whole picture came together on the HD280.
 
Sep 22, 2012 at 8:32 PM Post #4,902 of 6,432
Okay, I have to admit that this story isn't about me showing a friend of mine high-end earphones. It is actually my own story ^^
 
I tried on a pair of DT880's once in a recording studio. The sound engineer played me this binaural track by Recreate Technologies. It featured some binaural effects such as a lady talking and walking around you, ambulances driving past and stuff.
 
But during the listen through the demo, the phone in the recording room started ringing, and I was confused as to why the guy didn't go and pick it up. Only until I listened to the binaural track again did I realize that the ringing phone was actually part of the binaural test track!
 
I gotta say that was some intense soundstaging, creeped the heck out of me when I thought about it 
basshead.gif

 
Sep 22, 2012 at 8:37 PM Post #4,903 of 6,432
Nice!

Can i get some brief comparisons/impressions between these and the HD650?  No idea what an ultrasone sounds like.  PM is fine if this is too off-topic. :xf_eek:

Well lets start with s-logic which Ultrasone uses to bounce the "music" off of your outer ear before it enters your ear canal. They claim this produces a 3-D quality and gives it more of a realistic feel since live music is heard this way. I am a believer. However it does take a few listening sessions to get used to this effect. But once I did I loved it.

They are also extremely comfortable and have a rugged quality about them. You feel like these things can take a beating. They employ an ultra plush velvet to cushion the headband and for your ear cups. I also like that they plug into only one side (the left) of your headphone.

Comparing them to the hd650s I'd say they are hands down better but also different completely. I like the hd650s by the way. Where the sens are analytical with an emphasis on mids and soundstage the pro2900s are lively and in your face with excellent, but not overdone, lows that add to the enjoyment of the music.
My opinion is that the hd650s are good for a session of musical reflection and relaxation.
The pro 2900s are for more aggressive moods and while multitasking.
Also Ultrasone claims they shield you from 98% of electromagnetic radiation.

If you want to know more just look for a thread on the subject.
 
Sep 22, 2012 at 8:38 PM Post #4,904 of 6,432
I don't really have any audiophile headphones (and when I think audiophile, I think of people who shun headphones all together and have no-compromises high-end analog stereo systems, but I guess the term has evolved over the years).
 
When I've let people try out the headphones I have/had in my signature their reaction was something like:
Me: "What do you think?"
Them: "Huh? About what?"
Me: "The headphones."
Them: "Uh... They worked fine I guess. Do headphones sound different from each other or something?"
 
Sorry....... My headphone life is not very romantic
 
Sep 22, 2012 at 8:49 PM Post #4,905 of 6,432
I can't believe he didn't go for the TMA-1 if he listens to a lot of EDM. It'd be my go to under $200 for EDM. It's dark as outer space, but I loved it with DnB and Dubstep. 
 
Quote:
It's been awhile since I checked up on this thread, but I thought I'd post one of latest little exploits:
 
Last night I was out on the town with a few friends, and for some reason we decided it was a good idea to go to Best Buy 20 minutes before they closed on our way to our destination for the night. Once there, I immediately split off and went to Pro Audio, and soon one of my buddies found me there, listening to the TMA-1 to remember why I sold mine. He asked why there was a different listening station so far from MP3, and I explained (lightly) the different between a consumer-focused and profesiional-focused can as well as some of the ad-dollar motives behind it, and he was interested in having a listen. Sadly, the HDJ2000 wasn't properly hooked up (I'm sure he would've been in love with it), but he had one listen to the TMA-1, which to me sounds muddy and not all that exceptional in any regard, and was hooked. He listened to every single headphone on the stand, and when he went over to listen to Beats he was utterly disappointed by the missing detail.
 
What I didn't expect was the exact headphone he was most hooked on (he considered himself a basshead and listens to a lot of dubstep), but now he's got himself an HD280 Pro. When asked why he bought it so suddenly and why he didn't go for the bassy TMA-1 or HDJ1500, he explained that he loved the way the whole picture came together on the HD280.

 

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