EDIT: Me being something of a grammar freak, I tidied up a few parts. That's what you get for making such a long post, I guess
EDIT2: Um, just to clarify and avoid offending anyone, I'm not ragging on zeinharis' comment because I quoted his post. I just wanted to do that "virtual high-five" thing and let it slide; the really, really, really, really long semi-sermon came as something of an afterthought.
... And what an afterthought it was
)
Quote:
That's what i call "an audiophile reactions to non-high-end headphones"
And, for being so clever, here's a virtual high-five!
... Jokes aside, I've noticed that a lot of people don't seem to like the M50s very much. Whether or not this stems from their being
too popular over the past few (years?) months, and people hyping the heck out of them, I have no idea. In any case, they're not bad headphones
per se, but neither are they the excellent headphones a lot of people make them out to be.
This could just be my personal preference for warm cans speaking, but I much prefer my K242s over the M50s (though I'll admit that the M50s beat my cans hollow in terms of portability); again, this is just me voicing my opinion, and I've yet to listen to the M50s for more than ten minutes at a time (I auditioned them at this one store nearby before going for my current cans), yet I find that they really are somewhat lacking in detail, at least when compared to some cans within the same price range. Also, they don't sound all that exciting, but neither are they clinical in nature, giving them a bit of a middling response. It's maybe this latter observation that turns so many elitist head-fi'ers off them, as those who've spent a lot of time with cans of their own tend to mould or focus their tastes on a specific sound signature, much like how some prefer Grado's in-your-face presentation, or AKG's mid-centric one.
Anyway, I think I went on a bit of a tangent.
*ahem*
I'll be the first to admit that the M50s aren't the
best headphones around, even at the price point, but they're also good performers that have turned a lot of people towards head-fidom, as well as audiophilia in general. How many people (admittedly under or slightly over the age of 20) here on Head-Fi admit to having fallen in love with the hobby thanks to these cans? Just because the vast majority have come to find other cans that suit their preferences more doesn't mean that they have the right to speak badly of the A-Ts. Actually, it doesn't have to only be about the M50s; whenever a person in my class starts plugging Skullcandy, Bose, or (... *shudder*) Beats, I merely state that there are a lot of better cans out there from manufacturers that a lot of them have probably never even heard of. Sometimes, I even let them try out my AKGs, on the rare occasion that I bring them out of the house (though more often than not, I have to make do with my Philips SHE9800 IEMs, which is a bit gross). A lot of the time, those who deign to try my portable rig are able to "see" a difference, and concede my point. In the rare event that they don't see a difference or, yikes, even prefer their iBuds or Beats headphones, I just shrug and let it slide; I'm not here to sell brands anyway.
A lot of people label me as something of an elitist when it comes to audio, and even come to me for advice sometimes (though when I can't answer a question, I usually refer them here). They trust my opinion, basically. However, I always tell them that audio preference is something for people to discover for themselves, and that they should try out whatever suits their fancy, and simply stick to what they like.
If a person is satisfied with a pair of iBuds or non-audiophile-friendly headphones, then all the better for them; their wallets will be in much better shape than mine a few years from now, though I can't really say that I envy them that.
... Let me just get to the point before I go off on another tangent, yeah? Sorry, it's a bit of a bad habit of mine:
Whether or not a person thinks the world of a pair of cans is really none of your business. Feel free to point out that there are better ones or ones more suited to their usage or taste, but please do so in a polite and respectful manner. Even I'm a bit irritated by how people always refer newcomers to Head-Fi to buy the M50s, but I keep it to myself because, if they're okay with them, who am I to complain?
There's nothing to gain from picking a fight online. This is the internet, yes, but that does NOT excuse you from practicing common courtesy.
Cheers, and sorry for the long post!
P.S.
Yeah, I might have overreacted, but I've come across this situation so many times here on Head-Fi that it's trying my nerves a bit. Sorry, again.
