[MrLlamaBro]

Whenever I wear mu Ultrasone HFI-580's 99% of the reactions are some snarky comment pertaining to Beats. Haven't really gotten any funny reactions yet. Usually people just asking what they are or if they can try them.

 

[viralcow]

From what I can tell, most people at uni recognize that when they see anything non-beats, chances are they sound better. Unfortunately to them, sound quality isn't as important as comfort/portability/look. To a certain extent, it's true, they don't want to fumble around with gigantic ear defenders and a 6ft cord.

 

[soundhax]

good bang per buck and still better than botique brands.

 

[crossjeremiah]

if a guy who wants to steal is on a train, sees 2 headphones . Audeze LCD-3s or Beats Executives. you know that the  guy is going to steal the beats.

 

[wolfetan44]

Quote:

im 13, born in 1999, and i enjoy music, as an aspiring musician, so i obviously like good SQ. what are you talking about?

Join the club! Im 13 and was born in 1999 too!

 

[keppa]

Quote:

if a guy who wants to steal is on a train, sees 2 headphones . Audeze LCD-3s or Beats Executives. you know that the  guy is going to steal the beats.

 
Don't know was he/she an audiophile or not, but when I left my Westone Um2's behind to a train few years back, I was rather suprised that I could collect them from local lost property office. Not like they'd be whole lot of money, but I am rather sure that if they'd been your average iPod buds they would have never surfaced again

 

[ma5h]

A friend of mine does not understand sound at all, he had a pair of airplane earplugs with only one ear working properly for about 8 years. I pleaded with him to buy something a little better, I offered him spare earplugs I had lying around but he was not interested. He was also using at this point (a couple of months ago), a broken CRT monitor with a distorted fuzzy edge and a set of very old, half broken computer speakers.
 
It's worth pointing out that this guy isn't stupid or poor, he is a doctor of physics and works in semiconductor research for the university, he uses his earphones for about 3 hours a day on the bus and his computer about 5 hours.
 
I wander round to his house a couple of weeks back and after years of putting up with crappy stuff he has got himself a new 30inch flatscreen monitor, some new computer speakers with subwoofer and a new set of headphones (only £15 but still at least they work!). Then he turns to me and says all this stuff is great why didn't I tell him to upgrade earlier. I almost smacked him one

 

[mashupAddict]

Quote:

I'm one of those people who is considering public transit for life because I want to enjoy music while i'm on the go.

I commute 90 minutes one way. I ride the bus then switch to light rail. If you think you can turn off your nose, go for it. Otherwise, consider the assault your senses will have to contend with sitting between Curry Sue and Camel Joe while sweaty Sam stands over you. Ugh. Spring is nice though. Usually.

 

[ssrock64]

Quote:

if a guy who wants to steal is on a train, sees 2 headphones . Audeze LCD-3s or Beats Executives. you know that the  guy is going to steal the beats.

Well, a lot of that is mass appeal and making it harder for the original owner to find, too. The most-stolen cars in the world are also some of the cheapest and most common, because thieves know that if they steal a common product they can offload it more easily and be harder to track down than a niche object.

 

[Malevolent]

People are actually incredulous that companies such as Pioneer and Denon make pretty good headphones. The most common remark I've heard goes along the lines of, "Pioneer? Wow that's old fashioned". I've actually had more than a handful of people say something like that.

 

[Eewee]

Well, now Sony MDR-XB700 isn't really a high-end headphone, but when I had them at school some people came over to try them..
There was actually this one dude who said there could have been more bass in them, I instantly facepalmed.
What he owned was some fake Beats Studio!

 

[Rawdawg3234]

that's funny, you go regularly to demo stuff, shopkeep must really like you.
but no, you are used to low end stuff. demoing just means you tried them for 15 min. you only really begin to understand why you like a pair of cans after a while of listening which i would say is a few weeks of listening for a couple hours a day.

+1

 

[Rawdawg3234]

if a guy who wants to steal is on a train, sees 2 headphones . Audeze LCD-3s or Beats Executives. you know that the  guy is going to steal the beats.

If he's just some petty thief then yes I agree, but if he's a "real" criminal he'll know quality when he sees it.
One look at a pair of LCD 3's and even an average person can see the value in them.

 

[kimvictor]

I know, when I wear my Ath-M50 or SE535, people say it sucks. When one of my friends saw me get m50, with out even reading the box, he said "my beats are better". And couple days later, he is happy that his new skullcandy sounds just like beats because his phone has good DAC. At least I have a friend that appreciates good headphones.

 

[stevenswall]

Quote:
 

that's funny, you go regularly to demo stuff, shopkeep must really like you.
but no, you are used to low end stuff. demoing just means you tried them for 15 min. you only really begin to understand why you like a pair of cans after a while of listening which i would say is a few weeks of listening for a couple hours a day.

 
 

+1

 
 
So, applying this to a car, does one truly have to drive around a geo metro for weeks to figure out that they like it? Do they have to drive around a Lamborghini for weeks to figure out if they like it?

What about a chair? Does it take weeks to realize why you like or dislike it?

I'd like to put forth the theory that things can be judged when you experience most of what they have to offer. It may take a long time to experience a car in most every condition one will encounter. Not so with headphones.

I think that, concerning headphones, a direct comparison to another with several songs from the various genre's would be sufficient for one to say that they had 'experienced' it enough to decide whether they liked one compared to the other.

If we are talking about maturing tastes, I think that is a different argument. If someone is used to a bass heavy sound, precise things like Etymotics or the AD-series by Audio Technica will sound bright and disturbing. On the other hand, when I first listened to an Etymotic Hf5 over a few days, I initially recognized that they were more detailed than my previous headphones... I just didn't prefer it.

I understand why I like a particular 'phone almost immediately: It sounds appealing to me. When my preferences change from higher end experiences, it's the same. Why do I like a 'phone? Because the sound appeals to me. I don't think time is a main part of understanding a headphone. I think it's an exponential downward curve concerning the determination of whether someone understands whether or not they like a pair of 'phones.