[ev13wt]

This.

Even when some of my friends (girls, especially) try my M50s or SRH840s on, they're like, "Hmm...it's ok". The guys are more receptive, but still think it's insane spending over $20 and still use their ibuds.

Well, after all, all they hear is... wait for it... music! And ibuds do that as well. It IS possible to enjoy music on pretty much anything. It should be about the music.

Good sound reproduction enjoyment is a learning curve. A big one. Once upon a time many of us didn't know what "good" was either.


I always trick people. They know I like sound "stuff". I let them play there favorite song through some very crappy skullcandy on ears. Sound signature: Old telephone like mids, no highs or lows, the end.

Then they spot something else. I let them try that and the learning effect is immediate. Eyes bulge and they go: "Now that sounds really nice!"

Presentation is key. A good thing with speaker or headphones is playing Pink Floyd's track "Wish you where here". Turn it up to a healthy volume. Press play and wait for it. Last time I did this my mom looked around and then exclaimed: "OMG I was wondering who is playing the guitar!?!"

Ok, that is kind of tricking people, but many need to learn and compare before they can understand. Makes sense, right?

 

[Tangster]

Quote:

Well, after all, all they hear is... wait for it... music! And ibuds do that as well. It IS possible to enjoy music on pretty much anything. It should be about the music.

Good sound reproduction enjoyment is a learning curve. A big one. Once upon a time many of us didn't know what "good" was either.


I always trick people. They know I like sound "stuff". I let them play there favorite song through some very crappy skullcandy on ears. Sound signature: Old telephone like mids, no highs or lows, the end.

Then they spot something else. I let them try that and the learning effect is immediate. Eyes bulge and they go: "Now that sounds really nice!"

Presentation is key. A good thing with speaker or headphones is playing Pink Floyd's track "Wish you where here". Turn it up to a healthy volume. Press play and wait for it. Last time I did this my mom looked around and then exclaimed: "OMG I was wondering who is playing the guitar!?!"

Ok, that is kind of tricking people, but many need to learn and compare before they can understand. Makes sense, right?

I did convert someone with the Denon D1100(that were on deal for £39). Since the only things he'd heard before then were gaming headphones, even the fairly lacklustre D1100's sounded great to him.
 
I also find speakers are a much better converter than headphones.

 

[NightFlight]

I believe I heard someone refer to Steve Jobs saying the same about the Apple portable products. If a child immediately gets it, then you likely have a winner.
Give a 2-4yr old an iPad. Watch what happens. 
 
Audio is the same. Kids don't have preconceptions of good/bad and $$$
 

 

[NightFlight]

Quote:

Ok, that is kind of tricking people, but many need to learn and compare before they can understand. Makes sense, right?

 
We all learned on our own by comparing, so why should we expect others to "get it" on their own without comparisons?

 

[NightFlight]

Quote:

I'd never let someone use my IEM. They can wear i-whatever I wouldn't care, call me a germ-a-phobe. I wonder what kind of germs are on the Beats listening station, seeing the people who like them have very little common sense.  

I think you might be moving up from the world of germs and into bugs there.

 

[NightFlight]

Quote:

well. one of my friends took of my HD650's mid song, cos there was a thunder clap in the song and thought it wasn't part of the song.
To be fair i did the same the first time I heard the song but it doesn't count!

 
Please share, which track?

 

[NightFlight]

Quote:

I think you might be moving up from the world of germs and into bugs there.

To clarify - not your ear wax - the Beats listening station. LOL

 

[JamesHuntington]

Quote:

 
Please share, which track?

Headphones are like drugs, If you don't give someone the right amount they're either going to freak out, their brain isn't going to be able to interpret the high or they may spend their life in the search for the perfect high. As headphone lovers were not dealers. As a sales person with many years experience I like to let the item sell itself. I do so because i don't want the costumer to blame me when they're unhappy. I could only imagine what would happen if they put a pair on Sennheiser HD650 in a BestBuy to test. It would either be awesome or terrible. My Sennheiser HD540 are some of the only headphones I have that make the sound go all around, over and through my head, especially when listening to Roger Waters album The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking. You and your friends might not like it, but like binaural tracks I wonder if this album was made for headphones?...  

 

[thekruser]

Showed my he 400s from my schiit stack to a friend "If I had the money I would buy those right now."

 

[wolfetan44]

Quote:

Showed my he 400s from my schiit stack to a friend "If I had the money I would buy those right now."

 

[NightFlight]

Quote:

Headphones are like drugs, If you don't give someone the right amount they're either going to freak out, their brain isn't going to be able to interpret the high or they may spend their life in the search for the perfect high. As headphone lovers were not dealers. As a sales person with many years experience I like to let the item sell itself. I do so because i don't want the costumer to blame me when they're unhappy. I could only imagine what would happen if they put a pair on Sennheiser HD650 in a BestBuy to test. It would either be awesome or terrible. My Sennheiser HD540 are some of the only headphones I have that make the sound go all around, over and through my head, especially when listening to Roger Waters album The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking. You and your friends might not like it, but like binaural tracks I wonder if this album was made for headphones?...  

No, I think its just roger waters playing around with effects. You'll find the same in Amused to Death. I'm partial to Radio Chaos... which I just realized I don't own/have a copy. 

 

[JamesHuntington]

Quote:

No, I think its just roger waters playing around with effects. You'll find the same in Amused to Death. I'm partial to Radio Chaos... which I just realized I don't own/have a copy.
 
 

I think he proved a long time ago that he's not just "playing around with effects."
 
Anyhow, went to Best Buy today, noticed how Bose and Beats are the first thing you see when you walk in the door. They were the only thing on a 12 foot isle and were practically unavoidable. The fact that they are so promoted doesn't intrigue me as much as the fact that they are together, like Abbot and Costello. Then more beats wrapped around to the end of the isle too and Monster DNA took the opposite end cap.  Then the next 2 isles were the rest of the headphones mixed with crappy ipod accessories and overpriced ghetto blasters. There's less than 3 square feet devoted to Sennheiser.
Also saw this 10ish yo kid was trying to get his mom to buy him some gaming headphones and all they had was $50+ stuff that looked military issue to me. His mom was really not with the price and was asking about some that were in the $20 range that looked like the ones the guy wears in the Taco Bell drive through. He was trying to tell her that those wouldn't work but she was on the phone with his dad trying to see if they had something at home that would work. I wanted to help him but he probably just got all kinds of Christmas stuff. Maybe next year kid. Ask for the black ones with the lime green accents and cable, whatever they're called

 

[broomtrop]

some kids in one of my classes wanted to try out my m-100s and there mouths dropped

 

[NightFlight]

Quote:

I think he proved a long time ago that he's not just "playing around with effects."
 
Anyhow, went to Best Buy today, noticed how Bose and Beats are the first thing you see when you walk in the door. They were the only thing on a 12 foot isle and were practically unavoidable. The fact that they are so promoted doesn't intrigue me as much as the fact that they are together, like Abbot and Costello. Then more beats wrapped around to the end of the isle too and Monster DNA took the opposite end cap.  Then the next 2 isles were the rest of the headphones mixed with crappy ipod accessories and overpriced ghetto blasters. There's less than 3 square feet devoted to Sennheiser.

 
Its the same with music. Masses only listen to what is shoved down their throat. I guess they listen to it with the crap they're pushed towards as well. I guess this is what this thread is about. Get the word out.
 
I have a few auditions in mind for those I think might be receptive. Right now looking mournfully at the void where my HD800s and Schiit stack belong. Money has been doled out, but its gonna take a week or two. None of it auditioned. Purely trusting what I read and figured I had to start somewhere.

 

[JamesHuntington]

Quote:

some kids in one of my classes wanted to try out my m-100s and there mouths dropped

 
Those things have the smallest cable I've seen on a hp over $100. Maybe I'm from the old school but I'd like to see them put bigger cables on those.
Quote:

 
Its the same with music. Masses only listen to what is shoved down their throat. I guess they listen to it with the crap they're pushed towards as well. I guess this is what this thread is about. Get the word out.

What I don't get is that beats aren't thrown down anyone's throat, they're $200-300. They've just become the new cool accessory that every kid wants; I spent about that much a year on clothes when I was younger to look cool. Back then I wanted something i could use like a bike or a skateboard. I was happy with the cheap headphones i got with my walkman or the cheap replacement from riteaid. There's really no way for a parent to get through to a kid that is hypnotized by cool.
I'm going to the coffee shop right now and taking my Grado SR60, so maybe I can push a few people to listen to them with some of the new binaural music I've recently downloaded. There's two stores within 20 miles of my house that sell Grado and i think It's a great one to show off because they're only $70-80. Then they see the SR 80 are only $20- more, and so on and they leave there with SR 125 and think they've got the best ever.