Nope. The Skullcandy Aviators are junk after all.
Jun 13, 2011 at 1:06 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 33

technologiq

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First off, while I'm newly registered I've been a long time lurker.
 
For the past 6 months or so I've been considering getting a decent pair of headphones.  I enjoy listening to music and the certain level of relaxation that can come with kicking back with some good music and a pair of headphones on.  Anyways, after receiving a Apple store gift card I figured I'd use it to pick up a new pair of headphones without shelling out a lot of cash.
 
I went to the Apple store and found a mediocre selection of headphones.   I made note of what was available and tried a few pairs of headphones (Klipsh Ones, Aviators, Beats) and came back here to to some research.   The beats were out because while the sound isolation was great, they sounded "meh".   The Klipsch were good sounding but a little 'bass-heavy'.  The aviators felt comfortable, sounded good and I liked the 'retro' look they had.  I read reviews on here which were fairly positive, especially the CES review.  So i bit the bullet.
 
I picked up the brown/gold pair and brought them home.  The headphones sounded good and I put a few hours on them that day.   I initially used them on my iPhone 4 and then my MBP and was happy.   Happy until I tried to use the in-line controls, I tried to pause and it wouldn't pause.  Then I tried to make the volume go up and it stuck and increased the volume to the point that I had to remove the headphones.   I checked on my i4 and it exhibited similar problems.  No biggie I thought, I'll take them back and get another pair. 
 
The next day I took them back and got another pair.  This time the black/silver version.  Brought them home and listened on my Mac, my receiver, phone and ipad.  No problems, everything works great and I'm happy listening to music on pretty good sounding cans.   
 
Fast forward a week and I just grabbed my headphones to listen to some music on my computer.  I plugged them into the receptacle on the side of my laptop and listen.  Nothing.  I hit volume up on my keyboard and the sound is playing out of my Macs speakers.  Bizarre, so I look and make sure they are in the right receptacle. Yep, sure are. I pull to make sure they are snug - jack comes right out. What? I look closely at them, the tip is missing?!   Grab a flashlight, look inside laptop - nope not there.  Look inside iPhone, nope, not there.  Look inside receiver, nope, not there.  Look at iPad and there it was, a little wire was sticking out of the headphone jack.  I grabbed a pair of pliers and pulled it out.  Thankfully came out in one piece and no damage to the iPad.
 
I'm going to return these tomorrow but I'm EXTREMELY hesitant to buy another pair of Aviators since they are built about as well as an old Pontiac Fiero.
 
If Apple gives me ALL my money back then I'd probably head over to Amazon (since I have Prime) and get something different there.  I'm thinking M50's but then I hear good things about Sennheiser.  Can anyone recommend good cans in the $150-$175 range that are available on Amazon.com?
 
If Apple will only give me back the balance of the gift card then I'm stuck purchasing something there like the Klipsch ones or some V-Moda crossfades.  Neither of which I'm terribly interested in but would probably do the Klipsch's.
 
That's it - sorry about the rant.  I just had to get this out and let people know that while those Aviators certainly raise the bar for the sound quality that Skullcandy can produce, they are still the same old Skullcandy build quality.
 
 
 
Jun 13, 2011 at 1:32 AM Post #2 of 33
Ouch, looks like you're yet another person that has dealt with skullcandy's horrible durability. I myself went through 3 pairs of of the FMJ iem's, before finally deciding to do my research. The only good thing I can say about that brand is that they honor their warranty at the very least.
 
The ATH-M50's are definitely built way better than any SkullBroken (lol got that from another member here) products. I'm actually listening to my M50 while typing right now hehe! Only thing about the M50 is that you might find it bassy. Not as bad as Klipsh's, but still not everyone's cup of tea.
 
I've been able to audition the Grado SR225i and SR325i at a local store last week, and those sound good too. I'll be back at the store with my own CD's to really compare with the M50.
 
EDIT: the SR60i, SR80i, and the SR125i fall into your budget. The SR225i is over, at $200 on amazon. The good thing about the Grado's are they are easy to find in local stores to audition (well, at least here in SF, it is).
 
Jun 13, 2011 at 1:45 AM Post #3 of 33
I'm also listening to my M50 as I'm typing this. I would recommend these to anyone, they are honestly the best headphones I have ever head (well I haven't heard that many high-end headphones...) but I can confirm that they are a little bassy. I'm pretty sure you can EQ them though. If you want open headphones I would recommend the HD-555 (the only other "high-end" headphones I have heard). They are under your budget, but they do sound quiet nice.
 
Jun 13, 2011 at 1:58 AM Post #4 of 33
If you want grados keep in mind that they're open, meaning they don't block any noise at all and people can listen to what you're listening to. Not a problem for at home use but something to keep note of. They're easily modifiable so they're a favorite here. Their sound is also just face melting. If you want something that's closed and blocks noise then the M50's are a pretty good choice. 
 
Jun 13, 2011 at 2:03 AM Post #5 of 33


Quote:
Ouch, looks like you're yet another person that has dealt with skullcandy's horrible durability. I myself went through 3 pairs of of the FMJ iem's, before finally deciding to do my research. The only good thing I can say about that brand is that they honor their warranty at the very least.
 
 

 
No they don't, I had a pair of their hesh phones before joining here, they were dead on arrival, unless they really do sound that bad, skullcandy refused to help me with them, they just shipped them right back when I sent them in for RMA. Every email I sent them was returned with a link to their store recommended me to buy more.
 
Jun 13, 2011 at 1:44 PM Post #6 of 33
There is a lot of good advice on the forum about headphones in that range that you can find. The last post may be a good start. If you can only get store credit you may want to save your pennies and buy the B&W P5. If you don't want to spend that much, and can only get a gift card, you can always try and sell it. Lets say the giftcard is $150, and you sold it for $100.
 
There are a pair of recabled M50's on the FS forum right now. I don't know how you feel about used gear. If you don't want a ton of bass you could check out the AKG's I also posted. I can't tell you how either sound, as I have not heard either. I can tell you there is a lot of great stuff for sale in the for sale area. I check it every day. The two links I posted I found on the first page of the Headphones for sale area.
 
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/557780/ath-m-50-recabled-with-mogami
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/552005/fs-ft-akg-k240-lp-sextetts
 
Jun 14, 2011 at 9:52 AM Post #7 of 33
Thanks for the responses everyone.  I love this forum for the fact that there more reviews and opinions on products than anywhere else.  
 
Apple took the headphones back yesterday so that was good.  The sales person mentioned that the demo Aviators at that store had been replaced a few times so I wasn't alone.   Before I left the store I did try the V-Moda Crossfades and they sounded good, a little more bass than the Aviators which I liked.
 
I'm now just trying to decide between the Crossfades and the M50's.  I love the looks and liked the sound out of the Crossfades but I feel like I'm sacrificing SQ for looks by getting them and I'll always be wondering what the M50's sound like.   Amazon has the white crossfades for a good price right now but still not sure if its worth it even at the cheaper price point.   I wish I could find a pair of M50's to audition locally (haven't so far...)
 
Arrrgh! Decisions!
 
Jun 14, 2011 at 10:14 AM Post #8 of 33
If you were looking for something else I'm sure you would have no problems selling an unopen M50 on these forums, have you seen all the recommendations they get?
 
Jun 14, 2011 at 10:40 AM Post #9 of 33
I have to say that I do not think all of Skullcandy is bad. I purchased a pair of Inked
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
So you can imagine that like many on Head-Fi, I too like to consider myself a headphone affectionado. My Buddy sees that I'm wearing these IEMs and he says you have to try these. His pair he had used for so long the silver was wearing out on the silver band. He says just try them. I use them for a day and maybe because of the fit and the bass responce they had I went to buy a pair. They cost $10.80. A pair of headphones which I still have, that sound good from two years ago! They do not sound the best but what do you want for $10.80? I like em!
 
Jun 14, 2011 at 10:49 AM Post #10 of 33
For what you were up against, Aviators were the best choice. But still, they're the best of the worst and over priced.
 
Your price point can get you some real audiophile cans that'll last for year. My reccomendation:
 
Light Bass: ATH-M50's
Heavy Bass: PRO700's
Neutral: ATH-A900's
Open: ATH-AD700's, and Cheap
 
See a pattern? Yeah that's the audiotechnica quality. :wink:
 
Jun 14, 2011 at 11:02 AM Post #11 of 33
Well, if you wanted to get something the Apple store didn't carry, you could always look towards the Phiaton MS 400.  I think it looks pretty great, and it apparently sounds quite good too.  I haven't heard it myself though, unfortunately.  But I still love the way they look regardless (and I've heard people say that they sound very good, so that's definitely a big plus right there).
 
Jun 14, 2011 at 12:46 PM Post #12 of 33
Jun 14, 2011 at 5:36 PM Post #13 of 33
At lunch I decided to head over to Guitar Center and try a pair of M50's and then to the Apple Store to try a pair of V-Moda crossfades.
 
Before leaving I synced up a few songs I wanted to listen to on my iPhone (this and my MBP will be my most frequently used media players).    I headed down to the Apple store and tried on the Crossfades. I love the way they look and they felt pretty good but the cups felt a little small and I don't have big ears.  I hooked them up to my iPhone and listened and really liked the way they sounded however I felt that it sounded 'soft' or as if there was a thick fabric over the sound.   Specifically I listened to Hotel California (instrumental version from "Hell Freezes Over") by the Eagles and Savior (Rise Against) (both 320kbps - I know, I know..) among others and was pleased by the sound.    I wasn't pleased by how much sound the crossfades let in, nor the fact that even in the Apple Store, which has a lot of loud ambient noise the leakage was pretty bad.  That said however they sounded so much better than the V-Moda IEMs I got at costco a few years ago and the Sony MDREX38iP's that I was using currently.
 
Then I drove over to GuitarCenter on a whim that they would even have the M50's in stock let alone a pair to demo.  I put them on and they felt almost too big, I adjusted and they were immediately quite comfortable.  I plugged them into my iPhone and fired up Hotel California.
 
Sweet mother of god.
 
I think my face started to melt.  Immediately that 'muffled' soft sound I had heard in Hotel California was gone.  Instead I heard individual claps from the audience and the sound of a finger running down the guitar string.   Not to sound too dramatic but it sounded like I was there.  The bass wasn't muddy but instead had a very specific punch to it.   I was very pleased.   Next I fired up Savior and truly experienced what 'soundstage' is.  In the first 10 seconds of vocals in that song it finally sounded like the music wasn't 'in my head' but instead it felt like I was in the studio and could point to where his voice was coming from.  I fired up some other songs and was just floored by the clarity, the bass, the mids, everything.
 
Needless to say I came back, traded the Apple Store card for an Amazon card and just ordered the M50's.  I can't wait to get them although I have a feeling I'll just have to leave them on for a day or so and break them in.  I wanted the Crossfades so bad, mostly because of the look and the fact that they had the iPod controls and mic but after comparing the SQ from them both I'm glad I'm going with the M50's.
 
Thank you Head-Fi, had I not known about this forum I would have happily bought Aviators/Beats/Crossfades and never known what my music was meant to sound like.
 
Jun 14, 2011 at 7:48 PM Post #14 of 33
I love hearing about people's first times. 
atsmile.gif

 
Welcome to the club!
 
Jun 14, 2011 at 8:03 PM Post #15 of 33
wasnt there a thread by jude saying they were actually pretty good?$$
 

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