[steviebee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by antonyfirst /img/forum/go_quote.gif "appreciation threads".....not conceived for discussion, just a sort of infinite and ongoing praise. Maybe we should try to establish a different trend, like a "XXX headphone comparison thread" or "discussion thread" .

Good idea, Tony....appreciation threads are useful I find for delving into areas like fit, tips, mods, problems etc, but they should properly be called 'discussion' (or somesuch) threads...a repository of information from users re that individual HP/IEM. Maybe limit the praise to one such post per Head Fier in each thread.

Or the Hype Police will come round. 'Ere ere, wot's all this then...


Gulp.....I'm - sob - guilty of praising Triple Fi. I will desist, officer

 

[cn11]

Quote:

Originally Posted by antonyfirst /img/forum/go_quote.gif Julie, Yes one of the reasons for I dislike (and usually don't post much on) "appreciation threads" is because they are not conceived for discussion, just a sort of infinite and ongoing praise. Maybe we should try to establish a different trend, like a "XXX headphone comparison thread" or "discussion thread" . It's something you did with certain success back then, when you discovered those Denon C700.

Antony-
Agreed that 'impressions' or 'discussions' threads do more to encourage open talk about the particular piece of gear, and promote better balanced threads. It also makes people more confident to post their negative views too, while keeping hype a bit more in check.

 

[decay]

But they still reign supreme (for now) over ALL iems

 

[tstarn06]

I also agree that appreciation is a very limiting term, and discussion works better. And I started one appreciation thread in my time here. I was going to make that comment, but Tony beat me to it.

As far as hype goes, I think people, being human, post positive views of IEMS, from $19 PL30s to $1,000+ JH13, because they really, truly have a passion for the product ... at least at the moment they posted (and sometimes a little longer).

Anyone out there not guilty of indulging in a little puffing/hype based on your love of a product? Show of hands. It's just nearly impossible to buy/obtain something, love the way it works/sounds/performs, and not tell other people about it, whether it's your next door neighbor, your co-worker, or members in a forum like this one.

Unless someone is being paid to tout a product (who are those elusive shills anyway? Inquiring minds want to know.), it's just human nature IMHO, whether they are new to the forum or have been here since 1922.

 

[cn11]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tstarn06 /img/forum/go_quote.gif As far as hype goes, I think people, being human, post positive views of IEMS, from $19 PL30s to $1,000+ JH13, because they really, truly have a passion for the product ... at least at the moment they posted (and sometimes a little longer).

If someone posts genuinely enthusiastic thoughts about an IEM, then it's not hype because it's their honest opinion, and not an extravagant and misleading overblown promotion.....




hype 1 (hp) Slang
n.
1. Excessive publicity and the ensuing commotion: the hype surrounding the murder trial.
2. Exaggerated or extravagant claims made especially in advertising or promotional material: "It is pure hype, a gigantic PR job" Saturday Review.
3. An advertising or promotional ploy: "Some restaurant owners in town are cooking up a $75,000 hype to promote New York as 'Restaurant City, U.S.A.'" New York.
4. Something deliberately misleading; a deception: "[He] says that there isn't any energy crisis at all, that it's all a hype, to maintain outrageous profits for the oil companies" Joel Oppenheimer.
tr.v. hyped, hyp·ing, hypes
To publicize or promote, especially by extravagant, inflated, or misleading claims: hyped the new book by sending its author on a promotional tour.

 

[antonyfirst]

Although genuine, enthusiastic comments can still not be critical and so feed the hype.

 

[cn11]

I guess I've always thought of equipment 'hyping' in the more drastic form, like voltag3's tendency to do it wherever he could get the opportunity. He sure fits the definition!

 

[antonyfirst]

Well, there is more innocent hype which manages to hugely push products and fotm's by mutual and collective "triggering" (probably not the perfectly suited word, but should render the idea).

 

[tstarn06]

Quote:

Originally Posted by antonyfirst /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, there is more innocent hype which manages to hugely push products and fotm's by mutual and collective "triggering" (probably not the perfectly suited word, but should render the idea).

Yeah, but you'd never fall for that, right Tony?

I'd say if you add in the word innocent, the term hype loses much of its sting. Sure, it may not be accurate or audiophile-esque, but it's heartfelt, so it's not deceptive, nor particularly dangerous. And if there is critical mass as a result, and people are by and large happy with their purchase (after being "triggered"), what's the damage?

 

[antonyfirst]

It mostly happened to me back in the kenwood and jvc dap's periods, first months of headfi. Step by step I managed to become more critical and analytical in my evaluations. I think I still have a lot to learn about audio and music, anyway I feel it's of more help to the community to disrupt hype rather than feed it. By this I am not referring to any earphones in particular. I read somewhere else that you were called a fan of phonak pfe, but I tend to consider your judgement pretty balanced, and anyway I have barely opened the threads involving that iem because I wasn't interested, so I am not suggesting that you could be a hyper (in case you were wondering, since you seemed a bit defensive with your question)


Edit: I see you edited your post to add more to the first line. Well the point stands still, it's a heart-felt enthusiasm, paired with lack of references, that help feeding the usual fotm's.


.

 

[tstarn06]

No, that was a joke saying you would be able to read around that type of "hype" anyway, because of your experience. Nothing defensive about it, really. Ah, the perils of writing. I was merely noting that hype, to me, is a fake thing, done with the intention of misleading, pure and simple. So even if, in your example, the information isn't the best, the intention is. And if people like a product, is it not hype, FOTM, etc. And if that it is called that, so what? I bought plenty of IEMs based on people posting positive things (M5, Denon700, etc.) and sold them all. And I am not bitter, nor did I ever feel conned or hyped into buying them.

As for the PFE, there are plenty of very happy PFE owners, still buying. And I sold mine two weeks ago, because I no longer used them much. But when I got them, everything I said about them, I believed, and still think they are an excellent IEM, both value and sound-wise.

 

[antonyfirst]

Sorry, it's actually my fault. The perils of reading.

Verbal tenses caught me. Haha

 

[tstarn06]

Not a problem, of course.

 

[TobaccoRoad]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spyro /img/forum/go_quote.gif Also, in some instances, since a person spends $300-$400 and more on an IEM they have a built-in bias that since that spent that much it must be totally awesome (to justify the purchase).

Personally, I don't think any IEMs are worth the money. I'm sure no one thinks IE8 is 10x better than CX300. I once did a school presentation on high-end headphones and my classmates thought I went mad with the money. While everyone agreed the sound was significantly better than stocks, none of them thought it was worth the price tag. The demand for high-ends are so high that companies can price it whatever they want, it's still gonna sell. And as for whether it's worth the money, I think that obviously depends on how often you listen to music. If my IEM lasted for about 3-4 years, I would say it was definitely worth the investment...did I just contradict myself?

 

[communic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tstarn06 /img/forum/go_quote.gif And if people like a product, is it not hype, FOTM, etc. And if that it is called that, so what?

Agreed, I personally don't understand the ill-feeling towards 'hyped' iems. Buying something you can't try even based off 'informed' opinions and impressions is pretty much a black art. You really won't know until you actually hear it so feeling hoodwinked because they didn't quite sound like that description (embellished or not) you read from a fellow HF'er is a little foolish. If you bought a universal, simply sell them and move on. If you bought a custom, seek solace in the hope that you may grow to love them.