[MomijiTMO]

What I don't get is back in 2005 and 2006 we stocked them at JB and I sold them to kids. They liked the colours. I am surprised to find them so expensive and popular now. Ah well, they road a stellar wave so good for them. Just have to remember that this is a dog eat dog world and with their marketing, they'll have people believing their gear is high quality, exchanging rounds with 'top' products from other brands.

 

[jjsoviet]

I think the big brands need to step up their marketing game where Skullcandy is good at. Fight fire with fire, a higher-quality one.

 

[SethSil]

Kids are somewhat tech-saavy today. They know how to do product research, they just haven't extended it to headphones (and amazon.com can be very misleading). At my university you seen SkullCandy headphones but also, I see some ATH-M50, I saw a kid rocking some Ultrasons S780, etc-- this is just outside. I mean, for portable use SCs are very popular and for good reason: they're cheap, light, a somewhat upgrade over earbuds, and available everywhere. However, I don't see SC seriously competing with Senn, etc. in the future for 80 dollar plus headphones unless they do a massive quality overhaul, despite their marketing. Portable music, music in general is a big deal to kids, and i imagine Rap sounds better on a pair of DT880s than a pair of skullcandy audiophiles anyway. I don't think you have to have a really sophisticated taste in music to recognize and appreciate a good sounding pair of headphones over a lesser pair. and there's no reason that quality and looks will remain mutually exclusive, again, people know how to do research. SCs are toys, I think they're for 10-18 crowd. I predict over-the-ear portable headphones will steadily increase in popularity and in quality in the future.

 

[SethSil]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjsoviet /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think the big brands need to step up their marketing game where Skullcandy is good at. Fight fire with fire, a higher-quality one.

I think the ATH-EW series might be a start?

 

[Ninkul]

I hear the TiTanium ones sound decent for price point except the cable is the achilles... which happens to be a main component so eh.. Was thinking about buying a pair for gits and shiggles but maybe not

 

[jjsoviet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SethSil /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think the ATH-EW series might be a start?

Possible candidates for great marketing:

Audio Technica ATH-ES series (ES7, ES10, etc.)
Sennheiser HD 2x8/4x8 series (238, 448, etc.)
AKG Kxx series (K26, K81, K518, etc.)
Grado SR series (60, 80, etc.)

Have them set up kiosks in urban areas, more bravely if done outside schools and colleges. Let the kids listen with some of the best in each brand. Give them audible proof that they are the better headphone companies.

 

[Ninkul]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjsoviet /img/forum/go_quote.gif Possible candidates for great marketing: ... Grado SR series (60, 80, etc.) ...

I really dont think Grados have anything on Skullcandy.. I mean.. They're not super-hip with super-fashionable hardcore skulls all over them. *eyeroll*

 

[adrift]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrGreen /img/forum/go_quote.gif Misinformation is not even half of the issue. A lot of people have become acustomed to large bass responses or even like a nice big bass response. If that is "misinformation", then call head-fi a conglomerate of misinformed people. DT880, K701, HD650. 650 is the most popular here, yet it is the most inferior from a tech spec point of view. The qualia 010 is technically a fantastic headphone, yet opinions on it are heavily divided.

Just out of curiosity, what do you mean that the phones you cite are "most inferior from a tech spec point of view"? You mean for bass response or in general?

Quote:

Originally Posted by tvrboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Why do you guys talk about skullcandy at all? They are not even in the same category as audiophile headphones, they are just toys, so I don't see why they should be discussed here. In Ferrari forums they don't spend all their time talking about how bad Fords are and how regular people need to be "saved" from their crappy cars..... that's exactly what people on here have been doing lately and it's annoying me.

I agree that some people on this forum sometimes bash a headphone specifically because they've fallen under the "us/vs. them" thinking that comes with all sorts of hobbies, but this thread seems particularly relevant in the Head-Fi forums because Skull Candy are actually advertising these headphones as Audiophile level phones. I only just recently got into this hobby, and without hearing them the only way I'd know if they truly were hi-fi quality is through reviews at places like Amazon.com or through web forums just like this. The information I've learned here would make me wary of any hi-fi claims from a brand like Skull Candy now. That doesn't mean that these headphones really are crap, but I'm now taking their claims with a grain of salt.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steely Dan /img/forum/go_quote.gif Maybe some 14-16 year old bench racer Ferrari fanboy would go crazy over someone mentioning a Corvette, but probably not an actual Ferrari owner. I'm a member of Ferrarichat. The thing about Ferrari owners is that very few of them own only Ferraris, since they're really not the most practical everyday car, a lot of them use BMWs as daily drivers for example. Go to a Ferrarichat get together and you'll probably see some Corvettes, Lambos, maybe the odd NSX, Lotus or 911. Just like the people on this forum they can appreciate a high quality product regardless of the brand. A low quality product is a different story though. I really don't even think there is a car world equivalent to an extremely heavily promoted product that is truly terrible these days, it just wouldn't survive because it's much easier to judge a car objectively. When it comes to headphones, all they need to do is fit on your head and produce sound, all of them can do the job, and with no other frame of reference any of them seemingly do it well enough. Which is exactly why I site like this is useful.

I don't know about the Ferrari forums, but I can attest that the Mustang forums I visit flame inferior products/brands all the time especially cars outfitted with extreme body kits or wheels, pimped out foreign cars like Hondas and Toyatas, even other Mustangs from different years or engine types.

 

[Ninkul]

Quote:

Originally Posted by adrift /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just out of curiosity, what do you mean that the phones you cite are "most inferior from a tech spec point of view"? You mean for bass response or in general? I agree that some people on this forum sometimes bash a headphone specifically because they've fallen under the "us/vs. them" thinking that comes with all sorts of hobbies, but this thread seems particularly relevant in the Head-Fi forums because Skull Candy are actually advertising these headphones as Audiophile level phones. I only just recently got into this hobby, and without hearing them the only way I'd know if they truly were hi-fi quality is through reviews at places like Amazon.com or through web forums just like this. The information I've learned here would make me wary of any hi-fi claims from a brand like Skull Candy now. That doesn't mean that these headphones really are crap, but I'm now taking their claims with a grain of salt. I don't know about the Ferrari forums, but I can attest that the Mustang forums I visit flame inferior products/brands all the time especially cars outfitted with extreme body kits or wheels, pimped out foreign cars like Hondas and Toyatas, even other Mustangs from different years or engine types.

In generaly any specialty product will bring about majorly opinionated people who thrash everyone else. Like theres beer forums who cant absolutely detest to some "beer" (i myself hardly call some of the beers they talk about beer though, however as a drink it is acceptable. Beer tinted grapejuice, Timmermaans anyone?

).

But.. even i slip into extreme mode sometimes with certain things.. such as once or twice for my friend not upgrading from onboard sound for their $1500 (nzd) system

lol

I mean... non-audiophiles may very well accept skullcandy as their upper price limit. Their marginal benefit of quality (with a tradeoff of looks of course) will like where they think appropriate. I mean... surely people have been put off by grados purely because of the looks?

I think i digressed a lot... its 3am, dont blame me

 

[MrGreen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by adrift /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just out of curiosity, what do you mean that the phones you cite are "most inferior from a tech spec point of view"? You mean for bass response or in general?

The HD650 is the least neutral of the headphones listed. It is also the slowest. It also has the least amount of detail.
^ These are the sorts of specs that make a headphone "technically better" than another; but not necessarily nicer to listen to.

The example used was the Qualia 010. Pretty much the headphone for speed/detail. A tech-spec giant. Yet many people prefer things like R10/L3k/K1k

Unfortuantely, the brand and number has something to do with the popularity of the 650 IMO. IMO the 880 and 701 are both better sounding headphones, and the HD600 is better as well.
Horses for Courses, though (or whatever that saying is)

 

[jjsoviet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ninkul /img/forum/go_quote.gif I really dont think Grados have anything on Skullcandy.. I mean.. They're not super-hip with super-fashionable hardcore skulls all over them. *eyeroll*

Hey, World War 2-style headphones will be the next big thing when Grado hits mainstream.

 

[jjsoviet]

Sorry, double post.

 

[MomijiTMO]

Sennheiser has some models to compete with Skullcandy. Not really too sure what to make of phones with 'spinners' or something on the side.

 

[Wingsabr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skullcandy The return you'll get, in terms of cred, on your investment in an AUDIOPHILE COLLECTION headphone supersedes the modest price of admission into the elite circle of connoisseurs. Your peers will spend less time clowning your taste in music and more time clowning your choice of Skullcandy headphones.

Fixed

 

[Devolve]

"Audiophile"
-20-20k Hz

I'm confused.