[2ugly4girls]

is there something wrong with me?
i cant seem to tell the difference between a $20 pair of earphones and a $200 pair of headphones
 
my friend owns the Audio Technica ATH-50's and they sounded practically no better than my v-moda bass freq($20)
yet he insist that everything sounds good and that its really warm and detailed.....
sames goes with the klipsch x10. no difference despite their $350 retail tag
 
 
so what am i missing here guys? maybe an AMP or better seal?

 

[TMRaven]

Maybe better recordings.

 

[zalbard]

Are you comparing the same recording fed from the same source?
Quote:

Maybe better recordings.

Good point.

 

[2ugly4girls]

i tried different songs and different sources
(ipod touch, computer motherboard audio input, ipod shuffle)
 

 

[Docks]

Haha, I love the bass freq's. Fantastic value, I use these at work for bass heavy electronic music. If you try listen to alternative rock or anything not electronic they will seem dark and lacking treble energy.
Headphones can be pretty subjective and higher prices does not mean its better for everyone by any means.

 

[kiteki]

 
sames goes with the klipsch x10. no difference despite their $350 retail tag

 
I'm not sure if that is an "impressive" sounding IEM, and I've seen it sell for $99 at least once so it's not like it has a true value of $350 or anything.  You need to try something more impressive sounding.
 
Try the Rockit R-50.  Then you should notice a difference, if you still can't then you're just focusing on the wrong information and will have to re-learn how you hear audio / music.

 

[Redcarmoose]

Have not heard either of the headphones listed. Like most, I'll post anyway!
 
So many other variables, already listed, plus some headphones are just fun regardless of price.
 
Everyone has their own idea of perfect sound. Head-fi is a long term project, that's the fun of it all.
There is basic learning curve and it has a different story for everyone.
 
There really could be a mini-seminar meet where seasoned vets attempt to indoctrinate young ears to the ways of the craft. Then again it could limit the discoveries of wandering into that great void of trust called Amazon.com.
 
My best accomplishments here started out looking like grave expensive mistakes at first, only to become lucky chances at roads I would not have traveled.

 

[obobskivich]

is there something wrong with me?
i cant seem to tell the difference between a $20 pair of earphones and a $200 pair of headphones

my friend owns the Audio Technica ATH-50's and they sounded practically no better than my v-moda bass freq($20)
yet he insist that everything sounds good and that its really warm and detailed.....
sames goes with the klipsch x10. no difference despite their $350 retail tag


so what am i missing here guys? maybe an AMP or better seal?

I think you're comparing a fairly medicore pair of full-size cans to IEMs (which will be tit-for-tat better at "fidelity"; and since the M50 don't really have a soundstage or similar, I would expect them to be superior overall (I like my IEMs over the M50 too)). I'd say try both better IEMs and/or better cans and then come back.

I'm not sure if that is an "impressive" sounding IEM, and I've seen it sell for $99 at least once so it's not like it has a true value of $350 or anything.  You need to try something more impressive sounding.

+1.

 

[mark_h]

bit rate?

 

[BillsonChang007]

My older brother who is a fan of Beats & are planning to PURCHASE one has the same problem! I let him auditioned the AIAIAI Track, Beats Solo HD & even Kplisch Image One & he says ALL sound the same!!! FYI, he's using my iPod songs at 1411 bit rate and simple rate at 44.1khz during the audition... 
 
Could it because of my 1411 bit rate not high enough? XD

 

[obobskivich]

Could it because of my 1411 bit rate not high enough? XD

No. That's CD quality audio.

There's always the chance that he's less sensitive to differences, only listening to certain features, or has already made up his mind based on other factors (comfort, features, etc) towards one headphone.

Honestly file quality is only one component here - if the material being encoded is still "bad" that's another factor. There's also the 500lb gorilla in the room that nobody has addressed yet - there is no overall "good/better/best" stack that everyone will agree on when it comes to headphones.

 

[Tangster]

Quote:

My older brother who is a fan of Beats & are planning to PURCHASE one has the same problem! I let him auditioned the AIAIAI Track, Beats Solo HD & even Kplisch Image One & he says ALL sound the same!!! FYI, he's using my iPod songs at 1411 bit rate and simple rate at 44.1khz during the audition... 
 
Could it because of my 1411 bit rate not high enough? XD

Get him somewhere with a pair of decent monitor class headphones(Shure 940/KRK 8400/etc) and a B&W P5. If he thinks they sound remotely similar then he may as well get the beats, since he clearly isn't going to benefit from better sound.

 

[kiteki]

Yeah, the Shure SRH-940 is one headphone which will cure "THEY ALL SOUND THE SAME" syndrome.  Coz I read about someone suffering from that and then they head the SRH-940 and bought it immediately.
 
Seriously, bit-rate is not very important.

 

[BillsonChang007]

Get him somewhere with a pair of decent monitor class headphones(Shure 940/KRK 8400/etc) and a B&W P5. If he thinks they sound remotely similar then he may as well get the beats, since he clearly isn't going to benefit from better sound.

That's a very food idea! Sometimes when I audition new headphones at a shop, he is never there...[he tend to run away from me]

 

[GREQ]

Everyone's ears need training and experience before differences can be heard and vividly discerned. 
 
This can be likened to a chef or food critic that has spent years training or experiencing countless varieties of food, but some people can't tell the difference between hamburgers from different fast food restaurants.
Food is a little easier for most human beings as we eat EVERY DAY, more than once. But A LOT of people don't listen to music every day more than once - it's about training the senses. 
 
Same goes for artists/photographers/designers etc that have very keen eyes for what looks good, and then UNDERSTANDS due to years of experience and training exactly why it looks good in ways most people would never think about.
 
I've been listening to music ALL MY LIFE, almost every day since I can remember. My parents always listened to music and my dad plays instruments.
When I grew up I learned a number of instruments and still play music today. This environment trained me and my ears through experiential learning.
 
I don't claim to have 'golden ears', but I can usually tell in the first 5-10 seconds of listening whether I'm going to like a headphone or not.