[Kiwification]

Hi,
 
Okay I've never looked hard at specifications on headphones, but I always refuse to buy anything that isn't good quality ear cup, or in ear. I just can't stand listening to music in that tinny arsed way. Sounds like I'm hearing it through a damn dustbin lid.
 
Anyway the main point is that I've never spent more than £30 on a set of headphones and I've never been disappointed with what I've bought until now. I've owned about 5-6 pairs of headphones in the past and I take good care of them.
 
I have had:
 
Sennheiser CX-300s
Sony MDR (multiple types) I think I had a set of what looks like the xbass ones.
 
I've listened to my Dad's £90 shures
 
Recently I was a complete muppet and I dropped my Sony MDRs on the bus stop. I was very frustrated. So I went online to get a new set of nice decent bassy headphones and I came across the soundmagic MP-21s.
 
They had so many good reviews, 5 stars all around and it felt like these things shat golden eggs or something. So I trusted the internet community and I bought some. They are, without doubt the worst in ear headphones I've ever had the displeasure of putting in my ears.
 
It's like somehow, Soundmagic have managed to make in ear headphones sound like those crappy standard white headphones that you get with apple products. How do they do it?! I've got no idea but I'm frustrated that so many people find these so good when they're so bad! I mean seriously, compared to the cx-300 and all the £20+ sony mdrs, what do these headphones have for the same price range???
 
Someone please enlighten me, I'm really confused.

 

[MartinDF]

I was typing a really long reply to your post, but I figured I could end it sooner by saying the following: sound quality is subjective and you can only compare it to what you know. Your standard of reference (CX300 and entry level Shures) is different from someone that has listened to mid-tier IEMs like BA200s or FTX90s or EX600s. While anything that sounds better than your standard you would consider to be good, someone with a higher standard might think they're garbage... and that goes all the way to the top. So, answering your question: standards have not lowered, if anything they're higher than they used to be, you're just under the impression that you know good sound from bad, just as the reviewers of the MP21 that you disliked.  

 

[Kiwification]

Hi again,
 
So you're saying that because I've only listened to entry level Shures and CX-300s etc that I will only have the experience of the aforementioned headphones when deciding what sounds 'good' or not.
 
Thanks for your reply anyway... But I'm afraid that what you've said has made no difference. I mean, I was listening to these things, they cost more than the Sennheisers and the Sony mdrs, and they sound worse.
 
Surely;
 
more expensive should = better quality
less expensive should = lower quality
 
I know that this isn't the case with all headphones, I mean take Dr. Dre's Beatz for example, classic example of overpriced headphones... But surely I should be disappointed when headphones that I've researched, paid more for and had expectations of (expected them to be the same, or better than my old headphones that cost less money) are not as good!
 
Why would people praise such a set of headphones when they're not as good as other headphones that are on the market at the same price or cheaper? This makes no sense to me whatsoever.
 
Just because I've only listened to lower tier headphones doesn't mean I can't tell what sounds good or not in the lower tier.