[Nubster]

During my reading and debating over what to get I started thinking, being new to all this, would it be more beneficial to start with lower end phones/equipment and work up to the higher end stuff? I just wonder if starting with top of the line gear would you fully appreciate it as much as if you started at the bottom and then upgraded to mid-grade then high end. This is just a question out of curiosity and perhaps possibly an interesting discussion, I will definitely be starting at the bottom due to budget constraints.

 

[ph0rk]

Starting with something nice might mean you can stop obsessing over gear and get on with your life.

[size=xx-small]You know, just throwing it out there. [/size]

Nothing to see here. Move along.

 

[Wmcmanus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nubster /img/forum/go_quote.gif During my reading and debating over what to get I started thinking, being new to all this, would it be more beneficial to start with lower end phones/equipment and work up to the higher end stuff? I just wonder if starting with top of the line gear would you fully appreciate it as much as if you started at the bottom and then upgraded to mid-grade then high end. This is just a question out of curiosity and perhaps possibly an interesting discussion, I will definitely be starting at the bottom due to budget constraints.

Depends on whether you're more interested in the journey or the destination. Everyone views it differently so there's no right answer.

In my case, I was interested in both so I bought high end stuff from the very beginning, but also some mid-fi stuff along the way, and ended up keeping it all. Thus, I can listen to pretty much anything I want to. The "top gear" gets the most listening time, but sometimes I'm in the mood for a more basic sound. The other night I was listening my KSC-75 and loving them, but the HE90 and R10 get much more of my attention generally speaking.

It's a hobby and should be fun, so it's all good.

 

[Happy Camper]

Consider your lifestyle and when you want to listen to music. A portable will cover a lot of ground until your budget allows.

 

[scytheavatar]

If you are new to this hobby there's pretty much no way that you'll know what you want to your music. Even if you think that you're a basshead you might long for less bass and more clarity after using a bassy headphone. Audio appreciation is something that must be trained, you must develop your own perference and learn to recognize what you are looking for. Just because it's more expensive doesn't make it better, that's why you see so many people preferring the SR225 to the SR325, or the HD600 to the HD650, or the K501 to the K701. So I'll recommend everyone to start small and grow slowly, that way is more rewarding.

 

[elmohut]

Buy the best you can afford.

 

[ph0rk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by elmohut /img/forum/go_quote.gif Buy the best you can afford.

And tack on 25%, so you don't get the urge to upgrade soon

 

[darkswordsman17]

I personally worked my way up. I think that if I had not done that, I don't know that I would appreciate all that my current headphones are capable of. I still find my KSC-75s to be very competent and enjoyable to listen to, but everytime I put the W5000s on I realize why I've gone with them.

 

[Mecc]

How can you fully appreciate what you have without having something to compare them to? You might hear something that's $10,000, but find out that something $2000 sounds just as good. Also, the return on investment dwindles the higher you spend, so I think it's better to start low and go high. The cool thing about this hobby is that the costs of the equipment doesn't depreciate much so you can sell easily. You can always buy used and sell without losing much. It's all about the journey for me.

I suggest you eventually aim for the flagship or good representative models to find the sound you like, e.g., Sennheiser HD600, Grado RS1, AKG K701, Audio Technica AD-2000 (is W1000 a good representative for their woody line?), Denon AH-D5000, etc. Then build your system around the headphone, but you might end up liking everything... These headphones can be found used for well below MSRP. Plus, if you can take advantage of ms live cashback, there are lots of savings to be had.

I don't know if low-end models, i.e. sub $100/$200 phones, can give you a good idea of what a company's higher end product will sound like. I started out with the HD580 about nine years ago which is mid-fi I'd say. I guess I'm recommending mid-fi to hi-fi if you can. Low-end will just be lacking somewhere while mid-fi products will all usually sound good, just different from one another. That's they way I felt while trying low-end phones. I guess I was spoiled early on.

I think the HD600 is the best starter headphone if you have the money. Very forgiving and neutral. It's good as a reference headphone. You may find yourself very sensitive to brightness and/or sibilance and won't be able to tolerate some other headphones.

I bet there are few here that will tell you to get electrostats and forget everything else. That even a low-mid end electrostat setup will top a high end dynamic setup. I have no idea since I've yet to hear electrostats.

Info on live.com plus eBay cashback. I think this promo is still only open to US residents. Not sure. General eBay rule, buy from reputable sellers (very solid feedback) and you should be fine.

 

[Uncle Erik]

There's an argument to be made for starting out with the good stuff.

However, you don't always know what you want at first. You might buy the best X and then find out what you really like is the best Y. That can be a lot more expensive than kicking around budget gear for awhile before you go all in.

I'd recommend picking up some budget gear and giving it a good listen. Compare it to impressions here and try to get a bearing on what you like. Then trade it or buy other budget gear and repeat. You should get a good understanding of the market before buying big. Try to get to one or more meets, too. You'll be exposed to lots of gear and face-to-face chats get a lot more information across than reading and responding to posts.

Anyhow, have fun with the budget gear until you understand what your tastes actually are. Then you can buy the high end gear.

 

[krmathis]

x2 on "the best you can afford"

I started low (Grado SR80), then took a major jump to the top (Stax SR-007BL). No regrets!

 

[rlpaul]

Headphones are like shoes... everybody's foot is shaped differently.

Nike/Cole Haan run narrow, and for me, have the arch support in the wrong spot. Steve Madden is a bit wide in the toe... Kenneth Cole fits just right

So when you look at headphones, you have to take into account the different sound signatures. Grado and AudioTechnica tend to have a specific sound to their headphones, which you may or may not like depending on your musical preferences. Only way to find out is to try them out.

So there definitely is merit to trying out some of the entry to mid range level equipment first, before taking the plunge into the high end

 

[ffrr]

my journey went the opposite way.



I started with Stax, didnt like em, so went through a bunch of others and ended up with 701s, which I really love. Also have hd-650s and er-4s. hd650s get used on location(I have a remote recording business) and the etys are for travel..


money spent means nothing. Quote:

Originally Posted by rlpaul /img/forum/go_quote.gif Headphones are like shoes... everybody's foot is shaped differently. Nike/Cole Haan run narrow, and for me, have the arch support in the wrong spot. Steve Madden is a bit wide in the toe... Kenneth Cole fits just right So when you look at headphones, you have to take into account the different sound signatures. Grado and AudioTechnica tend to have a specific sound to their headphones, which you may or may not like depending on your musical preferences. Only way to find out is to try them out. So there definitely is merit to trying out some of the entry to mid range level equipment first, before taking the plunge into the high end

 

[krmathis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rlpaul /img/forum/go_quote.gif Headphones are like shoes... everybody's foot is shaped differently.

Yeah, so true!
Some prefer Grado, some prefer Sennheiser, some prefer Stax, some prefer AKG, ... and even some prefer BOSE.

 

[majurglery]

Yea, i would recommend that you start out with mid to low level stuff, just to see what your like in terms of sound signature of certain cans/companies etc... Once you find out what you like, then plunge into the high end with more knowledge on what you like. For me, there is nothing worse than dropping the big bucks on expensive thing and finding out that you dont like them.