[450]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wmcmanus I don't get it either. Seriously. But it's fun.

What he said.

 

[Jasonharkin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by widds2v It's a hobby. People spend thousands upon thousands of dollars tuning their cars... for what? The speed limit is still 65 (or whatever it is in your area), there are still "acceleration laws". My stepmom collects dragon everything, and has spent thousands on statues, pictures, etc that sit around the house and that you cant even physically enjoy. I'm definatly not as high-end as most of the people here, and I wish I was in a setting that allowed me to enjoy a broader selection of items (ie, open headphones... "home" amps, etc), but I really enjoy audio. Half the fun of my listening is searching for equipment, trying out new things, bardering off the items that I didnt enjoy, & reading up on stuff I'll never own.

I totally agree

 

[thrice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wmcmanus I don't get it either. Seriously. But it's fun.

Well said!

 

[Kestrel]

Hahah - far from a hobby.. I agree - it IS a sickness. Sick twisted mother****** of an addiction. It's like striving for perfection... The ultimate pure sounds that may not even exist - but that doesn't stop anybody from trying.

 

[gratefulshrink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donunus Simple answer really... If you don't get it then you are not an audiophile

You make it sound so black and white, and it's not, really.

Probably most of us started out enjoying music, and somehow got hip to the fact that there is better equipment out there than what comes standard with mp3 players or PCDP's or what's sold at Best Buy. That curiosity and interest led to exploring better headphones, which led to learning about amps, which led to getting interested in even better headphones, which led to a "need" for an even better amp, and so on, and so on.

I think you become an "audiophile" when you make that first purchase of a non-standard issue headphone and you realize that your music just sounded a whole lot better. Other factors then come into play which then determine how many headphones you will buy, whether you get an amp, etc. I think those factors include money, time, enthusiasm, and, let's be honest, snobbery.

I'm basically saying that there are levels of audiophildom (?sp), but we are more or less enjoying the same hobby/obsession.

 

[dknightd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yellowjacket I don't get it. I understand indulging yourself in consumer electronics, but the extent to which people do it on these forums...is the difference is sound between the HD600 and HD650 really worth the $400?

I don't understand "indulging yourself in consumer electronics". Especially if you can not afford to pay for things with CASH.
Where do you get your prices? Last I checked "refurbished" or no name dealers were selling the HD600 for $200. You can get a 650 for $330 from a reputable dealer (Todd the junkie - see sponsor links) Maybe the price has gone up. I'm assuming you live in the USA.
I bought the 650 because I liked the 580 I heard before, and I decided the 650 was better. IMO the 650 is a great midprice can. There are better, I've been told, but I've not spent enough time with them to decide. Not to mention the price.
I heard only the 580 and 650 (they say the 580 sounds very close to the 600, but since I've only heard one of them I cannot comment) in Senn cans. Maybe you'll luck out and the 600 will be the end of the line for you (for now
Some people prefer the 600 over the 650. Some people don't like Senns much.
The other day I was updating my inventory. I counted around 3000 LPs and Cds. Is it worth it to me to spend $330 on a headphone to help me enjoy that collection - you bet! I wish I could spend more, but I'm not going to get in DEBT for that.
Quote:

Originally Posted by Yellowjacket So, what exactly am I missing?

I don't know, tell us what you think after listening to your new cans. Maybe the 280's are enough for you, maybe the 600's are not enough for you. Stilll $200 is a good deal for the 600 - you might be able to resell for that, and, could be the value will increase as they get harder to find. maybe.

 

[OlManRivah]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yellowjacket I don't get it. I understand indulging yourself in consumer electronics, but the extent to which people do it on these forums...is the difference is sound between the HD600 and HD650 really worth the $400?

Not to me. As long as they're comfortable and sound good, that's fine with me. I spent $150 for my HD595's and I am pleased. I spent $20 for my HD201's and I wish I hadn't.

 

[Claus1100xx]

a hobby is not something rational - it's something to get lost in and to enjoy. That's why we spend insane amounts of $$$

 

[Yellowjacket]

Quote:

Originally Posted by boodi Hi mate , where have you been in the last 3 years ? ( )

Not much, just the usual day to day struggles.

I'm embarrased to say but I don't recall who you are

 

[nsahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hugz a bottle of wine and a bottle of $5000 wine gets me drunk at approximately the same rate. to ME, a bottle of $5000 wine doesn't taste that much better than a bottle of $20 wine (certainly not a few hundred times better), yet i'm sure there are people out there who really appreciate a bottle of expensive wine! It's not always about the objective relationship between quality and price. there is a certain emotional value of knowing that you're appreciating something that is above and beyond the grasp of everyone else. The price may not always be worth the objective change in quality, but in may be worth the emotional experience that you get knowing that what you're feeling or hearing or drinking is beyond normal; something really special

THAT is why I love wine tasting partys.

 

[Averse]

It's a hobby. It costs money. Everyone with any kind of spending money has a money pit. I happen to think with millions of pieces of music out there to listen to, headphones are a very useful obsession.

 

[Illah]

My theory on this is based in consumerism. I've noticed audiophiles are rarely loners. They're on boards like this, subscribers to magazines, they have 'meet-ups', etc. When in this environment we're constantly surrounded by 'better' gear and 'best' gear and the standards for 'acceptable' are WAY up there. It's easy to wonder what's over the next ridge or feel like you're 'behind' your peers in these environments. Then, when you see something better it's all like, "I *have* to have it." I was all about getting a DynaHi and whatnot a little while ago but I stopped coming here for a minute and all of a sudden I was like, "Man, I already got a crazy expensive setup...what was I thinking?"

Same happens for most hobbies. You start hearing about WHY things are better, so you want to find out yourself. How much is psychological and how much is real added value? Well, the fact that 99% of America spends less than $50 on headphones should answer that question. I don't think it's so much that they are misguided or unaware of fancy crap, only that the fancy crap seems excessive and the cheap stuff is good enough. Sometimes I try to impress people with my hobbies, and nobody cares. So again, if it were THAT much better you'd think someone would be impressed.

Any -phile hobby is a luxury really. It's like fancy cars, designer clothes, whatever. It's all disposable income. However one chooses to use it is up to them.

--Illah

 

[warpdriver]

Like any hobby where you are in the top fringe.

- the outlay in cash for equipment is completely disportionate to the actual improvement.
- it ceases to be about function, and all about emotion
- even collecting and buying expensive headphones is a social activity (witness this forum, and head-fi meets)

- some of it is due to human nature, things like....
- the thrill of the hunt, looking for that elusive headphone that doesn't exist. The enjoyment out of trying different headphones.
- bragging rights of owning the top end of equipment


I used to think $100 was a lot for headphones. Now, that number has moved up to about $600 since I started buying and trying different headphones.

 

[nice-biscuit]

It's like scratching an itch that never goes away- the elusive pair of perfect headphones which as we know will never exist. I just look at my first pair of earphones( sony 71's) and compare them to the ever growing collection I have now, they help me enjoy and be closer to the music I really love and make me get more out of it. Also it's great fun looking for stuff as well as hearing everyone talk about "transparent detail" and my favourite "extended, time smear free*bass". As an outsider it may seem strange, but a majority of the time people don't really listen to music. When listening to music on a decent headphone it engages and enthralls you like no other listening experience, that's got to be worth $600.

 

[atx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yellowjacket I don't get it. I understand indulging yourself in consumer electronics, but the extent to which people do it on these forums...is the difference is sound between the HD600 and HD650 really worth the $400?

IMO, there are people who love electronic toys and there are those who love music. I see two categories of people here:

1) People who like to buy headphones and amps just because they like to play with them and in most cases it becomes an obsession (hence the need to buy 2 Supermacros). Everyday is an anticipation for the next "big" thing in audio.

2) People who love music, and would like to hear the music they love with the greatest possible quality. Music is an important factor in how they live their lives.

The main difference about these two is that people in #1 get lost in their equipment instead of their music. They spend thousands of dollars on headphones and amps and end up listening to a 40 year old recordings from the 60s and 70s. For these people, the goal is to obtain the highest possible sound quality in an absolute fashion without respect to the music they listen to.

In contrast to #2, these people love music and would spend thousands of dollars in order to enjoy them... but unlike #1, they don't get lost in their equipment. The goal is to enjoy music, which doesn't necessarily mean the highest possible quality. Clearly, you don't need a 20-20khz frequency response to enjoy the Beatles.

I compare #1 to computer geeks who spend thousands of dollars to constantly upgrade their PCs, but end up in the end running Microsoft Word and Internet Explorer. The "thrill" is in the hardware upgrade itself, not running Microsoft Word or IE. So for some people here, the REAL enjoyment is in the hardware (headphones and amps), not the music that flows through them.

Is the difference in sound between the HD600 and HD650 worth $400? ultimately it depends on how much time you spend using these headphones and how much of a factor music is in your life. If you belong to group #2, and music is a big factor in how you enjoy your life, then $400 is a small price to pay in exchange for the added enjoyment. If you belong to group #1, the $400 may be worth it if only because it gives you something new to play with, and keeps you away from boredom.

If you don't belong to either group, then $400 is obviously a waste of money because you won't have any appreciation for the new headphones. That $400 could've gone towards home improvement, a new car, kids college savings, etc.


Quote:

My theory on this is based in consumerism. I've noticed audiophiles are rarely loners. They're on boards like this, subscribers to magazines, they have 'meet-ups', etc

My theory on this is that people who frequently participates in these activities (meet-ups, magazines), are people who care more about the equipment rather than the music. The same way that computer nerds gather together to showoff their glow-in-the-dark computer case, or water-cooled CPUs--- they use their computers in fact, to play games, nothing that's worth the price of their hardware (e.g. figuring out a way to cure cancer).

I personally think there aren't any music artists out there talented enough to worth thousands of $$$ in audio equipment. The music industry needs to put out REAL musicians with REAL talent before I spend that kind of cash to listen to them--- not the likes of talentless artists like Coldplay, Kelly Clarkson, etc.

Which begs the question, just exactly WHO do you listen to with your $10k audio system?