[The Boatman]

Browsing the 'high-end' headphone thread got me thinking... As a vegetarian (have been for over a decade) I noticed most of the very very expensive headphones advertise themselves as having animal skin earpads. Personally, I wouldn't be able to use them beacuse of this (not that I'd be able to afford them right now anyway). I was just wondering, has this ever been a problem for any other Headfiers? And, out of curiosity, what's the most 'high-end' headphone that doesn't use any animal products?

 

[Killercrush]

NVM.

All these have leather as far as I know :

Akg K1000
Sony MDR-10/Qualia
Grado HP-1000/PS-1
AT L3000
Sennheiser HE60/90
Stax Omega I/II
Ultrasone Ed.9

I can't think of any model that isn't made with leather.

 

[Dual]

Meat good. Leather good. You planning on eating your headphones?

 

[feh1325]

sennheiser hd580, 600, 650 come to mind
or you could get a really nice grado and swap out the leather headband for the vinyl kind
or does that defeat the purpose?

 

[unclejr]

I can do you one better. I think Grado foam pads are vegan.

 

[MaZa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by unclejr /img/forum/go_quote.gif I can do you one better. I think Grado foam pads are vegan.

You can eat them!? Hmmm... I should have set of comfies somewhere...

Where does ED9 use leather? Doesnt it use velour?
*Edit* Nevermind, it has leather earpads and headband pad. Mixed it with Proline 2500.

 

[MusicallySilent]

Yea quite a few high end models also use velour... so you can probably find a model somewhere that uses velour... otherwise if it doesn't bother you sell the pads and buy some velour ones provided that doesn't destroy the point...

Isn't leather getting to be more vegan than vegetarian?

 

[Nitpick]

I remember when Grado used dodo feathers before the devolepment of foam. Airest sound ever why do you think they cost so much ? J/K
But at that price for headphones i'd suspect some type of distinctive or exotic material, rather alive or lifeless would be used, to show value and performance.
Plastics and synths only go so far

 

[threEchelon]

Jecklin Float?

What are your reasons for being vegetarian?

 

[unclejr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by threEchelon /img/forum/go_quote.gif Jecklin Float? What are your reasons for being vegetarian?

I was vegetarian once for two hundred and eleven days.

 

[boomana]

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Boatman /img/forum/go_quote.gif Browsing the 'high-end' headphone thread got me thinking... As a vegetarian (have been for over a decade) I noticed most of the very very expensive headphones advertise themselves as having animal skin earpads. Personally, I wouldn't be able to use them beacuse of this (not that I'd be able to afford them right now anyway). I was just wondering, has this ever been a problem for any other Headfiers? And, out of curiosity, what's the most 'high-end' headphone that doesn't use any animal products?

I am a strict vegetarian in diet and try to avoid leather when possible and practical, but I'm also a realist. I take medicine, when necessary, that's been tested on animals. After five ankle surgeries, I stopped trying to find non-leather shoes that fit my now deformed foot. Yet, if given the choice between a real good looking leather purse, and a not so cute knit one, I'll choose the knit one.

I, too, had some reservations about what I wanted to do when it came to high-end headphones. High-end headphones are made with leather. There's no getting around it. I own five pair that have some leather.

I learned a long time ago that my ideals need to find a place in the world. I make some compromises strict vegans would call hypocrisy. I'm okay with that. I also respect that you're not. If you're interested in staying as true as possible to your ideals regarding headphones, I say stick with Sennheiser HD6X0. They are wonderful, very high-end headphones and no leather! Also, you can choose to replace leather pads with velour with some headphones (like Beyer), but the headbands of most you cannot within reason.

BTW, there's a head-fier here whose wife works at Pangea (I'm guessing you're familiar with that online store). It has nothing to do with anything here, but it was fun for me to realize I'd received emails from her in the past without either of us knowing there was yet another connection.

Good luck!

 

[NiceCans]

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Boatman /img/forum/go_quote.gif I was just wondering, has this ever been a problem for any other Headfiers?

This does not bother me as the animals were already dead before they made headphone parts out of them.
Had they used live animals I would have a problem

I wonder, are the K701 headbands REAL leather, or just "pleather" as most?

 

[exec_]

Beyer DT770/880/990 maybe? AFAIK only pleather.

 

[DJShadow]

I can remember a Head-Fiers pessimism at purchasing the SA5000 because he wasn't sure if he could replace the leather earpads with the velour pads found on the SA3000. I'm still don't know actually.

By the way, isn't this being a vegan rather than a vegetarian?

 

[The Boatman]

To threEchelon: the best argument for vegetarianism or veganism is imho to be found in the book 'The Way We Eat' by Peter Singer and Jim Mason (UK title is just 'Eating').

Personally, I don't wear leather shoes and would not enjoy leather against my ears, to the extent that I wouldn't be able to enjoy a pair of phones that had leather/animal skin pads. I'm certainly happy enough with my HD650s for now; I'm just wondering why very high-end phones seem to need to have animal skin pads. Although I'm not religious, there are I think some religions (Buddhism perhaps?) whose members would not want leather in their equipment...