[epithetless]

For me: After years of youthful ignorance, rocking successive pairs of "vertical in-the-ear" Sony's (purely because they folded up), I stumbled across a website called HeadWize...and the world opened around me. Somehow, before that moment, I'd managed to evade the realization that different pairs of headphones produce different qualities of sound. I promptly ordered a set of PortaPros...enjoyed them immensely, but...discovered I could really use a pair of isolating headphones...bought a set of Sony MDR-V6s off ebay...crossed over from HeadWize to Head-Fi (which was like transitioning from NyQuil to heroin)...and the rest is etched into my ever-expanding user profile...

Hello, my name is David, and I am on Head-Fi...

 

[mythless]

Well, I would say my RE0 got me started, even though I had the portapro, NE-7m and IM716 prior to the RE0. But, the detail and clarity of the RE0 got me serious about listening to my music!

 

[Commanderloochy]

I haven't quite made the plunge to get some good gear but I'm about to. It all started when I started to listen to flac files and realized I couldn't hear the difference between flac files and vbr files. Then I realized I needed to upgrade from my crappy bose headphones. About to buy AKG 701/702 and a decent DAC/Amp

 

[swaffleman]

I didn't start really listening to a lot of stuff until high school. Before then I used some old, broken (held together by duct tape) open air sonys that cost about $10. I actually remember them sounding quite good as I ended up breaking them completely, which caused me to have to use some old Koss cheapies, which were terrible. I've been looking for a new pair of those Old Sonys I used...just out of curiosity.

Anyway, after I used those really cheap koss, I realized that I actually really cared about sound quality, so I moved to some more expensive koss earbuds that had the cone shaped foam fittings. They were really nice...but they broke.

After getting a very small taste of better sound with the koss earbuds, I began to save money for some V600s I saw in radio shack...not knowing any better of course. I eventually bought these and I freaked out...I thought the sounded incredible. I used these for a very long time (also getting some somewhat inexpensive sony noise cancelling phones and getting the MDR V150 for portable use). Thinking I was at the best level I'd get sound wise, I got a pair of Bose on ears for christmas. While I now dislike these phones because they are really muddy and bass heavy, they were much better than the V600 and the others I had been using.

I eventually started reading about the Sony V6s, which I still use to this day. I bought those and...well that's about as high I have gotten sound wise. I'm pretty content with them though. They are very good.

Incidentally, I've also added the koss porta pro, JVC flats, and the Bose around ear headphones to that collection. I used to have some nice philips phones that were around $50, but I gave those to my father for a gift.

Incidentally, the bose around ear phones correct the problems with the on ears-not nearly as muddy and the bass isn't ridiculously overpowered.

But as of now I use mostly my V6s and my Bose around ear. I think my spending spree is mostly over...I may eventually get a really nice pair of sennheiser some day. But I'm very content with both of these headphones. They both reveal a ton of detail that I never got with my younger days of listening, and they are both very well made and comfortable. The bose are incredibly comfortable and I love the warm sound, although it can royally annoy me sometimes. I think they'd actually be better than the V6s if they had less sound coloration.

 

[jjinh]

I started with the cheap and cheerful ksc75. Then I wondered how my music could sound with some 'better'. Led to the start of a costly but enjoyable journey.

 

[nders]

the PL30s... because it is of so much hype that time, I got it with high hopes. And the hope shattered to pieces... it is better than my stock phones yes, but its just so dull... so I begin researching threads and forums through google for an upgrade... and found head-fi, bidding farewell to my hard-earned cash every month XD

 

[grawk]

I showed up just looking for a replacement for my V6s that I'd chewed through the cable on. Bought a pair of DT770s that became darth beyers. Bought an amp. Lost my flipping mind. /me shakes his head in disgust at the past several years.

 

[manaox2]

I was planning on buying an iPod shuffle to run with and wanted something better the iBuds. Searched around the web and ended up buying a pair of super.fi 5 pro and then soon after an Echo indigo IO to power them well from the laptop because I heard a dedicated card and amplifier would be better quality. Wasn't long after I found head-fi, went through nearly the entire Ultimate Ears lineup, many portable amps with iMod, quit portable audio, and then went to Senns and Staxs. I'm hoping Stax satisfaction will let me foray more into high end sources and a real speaker rig where the spending will really begin so I hear.

 

[wantmyf1]

I've always loved good audio and I recently got a job (I do statistics at a pediatric hospital) where I can listen to music for about 10 hrs/day. If I listened through the phones that came with any of my mp3 players I think I would snap. That started my search for quality phones, which lead me here (dammit!) and now has me trying to explain to my wife why spending $600 on headphones is a good idea!

 

[aimlink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wantmyf1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've always loved good audio and I recently got a job (I do statistics at a pediatric hospital) where I can listen to music for about 10 hrs/day. If I listened through the phones that came with any of my mp3 players I think I would snap. That started my search for quality phones, which lead me here (dammit!) and now has me trying to explain to my wife why spending $600 on headphones is a good idea!

I don't even try to explain these days. I just love the Grado's. They look so unobtrusive that she hasn't really asked me about their price. However, she was curious about the D5000's.

HeadRoom gear is similarly unobtrusive in appearance.

 

[Husky42]

Neat thread, and being super new I've not spent much yet however, all my pc speakers are in a closet now.

Essentially me and my room mate were looking at headphones for music and pc gaming, we never found anything that offered the quality we had became accustomed to using high end audio gear for the home theater.

It led us down a path of reviews and compulsive shopping, well he was the first to bite as I was still looking around.

He ended up picking up a pair of Grado 225's, now he is working i'm a college student so i still had to factor budget into my overall consideration.

I went out and bought a pair of 60's which promptly one day later i returned for 80's

Now the past few weeks I have been using an external sound block from logitech to power them (it uses an amp bu i have no idea on its specs as it came with my Z5500's) However it just seemed to me that i was getting line noise, when i went to the direct source i had no issues with noise but my onboard sound is not capable of powering these cans to decent levels.

So just now i ordered a CMOY just for fun ( i want to build one and figured having one assembled in front of me would help)

I'm currently in the market for an external DAC/AMP combo and likely by January will be into a pair of 225's

And I'm afraid where it will go from that poin on.

 

[Oggranak]

PortaPros. Before them, I never knew how good my music could sound.

 

[zionic]

I am new to this forum but a long time music aficionado/musician (rock, reggae). I grew up in the 70’s as a teen and my family always had decent stereo equip. Somehow I lost my way a bit, but then a couple years ago got an ipod which really got back into spending some serious time listening to music. I started with ER6i and Grado 60’s. Recently I realized I needed better sound, so I started compiling FLAC files and I ordered a Bithead just to get the ball rolling. Of course that barely even whet my appetite. I then ordered Denon d-5000’s (I like a little bass), and AKG K-702’s (had to try ‘em - variety is the spice of life right?), and today I just received the Compass (Earth, Moon, Sun, Canare cable, & power cable) so I will set it up tonight and start breaking it and the AKG’s in. Already I want a tube amp for the bedroom. My thought is Squeezebox touch and a Woo WA6. Not sure what DAC to use with the WA6 (in the $400-500 range). Any suggestions appreciated if you are so inclined, otherwise I’ll ask again later after I’ve made a few more posts. So in my first month here that’s about $1,350 and in my mind plans to somehow manage another $1,500. Any condolences for my wallet appreciated.

 

[pzm9pzm9]

without knowing anything about amp or dac, I ordered HD650 from Amazon (it was on sale) because I heard somewhere tat HD650 was THE headphone! MSRP around $500!
Googling HD650 lead to Head-fi & rest is the history.

 

[EYEdROP]

As I grew older, I started listening to less pop music and more diverse stuff that requires decent sound and ears to really appreciate. I asked my buddy who records music in a studio what some good speakers were. He told me to use no EQ (which helped ALOT) and look up the term "audiophile" in google. I had $100 to spend so I got the MS1. The sound was so refined, detailed, and uncolored. I couldn't believe my ears for a while there haha. THe rest is history...