[dj_mocok]

ive read lots of posts mentioning about how great this particular headphone is, how good is that one, blah blah... not to say that i am doubting it, but im just curious, do you guys sense some headphones are actually overrated ?

maybe because of word of mouth, brand names, etc...
i am not really an expert, and dont have lots of experiences with different headphones, so i cant tell, but i am curious, is there any headphones out here in the forum that you personally think are slightly overrated ?

PS: dont be afraid to mention names, although handle flames at own risk, hehe...

 

[ampgalore]

Ultimately it all comes down to your Ears

Shure it's nice to feel the booming bass

 

[Zoide]

Oh, I bet I know what will happen:

"The CD3000! They are unbearably bright and people mistake their brightness for detail!"

"The HD580/600/650! There is a Sennheiser posse who always recommends these laid back, dark headphones!"

 

[oneeyedhobbit]

This is going to get me shot...

I would say some of the Grado line-up. To be fair, I've not heard all of it, only the Sr 80, Joseph Grado SR 200, and the SR 225. They do have some aspects about them that I really enjoy--vocals are very well done, and the upfront nature can be great. But they don't sound clean at all, to my ears. For example, bass is usually hyped on the Grado's, especially compared to the Sennheisers. To be true, there is more bass in Grado's, but it isn't nearly as clean as on the Sennheisers. The best example I can think of is in the Kill Bill Vol. 1 soundtrack, track # 9 (the sort of main theme, I guess). About 10 seconds into the song, there is a symbol roll and a low bass "boom" of some sort (not sure how to characterzie it. Up until now, nothing did it right. It was a very distorted, muddy sound with all the Grados and the A900. The Sennheiser isn't as heavy on the bass, but it sounds clean and tight--there are clear "edges" to the bass, and I can tell where the note should start and stop. My experience was similar with the hights on both Grado's I heard, this sort of loss of control to them. The only aspect I found they performed admirably on was midrange.

Please don't kill me now, I'll again point out that this was to my ears, IMO, in my system, etc.


Edit: I should point out this is based on cans I've heard, no speculation--that includes the Sennhesier HD 580/600/650, ATH A900/W1000, Grado SR 80/200/225, CD3k, Beyerdynamic 880 (oh so briefly), Stax OmegaII/KGSS

Second Edit: It would be nice to hear the reasoning behind Can X is overrated, too.

 

[Zoide]

We should also start a "most overrated upgrade" thread. Hmm.... Images of yet another cables make/don't make a difference war

 

[Snufkin]

Hm.. AKG K271S, Sony CD3000 and Sennheiser HD600

 

[Taurui]

The HD580/600! There is a Sennheiser posse who always recommends these laid back, boring and hard to drive and thus utterly expensive headphones!

the 650 is ok, though (but still overpriced)

-Taurui

 

[plainsong]

Well I don't have anything bad to say about the Senn600's in my setup. But lately I've been seeing a rash of sr60 recommendations. Yuck!

 

[halcyon]

I'm gonna try and put an end to this silliness by saying:

EVERYTHING - every single pair of headphones recommended here.

Let's face it, we are obsessive compulsive disorder cases sometimes bordering on the psychotic

Nothing will ever be good enough and all recommendations will always find at least a few nay-sayers who believe the complete opposite is true.

The biggest truth in headphone audio is your own hearing.

You can't rate which headphones are most overrated, if you don't listen to them yourself.

And even after that, the findings only apply to you

That's the nature of this game, I'm afraid.

 

[dj_mocok]

UE is the phones that is customised according to your ear shapes isnt it ?
i havent heard it before, but im just commenting on the concept.
i know those headphones cost a fortune, because its personalised according to your ear shape.
but im just wondering whether the high price tag is due to the fact that its custom ordered, and personalised with your own names etc. ? not the actual headphone (is it the driver) quality itself ?

im sure that it has great sound quality, but what im saying is, if all the money is concentrated to be spent on the quality parts (not to customise the earphone shapes), and it just have a general shape instead (not customised), wouldnt it make a better quality phones ?
eg. like the stupid cheap plastic looking in some Stax models but the emphasize (the money spent) is on whats inside the drivers... ugly but sounds nice.

 

[dj_mocok]

me again, just wondering, would i get killed if i said A900 is overrated ?
im not saying that though, just wondering... hehe...

 

[TonyTripleA]

Nice thread DJ,

I'm going to throw up my Portapros... simply because they do tire you with that "great" but overblown bass. At the U.S. price they do represent value for money though... here in Australia at retail of A$130-160 (>US$100) they are a fair bit for average sound, especially when you look at what else you can get for the same money.

Mind you, I liked these cans a lot more until I got the Alessandros... thanks again Head Fi...

Cheers,

TonyAAA

 

[Sovkiller]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zoide Oh, I bet I know what will happen: "The CD3000! They are unbearably bright and people mistake their brightness for detail!" "The HD580/600/650! There is a Sennheiser posse who always recommends these laid back, dark headphones!"

ROFLMAO!!!!!! That was a good one, just add the R-10 to that list...Someone will even preffer V6 to them...!!!

 

[plainsong]

Too true - but the sr60's are still yucky.

Quote:

Originally Posted by halcyon I'm gonna try and put an end to this silliness by saying: EVERYTHING - every single pair of headphones recommended here. Let's face it, we are obsessive compulsive disorder cases sometimes bordering on the psychotic Nothing will ever be good enough and all recommendations will always find at least a few nay-sayers who believe the complete opposite is true. The biggest truth in headphone audio is your own hearing. You can't rate which headphones are most overrated, if you don't listen to them yourself. And even after that, the findings only apply to you That's the nature of this game, I'm afraid.

 

[JeffL]

The DT770 that is. Certainly there are ways to tame its massive bass-headidness and the brightness. EQ anybody?