When was your first headphone "WOW" and what caused it?

[Spiritboxer]

Mine came in 1979 when I first heard a Sony Walkman. One of the other students in my Tai Chi class walked in with a head set on and I asked what it was. He let me listen and I was so amazed at the sound (Mozart), I ran right out and bought one.
Still amazed decades later with my Shure/iPOD combo.

 

[philodox]

Christmas a couple years ago when my Dad bought me a pair of Sennheiser HD570. I had to return them because I needed isolation, but listening to Portishead on those Senn's was bliss. I have since heard much better sound, but there is nothing like when you first break your headphone cherry.

 

[Jahn]

lol i forgot about the walkman wow! yes, when i heard that "jungle samba" song on my Sony Cassette Sampler that came with my first walkman, those police whistles jumped out of those crappy stock cans and blew the juvenile me away.

in my adult life, it was the Alessandro MS-1. SO sad that I spent so much of my life hearing crappy cans...

 

[Carbonman]

In 1970 my father wanted to buy me some headphones, some $18 Radio Shack crap. I talked him into coming to listen to headphones at a new shopping center (when they still had stereo shops in them!) and we both listened to the horrifically expensive ($30) Sennheiser HD 414s. Wow, indeed! He sprung for them.

 

[South_Korean]

my EX51's. i was such the noob back then and sort only expected cool things that go into your ear. when i heard the bass i was enveloped into a world of bloaty bass, that i some how became to love. then, the experience went "WOW'er" by getting a pair of 212 pro

.

 

[kramer5150]

1980, I was 9. Senn HD414 (or 424... I cant remember). Listening to my uncles miles davis, charlie parker, and BB king collection through his marantz receiver.

1986, my first real cans... Koss pro4xplus througn my JVC receiver.

Garrett

 

[saturnine]

My first was the Sennheiser HD570 2 years ago. They were an upgrade some Sony Streetstlyes. I was actually happy with them, till I discovered Head-Fi.

 

[Svperstar]

Listening to my Sennheiser 595s for the first time, hearing them amped was also a wow experience.

 

[kin0kin]

surprisingly, the sennheiser mistake phones made many people "wow" eh....

same here, the hd570 gave me a wow. despite the brightness, the instrument seperation was really a wow, as well as the comfortability

unfortunately the phone aint that versatile and i had to sell it. i think the 570 gave me a much bigger wow than the 650 did

 

[Wmcmanus]

HD600 with the Creek OBH11-SE. This was my first headphone system based on recommendations received at Audiogon. It blew me away in terms of the level of details that headphones can extract. There were some adjustments required in terms of getting used to how headphones present music, which is quite different than speakers... but it led me to head-fi, and I've never been the same since. I still listen to my speaker system, but not nearly as much as I do headphones.

 

[zachary80]

Sennheiser hd497s a couple of Christmas' ago. I assumed they would be better in some way but had no idea of what I was getting into.

 

[mmmmcheese]

For me it was the Grado SR125. I got those even before I found Headfi. I am bound to be a poor man... lol

 

[JB.]

Never had the "wow" reaction with phones (though I had many with speakers) until the Ety ER-4S. Still in hopes of finding another phone capable of recreating the tear-inducing intensity of that moment.

 

[donunus]

my sr80 10 yrs ago

 

[superjohnny]

SR60's about 5 years ago. The only cans I'd never sell.