[defcan]

Hey.  Hope you don't mind another new guy.  My introduction to the hobby began when I started getting ready to leave the country on a four month trip about four years back and figured I could use a pair of headphones while I was away.  I planned on spending a lot of time with them, so I thought I might peruse the "high-end" gear and pamper myself.  Why not?  I did the only thing I knew and searched “headphone” on good ol’ Amazon, spotted a pair of Sennheiser HD280’s for $90, and my jaw… hit… the floor.     

       “What?!?  That’s outrageous!  Even the best headphones, like Skullcandy, are only around $50!”  (Keep in mind, I’d only ever used/heard  headphones that came pre-packaged with Walkmans/CD players up to that point.)  It seemed ludicrously overpriced for a headphone, and it was obviously a swindle by some no-name manufacturer, but the reviews were good, so I reluctantly forked over the cash out of curiosity.
 
…… and was actually pleasantly surprised when they arrived and I got to put ‘em on.  Everything sounded clear.  “Well worth the price,” I thought.  So I was already pretty happy with them, and then………………. the BASS.      

      I didn’t just hear it, I could feel it, and that floored me because I didn’t know bass was something headphones were even capable of reproducing.  After that, I decided to keep climbing and see what was further up the mountain, which lead me to these forums and  a pair of Sennheiser HD650’s……. which also lead to disappointment.  They were well respected in the community, and I’d heard a lot about their “outstanding” bass, but outstanding bass for a lot of people means technically accurate, and not necessarily impactful (which is what I wanted at the time since I was a definite basshead).  So while I didn’t care for the 650’s, it did do two things: One was introducing me to better clarity (I didn’t love them at first, but it was difficult going to something less detailed after I got used to ‘em), and the other was putting me on the hunt, chasing that bass dragon to re-capture the feeling I got from the 280’s.  However, my tastes have changed over time, and my need for pounding bass has given way to make room for detail/accuracy.
 
Fast forward a few years later and now I have an sore wallet and a fiancé who sees a waste of perfectly good purse money.    

 

[manukoshe]

I became interested in higher end gear after hearing Audio Note system (Audio Note AN-E SPE HE speakers + Audio Note OTO SE amp) at a local hifi show... The track was Post industrial boys - in slow motion. Absolutely AMAZING. Like nothing I've heard before. I couldn't even imagine that music can sound so good. A must hear if anyone will ever have a chance to audition similar Audio Note system.