[Ishcabible]

Well, again, it's meant as an upscale product, and wood is probably the best material for such a headphone. What material would you rather have them be made of? Plastic? You'd get complaints about them feeling cheap. Metal would be too heavy. Or is it their size that's unattractive? Their driver is freakin big, so that probably can't change... Regardless, you're looking at polar opposites. The LCD2 is a planar magnetic, and an open one at that. That's probably the only way they can look and have them sound the way they do. Beats are a closed normal dynamic headphone. While the closed cup system is pretty complex, you're given more freedom to have the headphones look "nice" like the aforementioned Edition 8 and AKG K550. 

 

[hamoor]

its not only the materials.
the actual design is ugly!
the patterns. the cables.

 

[kingpage]

 
Quote:

wood on electronics equipments look horrible imo.
sure everyone have their opinion, but try showing the LCD-2 to a non audiophile because sometimes we may be a lil bit biased about the things that we love and hear what they say about it looks compared to the beats.

For someone who aspires to be a audiophile, you sure care a lot about what the "non-audiophiles" and Beats people think about what looks good and what doesn't. You're on your own here. Go to threads where new head-fiers ask for advice regarding headphones that looks as good as "Beats, Bose, Skullcandy" whose designs you love so much. Using the general population as examples or proof that something is bad design is borderline ridiculous; I can argue the modular aspect of non-Mac PCs is stupid or ugly or plain bad because if you ask the public which looks better, a Mac or a gaming tower, you will surely find they say Mac. (I'm just trying to let you see your own reasoning.)
 
If that analogy is not enough, try asking how much is too much for a headphone. For most people, they will say something in the range of $50-$100. But for many audiophiles, that's only spare change.
 
The audiophiles and the general public are two different kinds; just as gamers and the general public are. It is the preferences that define the differences between a specialised group and the non-specialised group, when it comes to aesthetics, quality and value.

 

[Ishcabible]

Quote:

its not only the materials.
the actual design is ugly!
the patterns. the cables.

Like I said, that's kind of the only way you can make them look without making them sound unspectacular. Planars don't really like a ton of chamber behind their drivers in my experience. They certainly could change the design to the detriment of sound quality, but they'd get castigated by everyone here, and the average Joe wouldn't know about the company nor pay so much for a pair of headphone anyways, so they're appealing to an imaginary group. The wood looks like that because that's the grain the wood happens to be. That's the beauty of them. Unlike Beats, each pair looks unique. 
 
What's wrong with the cables? 

 

[Dubstep Girl]

its art, not flashy mainstream crap.
 
and i think lcd-2 looks amazing. two of my friends where also like omg, looks really cool when i showed them a pic.
 
im buying some in the next couple weeks.

 

[Flagellin]

So..is this just a troll or what? I have no idea why anyone would even bother with this,..much less have three pages of responses. 
 
Today I learned that the members of head-fi are extraordinarily patient. I would've just told him to grow up. 

 

[Deathdeisel]

I actually understand where the poster is coming from. When i first got on here(not too long ago really) i saw how well regarded the LCD models were and thought wow, thats kind of dumb really, because they looked so plain and cheap. But when you really look at them and study them you can see the art in them, and the time consuming process that was put into each. 
 
However the headband imo still looks like cheap crap for 1000$ headphones. (just the way the leather is stitched imo) I personally prefer a higher gloss on woods as well, rather than the LCD matte look. 
 
These to me are just amazing. 
http://martincustomaudio.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2011-11-21T19:26:00-06:00&max-results=25
(second post down, blackwood d7000)

 

[obobskivich]

Having seen the Beats Pro (the aluminum ones) products only in pictures (apparently I live in one of the only places where they *aren't* extremely common), I finally saw a pair in person a few weeks back; they looked worse than expected. Much smaller, and the fit/finish was not "good." 
 
I think the Grado and Audez'e examples are somewhat cherry picked; they don't represent all of "high end" headphone-dom - look at the Audio-Technica ATH-W series, a number of AKGs over the years, more or less anything from Sony with a high pricetag, and so on - you'll find a lot of beautiful designs. If you dislike wood, that's understandable; recognize that it's a mark of "high end" in audio products though - wooden headphones are generally statement products. I think (but may be wrong), Sony did it first, and did it "biggest" - their (only?) woodies are still regarded as some of the best headphones ever made; that's over 20 years later. Audio-Technica, Grado, and now Audez'e are all going along that trend-line (I think HiFiMan is as well, again, correct my historical inaccuracies wherever you can). It's not a "cheap" solution - ABS is a lot easier to form and work with. Metal is much more consistent. Wood makes a statement though. 
 
If you like the industrial look of the Beats Pro, there are plenty of audiophile/high-end products that have similar design schemes; Audio-Technica, Kenwood, Ultrasone, Sony, and Beyerdynamic all come to mind. 
 
There are all sorts of aesthetic considerations, pick what suits you. 
 
 

 

[Nepenthe]

Audio-Technica, Grado, and now Audez'e are all going along that trend-line...

And Denon.

 

[Omnirai]

What a lame topic. I think the Beats look cheap and ugly, designed to appeal to little kids. Problem?

 

[kn19h7]

Audeze and Grado don't represent the whole industry..
 
As I agree that LCD-2 (generally any wood housing headphones..) looks ugly to me, Beats don't look good to me either. Take your time, there are many choices out there.

 

[leng jai]

I find both the HD800 and the LCD2s pretty ugly.
 
The T1s IMO looks pretty slick and the build quality/craftsmanship is spot on for a high end product. The D7000s are gorgeous as well but their build quality isn't that flash. 

 

[drez]

Ugly is good, it challenges the puny little minds of mainstream consumer society.
 
Let's face it audiophiles are not cool people.  Real audiophiles spend far too long obsessing over small things other people don't care about, or are unable to perceive.  We are nerds of the worst kind - anoraks.  Just try talking to normal people about audio gear and watch their eyes glaze over and wander off.
 
To be honest though "ugly" is a very personal issue - I think Beats, Bose, and Denon look terrible with all the mass manufactured conservative designs they come up with, and people that wear them have have no aesthetic individuality or conviction.  They are boring.

 

[DarkAudit]

 

[FearSC549]

Sorry, but I don't think you haven't got to the level to appreciate and value the quality of the LCD-2.