[jvcinsc]

Although beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I'm surprised that like motorcycles and cars, there are so many fewer truly bad options out there now. I think of the classic Tyll Ultrasone review and can't think of a headphone that "interesting".

That being said, there are many gaming headsets that appear to not have "audio quality" in the top ten of the system requirements. I haven't heard them all, so won't call any out, but given how much easier it is to build a better sounding device, it's surprising how many don't bother regardless.

And I know it's not strictly about listening, but still...

 

[Jacobal]

I like cookies

 

[astonisher]

Around 20 years or so ago I was a naive young man and thought audio gear didn't matter. I was sporting some wireless Logitech gaming headset and you honestly can't listen to music on those. I kind of wish I still have them to remember the good old days. Currently I would say the worst headphone I have is the ATHM50x. It's not bad by any stretch, but I only buy/trade for tried-and-true headphones so I haven't heard a real bad one in a long while.

Agreed, M50x is the "'worst" of my current collection. I also wouldn't say they're bad, they're actually decent for what they are (very affordable, closed-back entry into good audio). I've held on to them all these years mainly as a quick additional reference point to check my mixes since I see them around a fair bit (at work, on planes, etc).

For the worst I've ever heard in my life, some free plastic earbuds I got on a flight several years ago when I forgot my travel headphones (Etymotic ER4XR). They were so bad I ended up sitting that flight out in slience (5 hours!), but not sure if that counts .

 

[jvcinsc]

For the worst I've ever heard in my life, some free plastic earbuds I got on a flight several years ago when I forgot my travel headphones (Etymotic ER4XR). They were so bad I ended up sitting that flight out in slience (5 hours!), but not sure if that counts .

I forgot about this. I think this has to be a winner. I know they are "free", but it's almost like punishment for forgetting yours.

 

[Logistics]

Well... While I agree that for a proper review test rig should be specified I would not take it so seriously on a thread like this. Besides when one has had dozens of headphones and something stands out as truly horrific no amount of gear matching will change that. I believe you can go from mediocre to great with proper synergy but turd polishing is just not worth it.

Yes, but if you don't post the rig then people will have no basis for comparison, and everything will remain pure tial and error. And what I'm most worried about is the fact that we still have a lot of inexperienced listeners who review otherwise respectable headphones by plugging them into their laptop's headphone jack and thinking everything is golden because they use foobar2000.

Around 20 years or so ago I was a naive young man and thought audio gear didn't matter. I was sporting some wireless Logitech gaming headset and you honestly can't listen to music on those. I kind of wish I still have them to remember the good old days. Currently I would say the worst headphone I have is the ATHM50x. It's not bad by any stretch, but I only buy/trade for tried-and-true headphones so I haven't heard a real bad one in a long while.

I have to wonder how many pairs of wireless headphones, that do not have the ability to be hardwired externally, would sound good if the internal amps were removed and they were converted to cabled.

 

[WickedInsignia]

Fun thread guys!
In my case, worst I’ve bought/heard were the Sony MDR10r. One-note bass that flopped all over the rest of the FR. This would have been okay if the mids and treble were at all interesting but instead were rolled way off and lacking in detail. They had no hope against that bloated bass response.
Soundstage, imaging, timbre were all very average. The most unexciting headphone I’ve heard. I didn’t think a consumer sound inspired by the Beats hype could be so uninteresting.

The single most comfortable cans I’ve used but they never sealed properly and had semi-open back levels of isolation.

Sony’s wooly bass-focused sound signature has kept me away from their entire lineup. Every time I tried the 1000X series I’ve been underwhelmed. They took a few too many cues from Bose...all wooly warmth with no texture or interest.

 

[VRacer-111]

I was going to say AKG K7XX, but then I remembered a truely horrible one. Worst for me is the AIAIAI TMA-2... nice modular concept but absolute garbage sounding out of anything, including the 4490 Bifrost DAC and Meier Audio JAZZ-ff amp I was using at the time... Well below the quality of any 'Mid-Fi' headphone, solidly in Lo-Fi category giving some competition to cup and string... Spent way too much way back when they came out on a set of two and lots of extra components to try out different combinations. All money down the drain, last thing I'd want to do is punish someone with the highly lackluster and unresolving sound of these things... They would possibly make an interesting chassis for modding though, but could also be the fault of the housing or modular nature as well for their sound being so subpar.

 

[WickedInsignia]

Worst for me is the AIAIAI TMA-2

Oh damn, you should write a review. Those are still sold in stores here and everything about them online is 5-stars and peachy.

 

[VRacer-111]

Oh damn, you should write a review. Those are still sold in stores here and everything about them online is 5-stars and peachy.

Ackkk! You want me subject myself again to the extremely mediocre, highly undynamic and unresolving sound to give a review of the TMA-2? I just can't do that to my self again! The horror of their sound is burned into my memory. What I can say is just spend $30 to get Koss Porta Pros instead and solidly trounce the TMA-2 in every way imaginable... There is plenty enough information on the poor sound quality of TMA-2 in this forum. I wouldn't wish TMA-2's on my worst enemy.... original Beats Solo's would be more humane and better sounding, they at least have some character even if their audio quality is lacking. The TMA-2 is just 'BLEH' in character + lacking audio quality. Might as well just listen to music from the speaker(s) of a phone if you want that experience...

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

I’m probably going to get some flack for this post but who cares - tastebuds have their own agenda

For the price I think the Abyss flagship is a real bummer. I dig almost everything about it...except for its tuning, which is downright horrendous and more befitting of a 100-200$ headphone. Granted, first time one listens to it it can sound rather impressive simply because the music becomes HUGE...but a/b’ing against an HD600/650 -hell even something like a Sundara, showcases the see-saw-like presentation.
Great bass though...

Heddphone. Ditto the above.
Great bass though...

Are the above two headphones the absolute worst headphones I’ve ever heard? Nahh that probably befalls something like a Plattan/Marshall can...but when I counter in the massive pricetags of the above, the experience almost becomes absurd.
I feel somewhat similarly about the “openback” ZMFs but must admit that I fully understand why folks buy them...and also fully understand the pricetag. They’re handbuilt headphones made of gorgeous wood. If you’re a woodworker or similarly dig the feeling of having something hand- and wellmade adorning your little set-up, then you are getting something rather beautiful for your money. I can get behind that...hell I am still somewhat on the fence about purchasing an Aeolus...but ultimately can’t justify the cost when I prefer the HD58X to it sonically. The same goes for the Auteur; I simply prefer the sound of the HD580/600 to it.
Great bass on the ZMFs though...

 

[WickedInsignia]

For the price I think the Abyss flagship is a real bummer.

I feel that how one interprets a headphone can come down strongly to their financial position.
For some people $4000 is a small sum and an underperforming headphone at that price isn’t a bummer.
For others, they want absolute perfection when they spend $4000. That’s a lot of money, it better be flawless in every way!

Just an interesting case you brought up there. I can’t imagine spending $4000 on cans, let alone the idea I could be disappointed by them....but I would be hard-pressed to keep them if they weren’t the best thing I’d ever heard.

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

I feel that how one interprets a headphone can come down strongly to their financial position.
For some people $4000 is a small sum and an underperforming headphone at that price isn’t a bummer.
For others, they want absolute perfection when they spend $4000. That’s a lot of money, it better be flawless in every way!

Just an interesting case you brought up there. I can’t imagine spending $4000 on cans, let alone the idea I could be disappointed by them....but I would be hard-pressed to keep them if they weren’t the best thing I’d ever heard.

Well if I hold back on purchasing music and books for the month I could definitely swing the 4-5000$ for a headphone...but I am not paying that amount for something that sports inferior sound quality compared to a 2-300$ headphone.
Then again...if you think about it..many of these crazy expensive headphones are being made by relatively new makes. Small boutique-like companies. Folks who have waaaaay less experience in tuning headphones and building them compared to a massive company like Sennheiser, AKG or Beyerdynamic. The fact that they still have some ways to go before they finetune their tuning-skills is perhaps not that strange....but most folks here on Head-Fi seem to equate pricetag with sound quality, so many of these new and very expensive headphones sell like hotcakes...and well...when the bass is great...who cares about the rest eh? It’s only about 75% of all music that happens in the midrange

 

[WickedInsignia]

Folks who have waaaaay less experience in tuning headphones and building them compared to a massive company like Sennheiser, AKG or Beyerdynamic.

Very true, but I think that’s where buying from these companies becomes an investment in their future.
Unlike a major manufacturer they can’t sail on mass production and financial security. They inherently take more risks and things just cost a lot more to make.
That being said, if something sounds like trash it’s probably trash. Consumer’s shouldn’t have to pay for a company teething their research and it’s best to be critical. You don’t want to invest in a company that isn’t offering quality!

This is what shocks me about the level playing-field on bad sound. If small boutique places can go toe-to-toe with the likes of Sony and AKG, what does it say about those big companies’ investment in actually making good cans?

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

Very true, but I think that’s where buying from these companies becomes an investment in their future.
Unlike a major manufacturer they can’t sail on mass production and financial security. They inherently take more risks and things just cost a lot more to make.
That being said, if something sounds like trash it’s probably trash. Consumer’s shouldn’t have to pay for a company teething their research and it’s best to be critical. You don’t want to invest in a company that isn’t offering quality!

This is what shocks me about the level playing-field on bad sound. If small boutique places can go toe-to-toe with the likes of Sony and AKG, what does it say about those big companies’ investment in actually making good cans?

I think we’re speaking slightly past each other but that’s ok
Personally I don’t feel comfortable with a new company sticking a 4-5000$ pricetag on a headphone when they’re still new to the game and perhaps not even properly educated sound engineers. Releasing a great headphone can of course happen by chance and sure then it’s way cool to have been one of the first guys to have gotten his hands on the critter....but 99% of the time it comes down to real engineering and tuning by professionals with tons of experience + access to a vast backcatalogue of knowledge within the company

 

[obsidyen]

AKG Q701. It sounded really weak and thin, and it used to leave a pain inside my ears after 30 mins of listening to them.