[iCxLegion]

Mine: I received my Sennheiser HD448's and Fiio E11. Plugged in my iPod and headphones, and played the first FLAC I could find. I just sat there, listening, in awe about how much more amazing my music sounded then. 
 
What about you guys? What was your "first time" like?
 
 

 

[subzer0]

so far, listening to amped headphones for the first time...wow...the bass was so much better.

 

[charliex]

Just wait until you upgrade source along with amplification -well engineered lossless wav or flac through a good DAC and then matching amplification to attain a sonic synergy that will literally bring tears to your eyes  and sonic bliss to your ears - - - ah, how I love this hobby!

 

[JBAndradeIV]

Probably when I got my SR80is.  Before I stumbled upon Head-Fi I had my Bose in-ears and I thought they sounded pretty good.  When I first started doing a bit of research on some better headphones I invested in a pair of ATH-FC700As and the sound was just phenomenal to my inexperienced ears (note: I still consider them a fantastic set of cans for the $35 I paid, which is a lot more than I can say about my $100 Bose...).  But I got the itch for something better and stumbled upon a used set of SR80is online at a price I couldn't refuse.  
 
When I finally heard them, I was just floored.  I didn't understand why people would spend so much money on a set of cans until that moment.  I couldn't take them off and even started wearing them on bus rides, in the halls at my college, wherever (despite them being open-back).  And I'm proud to say (although I feel a little guilt for all those on the bus who are forced to listen to my music) I still take them everywhere.  Yes, I have several other cans now, including my HD600, which is my prized possession (and which I generally, though not always, prefer over my 80s), but nothing has wowed my like my 80s.  

Since then, they have also been modded heavily, so I like them even better.
 
Also, for what it's worth, I tried listening to a pair of Bose in-ears the other day and I couldn't even keep them in for 30 seconds.  I thought, this is what my music used to sound like?
Crazy, right?  And we're not even talking about the freebie apple ibuds or the skullcandys I owned in early high school...I shudder to think what those would sound like to me now.

 

[iCxLegion]

People don't get mad on the bus when you're using open backs?
Quote:

Probably when I got my SR80is.  Before I stumbled upon Head-Fi I had my Bose in-ears and I thought they sounded pretty good.  When I first started doing a bit of research on some better headphones I invested in a pair of ATH-FC700As and the sound was just phenomenal to my inexperienced ears (note: I still consider them a fantastic set of cans for the $35 I paid, which is a lot more than I can say about my $100 Bose...).  But I got the itch for something better and stumbled upon a used set of SR80is online at a price I couldn't refuse.  
 
When I finally heard them, I was just floored.  I didn't understand why people would spend so much money on a set of cans until that moment.  I couldn't take them off and even started wearing them on bus rides, in the halls at my college, wherever (despite them being open-back).  And I'm proud to say (although I feel a little guilt for all those on the bus who are forced to listen to my music) I still take them everywhere.  Yes, I have several other cans now, including my HD600, which is my prized possession (and which I generally, though not always, prefer over my 80s), but nothing has wowed my like my 80s.  

Since then, they have also been modded heavily, so I like them even better.
 
Also, for what it's worth, I tried listening to a pair of Bose in-ears the other day and I couldn't even keep them in for 30 seconds.  I thought, this is what my music used to sound like?
Crazy, right?  And we're not even talking about the freebie apple ibuds or the skullcandys I owned in early high school...I shudder to think what those would sound like to me now.

 

 

[TMRaven]

Underwhelming to say the least.  Going from stock apple buds, skullcandy holua and some cheap usb headsets to the Audio Technica AD700 and M50 was simply beautiful.  Going from Ad700/M50 to DT990 and D2000 was a small upgrade, but nowhere near as big.  Going from iMac's headphone out to music streamer dac and Little Dot amp is a very small upgrade.  
 
Either the iMac has a very good source or the Music Streamer is a very bad source.
 
Comparing the likes of DT990 to HD800 at the local audio store is again, a very small upgrade.
 
 
Speakers however, they are a different story.  The quality difference there is very impressive, and the justification for upgrading is way less silly than for headphones.
 
 

 

[Clockmaker]

Quote:

People don't get mad on the bus when you're using open backs?

 
Admittedly, they get mad all the time. I also own a pair of SR80i's, and I use them during my commute. I try to keep my music at a lower volume, but they're not stopping me from listening to my music. I mainly listen to post-hardcore rock (generically termed screamo), so I can only imagine what sort of torture they must be enduring.

 

[genclaymore]

WHen I felled for Razers Barracuda marketing with there Hp1 and AC1 sound card to the point I decided to sell them both and get a prelude and a AD700 and call it a day. When I did I was much much happier then I ever been.

 

[Dubstep Girl]

well when i got my 650s it was a huge step up from my old bose on ears and i was just blown away. i didnt know how much detail existed in the music, and how clear and well presented music can sound. everything else sounded muddy and crappy compared to the hd 650s.

 

[NamelessPFG]

*puts on a Stax Lambda for the first time*
 
"So THIS is what they meant by clear, effortless sound...I like it."
 
By the way, it's being fed by an old receiver and an SRD-7/SB, not a dedicated Stax amp. As if the thought of getting even better Lambda models that didn't need their drivers rebuilt (Nova Signature, perhaps?) wasn't expensive enough, I could also use a Pro bias amp...

 

[shrimants]

Went from Bose On-Ears to Monster Turbines. Suddenly, a wild soundstage appears! Radiohead was on all sides of my head, i felt kind of molested afterwards. Unfortunately, the turbines were built with such crap quality control standards that I'm about to toss mine in the trashcan after only 2 months of having them for actual listening. The entire rest of the time was spent sending it to warranty repair and waiting for them to send me another set for 3 months at a time.

It would also be great if I didnt have to reinsert them every 2 minutes to combat driver flex issues with their crappy product.

Lessons learned:
Upgrade full size headphones first
Custom IEM's only
Balanced Armature only. 3 to be safe, more if possible.

Sublesson learned in attempt to follow up lessons learned:
Upgrading full size headphones costs HOW MUCH?!
Dieting is easy when your food money goes towards headphone savings

 

[JBAndradeIV]

Quote:

People don't get mad on the bus when you're using open backs?


 

I do feel a little guilty about this, as I mentioned.  But the bus ride is only 15 minutes (from South Campus to Main Campus at my college), and all the students at my school tend to listen to they're own music on their own IEMs, so there's usually only one or two people on the bus who can even hear it anyways.  
 
Plus, my music is awesome and I want the world to hear it! 

 
I would like to get my hands on a nice pair of closed-backs in the near future, but I don't have a ton of cash and I find it too difficult to forgo the sound of my SR80s (I've even been known to use my HD600s as "portable" headphones when I'm in the mood for their sound).  It's an addiction I suppose.  Sometimes I try to get by with my HD203s or my ATH-FC700As, but it just never puts me in a great mood for the day like my Grados.  
 
Plus, when I see someone out and about with Grados on, I think it's just awesome, even if I hate their music.  I think man, that person is passionate about how their music sounds.  

 

[tdockweiler]

First real headphone I had was the Koss TNT/55. They were usually sold by Radioshack for $40, but nearly always $20. Labeled as a Realistic or some other brand.
Pretty impressed by how they sounded out of a tape player. Yes, back then we all used tape players! I think this was when I was anywhere from 13-16. I'm now 31.
Back then most people used the headphones that came with their CD or tape player.
 
Next good headphone was not until I was 18. Got a Bose Triport AE1. Always loved it back then, but I was using a portable CD player. We didn't have mp3 players yet. I had no clue about Bose. I probably figured that since it was $150 it might be good

I tried it again this year and it's still good, but I only paid $40. Despite what people say, it doesn't have bloated bass and severely recessed mids. Too much treble for me so I gave it away.
 
Want to know what's really funny? I think my next upgrade was an HD-580, but I was dumb back then and don't think I realized it needed an amp! No wonder I didn't like it.
I remember it being incredibly boring. Well, no wonder..
 
First REALLY expensive headphone was the K701 and I always loved it. This was back when NORMAL people (not head-fi people) considered any headphone over $50 stupid expensive.
I think my K701 was very under-amped, but still sounded good.
 
I later bought a DT-990 and remember one day being forced to part with one of them. Ended up being the DT-990.
 
My fun hit a wall when I bought a Grado SR-325i and hated every second of it. I'd probably like it now though. From then on I listened to only my Triple Fi 10 for 3 years and then finally got sick of it and switched back to headphones in late 2009 I believe.
 
I swear one of these days I'm going to stick with two headphones for good. Probably Q701 and DJ100. Who knows..DJ100 would be my "FUN" headphone for when I need a little extra bass.

 

[Uncle Erik]

My first time is clouded from the years - it was about 30 years ago. A childhood friend's father was an audiophile (unfortunately, he died about ten years ago) and even had a listening room. We were allowed in there to look but not touch. And we were actually didn't. He'd play music for us and I remember it being amazing. I can't remember the setup, either, but he had some towering line arrays. Probably close to seven feet tall and at least a dozen drivers in each. Come to think of it, that meant my friend's mom was pretty damned cool for allowing the gear. She's gone now, too, sadly.

My first adult taste with my own gear was in 2003. I built a pair of Verhagen ribbons from plans in AudioXpress. Spent about $250 and wasn't sure what to expect. They turned out to be transcendently good. OK, they fall off pretty hard under 350Hz, but are ruler-flat and freakishly detailed above that. Mids and highs as good as about anything. The dipolar radiation kinda freaked me out, too. There is sound but it doesn't sound like it is coming from the ribbons. That was mind-bending for awhile, but also lots of fun.

 

[rezel]

I was thinking along the lines of, "I can hear so much more than before; it sounds clearer. This is awesome!".
Pretty cliched but true none the less.