Buying $550 headphones

[HomeAppraiser]

We've switched SLCentral's $550 headphones with two jars of Tasters Choice instant coffee and a piece of string. Let's see if he can tell the difference.

 

[MazerRackham]

Originally posted by: SLCentral

Originally posted by: James3shin
you're not alone, I bought the E4C's when they came out. Once you experience good sound quality, it's very hard to go back.

:thumbsup:, the e4c's are often compared to the Super.Fi 5 Pros, which have been my earphones for the past ~6 months, and they do sound amazing.

I also have the super.fi 5 pros, and I LOVE them. I need to go to sleep.

 

[SLCentral]

Originally posted by: HomeAppraiser
We've switched SLCentral's $550 headphones with two jars of Tasters Choice instant coffee and a piece of string. Let's see if he can tell the difference.

🙁

 

[tylerdustin2008]

DAMN, that is way to much just buy some BOSE headphones, they sound really good. Oh and that is to much to pay for such a small item. But good luck on your color selection.

 

[John]

Originally posted by: tylerdustin2008
DAMN, that is way to much just buy some BOSE headphones, they sound really good. Oh and that is to much to pay for such a small item. But good luck on your color selection.

BOSE is a joke. The only thing they are good at is marketing and gimmicks.

 

[Rubycon]

Originally posted by: John

BOSE is a joke. The only thing they are good at is marketing and gimmicks.

They are a joke and a bad one at that but you may want to check the jewels in your sarcasm meter 'cuz it may be frozen! :laugh:

 

[NanoStuff]

Paid over $700 for my Stax 3030s. A damn good deal too 🙂

Such a joy having killer headphones.

 

[tylerdustin2008]

Their is no reason to pay that much for some headphones PERIOD, or atleast i would'nt not even if it were a life or death decision.

 

[John]

Originally posted by: tylerdustin2008
Their is no reason to pay that much for some headphones PERIOD, or atleast i would'nt not even if it were a life or death decision.

People that say this aren't audiophiles. There is a reason for everything. Some people might say that they'll never spend "that much" for a computer, car, TV, pet, etc.

It's all about the priorities and love for a particular hobby.

 

[SLCentral]

Originally posted by: John

Originally posted by: tylerdustin2008
Their is no reason to pay that much for some headphones PERIOD, or atleast i would'nt not even if it were a life or death decision.

People that say this aren't audiophiles. There is a reason for everything. Some people might say that they'll never spend "that much" for a computer, car, TV, pet, etc.

It's all about the priorities and love for a particular hobby.

:thumbsup:

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Originally posted by: John

Originally posted by: tylerdustin2008
Their is no reason to pay that much for some headphones PERIOD, or atleast i would'nt not even if it were a life or death decision.

People that say this aren't audiophiles. There is a reason for everything. Some people might say that they'll never spend "that much" for a computer, car, TV, pet, etc.

It's all about the priorities and love for a particular hobby.

and alot of musicians are!

 

[0ptimist]

Yes, you're crazy according to my standards 🙂 but there are many people who'll call me crazy because of what I do and buy 🙂
I've never owned any headphones above $10-20

 

[Rubycon]

Originally posted by: IHateMyJob2004

Originally posted by: John

Originally posted by: tylerdustin2008
Their is no reason to pay that much for some headphones PERIOD, or atleast i would'nt not even if it were a life or death decision.

People that say this aren't audiophiles. There is a reason for everything. Some people might say that they'll never spend "that much" for a computer, car, TV, pet, etc.

It's all about the priorities and love for a particular hobby.

and alot of musicians are!

Just a tool for the trade for me. 🙂

 

[isofilez]

if you want to spend $550 on a pair of headphones more power to you. its not crazy as long as you can afford them and they make you happy.

 

[Randum]

right......

 

[Ika]

Originally posted by: MS Dawn

Originally posted by: John

BOSE is a joke. The only thing they are good at is marketing and gimmicks.

They are a joke and a bad one at that but you may want to check the jewels in your sarcasm meter 'cuz it may be frozen! :laugh:

I doubt the post John was replying to was a sarcastic comment :laugh:

 

[HeaterCore]

Originally posted by: tylerdustin2008
Their is no reason to pay that much for some headphones PERIOD, or atleast i would'nt not even if it were a life or death decision.

...says the guy with the tricked-out dual-core, dual-LCD, SLI rig.

I dropped $200 on a pair of Beyerdynamic DT770 Pros (I know, I know, open cans are better, but I live in a tiny Manhattan apartment and the wife just loves the sound of AK47s in the morning) and I couldn't be happier about it. At the time I thought I was nuts, having never spent more than $20 on headphones, but I'm glad I did.

It's about the total experience, be it with games or music. I know guys who drop $450 on a video card to play on a 17" LCD, or who buy an X-Fi and listen to it with Logitech headphones. I put aside upgrading my rig for a couple of months and spent the spare cash on nice headphones and a gigantic CRT monitor. The result is a better music experience than I got out of my old Senny HD202s, and a far more immersive gaming experience than I would've gotten out of an X1900XT (which, incidentally, is due for delivery in about, oh, two hours. 😉 )

 

[tooltime]

way crazy

 

[tooltime]

do they really sound that much better

 

[NanoStuff]

Originally posted by: tooltime
do they really sound that much better

Yup, really. For those that fail to image the difference, picture a $100 monitor, then picture a $500 monitor next to it. Ugh, look at that terrible contrast ratio, I don't want that $100 POS 🙂

 

[IAteYourMother]

Originally posted by: virtualgames0

Originally posted by: IAteYourMother
a couple of notes:

the E2C sucks, but the sony streetstyles are worse

xin amps are really nice since they're so freaking small, but I think the DIY route would be better in the portable amp realm, more bang for the buck (portable amps are pretty much the simplest, priciest toys ever made)

I never understood ATOT's fascination with IEMs and thinking IEMs like the E2C and E3C are supposedly high-end audio. It's mid-fi at best. They will never compare with full-sized cans at 2/3 of the cost.

My Etymotic ER-4P that I got for $160 new would easily rival cost-equivalent full size cans.
It's portable and unobstrusive too. It also has superior sound isolation to any full size can out there.

I've heard the ER-4Ps... and I would have to say no. Prefer the K501s by a fairly large margin, especially with proper amplification.

EDIT: But obviously, the ER4Ps are definitey a solid earphone, and do provide portability and superb isolation. Sadly, for many users, the ER-4Ps are tantamount to what many call, "ear rape"

 

[IAteYourMother]

Originally posted by: tylerdustin2008
DAMN, that is way to much just buy some BOSE headphones, they sound really good. Oh and that is to much to pay for such a small item. But good luck on your color selection.

well, I hope you didn't take the same type of advice when constructing your current computer rig. Anyways, to the OP, I think you should check head-fi's amplification FS thread. Great deals can be had there

 

[Ika]

Originally posted by: IAteYourMother

Originally posted by: virtualgames0

Originally posted by: IAteYourMother
a couple of notes:

the E2C sucks, but the sony streetstyles are worse

xin amps are really nice since they're so freaking small, but I think the DIY route would be better in the portable amp realm, more bang for the buck (portable amps are pretty much the simplest, priciest toys ever made)

I never understood ATOT's fascination with IEMs and thinking IEMs like the E2C and E3C are supposedly high-end audio. It's mid-fi at best. They will never compare with full-sized cans at 2/3 of the cost.

My Etymotic ER-4P that I got for $160 new would easily rival cost-equivalent full size cans.
It's portable and unobstrusive too. It also has superior sound isolation to any full size can out there.

I've heard the ER-4Ps... and I would have to say no. Prefer the K501s by a fairly large margin, especially with proper amplification.

Sometimes it depends on what kind of music you listen to. Generally, though, IEMs are inferior to the same-cost full-size headphones. ER-4Ps are great if you're a mid/treble-heavy listener and love to hear detail.

 

[dave518]

Does WAV have better quality than apple lossless?

 

[Rubycon]

So you should definitely have them by now. I sent my impressions in on the 6th of December last year and had mine before Xmas!