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Which is the best (and worst) pair of headphones? (pg. 17)
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| RavingLunatic |
I take it you don't like sony? yeah..
I wonder if bose makes headphones? I bet they would kick ass..
I have yet to try behringer or sennheiser, I haver heard they are good..
but my optimus are great for now.. |
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| Gluegun |
Oh? I love Sony.
The MDR-V6 is *the* single most versatile headphone on the planet, and what you all should be buying. They are *the* headphone to buy if you are doing any sort of mixing or recording, whether live, dj mixing, in a studio, on your computer, whatever. The MDR-CD3000's are *THE* best "listening to electronica" headphones on the planet, and can duke it out with the Best of Sennheiser, AKG, Grado, and Beyerdynamic. Sony's big electronics rock...great CD players, great home entertainment stuff; Sony knows how to make electronics... but, much of their stuff has started to suck a lot recently..
they've been reducing the wattage of their portable cd players and radios and mp3 playes, and reducing hte quality of their pcdp's and walkmans. Sony DID make the best portable CD player of all time (Sony D777), but now their stuff sucks. Even though sony *knows* how to make good electronics, the stuff targeted at Gen Y is starting to suck, whether or not it is speakers, headphones, or portable electronics.
Ah, Bose? Yea, Bose sucks. BIG TIME. Have never made anything that sounds good, whereas Sony has, and still does. I know, I own their best speakers, and my $35 Koss headphones whoop them in sound quality. I mean *whoop* them. Bose, like Bang and Olufsen (B&O's only headphones, the A8 headphones have some *huge* quality control problems, and can be either "puke quality" or just "really overpriced"; instead of paying $160 for those, pay $15 for the Sennheiser MX500 and get better sound), and like Sharper Edge, all make really flashy, really expensive, really useless, really badly made stuff.
As far as Bose headphones? The only headphone that has a WORSE value, a WORSE price/performance ratio than the Sony MDR-V600 is Bose's only headphone--the Bose QuietComfort Acoustic Noise Cancelling headset--which sounds even worse than the V600, and doesn't really block out any noise beyond a small range of frequencies, unlike a passive noise cancelling headphone...
Basically, if it's new, and targeted at Gen Y, and it's Sony, it sucks. If it's Bose AT ALL, it sucks....
And, while, say, Sennheiser makes *the best* headphones, they also make the worst too.
And, chances are, Sennheiser stuff that you are likely to find is the worst stuff of their lines...
BUT, Sennheiser STILL has a market niche among audiophiles, so they STILL make a decent amount of good headphones. Same with Beyerdynamic. Like I said, 97% is crap. |
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| Gluegun |
By the way, if you think the headphone market is depressing, just try a Grado.
*grins*
The fact of it is, no matter what, there is a headphone that best suits your purpose, and that sounds good. Even if you have to look really hardly to find it, you can always find something GOOD! |
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| RavingLunatic |
Well.. you certainly are opiniated, and well versed in products and model numbers.. I agree, sony has been putting out lately.
but about one thing you are wrong, and don't bother trying to argue with me, because I simply know it to be true. Bose does not suck, they are widely regarded as making the best speakers in the world, bar none. maybe their headphones suck, but not there speakers..
the bose 901s blow anything comparable out of the water.
that is simply a fact, I've heard it myself, set them up, compared them to others in double blind tests, and they simply rock. any other speaker sounds like fm radio. |
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| Gluegun |
Oy....
I have the Bose 901's. They *suck*. Sure, they're Okay compared to overpriced consumer systems--Sony, Yamaha, Advent, Cerwin Vega, etc. etc. etc., but throw in a decent REAL set of speakers, like one from Klipsch, Energy, Paradigm, Boston Acoustics, or Definitive Technology that costs the same or less, and they get *whooped*.
My KSC-35's sound better than the Bose 901's that have been in our den since I was but a little child. My dad got them, for free. Which is about what they're worth!
Muddy bass, muddy midrange, A GAZILLION holes in the sound, no clarity, no really high highs, can't tell any detail of the bass, no really low lows, voices in the midrange are veiled, the soundstage is pitiful, stringed instruments sound muddy, and they *need* to be connected to Bose's proprietary equalizer (UGH! EQUALIZATOIN!) to boost the bass and treble, thereby giving the false illusion that they sound good.
Compare them with a good system, of equal or lessar price.
This is about the way of thinking. You are someone who thinks the Bose 901's or the Sony V600's are GOOD, whereas, for me, they don't even pass the most basic of criteria, and I would find something less popular, but BETTER, and certainly a better value. Remember, as far as cheap speakers go, look at Klipsch, Energy, Paradigm, Boston Acoustics, and Definitive Technology. Their basic systems, at the price of the 901's, will whoop the 901's so incredibly much! These ar COMPERABLE speakers, as well--they cost the same, are made for home theater of stereo use, and sound infinitely better.
Your double blind tests just show that Bose's crap is less crappy than other crap. Any home theater set of speakers costing multiple hundreds of dollars should AT LEAST sound better than my $35 earbuds.
End rant! |
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| ShadySlim |
| That's right, Gluegun. I own a pair of Grado SR-60's, and (even with the standard comfy pads with no hole cut out of them) they WHOOP all of the Senn HD4##-series headphones except for the HD495 with proper amplification. And they also whoop fully half of Sennheiser's HD5## line and almost ALL of Sony's headphones, IMHO. |
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| Gluegun |
Yea, shadyslim is talking about how few GOOD models of headphones there are. However, both Sony and Sennheiser make headphones comperable to his SR-60's, ya know?
Anyways, Shadyslim, aren't gonna say something concerning the Bose rant? |
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| ShadySlim |
| quote: | Originally posted by Gluegun
Anyways, Shadyslim, aren't gonna say something concerning the Bose rant? |
I read that rant after I posted my comparison of the Grado SR-60 vs. most Senns and Sonys... ;)
All I can say is this: Bose is the REAL home of the tin-ears!!! :p |
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| RavingLunatic |
| quote: | | I have the Bose 901's. They *suck*. Sure, they're Okay compared to overpriced consumer systems--Sony, Yamaha, Advent, Cerwin Vega, etc. etc. etc., but throw in a decent REAL set of speakers, like one from Klipsch, Energy, Paradigm, Boston Acoustics, or Definitive Technology that costs the same or less, and they get *whooped*. |
well... I guess I've been put in my place. I've never had the pleasure of listening to any of those latter brands, only the Sony, Yamaha, Advent, Cerwin Vega, etc.
I have heard good things about klipsch, but never heard them personally, and the others are simply the really expensive ones I know I can't afford on website catalogues. I mean, they are a couple grand for two speakers, I doubt if many people outside of a recording studio have ever heard those..
but, I guess I'll have to take your word for it, cause i'm never going to have such aural pleause bestowed upon me.
(good thing my girlfriend bestows oral pleasure on me instead, I like that much better specially with my 50 dollar radio shack headphones on!) :)
still, I wouldn't say the bose 901s suck. maybe they aren't as good as these uber-speakers..
actually, maybe they do suck, why don't you send them to me? I'll pay the shipping, then I can truly understand how bad they suck! :) |
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| Gluegun |
Nononono!!
Those other speakers?
THEY ARE AT OR LESS THAN THE PRICE OF SIMILAR BOSE SPEAKERS!!
*especially* if you bargian hunt!
The fact is, they are competing *directly* with the Bose 901's! In the same price braket. The brands I mentioned are ones that have *low end* (read: low cost) home theater systems!
And they are wiping the floor with the bose's that cost the same or more!
At *any* price range, there is ALWAYS something that is a good value.
And that thing is NEVER made by Bose, since *all* of their speakers suck!
They don't put their money into designing speakers, they put it into marketing. Now, take a less-known speaker company, one that puts their money into making cheap speakers, and then compare them with a similarly priced set of bose speakers!
The Bose 901's cost, what, $900-$1500? I *swear* to you, the speakers I am talking about are in that price range.... Lesse, Energy Take 5's, the entire 5.1 system, uh...$700.
Bose 901's are marketed as Stereo Music Speakers. And they are expensive...and you *CAN* get MUCH better stuff for MUCH cheaper!!
Ask here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/foru....php?forumid=17
Say you want a new stereo system in the same price bracket as a set of Bose 901's, and ask how much better this new one, which would cost the same, will be.
Or, give your budget, no matter what it is (within reason), and ask if you can get something that sounds better than the Bose 901's for the same purpose for that price.
Come on. Do it. I dare ya. And, when you get some replies, post the link.
Should be QUITE educational! |
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| RavingLunatic |
Well..
I'm not going to do that right now..
I'm not interested at ALL about home theatre 5.1 stuff, all I want is 2 pounding stereo speakers..
I used to think I wanted home theatre stuff
I went to my local retailer, future shop, and looked for home theatre components.. they had a killer deal, a receiver, center channel, 2 mains, 2 rear, and 1 sub for like 600 bucks..
now here is where your really going to cringe it was made by RCA, arguably the WORST brand for audio stuff on this planet.
anyway, I brought the thing home, set it up, and it sounded like e! not pounding at all, the $20 subwoofer and speakers I have for my computer were better..
so I toook it back to the store, and looked for something better.
I basically determined that I wasn't going to get out of there with 5 speakers and a reciever that sounded at ALL good without spending over $5000 so I gave up.
I looked in the buy and sell, and found a kenwood stereo, with 2 kenwood speakers, for $400.
the thing POUNDS, it sounds great, and it was half the price.
anyway, I have no point, just telling you the story, I thought you would appreciate it. |
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| Gluegun |
Well, that forum I sent you? It *is* for two channel stereo!
Just ask, what is the best 2.1 setup out there for $X that has deep, impacting bass; I need something better than my current system, Y. What are my options? |
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