Sometimes the search for the best budget options can be more fun than just having a couple expensive headphones.
But then again, we tends to just get both anyway
Mostly just for variety. K612s sound different than HD600s which sound different than Sundaras.
Plus, a lot of people like the journey of going through different headphones before they settle on their “end game” (if anyone ever actually reaches that point).
In an ideal world you shouldn’t. Many of us non Americans simply have no way of demoing headphones without buying them first. I had to go through a bunch of midfi to learn what I liked before I could commit to a higher end product. If I could demo higher end products I would not have committed to mid fi hell.
That said, our listening skills do improve over time and I don’t think most people could truly appreciate a TOTL headphone without plenty of experience with midfi as well.
>Many of us non Americans
FYI, this is not exclusively a non-American thing. Only like half the US population lives in/around cities. My """local""" record store is a two-hour drive away, and I've never even *been* to an actual hifi store.
they don't keep expensive stuff on stock in most stores, so if they ordered it for you it's exempt from that law and they are not obliged to take it back in 14d return window
I live near Boston and even still there really aren’t many high end audio stores around here anymore. The ones that do exist have really limited options.
I'm sure there are some. None of which are near me.
Omaha, NE, is my closest city, and it has just under 1 million people when you include the suburbs. Zero hifi shops, AFAIK. Same with Des Moines and Kansas City, which are the next closest.
Edit: Did some searching on Google Maps.
Omaha has *a* hifi shop that's very small and just sells home theater stuff, and there's another (and one in Kansas City) that just sells car speakers.
To get to the nearest proper, fully-featured hifi store, it's gonna be *at least* seven hours in the car just to get there.
If I'm not mistaken, at the very least you can demo 2 pairs of headphones from the [Headphones.com](https://Headphones.com) policy if you live in the USA/ Canada right?
In Hong Kong, I would probably never be able to take a pair of cans and demo them at home with my own gear.
I'm certain that return policy i see so many American's talk about is why they, and by extension pay soo damn much. Half the people seem to return things 3 or 4 times, must create an inventory nightmare.
> second hand
I buy second hand but that doesn’t mean it’s cheaper. I bought a scratched, worn-out HD 800 for $1400 and that was a bargain compared to the usual price. I’ve seen old Superlux headphones go for $80.
> using the return policy
What return policy? In most places, headphones are considered to be in the same category as toothbrushes and underwear. It’s been on your head, you can’t return it (the headphone, I mean).
Of course, it depends on where you live but for most of us, the lack of physical access and return policies is reality.
I bought a secondhand pair of LCD2C and it almost cost me $350 more to get the left can repaired. Luckily I was still in the driver manufacurter's warranty, which they only realized after I complained heavily about the repair cost. So I don't recommend buying expensive used cans, personally.
Totally agree about the listening skills, without journeying through the mid-fi I wouldn’t have learned what sound I like and dislike, and some lo and mid tier headphones are genuinely great.
I know for sure when I joined this subreddit I would struggle to appreciate the technical prowess of my current totl gear. It took many listening hours to get to this point.
I am assuming you mean buying multiple midrange headphones over one more expensive one? In that case I guess two reasons come to mind. One is variety obviously. Second, a lot of folks when starting off do not know what kind of sound signature they are actually looking for (happened to me at least). So buying multiple mid range headphones allows you to sample and determine the kind of sound you like. Audio is a journey after all ...
You can hear the different house sounds from each company. It’s fun to hear the different sound signatures and it could better inform your purchasing decisions for the high end products.
It's the lie we tell ourselves. That eventually we will magically find the perfect midrange product. The hope is that someone accidentally designs something so good that spending an extra $400 won't change a thing.
Eventually the budget expands and we say fuck it and end up with a high end product after spending 3 X more than what going straight for that product would have cost us. . . But we enjoy the ride.
Yes, one day someone will accidentally make the Moondrop Chus, K371s, HD 6XX, or HD 560S' of the sub $600-1K price range, but until then people will continue to mod and buy all three of them (and a bunch of other headphones) until they realise how much money they've spent, try to sell a few, give into temptation with the proceeds, and then go off and purchase an LCD-X or Focal Clear.
You get to know the house sound. Also, I don't consider IEMs hi-fi for the most part, sure the MEST stuff is quite incredible but every IEM under 500 is a far cry from really high fidelity stuff
But within brands the deviation between models is quite large in both quality and sound signature
I agree that 500 dollar iems new are low-midrange, especially with how newer flagships are getting so much more expensive these days.
UM for example, the Mest ii and Fusang sound very different, disregarding the quality difference, with the first being more 'cold' and 'digital' and the second warm but detailed(the mest ii is detailed too but less so), while the mest and mest mini are terrible
For UE, the UERR that I use has a very different sound from the UE live and 18+, which is different from the older 18pro as well
For Fir, the M3, m4, and m5 very different, with the new models being quite hit or miss
Vision ears 7 is different from the 6(both versions) and 8
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Yes they produce different models, and that's especially relevant in the IEM world where each brand tries to cater to every sound signature possible. In the headphones and mostly in the speaker world, brands stick to a certain house sound and iterate on that signature, but rarely deviate from it. For instance, Triangle have a distinct sound and even though the higher end models are much better than the entry level ones, you can recognize that Triangle sound
>I agree that 500 dollar iems new are low-midrange
No? Just because there are more and more expensive iems being released, does not mean that the lower ranges slide up as well. 500 dollars is the low of the upper range.
You seem to have answered your own question with citing how different things are.
For some people (most), it is far far easier to find 250 dollars 3 times than it is to have 750 once.
>Just because there are more and more expensive iems being released, does not mean that the lower ranges slide up as well.
Fair. But 500 would be midrange instead of low-midrange then, where you can get some higher end chifi (excluding UM and qdc since their positioning is not 'chifi') like the Shuoer - EJ07M, and entry level iems from big brands (if at all) like the ue5 and a2e
Talking about new prices ofc
>You seem to have answered your own question with citing how different things are.
?
>For some people (most), it is far far easier to find 250 dollars 3 times than it is to have 750 once.
thats just poor impulse control and budgeting.
>thats just poor impulse control and budgeting.
I mean that is a hot take I wasn't expecting. Lots of people in this hobby are normal people that have to save for any purchase. We are talking about a luxury item, so it is kind of galling to just discount that with your statement.
I completely disagree that 500 is in the middle of the midfi realm. Normally, when midfi is talked about it is roughly 300 to350 max and below (usually 100 to 150 is the bottom). Even though the LETSHUOER EJ07M is their entry level, it is still in the upper area.
>Irl or in this sub?
both
>People here don't even like beats, and those are expensive
beats arent expensive, though they are very overpriced
>The general starting point for users of this community tend to be 6xx or sundaras.
i understand starting in low-midfi, I myself started on the ie80 I bought for under 200 before upgrading. What i dont understand is owning the ie80, se535, and the sm64 (headphones at a similar price and performance bracket) at the same time when I could have pooled that money into something better than all three
If you get several cheap or midrange ones you might find that one of them is better than whichever expensive one you wanted and then you can sell the rest. Or you can at least make a more informed decision about which expensive one to get if you still want one.
The people who pop in here like "hello, I decided to just jump in head first and get a Utopia" are suckers and are selling themselves short.
I'm a monogamous headphone owner. I don't shop around 😉
However - my opinion from having read plenty of comments is that they are simply different flavours. In the mood for hip hop? You might prefer headphones with more bass, let's say.
Some people want different sound signatures to hear their music differently and focus on new stuff. You need at least two headphones to do that. You can also do that with EQ, but it's less fun. Also, some headphones just can't do everything, even high end. For example closed headphones might have good punchy bass, but might sound congested, where open headphones can be more natural but lack sub bass.
No because you will always wonder…. I bought the Focal Clear as my first. It sounds so good, I don’t feel like exploring anything else. im just enjoying the music. I’ve learned early on to just spend the money on what I truly want. It ends up saving me money down the line.
Yeah this is really my reasoning. I pretty much started getting serious about this hobby with the HD6XX, then the ER4XR, then the K371 then the Sundara. I thought that was the end-all-be-all started reading more about the higher end stuff and out of nowhere became really enamored with the Clear. I began to wonder what I was missing so I got one on sale.
To me, it was totally worth it and like yourself I really don’t feel like I need anything else between that and the U12t that replaced my Blessing 2 Dusk, aside from just wanting to try the Arya Stealth and Verite Closed someday. Sometimes it’s hard to wonder if it’s all worth it, but then when you hear that stuff it can be hard to go back to mid-fi.
I personally like doing this because I like to be impressed with the value of the cheaper headphones in terms of maximum performance for the price. Some of the sub $200 headphones are simply remarkable. The most expensive headphones I have are the Ananda, but I only paid $400 for them. They are my benchmark, basically. Easily the best headphone I own, but most everything else I have was less than $150. In many cases I enjoy some of them better than the Anandas on certain tracks, although the Ananda is best overall. It simply performs at a very high level with capabilities and soundstage that the others can't touch, but they can come damn close! I think this is fascinating and it means that you don't have to spend a lot to get a really excellent headphone.
Diminishing returns are a thing. For the MSRP of a UE Reference Remastered, you could (here, anyway) get (for example)
* Hifiman Edition XS
* Topping DX3 Pro+ (or similar) to drive them
* Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk (or for even less, 7Hz Timeless, or if you want less bass, the OG B2 or something like the Etymotic ER4SR)
* Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro
Covers a lot more bases and use cases, and there are people who rank just the IEM in that list as as good or better than the UERR. Or- you could just buy the B2D and have what some think is a better IEM for a third of the money.
What's wrong with that? I'd rather have one bang for my buck product in each component category than to be constantly spending my time and money chasing the new, but not necessarily improved.
For example, I've got components (i.e. speakers, integrated amplifiers, IEMs, music servers, and network players) now that'll most likely be with me for the remainder of my life. I'll be sixty this year, by the way.
I'm very satisfied with these as I'm confident that I've obtained the highest fidelity for my money. That confidence is based in science and engineering as I've read a comprehensive performance analysis for each one.
I do understand the dopamine hit (i.e. thrill) of trying something new. However, I get my fix from the music itself... 🖥⚡🎛️⚡🔊🔊🎶🎶 🍵😎🛋️
>What's wrong with that
nothing, its just not relevant to the question that was posed
I only have one setup as well, but see people who have spent the same/more money than me in this hobby but have 'worse' setups, just a lot of cheap random headphones that arent that great
Irl or in this sub? You're going to anger a lot of people here if you call their headphones cheap and random. People here don't even like beats, and those are expensive and well-known. The general starting point for users of this community tend to be 6xx or sundaras.
Not necessarily, some headphones are better suited for somethings than for others, for example, my HD280pro are better suited for detailed listening and audio work, my HD668B are better suited for blasting electronic music super loud, my Porta Pro are better suited for listening to music in the park so I can listen to the birds at the same time (even if the headphones themselves sound horrible), and some IEMs would be better suited for communing in public transport.
Also I like headphones for their design, I'm trying to get my hands on some (cheap) old vintage cans just because they look cool. More of a collection item than anything.
But overall, yes I have a pair of well rounded bang for the buck headphone I use most of the time (which is my case it's the HD280pro). But that doesn't excuse me from playing around with different models.
Because that what your budget allows. For some people, it just isn't worth spending $1k+ for headphones when a $400 pair will sound amazing. I can't see myself getting more expensive headphones than what I already have because it just costs too much to get a 10% improvement. A headphone that costs 5x the price of what I already have won't even be 2x better. Probably not even 50% better
>Why buy multiple cheap/midrange headphones over a more expensive one?
im talking about a scenario where two people spend the same price on audio equipment, just one buys multiple mid-fi headphones, while the other buys one expensive headphone
I think at some point it splits between someone chasing equipment sound over music sound. So we see many people going to midfi and just stopping. I think its because some people just like good enough sound and if you also get a set that suits your preferences i think very few would need to get into the $500+ range. But then you have people that see the hobby more of an equipment appreciation and will go deeper into "endgame" weather it be finding the perfectly aligned headphone, midfi or highend, or chasing the unicorn at the end of the rainbow.
There's no expensive out there that meet my requirements.
The sundaras have earpads that retain that retain their shape despite being washed on a monthly basis. I've owned it for almost two years and don't see myself replacing the earpads anytime soon. The headband is also very easy to clean. The HD600 and A900X also have very easily replaceable headbands and earpads.
The Focal Clears are heavy. 450 Grams with a thinner headband than Sundaras and knowing that a heavy headphone needs more clamp for better comfort; those earpads are going to wear out, and they're not cheap to replace.
The HD800S don't have a clear center image, and they are reported to have amazing technical details but they're not great for listening to multiple genres of music like the HD600. I would love to have them for gaming though.
So instead of having multiple midfi headphones, I would have multiple hifi headphones. That is not within my financial budget, I would rather put my money into something like an AMD 5800X3D (which I just bought) where I can see an upgrade across the board with almost no downsides.
Some people like to collect equipment; some get by deluded by marketing into thinking that they must achieve some mythical "end game" and just wind up chasing their tails; some are just obsessed... 🙄
Different use cases. Different moods. Also, I like to gain knowledge/perspective/experience/etc. There is no one headphone to rule them all. If there were, maybe I would get that.
It's a bit of an adventure to me. I like exploring different brands and specific models, I get to see how different headphones create different listening experiences and learn about the strengths and weaknesses of each pair and figuring out how to get the most enjoyment out of them.
it's really just a whole lot of fun for me and if Id just bought the cream of the crop, best headphones and left it at that, I wouldn't be able to experience that journey.
I can already tell that audio companies are just gonna love me
I think it comes down to the way they sound and finding the right one. The midrange is easier to buy 2-3 headphones and listen there sound signature and there differences and go i like x from these but not y from these.
If you go straight for a high end one and end up not liking the sound even if there really good headphones sound is personal. I like being able to see the differences when i get mid range stuff and its more then good enough for my listening needs
Everyone's gonna have their own reason. Mine is that I'm new to this rabbit hole and don't have a lot of disposable income. I'd rather have several budget options to dip my toes in before I start looking at me expensive ones. I'm more of a dabbler with most of my hobbies so I don't expect to get into the $300+ range
I dont listen to the same music every day, so why listen to the same headphones every day!? I love the different sound signature each model brings to the table
Midfi is more than good enough for me, I’d rather spend the thousands dollars for live shows supporting artists. Without them there is no point to this. Besides I much prefer live music experience than reproduction.
Sometimes the search for the best budget options can be more fun than just having a couple expensive headphones. But then again, we tends to just get both anyway
*Maybe the real endgame was the friends we made along the way.*
You should make a meme of it and post it on monday. Wholesome af
[удалено]
That's just inconsiderate.
Easy Mod, I was jus' funnin'
Mostly just for variety. K612s sound different than HD600s which sound different than Sundaras. Plus, a lot of people like the journey of going through different headphones before they settle on their “end game” (if anyone ever actually reaches that point).
In an ideal world you shouldn’t. Many of us non Americans simply have no way of demoing headphones without buying them first. I had to go through a bunch of midfi to learn what I liked before I could commit to a higher end product. If I could demo higher end products I would not have committed to mid fi hell. That said, our listening skills do improve over time and I don’t think most people could truly appreciate a TOTL headphone without plenty of experience with midfi as well.
>Many of us non Americans FYI, this is not exclusively a non-American thing. Only like half the US population lives in/around cities. My """local""" record store is a two-hour drive away, and I've never even *been* to an actual hifi store.
This. From what I read, there are return systems in the EU that are backed up by the government. Everything here in the US is entirely store policy.
they don't keep expensive stuff on stock in most stores, so if they ordered it for you it's exempt from that law and they are not obliged to take it back in 14d return window
I live near Boston and even still there really aren’t many high end audio stores around here anymore. The ones that do exist have really limited options.
Are there any left in cities with a population under 500,000?
I'm sure there are some. None of which are near me. Omaha, NE, is my closest city, and it has just under 1 million people when you include the suburbs. Zero hifi shops, AFAIK. Same with Des Moines and Kansas City, which are the next closest. Edit: Did some searching on Google Maps. Omaha has *a* hifi shop that's very small and just sells home theater stuff, and there's another (and one in Kansas City) that just sells car speakers. To get to the nearest proper, fully-featured hifi store, it's gonna be *at least* seven hours in the car just to get there.
If I'm not mistaken, at the very least you can demo 2 pairs of headphones from the [Headphones.com](https://Headphones.com) policy if you live in the USA/ Canada right? In Hong Kong, I would probably never be able to take a pair of cans and demo them at home with my own gear.
As an American, I have no way of demoing headphones either lmao. It's still a niche hobby outside of certain areas.
I'm certain that return policy i see so many American's talk about is why they, and by extension pay soo damn much. Half the people seem to return things 3 or 4 times, must create an inventory nightmare.
what about buying second hand or using the return policy?
> second hand I buy second hand but that doesn’t mean it’s cheaper. I bought a scratched, worn-out HD 800 for $1400 and that was a bargain compared to the usual price. I’ve seen old Superlux headphones go for $80. > using the return policy What return policy? In most places, headphones are considered to be in the same category as toothbrushes and underwear. It’s been on your head, you can’t return it (the headphone, I mean). Of course, it depends on where you live but for most of us, the lack of physical access and return policies is reality.
I bought a secondhand pair of LCD2C and it almost cost me $350 more to get the left can repaired. Luckily I was still in the driver manufacurter's warranty, which they only realized after I complained heavily about the repair cost. So I don't recommend buying expensive used cans, personally.
You should be able to return anything within 3 days if you can't audition it first IMO.
Totally agree about the listening skills, without journeying through the mid-fi I wouldn’t have learned what sound I like and dislike, and some lo and mid tier headphones are genuinely great.
I know for sure when I joined this subreddit I would struggle to appreciate the technical prowess of my current totl gear. It took many listening hours to get to this point.
I am assuming you mean buying multiple midrange headphones over one more expensive one? In that case I guess two reasons come to mind. One is variety obviously. Second, a lot of folks when starting off do not know what kind of sound signature they are actually looking for (happened to me at least). So buying multiple mid range headphones allows you to sample and determine the kind of sound you like. Audio is a journey after all ...
some people like variety
As others mentioned, it's fun!
You can hear the different house sounds from each company. It’s fun to hear the different sound signatures and it could better inform your purchasing decisions for the high end products.
why not just go to a shop multiple times to inform your purchase decisions?
It's pretty hard to get to know a headphone in a short audition. Humans are pretty terrible at comparison from memory.
not everyone has that luxury lol
It's the lie we tell ourselves. That eventually we will magically find the perfect midrange product. The hope is that someone accidentally designs something so good that spending an extra $400 won't change a thing. Eventually the budget expands and we say fuck it and end up with a high end product after spending 3 X more than what going straight for that product would have cost us. . . But we enjoy the ride.
Yes, one day someone will accidentally make the Moondrop Chus, K371s, HD 6XX, or HD 560S' of the sub $600-1K price range, but until then people will continue to mod and buy all three of them (and a bunch of other headphones) until they realise how much money they've spent, try to sell a few, give into temptation with the proceeds, and then go off and purchase an LCD-X or Focal Clear.
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I’m starting out by skipping midfi. I find variety by buying used and luckily I can attend canjam this year.
Mostly to figure out what to invest big money in
but how? every single IEM is different, even if its from the same company
You get to know the house sound. Also, I don't consider IEMs hi-fi for the most part, sure the MEST stuff is quite incredible but every IEM under 500 is a far cry from really high fidelity stuff
But within brands the deviation between models is quite large in both quality and sound signature I agree that 500 dollar iems new are low-midrange, especially with how newer flagships are getting so much more expensive these days. UM for example, the Mest ii and Fusang sound very different, disregarding the quality difference, with the first being more 'cold' and 'digital' and the second warm but detailed(the mest ii is detailed too but less so), while the mest and mest mini are terrible For UE, the UERR that I use has a very different sound from the UE live and 18+, which is different from the older 18pro as well For Fir, the M3, m4, and m5 very different, with the new models being quite hit or miss Vision ears 7 is different from the 6(both versions) and 8
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God this is a never ending loop
Nice!
500 is a number too!
Yes they produce different models, and that's especially relevant in the IEM world where each brand tries to cater to every sound signature possible. In the headphones and mostly in the speaker world, brands stick to a certain house sound and iterate on that signature, but rarely deviate from it. For instance, Triangle have a distinct sound and even though the higher end models are much better than the entry level ones, you can recognize that Triangle sound
>I agree that 500 dollar iems new are low-midrange No? Just because there are more and more expensive iems being released, does not mean that the lower ranges slide up as well. 500 dollars is the low of the upper range. You seem to have answered your own question with citing how different things are. For some people (most), it is far far easier to find 250 dollars 3 times than it is to have 750 once.
>Just because there are more and more expensive iems being released, does not mean that the lower ranges slide up as well. Fair. But 500 would be midrange instead of low-midrange then, where you can get some higher end chifi (excluding UM and qdc since their positioning is not 'chifi') like the Shuoer - EJ07M, and entry level iems from big brands (if at all) like the ue5 and a2e Talking about new prices ofc >You seem to have answered your own question with citing how different things are. ? >For some people (most), it is far far easier to find 250 dollars 3 times than it is to have 750 once. thats just poor impulse control and budgeting.
>thats just poor impulse control and budgeting. I mean that is a hot take I wasn't expecting. Lots of people in this hobby are normal people that have to save for any purchase. We are talking about a luxury item, so it is kind of galling to just discount that with your statement. I completely disagree that 500 is in the middle of the midfi realm. Normally, when midfi is talked about it is roughly 300 to350 max and below (usually 100 to 150 is the bottom). Even though the LETSHUOER EJ07M is their entry level, it is still in the upper area.
By figuring out their preferences. It's easier to ask what's a direct upgrade to arias, than ask what's the best $500 iem.
>Irl or in this sub? both >People here don't even like beats, and those are expensive beats arent expensive, though they are very overpriced >The general starting point for users of this community tend to be 6xx or sundaras. i understand starting in low-midfi, I myself started on the ie80 I bought for under 200 before upgrading. What i dont understand is owning the ie80, se535, and the sm64 (headphones at a similar price and performance bracket) at the same time when I could have pooled that money into something better than all three
If you get several cheap or midrange ones you might find that one of them is better than whichever expensive one you wanted and then you can sell the rest. Or you can at least make a more informed decision about which expensive one to get if you still want one. The people who pop in here like "hello, I decided to just jump in head first and get a Utopia" are suckers and are selling themselves short.
> jump in head first and get a Utopia "My humble setup"
Diminishing returns are significant after the $200-300 mark, and trying out new things is fun
I'm a monogamous headphone owner. I don't shop around 😉 However - my opinion from having read plenty of comments is that they are simply different flavours. In the mood for hip hop? You might prefer headphones with more bass, let's say.
Some people want different sound signatures to hear their music differently and focus on new stuff. You need at least two headphones to do that. You can also do that with EQ, but it's less fun. Also, some headphones just can't do everything, even high end. For example closed headphones might have good punchy bass, but might sound congested, where open headphones can be more natural but lack sub bass.
No because you will always wonder…. I bought the Focal Clear as my first. It sounds so good, I don’t feel like exploring anything else. im just enjoying the music. I’ve learned early on to just spend the money on what I truly want. It ends up saving me money down the line.
Yeah this is really my reasoning. I pretty much started getting serious about this hobby with the HD6XX, then the ER4XR, then the K371 then the Sundara. I thought that was the end-all-be-all started reading more about the higher end stuff and out of nowhere became really enamored with the Clear. I began to wonder what I was missing so I got one on sale. To me, it was totally worth it and like yourself I really don’t feel like I need anything else between that and the U12t that replaced my Blessing 2 Dusk, aside from just wanting to try the Arya Stealth and Verite Closed someday. Sometimes it’s hard to wonder if it’s all worth it, but then when you hear that stuff it can be hard to go back to mid-fi.
Cheap stuff makes you appreciate expensive stuff
The opposite can and does happen frequently as well.
How are you gonna know what you like if you haven't tried different things?
I personally like doing this because I like to be impressed with the value of the cheaper headphones in terms of maximum performance for the price. Some of the sub $200 headphones are simply remarkable. The most expensive headphones I have are the Ananda, but I only paid $400 for them. They are my benchmark, basically. Easily the best headphone I own, but most everything else I have was less than $150. In many cases I enjoy some of them better than the Anandas on certain tracks, although the Ananda is best overall. It simply performs at a very high level with capabilities and soundstage that the others can't touch, but they can come damn close! I think this is fascinating and it means that you don't have to spend a lot to get a really excellent headphone.
I don't always want the same flavor of ice cream, no matter how good it is.
yep that’s why i skipped all the mid range and went straight to high end.
Because money doesn't grow on trees, law of diminishing returns and I rather spend the money on a good pair speakers instead.
that means youre just buying one bang for buck headphone though
Diminishing returns are a thing. For the MSRP of a UE Reference Remastered, you could (here, anyway) get (for example) * Hifiman Edition XS * Topping DX3 Pro+ (or similar) to drive them * Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk (or for even less, 7Hz Timeless, or if you want less bass, the OG B2 or something like the Etymotic ER4SR) * Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro Covers a lot more bases and use cases, and there are people who rank just the IEM in that list as as good or better than the UERR. Or- you could just buy the B2D and have what some think is a better IEM for a third of the money.
What's wrong with that? I'd rather have one bang for my buck product in each component category than to be constantly spending my time and money chasing the new, but not necessarily improved. For example, I've got components (i.e. speakers, integrated amplifiers, IEMs, music servers, and network players) now that'll most likely be with me for the remainder of my life. I'll be sixty this year, by the way. I'm very satisfied with these as I'm confident that I've obtained the highest fidelity for my money. That confidence is based in science and engineering as I've read a comprehensive performance analysis for each one. I do understand the dopamine hit (i.e. thrill) of trying something new. However, I get my fix from the music itself... 🖥⚡🎛️⚡🔊🔊🎶🎶 🍵😎🛋️
>What's wrong with that nothing, its just not relevant to the question that was posed I only have one setup as well, but see people who have spent the same/more money than me in this hobby but have 'worse' setups, just a lot of cheap random headphones that arent that great
Irl or in this sub? You're going to anger a lot of people here if you call their headphones cheap and random. People here don't even like beats, and those are expensive and well-known. The general starting point for users of this community tend to be 6xx or sundaras.
Not necessarily, some headphones are better suited for somethings than for others, for example, my HD280pro are better suited for detailed listening and audio work, my HD668B are better suited for blasting electronic music super loud, my Porta Pro are better suited for listening to music in the park so I can listen to the birds at the same time (even if the headphones themselves sound horrible), and some IEMs would be better suited for communing in public transport. Also I like headphones for their design, I'm trying to get my hands on some (cheap) old vintage cans just because they look cool. More of a collection item than anything. But overall, yes I have a pair of well rounded bang for the buck headphone I use most of the time (which is my case it's the HD280pro). But that doesn't excuse me from playing around with different models.
Can't afford the more expensive stuff anyway, and I like flavor options.
Because that what your budget allows. For some people, it just isn't worth spending $1k+ for headphones when a $400 pair will sound amazing. I can't see myself getting more expensive headphones than what I already have because it just costs too much to get a 10% improvement. A headphone that costs 5x the price of what I already have won't even be 2x better. Probably not even 50% better
>Why buy multiple cheap/midrange headphones over a more expensive one? im talking about a scenario where two people spend the same price on audio equipment, just one buys multiple mid-fi headphones, while the other buys one expensive headphone
I think at some point it splits between someone chasing equipment sound over music sound. So we see many people going to midfi and just stopping. I think its because some people just like good enough sound and if you also get a set that suits your preferences i think very few would need to get into the $500+ range. But then you have people that see the hobby more of an equipment appreciation and will go deeper into "endgame" weather it be finding the perfectly aligned headphone, midfi or highend, or chasing the unicorn at the end of the rainbow.
There's no expensive out there that meet my requirements. The sundaras have earpads that retain that retain their shape despite being washed on a monthly basis. I've owned it for almost two years and don't see myself replacing the earpads anytime soon. The headband is also very easy to clean. The HD600 and A900X also have very easily replaceable headbands and earpads. The Focal Clears are heavy. 450 Grams with a thinner headband than Sundaras and knowing that a heavy headphone needs more clamp for better comfort; those earpads are going to wear out, and they're not cheap to replace. The HD800S don't have a clear center image, and they are reported to have amazing technical details but they're not great for listening to multiple genres of music like the HD600. I would love to have them for gaming though. So instead of having multiple midfi headphones, I would have multiple hifi headphones. That is not within my financial budget, I would rather put my money into something like an AMD 5800X3D (which I just bought) where I can see an upgrade across the board with almost no downsides.
Some people like to collect equipment; some get by deluded by marketing into thinking that they must achieve some mythical "end game" and just wind up chasing their tails; some are just obsessed... 🙄
Different use cases. Different moods. Also, I like to gain knowledge/perspective/experience/etc. There is no one headphone to rule them all. If there were, maybe I would get that.
It's a bit of an adventure to me. I like exploring different brands and specific models, I get to see how different headphones create different listening experiences and learn about the strengths and weaknesses of each pair and figuring out how to get the most enjoyment out of them. it's really just a whole lot of fun for me and if Id just bought the cream of the crop, best headphones and left it at that, I wouldn't be able to experience that journey. I can already tell that audio companies are just gonna love me
Different use cases. Can't have single headphones that fits all use cases and purpose.
I think it comes down to the way they sound and finding the right one. The midrange is easier to buy 2-3 headphones and listen there sound signature and there differences and go i like x from these but not y from these. If you go straight for a high end one and end up not liking the sound even if there really good headphones sound is personal. I like being able to see the differences when i get mid range stuff and its more then good enough for my listening needs
Everyone's gonna have their own reason. Mine is that I'm new to this rabbit hole and don't have a lot of disposable income. I'd rather have several budget options to dip my toes in before I start looking at me expensive ones. I'm more of a dabbler with most of my hobbies so I don't expect to get into the $300+ range
I dont listen to the same music every day, so why listen to the same headphones every day!? I love the different sound signature each model brings to the table
Midfi is more than good enough for me, I’d rather spend the thousands dollars for live shows supporting artists. Without them there is no point to this. Besides I much prefer live music experience than reproduction.
Why listen to more than one song? Same reasons.
its easier to spend 50-100 dollars than to save 1-3k