Headphones

[Xombii]

i didn't really know if i should put it here or the comp and tech thread, but since this doesn't really meat the specifications of the tech thread ill put it here

Has anyone ever noticed that when u buy a cheap pair of headphones, lets say for like $5-$10 they last almost forever, but when u go up the price range they die faster than expected? For me i would think the more expensive headphones get (yes the sound quality would get better) the more durable and lasting they would be, but unfortunately no (well at least for me having gone through 4 pairs of headphones that cost $30 up, and have reverted back to using $10 dollar one thats lasted longer than all of them combined)

(inspired buy my $100 Sony headphones that i bought in Japan INSIDE the Sony Tower that broke on me after 4 months to bad i left the warranty inside the box which i left back in Japan, and my $10 no name brand that after 1 year and a couple of weeks is still working perfectly)

[Crazyjavi87]

Apparently the saying 'you get what you paid for' doesn't apply for headphones.

[Aku no Hikari]

Apparently the saying 'you get what you paid for' doesn't apply for headphones.

"You get what you paid for" hardly applies to anything when it comes to Japanese vs Chinese industry. The main reason why a Japanese pair of headphones is more expensive than the Chinese one is that the Japanese worker's average income is much higher than the average income of the Chinese one. Therefore, producing a product in a Japanese company costs the company a lot more than what the production of the same product costs in a similar Chinese company.

Maybe the other reasons for that is that Japan is the leading country. (Well, not in everything, but...) A product usually gets invented and produced for the first time in Japan, and THEN China and other countries start producing it. The product's price is the highest when it appears for the first time in the market, because the company needs to cover the costs of the research and invention process.

The Chinese industry has become very good, may be even as good as the Japanese industry, but the difference in the price is still there. For that reason, you see Chinese products filling the whole US, Europe and probably most of the world.

[ZenErik]

Research what you're buying.

My Sennheiser HD650s were $350 dollars. No complaints about durability... And the sound is far beyond what you'd get with any cheapo pair... But then again, it requires a good setup to get the most out of these things. Another advantage of these headphones is that the cable is easily replaceable. I can buy replacement cables and just switch out the original cable in a matter of seconds.

Going on 2 years with my Shure SCL4s. I use these as in ear monitors for recording and also on public transportation all the time with my music player and DS. Keeps me from going deaf, and because of the isolation they provide, I usually only put my music player at a maximum of about 5% volume.

[RaShayRitto]

just do what i do and rip the horns from a ram's head and shove the pointy ends in your ear drums. it amplifies EVERYTHING. the downside is you will look completely stupid but i'm more than willing to sacrifice my dignity for the pure sound quality of ram horns

[Eris]

In electronics, more precise components are often more fragile. So if you want that high range of frequencies, your equipment is going to break down easier.

[Xombii]

Research what you're buying.

My Sennheiser HD650s were $350 dollars. No complaints about durability... And the sound is far beyond what you'd get with any cheapo pair... But then again, it requires a good setup to get the most out of these things. Another advantage of these headphones is that the cable is easily replaceable. I can buy replacement cables and just switch out the original cable in a matter of seconds.

Going on 2 years with my Shure SCL4s. I use these as in ear monitors for recording and also on public transportation all the time with my music player and DS. Keeps me from going deaf, and because of the isolation they provide, I usually only put my music player at a maximum of about 5% volume.

O wow u got Sennheiser's, ya i would but those if i had the cash but my price range is only up to $150 I may go to $200 thos. Ill try looking around for headphones that have a replacable cord cus thats usually where the heapdphones get messed up.

[ZenErik]

O wow u got Sennheiser's, ya i would but those if i had the cash but my price range is only up to $150 I may go to $200 thos. Ill try looking around for headphones that have a replacable cord cus thats usually where the heapdphones get messed up.

It's almost always the issue. If the cable isn't interchangeable, you could send them to someone to get re-cabled but with cheap headphones, just getting another pair is usually less expensive.

[Inactive Account 0061]

I usually buy some 60$ headophones from Logitech. They work for like a year (depends on how often I get pissed in front of the pc)

[sa5m]

Personally I don't see the point in getting really expensive headphones, even if they're super high quality. If I wanted super high quality, I'd just go to the concert. No need to spend so much money on headphones.

[Kingmelo15]

for me it is the opposite cause if i paid alot for something (headphones) i would do what ever i could to keep them safe from any damage. but if they were cheap i don't care what happens to them cause i could probably purchase another el cheapo set of headphones.

[ZenErik]

Personally I don't see the point in getting really expensive headphones, even if they're super high quality. If I wanted super high quality, I'd just go to the concert. No need to spend so much money on headphones.

Because some people really love sound, including myself. Listening to music on my good headphone rig presents a whole different experience than my on the go setup.

Your statement makes no sense to me. Listening to a good quality recording is not necessarily anything like a live performance. Many bands use the studio as an instrument, and you simply cannot replicate all that goes into a production... The layering, effects, and panning, etc. Plus not every band/artist is still around...

I guess not everyone gets it, and that's okay.

[Diocletian]

I just buy three pairs of cheap headphones. I believe that like iPods, headphones are meant to be bought over and over again. Or else who else is going to buy extras? They make new models every year, or even month so why stop?

[ZenErik]

I just buy three pairs of cheap headphones. I believe that like iPods, headphones are meant to be bought over and over again. Or else who else is going to buy extras? They make new models every year, or even month so why stop?

Because some people prefer quality over quantity...

[Diocletian]

Because some people prefer quality over quantity...

If you want quality you can buy the CDs. CDs have a quality that iTunes will probably never achieve.

Then again which feels worse? Losing/breaking 10 dollar headphones or 70 dollar headphones?

[ZenErik]

If you want quality you can buy the CDs. CDs have a quality that iTunes will probably never achieve.

Then again which feels worse? Losing/breaking 10 dollar headphones or 70 dollar headphones?

I own plenty of CDs and download lossless files. iTunes can play lossless files quite well. So once again, what you're saying makes no sense.

I haven't broken any of my expensive headphones. The point is, I find my headphones to be well worth the money. If you want to stick to the cheap stuff, that's great for you. We obviously have very different prospectives on music and reproduction of said music.

[Diocletian]

I own plenty of CDs and download lossless files. iTunes can play lossless files quite well. So once again, what you're saying makes no sense.

I haven't broken any of my expensive headphones. The point is, I find my headphones to be well worth the money. If you want to stick to the cheap stuff, that's great for you. We obviously have very different prospectives on music and reproduction of said music.

It's not something you can notice until you've compared them playing ear to ear.

[sa5m]

Because some people really love sound, including myself. Listening to music on my good headphone rig presents a whole different experience than my on the go setup.

Your statement makes no sense to me. Listening to a good quality recording is not necessarily anything like a live performance. Many bands use the studio as an instrument, and you simply cannot replicate all that goes into a production... The layering, effects, and panning, etc. Plus not every band/artist is still around...

I guess not everyone gets it, and that's okay.

I understand your opinion perfectly well, but I have my own opinion too. It's not a matter of "I don't get it".
I'm a musician myself, so I know exactly what you mean about the studio and live performances. I'm just one of those people who would rather spend that money on something else, is all. I mean, that's a huge chunk of moola. Better save it to buy myself a better instrument, lol.

[ZenErik]

If I wanted super high quality, I'd just go to the concert.

I understand your opinion perfectly well, but I have my own opinion too. It's not a matter of "I don't get it".
I'm a musician myself, so I know exactly what you mean about the studio and live performances.

You sure about that?

[sa5m]

You sure about that?

What? Different music sound better in different outputs. You can't say that all studio music is better than live performances, and you can't say that all live performances are better than studio music.

[ZenErik]

If I wanted super high quality, I'd just go to the concert.

What? Different music sound better in different outputs. You can't say that all studio music is better than live performances, and you can't say that all live performances are better than studio music.

Therefore, you may want to stop contradicting yourself.

[sa5m]

Therefore, you may want to stop contradicting yourself.

I'm not. I just explained why I said it was possible for both live performances and studio performances to be high quality at the same time. It depends on so many different factors. For example, I'd say that classical music is much better heard live. But music that is highly edited in the studio is obviously much better heard in the studio.

[SigmaSD]

I usually just buy the cheap ones no matter what. Of course, the sound is always cruddy. But some of my devices allow me to change the sound with the equalizer feature.