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The most overrated and underrated audio products you tried/owned?
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Barrelhouse Solly
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Cheap, fast, good. You can only have 2.Warning: this post is off-topic.
Let's say there are three companies.
Company "A" produces a quality product. This product costs more than an inferior product. Company "A" also wants to innovate. Innovation takes Research and Development, and that costs money. Company "A" also has a better-than-average guarantee, and provide tech aid to dealers and repair entities.
Company "B" produce a product that can be described as "average". It costs less to produce than the product company "A" offers, so they can sell it at a lower price. They advertise by price, and not innovation, thereby avoiding the financial burden of R&D. Their guarantee is modest, and their tech aid is only to servicing dealers ... no one else.
Company "C" produces a product that is very cheap to produce and has a high failure rate. They offer a guarantee, but create roadblocks to easy implementation for the customer. However, they offer an exemplary trade-in policy, and dealers use that to quell customer dissent. Techs are low-paid, instructed to replace rather than repair. Although the company has a poor reputation, new models are introduced yearly, with sales spiels that this year's model is "new and improved", and the problems that a customer had experienced are now gone.
Company "A" makes the lowest net profit, because they feel the pressure on prices from company "B", and eventually they are bought out by company "B". The high-quality brand name of company "A" is put on the products of company "B", and used to sell the lower-cost product at a slightly higher price than the native products of company "B".
However, the exceedingly high net profits accumulated by company "C" allow company "C" to eventually buy out company "B". Companies "A", "B" and "C" are now under one all-inclusive corporate umbrella, dominating the market. The new giant operates according to the manner that company "C" has always operated. Customers are irate. That comes to nothing, because the new conglomerate is so big that it doesn't need to cater to the worries about quality or service, as long as it is careful to stay barely inside the letter of the law.. It tells everyone, "It's a new world out there. The old ways of doing business are gone. "
You ask, "Why do things work this way? I hear people say that they'll pay more for good quality and good service."
Yes, you do hear that, but people are two-faced liars. They'll rationalize any way they can to chase a lower price, living in denial that by doing so, they are cutting their own throat.
Aren't people wonderful?
phoenixdogfan
Major Contributor
Most overrated: Any Wilson speaker. Incredibly overpriced, horrific aesthetics, technologically antiquated and stuck in the 1970's as far as overall design, AND colored as all get out. And sold as a Veblen good. No piece of audiophile gear is a Veblen good. Patek Phillipe watches, Jane Birken bags, Jimmy Chu footwear, and Lambos are. But shiny sculptural loudspeakers finished in automotive paint that look like pituitary case Daleks? Not so much.
Most underrated: JRiver. What does it not do? And all for $65. An insane bargain if you want to build your system around a Media PC.
Most underrated: JRiver. What does it not do? And all for $65. An insane bargain if you want to build your system around a Media PC.
MattHooper
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Agreed. It’s become a new mantra I’m seeing online “the room is the main component! 80% of the sound quality is the room! You NEED to treat your room first…(and use room correction).”
Room treatment can be useful - my room has some - but the necessity is becoming exaggerated IMO.
Aure
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Based on my experience:
Overrated
Grado SR325: I don't know how anyone can wear this headphone. It becomes painful on the head very quickly.Sivga Robin: What is this headphone? It feels like a toy.
Hegel H90: A real disappointment because the network/streaming section was so poor. It pains me to say that, because Hegel was one of the brands I dreamed about the most a few years ago.
Dynaudio: With hindsight, I don't think it's quite as amazing as many audiophiles make it out to be. For a long time I thought it was a kind of holy grail, but now I think there are better options.
Underrated
Monitor Audio: I have two pairs of Silver speakers at home and I absolutely love them. I think the whole range is good. I listened to the Bronze 5 a long time ago and was genuinely impressed.Philips Fidelio X2HR: If you can find this headphone used, I think it's a hidden gem that has nothing to envy from something like the Grado SR325.
WiiM Vibelink: People appreciate it here, but among audiophiles? I don't think it has anything to envy from a Primare or a Hegel.
Overrated:
HD550. Clarity was lacking, depth was lacking, felt kind of cheap for the price.
Underrated:
Fiio EH11: With EQ, these blew my mind. As I get older, I value comfort more. These strike the right balance while being cheap. What a great entry point that gets overlooked.
Series XV: I just like them. I don't hear enough about them.
HD550. Clarity was lacking, depth was lacking, felt kind of cheap for the price.
Underrated:
Fiio EH11: With EQ, these blew my mind. As I get older, I value comfort more. These strike the right balance while being cheap. What a great entry point that gets overlooked.
Series XV: I just like them. I don't hear enough about them.
Shinano
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Overrated:
Philips TDA1541. It's just an old DAC. No magic extra "analogness" to it.
Vinyl. They make these things available in your local Target or Walmart, but take away Blu-ray or other more modern formats. No hate to anyone who likes it, but it's crazy how mainstream it's become again.
Underrated:
Cables. Now hear me out, it's not for the reason you're thinking. It's because thrift stores don't usually know the difference between an expensive cable and a cheap one, and they price them the same, so you can get some nice finds from time to time. It's one of the only electronics related areas that you can still get a deal in these places. Example: I got two pairs of 4ft long Monster cable M1000I Mk2 at a thrift store a few weeks ago for $3 per pair.
Old AVR's (probably not underrated, but I'll put it here anyway). What a great way to save on a two channel analog audio setup. You can get performance better than the 70's receivers for a small fraction of the price, just at the cost of looks (That is if you mind the looks of the AVR's. I like them, so it's not even a drawback).
Philips TDA1541. It's just an old DAC. No magic extra "analogness" to it.
Vinyl. They make these things available in your local Target or Walmart, but take away Blu-ray or other more modern formats. No hate to anyone who likes it, but it's crazy how mainstream it's become again.
Underrated:
Cables. Now hear me out, it's not for the reason you're thinking. It's because thrift stores don't usually know the difference between an expensive cable and a cheap one, and they price them the same, so you can get some nice finds from time to time. It's one of the only electronics related areas that you can still get a deal in these places. Example: I got two pairs of 4ft long Monster cable M1000I Mk2 at a thrift store a few weeks ago for $3 per pair.
Old AVR's (probably not underrated, but I'll put it here anyway). What a great way to save on a two channel analog audio setup. You can get performance better than the 70's receivers for a small fraction of the price, just at the cost of looks (That is if you mind the looks of the AVR's. I like them, so it's not even a drawback).
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MattHooper
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OK, sticking my neck out here a bit for fun…
Overrated:
Kii Audio Three active loudspeakers.
Having auditioned them numerous times, I did find some of the promise of their active cardio design fulfilled: they really could be placed near boundaries, or somewhat out into the room, while achieving very smooth, even bass. They sounded very neutral and had all sorts of good qualities.
The only reason I’m saying “ overrated” is that I didn’t find either their active DSP or cardioid design made for some “ next level speaker performance.” I preferred any number of passive designs to what I heard from the Kii speakers. It makes me a bit tempted to say “active speakers are overrated” (I worked with active speakers before) insofar as some audiophiles seem to decided you need to go active in order to really achieve the best sound quality. I just haven’t experienced that as of yet.
Overrated:
Kii Audio Three active loudspeakers.
Having auditioned them numerous times, I did find some of the promise of their active cardio design fulfilled: they really could be placed near boundaries, or somewhat out into the room, while achieving very smooth, even bass. They sounded very neutral and had all sorts of good qualities.
The only reason I’m saying “ overrated” is that I didn’t find either their active DSP or cardioid design made for some “ next level speaker performance.” I preferred any number of passive designs to what I heard from the Kii speakers. It makes me a bit tempted to say “active speakers are overrated” (I worked with active speakers before) insofar as some audiophiles seem to decided you need to go active in order to really achieve the best sound quality. I just haven’t experienced that as of yet.
Overrated:
Audio equipment reviewers
Subjective measurements
Underrated:
Room treatments
DSP
Objective measurements (à la Amir, et al)
Audio equipment reviewers
Subjective measurements
Underrated:
Room treatments
DSP
Objective measurements (à la Amir, et al)
Overrated:
Phillips Fidelio X2 (HR)
www.audiosciencereview.com
AKG K712 Pro
www.audiosciencereview.com
Beyerdynamic DT 880 (600 Ohm)
www.audiosciencereview.com
I own the X2 and K712 and I still like them for certain types of music. However, the X2 is sibilant and the K712 is a bit lifeless. For close to £300 in the UK they are totally overpriced in my opinion. I bought them for £180 years ago for listening to classical and jazz and they served their purpose but they have been replaced by several Hifiman headphones, particularly the Edition XS which can now be bought for around £200 in the UK. (I paid £350 a few years ago and was still delighted!)
I bought the DT 880 about 15 years ago and they were awful and went back ASAP.
Underrated:
A decent smartphone as a source paired with an old Chromecast Audio can produce stunning sound when connected to a decent DAC, amp and speakers.
www.audiosciencereview.com
www.audiosciencereview.com
I have four Chromecast Audio devices around the house and bought them new on sale in Maplin Electronics in the UK for £15 each about 8 years ago. A true bargain!
Phillips Fidelio X2 (HR)
Philips Fidelio X2HR Review (headphone)
This is a review and detailed measurements of the Fidelio X2HR open-back headphone. I bought mine on sale for US $116 but current price is US $145 including Prime shipping on Amazon. The X2HR reminds of Grado headphones if they grew double in size and substance: Let me warn you that if you...
www.audiosciencereview.com
AKG K712 Pro
AKG K712 Pro Review (Headphone)
This is a review and detailed measurements of the AKG K712 Pro open back (gaming?) headphone. It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $327 on Amazon. I find the K712 cute and cheerful: The huge cups (64mm inside diamater/24mm deep) fit over my ear fine. But I thought the cups didn't...
www.audiosciencereview.com
Beyerdynamic DT 880 (600 Ohm)
Beyerdynamic DT 880 600 Ohm Review (Headphone)
This is a review and detailed measurements of the 600 ohm version of the Beyerdynamic DT 880 "semi-open" headphone. It was kindly sent to me by a member and costs US $198 on Amazon including Prime shipping. I am not a fan of the silver color on the pads but otherwise, this is a good looking...
www.audiosciencereview.com
I own the X2 and K712 and I still like them for certain types of music. However, the X2 is sibilant and the K712 is a bit lifeless. For close to £300 in the UK they are totally overpriced in my opinion. I bought them for £180 years ago for listening to classical and jazz and they served their purpose but they have been replaced by several Hifiman headphones, particularly the Edition XS which can now be bought for around £200 in the UK. (I paid £350 a few years ago and was still delighted!)
I bought the DT 880 about 15 years ago and they were awful and went back ASAP.
Underrated:
A decent smartphone as a source paired with an old Chromecast Audio can produce stunning sound when connected to a decent DAC, amp and speakers.
Review and Measurements of Chromecast Audio Digital Output
This is a review and detailed measurements of Google Chromecast Audio digital output. The Chromecast is a tiny dongle that allows one to "cast" (stream) audio and video to a remote device. The audio version as the name implies, foregoes the video functionality and provides audio streaming...
www.audiosciencereview.com
Review and Measurements of Chromecast Audio Analog Performance
This is a follow up to my review and measurements of Google Chromecast Audio's digital performance. As mentioned there, the Chromecast audio is a streaming device with integrated DAC. In the other review, I measured its Toslink digital output for usage with an external DAC. Here, I will be...
www.audiosciencereview.com
I have four Chromecast Audio devices around the house and bought them new on sale in Maplin Electronics in the UK for £15 each about 8 years ago. A true bargain!
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Overrated
Any smartphone
The sheer number of calls every day trying to sell you something or steal your data is overwhelming.
I place strict restrictions on what rings through and never answer the smart phone.
Only value is text and other computer functions.
Underrated
Land line phone.
It won't accept text and only rings through when the caller in my contacts.
Less attacked by advertisers. I monitor messages and call back important calls.
Less features - less attacks
Any smartphone
The sheer number of calls every day trying to sell you something or steal your data is overwhelming.
I place strict restrictions on what rings through and never answer the smart phone.
Only value is text and other computer functions.
Underrated
Land line phone.
It won't accept text and only rings through when the caller in my contacts.
Less attacked by advertisers. I monitor messages and call back important calls.
Less features - less attacks
RexrothPigeon
Major Contributor
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wild, I get ~zero a day, definitely no whelming at all
We bought an updated call blocker for our house phones a few weeks ago (CPR V10000) to replace our old one (CPR V5000). The new call blocker features not only a blacklist, but a whitelist too. After entering phone numbers into the whitelist we've had total peace and quiet since, whereas before we were getting pestered by a Chinese automated calling service. On one Saturday morning alone it called us about five times in one hour using random caller IDs. This is over here in the UK.
This started to happen after I bought a product directly from China and foolishly gave them my mobile number for delivery purposes. Lesson learnt!
Hi
Overrated? There too many. Vinyl comes to mind, Tubes. Most of the wares from the High End Audio sector, High Rez downloads...
Underrated: AVR.
It helps to realize what is inside a middle of the road AVR, something like the Denon AVR-X3800-H.
7 amplifers each capable of at least 75 Watts.
Two channels being driven simultaneously u 125 wpc ...
SINAD clears the transparent threshold at -87 dB. That's better than ,for exemple, the Mac Intosh MC75 ($9000/apir) that has a SINAD of about -50 dB . just saying ...
Has a superb DRC engine capable of running the higher level of Audyssey or Dirac.
all that for a US street price around $1500 ...
I rest my case
Overrated? There too many. Vinyl comes to mind, Tubes. Most of the wares from the High End Audio sector, High Rez downloads...
Underrated: AVR.
It helps to realize what is inside a middle of the road AVR, something like the Denon AVR-X3800-H.
7 amplifers each capable of at least 75 Watts.
Two channels being driven simultaneously u 125 wpc ...
SINAD clears the transparent threshold at -87 dB. That's better than ,for exemple, the Mac Intosh MC75 ($9000/apir) that has a SINAD of about -50 dB . just saying ...
Has a superb DRC engine capable of running the higher level of Audyssey or Dirac.
all that for a US street price around $1500 ...
I rest my case
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I agree about Dirac ART, it could not match my target curve on my subwoofers. So much so I am going to try only presenting ART with the sum of my subwoofers already EQ’d and time/phase aligned using a Minidsp 2x4HD.
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I fully agree about AVRs being underrated. For me being able to use bass management and have multiple subwoofers and use EQ software like A1 Evo Acoustix even for 2 channel with subs is a no brainier, especially how easy A1 is to use.
Overrated:
Sennheiser HD600 & HD650 (those audiophile darlings basically have no bass)
Turntables, tube amps and other poor performing obsolete tech (more affordable superior tech is widely available)
Harman target (not in a slightest bit neutral)
Live gigs (far too loud)
Ridiculously expensive audio cables (waste of money)
Underrated:
PEQ and DSP in general (game changer in my book)
Affordable high quality IEM cables like Tripowin Zonie (all I need for a cable)
DAPs (vs. phone & dongle)
Sennheiser HD600 & HD650 (those audiophile darlings basically have no bass)
Turntables, tube amps and other poor performing obsolete tech (more affordable superior tech is widely available)
Harman target (not in a slightest bit neutral)
Live gigs (far too loud)
Ridiculously expensive audio cables (waste of money)
Underrated:
PEQ and DSP in general (game changer in my book)
Affordable high quality IEM cables like Tripowin Zonie (all I need for a cable)
DAPs (vs. phone & dongle)
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