The most overrated and underrated audio products you tried/owned?

[DMill]

To me, choosing vinyl means you don't care about accuracy or fidelity.

I know many vinyl enthusiasts. I am not one. They love their gear and most importantly seem to love music. It’s easy to say why would any sane person not have an Apple Watch? But some watch enthusiasts love their less accurate mechanical watch that’s off by a few seconds a month. I’ve heard some pretty fine systems spinning vinyl. Is it for me? Nah. But who am I to say it’s a dumb thing to enjoy.

 

[andrewwnbanks]

Overrated: Vinyl, streaming
Underrated: CD

An immense variety of every type of music available in a wide variety of master releases in a robust physical digital format capable of producing as high fidelity as you'll ever need available everywhere for a comparatively very low cost.

Yet most people seem to either go for pure convenience of streaming (sacrificing variety, control, ownership, and in most cases fidelity) or pay through the nose for a physical format (that's objectively lower fidelity, analogue, much less robust, and with much less variety). I don't get it, but I'm happy to collect CDs at good prices while it lasts!

I completely agree. I used to have a Linn LP12. I loved the sound but it was always ruined by the incessant clicks and pops. You just cannot get rid of them no matter how careful you are. I don’t get the concept of spending vast amounts of money to solicit the best sound quality, yet putting up with those damn clicks and pops. However good the sound on analogue is (and I loved it) it is permanently ruined by the incessant irritants. I just don’t understand how anyone puts up with it.

 

[jsrtheta]

I know many vinyl enthusiasts. I am not one. They love their gear and most importantly seem to love music. It’s easy to say why would any sane person not have an Apple Watch? But some watch enthusiasts love their less accurate mechanical watch that’s off by a few seconds a month. I’ve heard some pretty fine systems spinning vinyl. Is it for me? Nah. But who am I to say it’s a dumb thing to enjoy.

I hate to overwork this. But the simple fact is that vinyl will never reach the accuracy of digital reproduction. People who listen to vinyl are choosing to listen to inaccurate reproduction.

I grew up with vinyl. I hated it. I hated the sound, I hated the fact that every time listened to an LP I was destroying the medium itself.

I stayed for a couple of weeks with a couple I knew, and their kids thought vinyl was great. As soon as I heard the stylus hit the LPs, I shuddered. I knew I was listening to crap reproduction as it destroyed the very medium it was supposedly "reproducing".

Gack!

 

[MarkS]

But some watch enthusiasts love their less accurate mechanical watch that’s off by a few seconds a month.

Mechanical watches are off by a few seconds per day, and often quite a bit more than a few. The "Swiss Chronometer" standard for mechanical watches is essentially +/- 5 seconds per day.

But all mechanical-watch enthusiasts know that their mechanical watches cannot come close to matching the timing accuracy of even the cheapest quartz watch (which is typically +/- 1 second per month or better). We don't buy them for accuracy, we buy them because they are objects of art and craft (and, for some, signal wealth and prestige to the right audience).

 

[benchmarkmannen]

Underrated -
Sennheiser HD800

I agree! It offers exceptional comfort, outstanding sound quality, and an extremely low price considering its performance. It is also a great long-term investment: replacement parts are easy to find and readily available, it is relatively easy to drive, and the overall construction quality is excellent.
I own HD 800 S (previously owned HD 800, regretted selling it). The below photo of HD 800 S is not mine.

 

[Blew]

I completely agree. I used to have a Linn LP12. I loved the sound but it was always ruined by the incessant clicks and pops. You just cannot get rid of them no matter how careful you are. I don’t get the concept of spending vast amounts of money to solicit the best sound quality, yet putting up with those damn clicks and pops. However good the sound on analogue is (and I loved it) it is permanently ruined by the incessant irritants. I just don’t understand how anyone puts up with it.

My wife loves the clicks and pops of vinyl specifically. She says it's all part of the experience and there is some nostalgia to it. I can appreciate that, but I won't choose it as a preference over a CD. My suggested compromise of her physically selecting a vinyl album while I play the same album on CD or via lossless streaming was rejected due to insufficient clicks and pops

 

[SGiniS]

Personally I can relate to that. I won't chose vinyls over cd, but I think it's easy to get lost in the pursue of the perfect audio quality, while underestimating the positive impact of more subjective factors.
As an exemple, I have many objects in my room like mirrors, glass or the absence of a carpet, which I'm sure are greatly deteriorating the sound. However I would never change that because how I feel into the room is way more important for me for my enjoyment of the music than a difference in audio quality.