Wannabe audiophile or not necessarily

[rockrolla]

Hi guys , been interested on the topic so I end up here and been reading some interesting stuff, but clearly I'm on the wrong spot , my gear is a Fiio m9 and a hidzis ap80 pro,several basic IEM /headphones, my favourites are the 7hz zero, the kiwi cadenza , the HD569 and the HD599 and I use the Fiio BTR3K with my phone sometimes , I must say I'm totally happy with the performance and the music quality and basically I hear tidal hifi and some Flac files on the sd card, I like the neutron app with or without the autoeq settings depending what I'm using ,so my question is simple , what do you get when you buy so many expensive stuff , a 500-1000-3000 euros headphone ? Does it make you appreciate more the music , is it really a 3000 euros experience ? or you just want to notice all the technical aspects that are important for you but not for the common people? And that's really important for listen music on a enjoyable way? Because I can notice some details I didn't notice before but that's not a always a good thing, please explain , I can totally understand that you can have a Mini or a Ferrari but you can can always enjoy the ride on both

 

[Doodski]

I have HD598SR headphones but I have heard more expensive headphones when I retailed gear decades ago. From what many peeps here have kind of informally organized is the bang for the buck ranges are $300, $700, $1200 and up. Those price ranges keep being mentioned. Like the Sennheisers we use @~$300'ish, then the HD650 etc and then the DCA ÆON 2 open and closed versions and up to the expensive stuff.

 

[Joe Smith]

Lots of great equipment available today for little money...or good vintage equipment, competently restored...as for me, I like staying in the "affordable" audio product class (some call it "mid-fi"...fine by me). Some people seem to have a lot of extra money to spend on that final 2%...that's fine. I have a 1916 home with smaller rooms so my various setups don't need a ton of power. It is supposed to be about the music, anyway. Some here are really into the home theater thing and, admittedly, that is a different puppy.

I guess for people who do a lot of headphone listening, spending at the higher ranges can be justified...as I only use headphones currently about 10% of the time now that I work from home, can't justify spending "up"...I still like my legacy Sennheisers but my current go-to is the AKG K361, a tremendous value headphone...

Living with a spouse (and in a home with mostly smaller size rooms) means that I rarely listen at really loud volumes, so for me, good-sounding lower power amps paired with good bookshelf speakers do just fine.

We all spend a lot of time chasing our own tail on the last 2-5% of audio purity...you just have to decide what works for you for musical happiness and for household budget.

 

[Cote Dazur]

I must say I'm totally happy with the performance and the music quality

That is great, keep on enjoying.

is it really a 3000 euros experience ?

It can be, if you decide it is.
The reality is that it may or may not be objectively better, price is not a reliable parameter for sound quality. If you stick around ASr, you will learn what the important parameters are, will make better decision and possibly save money.

you just want to notice all the technical aspects that are important for you but not for the common people?

We are all common people, some with more experience and better reference, but we are all equal. Our priorities are probably different, but the golden ears is a myth.

 

[bodhi]

The hobby goes to "just looking for something else" awfully quick. You don't need to spend that much to get great sound.

But it is the same with every hobby. Just don't overspend if it is only about music for you.

 

[Berwhale]

I can totally understand that you can have a Mini or a Ferrari but you can can always enjoy the ride on both

You might not enjoy listening ('the ride') on highly performing equipment ('the Ferrari') if the recording is poor ('the road is bumpy'). YMMV

 

[DVDdoug]

500-1000-3000 euros headphone ?

"Different" sound... Maybe better, maybe worse. With headphones, there is very-little correlation between sound quality and price.* The biggest difference is usually frequency response and to a large extent that can tweaked with EQ.

In a blind listening test you might not prefer a more expensive, or the most expensive headphone.

In a non-blind test, many "audiophiles" and most reviewers will prefer whatever is most expensive and exotic! It's psychology and it's part of the audiophile culture even with amplifiers, and such, where there often is no actual audible difference (in a blind listening test).

Headphones are notoriously difficult to measure (because of how they interact with different ears). And different people have different preferences. With headphones comfort (to you) an be an important consideration and you may have a preference for open or closed headphones. Appearance can be important, and durability (especially in professional environments).




* With speakers it's a different story. There are costs associated with making a good speaker, and a tiny speaker can't fill a big room with sound or reproduce "realistic" bass that you can feel in your body, etc.

 

[Peterinvan]

Hi guys , been interested on the topic so I end up here and been reading some interesting stuff, but clearly I'm on the wrong spot , my gear is a Fiio m9 and a hidzis ap80 pro,several basic IEM /headphones, my favourites are the 7hz zero, the kiwi cadenza , the HD569 and the HD599 and I use the Fiio BTR3K with my phone sometimes , I must say I'm totally happy with the performance and the music quality and basically I hear tidal hifi and some Flac files on the sd card, I like the neutron app with or without the autoeq settings depending what I'm using ,so my question is simple , what do you get when you buy so many expensive stuff , a 500-1000-3000 euros headphone ? Does it make you appreciate more the music , is it really a 3000 euros experience ? or you just want to notice all the technical aspects that are important for you but not for the common people? And that's really important for listen music on a enjoyable way? Because I can notice some details I didn't notice before but that's not a always a good thing, please explain , I can totally understand that you can have a Mini or a Ferrari but you can can always enjoy the ride on both

You could consider yourself an audiophile already.
(a) You like listening to music, and
(b) you are seeking to optimize your listening experience within your budget.

The majority of us have budget limitations. I like doing the research, reading reviews, listening to the music the reviewers like. If a new device hits my "want" list, I will try to audition it. Sometimes I sell off old equipment to stay within my annual budget for audio gear.

As I get more training in listening for details on my gear, it becomes a double edged sword... I lose tolerance for poor recordings and poor sounding gear.
As a consequence, I no longer audition gear that is way out of my budget.

 

[kemmler3D]

what do you get when you buy so many expensive stuff , a 500-1000-3000 euros headphone ? Does it make you appreciate more the music , is it really a 3000 euros experience ?

I have headphones (Focal Elex) I spent $500 on, a lot for me. In general (but definitely not always) spending more means you can hear the music better. For many people this helps them appreciate the music more. Some people just enjoy hearing good sound quality, almost regardless of what music is playing - I can also consider myself in that group, to an extent.

Is that worth $3000 or even $500? Hard to say. Some people pay good money to be beaten with whips by leather-clad women (or men.) Personally I would pay good money to avoid that experience.

Some people pay $100K for speakers that sound worse than $4000 speakers. They might still be really happy. In other words, only you can decide if it's a $3000 experience.

Do keep in mind that many gear can be bought used and sold for close to what you paid. So "it's not that expensive of a hobby"... if you are careful and smart.

 

[charleski]

listening for details on my gear, it becomes a double edged sword

In more ways than one. I have several old recordings of classic performances in my collection, Callas doing Verdi, Furtwangler doing Beethoven, and I find it very hard to listen to them because they’re noisy, they’re mono, the frequency balance is a bit off, etc. I’ve got so used to more-or-less perfect performance from my very modest system that I’m missing out on some great performances.

 

[Chrispy]

Just being interested in high fidelity audio puts you in the audiophile class and from your gear you're doing fine. Don't sweat the moniker audiophile, it's been dragged thru the ridiculous for many years now.

 

[Keith_W]

Some people pay good money to be beaten with whips by leather-clad women (or men.) Personally I would pay good money to avoid that experience.

That made me laugh out loud!

 

[bodhi]

I have headphones (Focal Elex) I spent $500 on, a lot for me. In general (but definitely not always) spending more means you can hear the music better.

I'm currently switching between HD 560S and Audeze LCD-X that is 9x more expensive. I kind of get what you are paying for, but is the "thing" worth the money or does it make me hear the music better? No way. I mean if I had to choose I would keep the Audeze but if somebody would offer me my money back right now...

I won't even start with the high end headphones. At least for me the headphone game is solved pretty early on in the price range...

 

[rockrolla]

I'm glad the theme isn't consensual and my questions weren't completely newbie idiot , I guess it all depends how do you look at it, as hobby or as a consumer perspective and both are acceptable , thank you all for been so polite and friendly