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iPod Who uses the headphones that come with your ipod?
- Thread starter elmateo487
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Personally, I think it's slightly a mugs game to expect audiophilia on the move, and given the comparable sameness in broad terms of the sound quality of the sources involved - iPod or not, the phones make a bigger difference.
I do however want good sound on the move, but only if it's usable. I've invested in custom-moulded multi-driver earphones for example which get gushing plaudits from the portable audiophile crowd, but a large part of this is so that I can get some peace while travelling and for a comfortable fit and not necessarily for the sound - which to me as a rabid speaker-based audiophile (but nevertheless also an owner of the most expensive production headphones ever) is decent, no more. The Shure triple-drivers to me provide good sonic balance without the compromises of phones like the Etymotics and with the soft silicone tips, excellent everyday usability surpassing that of many non-Shure in-ears.
A little off-topic, but I have to ask (figured I'd do it in public, since someone else might be interested).
Besides the taste-difference you and I have about multi- vs. single driver in-ears (it doesn't matter), I wonder what headphones you speak of when you go "most expensive production headphones ever". What are those? Some Stax, or are they not considered "production"?
How much are we talking?
Well, yes, but, saying the opposite isn't really doing much for the point
He's not accusing you of being untruthful in your claim that you hate the quality of the iPod headphones. However, to state with absolute certainty that the iPod headphones have the worst sound quality ever, provide no back-up argument, then make the claim that people who use them are ignorant and shouldn't be allowed to own an iPod is a completely different matter, and no matter how much you hate them, that doesn't make what you say true.
Secondly, that was a typo. Read the last part of his sentence, and you'll see that he meant to type "aren't perfect" rather than "are" perfect.
No, you want people to see your claims that they shouldn't be able to own an iPod if they use the headphones because you personally hate them, then you want to start a flame war where you can in turn berate the people who do use them more than you already have.
As I mentioned, I'm not sure exactly what your interpretation of 'poor sound' is - for many it's just whether it has overwhelming amounts of bass (=high quality) or not (=poor quality) - but many reports of it being less than satisfactory is down to fit. I'm not sure if we're talking about the original or the new: WIth the original, many people's ears were too small for it. With the new, many people's ears are too large for it
If you leave the EQ out of the equation the iPod sound quality is not bad at all - it's in ballpark with the likes of iRiver and Cowon and technically better than many Sony's (although the Sony's have a more pleasing frequency response), if not quite along with Creative - but the differences are truly small, which makes the "terrible/bad" comparisons quite laughable.
Sesshi: How is it that you know everything about everything? I nominate you for the "Most awesome member" award of today.
We're talking $15K based on the prevailing exchange rate back then. Mind you, thats with an amp. Take a stab. Stax are of course still in production and I did have Omega2's knocking around as well. 'stats are nice, but not very everyday-use friendly. Switched the Stax to an HD650 and haven't really looked back. I even had a PS-1 which you've mentioned, which I ditched fairly soon afterwards as too 'first impression wonder'. The same, interestingly, could be said of the Etys.
As far as the taste-difference goes, there's obviously a difference between tasting both, and tasting only one and calling it the best
Sesshi: How is it that you know everything about everything? I nominate you for the "Most awesome member" award of today.
How? You waste your money on lots of stuff. The level of my jadedness possibly outweighs the level of my knowledge.
Oh, like that. I never quite understood the term "production XXX". Is the PS1s considered "production"? To me "production xxx" refers to something from an assembly line, not necessarily something _still_ in production.
However, you haven't answered the question. What $15K headphones are considered "production"?
Of course there's a difference. What are you on about? Who says I have only "tasted" one?
Yes, the PS-1 is a production phone. Production as opposed to one-off. Homologated cars produced in the low hundreds are called production. Yeah?
I don't get it
I wasn't being sarcastic in my post. I think the insight you bring to a lot of discussions is amazing for one person to have so much knowledge of pretty much any subject. I don't understand where it was necessary to judge what I spend my own money on =\Edit: Sorry, maybe I read your post as being aimed at me and it wasn't...If it wasn't, I'm sorry, I was a bit confused.
I don't get it
Edit: Sorry, maybe I read your post as being aimed at me and it wasn't...If it wasn't, I'm sorry, I was a bit confused.
Ah - you mistake my jadedness for returned sarcasm
Really, honestly, I have to say it is down to my prodigious gadgetophilia, mostly about making purchases I regret and learning from that.
@ Tosser - I assumed you'd be able to guess. The Sennheiser Orpheus.
Ah - you mistake my jadedness for returned sarcasm
Really, honestly, I have to say it is down to my prodigious gadgetophilia, mostly about making purchases I regret and learning from that.
@ Tosser - I assumed you'd be able to guess. The Sennheiser Orpheus.
My bad, then
Out of curiosity, Sesshi...What do you do that allows you to own (probably) hundreds of thousands of dollars in Technological equipment?
You're right. I should have been able to guess. These days I'm getting "detoxed" from living 7 years in an apartment with some fungus in the roof and bedroom letting mycotoxins loose. I'm really not on top of things like this right now.
Well, yes, but, saying the opposite isn't really doing much for the point
He's not accusing you of being untruthful in your claim that you hate the quality of the iPod headphones. However, to state with absolute certainty that the iPod headphones have the worst sound quality ever, provide no back-up argument, then make the claim that people who use them are ignorant and shouldn't be allowed to own an iPod is a completely different matter, and no matter how much you hate them, that doesn't make what you say true.
Secondly, that was a typo. Read the last part of his sentence, and you'll see that he meant to type "aren't perfect" rather than "are" perfect.
No, you want people to see your claims that they shouldn't be able to own an iPod if they use the headphones because you personally hate them, then you want to start a flame war where you can in turn berate the people who do use them more than you already have.
Sesshi: How is it that you know everything about everything? I nominate you for the "Most awesome member" award of today.
Thank you for the logical post.
I REALLY wanted to see what everyone had to say. If i didn't attack anyone, sadly no one cares enough to stand up for something. Unethical? Yup. Sorry. But in a sense i still believe it. Its nice to sit back and read all of these though. I think it is enlightening. I have always wondered if people actually care about quality. If i ACTUALLY need to spend countless hours in a week to make the kick in a jazz drum set resonate in a manner the mind likes! Haha
As for providing evidence? Impossible. So i did not even try. You will have people who drive their Lamborginis, theoretically speaking around here, and say that is quality. While i would argue that our 850 horsepower dragster sand rail that we built is better because it is faster. Making the argument that its motor is better quality, because it is faster. It does its job to power a car much better. While some people have had their pinto for years, restored it, painted it and love it more then any of their other cars. Or you have the person who just doesn't care at all, and will drive whatever they are given.
So! To everyone his own is applicable. I firmly believe that. But i still stick with my original statement. These headphones are the worst headphones i have ever used. By what reasoning and evidence? My musical ears (not physical ears) hurt more while listening with these, then any other headphones i have used. I say that because ALL headphones i have used have a small "hurt" factor. Nothing is good enough yet, besides the real thing, sitting in the correct spot.
Thanks!
Fair enough. I don't want to make it sound like quality doesn't matter. As a musician, I understand perfectly well how important sound quality is with regard to something such as an instrument. Of course sound quality needs to be decent in something like an mp3 player, but I don't really buy it expecting to get audiophilic sound. I certainly would not expect you to like the headphones, and you sure as hell don't have to use them if you don't like them. I was really only bothered by your original statement about people who do use them.
I do think it would be possible to show. You made a point earlier when someone called your hate of the headphones "your opinion," that it's not an opinion the actual quality of the sound. I think it's not an opinion, and that there is a definite quality of the product that can be judged. Based on some of the stuff I've seen audiophiles do on this and other forums with the soundwaves and all that other crazy **** I don't understand, I'd say someone could do a pretty good test of the quality compared to other headphones.
As another note, I would not make the claim that the iPod headphones are amazing. They are definitely consumer headphones aimed at people who really don't know any better. I happen to like them as far as in-ear, consumer headphones go. I don't really care that much about my music quality on-the-go compared to when I'm working on a song, as long as it's listenable. It's perfectly understandable that someone might, though.
I understand the last paragraph completely. I only listen to music in headphones when I'm doing something to distract me, because I can't turn off my musical ears, and I know if I put in iPod headphones to sit down and listen to a song comprehensively, I'd go nuts.
Well i would also assume there is a way to evaluate quality. But that is outside the confines of this forum. Hahaha. As for right now, quality falls in the eyes of the beholder. To some expensive means quality. In most cases i would agree. But it would be interesting to pull the whole; 3 dark colored drinks in 3 separate clear containers, which one is the best coke, kinda deal. Having a dozen or so headphones lined up, playing the same 20 second clip from the same mp3 player. You could have one clip of some high frequency jazz, or another with some R&B precision thumping, or yet another of mid range mashed all together rock.
I find quality very important. Investing this much money into music, mp3 players and headphones is just a representation of that.
I find quality very important. Investing this much money into music, mp3 players and headphones is just a representation of that.
Elmateo,
There are "test cd's" one can use and measurements one can do. It's important to know your tracks in order to know what to listen for, though.
Anyway, I thought you might like this primer:
http://www.bang-olufsen.com/page.asp?id=267&item=11
http://www.bang-olufsen.com/page.asp?id=267&item=18
(don't be confused by it being a B&O-blog).
There are "test cd's" one can use and measurements one can do. It's important to know your tracks in order to know what to listen for, though.
Anyway, I thought you might like this primer:
http://www.bang-olufsen.com/page.asp?id=267&item=11
http://www.bang-olufsen.com/page.asp?id=267&item=18
(don't be confused by it being a B&O-blog).
When I got my first iPod, I used them because I had nothing else. I really liked them, they were very comfortable and sounded pretty good. Then, they broke, and I got a set of cheap $15 replacements which broke even quicker. I went back the the Apple headbuds, since only one of them had broken. I got a new iPod and still used the standard headphones. I actually realized that the old style were less comfortable but more resilient. When I got my most recent iPod, I still used the standard headphones, until they too started to break. Then I bought some Skullcandy headphones, which were excellent. However, I lost the little rubber ear things that fit on them, so now I have no headphones except for my crappy Apple ones. When the school year starts again, I will probably get the more expensive Skullcandy buds and take better care of them.
I didn't at first (like for four years - LOL), and went for a nice pair of Sennheiser headphones, but it was a pain to have to carry them around all the time. For listening on the go, you can't beat the ear buds.
Since I listen to alot of compressed MP3's from the music store, the Apple iPod headset works for me. They seem to fit my ears OK, so I just never looked for anything else.
Since I listen to alot of compressed MP3's from the music store, the Apple iPod headset works for me. They seem to fit my ears OK, so I just never looked for anything else.
I do use them when out and about because i don't care if they get trashed. I live in a very safe area so I'm ok about people knowing i have an iPod. I have a pair of bose on-ear earphones that i use for flights and bus trips, but never at school or when I'm out in town with my friends.
I use the ones that came with my iPod. I disagree with the OP's point - the Apple earbuds work just fine for my needs.