Can They Tell the difference? Normal People Try YOUR Favorite Headphones!
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- Опубликовано: 30 июн 2024
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0:00 Intro
2:34 HD800S
3:58 Sundara
5:16 Arya
6:24 Reveal time!
8:46 Wrap-up 
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The impressions on the 800s KILLED ME 😂 PLEASE keep up such content its super enjoyable and fascinating.
When I got my HD595 and first got into hifi audio it was the same way for me. I couldn't hear how it was better until I listened for long enough then went to something else and realized how mediocre most other headphones actually sound. Then I got HD600 and was able to immediately tell how much better that was.
Well they played dua lipa's levitating with it. Of course it was gonna leave a mid impression.
Typical sennheiser.. overpriced and overrated
@@a2raya772 seriously? the HD600s are the best value of headphones for over 25 years lol
@@a2raya772 senny overpriced???? lmao I love shitting on big companies but i would not say sennheiser are overpriced
What's funny to me, is that they said: "it sounds like you are in your car" that's actually a complement 😂 they make you feel like your listening to stereo in an open frame? That is good staging! This was fun, I hope they have fun
Yeah I think they meant the sub bass for the "farting" sound comment
@@opposite342 Lmao
no, they mean when the speakers can't keep up with the volume.
The car is the worst place to listen to music.
What? Soundstaging doesn't exist in a car. That's a major diss lol.
i think next time you should test these vs common consumer headphones like beats, sony mdr, audio technica 50x, skullcrusher etc... I think this would give a better perspective on where these headphones land and I think they would understand the differences better.
smart!!
@@starkid9736 I was surprised he did not do that tbh
I think they'd choose th cheaper headphones in that case. People like th boosted bass, & It's what they're used to
I would bet on Koss killing everyone in that category...if they couldn't feel them.
@@kevingest5452 you're probably right! Th m50x would probably be 2nd place if they couldn't feel th clamp force
Some suggestions:
- It'd be great to know what tracks they listened to.
- At the end and before the reveal, make them rank their picks, individually.
- Not sure if it'll help, but perhaps show them a list of common positive and negative adjectives/descriptors while they describe the headphones (or even at the end when the blindfolds are off).
Regardless, this is a fantastic video.
I think the track quality can make or break headphone tests. I have decent speakers and headphones and poorly mastered tracks or bad recordings sound extra shitty on headphones but not as offensive through speakers.
Some track / genre is better at one headphone vs another so yeah more info is better
Great series! Might be interesting to have them bring their own headphones in and compare straight after. Who knows, the comments could be even more savage
I think a "Normal people try expensive speakers" type of video would be pretty interesting, because then they only get the sound. When wearing headphones you feel how heavy they are, how much they clamp etc which will influence their decisions
Josh V. did this with one of his family members and she was much more impressed with hifi speakers than the headphone setup. Speakers just present music in a more impressive way imo. The problem is that even budget speakers can be so good now that finding a crummy reference isn't the easiest task. Won't stop the price tags of the upper end from shocking anyone though..
They'd obviously still have to be blindfolded though, else they'd be heavily influenced by the size/number of drivers etc But yes that would be an interesting comparison.
7:57 I love how he poses for every snobby audiophile term that he is about to spout out.
then gets it completely wrong each time :p
I will say the 800S lack of tight extended bass was a deal breaker for me, even with its incredible soundstage. But that car speaker comparison got me lol. I would take the Sundara over it for my preferences.
Me too. I chose Hifiman HE1000se over 800S because of 800s lack of bass.
@@IIlIlIllllIIIlTHIS. With a decent EQ they slam deep and hard, like using a Mojo 2 with high bass EQ (there are two on the Mojo)
@@residentzero I do not have HD650. My headphone was HD700 for few years. Then I want to upgrade and purchased HD800 but after a few weeks I sold it and purchased Hifiman HE1000se. I listen to Kpop songs most of the time.
I owned the hd800 and thought they were awful. Way too bright with very little bass. I would take the sundara over those any day.
Sometimes I feel like RUclips reviewers only tell us what they think we want to hear. Just because it's expensive doesn't necessarily mean that it's any good.
Love this series! I think maybe do 5 headphones per video, that way there is more to compare to. Even outside of the science, hearing your friends opinions on a range of sounds people describe online is very interesting.
Such a guilty pleasure. I love this series. Please keep it up!!
7:50 - "So what did you like most about them, what was really working for you?"
"The sound."
This man is a genius
I mean, I just sold a pair of Sundaras because they sounded wonderful, but didn't fit me well and were too heavy for all-day desk use. Comfort can be a major factor as well.
love this series, what i would like to see is 3 music producers to do such a blind test, and more models, like 5-6 ?
I feel like the first Headphone tried will always be at a disadvantage, as they don't have something to compare them to yet. It would've been interesting to have put them on their head again as the last headphone, without telling them it's the same again.
Lastly, my god, all of these headphones got critiqued really harshly 😅
But i appreciate the honesty
Yeah it would be interesting if they brought their own headphones/iems to ground themselves before listening to the others.
The way around it is to just spoil what the first headphones are or use something super common.
Ears and mind needs to be trained. It takes time to tell how good they are in which area. Over time audiophile will look for better clarity sound stage separation, micro details, smoothness all that counts, at the end is what type of music that you are into will affect your decisions to buy , when young will go punch hard slamming , over time will look for details when older would look for lush sweet sounding headphones. A journey for headphone hobby and at the end. You get terrible tinitus or loss hearing. So be advised not to play super loud 😢 but hobby is hobby hard to change 😇😀be happy Cheers Everyone 😊....
I think a big difference between us nerds and more "normal" people is the value that's placed on soundstage.
To audiophiles, a wide stage is great and allows for more nuance in terms of imaging etc whereas a more average consumer will just interpret it as distant and less involved. A snaller stage makes things like detail and dynamics more immediately apparent - think of it like tasting a delicate dish with many small nuances vs strongly flavoured condiments like hot sauce. Or a pour-over, single origin brewed black coffee vs a syrup flavoured latte from a chain.
good and interesting take
Interesting soundstage was the best thing for me getting into the hobby because it made music far more immersive.
@@pillowboy7995 I agree haha. I first bought some IEMs but it never led to me being shocked in every song I listened to though it’s soundstage and imaging was still much better than “commercial TWS ear buds.” Hence I bought some open back Planar Magnetic’s and the soundstage and directional and separation of instruments was much better. The thing to realize though is that soundstage can be a bit overblown by many audiophiles. For example, when I listened to my IEMs, sounds came from a distance of about 1-1.5 feet where as in Headphones, sounds come from a distance of about 2-2.5 feet. For reference, I’m using the HEKV2 which is noted to have a very very large soundstage albeit not as wide as the HD800S but much more “realistic” in its approach. Hence, I think many audiophiles overblow the “technicalities” that headphones have along with IEMs compared to each other.
Headphones or iems soundstages are not that impressive to me even as an audiophile because they are all kind of small and doesn't make some much of an impact compares to other factors. I remember people talking about HD800 having speaker like huge soundstage and after I tried it I was like "that's it?" It's still an obvious headphone soundstage just slightly wider than other headphones, still nowhere near an actual speaker system or live music hall or even movie theater. Headphones or iems have their own strengths compare to speaker system, HD800 is an example of throw away your biggest strength and trying to improve your biggest weakness. I do appreciate that since it does provide some unique experience within all the other headphones, but I won't call it a superb headphone either and there are some nice alternatives with much cheaper price if you only care about wide soundstage.
The technical abilities of many headphones/IEMs with equal or less than Arya's soundstage are highly praised by the audio community. As Tadokorovsky said, the soundstage of headphones/IEMs isn't that impressive, and as Dbean51 said, soundstage can be a bit overblown by audiophiles. In fact, the earbud with the widest soundstage claimed by audiophiles has questionable tuning that is audibly apparent. Imo, using soundstage to justify why they disliked the HD800S is a bit forcing it. I feel like these non-audiophile guests were basing their preference on the tuning more.
Always a nice break from the baroque measurement analysis episodes and glad to see more creativity being brought to the broadcast choices. Well done sir!
I didn’t expect anybody to be blown away by non eq’d hd800s. They’re absolutely not going to blow away any normies with their stock tuning. As a matter of fact, the more clinical sound is what likely drove them away from enjoying them altogether.
Get them properly eq’d and I’d wager their minds will be blown. Maybe an idea for the next video? Try out these headphones again but eq out all the peaks and maybe add a small bass shelf?
It might also help encourage people do the same if they’re not a fan of a headphone’s stock sound and want to continue enjoying them with their technicalities
I use auto eq project database.
I cried the first time I tried them! I knew a little bit about the audio industry (with an emphasis on "little") so I knew they were expensive and Sennheiser's top of the line, but the tears were genuine. Maybe even more surprising is that the song that was available in that store was _"Please Don't Stop The Music."_
I am surprised by this outcome. When I first got my hd800s' I was very impressed with the technological performance, mainly the instrument separation, the detail, and the soundstage of course. They were my first expensive headphones. It was funny to see their reaction when they took the blindfold off. I would like to see a version of this with gammers.
I think those who arent familiar with hifi headphones, i believe they focus more on mid and bass than separation, imaging and soundstage
Are they anything like the hd800? Because I had those and they were one of the worst headphones I ever owned. All treble and no bass. Yet people were raving about them. Hd600 and sundara are much better.
This is what I look forward to the most on this channel, love these guys!
Great series! Just some comments from my observation:
- I see some people wear headphones over their hair, which can significantly influence the sound:
+ Imperfect seal will cause the Arya and Sundara to have a resonance peak in the bass region, while the HD 800 S rolls off even more. I'd assume that they experienced significantly less bass on the HD 800 S than it actually has, especially compared to planars which benefit from this effect.
+ Having material like hair between the driver and pinna will cause a dampening-like effect, down-tilting the FR and taming treble peaks in many cases. Again, the already-warm HD 800 S will get even warmer, while the other two will down-tilt to a more desirable slope and be less shouty.
- Without visual cue, weight is the main factor when it comes to perception of quality. I don't know to what degree does this effect comes in to play, but might be interesting to note in the future.
For those of you who's interested, the HD 800 S was the top performing open-back headphones in the 2018 Harman Research, just slightly behind the Harman Target and Harman-like closed-back headphones. Which is to say, a lot of people really liked it, surprisingly. I don't doubt the Hifimans would do better, but they wouldn't do significantly better since there's little gap between the HD 800 S and the absolute best.
the best series of this channel
Shots fired
I agree, something fascinating about non experienced listeners trying some gear that isnt just consumer level. Really enjoy these types of videos!
Clarity: Bingo! :-)
Natural: good headphones are not supposed to add color of their own.
Punch and slam: this is very personal, I prefer to have the music provide the punch and slam, not the headphones.
Listeners expected to be "impressed" by the headphones, but hifi headphones don't intrude and just let the music do the "impressing".
The Sundaras are universally liked. They hit all the right spots. They truly are the HD650 of planars. (I love mine)
The 800s are too "spacial" and "natural" sounding to surprise anyone who is unaware that making a headphone sound like real life is very very difficult.
Aryas did seem to please. :-)
Really fun - it’s refreshing to hear descriptions that mostly don’t rely on the standard audiophile buzzwords that experienced listeners always run to. I would opine that most people have a preference for one characteristic that would determine whether they like/dislike a headphone, and those who only listen to IEMs are using what they’re familiar with to rate the headphones here. Having them give their opinions with other reviewers in the room did have them feed off each other’s opinions, and the interviewer has to be careful not to lead the participants with their questions/comments (Ex. “So, do you think these are expensive?”) .
Like someone else said, what they were listening to is crucial to the viewers. Also, assuming that they were listening to the same song, maybe let them listen through the same headphone group another round of times to make sure they could properly compare them to one-another and also had the same reaction after hearing all the other options. But great video. Very fun. Not sure if any of the manufacturers will like you after this though. 😅
These are my favorite segments/programs, 100% please post more content like this.
Like the Kiwi Cadenza reveal, this is second best.
I get it...When I first got into headphones I had COMPLETELY different taste...I just wanted bass...but, after awhile, the more genres I got into, the more I learned about music and what to listen for, what nuances to appreciate. Now I have completely different tastes in sound signature. I still like bass, but clean, tight bass, no longer that boomy muddy crap. I used to hate treble but now I love hearing those crips details in music. IDK, to each their own but normally after someone starts to really delve into music and not just casually listen they start to appreciate higher end audio
Bro this is literally me. I used to crank the bass slider to the max in any car stereo I had, but now I put it at about a third of the way and then turn up the treble quite a bit.
Cool video, I would be interested in a video like this with high impedance hp and you do tube vs solidstate.
i love these types of videos thanks chrono and friends
I can say that my listening preferences and analysis changed quite a bit with time and experience, so watching your friends was definitely fun.
No matter what level of expertise..the Sen’s 800s…LACK OF BASS PUNCH AND SLAM at nearly $2k is a deal breaker ..tho wide soundstage is great ..no one even noticed 🤦♂️
Great video 🍕☕️👍
Some of that could be song choice, but also might help to give people a primer of things to listen for. Sending people in blind (pun not intended) is mildly entertaining, but frankly not exactly informative or useful.
The 800S has great slam, weak bass.
Put them on tubes...
I use oratory's EQ preset for HD800 and further boost the 100Hz shelf and they are quite fun to listen to.
@@neandrewthal and I literally just said sending people in blind is not useful. It provides you zero information. It's a waste of time. Congrats on poor comprehension.
Interesting series, keep it up.
I'm always excited for these videos😂😁
Completely mind-blowing. Our ears don't hear price , they only hear sound and they will always tell you what you like. Then our eyes take over and that's when we see a different interpretation. Great video!
Firstly: Cute Sleepmasks ❤! Secondly: Your friends seem like a tough crowd 😅. And lastly: Gotta love James‘ „Audiophile Parody Routine“. It is pretty much perfect. Or, high fidelity, if you like (SCNR)
Would be interesting to know if your friends have headphones (e.g. True Wireless, or others) on their own and if they do, if the like them. Those could be included in the blind test. It would be interesting to hear from them, how they would rate each others/their own headphones blind.
This is great. I love this series 😁
That was a really fun watch, i need to see more blind tests like this
I also noticed it takes time to get to know sound and their various qualities. If you just give someone a super high end headphone one day, they might not be able to distinguish various low high or mid bass qualities. Though of course good sound is good sound, so there should always be tests like this one. Good job. 🤓
this shows how different tastes are and how different people hear things. i think it is crazy how different every person is.
When i was on pursuit for speakers, i listened many different ones in showroom, and asked the guy not to tell me price, just to demonstrate me speakers within my max budget, because i didn't want to be biased to some model cause of price. I choose at the end Wharfedale diamond 12.3 which were among least expensive i heard in showroom. They sounded me absolutely best and I'm still loving em.
Love the Sennheiser HD 800S for the clarity and sound stage. But they do really lack the "oompf" in the bass region, no argument there. It surprised me that the lacking "oompf" was the thing that stood out the most. Maybe if the Sennheiser had come last, the clarity and sound stage would have stood out among the three.
I had HE-500's and an Audio GD DAC and amp on my desk in a large IT office and encouraged everyone to try them. It was quite an intimidating looking setup looking back which is probably why I didn't get many takers and from the ones who did it was a very male vs female outcome.
We had a near 1-to-1 male to female ratio and the result of my "research" cough, was that audio reproduction is not a priority for women when listening to music. The gist being that they were clear but didn't see any advantage over what they already had to enjoy music. Males were more engaged and quite a few upgraded as a result. One guy bought my old K702 Audio GD DAC and amp and had it set up at his desk.
The one outlier was the lady who sat opposite me who fell in love with the sound and used them more than me with the cable draped over the desk partition :)
I just did a review of one of my headphones but my friends are musicians and in the entertainment business. They really liked the HD6xx through the A & K SR35.
Love it. What is the Headphone Amp that you have used during the experiment?
I think the "problem" here is that most people don't understand that getting a pair of headphones to sound "neutral" is difficult. Most people outside of the audiophile hobby wants a pair of headphones that enhances stuff like bass and mids whereas audiophiles sees it as something negative. There is nothing wrong with any of it since it's a matter of taste and preference.
Thinking about it for a moment gave me the idea that comparing very neutral recorded vocals (like audio books for example) would make it harder to choose. Or maybe very well recorded records that are NOT bricked in terms of dynamics (like non-remastered Kraftwerk for example).
Yeah, the “commercial sound” is much more outside of neutral involving high amounts of bass with a decently high “harman like mid-treble range”. which is why many “normal” people prefer it.
This isn't completely true, you said people outside this hobby want a bass bosted headphones while audiophiles see that as a negative. Bass is fun, people want bass, the issue is when the bass makes the rest of the frequency range worse. When I had my friends try my Arya Stealth, they were all shocked at how there is good bass but the rest of the instruments and vocals are also very clear. Bass doesn't mean the headphone isn't good, Focals are known for their bass, Audeze headphones are praised for their bass. People want bass if it also comes with detailed mids and treble.
@@bilalrasool2318 I agree. The TOTL for bass I’d say is probably the Abyss AB 1266 Phi TC. The amount of bass quality I’ve heard it has is unmatched even compared to the Audeze LCD-4. Plus, the changeable bass can be configured towards different genres of music. And of course, the resolution and detail it has is practically unmatched.
@@bilalrasool2318 thats why i love my Focal Celestee. This headphone has a lot of punch but is also really clear. The only downside of Focal headphones is the price for new earpads. New Focal earpads are extremly expensive with 90$/€ for only ONE earpad and the only way to get them is through a verified retailer and most of them has to order the earpads from Focal in france.
Awesome reviews.
Chrono, if you end up doing another one of these videos, I suggest the following headphones - Audeze LCD-2/2C/X, Hifiman Ananda, Meze 109 Pro. Maybe even throw a consumer headphone like a Sony XM5, Sennheiser Momentum 4 etc😃
Keep doing these vids they are so much fun…a good break from the norm 😊
I think people that dont know headphones well... and especially younger people are going to associate more bass with better sounding. Which makes complete sense why the HD800s would rank so low with them. I have a feeling most of them would probably pick beats if that were an option.
This was great!!
A comparison with bassy / Vshaped / Warm headphones could be interesting, Beyer DT770/990, AKG K371, Fidelio X2, AKG K712, Sony MDR-1AM2 / Z7 / Z1R, Any of the big biodynamic driver Denon, Fostex TH610/900, Klipsch HP-3, Audeze LCD-2 for example
Lol 😂
This is a fantastic series. I don’t know what it says about hobbyists and our tastes in what or how we all hear things. But regular people have a much different experience than almost every other reviewer/audiophile.
Regular people, I think like music more than they like measurements.
Also equating headphone weight with cost is something that is common in consumer products.
Also who chose the music they listened to for the review?
Maybe next time you can have them select music they listen too and are familiar with in their daily listening rotation.
I really wish every headphone review did this in addition to their review - got say 3-4 random non-audiophiles to try the headphone and describe the sound using normal language. I feel like when you remove existing knowledge and expectations, you quickly get to which aspects about the sound really stand out because they aren't going in looking for [x] and [y] that they read about in other reviews before their purchase.
Looking forward to seeing the IEM follow-up.
I think that putting gaming headphones on the blind test, along with audiophile headphones, would be a great experiment
3 iems I would like to see would be the 1.P1 max (budget friendly and relaxed sound) 2. Mangird Xenns Top (mid range dynamic sound) 3. Sony IER-M9 (1k killer with good bass)
Your point about "the other person's opinion influences one's own" is spot on... the same is true with audiophiles. That's why there's a lot of "audiophile memes" picked up from reviews, reddit, head-fi and the other usual places.
If you have the Airpods Max or Sony WH1000-XM5, that would be great to put in these videos as a potential reference point like what you did with the Airpods pros
Yeah... They nailed it, though, with the Sundara. Fine headphone. I could understand a broad, easy appeal. And the price guesses for it were right on.
That Arya reaction almost broke my heart, luckily the second duo was able to save it.
I would venture to guess that besides not being experienced with quality headphones, the quality of the recorded tracks were a variable that they're not used to in determining what they liked in headphone. As in if a track doesn't sound similar to what they're used to hearing in a muffled, dropped highs headphone they will dislike a very revealing headphone that accentuates the treble details.
I found it really interesting, and I want to get a pair of Sundara’s, but I’m probably gonna hold out for the new Audeze MM-100’s
If a Sundara is your target I would try an HE400se first, and with the spare money get a good dac/amp. I find the 400se to have 95% the resolution of a Sundara, but with slightly better bass and dynamics, if well driven, and it's a third the price of a Sundara. The tuning of the 400se is incredible for its price, very natural sounding. B-stock 400se these days are as low as $80 a pair, which is amazing given how they sound. MM-100 will probably have superior dynamics compared to either of those, but will likely cost much more.
This is the best way to test, unbiased and importantly blind.
Totally agree
I’ve owned Focal Utopia, Focal Stellia, Audeze LCD-X, Audeze LCD-4Z, Meza Empyrean, Hifiman HE1000 V2 and sennheiser HD800S. I’ve sold all except for my HD800S. I don’t think the 800s is the best for all types of music but it’s absolutely the best gaming set ever built and I can’t imagine gaming without it.
One day I hope to find a pair of headphones I think the same about for music. Then it also can remain in my collection forever like the hd800s which imo are my only end game find this far into my audiophile journey. (Gaming endgame)
Love those videos. Brings you a bit down to earth. And I wanna hang with Grace and Selina. Love their vibe.
I kept seeing all the 'hair' in the cups and wondering what kind of fit/seal they were getting.
Also, since bass is something that you don't usually get in most listening scenarios (muggles) that can be stark with a good headphone with decent SPLs for the first time since your high-school friend splurged on a big sub in their car. Am i missing any other experience of powerful bass that normies get to experience before putting on a pair of nice cans?
this is real life comparisons, good stuff. sennheiser in general lacks low bass response imo. i own the hd650's with a schiit magnius and i find myself reaching for the low end eq on my lokius everytime i listen to them. they are very clear and capable of handling a ton of power but my personal preference is a more v-shape freq curve which these are def not.
I also have the HD650’s and find the lack of treble to be Unbearable!! In fact I EQ them HEAVILY treble wise…. They are decent but I find myself reaching for my Bang & Olufsens nowadays. The 650’s just sit there looking nice for the past year.
5:09 your editor must be wearing his headphones backwards lmao
I really love these videos. It proves once again that, basically, the entire headphone hobby is kind of a joke. I hate to sound so harsh but it is what it is, spending more money does not equal better. I see SOOO many people convince themselves they like a headphone or that it sounds better than another because they spent a bunch of money on it.
OR people that spend so much money do not like the sound signature that most people prefer
These videos prove absolutely nothing. You are a genuine dunce for believing any objectivity here.
@@maegnificant this. Most people never get used to a "highend" sound, on headphones and also speakers. When u hear just weird ass V curve sounds your whole life what would you do? I guess it's not far away
I think most people don't care about how accurate or detailed their music sounds. As long as it has the vibe and a good beat, that's all that's important.
@@bstar777777 when you know what an instrument sounds like, or the human voice, you will care more. Also massively depends on the music you listen to. There are plenty of compositionally complex music that now is very unenjoyable on headphone like the hd650.
that was cool :) I think if they go back to budget headphones or airpods after listening to the "audiophile" equipment, they'll see what this kind of headphones do to music.
Keep doing this
Thank you, I might be missing it but while you said what the headphones were plugged into the music used is not listed. And while it might offend some audiophile souls a Spotify playlist as the lowest common denominator reference would be useful perhaps ?
A good 10 band equalizer does it for me. Music is a matter of individual taste and I don't care much about flat response. Of course I make presets for different genres, classical and pop aren't mixed the same way.
Interesting, I have the Aryas and HD800S. Aryas have the best bass, and good sound stage but the HD800S have the best sound stage and clarity for me. I love both, for different music genres.
They sould not be able to hear other people's opinion next to them. That will give unnecessary bias to the second person who tries the headset
Correct
From what I understand most people just look for bass. Which makes sense since most music these days focuses primarily on the bass.
Since all 4 had same comments about the HD800S, I have little doubt about incorrect ear positioning, but the other 2 headphones were the same brand, and the 2 girls who praised the cheaper Sundara from the brand said the more expensive Arya was fuzzy, while the other 2 testers praised the Sundara, then the Arya more. Since the Arya is sensitive to ear positioning and the 2 girls wore the Arya a bit lower than the other 2 testers, I would have to wonder if imperfect ear alignment messed up the sound quality, imaging, and stereo separation for the 2 girls.
Hifiman doesn't seem like a company that can release a significantly cheaper product that sounds superior to their expensive offerings. Hifiman seems to tune their headphones with purpose, as opposed to random releases. The 2 testers who praised the Arya seems to align with Hifiman's pricing. The 2 girl testers, I have to wonder if they way their ears were bent by the blindfold, or the ear positioning was messed up.
For the HD800S, they were all very consistent, so I don't have much question marks regarding their verdict for that.
I def agree. Fit matters too as I mine sounds bad at time then I adjust and get better sound
It's hard to listen to a new headphone in a vacuum. So give them some "standard" headphone first (Koss Porta Pro or something). Then let them compare it to that. And I agree on 2 people will influence each others opinions more than the (relatively small) changes in soundsignature of the headphones.
you should tell them you added more padding to the head band and cushions without impacting the sound, that way they're less likely to count how it feels on the head as an indicator. and add a 'no touching' rule.
The blindfolding masks are hilarious! Who would do that to his friends? 🤣 But very nice video! More of that, please.
What were the components used? What Dac/Amp?
If I remember clearly, at the dawn of sound recording, some famous companies (like Western Electric) used to make demos in theater in front of public.
Everything was made behind curtains, a real orchestra was playing and after they played the record with their system (no even in stereo). People were so baffled that they could'nt tell what was from the orchestra and what was from the record.
Is all about personal taste, sometimes when what is good sounding for us doesn't mean that the others have the same thought. Same like food, u either love it or u don't.
She felt the exact same way about the HD800s' bass as I do.
I have a friend who listens, mainly, to "soft" music (Enigma, Enio Morricone, Vangelis, etc.; basically, orchestral rendering of soundtracks, atmospheric music, etc.) while i'm a die-hard trancer which enjoys almost all the genres out there. I do have a decent collection of high-end headphones but when i invited my friend here and placed the HD800S on her head and played Maurie Jarre's orchestral rendering of Unchained Melody, she burst into tears. I admit, she does love the movie a lot (along with its soundtrack) but i have never seen someone like i've seen her enjoy the music. She asked me if she could listen to the song for a few more times and i obliged. She never knew the price of the headphones nor did i hint at them being expensive. When i told her how much they cost, she admitted that she thought they were around 1000 EURO but at the end, her final judgement was that for the money i paid for them (1200 EURO, new from the dealer) and for someone who truly enjoys music, they are a low price to pay. I love them but they're not my favorite headphones yet, i couldn't live without them.
This is for all those who keep writing that "normies" would never be blown away by "un-EQ-ed" HD800S. No, boys and girls, they will be blown off but it's a matter of musical taste. Place them on the head of a bass head who listens to hardcore / techno and yes, they'll be a "meh" pair of headphones.
That friend you described isn't a normie though. Normies, musically speaking, are the masses, who listen mostly or exclusively to bass-forward genres and pop.
Compare them against consumer headphones. I notice the difference most between HiFi when I go from a Sony or Beats to a set of Sennheiser Cups.
Would love you to have six pairs of headphones - split into three pairs. One they can touch and feel while blindfolded, the other to actually listen to. The thing being that the listener thinks they have handled and listened to the same headphone. Would be great to see if handling the headphone has any effect on how they think they sounded. Giving them really expensive headphones to handle before swapping them out for a far cheaper option, or the other way with very cheap headphones to handle and the swapping them out for really expensive ones to listen to.
Interestingly I'd agree with the Sundara vs HD800s though not exactly in the same terms😅
Love this series!
Any chance the track selection might have tripped them up? A track you might listen to for sibilance might just turn them off. But thanks to them for participating.
This is very interesting! So…I think being an audiophile sometimes means getting so intent on the micro architecture of sound that one will prefer something like the Sennheiser, which can be so precise-but so flawed with regards to bass output. An audiophile might subconsciously or otherwise disregard that. But most people want to listen to music, and the lack of bass is inherently unrealistic and even jarring, especially if the music is known to the person. Further, the audiophile who knows he/she just spent $1800 on it may subconsciously decide to like it. Maybe like the emperor’s new clothes, a level of self-deception?
Did you print that Eng Zelda bootleg yourself or pay for it?
Love the videos but please give Chrono a better mic, or better treat the room - compare vs the production quality of other personalities on your channel.
I think they should have started off with or added some more common ones like something from beats or apple just to see what their opinion would be on the sound.
Please do IEM and headphone in one video. Let them decide IEM or headphone more worth the price
The HD6XX had to be in the mix. Probably would have come out tops 🔥
Ikr, I really need to get a confirmation that I've made the correct choice lol. Sometimes fear of missing out gets to you.
I think they'll have a blast with some Audezes.
It was entertaining but anyone could predict that having someone else with them will alter the test results.
I this would be a great way to judge headphones. Having normal people rank them. Have them blind folded and someone come and put it on there head.
I am thinking of buying a hd600/ 650 (it’s a toss up right now 650 is cheaper.) but the first time with normal people trying it out REALLY helped push me towards it.
Normal people want a jack of all trades. They want a headphone that does everything when they spend over $50 they want that.
That’s what I want I sold my m50x and momentum on-ear (they hurt my head due to my glasses) to cover the cost and I wasn’t using them at all after I got the shp9500 which was $50.
To anyone who has one, what was your experience regarding durability with the sundaras? Personally it took like a year for my ear pads to wear down and the replacements looked like they were gonna last long either. Made me switch to dt 900 pro x because of the better durability and replaceable parts.
I’ve had them for about half a year and they still look like new but i still need another 6 months to reach your point.
I would love to hear what normal people think about stack headphones, can a "normal" person hear the difference between a dynamic, a planar and an electrostatic headphone?? 🤔
I bet if you let them try out the Meze Empyrean, they would love it lmao.
It'd be interesting to see what they'd think if all headphones were eq'd to the same target. Could they identify the differences in the technicalities?
I actually prefer doing that to my headphones
I get the sound signature I want, and teh difference is the soundstage, quality of sounds, imaging, etc
This is cool, I kinda wish a journalist could do a way bigger sample size of people. Like in New York or something, I’d be curious if cultural differences effect people’s expectations towards ‘good sound’ lol
This is hugely discouraging, just wanted HD800S’s but I think I’ll just keep my SHP9600’s, and Sennheiser Game One’s for music, gaming, movies. I couldn’t drive the 300ohms from an Xbox controller anyways. EQ-ing the Sennheiser Game One’s really helped a lot, and when I want that movie experience or when I want to enjoy music the Audio Engine HD3’s really do it for me.
So you let this crap video decide for you, be a real man and go for the 800s, you won`t regret it.