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- Apr 15, 2019
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I was looking at some headphone measurements [1] done by a reddit user, using very high end equipment. He even rated them based on Harman target curves. One of the best measuring headphone was the NAD HP50 [2], which is $150 new on Amazon. Yes, those were designed by ex-Harman people, but what struck me was the price point. That $150 headphone trounces all InnerFidelity Wall-o-Fame cans. And then there is Samsung Galaxy Buds [3], which for $120 shames most other IEMs ten times the price. I don't own either of those, but I did try the suggested EQ settings for my Bose QC20 [4]. These target curves work!
But someone will eventually come along and trash these headphones and applaud the $5000 ones.
I have some JBL 308's. They sound better than many speakers ten times the price. But In a thread [5], someone trashed "cheap class D amps", because of the hiss. The hiss is only audible with my ears 50cm from the tweeters, and only when there is no music. The noise it's making is below the threshold of hearing at listening distance.
What I'm trying to say is that the research has shown how to build great audio equipment, and the market will try to provide them at decent prices. Science and measurements lead to commoditization of good sound. I welcome this!
But for many in the audio business, the commoditization is a threat to be squashed. There is an entire business model of selling junk at ridiculously high prices. And to justify the high prices, it is Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt every day. Every thread on this very forum there is someone recommending high priced junk. Maybe they are a paid shill or just someone who fell for it. And elsewhere on the internet, it is much worse. People overpay for silly things and stake their reputations on their purchases. The shills disguise as helpful fellow consumers.
There is a very easy way to fight snakeoil: good measurements and comparison rankings. Sadly, there isn't much money to be made there, so consumers suffer.
I think speakers and headphones should be measured and ranked like DACs and amps. But I think this opinion will be out-shouted by the shills.
[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/oratory1990/wiki/index
[2] https://www.dropbox.com/s/mjbp2dau2o3m680/NAD Viso HP50.pdf?dl=0
[3] https://www.dropbox.com/s/buxclwpmt02c215/Samsung Galaxy Buds.pdf?dl=0
[4] https://www.dropbox.com/s/96123l8n2o5vqq6/Bose QC20.pdf?dl=0
[5] https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...8-inch-2-way-monitors-first-impressions.7977/
But someone will eventually come along and trash these headphones and applaud the $5000 ones.
I have some JBL 308's. They sound better than many speakers ten times the price. But In a thread [5], someone trashed "cheap class D amps", because of the hiss. The hiss is only audible with my ears 50cm from the tweeters, and only when there is no music. The noise it's making is below the threshold of hearing at listening distance.
What I'm trying to say is that the research has shown how to build great audio equipment, and the market will try to provide them at decent prices. Science and measurements lead to commoditization of good sound. I welcome this!
But for many in the audio business, the commoditization is a threat to be squashed. There is an entire business model of selling junk at ridiculously high prices. And to justify the high prices, it is Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt every day. Every thread on this very forum there is someone recommending high priced junk. Maybe they are a paid shill or just someone who fell for it. And elsewhere on the internet, it is much worse. People overpay for silly things and stake their reputations on their purchases. The shills disguise as helpful fellow consumers.
There is a very easy way to fight snakeoil: good measurements and comparison rankings. Sadly, there isn't much money to be made there, so consumers suffer.
I think speakers and headphones should be measured and ranked like DACs and amps. But I think this opinion will be out-shouted by the shills.
[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/oratory1990/wiki/index
[2] https://www.dropbox.com/s/mjbp2dau2o3m680/NAD Viso HP50.pdf?dl=0
[3] https://www.dropbox.com/s/buxclwpmt02c215/Samsung Galaxy Buds.pdf?dl=0
[4] https://www.dropbox.com/s/96123l8n2o5vqq6/Bose QC20.pdf?dl=0
[5] https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...8-inch-2-way-monitors-first-impressions.7977/