Study Shows No Correlation Between Price and Sound Quality in Headphones

Discussion in 'Blind Testing and Psychoacoustics' started by AllanMarcus, Jul 5, 2017.

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  1. AllanMarcus

    AllanMarcus Friend

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    Last edited: Jul 5, 2017
  2. DigMe

    DigMe Friend

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    "Impossible!"

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  3. Ringingears

    Ringingears Honorary BFF

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    That does it! I'm pulling out my Koss KSC-75's. In response to the title of the research article. No shit! :cool:
     
  4. ogodei

    ogodei MOT: Austin AudioWorks

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  5. AllanMarcus

    AllanMarcus Friend

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    Ummm, when Tyll says "Now I think Sean tends significantly more to the objective side than I, and I sometimes cringe when he says some things, but he's done the no shit-research to prove the things hesays", that makes me think.

    That said, my long post on the audioholic board complains about their articles title. Journalistic sensationalism. They are certainly entitled to their opinion, and can draw their own conclusions, but the study doesn't conclude what the title proports.
     
  6. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    That probably saves me from reading it! (with apologies for missing your post therein).

    edit. Got this far:

    Headline: Study Shows No Correlation Between Price and Sound Quality in Headphones

    Para-1: The findings of this paper can be mostly gleaned from its title: “No Correlation Between Headphone Frequency Response and Price.”
    OK. Looks like that is far enough. Oh, and read your great common-sense post. The Audioholics people will hate it :D
     
    Last edited: Jul 6, 2017
  7. 9suns

    9suns [insert unearned title here]

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    I think manufacturers should distinguish between "reference" and "preference" headphones.
    I mean, something that measures like ass can't be a reference high fidelity product, no matter how high the price is, that's false advertising, it should be a "preference" audio product.
     
  8. Deep Funk

    Deep Funk Deep thoughts - Friend

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    KSC75 and PortaPro ready!

    Proceed to enjoy your music and let "high rollers" spend their money. Prepare your Monk Plus ear buds for deployment against fan-boys.
     
  9. ogodei

    ogodei MOT: Austin AudioWorks

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    Good idea, unfortunately impossible to enforce. No legal way to go after 'marketing puffery', so we're left with the name and shame tactics that we already practice. Hasn't worked so far. :(
     
  10. Mshenay

    Mshenay Barred from loaner program. DON'T SEND ME GEAR.

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    There's no reasons to enforce it. Head Fi and other communities are the ones who will try to market a Preference headphone as reference, Judes comments on the the MDR Z1R are proof of that point.

    Other wise the manufacturers them selvs are much more transparent, but do follow trends when describing their products that let you know if it's "preference" or "reference"

    The perfect example of that is the Product Page for the Sony MDR Z1R and Sennheiser's HD 800

    Zach's description of his headphones also follows suit,

    I chose TPE for its great resolving quality even when tuning the treble smoothly and linearly.

    I found bio-cellulose to have incredibly low distortion and allowed me to tune more linearly while keeping the sound free of sibilance and hash.

    What I highlight... those are buzz words. Zach choose the right ones for his headphone, smooth and free of sibilance, words that suggest a darker sound

    vs
    Hifiman which describes it HE 400 as very detailed yet warm, which again fits it. So for the most part the manufacturers choose the right wording. Though some of the smaller outfits, like MR Speakers and even Hifimans own totl Flagships... have very superfluous descriptions...
     
  11. Kattefjaes

    Kattefjaes Mostly Harmless

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    ..and my axe, errr. heavily-modified HD-650s!
     
  12. jhaider

    jhaider Acquaintance

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    Thanks for highlighting that article! The Morphit program sounds like an interesting and inexpensive way to waste time, though I am not sure how to use it with iTunes.

    I'm surprised nobody commented here or on that forum on the biggest "if" in the piece:

    "In light of this, it looks to be possible to have a inexpensive headphone mimic the sound quality of an expensive headphone, so long as the frequency band range and dynamic range are available" (emph. added)

    Put another way, one can equalize frequency response, but even assuming the Harman position on harmonic distortion is correct (I mostly agree with it) one cannot simply wish away headroom, resonances, etc.
     
  13. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    One also cannot wish away basic distortion, and more importantly complex distortion characteristics. And let's not forget CSDs, which in many instances reveal peaks where frequency response measurements show nulls, cough, cough, cough... Jude's Sony Z1R measurements.

    Stuff like (sound quality = frequency response) bugs the heck outta me. Seriously, this garbage thinking shouldn't even be debated. I kind of want to close this thread because it's noise: discussion of this is more suited for the Sound Science section of HF.
     
  14. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Anyway, I want to close this thread. It's this kind of thinking - that audioholics article - that gives measurements guys a bad name.
     
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