Everything wrong with the r/headphones subreddit in one post

I have not thoroughly enjoyed a post so much as this in a long time! Alas, I have but one like to give.

 

P.S. You renewed my interest in Morse.

 

Dude. Sweet.

 

Morse code, huh? I thought it was a battleship emoji.

 

Enjoy decoding the message. It made me laugh...

 

Oh I found an online translator as soon as you tipped me off to it being Morse

 

01011001 01101111 01110101 01101110 01100111 00100000 01101111 01101110 01100101 01110011 00101110 00101110 00101110

Although if you remember Battleship, I'm really not sure how old you are...

 

Hah. Also nice.

 

QWxsIHlvdXIgYmFzZSBhcmUgYmVsb25nIHRvIHVzLg==

 

The distinguishing thing about three of the headphones in the photo is that their pricing reflects looks, materials and gimmicks/perks as much as sound. Headphones like Momentums and M100s are meant to be seen as much as heard and feature extra incentives (cases, collapsibility, various carefully chosen colors, flatter fashion-specific designs that complement the wearer). They're also low-impedance and meant to be plugged directly into smartphones, etc. The HD-600, DT-880 and K7XX matter specifically because of their sound and that's what's reflected in the price.

Even the differences between the HD-595 and its successor, the HD-598, presage that change in the direction of the mid-fi headphone from sound-specific to perceived luxury object.

They're really two different categories of headphones that happen to be similarly priced: Fashion accessories that can be worn anywhere while sounding as good as they can, and headphones for optimum-conditions listening that don't do anything but sound as good as possible.

I'm not putting down Momentums or the M100s (I've actually owned both). I'm saying they're for a different purpose than the HD-600s. Interesting that the long-discontinued HD-580s sound twice as good as Momentums and once cost a third as much.

 

The average consumer prefers shiny gear. The experienced pro-sumer prefers working gear. Working gear does not have to be pretty so the price tag is less about "look at me" and more about "my specifications are as follows ... thus my performance."

That is the world we live in...

 

I agree with most of what you are saying, but in fairness the 598 is a big step up in sonics from the 595. Still, I could do without the stupid wood trim and ivory coloring; it turns out lots of people could too since they now sell the "special edition" for less in a black outfit...

 

Yeah I can't deny that the sub has definitely taken a turn for the worse over the last couple of years...

There's not much to be said that hasn't already been mentioned, certainly the general post quality has declined significantly (looking at the sub right now it's pretty much just thinly veiled purchase advice, /r/audiojerk spillover, and other miscellaneous low effort posts). The mass migration of experienced/helpful users has also hit the sub pretty hard. I see a lot of familiar names here that I don’t see over there anymore, and I can’t say I blame them.

Even with all that I keep going back... It's like a Xanax habit that's hard to kick.

 

it's how it is though,

Reddit as a platform smashed down the walls of enthusiast hobbies and how elitist they can be and opened these niches upto the masses. Sadly with the ensuing rise of access for said masses the post quality and attitude will change.

But forums like SBAF will benefit from such things. As the genuinely interested will seek conversation beyond circle jerks.

Only so long you can fight the torrent of shit alone before you realise it's making you miserable.

 

You are left with the hope that some people will smarten up and evolve from average consumers/sheeple into serious hobbyists or experts. Then the cycle of B.S. will stop revolving around itself and at one point turn into a cycle of less B.S.

 

And in the meantime, it's a useful way of containing those that prefer the echo chamber to learning

 

Here's another fun one guys: https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/4gzose/science_and_objectivism/

Good luck.

 

Not going there. Most people cannot even define the nouns "science" and "objectivism/objectivity." Then there are those that can but varying assumptions and definitions lead to disagreements again.

Choose your assumptions and define your bias(es). Then settle on methodology and live with the consequences or forever squabble about details until the end of the world. The idiotically called "O2 amplifier" led to already enough idiocy which included its creator.

In this age few people appreciate the socratic perspective at the cost of actually learning something new. That is a shame...

 

I can't stand reddit. I hate that layout, maybe because I too am old school, I prefer a normal forum, where conversations have some degree of order. The most I've used reddit has been from reading about it in this thread.

 

Eons ago I used to hang out at Fark. Man that was a kludgy system, and I don't think it's changed.