# Head-Fi mentioned in New York Times article about headphones!



## jude

​   
  The New York Times' Jennifer Conlin wrote an article called _The Quest for the Perfect Headphones_. In it, she mentions Head-Fi, Audeze, HeadRoom, Sennheiser, Etymotic, Sony, Klipsch, Skullcandy and more! HeadRoom's Jorge Cervera has his say, including this gem:
   
   


> "Today, every big audio company out there is getting into headphones because they have made such a cultural ascendency that even your grandmother probably has a pair now."


 
   
  Love it!
   
  You can read the whole article by clicking on the photo above, or by *clicking here.*


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## CEE TEE

Congratulations, Jude and Head-Fi!!!
   
  More exposure means more clout and that we have a *stronger voice*...
   
  (Also, I hope it means more sneak-peeks for being crazy enthusiasts.)


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## jrkong

I was disappointed that it called Skullcandy a good brand, slapped myself when it talked about Bose and gave up when it mentioned Beats. *sigh*


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## Sylverant

What do I make out in the picture? Bose and Beats. I haven't tried the beats and liked the OE2's so I won't comment.


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## RudeWolf

Sad to see that even the journalists who are assigned to do such an article are pretty clueless regarding headphones. And yeah, poor audiophile bankers...


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## briskly

Aren't you being vain, Jude.
   
  But really, more exposure is always good. Even if the article could be researched better. I'm sure someone still reads the New York Times.


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## EinZweiDrei

a lot of journalist dont do enough research.


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## jude

Quote: 





briskly said:


> Aren't you being vain, Jude...


 

 I have been reading _The New York Times_ for as long as I can remember--it has been one of my favorite papers for much of my life. So when they post a mention of (and link to) Head-Fi in it, call me vain (which you did), but I think it's pretty cool, and see no problem saying so.
   
  As for some of the other comments expressed:
   
  There's a link to Head-Fi, so readers of the article could find their way here. And some people may click on the link solely to find out what $2000 headphones are about (as the article mentions that headphone prices go up that high, which is rather shocking to most). And if people with some interest in headphones end up here from that article--even just out of mild curiosity--then that's a good thing, in my opinion (even if their interest is initially in headphone models not typically Head-Fi'ish in nature).
   
  Also, I understand some of the sentiment expressed so far (in this thread), but the article also gives HeadRoom strong mention, and mentions Audeze. _Audeze_. _*In The New York Times.*_ I was excited to see it. Sennheiser, Etymotic, Klipsch and others are also mentioned, with specific mentions of the Sennheiser HD 25-1 II Originals (adidas), which is one of my favorite portable over-ears a Sennheiser/adidas headphone, and the Sony MDR-V6, which is the headphone that got me started down the path of better headphones many years ago.
   
  Call me a bright-eyed Pangloss, but I was excited and optimistic to see some of these brands and models (and HeadRoom) given some mention and coverage in _The New York Times._


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## Hakone

I for one welcome any and all new members arriving from this media coverage.
  This might in time lead to more informed masses.


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## ac500

_> But a newer earphone, Soul by Ludacris SL99, which is promoted by the rap star Ludacris, is getting positive reviews on Apple’s Web site, with most reviewer giving it five out of five stars._
   
Five stars on Apple's Web site!?!?!? There is no higher standard of professional endorsement than that! No need to look any further into researching the issue, that's for sure!
   
As glad as I am to see mention of Sennheiser (however brief) in an article like this, I'm not very impressed by the article as a whole. It seems very shallowly researched, and quite frankly the writing seems reminiscent of something from a high school project. Perhaps I'm being too harsh though. I'm no writer, after all, so perhaps my own perspective of good writing is reversed? Maybe this article is a masterpiece of the art, while my internet rantings appear to all others as chatterings of a linguistically impaired idiot. What do I know? I'm only an engineer by trade.
   
Anyway, I must say a link to head-fi can ONLY be a really* good* thing. For that this journalist certainly deserves some credit, as it shows a deeper education in quality headphones than most articles. To be perfectly fair I suppose it's all too easy for the headphone-obsessed to find the average person's grasp of the field to be relatively spottily researched. Seriously though, journalists should know that random user-posted reviews (from people who haven't heard anything better) aren't exactly expert opinions. She linked to head-fi.org, so why not heed the consensus of reviews from head-fi.org?


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## weipim

congrats!, but such a wacky photo to include with this article though, BEATTTTSSSSSS and head-fi


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## Elysian

Congrats Jude   Good to see headphone enthusiasts acknowledged by the major press.  Too bad it sounds like Stax didn't get any love.  I didn't read the article, though, since it's asking for a login and I'm assuming it's paywalled.


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## ac500

That's odd. No login required here.
   
  In any case the article mentions head-fi.org, headphone.com, and then goes on to praise Bose, Beats, Souls, and Skullcandy with brief mention also of Sennheiser Adidas and some others.


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## CatboyMac

Adidas... were those the rebranded HD-25 II's?


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## Aurosonic

_But for some audiophiles, one set of headphones isn’t enough. Ronald Shmyr, a U.S.-based banker and a self-professed audiophile, owns several different pairs, each for a different purpose: Sony in-ear buds for music, Shure in-ear buds for athletics, over-ear padded Sennheiser headphones for comfort, and the full-size Bose for noise canceling. The newest addition to his collection is his favorite — the Bluetooth wireless Beats by Dr. Dre ($279.95, www. Beatsbydre.com). “They have great sound and great ease of use as I love not having wires,” Mr. Shmyr said. “They also have a rechargeable battery, and although the bass is a bit too much for my taste, the handy wireless feature is overwhelmingly worth it and makes up for that. They are amazing,” he says of the D.J.-promoted brand, adding that they may be the last set he buys — for a while anyway_.
   
   
  I guess all you need is several pair of moderately priced headphones and a love for Beats to be deemed an audiophile.


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## DarknightDK

Congrats!


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## Kibble Fat

People who LOVE Beats by Dre are also the people who rattle every last bolt in their car loose with 500W+ subwoofers
   
*Audiophile: a person who is enthusiastic about high-fidelity sound reproduction*
   
  Is overbearing distorted bass high-fidelity?  If that's what the artist and producer were going for, then the answer is yes!
   
   
  ...just thought I'd throw this out there


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## 563

Not to be a spoil sport or polemic about this, but I'm curious why generating more interest among folks in head-fi or headphones is necessarily (or supposed to be) a good thing?  I'm trying to figure this one out - is the thought that if more new people are interested in headphones, the more incentive there'll be for manufacturers to develop new products?  To answer my own question, I doubt that the result of greater interest in our hobby will necessarily (or likely) result in greater improvements in the kinds of headphones and equipment we typically would want or have already.  Similarly, why is it necessarily "good" that more people get educated about headphones?  Even if that happens as a result of this article or other publicity, either we end up with more undesirable mass market cans and equipment, along the lines of Beats or whatever, or headphone manufacturers will simply find yet another reason to raise their prices even higher than their overly high prices now (yeah, I'm one of those who thinks 195 dollars or more for a 2 inch LOD cable is waaay too much, for example, as nice as it may look, even taking into consideration that the manufacturers have to make a profit - to my mind, overpriced is overpriced, as I see it.)   And why is it assumed that attracting more users to head-fi will result in a better website rather than simply cluttering head-fi up with unnecessary posts?  Attracting more head-fi users may increase sales for sponsors here, but how will it improve our user experience?  
   
  This is a long way of saying that more doesn't necessarily mean better.


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## Butler

That last paragraph was hilarious.


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## MorbidToaster

They've done a few headphones with Adidas, but the only ones people really talk about are the rebranded 25s.

  
  Quote: 





catboymac said:


> Adidas... were those the rebranded HD-25 II's?


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## Dubstep Girl

awesome!


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## AOmega X

Congrats Jude!
  love the use of Pangloss.


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## TheGloriousEnd

Lol I love the "self proclaimed audiophile" who bought beats....it is odd she talked to the guy from Headroom and still ended up recommending some decidedly poor headphones.


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## hamburgerladdy

Having the same "shop talk" in the story as the typical Head-Fi forum post would alienate most readers.
   
   
  This article brings them in and then they can find the refinement they deserve.


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## kalbee

Whelp. 
   
  Firstly... Congrats! Head-Fi is awesome. I totally understand getting eexcited over this Jude, I reckon I'd react the same had I been in you position. 
   
  Secondly... A shame that this tech article was written by someone completely new to headphones and seemingly apathetic towards it. The author mentions that a new headphone changed her views of headphones-- she was introduced to the fact that not all cans sound the same; something my mom would have me believe also just to get me to stop buying new ones! The mention of good headphones make a huge difference in sound is a good thing for the average consumer. But onwards is almost like street interviews with people sharing the same background as her in terms of headphones... or that she so happens to have ended up interviewing people that are endorsed by those few unpopular brands here.
  rests to say that, although she may have put the effort into writing this article, just about none has been made in researching its contents. With the changes in the way Google searches now, I wouldn't be surprised if she found Head-Fi bby total fluke; and HeadRoom by randomly typing headphone.com just cause its worth a try...
   
  While I also question wether more coverage of this site is necessarily a good thing, as the way things have gone till now may have resulted in a user base more serious in HPs, I'm hoping for the best just in case...!


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## Icenine2

Nice mention.  Congrats to all!


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## BloodyPenguin

Great to see Head-fi's name put out there to more of the general public.
   
  The article is a mix of great, classic headphones and....  well...  crap ones.
   
   
  Nice to see a link to Head-Fi.  People that want to become more educated on the subject can browse this forum.
   
  Being a newbie myself, I have learned so much in a short time.  It is too bad the writer of this article could not take a little more time on her subject matter.
   
   
  Oh well. 
   
  ..


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## scrypt

Excellent exposure, dismaying content.
   
  I'm glad that Head-fi got press in the NYT and even more glad the author linked to this site and mentioned Headroom prominently.
   
  On the nether hind, I thought this a wretched intro to headphones by a journalistic anachronism who would have been at the forefront of the neophyte zeitgest in 2001 but is culturally inexcusable in 2012. If I'd been her editor, I would have insisted the writer do far more research and resubmit the article, since the NYT is the kind of newspaper that pulled its Circuits Section after deciding that gadget obsessions were no longer "cutting-edge."  Whether you agree with their column writers or not, the NYT tries not to publish the profoundly uninformed. 
   
  I'm also surprised and pleased you're a fan of _The New York Times_, Jude.  Almost no one who lives in NYC is, which makes that old eroding stonehenge, Scrypt, feel a tad isolated in his enjoyment of same. Marxist and indy leftist friends dismiss the editors as fascist tools, and some of my conservative friends notch their noses skyward at the paper's supposedly "leftist" orientation (really centrist democrat according to the classic definition, as certain of our British members might confirm).  
   
  All of which overlooks the fact the NYT is fun to read when the individual contributors are good, which happens to be often.
   
  Head-fi's getting into the NYT signals the right cultural forces are paying attention, which is why I clink glasses with my grillfiend whenever I merit a tiny photo and/or mention in their Metro blog. Far easier than breaking into the real paper, let alone, a featured section, as Head-fi has done here.  
   
  You've every right to be pleased and to call for a virtual celebration.


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## catscratch

scrypt said:


> Excellent exposure, dismaying content.




This. The article is nothing more than a long-winded ad for beats and bose with extremely carefully worded avoidance of comparisons and skillfully planted impressions by so called buyers.

Still, good exposure. Headphone listening will definitely overtake speaker listening. Bandwidth and storage are growing. Today, there's little reason to avoid lossless files simply based on ease of use alone, and tomorrow there won't be any reason to avoid 24/96 in favor of 16/44. All the factors for the growth of a high-end headphone market are coming together, and who knows, maybe binaural will crawl its way out of the grave.

The times we live in could be worse folks.


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## LizardKing1

I will echo what has been said ad nauseum here: I love the exposure, but the article seemed like something written for a highschool newspaper.
   
  It's true the author initially admited to being completely new to headphones (although with a pretty good idea of how things would scale up, going from the iBuds to the SRH240). I love the mention of a few serious headphone brands (thumbs up for Audeze and Ety!), but from there on it was like she had 5 minutes left to send the article and she just decided to google the word "headphones". She came upon Head-Fi - again, I'm glad she did, I have no problem with the mass of noobs that might come and I welcome it - she also mentioned Headroom, which are probably the 2 easiest to find links when searching headphones. Basically I think the article had little content, but might turn up very good for our community. Thanks for sharing, Jude.
   
  There's no doubt headphones will surpass speaker listening, we need our space now more than ever. Everything's crowded and noisy, and simultaneously it's so easy to carry gigantic audio libraries. A freaking Clip+ can hold 40GB of songs! The price-quality ratio is better on headphones, they are more portable, debatably a fashion accessory. Why wouldn't people prefer them?


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## Totally Dubbed

Congratulations!

 Although the article, in many people's minds here on head-fi would be:
  "why attract noobs?"
   
  Then again in my mind it says:
  "we can teach them a few things"
   
  Other than another beats thread - I would say keeping this, what it is - a head-fi indirect advert in a HUGE newspaper, which ironically the owner, Jude, reads.
  Must put a smile on ones face methinks 
   
  Like seeing myself on BBC -> I've done that already, via  a dance video


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## Timestretch

I never really thought about it much, but Head-Fi is actually a really big and influential site. Headphones are becoming more and more popular, and more and more people seem willing to spend the extra dollar to get nice stuff. And everywhere you go online, if somebody asks about headphones, somebody else will post a link to these very forums.  
    
  This is great. Hopefully it means more ad hits, and more budget for youtube videos of Jude talking about headphones, haha. I showed all my friends the SR-009 review and for some reason everybody, even the people with no interest in headphones, were just enthralled, and totally sold on the idea that headphones were amazing.


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## Duartisimo

*edit


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## ac500

_> Whether you agree with their column writers or not, the NYT tries not to publish the profoundly uninformed. _
   
That's what shocked me the most, because this is what I had thought would be true of NYT. This is why I was really excited before reading this because I figured it would be professionally written and professionally researched.


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## cat6man

congrats Jude!  
   
  i also read the nyt daily and have since a freshman in college in massachusetts, where i had a string outside my 2nd story window that the newsboy tied around my paper every morning, since the dorm was locked.  i'd open my window, pull up my nyt (and globe) and read sitting in the window/sunshine, listening to my stax SR-3/SRD-5 before heading out to the cafeteria for breakfast.


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## WhiteCrow

"But for some audiophiles, one set of headphones isn’t enough. Ronald Shmyr, a U.S.-based banker and a self-professed audiophile, owns several different pairs, each for a different purpose: Sony in-ear buds for music, Shure in-ear buds for athletics, over-ear padded Sennheiser headphones for comfort, and the full-size Bose for noise canceling. The newest addition to his collection is his favorite — the Bluetooth wireless Beats by Dr. Dre"
   
   
   
   
  why


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## Draygonn

All publicity is good, except an obituary notice. 
~Brendan Behan


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## Eric_C

They should have interviewed Jude too.


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## Nick01

Quote: 





563 said:


> Not to be a spoil sport or polemic about this, but I'm curious why generating more interest among folks in head-fi or headphones is necessarily (or supposed to be) a good thing?  I'm trying to figure this one out - is the thought that if more new people are interested in headphones, the more incentive there'll be for manufacturers to develop new products?  To answer my own question, I doubt that the result of greater interest in our hobby will necessarily (or likely) result in greater improvements in the kinds of headphones and equipment we typically would want or have already.  Similarly, why is it necessarily "good" that more people get educated about headphones?  Even if that happens as a result of this article or other publicity, either we end up with more undesirable mass market cans and equipment, along the lines of Beats or whatever, or headphone manufacturers will simply find yet another reason to raise their prices even higher than their overly high prices now (yeah, I'm one of those who thinks 195 dollars or more for a 2 inch LOD cable is waaay too much, for example, as nice as it may look, even taking into consideration that the manufacturers have to make a profit - to my mind, overpriced is overpriced, as I see it.)   And why is it assumed that attracting more users to head-fi will result in a better website rather than simply cluttering head-fi up with unnecessary posts?  Attracting more head-fi users may increase sales for sponsors here, but how will it improve our user experience?
> 
> This is a long way of saying that more doesn't necessarily mean better.


 


 I disagree with every single one of your points.
   
  > is the thought that if more new people are interested in headphones, the more incentive there'll be for manufacturers to develop new products? Definitely yes. If less and less people became intersted then the whole industry would demise.
   
> why is it necessarily "good" that more people get educated about headphones? Why not? I was certainly "educated" since I came to head-fi. As were others, who previously thought that all headphones in the world are made by Sony, Beats, Sennheiser and Bose. 
   
> And why is it assumed that attracting more users to head-fi will result in a better website? I think the two particular features of head-fi that I like are head-fi tv and the for sale forum and its feedback system. And I assume that without attracting more users to head-fi, Jude wouldn't have bothered to implement such features.


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## jrkong

Quote: 





nick01 said:


> I disagree with every single one of your points.
> 
> > is the thought that if more new people are interested in headphones, the more incentive there'll be for manufacturers to develop new products? Definitely yes. If less and less people became intersted then the whole industry would demise.
> 
> ...


 

 x2


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## Caffinefreedave

Congrats Jude!
   
http://www.head-fi.org/
   
  and 
   
http://www.headphone.com/
   
  Like most here I like the promotion of headphones to the unwashed masses. Plus the links and mention of a place were new to the hobby can come to learn about headphones. All that can offset the some what miss leading info about headphone the author of the article showed. I think it's enough laughing and finger pointing so once more Congrats Jude, Head-Fi and Head room


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## Totally Dubbed

Quote: 





nick01 said:


> I disagree with every single one of your points.
> 
> > is the thought that if more new people are interested in headphones, the more incentive there'll be for manufacturers to develop new products? Definitely yes. If less and less people became intersted then the whole industry would demise.
> 
> ...


 

  
  Quote: 





jrkong said:


> x2


 

 x3 
   
  Although I'm still learning !


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## 563

I do really like the for sale forums, and am a regular and avid fan of head-fi.  That said, I still question whether more is better, and I also don't think "any publicity is good," but then again, maybe I'm just being a curmudgeon.


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## Spareribs

Excellent. A monument in head phone history. But what would be a true monument is if there was an article about amps since the general public tend to think amps are the same and commonly, they may not even know amps even exist.


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## Butler

spareribs said:


> Excellent. A monument in head phone history. But what would be a true monument is if there was an article about amps since the general public tend to think amps are the same and commonly, they may not even know amps even exist.




They won't know amps exist or are important until Dr.Dre or Ludacris or 50 Cent says they are, makes a flashy one that doesn't even stack up to the E7/E11 and sells it for 400 dollars.


And then the New York Times will write an article about all these raving audiophiles and their love for their creme de la creme Amps By Dre®.


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## Totally Dubbed

Quote: 





butler said:


> They won't know amps exist or are important until Dr.Dre or Ludacris or 50 Cent says they are, makes a flashy one that doesn't even stack up to the E7/E11 and sells it for 400 dollars.
> And then the New York Times will write an article about all these raving audiophiles and their love for their creme de la creme* Amps By Dre®.*


 

 True champion lol


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## RudeWolf

You mean like a Grado RA1, only prettier?


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## CantScareMe

The direct link to the headfi site was nice.
   
  But apart from that the article sucked!  Is this really written for the new york times, or is it a fake mock up version- the grammar and punctuation is weird.
   
  A good place where headfi can get exposure is from places where people who want to buy themselves a standard headphone go. Amazon reviews for example. Reviews on the apple site (these cx300 suck- go on headfi to see the multi iem comparison thread. All info is contained within!!)


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## ac500

_> But apart from that the article sucked!  Is this really written for the new york times, or is it a fake mock up version- the grammar and punctuation is weird._
   
Not to dwell on this but... Thank you, at least I'm not the only one wondering if the NYT writing quality (as well as research) is supposed to be this... poor.


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## jrkong

Quote: 





ac500 said:


> _> But apart from that the article sucked!  Is this really written for the new york times, or is it a fake mock up version- the grammar and punctuation is weird._
> 
> Not to dwell on this but... Thank you, at least I'm not the only one wondering if the NYT writing quality (as well as research) is supposed to be this... poor.


 


  I'm sure most of us had higher expectations, the praise for Bose, Beats and Skullcandy just added to the disappointment.


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## CantScareMe

lol, I thought my eyes were decieving me when I read this first.
   
  I'll expect better from a 13 year old writing an article in a school newsletter.


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## drewfus420

Mention in NYT is awesome even if it's in a badly written and hardly researched article.


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## CantScareMe

True say


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## Timestretch

I didn't think the article is that bad. Of course they're going to mention Bose, Skullcandy and Beats -- these are the headphones that *everyone* buys. The fact that they mentioned Audeze and head-fi at all suggest that the writer knows what's up in the real world of headphones. There's probably a word limit on articles, though, and focus had to be done on what the majority of the readership would relate to and understand. The world sees Bose and similar as the face of Hi-Fi headphones; so the fact that this article is aware of other, finer brands at all -- speaks volumes.  
    
  Don't be so hard on this, this isn't that bad!


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## CantScareMe

Stuff like this has come out in the past. It's even been on uk television 7pm prime time on a weekday- where people from the gadget show were auditioning headphones including the denon d7k. 'Great bass, but a crazy price. Yea they sound good'
   
  I think sometimes when stuff like this comes out, were actually being mocked.
   
  It's more like 'do you know people, there are a band of crazy people on earth (visit headfi) who would spend £2k on headphones. Woa'
   
  Not like how it should be 'headfi is where the best headphones available are discovered and discussed FOR EACH AND EVERY PRICE RANGE. Do you know here you'll find some cheap and almost unknown headphones that'll bash the beats and bose ' Now that will bring the crowds in.
   
   
  Disagree?
  the ny times article says;
  'There are Web forums, like www.Head-Fi.org, devoted *solely to discussing high-end personal audio and headphones*'
   
  Re-read the part in bold. That is not at all what headfi is about. Anyone who reads this will get the wrong impression about this place.


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## Totally Dubbed

Quote: 





cantscareme said:


> Disagree?
> the ny times article says;
> 'There are Web forums, like www.Head-Fi.org, devoted *solely to discussing high-end personal audio and headphones*'
> 
> Re-read the part in bold. That is not at all what headfi is about. Anyone who reads this will get the wrong impression about this place.


 

 Very good point!


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## anetode

It's more of an article on consumer trends and ad-fueled fads, though it's nice to see that Head-Fi has gained some prominence as an authority on those weird things we wear on our ears.


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## planx

I'm rather disappointed in this article... It is well written and it covers a fair amount of brands, but I find it doesn't go into too much depth about more "Higher" end products you see at Head-Fi and at other forums, stores, general public, etc... It really seemed like she didn't know what she was talking about and she only went very shallow on the specifications of Headphones. But on the other hand, congrats to Head-Fi for even making it to the NYT. I find this to be a rather large milestone in Head-Fi history.


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## RonWilson

Well, I enjoyed the article.  Although, the examples were not true audiophile in quality, it did show that there is much more out there than the buds that comes with the mp3's of today.  Let's be happy with baby steps into our world.  It can't hurt and may be the link that will excite a newby into our world of audio.  Having wrote in a newspaper, I understand that sometimes the best you can hope for is that they spelled your name correctly.  This is far better than that criteria.  Thank you Jude for bringing this article to our attention.


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## WakiDabeast

honestly... out of all the forums I've been on this is one of the most interactive and cooperative forums I've ever been to. I'm not gonna lie I have not idea why....


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## EpicPie

Nice to see Head-Fi mentioned in a big news article. ^_^


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## ac500

Well for whatever reason these are the de-facto standard forums for headphone discussion. A) It's a popular website with a lot of accounts and traffic. B) I don't know of any other purely headphone devoted websites that have forums.


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## jude

Quote: 





ac500 said:


> Well for whatever reason these are the de-facto standard forums for headphone discussion. A) It's a popular website with a lot of accounts and traffic. B) I don't know of any other purely headphone devoted websites that have forums.


 

 That's a good point, ac500. I interface regularly with many of the companies whose products we're interested in and/or buy (sponsors and non-sponsors alike).
   
  The community here has an enormous amount of influence on our nichey (but growing) world of headphone audio (and especially premium headphone audio). Trust me, many companies do pay close attention to the goings-on here, and many of them will design products specifically to appeal to the audio-first enthusiasts here, or at least weigh the community's feedback (about their products and the products of competitors) in their product planning and development.
   
  The collective voice of the community here has far greater impact and influence than any one reviewer does. And, in that, in this space, Head-Fi is pretty unique.


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## CantScareMe

I find the organisation and the mechanics of this site pretty awesome too. Very impressive. 

Gigantic site that comes up first on a Google search about sometimes completely random and audio unrelated topics.

And jude, it is impressive how manufactures directly listen to feedback from here. Many times it's about really technical stuff too.

Anyway what a smooth and freeflowing site you founded Jude. Congratulations!


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## Totally Dubbed

I hope this brings a smile to yo faces


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## MorbidToaster

That happy to sad face gets me every time. No matter the caption.


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## Totally Dubbed

Quote: 





morbidtoaster said:


> That happy to sad face gets me every time. No matter the caption.


 

 hehe


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## taniquetil

_But for some audiophiles, one set of headphones isn’t enough. Ronald Shmyr, a U.S.-based banker and a self-professed audiophile, owns several different pairs, each for a different purpose: Sony in-ear buds for music, Shure in-ear buds for athletics, over-ear padded Sennheiser headphones for comfort, and the full-size Bose for noise canceling. The newest addition to his collection is his favorite — the Bluetooth wireless Beats by Dr. Dre ($279.95, www. Beatsbydre.com). “They have great sound and great ease of use as I love not having wires,” Mr. Shmyr said. “They also have a rechargeable battery, and although the bass is a bit too much for my taste, the handy wireless feature is overwhelmingly worth it and makes up for that. They are amazing,” he says of the D.J.-promoted brand, adding that they may be the last set he buys — for a while anyway_.
   
  This guy gives bankers a bad name.
   
  Audiophile...over-ear headphones for comfort...


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## talk2me

Quote: 





jrkong said:


> I was disappointed that it called Skullcandy a good brand, slapped myself when it talked about Bose and gave up when it mentioned Beats. *sigh*


 

 No Shiit!!!


----------



## Swoosh

I wonder if everybody is going to be jumping on the bandwagon now..


----------



## planx

Quote: 





talk2me said:


> No Shiit!!!


 


   
  No swearing on Head-Fi


----------



## Swoosh

Quote: 





taniquetil said:


> _But for some audiophiles, one set of headphones isn’t enough. Ronald Shmyr, a U.S.-based banker and a self-professed audiophile, owns several different pairs, each for a different purpose: Sony in-ear buds for music, Shure in-ear buds for athletics, over-ear padded Sennheiser headphones for comfort, and the full-size Bose for noise canceling. The newest addition to his collection is his favorite — the Bluetooth wireless Beats by Dr. Dre ($279.95, www. Beatsbydre.com). “They have great sound and great ease of use as I love not having wires,” Mr. Shmyr said. “They also have a rechargeable battery, and although the bass is a bit too much for my taste, the handy wireless feature is overwhelmingly worth it and makes up for that. They are amazing,” he says of the D.J.-promoted brand, adding that they may be the last set he buys — for a while anyway_.
> 
> This guy gives bankers a bad name.
> 
> Audiophile...over-ear headphones for comfort...


 

  
  The Beats weren't an indicator that this guy is not an audiophile?


----------



## kalbee

Depends which definition you take.
  He definitely seems to be an audiophile--in the sense of simply liking music. If less SQ still makes something he can qualify as music, then there is no problem there.
   
  In the other widely used definition of audiophile--he most likely does not sound like one.


----------



## scrypt

Quote: 





> Originally Posted by *CantScareMe* /img/forum/go_quote.gif
> 
> But apart from that the article sucked!  Is this really written for the new york times, or is it a fake mock up version- the grammar and punctuation is weird.


 

 The _NYT_ was among the first credible newspapers to get rid of the -- in their view -- unnecessary expense of staff proofreaders.  The disillusioning evidence of that decision has been apparent ever since. 
   
  The copyediting tends to be better than this particular article suggests, but then again, so does the writing.  We should look up Jennifer Conlin to determine whether she's ever written anything decent.  Apparently, her magnum opus is _The Perfect Parents Handbook_ (note the absence of a possessive in the title -- that's intentional).
   
  On the nether hind, the _NYT_ also publishes articles regularly by people like E. L. Doctorow, who's hardly one of my favorites but at least knows how to offset appositives and punctuate correctly.


----------



## Wharfrat

Jude:  I have to agree that congratulations are in order for this very fine site.  I've been to other audio-oriented sites like AK and Audiogon, but have not found the intellectual and artistic bandwidth the membership of this very fine effort of yours has contributed to the love of music and craftsmanship.
   
  I, too was disappointed by the NYT article and found it a gross departure from other fine writings in it.  Perhaps you might want to post a comment in the editorial section about the fingerwagging the article's writer got from those in the know and it may lead to further exposure to the truly great gear out there.
   
  As for the grevious omission of amplifiers in the article, aaarrrrgghhhhh.  One can only imagine the reaction of lay readers to BHSE, Beta22, Stax gear, DarkStar, Liquid Fire mentions.... with those feats of audio engineering design (and prices 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





), "audiophile" just might get the meaning it deserves.


----------



## miceblue

First of all, congratulations Head-Fi! More public awareness of high-fidelity headphones, and headphone brands in particular, makes me smile on the inside. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




   

  
  Quote: 





jude said:


> ...
> Sennheiser, Etymotic, Klipsch and others are also mentioned, *with specific mentions of the Sennheiser HD 25-1 II Originals (adidas)*, which is one of my favorite portable over-ears, and the Sony MDR-V6, which is the headphone that got me started down the path of better headphones many years ago.
> ...


 
  Secondly, I don't think they mentioned the HD25-i-ii's in the article Jude.
   


> One of the top new sellers in this market, he said, is the Sennheiser Adidas headphones — the result of a partnership between the German-based audio company and the sporting-goods company. With a price between *$50 and $100 this “neckband” headphone* has cables reinforced with the highly durable Kevlar, making them capable of withstanding sports like running and exercise as well as adventure sports. The headphones even have a reflective yellow and black striping for added nighttime visibility.


 
  I believe they were referring to these earphones:


----------



## DoMakeSayThink

I would rather the HiFi to be a niche for a few chosen people, rather then for it to sell out to the filfth magazines out there, just to attract a few guys i would hate share interest with anyway.

 I would say that HiFi was a fad that died out. People just dont care _enough_ to spend money on it. Most are happy with a free spotify account and the headphones that came with their iPod. Let the genuinely interested people have their interest, and let the simple eared people be content. I like it in this corner as it is, how about you?


----------



## deadhead12

Hey check it out... I can do research for the New York Times...


----------



## scrypt

Quote: 





> Originally Posted by *Wharfrat* /img/forum/go_quote.gif
> 
> I, too was disappointed by the NYT article and found it a gross departure from other fine writings in it.  Perhaps you might want to post a comment in the editorial section about the fingerwagging the article's writer got from those in the know and it may lead to further exposure to the truly great gear out there.


 


  Potentially, that's a constructive idea as long as commenters leave out the "finger-wagging."
   
  Write a letter to the editor regarding Conlin's recommendations:  Where they fall short due to an understandable lack of familiarity with the subject (which she mentions in the opening) and what long-term denizens of Head-fi might recommend instead.  Be constructive and respectful while pimping this site.


----------



## Totally Dubbed

Quote: 





miceblue said:


> First of all, congratulations Head-Fi! More public awareness of high-fidelity headphones, and headphone brands in particular, makes me smile on the inside.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 

 The HD25's were mentioned - they are the senn addidas:
  
 [“In the last six months to a year, the exercise headphone market has grown enormously,” Mr. Cervera said. One of the top new sellers in this market, he said, is the Sennheiser Adidas headphones]
   


  Quote: 





deadhead12 said:


> Hey check it out... I can do research for the New York Times...


 

 haha 
 Bose, skullcandy & beats is what came up.


----------



## CantScareMe

scrypt said:


> The _NYT_ was among the first credible newspapers to get rid of the -- in their view -- unnecessary expense of staff proofreaders.  The disillusioning evidence of that decision has been apparent ever since.
> 
> The copyediting tends to be better than this particular article suggests, but then again, so does the writing.  We should look up Jennifer Conlin to determine whether she's ever written anything decent.  Apparently, her magnum opus is _The Perfect Parents Handbook_
> 
> ...





I don't know much about the workings of the NYT., but i take it this article was only for their website, right? They surely couldn't have printed this on their newspaper. 

If it's limited to the web, how many readings do you think it would have got? I’m asking purely out of interest really!


----------



## MorbidToaster

That's not specific to the HD 25...As I said before...There are other ADIDAS Senn headphones.
   
  http://www.sennheiserusa.com/adidas-originals-headphones
  
  Quote: 





totally dubbed said:


> The HD25's were mentioned - they are the senn addidas:
> 
> [“In the last six months to a year, the exercise headphone market has grown enormously,” Mr. Cervera said. One of the top new sellers in this market, he said, is the* Sennheiser Adidas headphones]*


----------



## Totally Dubbed

Quote: 





morbidtoaster said:


> That's not specific to the HD 25...As I said before...There are other ADIDAS Senn headphones.
> 
> http://www.sennheiserusa.com/adidas-originals-headphones


 

  Apologies.
  That said for me its between the 2:
 220 and 25's
   
  As earphones are something else (although many people say headphones instead of earphones)


----------



## 563

A friend of mine, who has worked as an investigative reporter for several major newspapers for the last thirty years and has won a number of prestigious awards, said it best - the NY Times and similar papers are "news processors" rather than investigators: that is, given the economics of things, they are generally "fed" articles rather than developing their own stories.  The best articles typically will come from the smaller publishers.


----------



## miceblue

Quote: 





totally dubbed said:


> Apologies.
> That said for me its between the 2:
> 220 and 25's
> 
> As earphones are something else (although many people say headphones instead of earphones)


 

 I think you guys missed my quote earlier:


> One of the top new sellers in this market, he said, is the Sennheiser Adidas headphones — the result of a partnership between the German-based audio company and the sporting-goods company. With a price between *$50 and $100 this “neckband” headphone* has cables reinforced with the highly durable *Kevlar*, making them capable of withstanding sports like running and exercise as well as adventure sports. The headphones even have a *reflective yellow and black striping for added nighttime visibility*.


 
   
  Hence why I said they are probably these:

   
  From HeadRoom's website itself:


> Amongst the best-built, top-sounding *'neckband' headphones*, the Sennheiser PMX 680 are co-branded with *Adidas* for sporting looks and max durability in tough wet conditions. Designed for running or exercise and perfect for the woods or beach, the bulletproof *Kevlar construction* easily withstands heavy-duty action. Built-in volume control and *reflective yellow/black striping* for added nightime visibility.


 
   
   
  They couldn't have been referring to the HD25-i-ii's since those cost $200+.


----------



## jude

Good catch, miceblue, I'll edit my post that mentions the HD 25-1 II.
  
  Quote: 





miceblue said:


> I think you guys missed my quote earlier:
> 
> Hence why I said they are probably these:
> 
> ...


----------



## Magik32

I've been lurking here for a couple of months now and decided to finally chime in on something that I don't really need to have a high level of audio expertise in.  My first post!  Yay!  I found the article to suit its audience quite well.  I believe this article is written for those, like the writer, who are new to the world of headphones.  I believe that this article has enough information to launch the odyssey of a great many *new* headphone listeners in search of better sound through education.  Maybe if I had read this article two months ago, I would have found Head-Fi earlier and make more sound decisions in my initial purchases.
   
  My first introduction to headphones were in-ear Skull Candies.  Which I had no problem with.  They were a lot better than the ear buds that came packaged with the iPod.  They lasted for a good two years without any problems. This past Christmas, my wife purchased me the Beats Solos.  It was because I mentioned, at one of our shopping days at Best Buy, "Who the heck would pay $200 for headphones?"  She bought them because she thought with that price tag it should be terrific and wanted me to have a great set of headphones.  I love my wife.  After having them for a day, I thought I was missing something so I started researching... strictly the Beats line through bestbuy.com and amazon.com reviews.  I then decided to return the Solos and spend an extra $100 to get the Beats Studios, which I thought sounded worse than the Solos in some areas.  Maybe my ears are a little weird.  Guess what,  I returned the Studios and spent an extra $100 to get the Beats Pros.  I have to admit I really love those.  I am a bass-head at heart, but unlike the Solos and Studios, I could hear the mids and highs clearly.  Yes, I know I will probably get flamed for liking the Beats Pros, but it's true.  I did say my ears may be a little weird.
   
  In any case, I believe that everyone needs to go through a learning period and try different headphones to find what they like.  At this moment in time, I have the Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 80, Sennheiser HD650, AKG Q701, V-Moda Crossfade LP2, V-Moda V80, and am thinking about picking up the Grado 325IS within a month or two to add more variety to the mix.  I run them through a Fiio E7 and E9 combo which is hooked up to my Mac. Most of my music is ripped from my CDs in lossless format and I have a few jazz albums I purchased from HD Tracks, which includes the Head-Fi sample mix and the other binaural album that Jude did a review on.  My main tastes in music lies in rap/hip hop, 70% of the time, but I also listen to R&B,classic rock, reggae, Hawaiian and jazz.  I am thoroughly enjoying all of my headphones and the differences in sound they have.  I guess I have to thank Head-Fi and the forum here for providing the plethora of knowledge and information on the different brands and sounds that are available.  My wife is not too happy about that just to let you know, but she takes a lot of the blame for buying me that first set of Beats Solos that set off my new addiction.


----------



## keanex

This article is not only poorly written and researched, but did she really use Apple, a rich banker, and her son's friend as authorities on headphones? What a joke article. Sure Head-Fi was mentioned, but all this article does is reaffirm to the general public what Head-Fi is completely against. Why would Head-Fi support an article that advocates Beats, Bose, and the new Soul headphones when those brands are the exact reason we come here to get away from? So what if it means new members, it's going to mean a huge influx of "Are Beats good?" "Which Skullcandy to buy?" and "Are the Souls any good?" posts that no one wants to read as it is.


----------



## planx

Quote: 





keanex said:


> This article is not only poorly written and researched, but did she really use Apple, a rich banker, and her son's friend as authorities on headphones? What a joke article. Sure Head-Fi was mentioned, but all this article does is reaffirm to the general public what Head-Fi is completely against. Why would Head-Fi support an article that advocates Beats, Bose, and the new Soul headphones when those brands are the exact reason we come here to get away from? So what if it means new members, it's going to mean a huge influx of "Are Beats good?" "Which Skullcandy to buy?" and "Are the Souls any good?" posts that no one wants to read as it is.


 


 True... But technically Head-Fi doesn't intentionally support other companies like Westone and Shure, just to name a few. Head-Fi isn't a real supporter in any company really, the companies just come to Head-Fi for Ads and Sponsorships. And with that said, Head-Fi isn't against Beats, Bose, and Soul. It's more of the users being against some companies like Beats; NOT Head-Fi itself. And new members are always good. So what if the new members ask questions like "Are the Souls any good?". Everyones been through that stage and I find myself asking the same questions about other products like AKG for example. There's no difference when someone asks a question like "Are Beats good?" or "Are AKGs good?". Both the same questions and I find it unfair that the Beats question is hated so much by some members in the community. If you don't like seeing it, don't bother looking at it because it's not going to make a difference either way. There will always be questions and always people willing to answer those questions. It's a free forum.


----------



## ac500

_> This article is not only poorly written and researched, but did she really use Apple [customer reviews], a rich banker, and her son's friend as authorities on headphones?_
   
This one sentence I think expresses my frustrations with this article better than my previous whole-paragraph rant.


----------



## CantScareMe

Magik32, it's a good experience experiencing high quality music listening for the first time isn't it. Glad you found it.


----------



## Magik32

Thanks CantScareMe!  I'm looking to grow and learn more through the community.  It's been fun so far.


----------



## CantScareMe

the amount of info on headfi is just vast. So there's plenty to stop you getting bored!


----------



## keanex

Quote: 





planx said:


> True... But technically Head-Fi doesn't intentionally support other companies like Westone and Shure, just to name a few. Head-Fi isn't a real supporter in any company really, the companies just come to Head-Fi for Ads and Sponsorships. And with that said, Head-Fi isn't against Beats, Bose, and Soul. It's more of the users being against some companies like Beats; NOT Head-Fi itself. And new members are always good. So what if the new members ask questions like "Are the Souls any good?". Everyones been through that stage and I find myself asking the same questions about other products like AKG for example. *There's no difference when someone asks a question like "Are Beats good?" or "Are AKGs good?". Both the same questions and I find it unfair that the Beats question is hated so much by some members in the community. If you don't like seeing it, don't bother looking at it because it's not going to make a difference either way. *There will always be questions and always people willing to answer those questions. It's a free forum.


 

  
   
  There's a reason why I've mostly stopped posting on the forums outside of my reviews.


----------



## planx

Quote: 





keanex said:


> There's a reason why I've mostly stopped posting on the forums outside of my reviews.


 


  haha keep at it while others continue to help the people stuck in the Beats phase ^^


----------



## dgiles

This is a great thing!!! I am always in awe of how many people are really passionate about their headphones.  My wife, a psychologist, was able to bond today with a suicidal man because he loves headphones and she hears me blather about the ones I've had, have and hope to have - always curious, in search and obsessive.  Anywho, my obsession lent a practical good for someone, just as the article will allow others to find their way to new headphone adventures.  Excellent, even if in my gut I want to say many of the things others have said.


----------



## Southy013

I was thinking the same thing.  I'd be reluctant to call myself an audiophile and (having heard them) think the Beats are abysmal.
   
  Call me old school, but if you're going to write an article about headphones in one of the most widely circulated newspapers in the world, isn't there some sense of responsibility to *properly inform* your audience, and by that I mean to apply a discerning eye to the marketing, rather than to regurgitate what "some guy" said he likes, and mention a 5 star review on apple's website?
   
  I suppose this is progress, but I don't think it's unreasonable to have reasonably high expectations of a NYT piece. 
   
   
  Quote: 





aurosonic said:


> I guess all you need is several pair of moderately priced headphones and a love for Beats to be deemed an audiophile.


----------



## jrkong

Quote: 





southy013 said:


> I was thinking the same thing.  I'd be reluctant to call myself an audiophile and (having heard them) think the Beats are abysmal.
> 
> Call me old school, but if you're going to write an article about headphones in one of the most widely circulated newspapers in the world, isn't there some sense of responsibility to *properly inform* your audience, and by that I mean to apply a discerning eye to the marketing, rather than to regurgitate what "some guy" said he likes, and mention a 5 star review on apple's website?
> 
> I suppose this is progress, but I don't think it's unreasonable to have reasonably high expectations of a NYT piece.


 
   
  Is it just me or has NYT decided to ride on their image, just like Bose and Beats?
   
  Personally, I think you do more damage giving uninformed information than not speaking at all.


----------



## kalbee

Well they do say even a fool may appear wise if he holds his tongue...
   
  P.S. not referring to anyone in particular.


----------



## Scottsmrnyc

It is great that the NY Times has written an article about our great headphone/headfi community; however, do we really need to be validated by the NY Times???? We are who we are and we have existed as the Headfi community long before the NY Times article was written.  We need to keep our identity.  Will the NY Times make a donation $ to Headfi.org?  Will the NY Times reduce it's advertising rates so that we can advertise our great yearly event- CanJam at RMAF?  The NY Times is using us? It doesn't pay us to use our name as if we were a copyright or a trademark.  The question remains as to the NY Times article does anything for us at all.  I think that it does nothing but hype and promote with little substance on the real quality of those good headphone listeners and companies.  Really now- Beats and Bose!


----------



## Totally Dubbed

Quote: 





scottsmrnyc said:


> It is great that the NY Times has written an article about our great headphone/headfi community; however, do we really need to be validated by the NY Times???? We are who we are and we have existed as the Headfi community long before the NY Times article was written.  We need to keep our identity.  Will the NY Times make a donation $ to Headfi.org?  Will the NY Times reduce it's advertising rates so that we can advertise our great yearly event- CanJam at RMAF?  The NY Times is using us? It doesn't pay us to use our name as if we were a copyright or a trademark.  The question remains as to the NY Times article does anything for us at all.  I think that it does nothing but hype and promote with little substance on the real quality of those good headphone listeners and companies.  Really now- Beats and Bose!


 

 Its more of awareness mate - people might not know head-fi, I mean there are "only" 250,000 users registered WORLDWIDE, yet how many people do you think read NYT - possibly as much, if not more due to online coverage/articles


----------



## lazuline

Hey guys, 
   
  The point of the article was not to highlight the world's best headphones, but to point out the fact that headphones are becoming ubiquitous in everyday life. The writer, Jennifer Conlin, is a travel & style freelancer -- and a very nice woman IRL -- so you would expect her to single out "lifestyle" brands.
   
  But regarding the whole "google headphones as research", that's the direction the entire industry has gone. It's not just the NYT.
   
  Also, chances are the NYT was sent free headphones to review from some of the companies mentioned, so she might have just been going off what she saw lying around the office. This is usually the case any time you see a "gift guide" or "top 10 new products" type article, the list is populated by free samples that were given to the writers.


----------



## keanex

Quote: 





lazuline said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> The point of the article was not to highlight the world's best headphones, but to point out the fact that headphones are becoming ubiquitous in everyday life. The writer, Jennifer Conlin, is a travel & style freelancer -- and a very nice woman IRL -- so you would expect her to single out "lifestyle" brands.
> 
> ...


 


  This would have been a relevant article, by your description, had she written it a few years ago when the Beats hype was at it's peak.


----------



## lazuline

Dude, I don't think the beats hype has peaked at all...
   
  http://www.freshnessmag.com/2011/11/02/beats-by-dr-dre-the-beats-store-nyc-opens-today/

  
  Quote: 





keanex said:


> This would have been a relevant article, by your description, had she written it a few years ago when the Beats hype was at it's peak.


 

 But it's definitely NOT a GOOD article.
   
  After all, she only used one source.
   
  Chances are she wasn't getting paid enough to put more work into the article. Journalism is a rough industry, especially now that most outlets are relying on an army of zombies (read bloggers,hacks,freelancers,ghostwriters) from companies like Demand Media who have dropped the going rate to something like $10-$20 per article.


----------



## Totally Dubbed

Quote: 





lazuline said:


> Dude, I don't think the beats hype has peaked at all...
> 
> http://www.freshnessmag.com/2011/11/02/beats-by-dr-dre-the-beats-store-nyc-opens-today/


 

 Made me laugh at the comments:

 "jimel
 [size=medium] December 1st, 2011 at 8:11 AMWhat did my beats stop working.. I paid 300 bucks for them this is my second pair.. no good"[/size]
   
   
   
  And How is this possible...?
  I swear beats and Monster went their own ways, so how is opening a beats store any use, at least why now?
   
  What they going to have in their store....HP laptops and *a car insdie?*


----------



## Chris_Himself

Someone sent me a comment on Facebook asking me that since I'm involved in headphones that I must be a pretty prominent member of Head-Fi and then proceeded to ask me about the ATH-M50's which I then linked him to a review here vs the HFI-580's. Great place and always will be. 
   
  Don't worry not even the New York times could bolster Head-Fi's credibility more than it already is, this is pretty much the premiere headphoning forum with many members who spend a good deal of free time (and money) here.


----------



## MorbidToaster

Not on topic, but what's the current lead time on a set of LCD 2 cables?

  
  Quote: 





chris_himself said:


> Someone sent me a comment on Facebook asking me that since I'm involved in headphones that I must be a pretty prominent member of Head-Fi and then proceeded to ask me about the ATH-M50's which I then linked him to a review here vs the HFI-580's. Great place and always will be.
> 
> Don't worry not even the New York times could bolster Head-Fi's credibility more than it already is, this is pretty much the premiere headphoning forum with many members who spend a good deal of free time (and money) here.


----------



## LizardKing1

Quote: 





lazuline said:


> Dude, I don't think the beats hype has peaked at all...
> 
> http://www.freshnessmag.com/2011/11/02/beats-by-dr-dre-the-beats-store-nyc-opens-today/


 

 If I was in NY I'd go into that store every week with the Pro900 or similar bass cannons and ask people if they'd like to try them. I'd be the most beneficial troll ever.


----------



## MorbidToaster

Just stand outside with a milk crate of bass cannon headphones and a soup box to stand on. XB1000, XB700, Pro 900, etc.

  
  Quote: 





lizardking1 said:


> If I was in NY I'd go into that store every week with the Pro900 or similar bass cannons and ask people if they'd like to try them. I'd be the most beneficial troll ever.


----------



## Butler

morbidtoaster said:


> Just stand outside with a milk crate of bass cannon headphones and a soup box to stand on. XB1000, XB700, Pro 900, ATH-PRO700MK2, etc.




Fix'd.


----------



## DoctaCosmos

Ignorance is bliss i guess. Most people have never even heard a full size headphone.  When given the opportunity, even the worst sound could seem like fun as it is a new experience.  Full size headphones offer a lot to the user.  Most of the companies like skullcandy and beats give people what they want.  not what they could have.  usually that is simply put, bass.


----------



## MorbidToaster

But it still has 'soup' box. lol
  
  Quote: 





butler said:


> Fix'd.


----------



## CantScareMe

Quote: 





doctacosmos said:


> Ignorance is bliss i guess. Most people have never even heard a full size headphone.  When given the opportunity, even the worst sound could seem like fun as it is a new experience.  Full size headphones offer a lot to the user.


 


  Completely spot on.
   
  beats/ bose/ skullcandy are many 100% improvements to the standard ipod white buds. And this is where the 'amazing sound quality' quotes originate from. They simply are amazing compared to the ipod buds.


----------



## miceblue

I don't know how many of you read the posts on Lifehacker.com, but I found this article and it has a shout-out to Head-Fi and a quote from Jude!  
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




   
  If the link doesn't work:
  http://lifehacker.com/5883665/how-to-be-an-audiophile-on-the-cheap
   
  More public awareness of high-fidelity audio, and of Head-Fi of course. ;p


----------



## AwNaw

And in response to previous posts as well . . . 
   
  So, I think the masses are particularly clueless and for most a name like Bose and $100 is a big deal. It's sort of like the idea that America is a democracy and our government works for the people. A brief jaunt into common-sense land would convince anyone otherwise, but no one is making the trip.  
   
  As an example, a good friend of mine uses as his main audio component a $120 JVC receiver I gave him 12 years ago because I bought a better one for my bathroom. I have astounded him with Grado/Ultrasone/Senn headphones, amps, and top-notch IEMS, which he always seems to appreciate. But, alas, he will never, I'm convinced, buy anything other than what is on an endcap for $14. He and his wife also bought a 46" HD television only to change the aspect to a regular 1980s set--I tried, god knows, I tried. One day, he will announce triumphantly that he bought a pair of Bose somethings and I will be happy for him. They do sound better than what he has, better than what comes with an iPod, and better than anything else he will probably ever buy. For that matter, I think I would be happy with him if he bought Skullcandy, though it would kill me to do it myself.
   
  We are elite in the sense that we are knowledgable and care enough to seek out what does sound better to us. Most people never will. Senns sound like crap to me, but I appreciate that a lot of people hear something great in those cans. It would be hard to explain how I love Ultrasone 900s, AKG 702s, and UE TripleFi 10s as my goto set, but it is. I've heard all kinds of inconsistent opinions about what other folks prefer, though. And I disagree wholeheartedly with a lot things I read hear, but it's nice to know what others think. 
   
  Not sure what I'm trying to say other than a few people other than the people on this forum might take notice of an article like that, but I'll lay a crisp $1 that not too many will. Nothing wrong with that. Artists and producers, however, need to get there **** together and start producing music that sounds better. Am I right?


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## EinZweiDrei

this might be a start to end this loudness war thing.
 then proper dynamics will be back in our music.
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



 hopefully.


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## briskly

Quote: 





miceblue said:


> I don't know how many of you read the posts on Lifehacker.com, but I found this article and it has a shout-out to Head-Fi and a quote from Jude!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 

 Oooh, nice article. That was more like what I would have liked to see from an NYT article. The depth of research and explanation, I mean, even if the how to guide can be excluded.

  
  Quote: 





awnaw said:


> And in response to previous posts as well . . .
> 
> So, I think the masses are particularly clueless and for most a name like Bose and $100 is a big deal. It's sort of like the idea that America is a democracy and our government works for the people. A brief jaunt into common-sense land would convince anyone otherwise, but no one is making the trip.
> 
> ...


 

 Basically, you're saying that most people don't care that much about how the receive their audio and visual, as long as they get it when they want it. Convenience over quality, I guess, and priorities take their place.
   
  Head-fi would pay more attention to this, being the type that pays more attention to cans in general. I think this makes for a better lounge discussion than front page news, though our premier NYT fan can take as much pride in this mention as he can.


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## attenuated 3db

Well, the Jennifer Conlin NYT story is better than the mention headphones got in The Times last year from Virginia Heffernan:
   
  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/magazine/09FOB-medium-t.html


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## cllee

omg i just started audiophiling and made research in 2 days only and i know she is talking crap


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## leoniedelt

Sorry, but this audiophile loves my Bose AE2, because of COMFORT more than anything else.
   
  And anyone who says they have no bass needs to come try mine. Put on Moves Like Jagger and you'll see, they have *plenty* of bass. Its *amazing* what burn-in can do.


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## MorbidToaster

Beyers are comfortable...And so are Denons...Phiaton 400, various Senns...
   
  Some of those are more comfortable than the AE2. 
  
  Quote: 





leoniedelt said:


> Sorry, but this audiophile loves my Bose AE2, because of COMFORT more than anything else.
> 
> And anyone who says they have no bass needs to come try mine. Put on Moves Like Jagger and you'll see, they have *plenty* of bass. Its *amazing* what burn-in can do.


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## CantScareMe

Not really. 

The bose does have supreme, and i mean supreme comfort. It manages to be circumaural.as well. 

The only other headphone with similar comfort, that is accepted as a decent can here, is the panasonic hft600. That's in my experience anyway. It's sound whacks the bose's at a third of the price.


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## MorbidToaster

The Dxxx series are the most comfortable headphones I've worn (including various Bose models I've demoed). I suppose it comes down to preference.
  
  Quote: 





cantscareme said:


> Not really.
> The bose does have supreme, and i mean supreme comfort. It manages to be circumaural.as well.
> The only other headphone with similar comfort, that is accepted as a decent can here, is the panasonic hft600. That's in my experience anyway. It's sound whacks the bose's at a third of the price.


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## CantScareMe

The d1001 are very comfortable, true. padding weren't that nice though.

But the denons d2k and above cant match these- over 3 times thr weight of the bose!


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## ironman64

Congratulations, Jude!


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## Sweden

Hilarious if some newbie come here just to check out that 2000 dollar headphone only to find the ToiletPants


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## keanex

Lifehacker mentioned Head-Fi the other day with an actual informative and useful post, that should be on the front page not this.


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## MorbidToaster

Lifehacker did a headphone guide with Head-fi...It's still not nearly as wide reaching as NYT...
  
  Quote: 





keanex said:


> Lifehacker mentioned Head-Fi the other day with an actual informative and useful post, that should be on the front page not this.


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## jude

Quote: 





keanex said:


> Lifehacker mentioned Head-Fi the other day with an actual informative and useful post, that should be on the front page not this.


 

 Whitson Gordon (at Lifehacker) rocks--a genuine headphone audio enthusiast.
   
  I'll hompeage link both of the recent Lifehacker mentions through this coming week. Today I'm going to feature Mike Dias' piece on Isaac Hayes.


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## keanex

Quote: 





morbidtoaster said:


> Lifehacker did a headphone guide with Head-fi...It's still not nearly as wide reaching as NYT...


 


  I would not be surprised if Lifehacker had more readers now than the NYT.
   


  Quote: 





jude said:


> Whitson Gordon (at Lifehacker) rocks--a genuine headphone audio enthusiast.
> 
> I'll hompeage link both of the recent Lifehacker mentions through this coming week. Today I'm going to feature Mike Dias' piece on Isaac Hayes.


 


  Can't wait to read!


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## lazerwood

More more the merrier, I say.


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## Daeder

+1 Lifehacker


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## miceblue

keanex said:


> Lifehacker mentioned Head-Fi the other day with an actual informative and useful post, that should be on the front page not this.




Were you referring to this article?


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## bearhugger

Quote: 





jude said:


> The New York Times' Jennifer Conlin wrote an article called _The Quest for the Perfect Headphones_.


 


  Haha, that's how I got here  Kidding...
  
  Quote: 





miceblue said:


> Were you referring to this article?


 

  
  This one looks quite interesting, actually...


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## Wharfrat

Dear Readers,
   
  Do take note of this month's issue of The Absolute Sound magazine (Issue 220).  There was positive mention of Head-fi.org as the go-to place for people who are into high-end headphones and associated equipment.  Chris Martens, who frequently posts reviews of headphones on AV.guide (?) is clearly "one of us", provided his review of the CanJam experience at the RMAF.  My only "harumph"-ing came about when I noticed several somewhat guarded opinions being expressed by him on some products, as if he actually may not have even listened to them whilst giving the semblance that he did....sorta spun my head around a mite.


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## MorbidToaster

I read the article at B&N a few days ago, and enjoyed it for the most part. By article I mean the whole write up. A few 'hi-fi mags' have mentioned headphones because of their
 huge showing at RMAF, IMO. 
   
  Quote: 





wharfrat said:


> Dear Readers,
> 
> Do take note of this month's issue of The Absolute Sound magazine (Issue 220).  There was positive mention of Head-fi.org as the go-to place for people who are into high-end headphones and associated equipment.  Chris Martens, who frequently posts reviews of headphones on AV.guide (?) is clearly "one of us", provided his review of the CanJam experience at the RMAF.  My only "harumph"-ing came about when I noticed several somewhat guarded opinions being expressed by him on some products, as if he actually may not have even listened to them whilst giving the semblance that he did....sorta spun my head around a mite.


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## hanrytt

I lol'd when they showed beats


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## qwasqasw

Nice to see Head-Fi mentioned in a big news article


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## ianmedium

I just think it is wonderful that a true American manufactured headphone like Audeze get a mention. I hope it does wonders for their sales. I think seeing as she has little or no experience with headphones other than using them she wrote a well balanced article. Normally all one sees is Dre's Sennheisers and the rest of the usual suspects She actually researched quite a bit as well. Also Kudos for headfi getting mentioned. Hopefully that means more of the general public will join, get more educated information and then stop thinking the world ends with Bose and Beats!


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## kberta

Quote: 





563 said:


> Not to be a spoil sport or polemic about this, but I'm curious why generating more interest among folks in head-fi or headphones is necessarily (or supposed to be) a good thing?  I'm trying to figure this one out - is the thought that if more new people are interested in headphones, the more incentive there'll be for manufacturers to develop new products?  To answer my own question, I doubt that the result of greater interest in our hobby will necessarily (or likely) result in greater improvements in the kinds of headphones and equipment we typically would want or have already.  Similarly, why is it necessarily "good" that more people get educated about headphones?  Even if that happens as a result of this article or other publicity, either we end up with more undesirable mass market cans and equipment, along the lines of Beats or whatever, or headphone manufacturers will simply find yet another reason to raise their prices even higher than their overly high prices now (yeah, I'm one of those who thinks 195 dollars or more for a 2 inch LOD cable is waaay too much, for example, as nice as it may look, even taking into consideration that the manufacturers have to make a profit - to my mind, overpriced is overpriced, as I see it.)   And why is it assumed that attracting more users to head-fi will result in a better website rather than simply cluttering head-fi up with unnecessary posts?  Attracting more head-fi users may increase sales for sponsors here, but how will it improve our user experience?
> 
> This is a long way of saying that more doesn't necessarily mean better.


 
   
_I'm trying to figure this one out - is the thought that if more new people are interested in headphones, the more incentive there'll be for manufacturers to develop new products?  _
   

 Good question. Maybe I'm an optimist but I believe that the more knowledgeable a consumer base becomes, the more manufacturers are going to have to cater to that consumer bases' heightened awareness of what "good" or "quality" is. Manufacturers will have to meet the new demands of this now more informed consumer base. I guess it's not just about increased interest in headphones but more about increased knowledge regarding headphones. Sites like head-fi do a great job in letting people know about what's good and what is not; what's quality and what's rubbish.


----------



## super-sonic

What are headphones??


----------



## ac500

They're telephones that are mounted to one's head, for more convenient telephoning.


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## 563

kberta, i hope you're right - my fear is that this will be just another reason for dealers/manufacturers to raise their prices even more and more.  it would be great to see further r&d and even more improvement in headphones, but if it means ever-escalating costs (or an excuse to jack up the prices even higher than now), i think (as i mentioned before) that the article will have done more harm than good.  as it is, i think the article probably didn't have much effect either way, so probably nothing to worry about at this point ....


----------



## Photogeo180

A few thoughts:
  It is true that in basic macroeconomics higher demand means higher prices, but I hope that a superficial article of the (well respected) NY Times cannot have a huge effect on prices.
  In my thinking, there are thousands of people who have no idea about the quality of sound they can get with a ''minimal" investment in a head-phones based music system.
  On the other hand, I still believe that the prices and customer service in the States seem to be from another planet compared to Europe....where I come from!
  So, overall I'm happy with the article and the publicity it brings to our community


----------



## Photogeo180

I always keep in my mind that different heads have different shapes...
Some come with hair some without...
What is more, every pair of ears is different from others...
Shapes, sizes, sensitivity to touch and pressure...
All factors that can dramatically affect the way people feel about a pair of cans, comfort-wise....
And as Voltaire said *“Minds differ still more than faces”* 
   
This is why, when asked, I always reply "go and try them...comfort can be as important as sound"
   
   
  Quote: 





cantscareme said:


> The d1001 are very comfortable, true. padding weren't that nice though.
> But the denons d2k and above cant match these- over 3 times thr weight of the bose!


 
  Quote:


cantscareme said:


> Not really.
> The bose does have supreme, and i mean supreme comfort. It manages to be circumaural.as well.
> The only other headphone with similar comfort, that is accepted as a decent can here, is the panasonic hft600. That's in my experience anyway. It's sound whacks the bose's at a third of the price.


 
  Quote:


morbidtoaster said:


> The Dxxx series are the most comfortable headphones I've worn (including various Bose models I've demoed). I suppose it comes down to preference.


----------



## disastermouse

timestretch said:


> I never really thought about it much, but Head-Fi is actually a really big and influential site. Headphones are becoming more and more popular, and more and more people seem willing to spend the extra dollar to get nice stuff. And everywhere you go online, if somebody asks about headphones, somebody else will post a link to these very forums.
> 
> This is great. Hopefully it means more ad hits, and more budget for youtube videos of Jude talking about headphones, haha. I showed all my friends the SR-009 review and for some reason everybody, even the people with no interest in headphones, were just enthralled, and totally sold on the idea that headphones were amazing.



This site IS influential. I first got into somewhat better portable headphones and CMOY amps here circa 2004-2005 and remembered the site when I wanted to delve further.


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## jamesWin

hehehe, love it!


----------



## nijohc

To be mentioned in your one of fav paper must be exciting!
  Especially, when it's one of the major press..
  Congratz Jude!


----------



## Xaverian

I plan on mentioning Head- Fi as frequently as possible if I can manage to get my own show at my university's radio station. I can just envision my tagline - "Welcome to another segment of Head-fI with Ben". I'm just trying to get the word out there as much as possible and prevent people from giving money to corrupt corporations that don't care enough to make quality products.


----------

