[korzena]

Quote:

 
IMO
sorry if it is small

+1

 

[329161]

This is one of the funniest threads I've seen in ages. I don't think some of the posters were taking the OP seriously- or was the OP taking the piss in the first place.

 

[329161]

 
Take a look at the Audio Technica ES10- nice chromey , minimalist and discrete. As a bonus, they sound good too.
 
 

 

 

[329161]

Quote:

Youre using the wrong picture.

I agree, the woman makes these look better.

 

[AHorseNamedJeff]

I vote GS1000 if we're only considering unmodded cans.

 

[korzena]

Quote:

I vote GS1000 if we're only considering unmodded cans.

Yeap, there is something in them.

 

[StudioSound]

I vote GS1000 if we're only considering unmodded cans.

As someone that has owned Grado GS1000, I have to disagree. For as much as they cost, the workmanship quality just was not there. And they're very wide on the head.

Of all the headphones that Grado have released, I think their best is tied between the button-less wooden headphones (i.e. Alessandro MS Pro & the newer RS-i series) and the HF-2. I don't think the older metal Grados look particularly great.

But I also don't think Grados look particularly good when worn. They're typically a small on-ear design, but are far too thick for that and stick out too much. And not that it matters in this discussion, but they are also incredibly uncomfortable.

These are not mine, but i think that they are one of the best looking headphones

Pioneer SE L40

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Those Pioneers really are gorgeous, even though there are a number of design elements there which I normally do not like to see on headphones at all.
When I think about it more though, I actually think it's the precisely machined, hand-crafted look that is appealing about them - you wouldn't get anything like that produced today. That leather headband is also very attractive compared to what you see on most other headphones. It shows up just how cheap and mass-produced something like the Sennheiser Momentum is with its cheap dyed leather and contrast stitching. But maybe a lot of that has to do with the fact that they are almost 40 years old and have developed a nice patina over time.

I suspect that if I were to see them being worn though, my opinion of them would completely change.

I know we are already off topic but I seriously believe the most beautiful headphone are the vintage ones, ie sansui ss100

It's too bad about the exposed wires, but these are surprisingly modern looking for something that I assume must be at least 20-30 years old. Better looking than the Stax SR-009, even. (but I think the O2 looked better as well) I wonder how comfortable they are though, because they seem very thin compared to most modern headphones.

I think the Z1000 is gorgeous in a ruggedly sexy way.

I have to agree. I think they are one of the best looking headphone designs in recent years, and I would argue that the 7520 looks even better, which is unusual for Sony. I find that Sony usually gets the design of a product right the first time around, and tends to make things look worse with newer revisions until the next complete redesign comes along, but I prefer the more uniform all black look the monitors have. I think that there will be interest in the Z1000/7520 a few years from now, when people look back on the design of them retrospectively.

I think the newer MDR-1R look terrible. They're a mishmash of various headphone designs from their past, trying to look hip, and I don't think it works at all.

I really think that if you are looking at headphones in general, that Sony comes out on top over most manufacturers when it comes to looks, especially when it comes to higher end circumaural headphones. But the same could be said about most products Sony has produced. Before the modern Apple came along, few could compete.

That said, I would actually argue against how the R10 looks, because as nicely crafted as they may be, I don't think they are aesthetically pleasing, and look ridiculous when worn. You would never see anyone outside of our hobby put those on, and they would laugh you out of the room if you told them how much something that looked like that cost.

It's the same for a number of the higher-end headphones being posted here. How could anyone think that the Sennheiser Orpheus is a good looking headphone? It may sound great - and that's all that matters when you are sitting at home enjoying them, but they aren't good looking.

If you are looking at supra-aural headphone designs (I think that should be a separate category from circumaural) I don't think anyone can compete with Audio Technica's wooden designs. The ESW10JPN in particular:


I don't really think the wooden designs work at larger sizes (though some people do) and most of Audio Technica's range seems to consist of cheap plasticky looking headphones. In all honesty, even these look like they are cheap plasticky headphones that have a nice wooden inset.

I can't think of anything else that really competes with that. I can appreciate the quality construction and materials of the B&W P5 compared to these, for example, but I don't think they look nearly as good. The upcoming Aëdle VK-1 looks really nice from some angles, but I'm not sure how it will be when worn, and I am not keen on the headband design at all. Maybe it will be fine if you have a thick head of hair, or don't have them on for long.

 

[Loevhagen]

She is doing it wrong.
Quote:

I agree, the woman makes these look better.

 

[devhen]

Quote:

I think the Z1000 is gorgeous in a ruggedly sexy way.

 
I thought the ZX700 looked rugged and nice until I bought one and held it in my hands. It feels like a really cheap toy. I assume the Z1000 has the same build. But I'm sure the Z1000 sounds better. The ZX700 makes all of my music files sound like 128k mp3s.

 

[StudioSound]

I thought the ZX700 looked rugged and nice until I bought one and held it in my hands. It feels like a really cheap toy. I assume the Z1000 has the same build. But I'm sure the Z1000 sounds better. The ZX700 makes all of my music files sound like 128k mp3s.

Not even close. They may look the same, but the ZX700 are built to 1/5 the cost. The Z1000/7520 have a magnesium construction and are very solid (but light & comfortable) rather than ABS plastic.

Sony have a habit of doing this though, and I think it does them a disservice. Their lower-end products are often cheaply built (or at least feel it) so people say "why would anyone pay a premium for high-end Sony products?" and yet their high-end gear is still very well built and reliable - still some of the best around in my experience at least.


Can't comment on the ZX700 or Z1000 sound, but the MDR-7520 certainly don't make everything sound like MP3s. They are revealing though, and will highlight the difference between a 128k and 320k file with ease though. (I had no trouble on mp3 or not for example)

It is surprising to hear you say that though, as Tyll at Inner Fidelity said they were probably the best $100 headphone when he reviewed them.

 

[devhen]

Quote:

It is surprising to hear you say that though, as Tyll at Inner Fidelity said they were probably the best $100 headphone when he reviewed them.

 
Yes, that is very surprising to me. I do have the DT 250 velour pads on mine but I didn't notice much of a change at all in the sound when I put them on. They sound terrible to me. Like, really bad. That said, the only sub-$100 headphones I've ever listened to that didn't sound really bad to me are the Beyerdynamic DT 235 and the Monoprice 8323 both of which are so much better than the much more expensive ZX700 that its a joke. And sad.

 

[carma143]

Quote:

 
Yes, that is very surprising to me. I do have the DT 250 velour pads on mine but I didn't notice much of a change at all in the sound when I put them on. They sound terrible to me. Like, really bad. That said, the only sub-$100 headphones I've ever listened to that didn't sound really bad to me are the Beyerdynamic DT 235 and the Monoprice 8323 both of which are so much better than the much more expensive ZX700 that its a joke. And sad.

When supposedly good headphones sound THAT bad, maybe you should consider that you got a defective pair.

 

[devhen]

Quote:

When supposedly good headphones sound THAT bad, maybe you should consider that you got a defective pair.

 
Possibly but it doesn't sound like a defect to me. It sounds exactly like every other pair of poor sounding headphones I've ever used (including headphones that other people around here seem to like). When I first got them I liked them initially and thought they were decent but as I spent more time with them and then switched back to my much better cans it became painfully obvious that their tonality was off and that they sounded very congested which is the same way all of the other poorly performing low end cans I've used sound. Maybe I'm overpowering them with my Lake People G109? IDK. They sound about the same out of my Galaxy S2.

 

[alexander321]

 

 
The Watson KH 9501

 

[MDCLXVI]

The upcoming TH600 looks stunning in my opinion: