How'd You Get Into Headphones/Audio?

[ilikebananafudge]

Clearly everyone in this forum shares a passion for quality audio reproduction. Regardless of location, financial situation, age, gender, or any other differences we may have, we are united in this passion.

My question for all of you is: How and when did you first realize that you wanted more from your audio system? And what did you do about it?

I'll start with my story.

When I was 15 years old (I think) I asked for a pair of noise canceling headphones for Christmas. I received them from my cousins, a pair of $50 Targus noise cancelling headphones. I loved them! In retrospect they were crap, but I was ecstatic about them. I used them for a while, and then one day they broke.

I began to search online for a replacement pair. I read reviews, looked at prices, and finally figured out I could get much better sound quality. I decided on a budget of $100 or under, and began looking. I finally settled on a pair of Sony MDR-7506 cans. I liked them because they were closed and they were 'studio' phones, so I thought they would be as neutral as they come. They finally came and I adored them. I used them contently for 2 years.

Then one day, I don't remember when or why, I looked online at other headphones. I found head-fi, and it was all over. I lurked on that forum for weeks, searching for new headphones that were supposedly leagues above my current cans. Then I found head-case, and instantly respected the opinions here more, and continued lurking and researching to find the perfect cans (in my price range, which started at $150). I finally settled on AKG K701s, but then I discovered I needed an amp, and cables, and it just went off from there...

I now find myself with a fairly mediocre set-up yearning for better sound. I'm heading off to Tufts this fall and without a true passion for any one subject in school, I am seriously considering studying electrical/audio engineering so I can better understand music and sound reproduction. I have the utmost respect for all of you who can order parts and just design and/or build an amp. I envy that ability and that knowledge.

So that's my story. I'm extremely curious to hear yours!

[laxx]

I graduated college and moved back to my parents house. I had my speakers (at the time they were Logitech Z-680s), but my bedroom on the second floor was directly above my parents room. And me being on college time (sleeping during the day and awake at night), I couldn't listen to my music/play games without disturbing my parents.

I owned a pair of cheap Panasonic headphones from back in college, but the pleather earpads fell apart and I wanted a new pair of headphones. I've always cared about sound quality, just a bit more than the average Joe. I started looking online for a decent pair of headphones and I was about to buy a pair of Steelsound 5H's for $100. I like the way they looked and especially how they designed their mic. Googling a review showed me how the sound quality sucked and so I started my quest over.

I found Head-fi shortly after and ended up with a pair of Senheiser HD595's. Those didn't last long before I got my first amp, then AKG K701's, then etc. etc.. Here I am now with very budget gear, but I don't do much listening anymore. I don't find I have time with all of my other hobbies. And since it's Summer and the weather is nice, I focus my time and money on what I'm currently doing most, which is photography.

I expect to get back into audio, probably around Winter time or when I move. But I have a strong feeling that it will be speaker oriented.

[n_maher]

Ian found Tangentsoft, told me about it and the rest is history.

[Hopstretch]

I had a couple of kids and started hiding in the basement more. Then I found out I could still hear them. Then, headphones.

[Augsburger]

About four years ago I started really getting back into music listening and decided to explore headphones as a way to enjoy my music and not disturb my family. My first purchase was the Audio Technica W1000s based upon an article in Six Moons. Plugging my cans into my cdp was not bad but I knew I could do better. So I started my on line search, found HeadFi,Eddie Current, HeadCase and now I am broke but at least I am really happy with the system I have.

[diebenkorn]

My friend took me into a what is now audio chain store in florida and took me into the room where it said something fancy in neon like wondering what to do with all that cocaine money, step inside! and inside was some krell amps and martin logans and that was the end of the beginning.

[postjack]

I hunt that sound that burn ya house to the ground, all day 4eva.

[aardvark baguette]

Had a P.O.S. Sanyo boombox back in middle school. My first CD player. It made lots of noise spinning the discs, and the entire thing was cheap plastic. I knew there had to be something better out there. I didn't know about 'component' audio systems, and couldn't afford a bigger boombox, so I tried some Sony earbuds and a walkman. Fast forward a few weeks and here I am with a vacuum tube-based headphone system

[tkam]

While in college I wanted to get better headphones for my PC.

[recstar24]

I was on an airplane and I saw some guy with the weirdest cans ever. They were grado SR-60. They looked cool, I researched them, found head-fi. I think even before that I remember reading about the Grado RS-1 in Maxim. thought those looked cool too.

[aerius]

By default. My room acoustics suck so there's no point to getting speakers, so the only other way of getting decent sound is through headphones.

[Contrastique]

Well, I have been listening to large hps for around 7 yrs now of which the last 2 were the Sony V700 (ughh) and when the second pair broke I thought it was time to go looking for some really decent ones, qua build and sound (was too lazy for that after the first set went down). I was looking for something in the lines of HD600 but a closed version. I ended up really disliking them haha.

Started looking on the net, found head-fi, got confused really fast, found out about the Prolines, got really happy, went to my first meet, totally lost it.

A little over a year later I discovered Head-Case due to some linkin' and here I am, not regretting a dime

[deepak]

postjack gave me a call on my cell and was like "yo you gotta hear this mad stax it's see through but still makes good sound"

[thrice]

"A wealthy scoundrel seduced and betrayed me."

No seriously. I bought an iPod and was tooling around iPodLounge (now iLounge) and came across a link to Tangentsoft.

I was more excited about building a little amp in a mint tin than the headphones really. But once I built that amp, I needed something to use with it.

I always wanted to get into high end audio, but I figured it would be a little later in life when I had a house and could dedicate money/space to a speaker setup. But headphones offer an experience I can't be without. So I'm hooked.

[GPH]

My mother plays violin in the Montreal Symphony Orchestra so I've been exposed to good sound in concerts since a very young age. I had always found headphones very underwhelming compared to live music until one of my friends who's into music recording made me listen to a pair of closed Sennheiser about 4 years ago. I bought a pair of PX100 not long after and I've been pretty happy until I found Head-fi two years ago. That's where the descent to hell began and Head-case only accelerated the drowning.

[Dusty Chalk]

I've always listened on headphones -- mostly because I have weird taste in music, and like it a lot, and my family don't always necessarily want to be exposed to everything I listen to. A lot -- they're surprisingly supportive of my having weird tastes, and sometimes do want to hear it, just not necessarily every time I want to. So I've been encouraged to listen on good headphones from the very beginning.

[krrm]

It was not one, but to pairs of DT770. Two friends at a previous employer was enjoying the silence! of the Beyers. And suddenly I joined Team Beyer@work. Some months later I had another Beyer, DT880 and a Corda Aria amp for home use. That is the beginning of this, hmmm, madness. And then I found head-fi. At my age I have of course I owned headphones before, but I have never been thinking of them as a replacement for speakers before. And as with Dusty, my taste is in music not always what others find normal, so headphones are here to stay.

[ojnihs]

postjack gave me a call on my cell and was like "yo you gotta hear this mad stax it's see through but still makes good sound"

lol

i was entering college and wanted some good headphones for my powerbook.

[ojnihs]

did your PowerBook like the headphones you bought for it?

dave: "here you go powerbook, new headphones"

powerbook: "what? my speakers aren't good enough for you?"

dave: "uh.."

powerbook: "go fuck yourself"

[jinp6301]

got a pair of ep-630s when my XXth pair of sony earbuds broke, and i was like WTFLOLBBQROFL $30 headphones are awesome, then did a search on google on whats better and found the fi

[Chekhonte]

I broke my shitty phillips fullsized cans about 6 years ago and was going to buy a new pair. I decided to use that new fangled internet to do a little research to see what was out there. A google search turned up IGN.com and their review of the full line of grado headphones. I decided to buy a pair of sr-80s and was astounded by how great they sounded. I did another google search and found head-fi. A few years later I actually joinded head-fi. Then another few years later I started to get really annoyed by all the bullshit that goes on over there and decided to get myself banned. Then I found this place and have enjoyed the hobby ever since.

[Duggeh]

Wanted electrostatic speakers since high school. I found the principle fascinating, far beyond my means tho. Killed off the Zalman 5.1 for the Koss ESP9 at the start of uni, replaced by Stax 2020, after that, it was a slippy slope to where I'm at now, which is where I've been for a while now. 2 years with the O2/AMT. Chunk of summer monies this year going to source upgrade though...