It always sucks hearing people (or myself) love the sound of one headphone, but prefer a different one simply because the one they actually like isn't comfortable. I really think headphone companies need to START with comfort and then figure out the acoustics. It doesn't matter how good it sounds if I can't/don't want to wear it.
Makes me wonder if it would be possible to achieve near identical sound while having a few different band and ear cup options so people can ideally pick the sound with the comfort they want.
@@musicxxa6678 There are straight up uncomfortable headphones though. I've seen several high end headphones reviewed by a lot of people and they main gripes are always comfort. I heard people with small heads say the 900 pro x were most comfortable headphones they have tried but clamp force might be too much for bigger heads. I agree they are amazing and I have a huge head. It's usually universal when it comes to comfortable and uncomfortable headphones
@@0megalul309 I've seen the way grados are made. Their owner is hard pressed to change anything about any of their headphones. Personally I would love to see them do a good affordable over ear but I probably won't ever see it
Cool to hear non-audiophile's opinions on these, Josh. Gives a good indication as to how the general public perceives sound and what they consider to be "good". Very interesting video!
@@colingordon0986 The concept of the "Audiophile" is a person obsessed with the most true sound quality to real life. Imho they're a bit silly though because most of these cans they recommend have bad imaging and innacurate soundstages resulting from weird tunings trying to trick your ear. In which case I'd personally believe accuracy to a stereo image (where objects are perceived to be around you) should be a top priority, so the common audiophiles here are astray from the real goal since music has no way of testing the accuracy of perception of sounds (no visual confirmation as to where they should be and non-binaurally recorded tracks) and they've never bothered to truly test it
Unfortunately the novelty would wear off, they won't be "beginners" anymore but rather they would be amateurs (aka someone who has listened long enough to make an educated review) Maybe if the cast of people were say other youtubers that aren't headphone related with collabs this would be sick
It would be interesting to just put a range of headphones and just let them pick thier own and see what they picked budget, middle of road or high end without knowing anything about them.
This video was great! Gives us non-audiophiles, who still appreciate good audio, an idea of what to expect, even though it all comes down to personal preference.
I bought the HD518 brand new in 2012, so I had them for 10 years now. And I can tell you - Sennheisers won't break... even if you drop them (repeatedly), despite the cheap-ish plastic. I upgraded to the HD560s recently and was blown away by how much clearer the sound is. Vocals on these are fantastic. Adele's Skyfall almost got a tear out of me.
Skyfall sounds amazing on my HD560S. Most songs do honestly, they’re so well rounded and being out details that I didn’t hear before on previous headphones and bring more depth. There’s a song called Dirge for November by the metal band Opeth, the beginning of the song is a great tester for headphones imo, because the vocalist sounds like he’s right in your face, he’s singing right into the mic. The HD560S can image vocals and instruments so well it’s insane.
Evanescence's Synthesis album definitely has the bestest vocals recorded by modern standards. James LaBrie's Elements of Persuasion is *the* album to break the "loud = distorted" stereotype. Enjoy!
@@TheCoheedIndeed There is cheap plastic and expensive plastic. You can tell the difference in a side by side comparison but it's harder to tell just in a test like this with other designs and metal bands. Though from experience I know metal is more likely to warp out of shape or snap while plastic has a scary amount of flexibility and resilience.
This is a great series! You should really continue it. Next time do one where you pit the best under $100 headphone against the best $250-350 headphone against the best $500-700 headphone against the best $1000-1500 headphone. Eventually however, you are going to have to start using people other than your family members since now they might be getting too knowledgable.....
would love to see audiophiles blind test various headphones/dac/amp combos, the headphones might be a bit easier to tell due to feel but the dac/amp would be interesting to see if they can tell the difference
yea that would be cool but, I don't think they will do it because there's probably a chance of them embarrassing themselves in the chance of them getting something wrong. it'll be pretty funny if they bring in someone who swears they can tell the difference between a 5k dac/amp and a 100 buck one and somehow cant tell the difference
I would agree that, soundwise, the HD 560 hits way above $200 in overall quality so it's interesting to see that folks who don't know the price believed that too. Haven't heard the other two yet.
if anything it proves that while there is subjective parts to the listening experience there is still an overall quality that can and will be noticed even by a novice.
@@sheanreal DT 770 80ohm not the 250ohm, is probably the best Closed back for the money you can buy. Great detail, seperation, soundstage (For a closed back), imaging is top notch.
I think it would be intresting if you allowed them to pick there own song and first listen to it on there standard set up or generic headphone then get there impressions of hi-fi headphones. Then show them a song of your choice to demonstrate the power or capabilities of the hi-fi headphones vs generic.
*their I know they all sound the same, but the words there, their, and they're, all have different meanings. P.S. They're called homophones, you should look into it. ; )
I mean for some open backs, the less shouty ones even at loud volumes it won't be uncomfortable according to my experience, more details from the music will come out without it sounding uncomfortable.
It's so funny how they are all confident that they picked up on a sound quality difference between these and the higher end models. Most people wouldn't be able to tell.
One factor here is hearing loss as we age. Maybe one teenager, one 40 year old, one 60-75 year old. Would be interesting to see the differences in ear age preference….with headphones of similar sensitivity/ohms.
Thank you for the videos like these @JoshuaValour - A breath of fresh air in a community that can get kind of intense. Videos like this show how truly subjective the headphone/sound experience can be. There is of course of certain amount of quality involved for different equipment, but that quality doesn't translate the same across different people. Good stuff, dude.
Lovely to see their perspectives, and what a time that we get 3 such incredible budget offerings from some major brands. I'd be ecstatic with any of these for sound quality. I love the look of the Hifiman but since open-back tends to be an at-home experience it's not that important so all are good choices. I'm looking at a nice deal on a pair of Philips X2HR, not X3, for my own budget open-backs to add to my collection.
I'm pleasantly surprised: They described the sound better than other reviewers with the generic: "Bass was punchy and doesn't bleed into the mids, mids and vocals were loud and clear, and the highs were detailed and had a lot of clarity..." The descriptions were at least more helpful.
It gets so boring so quickly. I love reading people's reviews on Amazon because there's so much personality in the descriptions, but in typical audiophile land it's just exactly what you described...
The 560s is at 140ish new on amaz right now, that is a awesome deal for such a big performer. I would like to see how the new Schiit Modi (3E) with (Vali 2++) would pair with the 560s /6xx compared to other under $500 builds. Thanks!
Why do people keep saying plastics aren't durable? My old Philips headphones are more than 10 years old, but the plastics are still fine, almost as shiny as new. The decrepit part is the pleather xD.
I have a feeling there's going to be another one of these in the near future; I would've let them keep the cans they like (unless they're review units then this is understandable)
I always felt the X3 is underrated, especially since the price has finally settled to about the right value. People need to stop comparing it to the X2HR--they are just different animals all together.
comfort is underrated in general, i will give up great sounding headphones if i cant wear them and keep not great sounding ones just because i can use them
I'm a short-burst guy, so whatever I do, I do for short periods of time but intensely. If headphones are great sounding but I can't wear them more than 1h, ok, no probs for me!
Given for best price with good sound quality and good comfort and quality made of material kinda suite most of the people nowadays that love listen to song of music is a 👍
Which is better between the 560S & 58X since they are almost the same price? Sennheiser's line-up sometimes just confuses my brain, HD560S, 559, 569, 650 660S, etc!? Not including the Drop 58X & 6XX I've been eyeing the 58X for sometime now & will hopefully get one this year!
I suggest getting 560s instead of 58x. I’ve switched from 660s to 560s and never had any regrets. On 660s the earpads were wearing down too fast(it was affecting the sound) and are very expensive to replace. I’m sure the 58x will have the same problem since they use the same earpads. Also 560s sounds better, from what I’ve heard of 58x, but this one is very subjective.
The 58X sounds very warm and like your head is the microphone, it's an extremely inoffensive sound signature, and what I would want if listening for music for say 8 hours straight because there is zero listening fatigue. The 560S will sound alot flatter and more clinical. The detail in the music will be a lot more pronounced and it will sound a bit further out from your ear (like being in a small room with the music). For most things I would prefer the 560S but if your really a fan of that warmer sound signature, the 58X can be great.
I think I might purchase the Hifiman Arya Stealth Headset Magnet Edition ( $1000) , looks and sounds amazing, currently I have Sennheiser HD660s and I love these things alot. Gaming / music and watching streams or movies are so immersive
I’d say this is a more entertaining vid, but I think it’d help us viewers grasp what it’s like for these beginners or non-audiophiles and what their experience is like if the songs were listed that were used for this social experiment. Peoples libraries are vastly different.
We should see more of this kind of thing. I wonder how it would go if we told them to assume that all of the headphones are the same price. It would also be good if another $50 and $150 headphones were thrown in.
Based on my experience, headphones hurt, don't fit and sound like tiny speakers with too much bass. Klipsch in-ear monitors are the best sounding and most comfortable from my experience.
It always sucks hearing people (or myself) love the sound of one headphone, but prefer a different one simply because the one they actually like isn't comfortable. I really think headphone companies need to START with comfort and then figure out the acoustics. It doesn't matter how good it sounds if I can't/don't want to wear it.
But everyone have different head and comfort standards so every design has it's users.
Makes me wonder if it would be possible to achieve near identical sound while having a few different band and ear cup options so people can ideally pick the sound with the comfort they want.
@@musicxxa6678 There are straight up uncomfortable headphones though. I've seen several high end headphones reviewed by a lot of people and they main gripes are always comfort. I heard people with small heads say the 900 pro x were most comfortable headphones they have tried but clamp force might be too much for bigger heads. I agree they are amazing and I have a huge head. It's usually universal when it comes to comfortable and uncomfortable headphones
Grado left the chat
@@0megalul309 I've seen the way grados are made. Their owner is hard pressed to change anything about any of their headphones. Personally I would love to see them do a good affordable over ear but I probably won't ever see it
Cool to hear non-audiophile's opinions on these, Josh. Gives a good indication as to how the general public perceives sound and what they consider to be "good". Very interesting video!
yeah but he doesn't note what songs/genres/etc were used to test these. That means its useless information with no reference point
What’s the definition of audiophile? If you been listening to music for 20 years our more would you consider yourself an audiophile lol
@@colingordon0986 The concept of the "Audiophile" is a person obsessed with the most true sound quality to real life.
Imho they're a bit silly though because most of these cans they recommend have bad imaging and innacurate soundstages resulting from weird tunings trying to trick your ear.
In which case I'd personally believe accuracy to a stereo image (where objects are perceived to be around you) should be a top priority, so the common audiophiles here are astray from the real goal since music has no way of testing the accuracy of perception of sounds (no visual confirmation as to where they should be and non-binaurally recorded tracks) and they've never bothered to truly test it
I think we should have more videos like this... this is fun
yeah this is fun. thanks :)
Unfortunately the novelty would wear off, they won't be "beginners" anymore but rather they would be amateurs (aka someone who has listened long enough to make an educated review)
Maybe if the cast of people were say other youtubers that aren't headphone related with collabs this would be sick
It would be interesting to just put a range of headphones and just let them pick thier own and see what they picked budget, middle of road or high end without knowing anything about them.
$50, $200, $500 and $1000+ headphones and don't tell them anything about them.
This video was great! Gives us non-audiophiles, who still appreciate good audio, an idea of what to expect, even though it all comes down to personal preference.
Your brother's not on the video this time because he became an audiophile after trying those Arya's? 😅
Perhaps he became too sufficiently indoctrinated in audiophila to participate this time 😉
I bought the HD518 brand new in 2012, so I had them for 10 years now. And I can tell you - Sennheisers won't break... even if you drop them (repeatedly), despite the cheap-ish plastic.
I upgraded to the HD560s recently and was blown away by how much clearer the sound is. Vocals on these are fantastic. Adele's Skyfall almost got a tear out of me.
Skyfall sounds amazing on my HD560S. Most songs do honestly, they’re so well rounded and being out details that I didn’t hear before on previous headphones and bring more depth. There’s a song called Dirge for November by the metal band Opeth, the beginning of the song is a great tester for headphones imo, because the vocalist sounds like he’s right in your face, he’s singing right into the mic. The HD560S can image vocals and instruments so well it’s insane.
Evanescence's Synthesis album definitely has the bestest vocals recorded by modern standards. James LaBrie's Elements of Persuasion is *the* album to break the "loud = distorted" stereotype. Enjoy!
Plastic gets a bad rap when it comes to electronics it is so much more durable if it's used properly it's light it's flexible etc
@@TheCoheedIndeed There is cheap plastic and expensive plastic. You can tell the difference in a side by side comparison but it's harder to tell just in a test like this with other designs and metal bands. Though from experience I know metal is more likely to warp out of shape or snap while plastic has a scary amount of flexibility and resilience.
I have creaking problems with my HD600, but it hasn't broke yet throughout the numerous drops it's been through.
Your family/ friends are so SWEET!!! Great vid!! Goes to show how much each individual's preferences vary.
Even though Sennheiser's feel least durable , it will probably last longer than other 2.
ikr
@@JoshuaValour no cap, based
I think people underestimate how durable plastic can be.
This reinforces the fact that no matter how you rate something, personal biases always play a part to your final view of a product 😉👍🤯😇.
This is a great series! You should really continue it. Next time do one where you pit the best under $100 headphone against the best $250-350 headphone against the best $500-700 headphone against the best $1000-1500 headphone. Eventually however, you are going to have to start using people other than your family members since now they might be getting too knowledgable.....
That nice old guy reminds me of my great grandfather. It's nice to see how our 'regular' headphones seem to other people who aren't in the community.
would love to see audiophiles blind test various headphones/dac/amp combos, the headphones might be a bit easier to tell due to feel but the dac/amp would be interesting to see if they can tell the difference
yea that would be cool but, I don't think they will do it because there's probably a chance of them embarrassing themselves in the chance of them getting something wrong. it'll be pretty funny if they bring in someone who swears they can tell the difference between a 5k dac/amp and a 100 buck one and somehow cant tell the difference
@@ryang8461 yup, experienced "audiophiles" can't really tell the difference between high and low end DACs and AMPs that are volume matched.
I would agree that, soundwise, the HD 560 hits way above $200 in overall quality so it's interesting to see that folks who don't know the price believed that too. Haven't heard the other two yet.
Wish you would have added in the AKG 361 from your budget list. This truly proves that listening is truly subjective.
if anything it proves that while there is subjective parts to the listening experience there is still an overall quality that can and will be noticed even by a novice.
Just got the Hifiman 400se and it's such a nice listening experience in comparison to the Dt990 i had before :)
How about the dt770? Can someone help me what to choose especially between k361 and k371
5:35 .. I tend to agree with her. It's really nice at the 'right' volume.
@@sheanreal DT 770 80ohm not the 250ohm, is probably the best Closed back for the money you can buy. Great detail, seperation, soundstage (For a closed back), imaging is top notch.
@@SugaFree2387 also siblance
@@Whires Goes away when the pads flatten a bit
Just jumping in to say great production values in this video, looks way better than it should, lol. Great work and good idea with the topic
I think it would be intresting if you allowed them to pick there own song and first listen to it on there standard set up or generic headphone then get there impressions of hi-fi headphones. Then show them a song of your choice to demonstrate the power or capabilities of the hi-fi headphones vs generic.
*their I know they all sound the same, but the words there, their, and they're, all have different meanings.
P.S. They're called homophones, you should look into it. ; )
"When (the volume) got too high, it felt like the music was really loud" ~ Josh's sis
I mean for some open backs, the less shouty ones even at loud volumes it won't be uncomfortable according to my experience, more details from the music will come out without it sounding uncomfortable.
Wish you included 'ultra budget' headphones like the Philips SHP9500's and some Koss headphones
Crossing fingers for part III 😏
nothing over $50 is a budget headphone
@@houseofaction agree i do think the same btw
@@houseofaction agree i do think the same btw
It's so funny how they are all confident that they picked up on a sound quality difference between these and the higher end models. Most people wouldn't be able to tell.
This was Great!!! I loved how they differed in their responses. More proof that what sounds good to You is what really matters. Great Job Family!!!
I love this series, really gives a unique take.
I really liked your moms feedback. She explained herself really well.
That was good timing. Once they learned they could afford em the EXCITEMENT on some faces were pure joy.
If you had me on for my first hifi experience, I feel like I would have been crying "they're all so beautiful!" 😭
One factor here is hearing loss as we age. Maybe one teenager, one 40 year old, one 60-75 year old.
Would be interesting to see the differences in ear age preference….with headphones of similar sensitivity/ohms.
man the edit is top notch here
My favourite type of videos... I like normal people reactions 👌🏿
Really loved this video, awesome topic done justice by your family, and your editing!
I really liked this video. It's always nice to see the perspectives of the average person (people) compared to those who are "in the know".
So you won't miss this one? 😂
I've bought the hd560s and think they are so nice! I was wondering which sennheiser headphone would be a great update compared to them?
Love these types of videos. Shout out to the family.
Not sure why but you dad is just my favorite person on your whole channel lol just give us more of him. Just seems super chill and fun to hang with.
Fantastic audio / visual editing! 👍🎶😉
10:10 "Well that's good.. so you won't miss this one" 😂
This is my favorite series. You should have them do iems next.
Thank you for the videos like these @JoshuaValour - A breath of fresh air in a community that can get kind of intense. Videos like this show how truly subjective the headphone/sound experience can be. There is of course of certain amount of quality involved for different equipment, but that quality doesn't translate the same across different people. Good stuff, dude.
i love how the title of this video implies that audio nerds are not normal people
Lovely to see their perspectives, and what a time that we get 3 such incredible budget offerings from some major brands. I'd be ecstatic with any of these for sound quality. I love the look of the Hifiman but since open-back tends to be an at-home experience it's not that important so all are good choices. I'm looking at a nice deal on a pair of Philips X2HR, not X3, for my own budget open-backs to add to my collection.
I'm pleasantly surprised: They described the sound better than other reviewers with the generic: "Bass was punchy and doesn't bleed into the mids, mids and vocals were loud and clear, and the highs were detailed and had a lot of clarity..."
The descriptions were at least more helpful.
It gets so boring so quickly. I love reading people's reviews on Amazon because there's so much personality in the descriptions, but in typical audiophile land it's just exactly what you described...
Really cool vid, enjoyed it , thank you. So, what songs did the fam listen to?
The 560s is at 140ish new on amaz right now, that is a awesome deal for such a big performer. I would like to see how the new Schiit Modi (3E) with (Vali 2++) would pair with the 560s /6xx compared to other under $500 builds. Thanks!
Why do people keep saying plastics aren't durable? My old Philips headphones are more than 10 years old, but the plastics are still fine, almost as shiny as new. The decrepit part is the pleather xD.
Keep tormenting them! Love these videos Josh, keep it up
would be nice to hear their opinions on beats bose apple headphone and compare them to low-high emd headphones
58X is my first 600 series headphones and it's already blown away!
I have a feeling there's going to be another one of these in the near future; I would've let them keep the cans they like (unless they're review units then this is understandable)
I always felt the X3 is underrated, especially since the price has finally settled to about the right value. People need to stop comparing it to the X2HR--they are just different animals all together.
Could you do a test to see if they can hear any difference between listening to music directly from a phone/laptop, then using an external dac?
There is quite a big difference. Try any dac yourself.
Depends on the headphones honestly. A lot will benefit from a DAC, but it wouldn't be night and day difference.
comfort is underrated in general, i will give up great sounding headphones if i cant wear them and keep not great sounding ones just because i can use them
I'm a short-burst guy, so whatever I do, I do for short periods of time but intensely. If headphones are great sounding but I can't wear them more than 1h, ok, no probs for me!
Great fam, awesome video!
What a fun follow up! Thanks, Josh.
Given for best price with good sound quality and good comfort and quality made of material kinda suite most of the people nowadays that love listen to song of music is a 👍
great video man
Compare to focal listen pro ? Please make a review or comparaison 🤘
Nice. We like this type of videos the most.
Great review! also, does your mom have high blood pressure? broken eye capillaries can be a sign of that..
Could you maybe review the Topping L30 II? Seems like a very good value amp which is also measured extremely good.
I own the Topping E30ii + L30ii stack. Edition XS and SHP9500. Gets the job done I guess. Not much else to say about it.
Which is better between the 560S & 58X since they are almost the same price?
Sennheiser's line-up sometimes just confuses my brain, HD560S, 559, 569, 650 660S, etc!? Not including the Drop 58X & 6XX
I've been eyeing the 58X for sometime now & will hopefully get one this year!
I suggest getting 560s instead of 58x. I’ve switched from 660s to 560s and never had any regrets. On 660s the earpads were wearing down too fast(it was affecting the sound) and are very expensive to replace. I’m sure the 58x will have the same problem since they use the same earpads. Also 560s sounds better, from what I’ve heard of 58x, but this one is very subjective.
The 58X sounds very warm and like your head is the microphone, it's an extremely inoffensive sound signature, and what I would want if listening for music for say 8 hours straight because there is zero listening fatigue. The 560S will sound alot flatter and more clinical. The detail in the music will be a lot more pronounced and it will sound a bit further out from your ear (like being in a small room with the music). For most things I would prefer the 560S but if your really a fan of that warmer sound signature, the 58X can be great.
You should give us a list of the songs played so we can think about our own headphones XD
Joshua, can you look at the new Meze Audio 109 Pro headphones?
“So you won’t miss this one” 😂
Can you do a video on desktop speaker amplifiers? There aren't many on youtube
What songs do you use for this comparison.
I think I might purchase the Hifiman Arya Stealth Headset Magnet Edition ( $1000) , looks and sounds amazing, currently I have Sennheiser HD660s and I love these things alot. Gaming / music and watching streams or movies are so immersive
At the end you should have included a high end headphone to give them an immediate point of reference.
I’d say this is a more entertaining vid, but I think it’d help us viewers grasp what it’s like for these beginners or non-audiophiles and what their experience is like if the songs were listed that were used for this social experiment. Peoples libraries are vastly different.
If you or anybody can recommend a replacement headphone cable for my new Sundaras, what would you suggest?
Reasonably priced as I'm on a VA budget.
We should see more of this kind of thing. I wonder how it would go if we told them to assume that all of the headphones are the same price. It would also be good if another $50 and $150 headphones were thrown in.
That guy looking like a super chill Louis Litt
his father is like a old audiophile man who worked at a audio factory. i dont know why but its just my feel.😆
Oh, I thought it's his grandpa! I think father appeared in another video
Please include the songs tested.
Great video!
the fuck do you mean "normal peorple" lmaoooo
Is the redhair your sister? She is BRUTAL lmao 😂 It was borderline comedy.
More of these, these are my favourite videos 😊
Been using he400se for a few months..
Now I have to go get some expensive ones..😅😅
This is such a good idea!
Sennheiser. No contest
Funny thing is their opinions are about the same as so called "experts"
Funny thing is, I found the "Dad" to be pretty observant and spot-on..
The older guy looks EXACTLY like Louis from Suits but older.
The good thing with family, you can always count on them for free help when you need it and more so when you need it most 🥰🥰💪
Just more evidence of how subjective this type of test is and why you should always trust your own ears.
Years ago I got Grado's GR60' and 80's. Great.
Last year I got SUNDARA's. Not impressed at all.
As someone who likes grado I don't find Hifimans enjoyable as well. I think they are boring. Even the top of the line ones like Arya.
X3 technically a Phillips flagship headphone
old guy feels like he was tryna sell me on snake oil gear lol
Wish we got their reaction the the supposed price reveal.
Sennheiser HD560S sounds a lot more better backwards. A little more bass and less harsh highs.
David Schwimmer's dad knows what's up
Loved the mom :) She has a nice laugh.
I love how this Video line up implies that audiophiles are not normal People.
Why not normal? They sound like audiophiles when stating their opinions but just less detailed
"so you won't miss this one"... took me laughing
Based on my experience, headphones hurt, don't fit and sound like tiny speakers with too much bass.
Klipsch in-ear monitors are the best sounding and most comfortable from my experience.
I returned my 560s after so much hype from reviews. They feel very cheap and they sound very subpar.
Should have made them try the kph30i from koss
I remember Joshua once saying that the Philips x3 sounds weird.😆
Your comment is my prize👻
Good vid!
Loved those video
A budget headphone for me would be the Philips 9500! XD