RayFVery 80’s IMO. They’re not the same kind of ugly as Stax Sigma or Jecklin Floats, but they have a kind of “Studio Ugly” that kind of grew on me. Like, I’d wear them in public with a cheeky grin, and challenge people to give them a listen, use them to start a conversation but not to fit in.
RayFHeadphones in order of appearance:
•Abyss 1266 and a Lotoo PAW Gold edition DAP
•The original 1991 Sennheiser Orpheus (electrostat)
• Sennheiser HD 650 with a tiny $50 DAP (sounded kinda flat but surprisingly loud enough)
•HiFiman HE-1000 (Planar Magnetic)
•Sennheiser Game Zero played from a Playstation VR
•Fostex TH-900 mk II – Emerald special edition ( Dynamic with bio-cellulous drivers, played through a Sennheiser HDV 820 off screen)
•Sennheiser HD 820
•Sennheiser HD 800 (with, um, some seriously thick headphone cables!)
•Banana Republic flat cap with an Olight S1 Mini on the brim.
•Sennheiser HE-1 Orpheus (electrostat)
RayF$62,247.42 after tax.
Although, the little red DAP I’m holding in the HD 650 picture (3rd down) was just given to me by a friend who had just upgraded to something else. He figured the resale value on a super cheap MP3 player would be negligible, so now I’ve got a light DAP to go jobbing with or to use as a source when I want music but need to save my phone battery.
RayFEw, foul reference.
I totally guessed at the cost BTW, most of the expensive headphones were demo’d at Head-Fi CanJams and other audio events. I’m not that special, I just chose to set aside time to go experience these. CanJam NYC is particularly easy for me to attend: If I plan ahead and book a seat on a Megabus, I pay $27 and listen to music for 7 hours and 30 minutes, split a hotel room with two or three friends, and have an adventure in New York!
RayFFriends? Or do you mean the travel arrangements? Yeah, I compromise on my arrangements a bit so I can still have fun while staying under budget. My biggest goal is to save up for a starter house, but IMO it’s important to still live your life while respecting the long term.