Would have REALLY liked to see them listen to songs of their own choice, along with the controlled ones. Every time I've tried to show friends audio stuff, they're never impressed until they hear something that they love and they've heard before. Loved the video either way!
I always do this too, show something to my friends/family that they've listened to many, many times. And then after knocking their socks off, I show them a song that really uses the headphones to the fullest. My favorite part though is whenever they listen to a song they have heard frequently, on good headphones. They notice an instrument they've never known was there and say "it's like I am listening to it for the first time."
That makes sense. Because if you listen to something you're familiar with, then you have a reference point of how you know it sounds on other systems. If you then hear it on something that's more revealing than what you are used to, you'll immediately recognize the better sound quality. But with an unfamiliar song, you have no idea what it 'supposed' to sound like or how well it was recorded. So you might still think it sound 'alright', but how good it really is, is difficult to judge without this reference point.
I agree, the listener needs music that is familiar to them. When I show people the few headphones I have, I use my FiiO BTR5 and sync to their phone so it is their music library that they're listening to.
@@bathynomusgiganteus2916 that's not tone deafness. They just cannot tell the difference between high quality sound and mediocre one. Tone deafness is the inability to play rhythm in your head.
Audiophiles aren't normal people. If somebody would sell you better "air" for your listening room so the sound waves transfer better to the ears we'd buy it.
@@jn01996 wish you the best too. I meant not everybody has a nice family. If someone came and express his good will about sombody elses family, doesn't need to be pointed out if his own isn't great. Didn't mean to be rude, sorry if I was.
@@funcionyforma Not at all it's a valuable comment from your side. I wasn't trying to point out that his family wasn't good I was just trying to sympathise with him in case if he wasn't as lucky as the author of the video. After all not everyone can afford to have a great family. Have a wonderful day!
So relatable ! Its a bittersweet experience because Im glad I can appreciate these nuances of sound with such joy, but literally nobody cares lol. Even after several months, my headphones make me smile Me: 'Wowww the vocalist on this song is so intense! They have a larger than life presence and the instruments have awesome attack and decay!" Friend: "Sounds nice"
It's interesting how each of them value something different from the headphones! Russ appreciates the Tuning more, how balanced and present the different frequency ranges are. Jason appreciates Technical ability, like Resolution ("Clear" and "Detailed"), Transients ("Speed", like how "Fast" a headphone is and can accurately represent quick changes in frequency), and to a lesser extent Imaging (Soundstage, and how 3D and positional the sound is), while he also appreciates good Bass Extension. Sam is harder to place, she likes everything overall. Imaging is really important, she wants to feel like she's there or in a movie theater, and she likes good Tuning too, she wants the frequencies to be represented well and sound real. It's so cool!
Russ seems highly analytical and intelligent with how he articulates his thoughts so well. Other two gave great examples on what they individually value out of a headphone. One of your best videos by far!!!
i like how calm they are knowing the prices of each meanwhile everyone around me are always like "wuuut!? that's absurd" after hearing the price of my hifiman He400se...
Its all about disposable income. I know several people who don't want to even touch a set of arya as well as a several more who wouldn't even blink if they found out the cost of a susvara chain
@@eskamobob8662 that's true since for me and people around me, $100 is already a lot which is why people always complain to me when they ask for how much the Tin T3 when i first got it
@@canIhavethishandle fair enough. it could be that and they're already expecting high prices considering they hit close to the actual prices but could also be the difference on what's considered to be on the expensive side since for where i live, those are on the 'absurd' category and not just expensive
Joshua's family probably have some understanding of what he does for a living, maybe even seen a video or two just to learn about one of their family members
I was expecting one to be more budget like the Sundara to make an appearance against these more high priced headphones. Especially when more casual listener will drop Sundara money on Sony WH and Beats headphones.
Beats Solo Pro's on the go, HE4XX's on a Schiit stack at home :) I love hifi, but the convenience of those more mainstream units on the go is worth the reduction in sound quality. Can't really appreciate nice hifi stuff when I'm not home anyway. Not enough piece and quiet for that :p
Wireless/Noise canceling is the name of the game for most casual listeners. I think sundara would fly off the shelf, if somehow they managed the “open” sounds stage and detail with wireless/noise canceling tech at $350!
The first thing I noticed is none of them had any kind of "Wow!" reaction. You know when someone is truly impressed because they can't hide that instantaneous first reaction. No one had that in this video. That surprised me because I figured that at least one of the headphones you chose would stand out.
I think Jason was truly impressed by the Hifiman. But yes, I remember when I got to a RicherSounds store to buy some Sony earbuds, and the guy there diligently convinced me to instead take a pair of Klipsch x10 IEMs that were at a very good discount price. The rest is history.
@@jpcfernandes - Jason liked the dynamics of planar magnetics, their clarity and imaging. He wasn't put off by lack of bass punch of planar magnetics. He also surmised their "open" nature (open back distinctios like hearing external sounds). Sam enjoyed the bass punch of the Focal dynamic headphones. Russ seemed pretty good at analysing various components like imagaging, difference in bass, mid, and treble response, as well as build quality. All 3 got the cost in proper order from cheapest to most expensive and were suprisingly close at assigning a price.
completely missed out on the comparison to "consumer" headphones and also enthusiast headphones like 560s or something. Would have liked them to also listen to their music of choice and in the end let them decide which one they liked the most. (including like AKG361, Sony XM4, 6xx and then HIFI or similar)
honestly yeah.. maybe make them try 5 headphones of different styles and price calibre (i dunno about IEMs that might be weird)... lets say random idea... keep the abyss and maybe the focals, but also add in stuff like the AKG K361, the sundaras, and the 6XX.. so we have open and closed back dynamics and planars that have different usages
I think this video also demonstrates the difference in age groups when it comes what they value, older people observations on good build quality and longevity may come from seeing how back in their day, products lasting a lot longer
First time I tried on the ARIAs, I almost cried listening to my mix. Seeing people so chill with these super high end stuff makes me think they should try some consumer headphones right after just to have a basis for comparison.
First time I tried my new Beyer DT1990 I listened to a Jonsi song (Shiver) I’ve heard 1000 x before and the “new” mix/quality brought me to literal tears.
Oh i got my OnePlus Buds Z2 a month ago (Ik not at all audiophile league but bear with me here) and when i first listened to one of my bass heavy tracks, i almost cried, they sounded miles better than the samsung in-ear buds i used for like 5 years. If you have the listening skills a better device can really change the experience.
@Ritik Srivastava I think the reason they didn't have much of a reaction is because they weren't listing to their own music. I think It makes a big difference if you're listening to something you've heard before because it just sounds new and you hear things you never did before which is why if I have someone try a new pair that I got I have them pick their favorite song, it just gets much more of an emotional response!
This was an awesome idea for a video! I think there should have been a wider range of headphones - from SHP9600, HD58x, Sundara, up to Diana v2 range. These were all pretty premium headphones right out of the gate.
I think this was a really well done video! One criticism I have though is the lack of comparison with these to low end headphones. For me, when I first put on my hd58x's through the dac I bought, I was like "this sound pretty good, but it's still the same music I'm used to" but then I when I listened to my earbuds that I used previously, I realized there was no way for me to go back. The contrast is what made me appreciate high end audio, not listening to the high end stuff in isolation
Oh, what a delight-this was so wholesome and fun! And I’d love to see more videos like this anytime. And not to take away from how great this video was already, but I thought that I might toss out a couple of ideas in case you were to do this again? • Maybe you could mic yourself as well? When your family is on screen, they sounded great, but when you offered comments from off screen, you could kinda tell that you were just being picked up from the on-camera mic? • Maybe you could ask each listener pick a couple of their favorite songs beforehand-just to ensure that they’re each listening to tracks that they know really, really well?
@@MrGrosMamouth I’d venture to guess that Josh was probably no more than a meter or two from his subject in each of the shots. And if you were to have been in the room with them, each of their voices probably would’ve sounded the same to your ears (rather than the guest’s voice sounding clear and Josh’s voice being a skosh reverberant).
@@handcoding You are probably right. I can’t put my finger on why, but I liked it this way. Maybe it’s the sound perspective? But I agree with you that a louder voice would have been better.
@@MrGrosMamouth I like it that way too, it puts them in the spotlight and shows their different roles. Josh is the observer who only steers the interview a little, and they are the "stars of the show" if you will. Makes it seem like he isn't in control of their opinions. At least that's how I feel watching this. I'm sure it's a very deliberate stylistic choice
I'd have included some Sennhieser hd600 because they are well known on most hifi forums as being very neutral, accurate and linear compared to other headphones.
Your dad seems like the sort of guy with a bit of time learning the ins and outs of the hobby would actually be pretty good at giving reviews, he was very analytical.
This ably demonstrates just how personal hifi preferences are. Whilst some products might be technically "better", it doesn't necessarily translate into something that people prefer. It also shows to me how important it is to demo hifi products at a good retailer, rather than just read other people's reviews and then buy it online and hope for the best.
The fella in the red flannel has definitely listened to hifi headphones before. He was using all the right terms and described it like he did that for a living.
Car audio shares similar terms as well as home audio, he did mention car audio and knowing of focal from that product line specifically sooooo, def not the hifi headphone side but probably closely related interests
So much fun. All 3 were great at describing their experience, and explaining what they liked. It just shows how subjective sound is. An episode like this with less priced headphones and with IEMs would be fun.
It's nice to see the Valour family. I wonder if they listened to songs straight out of the iPhone or did they listen from a nice DAC/AMP combo. I like how different "generations" of the family liked different headphones.
Great video! Everyday folk rating products in their point of view and how they hear it. No big fancy explanations and overgrown journalist words. Im amazed at how close they were with the pricing on these. Many people have no idea how far this market reaches in cost. So thats impressive. Well done
Jason straight up could start his own yt channel. Great voice and even without experience in hifi he was pretty articulate in expressing his own feelings. Charisma is there as well. Russ bringing up wisdom ;) Great video.
What a wonderful family! So relatable and honestly, so much more authentic than any number of "pro" reviewers. I understood exactly what each one was trying to describe. 👌👍
So glad to see an established reviewer go through this process with engaging, willing guests! Thanks family members! I will admit, I wish an entry mid tier option was included (say Sundara or 6xx), since that’s a price range many can relate to, but still great to see. It’s important we make sure to ground ourselves occasionally to see we really are focusing heavily on say 20% of the audio experience or gear potential, and much of the hobby is subjective.
This was cute and very good. Would love to see this as a series. Different people, different headphones. Perhaps an all-closed or all-open shoot out? Dynamic vs planar? The things that matter to people who care . . . but are they discernible to people who don't?
Hi there Josh, First of all I was super excited to watch this video just from the title itself! Secondly, the persons in the video must be your sister (Same colors as you ) , your brother (that voice!+Arya love) and the last gentleman must be your father who truly impressed me with his excellent notices and his best in class price guessing 👌 Amazing video that's all I have to say , the honesty and notices of people not familiar with such equipment is very interesting because you hear unexpected things that just put a smile on your face.
It's really cool to see how their preferences won the day, and that's what we do 😄 (or should do). The first person, clearly picked the Elex, clearly she really liked the bass, staging, and namely, I feel she was explaining as best she could, the dynamics (Focal usually presents). The 2nd, he in an intelligently deciphering way, ended up picking what he felt to him presented and had the better clarity, detail, and seemingly the immersion he got, from the Arya. The 3rd, he then went on and picked what appeared to be the overall refinement given and separation and distinction of instruments he experienced, and the undoubted quality of feel, the abyss gave him.
Fantastic idea. A shame we did not get a budget headphone (Sennheiser HD58X?) in the mix and also a mainstream Sony/Beats/Skullcandy/Insert-Any-Other, it would have been interesting to see a price to value comparison in that case.
It’s what it’s worth to you . Most people have music as something on in the background. The cost of the cheapest headphone is comparable to what most people would spend on their ENTIRE audio chain . But nice to hear that “regular” people can appreciate good music on nice gear. Unfortunately, I suspect most people have traded in fidelity for convenience. Nice video 🍻
That was a cool social experiment, it was interesting to see them mature and develop their audio reviewer's vocabulary. This takes me back to reading copies of Stereo Review and Stereophile and trying to decipher all the terms they were using, it does take a while to be able to put what you are hearing into words, it can be hard to explain the feeling you have when listening to music.
I think a lot of us in the hifi audio community frequently forget that music isn't a huge deal to some people. Hell, I have a few friends who just... *don't* listen to music. I think the greater your appreciation and interest of music is, the more profound the effect of listening through high-quality audio gear.
I loved Russ' technical evaluation on the various different aspects. Love these beginner friendly videos to introduce others into the basics of high quality audio. Great stuff
Great video! Very cool idea and nice people! One little thing: wish you had randomized the order to make that test more natural. Would have loved to see how they would have ranked each pair of headphones price-wise... Great video though
This was absolutely by far the most refreshing video I have ever watched regarding headphones. It was real people giving honest opinions. EVERY other video to date is someone trying to come up with adjectives that better describe something you eat opposed to something you hear. I am tired of people describing the complexity of headphones like it was Coq Au Vin that was prepared by Alain Passard ! Do they sound good to my ears or not ! WELL DONE SIR !
I remember the first time I used my DT1990s. Fucking blew my mind coming from the M50x and K7xx. I forgot what DAC/Amp I tested it with. It was a Mojo something. First song I listened to was 1-900-Hustler. I didn’t want to dive too deep into the Hobby. Maybe after I purchase my first home.
My first decent headphones were the shp9500 and the difference from gaming headphones are huge, and now I'm eyeing the Sundaras next but I might wait a bit more lol.
@@zephskiee5395 "modded" as in the pads I'm assuming? But yeah I have the portapros and KSC's with the yaxi pads and definitely agree that they're great!
It's interesting to see a couple of them pick up on (im guessing) dynamics of the headphones. Where they felt the Elex was a bit more engaging in the bass specifically. I know it has a slightly elevated bass but not by much and that punch quality is what stuck out to them.
That was a great video! This is your best video so far! Very refreshing. VS listening to 'Audiophiles' who insist that their current, super expensive FOTM is the best ever because it must be because it cost them like $4k. Your family were super good at guessing which ones were more expensive too. I think it is great that they all liked a different one. Because we all like different headphones. And just because they cost more does not mean they will sound better to you. I have heard most TOTL headphones including Susvara ($6k) & LCD-5 ($4.5k) etc and my two favorites LCD-XC ($1300) and E-MU Teak ($500) cost far less. Thank you for the great video.
Great idea on the video Josh. A great example that sound is very subjective as each family member liked a different model. I think all headphones are overpriced for what they are. I also agree with Sam, I'd never spend $3,000 on a pair of headphones. The cost to performance just isn't there IMO.
They are def good, but you are right. The value proposition is in one two places depending on who you are, you either want like 200-500 is a decent price to performance, ex something like the he400 up to the sundaras. The other good value spot is like 0-50 this is where having something is better than nothing, and more importantly you get all stars like the lower end koss models.
Great idea, excellent presentation. It was fun, I thought and brings to our hobby a sense of perspective. Your alert and perceptive family members were/are very likeable. It takes courage to be on test, so to speak, in a public presentation and I am appreciative. Thank you and your family.
This one was made really, really well. I would love to know more about your methodology on the testing but at the same time, I like that we don't really have to know everything to understand where everyone's opinion is coming from. Just like some of the other comments here, I think it would be more interesting if the participants could bring their own headphones for comparison and maybe listen to their own choice of music as well. Either way, I really like this one. Keep up the good work. Super Crisp video.
The more you pay the more screaming you get from them Pads better quality Material inside earcup works out some distortion in midrange DT900 Pro X best beyers imo besides the fact they all trash I took them from my store for a test during drive to home, they never got into my house I left them in my car
Great video. Shows how spending more doesn't mean a thing. It's all personal preference. I have Sennheiser HD 700. Really like them even though a lot of ppl didn't. But I like a lot of sharp highs. Thank you for your time.
This only solidifies the fact that everyone has different tastes and it just shows even on a “blind test” on pricing, the more expensive doesn’t mean the “best” for certain preferences.
@@sudd3660 not all the time, preferences and tastes still goes a long way in this hobby. All of these headphones have different tunings as well and that goes well with certain genres and music tastes of the listener. Obviously having more knowledge about what is good is nice to have, you can’t love a headphone that was tuned the opposite of what your preferences are even if it’s the more expensive one.
This was my favorite video from your channel. The best part about being an audiophile for me is trying to make things more accessible so I can share them with my friends and family. Seeing their reactions to different sound signatures (even if they strongly disagree with my preferences) is nothing short of magic. I live for this stuff. Great idea for a video, keep up the great work !
Interesting how the more “budget friendly” models received a better overall response from Sam, Jason & Russ then the OTT models for sound. But the more expensive models seem to receive a better build and lightness, weight wise, compared to the cheaper models. 👍🤯 Me personally, Im sensitive to weight on my head and don’t like heat encased leather/leatherette ear cuffs and much enjoy lighter and airy headphones 🎧🥰👍
I'm wondering if they didn't 'secretly' watch some of Josh's videos. It would makes sense that they've at least watched some of them, giving them an indication on what they should focus on, when listening to different headphones.
This was a very cool video, Josh. I really like your family. More out-there stuff like this in the future, please. It really is a breath of fresh air to see something light-hearted from such a professional reviewer as yourself. Really good stuff, mate!
The most expensive set of cans I've tried and owned was around 400 dollars. Maybe a tad more than that. Owned like 30-50 pairs of mid-fi over ear, open-back headphones from around 150-400 dollars. Of the most popular ones available throughout the years. Then I tried a pair of Porta Pro and KSC75, and sold everything else. Those mid-fi cans now just feels like Snake Oil! I'm thinking the same is true with the really expensive ones. Just what I believe, but I've never tried truly expensive cans. :D
Woah their description was a lot more detailed than expected. I'm a musician for 16 years and their vocabulary was more extensive than mine this time 7 years ago even.
I suspect they knew the rough pricing of hi end gear from knowing you, because very few, non-audiophiles, people would guess that there's even such a thing as a 500+$ headphones. Honestly it would have been more entertaining to have them see the difference, between the shit headphones they're used to to even cheap-ish decent headphones in the 80-150$ range.
Great video, great family! Every expirement participant has argumented opinion and very good presentation of it. Wish there will be more of them on the channel!
This was such a cute video and I enjoyed it! Hopefully you'll revisit this concept and make some of the changes that have been recommended by others in the comments.
Would have been interesting to throw some ‘cheap’ headphones in the mix to see if they could tell the difference. Also would have been useful if the actual price was listed on screen while they were guessing at prices.
0:46 is it just okay to cover it with your hair when you wear headphones as a girl? there's no difference when you move out your hair from your ears? I do see a lot of girls wearing headphones like this. won't it be like a different sound?
The microphone quality on this video is so good. It’s like all these people are talking in my ears. I wish I had some better quality gear to listen to this RU-vidrs voice.
The younger guy has a great presence. Awesome confidence and well spoken. He should have a RU-vid page. And I don't know if its just me but i think he just may have be converted to a Hifiman fan :) I own the Hifiman Ananda and they blow me away time after time. I am dying to hear the Arya, OG and Stealth.
This video proved nothing but the Fact that *Everone has a Different perception of music* as well as that every headphone is better and worst for a certain music genre :) Also that we REEEEALLY need for the Pandemic to go away,so people are able to go to the stores and Properly LISTEN to multiple pairs before they able to pick one that Really fits the style of music they prefer to listen...as well as overall suits their music perception. *Thank you Josh for this curious experiment.I strongly belive that such Are Needed,in order for people to have a proof of everyone's feel and understanding of music is DIFFERENT..because belive it or not - there are a LOT of folks today who doesn't really belives this and they Actually thinking that *everyone has the exact same understanding and feel of music and that 1 Great headphones for ONE person,would Undoubtedly mean that it will be AS GREAT for the other person* ,which ubviously not true and videos like This One ☝ is a live proof of that. Ones again Thanks a Lot Josh.
@@brad_wilson I only know 2 stores that haD a Very High End headphones and overall an Audio equipment here in Toronto,but *Both of them Still got their doors Closed and moved their businesses Online* which is Sucks.. cuz in my opinion,it is Very Important for anyone to be able to put their hands on the Demo models,to have a better understanding of if the item is For Them or Not.
@@brad_wilson Up the road from you guys in Seattle :) In Vancouver BC we have a brick and mortar store HeadphoneBar that had all demos to listen to from mid-fi to flagship models but the pandemic forced them to close the store but have a strong online presence. Hopefully with the recent lifting of restrictions they will open up again. I agree that one needs to demo live and compare as much as possible.
Nice video, your family did great. I kept waiting for one of them to mention the intimate presentation vs the sense of space. They were so close to saying it.
I wonder what Josh told them before on what criteria they're supposed to judge the Headphones on, bcs i feel that that has turned out pretty well and they were able to form their opinions sufficiently for people who are not into the hobby. The video was quite long though, i could imagine a lot of people who are not regular viewers of this channel that could be attracted by the theme of the video, might not watch this through to the end. Them guessing the prices and saying which their favorites were, i could imagine is what most people only want to hear about.
2:13 "They're not as comfortable as the other ones." *finger flicks* lol I don't know why that amused me as much as it did. Really interesting video, I'd definitely watch more like it.
I enjoyed that, Jason reminded me of when I first started, each time I got something better, I could rationalize paying more. This audiophile journey is addictive 😍 Audiophile Anonymous, I think I'm in denial 😅 Later.
It was really cool seeing the diversity of their personal tastes, and what each of them preferred out of their headphones. For Sam it was immersion, Jason enjoyed more clarity, and Russ preferred better separation. This is probably the best proof that, to a certain extent, price doesn't matter. It's all about finding what you enjoy most, and taking it from there!
I've learned that high-end headphones are a lot like specialty coffee...for the ordinary person with no experience or proper context, it's very challenging for them to truly conceptualize what the differences are. Also just like coffee, everyone has a personal taste therefore no one hifi headphone/specialty coffee is gonna be the right one for every person.
Not really. People find other ways to blow money (I own a Diana V2) on other things like girlfriends, cars, coffee (drugs), etc. That usually adds up way more than $3k on headphones you can always sell and get 2/3 of your cash back.
Such a real world test. It just proves EVERYONE hears slightly different. That is where there are so many people that love XYZ and others that don't. Human sensory experiences are so individual, and this small test sample proves that. There is a lot of shared and common experiences but it is still unique to each person. Your family seems very cool. Your parents did good work. Kudos to them. Thanks Josh...
Great video. Would be cool to have an everyday user listen to random low budget, mid, budget, and hi budget headphones to see if they can pick out which one is the most expensive.
Hahaa that was epic. The fam was pretty darn good. I suppose the diana's are the detail kings in the line up.. however, someone who doesn't deal with this type of thing on the daily might chose something that has a different spectral balance over that of the detail retrieval. Bless to the fam! Xx
