Audiophile - what the heck is wrong with my headphone/earphone?

Having grown up with a lot of interest in music, I have always enjoyed listening to music in all kinds of genres and many different languages. A couple of years ago I was finally able to get into audiophile grade equipment. It’s a fantastic hobby especially if you enjoy music. Trust me, you can blow all your money on a pair of headphones if you choose to. Check out Sennheiser HE 1 and HIFIMAN Shangri-La. You can buy a very good car for that price. So please don’t blow it all on these things.

There are lots of myths in the audiophile world. People will tell you that you need the best digital to analog converter, the best amplifier, cables made of gold, expensive power supplies, etc. Do not believe in all that nonsense. Expensive does not mean good quality and in the same way made in certain countries does not mean bad quality.

This might end up being a multi part series about my journey into this world and why I love it. We shall see. Maybe you’ll get into this world.

As I write this post I’m listening to some of my favorite tracks on a Sony WF-1000XM4. If you’re in the market for a pair of true wireless earbuds, these are pretty incredible. After the burn-in period they sound really, really good. Although the stock tips are crap. There are good tips that work with these. At the moment they are my favorite pair after the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless earbuds. What I use for analytical and critical listening are completely different. They are wired! Wireless can never beat wired headphones/IEMs. Not in a million years. Of course nobody is paying me to say this :P

So what’s the difference between some mainstream headphone/earphone and what people call audiophile grade equipment? Well there are tons of differences. Trust me on this - there are headphones/earphones that are very expensive, but they are horrific. There are cheaper alternatives that are 100x better.

The first thing you’ll notice with good equipment (not necessarily expensive) is placement of instruments. You can precisely tell where each person was sitting (in the studio or on the stage). Every instrument sounds distinct. The thing about audio is the artist always wants you to listen to it in a certain way. A lot of equipment change how the audio plays and it’s just not how the artist intended you to listen to it. The amount of detail you get from each instrument is incredible when you use good equipment. Once you concentrate, you’ll hear the vocalist’s breath. Each strum of the string on a guitar is extremely clear. The percussion instruments sound very, very real. You’ll feel how wide the stage/studio is. The bass you hear has to be very real, not heavy. It should extend to the lowest possible frequencies. It’s almost impossible to get this kind of detail on a regular earphone/headphone even if they are super expensive.

Oh and the next time a headphone or earphone company advertises their products saying they have the best bass or the biggest equalizer, walk away from it.

Ah, just as we end here Raajakumara by Vijay Prakash starts playing. Check it out!