StarDestroyer.Net BBS

This is a somewhat unusual question. I'm not actually interested in buying some cans, but I am interested in what people might call the most aesthetically pleasing headphones available. Personally I think AKG's K701 is a really sexy device, and I want to know if it's possible to be topped.

I love the look of Grado's, they are just the absolute height of class as far as headphones go.

For me it's either the long discontinued Audio Technica W1000 or the Grado HP-2. I tend to lean towards the Grado for its ridiculously overbuilt all metal goodness.


Audio Technica W1000



Grado HP-2

YT300000 wrote:I love the look of Grado's, they are just the absolute height of class as far as headphones go.

You'll love this one then, all the flagship Grados together in one picture, plus the special edition HF-2 and PS-1.

Damn it, aerius! Now we have to put a NSFW tag on this thread.

Look aerius, I have my SR-60 and I don't need to be tempted to go any higher than I need to!

Those Grados look like shit to me. It's 2010, people.

But then people who think what headphones look like is important are all retards.

Stark wrote:But then people who think what headphones look like is important are all retards.

I don't know about you, but I ain't wearing Jecklin Floats no matter how good they sound.
I gotta draw the line somewhere.

Check out Skullcandy. They have the coolest looking headphones for comparable prices. I just have some general Panasonic ones that are gold. Not, like, literal gold, of course, that would be mad.

Stark wrote:Those Grados look like shit to me. It's 2010, people.

But then people who think what headphones look like is important are all retards.

Just because it's fashionable to look like colossal douche bags doesn't mean we should.

You shouldn't choose a pair of cans based on what they look like, either. Seriously, woodgrain?

Morons wearing budget Sony cans on the bus != buy stupid 'art' headphones because they 'look cool'.

How many of those are in my price range? I'm looking to spend no more than eighty-eight dollars.

What kind of postage does a special order like that rack up?

Phantasee wrote:How many of those are in my price range? I'm looking to spend no more than eighty-eight dollars.

None of them. The SR-60i is the low end model at $79 American and it's pretty damn good compare to other brands. Though I would just get an SR-80i for $20 more since they include more comfortable ear cushions which cost $15 anyway. Mind you, they are open can so they are more useful in a quiet setting.

Phantasee wrote:How many of those are in my price range? I'm looking to spend no more than eighty-eight dollars.

If you have to ask, the answer is none. Seriously. The W1000 is in the $450 range and the Grados in the photo go from there and up. You're looking at well over $6000 worth of Grados in my photo, which belong to 3 or 4 different people, one of whom is a Grado dealer.

Get a Grado SR-60 and call it a day or blow your budget by $20 and get Music Series One

I'm not entirely sure what relevance 'buying headphones based on looks is stupid' has, given that ... no one is looking for headphones to buy?

Soontir C'boath wrote:None of them.

aerius wrote:If you have to ask, the answer is none. Seriously.

He's not seriously asking that question.

Stay out of this, OP.

I bet you can get 'cool looking' for less than absurdly stupid $450. But then I'm not an 'audiophile', which is French for 'sucker'.

You could be right. He did just survive an accident in his truck. Or perhaps it set his mind straight.

Stark wrote:I bet you can get 'cool looking' for less than absurdly stupid $450. But then I'm not an 'audiophile', which is French for 'sucker'.

Then find me pictures of them Brisbane. Show me your taste in action!

I rather like the look of my Sennheisers:



Then again, I was more concerned with how they sounded and that they didn't cost infinity billion dollars, plus my glasses show that I have no taste, so YMMV.

Get some fake ESW10s or ESW9s on ebay. I troll you not. They're obviously not as good as legitimate ones from ATH, but they're not $300+ either and they follow the original design closely enough that they sound very good for the price-- people have bought them without realizing they were getting fakes and not known there was anything wrong until they heard real ones, and even then didn't think too badly of the fakes' sound.

How many times am I going to have to say 'I'm not buying any headphones' before people get that I'm not buying any fucking headphones? Jesus Christ.

The Stax Omega II electrostatic headphone is also pretty cool in its simplicity.

Ford Prefect wrote:How many times am I going to have to say 'I'm not buying any headphones' before people get that I'm not buying any fucking headphones? Jesus Christ.

a couple dozen more at least


Audeze LCD-2


Sansui SS-100

aerius, isn't that pic one of the W1000X, not the W1000? The wood tint is slightly different and W1000X is glossier. The W1000X was on my buylist until quite recently, I was a bit disappointed when I heard them at the Hong Kong high-end audio-visual show, it was just a bit too muddy, but that might just be the mystery equipment they were demo-ing it off or the songs.

I'm performance-first, but I don't mind paying extra for looks if the headphone is already a decent performer, especially for portables.