“HiFi Ruined Me” — Says User as High-End Gear Spoils His Perception of Mainstream Brands

The headphones he once dreamed about now sound bland.

An audiophile recently shared how high-end headphones changed his perception of mainstream audio gear via a Reddit post in the r/headphones community. According to him, what once were “dream headphones”, such as the Sony WH-1000XM5, now sound ‘plain unimpressive’ due to his experience with higher-end gears.

The Disappointing Reality

The user, Jacky-Chan_778’s post serves as a warning for those who are just entering the audiophile hobby.

In his post, he shared his disappointment with the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones after years of using high-end gears.

These headphones, as the OP admits, are widely praised by mainstream consumers. However, after using other headphones and trying it out, he says he found their sound quality to be underwhelming.

The OP admitted that his perception of the Sony headphones had changed significantly over the past five years. He shares that his experience with other audiophile-grade headphones has affected his preferences a lot.

He warned others about this potential downside of exploring high-end audio gear, such as his HiFiMan Edition XS.

To help others understand his experience, the OP drew an analogy to using a high-refresh-rate monitor.

But it’s not all bad. In a follow-up comment, the OP also mentioned that his high-end setup had made him more appreciative of the production quality of music. He said it allowed him to recognize that some tracks are “objectively better” than others.

The Community Reaction

The post garnered a significant response from the community, with many users sharing their own experiences and opinions on the matter.

Some echoed the sentiment that once you experience high-end audio, it’s difficult to go back to lesser-quality gear.

Others, however, argued that the pursuit of the best possible sound quality isn’t always necessary or practical.

This sentiment was shared by several others. They stressed the importance of having the right tool for the job rather than always using the best available option.

To support this, some users also pointed out that comparing the Sony WH-1000XM5 to audiophile headphones like the Edition XS isn’t entirely fair, as they serve different purposes.

The consensus among this group is that both types of headphones have their place. And, the ideal choice depends on the listening environment and the user’s priorities.

Interestingly, a few Redditors mentioned that their audiophile journey had come full circle. Some say they ultimately settled on a simpler setup after a while.

One user even pointed out a meme that has been going on in the community for a while. Here, it shows an audiophile’s journey from fighting for the best headphones to settling into where they typically started.