Expensive gear isn’t always the golden ticket to audiophilia.
A Redditor named Average_Crafter recently shared his experience spending $800 CAD on a pair of high-end Sennheiser IE600 IEMs. The twist? Instead of simply enjoying the new gear, he realized he was not an audiophile after all.
According to him, he couldn’t notice any big improvement in sound quality compared to cheaper options, as the reviews claimed. This discovery left him both disappointed and amused.
The Redditor’s Costly Realization
Average_Crafter has heard about the Sennheiser IE 600s being described as “the best IEMs” across his social media feeds. He also saw good reviews on YouTube, Reddit, and Instagram, so he decided to buy these high-end earbuds for his birthday.
As someone who had only used budget to midrange consumer overhead headphones, he excitedly waited for the better sound quality that so many had praised.
However, upon receiving the IEMs, he found himself unimpressed.
This experience led him to a surprising conclusion: he simply doesn’t belong to the audiophile group that would truly like such a product.
“I guess I am just not in the demographic of audiophiles for such type of headphones and the media I consume.” he says.
“So here’s a PSA for anyone who’s looking to get a headphone. Just because something is the best at what it does doesn’t mean you’ll like it or it will apply to your workflow.”
Yet, the OP claimed that he still doesn’t regret his purchase for various reasons.
The IEMs, he admits, are still perfectly good for casual listening, especially during his daily commutes. Plus, he finds their looks quite nice, and the price point didn’t put too much of a dent in his wallet.
And let’s not forget the bragging rights that come with owning such a high-end piece of audio equipment.
Practical Tips From the Community
The post led to a lively discussion. Many shared similar experiences and offered tips to make his listening experience better.
Several members encouraged giving the IEMs more time. They referred to the concept of brain burn-in, which means the brain might just need a while to get used to the new sound quality.
To support this, some even shared personal stories of being disappointed at first and then eventually liking a gear later.
PhlightYagami, for instance, made an interesting comparison between the experience and art appreciation,
“In this hobby, more expensive doesn’t straight up mean better. You’ll typically get better build quality, better QC, and more advanced designs that can sound better… but think of this like art.” he says.
“Sure, a hundred dollar piece will typically be better than a $5 piece. But, while you may recognize why a $1000 piece costs what it does, it still might not impress you, personally. There is almost definitely a piece of true art out there that you would absolutely adore.”
Others advised practical steps to make the listening experience better.
Using a DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter) and trying out different equalizer settings were among the suggestions to improve the sound.
This was echoed by several users who shared specific tips and accessories to help him get the most out of his new IEMs.
