Quote:
Originally Posted by Bigtop
$300 for headphones isn't really new. I know Bose noise-cancelling headphones that cost that much, and I may have seen 'gaming' headsets that cost as much...
But depending on the quality of the headphones that I just saw (this Ayu headphones)...it might not be a good value.
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I've actually been shopping around for headphones for some time... I was only in the market for something sub-$150, but I've been reading reviews for a ton of models & brands. Based on what I know, these particular headphones get VERY good reviews for their sound and they're normally about $175-$200. They're a JUUUUSSST bit heavy on low-mid range sounds in order to sorta "blur" the sound and make it feel a bit more smooth & natural (like it doesn't feel bassy at all, in fact the bass probably will seem very very weak to the ears of most dance music fans), but the high-mids are pushed a little bit too much and that bass adjustment isn't quite high enough to make up for it. However, these levels were something V-Moda did based on a ton of user/audience feedback, so it's safe to say these headphones will have really good levels for most listeners who like a wide variety of music genres. And all things considered, the mix is still very neutral compared to most consumer headphones... I listened to stuff by Bose and Sony and almost all of them were WAY too heavy on bass, drowning out the details in the middle ranges, or WAY too heavy on treble and it felt like a tiny demon was poking at my ears >_< And these weren't cheap headphones either - I'm talking $150-$300 sets here.
Most of the rest will be based on your personal needs... if you want over-ear headphones, these are on-ear so they're not for you. Maybe they'll fit your head, maybe they won't. They're not noise-cancelling but they are noise-reducing so the person next to you on the train or bus won't hear your music unless you REALLY blast it, but you won't feel like there's nothing in your head but music while you're wearing them.
The fact that they've been jacked up to ~$270 is like... yeah that's a bit high but not unexpected for ayu-branded thing (see the doubled price on the candle that came with Colours last year). It's also not unexpected for "boutique" headphones - Beats, for example, sound alright, but they do NOT have $100-$300 sound... more like $50-$100 sound. But you're paying for the design & brand. So here you're paying the extra $100 for the white color & ayu logo, which to me looks MUCH nicer since the design of these headphones when not Ayu-branded is very industrial looking.
These headphones get consistently very good reviews and perform really well when compared to other on-ear headphone sets, and when compared to other sets at a similar price point. That said, there are $100 headphones by the likes of Audio Technica that might be BETTER for you personally depending on your needs. Then again, there are $200-300 sets that don't sound nearly as good as these too, like I said.
tl;dr: Are these worth $270? Probably not, depending on how much the design matters to you. Are they worth the $170 they go for normally, in their plain black color? Depending on what you need/want, almost definitely. These are NOT cheap headphones, their sound quality is really solid.