Absolutely Awful Vintage Headphones

[@clickbait7396]

I love how all the cheapo headphones literally sound like you're listening in to someone else's music from another room, or like on the other end of the hall. It's truly a marvel of engineering how they compacted that experience into something you can wear on your head.

[@ToastyMozart]

The Novas are like someone dropped your Bluetooth speaker into the bathtub.

[@snesguy9176]

Eh they were bad but I think I'd prefer the vintage cheepos to modern knockoff headphones. I've had worse cheap headphones. The stax were dope though, I could imagine trying to rig those for a PC setup lol

[@marcusborderlands6177]

@@snesguy9176 modern knockoffs are amazing these days dude. Just don't buy lifestyle brands, get stuff like Samsons or other chi fi like kz's

[@NovaMaster375]

@@ToastyMozart I am not associated with those headphones.

[@CantankerousDave]

Elevator Simulator is pretty accurate.

[@berdansargol1577]

I love how they made Beethoven wear headphones, considering the fact that he's deaf. They really wanted to make a bold box art but it really backfired.

[@pinguspringus8356]

Maybe they’re so good that even Deafhoven gave them a try!

[@Napert]

they were so bad Beethoven went deaf because of them

[@mahjonglover3614]

They really wanted to stress how comfortable those headphones are, you don't even need to to be able to hear anything and still be satisfied

[@grizzlydino]

They show you they are so bad that even beethoven can hear the awfullness

[@sourgrapekate1003]

It’s odd that they’re so quiet. If you’re going to put Beethoven on your box, they should be louder.

[@KevinStriker]

All these '70s shoe-sounding headphones are really giving me old computer lab vibes. The most unlistenable, uncomfortable, beige headphones your librarian can buy

[@matthewb5364]

Same as in public library computer rooms in the 2000s! Playing kids games or browsing Garfield comics... Those were the days, even with sore ears.

[@liampatterson9396]

@@matthewb5364 having to switch ears every 5 or so minutes cause it’s making your ears hurt

[@matthewb5364]

@@liampatterson9396 Yeah, I kinda just held onto one ear (holding the plastic speaker away) after the other with my free hand...

[@SteveTheCombine]

Ah yes, elementary school memories of playing coolmathgames

[@blakksheep736]

The beige is non-optional, of course.

[@DrEtzor]

It's actually amazing how they managed to make headphones that make any music sound like elevator music.

[@indecipherable22]

How to listen to vaporwave

[@AnnoyedSonic]

IKR

[@compresant349]

A magical experience from when people actually went out

[@jazrivvaz1282]

@@compresant349 ok boomer

[@compresant349]

@@jazrivvaz1282 just Joke my g

[@AgentTasmania]

It has to be said, the Lambdas look even better than they sound. Absolute 70s scifi class

[@patrickweiler3fc09]

i actually like them more than the HD600s. I don't know if its the colour of the sound or something else, but they feel more wide to me

[@Calipsopawzz]

They look like something I would see in 2001

[@camwing]

I don't think I've ever been as surprised by a headphone test as I was at 3:47. Almost jarring how much worse they sound by comparison.

[@cameronr1711]

It sounds like being put on hold

[@DoctorTaco]

Was in the car and gagged a bit when I heard them

[@link11913]

Was eating dinner and nearly spit out my drink

[@velociraptorx100]

i was smilin from the noise of the stacks and then boom, instant frown. i didnt think even with this small sony on ear corded headphones i could hear THAT much difference even after youtue compression and whatnot.

[@noahbeaudin6478]

Even with my crappy headphones I could clearly notice the difference.

[@Kamtar34]

for anyone intrested those Staxs (and any other electrostatic speakers) need energizer and special connector not because they need too much power but because they operate at around 600 volts. (You need high voltage to move stuff with electrostatic field).

[@EvocativeKitsune]

Time to break out the microwave transformer.

[@fix0the0spade]

With that much power I dread to think what happens in a power surge. I like to imagine the user's head exploding.

[@NoblePineapples]

@@EvocativeKitsune **Hefty click** BVVVVVVVVVVV

[@gab_v250]

@@EvocativeKitsune electroboom be like

[@someoneelse7629]

@@NoblePineapples And the volume goes to 11

[@isaacw_5808]

As Dank has said before, most of these headphones sound like music after someone else has already listened to it

[@blakksheep736]

Recycled music.

[@Journey_to_who_knows]

Sloppy singings

[@Cheelex333]

5:37 water in your ears simulator

[@TheMalformedViperfish]

it does sound like water in your ears

[@TapeFaceYT]

Its a good thing Beethoven was deaf, or he'd have actually been suffering through the awful sound of the Realistic Nova Pros

[@TheReviewer63]

Absolutely astounding, not only a new addition to "THE DESK" but I was literally thinking to myself as the Boots headphones were playing, "Man this sounds like listening to elevator music IN an elevator" and not three seconds later he said it I about lost it.

[@catfish552]

You know you're watching the right channels when that happens!

[@TheReviewer63]

@Fishy Pug Bruh Dude what are you talking about

[@DoctorHero]

@Fishy Pug Bruh what?

[@some1csgo]

Exactly that happened to me!

[@_NobodySpecial_]

@Fishy Pug Bruh huh?

[@Marco-vp8wl]

Never bursted out laughing during a headphone test before xD Now i know how game studios make their under water effects 🤔

[@myrealusername2193]

Have you watched the Skullcandy crushers video? They’re like the exact opposite of the boots

[@kowalskigaming2103]

I'm underwater plz help me

[@denzy_lolol]

or their elevator music

[@Capadapp]

broo same

[@Forrest_O.]

I rather submerging a good waterproof Bluetooth speaker over supporting that company

[@NovemberOrWhatever]

Normally, when you're talking about open vs. closed-back headphones, it's abstract. But with these, it sounds like they put an earbud in a plastic cup

[@justindesrosiers3145]

It’s because closed-backs aren’t all bad, they’re just a different cup design… They’re also not very common in the hifi world for some reasons… Must be because of the more narrow soundstage and imaging. Other than that they’re not inferior to open-backs

[@NovemberOrWhatever]

@@justindesrosiers3145 yeah, I watched this video with a pair of close-backs, but, because they’re well-designed, I don’t hear the plastic shell

[@thewooddove2]

@@justindesrosiers3145 they're not common because of cup reflection. With an open back, sound can travel freely while a closed back has the around bouncing off the back of thw cup and back into your ears. K361/K371, E-MU Teak, Aurorus Australis, and ZMF Vérité Closed are great examples of a closed back done right. (Also ZMF Atticus but that's a less common choice)

[@justindesrosiers3145]

@@thewooddove2 I’ve never really heard this issue. Tried the M70X in an audio convention and they sounded fine to me. I don’t have the finest ears ever either tho so…

[@blakksheep736]

It's like the Zaanus if they were intentionally ruining your music, instead of just inadvertently.

[@joshuamay8028]

The boots audio headphones are from the pharmacy Boots in the UK who also used to sell a wide range of electronics. Now their main focuses is beauty products and photo printing

[@NotATube]

Yeah, anyone who was only familiar with the type of store they are today (focused on the core pharmacy/beauty/perfume/optician business) might be surprised at how wide the range of products they sold until the mid-90s(?) was. Even the "photo printing" thing isn't a significant part of their business any more. My local store has a pair of automated machines and that's it- the manned counter in the remains of the photo department closed a few years ago and I'm surprised it lasted that long.

[@imstupid880]

I feel like this is untapped potential for a new genre of retro elevator music. Just make your mix, pump it through those headphones, and record it with the ears. Automatic vintage

[@artistwithouttalent]

So, like, the 70s answer to vaporwave?

[@sixunity1171]

@@artistwithouttalent elevatorwave

[@ihatetrollingGaming]

that sounds like something you'd do with a sample to degrade the quality analog-style

[@SheepUndefined]

I used to have a musician friend that got one of those cell phone to handset things, specifically so he could turn his music into "on hold" music.

[@betamax80]

Boots are one of those pharmacy-and-anything-related chains, they have been in the UK since there have been chain stores. Until the mid 1990s they had a big audio-visual department, and sold own-brand electronics. My mum is still using one of their last own-brand Micro HiFi systems.

[@andybaker2456]

I have fond memories of when they had a record department and they would sell off singles that were dropping out of the charts for 10p each. Still got a few records in my collection that have a Boots 10p price tag!

[@lasskinn474]

Boots and watsons are the 2 big pharmacy plus cosmetics chains in thailand. Nobody uses their pharmacy services though and they're pretty much just beauty products like face creams for women etc. Also whitening products for men.

[@theblah12]

They also sell sandwiches, for some reason.

[@NotATube]

Boots used to sell a *much* wider range of product types back then, to an extent that would probably surprise anyone who wasn't around at the time. In hindsight, they were almost like a mini department store- they did photographic processing and equipment, they sold audiovisual equipment (as you mention) and had a good range of prerecorded records, tapes and CDs, even computers and computer games. I mean, I even remember my Dad buying home brew beer kits and equipment there...! As you note, it was probably the 90s when they seemed to ditch most of that and focus more on their core business. Probably too much competition from more specialist stores.

[@tavaszigabor5375]

this is what i want from my headphonies. sound like vibrating cat food cans while looking like safety earmuffs

[@kantraa]

i feel like the sound of vibrating food cans are better than these

[@ToastyMozart]

@@kantraa Only one way to find out, *time to break out the Boom Tunes!*

[@gragglesimpson7362]

​@@ToastyMozart YEAHHH BABY

[@kantraa]

@@ToastyMozart HELL YEAH

[@blakksheep736]

@@ToastyMozart whoo!

[@sethandseth2]

I was not ready for how awful these sounded. Legitimately laughed out loud when it cut to their audio every single time. It's amazing that utter trash $10 earbuds nowadays sound dramatically better than these

[@nickwallette6201]

Confirmed. The Stax sounded great through my iPhone pack-ins. The others ... sounded like an elevator with a speaker that got punched one too many times.

[@firesurfer]

@@techno1561 No.

[@DiabloXL69]

@@techno1561 that doesn’t make sense considering the Stax Lambdas we’re just as old and might have also had disintegrating sponge.

[@DiabloXL69]

@@techno1561 oh. OK

[@FPSzky]

i bet chinese airpods knockoffs sound miles better than that thing lmaoo

[@iancsc]

Crazy, I actually use Realistic Nova Pros as my daily drivers (as in I watched this video with them on), but I actually made them wireless by removing the wire, replacing it with a 3.5mm jack and connecting a small Bluetooth receiver with a decent amp and they sound way better than whatever that was lol.

[@blakksheep736]

Where does that phrase "daily drivers" come from?

[@iancsc]

@@blakksheep736 I think it originally comes from people describing the car they use to get to work as opposed to their "fun" car.

[@connorthecarguy6835]

Same! It was a trip seeing them come up in this vid as I was wearing mine. I've replaced the cable too, but they're still hardwired. They do sound better in person than the speaker at the bottom of a drum sound in the video, maybe that's just from running the audio through them twice kinda.

[@musguelha14]

Yeah, the ears need a lot of correction to actually sound somewhat accurate.

[@AndyPlaysAllNight]

I actually had the headphones at 4:40, but it was not kept well throughout the years. I recently moved, and when I found those again, the foam covering the holes either crumbled or stuck to it like in the video, so I tossed them out while packing up stuff. I liked the comfortableness, and the ability to control the volume on each ear, though I don't see the practicality in that nowadays.

[@panqueque445]

That "headphone jack" on the late 70s headphones look like something you'd find in a construction site. You're either gonna listen to music in amazing quality or blow up your entire neighborhood.

[@frankhorriganfromfallout2]

It’s a win either way!

[@Journey_to_who_knows]

It looks like a crafting item in a survival game

[@NeighborSenpai]

It looks like a three phase electrical plug for those big and heavy machines that do things your regular outlet cannot

[@brentfisher902]

Or like the 8-track detonator wiring for blasting rock.

[@TheKnobCalledTone.]

When adjusted for inflation, those "cheap" vintage headphones were probably the equivalent of a couple hundred bucks a pair in today's money. Considering that Samson SR850s and Superlux HD681s (my goto cheap cans) absolutely spank them and cost a fraction of price in real terms, that just shows how far cheap headphones have come since the '70s.

[@thisisnev]

Ironic, since they're based on the AKG K240 design from, er, the '70s!

[@thewooddove2]

For $20 KSC75 and $50 Portapro still ruin most headphones up to $300. Of course you have random gems like HE400se at $110 and HD6XX at $280, as well as K361/K371, but those are basically the only things in that range that can compete. For $20-50 that's shocking.

[@thewooddove2]

BTW the other ones I listed, especially 400se and 6xx, absolutely stomp on the kosses and its not just an "even match", but my point still stands.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

have some superlux myself. they really sound great for how little money they coat. plus they can take original AKG cushions. and not really a fan of on-ears, they tend to be uncomfortable on my big noggin.

[@thewooddove2]

@@techno1561 anything over 1000 is ruined by the existence of the aurorus borealis and Focal Clear (original), while anything above 4400 is dominates by Focal Utopia. Estats are overpriced and not even close to being worth it for the money.

[@mattatk92]

I'm not an audiophile but I love watching you review all your nuggets

[@DrMatrix1231]

A whataphile!?

[@John-Doe-Yo]

@@DrMatrix1231 nuggetophile

[@brianrianocruz6231]

@@DrMatrix1231 a monophile

[@peppidesu]

4:00 the elevator music sounds like its actually being played in an elevator now. edit: lol i called it gg dankpods

[@erwinc.9117]

The Stax are incredible. If you told me that the original song sounded like that I would've probably just written it off as low recording quality, and not be able to tell it's actually played through headphones and then recorded.

[@Aderalls]

The Boots really sound like one of those filters to make audio sound _old_ and yet, I like how they sound. Imagine that, novelty headphones that purposely sound like doodoo.

[@Aderalls]

@@anthomations its a bot. either report or ignore

[@neilomac]

Those headphones sound like the bridge on a Porcupine Tree song.

[@justinreid2947]

If what I just heard here is the "old" sound then I want *NOTHING* to do with it. It takes being a god tier level of crap to make this kind of muffled "sound". Hell in the jazz song that Dank usually plays you can't even hear the high hat. It's so muffled you can almost confuse the muffled bits for reverb... if you were *really* high or in an insane asylum. I *hate* it when headphones sound like this. This is the absolutely bottom of the barrel when it comes to audio fidelity.

[@Sean-Ax]

Like that Skullcandy bass thing he ahowed a few times lol

[@JNJNRobin1337]

they're called the skullcandy crushers i think if i remember

[@ChrisChrone]

I've never laughed out loud from the headphone comparisons before but going from the Stax to the Boots absolutely broke me

[@EvocativeKitsune]

Same. Read this comment first, then had to come back because of how true it is.

[@spiritfox123]

Same but with the Stax vs the Avenger. The way the bass just completely vanishes made me die laughing

[@myrealusername2193]

@@spiritfox123 it’s like the opposite of the crushers lmao

[@orangequill1645]

I was not expecting it to be somehow worse than the headphones where you plug the earbuds into

[@PinkAgaricus]

There's also the transition to the boots where he's giving the dude with the microphone in the boxart a singing voice. That's the part that broke me. It's at 2:27 if you want a timestamp.

[@maximilianmorse9697]

4:08 It makes the elevator music sound like it's being played in an actual elevator

[@ziadhesham2401]

Same

[@sergiomendoza6811]

The graphic design in all of the boxes actually is badass design, very nicely done

[@NicDunn]

The audio tests sound like a movie where they’re cutting between a band recording in the studio and someone else waiting outside the studio

[@robokaos69]

I bought the Sammies a while back by your recommendation and I've loved them ever since. They've gone down in price since then to my knowledge as well. I bought them at $50 and I think they're around 35$ now. Crazy how you can even make such good stuff for that cheap considering how much expensive garbage is being thrown out by big brands nowadays.

[@justindesrosiers3145]

I don’t like the SurUh8Hunge0’s (damn I’m so creative)… One of my friend has them and I tried them when chosing my first pair of open-backs. I putted them on my head and… The treble immediatly made me cringe. Usually, I like bright stuff, but with the Samsons it’s just… Uugh… They were shouty, sharp and there wasn’t any details in the treble. I’m glad I bought the Philips SHP9500 instead

[@thewooddove2]

@@justindesrosiers3145 agreed. Ksc75 and portapro are at the price and SO much better. The SR850s are grainy treble upon meh everything else. Creative Aurvana Live! SE is also $50 and a great closed back for the price. For $60 more you can get HE400SE which are substantially better than anything before that even I (a person who really doesn't like much at all) have on my head rn. Or, even better, IEMs at the price. Moondrop CHU, Tin T2+ (not regular or pro), Moondrop Aria/ Aria snow edition, KZ CRN (but nothing else by KZ), CCA CRA, and more. I get that not everyone likes iems but it's worth it.

[@justindesrosiers3145]

@@thewooddove2 IEMs don’t fit in my ears, they refuse to stay in. Earplugs too KSC75… Yeah they’re good. No subbass and resolution is meh but other than that they’re alright Portapros… Ain’t that the pair that people love to mod? Ah dunno man they sound pretty dark to me. And for someone like me who likes treble… Sorry man I don’t agree. Also don’t you think it’s ironic that the Koss community says they sound so good then immediately mod the shit outta them to change the sound? Just sayin’ The rest I either haven’t listened or simply don’t know. Feel free to educate me on the rest

[@robokaos69]

@@justindesrosiers3145 they have super dipped 4k-5k Could be a part of it I personally really enjoy that sound, and it makes listening to metal more tolerable with how saturated that frequency is in that genre, but I can understand it not being for everyone.

[@justindesrosiers3145]

@@spaghet-lessbonesauce2479 Mmmh the Sundaras. I’m considering upgrading to them soon. They seem very balanced but with a little bright touch. And I love bright touches!

[@mocombat4]

8:15 God it's like your In the restroom of a jazz bar. Listening to the band while you are holding on to dear life cuss the coffee hitted to hard

[@mkkocsis]

I spit my lunch out laughing at 3:55 when the Boots switched over

[@trainsandstuff1021]

It sounds like that you are listening a band that is playing inside an empty sheet metal shed... from outside the shed 10 meters away..

[@razvantofan2927]

Yup they sound like a shoe

[@chrisjamesr77]

2:01 The legendary Trident Studios, where The Beatles recorded Hey Jude and some of the White Album, and where Queen recorded their first few albums! (though Queen's relationship with Trident, who was also their management, infamously went sour after that!)

[@SebastianŁepecki-p4j]

4:00 boots sound like played through the Telephone

[@DSFII]

4:30 you just gave them a catchphrase. “Boots, it sounds like a shoe.”

[@henryfleischer404]

I really like the coiled cables, and wish more headphones shipped with them. They are more durable than straight ones, and are less likely to break the jack if it gets caught on anything.

[@thispenguinflies1444]

@@techno1561 I believe that coiled cables can be very useful, for those of us that need short cable most of the time, but other times we want to extend the cable when we reach for something. If you don't need it, don't use it, I however like that there is an option, especially for those headphones that have a removable cable.

[@jemmapellemma8185]

If you spend a lot of time in a studio or connected to an external audio interface or anything similar: the coil is an absolute must-have so you don't rip-out of a jack or pull an interface off of a desk when you move your head. Don't try to DJ without a coiled cord! Sooner or later you will regret it. Also the noise from cable-rub on uncoiled cords makes some mixdowns and mastering-tasks basically impossible without keeping your head absolutely still. Plenty of musicians simply will *not* buy headphones *without* a coil cord.

[@MaxW-er1hm]

Sony mdr-7506 are a film/video production audio standard can are small enough to be portable(smaller by a little to beats and sound way more balanced) and they are affordable for what you get. And you get a coiled cable.

[@henryfleischer404]

@@MaxW-er1hm I use Sennheiser HD 599's. They're not as affordable, but I would change nothing in order to improve them.

[@tydshiin5783]

I love them too, but it's also really annoying when the tension is too much and too heavy duty at times

[@dreamscape9295]

Really cool to see how far audio quality has come for lower priced products. Even stinkbuds are more tolerable than these smelly relics

[@konga382]

Very few people used headphones until the rise of the walkman, and it shows. There was no money in making budget headphones, so if they weren't made for studios, they were pure crap.

[@onnapnewo]

the single best rendition of What a Fool Believes ever recorded 2:25

[@ParadigmRiki]

I love how much the headphone testing music sounds like actual elevator music when they're played through these ancient nuggets

[@flamepiper001]

I think they may not have been entirely thinking it through when they made their cover photo a picture of the headphones on a bust of Beethoven, a composer that is most well known for being deaf.

[@kefir321]

lmao

[@TruFalco]

Those Nova Pro's reminded me of when I was in elementary school and they gave you these massive pairs of cans to do an ear test. They sounded like them too. All mids, all that space and nothing in them.

[@justinreid2947]

You've... absolutely nailed it. I totally forgot about those things! So damn true.

[@hatsumi_rou_]

Or old aircraft equipment

[@skytheguy0438]

I own the same exact set of nova pros and what Dank forgot to realize is that the headphones were meant to be plugged into a reciever of the time. I've put mine into a vintage reciever and used the equalizer built into the amp and they actually can sound good!

[@dazley8021]

They all sound like theyre miles away from your ears.... its like listening to someone else wearing headphones from across the subway wagon.

[@liamwarner-lee8930]

funnier , more interesting, more charismatic than any youtubers ive seen and doesnt put the camera on themselves -nice work dude , this is my go to entertainment

[@garchompy_1561]

how did that second pair have the foam removed from between the speaker and ears and it sounded THAT muffled? maybe thats why it was removed, someone listened and thought "man these foam pads make it sound like im listening through a pillow, ill take them out and theyll sound great" and then they didnt.

[@blakksheep736]

Of all attempts in the world, that must have been one of them.

[@AndyPlaysAllNight]

It could have crumbled to pieces like mine did over time and they decided to just clean it out to make it look nicer.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

muffled? it sounded like your neighbor talking to you through bathroom plumbing.

[@romangiertych5198]

When you played the comparison between Stax and BOOTS AUDIO I literally bursted out into laughter! That's exactly what I needed today, thank you for making my thursday evenings much more entertaining.

[@JoeyTheTricky]

I flat out burst into laughter when I heard the Boots 2002's, ESPECIALLY when being compared to the Lambdas a second before. I never would've THOUGHT they'd sound that abysmal!

[@Dasyati]

hearing the boots was like being transported to a parallel dimension where stringed bass instruments were never invented

[@Infinantnarwhals]

Curling into a ball and weeping “time is a flat circle,” after finishing this video.

[@MechMK1]

I really loved the sound of the Stax. I'd love to listen to a set of them in person. But yeah, I have to agree. The HD58X plug straight into the Fiio BTR5 and they sound heavenly too, and for like a fraction of the price. Oh god, when the Boots Audio came on I laughed so hard.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

compared to the HD600 they sound more direct. Not better or worse, just different. The HD600 are almost too wide.

[@UnbelievablyBased]

@@HappyBeezerStudios I found this too, they do a great job staying out of the way and make the HD600's sound quite washy in comparison.

[@codawnfee43]

I usually love vintage stuff, can’t wait to see this :>

[@STICKOMEDIA]

Ye

[@Shrek_Has_Covid19]

germany 1935 stuff

[@ben2808]

Jesus Christ loves you

[@ben2808]

@@Shrek_Has_Covid19 Jesus Christ loves you

[@ben2808]

@@STICKOMEDIA Jesus Christ loves you

[@Queen_Coda]

Danks content is the only thing keeping me alive rn. Thank you brother 🙏 PS: I'm also a proud patron. Can't wait for the after show today!

[@mattatk92]

I'm glad Dankpods medicinal content is keeping you well

[@STICKOMEDIA]

@@mattatk92 fax

[@gunnerroo6514]

I feel ya. Dude has a vibe to brighten any day.

[@ben2808]

Jesus Christ loves you bros

[@masterdoge17]

@@ben2808 kzbin.info/www/bejne/iZ_coZaHfryDmqc Finally it's here after so long.

[@chrisjamesr77]

3:08 LOL, I remember my grandparents had a pair of old massive Koss headphones that I often used when I was over their house as a kid that had that 1/4 inch plug! Also, about the Beatles' records having instruments and/or vocals hard-panned to one channel or another: I know that especially in their early years, the stereo mixes of their records were almost an afterthought. Stereo wasn't quite as popular yet as it would go on to be, and the Beatles themselves had no input on those mixes, I believe.

[@peppidesu]

8:04 that jumpscared the heck out of me lmao

[@0ueddecillion718]

Same 😭

[@Peron1-MC]

4:15 i was litterally thinking elevator music in movies XD

[@quinnobi42]

My first impression of the boots audio ones was 'ew, it sounds like hold music on the telephone'. And on the other ones, you could hear the plastic cup. They were like if you ripped the tiny speaker out of a gift card and taped it to the back of a plastic party cup and used that as headphones.

[@RiceCubeTech]

That’s so oddly specific. Have you done this before 😂

[@qo7052]

was someone's birthday around the time you wrote this comment

[@brentfisher902]

Well one time I had a Tiger electronic game and watch toy and I played music into a piece of wire and put the other wire on the negative battery terminal and said "I know transistors can amplify, what the heck, I"ll just feel up the 3 legs of the transistor with the bare wire and see what happens" ..to my amazement I heard RIAA music playing out the internal piezo speaker..it had no bass at all, but was quite loud.

[@DavidFlowers777]

I full on belly laughed when the boots dared to bless my ears with that paper thin sound

[@dominicklipari]

I wasn't looking at the screen when the comparison started with the boots and I thought, "Huh these are actually pretty impressive" and then the actual ones came in and I was like "Oh..."

[@FLH3official]

Clever idea to put Beethoven on the Realistics' box. He was deaf. So you can consider that as a warning for potential customers.

[@Zach_A]

Dank! You inspired me to buy a set of SR850's as my first pair of decent headphones and they're awesome. Listening to songs I've heard thousands of times before is like hearing them for the first time. I've also started buying CD's again for the first time in over a decade. Thank you for introducing me to this hobby.

[@justindesrosiers3145]

Ayyye physicsl copy gang! I have both CDs and vinyls at home. Hope you like your discs! Ah dunno about the Sammy’s… A friend of mine has them and for my first pair of Open-Backs, I was hesitating between the Sammies and the Philips SHP9500. I tried the Phils and they Blew. Me. Away. Tried the Samsons and… Gosh I hate that treble. So shouty, so overwhelming, so undetailed… They’re not bad but I’m glad I went with the SuhPuhNineHunge0’s (my nicknames are so creative)

[@DarkWiNKenzo]

@@justindesrosiers3145 Ahh yess, the good old Shps, I love my pair, go ear some Dead Circus Decadence with them it's an experience like never before.. granted, for now, I have them, but I really want to get some Jubilees by Senny.. we'll see, and... go take a listen to some Rush Garcia, idk if you know him, his music is fucking nuts.

[@shocktnc]

​@@justindesrosiers3145 You have to remember that your talking about a 35$ headphone versus an 80$ headphone. I got the sammys a few weeks ago and made the mistake of asking a question about the earcups on dankpods discord, instead of getting an answer they went on about how I should have bought something else instead and started recommending stuff that isn't even remotely close to what I need/want. Reason I bring that up is because the people that have said "get this instead" to me have offered more expensive headphones or ones at a similar price that dont fit my needs. I got them to replace the "monoprice retro over ear headphones" (yes that is their actual name) and they are a bit better, not enough for me to warrant keeping them though. The 9500 are twice as expensive as the 850s just to note. Edit: had to change some of my comment because i thought you where talking about the HD600s as well as the 850s and 9500s, I think my mind just assumes everyone is talking about them when im on a dankpods video lol

[@thewooddove2]

@@DarkWiNKenzo go for the 6xx instead. From personal experience with both, they're better in every way. The only place the 58x can kinda compete is in macrodynamics which isn't a big enough difference nor reason to justify getting them over 6xx at all. It's nothing like the 600, it uses a completely different driver like the 660S (not the same driver as the 660s either, but they both don't use the 600 driver) Unless you mean the 580 (not 58x) jubilees, which ate basically a marginally better hd600. Also why would they call it 58x when it's absolutely nothing like the 580, arguably the best headphone ever made (the black silk precision edition specifically)

[@DarkWiNKenzo]

@@thewooddove2 yeah, I do admit, the 5xx, is just the Drop collab taking place, tbh for my budget, even marginal is way better imo.

[@TVEE]

07:45 I love my Beyerdynamic coiled cable. They are so handy and feel amazing. I think the one you showed is a very bad example; they really have come a long way since. You should try it!

[@runeofroses4287]

7:53 there is actually a helicopter-like aircraft in gta online called the avenger based on the irl aircraft Bell Boeing V-22.

[@SwrdBreak]

I come for the funny headphones. I stay for the best What A Fool Believes cover ever.

[@enderthe]

My dude’s like those science channels, you’ll never use the information but it’s still great

[@gunnerroo6514]

I'm genuinely scratching my head how those janky looking Stax headphones beat the 600s like wtf did I just witness? Impressive.

[@xri0tt]

electrostatics for ya [:

[@28_khz]

the Staxx are amazing they make a modern version

[@Blox282]

The Stax have a larger diaphragm & can move faster than the HD600s. They also take more power iirc. Electrostatics respond fast & the Stax is designed as a very open HP. They also cost like twice as much as the 600s. x)

[@zanegandini5350]

Yeah I was watching this while wearing 600s and the Stax did sound slightly better in the comparison, but not by much. Granted, that's likely because of KZbin's compression, and I'm sure the difference is more noticeable when actually wearing them.

[@justindesrosiers3145]

Ah dunno man treble felt a bit weird and there was too much bass for my liking. They’re pretty equal

[@KaitoD]

The boots audio one straight up sounds like the music they'd put on in movies when the scene was meant to represent the old eras with black and white and all that, I know you know what I'm talking about

[@memeface3245]

0:06 No one can't say they don't look like haircombs

[@metalslugworth]

"I Bought Beats by Dr. Dre." < "I Bought Boots by Dr. Shoe."

[@Tsaphah_77]

i've volunteered to work sound at a local church. The sound booth didn't have seats, so coiled headphone cables were incredibly useful since the cable wouldnt touch the ground (and thus be stepped on), but you could still wear the headphones even if you need to move around the booth. Though, once i decided to buy a pair of my own, I ended up getting the straight cable instead, since i'd only use it sitting down.

[@YCbCr]

I've just lost it at the Boots . :D Listening through a chincy cheapo lightweight headphone, but the difference is still beyond silly! By the way, that frame looks familiar! I've modded a Senn HD202 whose original frame had been thrashed onto one. It's comfy AF, tailored, tilted and slanted to fit ever so perfectly - the bendable metal part is awesome. (Seems like it was such a low tier crapshoot too but the frame is universal?)

[@The_Bird_Bird_Harder]

@Fishy Pug Bruh What's that to do with anything? Beyond that I'm not sure you get how that works. A monopoly is controlling the industry, being the only option, there's a bunch of options, but for many people they find it best.

[@JoelCromwell]

I actually burst out laughing when the Boots started playing.

[@wealllikeitsomilkit4301]

1:00 woah why do they sound so crispy

[@Nukle0n]

600v close to your ears

[@faazdoesstuff]

So that's how Beethoven went deaf...

[@MrPitatom]

Listening test... Stax Lambda = live concert hall. Boots audio 2002 = listening to on-hold music on a pay phone while in the city. Realistic Nova Pro = audio reproduction of a toilet bowl. Avenger SH6 = Ah shit, I can't be bothered... What ever!!

[@kemp0063]

"Let's take a comparison with these amazing headphones and my amazing human ear microphone" Me, a connoisseur, listening on earbuds that came for free with my iPhone 4s. "wow I can really hear the difference"

[@justindesrosiers3145]

Connaisseur*

[@DarkWiNKenzo]

@@justindesrosiers3145 c'est un actual word en anglais.

[@justindesrosiers3145]

@@DarkWiNKenzo Hmm… Imma go to sleep smarter tonight merci!

[@kemp0063]

@@justindesrosiers3145 That's the French spelling, Justin. I ain't French.

[@justindesrosiers3145]

@@kemp0063 How tf do I have to figure out that this retarded-ass version of « connaisseur » is an english word?

[@quickhatch8160]

Love it when he uploads Also i didnt expect the boots audio to be that crap im sure a jackhammer sounds nicer than that

[@jonw12]

Alright I finally get why this guy is one of my favorites. He saves the cool sticker and describes the headphones as feeling like a car seat and smelling like incense. I got a “baby hanging station” sticker on my bathroom door and gave my friends some hood wine last night which I described as smelling like your hand after pumping gas at dirty ass gas station.

[@brentfisher902]

I am also a member of the Childfree Master Race.

[@Gunbudder]

3:25 LOL these are adapted from ear protection! i have some really old ear pro for shooting that is nearly identical to these. i guess ear pro was probably more common than headphones, so it likely made production way cheaper to use those molds to start with (including the hardware like the metal wires)

[@WellBeSerious12]

Realistic Nova? They even emulated the pain your ears would feel from it - short of exploding.

[@Thesadlily12]

I accidentally paused at 10:11 and saw a person(patron) named iCuckedmydad

[@matta344]

I absolutely love Frank. And it always makes me happy when Frank gets a cameo.

[@TheHalogen131]

8:22 I thought you were meant to keep the clapping toy for situations like these? Come on!

[@woody2066]

Jesus Christ, that transition from the Stax to the Boots gave me whiplash

[@CrowCandorra]

Somehow those cheap old Headphones make it sounds like the big Hall at School where too few speakers where hanged and noone thought how to place them right in the big boxy Hall, but every Scool Event was Held there and always with Music...

[@mistrotech8894]

I have headphones similar to the Boots audio and Tandy. A cheap 4.5mm headphone by Cosrad. I got a 6.35mm to 3.5mm adapter, and now use that as a backup pair. The audio on those sucked, with echoes and ringing in the ears...until I turned down the post loudness in an equalizer, and used a Sennheiser convolver. For some reason it improved the sound a lot to the point where they're actually pretty alright...Still nothing compared to Sennheiser open backs.

[@VantBIck]

That was the fastest headphone comparison I've seen.

[@tdoctor_wtt]

I honestly think if you take two of the "turn everything into a speaker" thing from the last video, attached both of them to two flip-flops and tape them to your head, the sound this monstrocity would make would actually be better them this headphones all together.

[@enthusiasticgeek7237]

the realistic nova pros actually just look like low end aviation headphones. sounds like them too!

[@anormalchannel6500]

All of those headphones sound like you're in an empty mall or store

[@ProtoHadron]

5:50 should've called them "trash headphones sealed behind glass"

[@solartaire]

5:01 holy crap I've driven by that Tandy place before LMAO that's awesome

[@chasebh89]

I always respect when dank wholey uninstalls his Stax every time he needs to prove a point

[@Satiricboi]

Boots sound like a cheap elevator with no copyright

[@nuc2726]

3:47 it's like one of those action movies and everything's just getting blown to bits and the bad guys are running and then, suddenly, comedically calm elevator scene, coupled with stupid elevator music, and then back into action

[@clicksandbeeps61]

Damn the stax are amazing. Every time it played walk through the park, it sounded like it was exactly the same as the actual song. The other headphones sounded like someone was playing it through a landline.

[@arbayer2]

I initially misread that as landmine and even after correcting myself I imagine the temporary deafness is appropriate

[@shaikhulud1989]

Speaking of old headphones, mdr-7506 are still in production after almost 30 something years and they still sounds amazing, espacially for the price. (bought mine a year ago to replace destroyed HD650) Would be cool to see your video about models like 7506 that's basically vintage but still being manufactured in droves.

[@louisantonio2462]

Haha making fun of vintage headphones aside, I feel like Danks' implication of showing off the Stax as a vintage headphone and seemingly hint at how old headphones are inconvenient back in the day when it's more about the Stax being an electrostatic headphone that are still produced to this day and that level of work for the headphone to function. The rest of the headphone lineup we saw just had the 6.3mm termination that can plug into a lot of non portable audio even now (6.3 was the standard because the concept of portable audio wasn't a thing as Danks mentioned) but now you can bring it places if you want to since we saw him use a DAP that can just plug into it. Electrostatics are the exception; not the rule for vintage headphones.

[@Sjh1138]

Yeah, I have K240 Sextetts and K340’s from around the same time and they’re no more or less convenient than comparable modern headphones besides the quarter inch jack

[@AbteilungsleiterinBeiAntifaEV]

Nowadays electrostatic headphones have a 3.5mm jack. So there is more convenience now.

[@E3kHatena]

Watching the older videos and seeing him stick something top the top of the desk is like witnessing a flashback to past, plot-relevant events like Return of the Obra Dinn

[@電]

Omg yeah! I know right?!

[@Maddin1313]

"and jackplug" Wow this is so great, I'm tired of buying headphones with bare wires, even if they are pre-stripped.

[@brentfisher902]

Kind of like the other video DankPods did about the Laser tablet which proudly said on the box that it had a touch screen. Or the VW millennium Bug, which also has heat.