Normal People Try HIFI Headphones!

[@SpookySkeletonGang]

Would have REALLY liked to see them listen to songs of their own choice, along with the controlled ones. Every time I've tried to show friends audio stuff, they're never impressed until they hear something that they love and they've heard before. Loved the video either way!

[@turbo2092]

I always do this too, show something to my friends/family that they've listened to many, many times. And then after knocking their socks off, I show them a song that really uses the headphones to the fullest. My favorite part though is whenever they listen to a song they have heard frequently, on good headphones. They notice an instrument they've never known was there and say "it's like I am listening to it for the first time."

[@eskamobob8662]

Every time I show people cans. "Needs more 🐟"

[@MacXpert74]

That makes sense. Because if you listen to something you're familiar with, then you have a reference point of how you know it sounds on other systems. If you then hear it on something that's more revealing than what you are used to, you'll immediately recognize the better sound quality. But with an unfamiliar song, you have no idea what it 'supposed' to sound like or how well it was recorded. So you might still think it sound 'alright', but how good it really is, is difficult to judge without this reference point.

[@AIRFORCEFREAK1]

@@turbo2092 Spot on. If you don't do it this way they don't get it.

[@nerdyneedsalife8315]

I agree, the listener needs music that is familiar to them. When I show people the few headphones I have, I use my FiiO BTR5 and sync to their phone so it is their music library that they're listening to.

[@kato2395]

"sounds like my samsung earbud" Audiophiles: *dead*

[@rialdoroeloffze628]

This made me chuckle.

[@Bmxrkid]

Dead

[@MTheoOA]

AHAHAHA i have 2 friends which don't distinguish anything, just if the bud/phone is playing or not. It's SO frustrating to me to hear it.

[@bathynomusgiganteus2916]

@@MTheoOA tone deafness

[@jimboy6414]

@@bathynomusgiganteus2916 that's not tone deafness. They just cannot tell the difference between high quality sound and mediocre one. Tone deafness is the inability to play rhythm in your head.

[@kuruchi]

audiophiles are like wine scavenger, they forgot that sometimes people just want to get drunk.

[@andrewhaines3259]

Audiophiles listen to the equipment, not the music!

[@oliverm6286]

@@andrewhaines3259 audiophiles dont use their equipment to listen to music. They use the music to listen to their equipment😂

[@Hempujonsito]

@@andrewhaines3259 mfs spend 10k on a balanced setup only to listen to anime music

[@Case_]

Then again, if you "just want to get drunk", wine is a horrible choice.

[@jetlyfe12]

​@@Case_ which is exactly why companies like beats make a killing.

[@MrGrosMamouth]

Your father glows with wisdom, every word is well chosen and his own train of thought is explained in a way that is easy to understand.

[@PuppetMasterdaath144]

YES BOW DOWN TO THE MASTER

[@Spacemonkeymojo]

@@PuppetMasterdaath144 wtf lol

[@crshedlak3158]

How do you know that’s not his brother? Ha

[@3Black.1Red]

"Normal People Try HIFI Headphones" implying that audiophiles are not normal people Accurate. 👌

[@kisu_ve625]

Audiophiles are junkies Can't have enough. Always needs better and better

[@yeongkarsoon481]

Yass..

[@yuckoob]

We’re just retarded enough

[@akdomun]

Audiophiles aren't normal people. If somebody would sell you better "air" for your listening room so the sound waves transfer better to the ears we'd buy it.

[@LaMereACaniche]

@@akdomun Considering many people buy insanely priced cables and pretend to hear a difference, you're right.

[@jaredsmith6705]

old man's got the freshest shirt.

[@chamade166]

A lot of obese people too. Is that normal these days 😳

[@kevinhuynh1870]

@@chamade166 wtf does that have anything to do with his shirt?

[@jiehfeng]

Doesn't he remind you of Saruman?

[@teighan7829]

Agreed, although I am biased as one of my favourite shirts is very similar if not the same. Have it on in my pfp rn

[@billjamal4764]

@@chamade166 where?

[@wagrram]

What a wholesome family, man. I'm actually jealous. They seem to be great people to be around.

[@jn01996]

Does your family doesn't make you feel like they are great people to be around? I feel sorry for you if that's the case...

[@funcionyforma]

@@jn01996 such an unconsidered thing to say

[@jn01996]

@@funcionyforma wish you all the best

[@funcionyforma]

@@jn01996 wish you the best too. I meant not everybody has a nice family. If someone came and express his good will about sombody elses family, doesn't need to be pointed out if his own isn't great. Didn't mean to be rude, sorry if I was.

[@jn01996]

@@funcionyforma Not at all it's a valuable comment from your side. I wasn't trying to point out that his family wasn't good I was just trying to sympathise with him in case if he wasn't as lucky as the author of the video. After all not everyone can afford to have a great family. Have a wonderful day!

[@cwjdog57]

Is Russ a structural or mechanical engineer by chance? His takes on build quality were absolutely on point.

[@raksh9]

Was about to ask the same thing. Talks about points of failure and build quality.

[@cunt5413]

Not to be a boomer but he's from a generation that didn't change their phones every year lol

[@kennymccormick8295]

@@raksh9 No, you weren't.

[@raksh9]

@@kennymccormick8295 uh huh

[@jcolonna12]

I was also thinking the same thing. Some sort of engineering probably mechanical

[@jessicayeo97]

Meanwhile my family and friends just reply: "Yea, sounds good" lol. Great review mate.

[@DatHombre]

Yeah haha I have given up trying to "amaze" anyone since that is neeeever the case

[@tharun7290]

So relatable ! Its a bittersweet experience because Im glad I can appreciate these nuances of sound with such joy, but literally nobody cares lol. Even after several months, my headphones make me smile Me: 'Wowww the vocalist on this song is so intense! They have a larger than life presence and the instruments have awesome attack and decay!" Friend: "Sounds nice"

[@seattletyler]

have another beer ❤

[@Fabio-ql5yf]

@@tharun7290Then please tell me the headphones you’re using!

[@melantus]

I was expecting one to be more budget like the Sundara to make an appearance against these more high priced headphones. Especially when more casual listener will drop Sundara money on Sony WH and Beats headphones.

[@computer1up]

Beats Solo Pro's on the go, HE4XX's on a Schiit stack at home :) I love hifi, but the convenience of those more mainstream units on the go is worth the reduction in sound quality. Can't really appreciate nice hifi stuff when I'm not home anyway. Not enough piece and quiet for that :p

[@jk25653]

Wireless/Noise canceling is the name of the game for most casual listeners. I think sundara would fly off the shelf, if somehow they managed the “open” sounds stage and detail with wireless/noise canceling tech at $350!

[@bnktopa]

@@computer1up yeah. When im running, im not concentrated in the quality of the sound

[@xiztrn]

@@computer1up I never leave the house without my xDSD for decent sound on the go, screw ANC :)

[@LorenzoFrausto]

@@xiztrn Fiio UTWS3 paired with Legacy 2, for me. Hifi on the go! 😎

[@ryguy9664]

Russ seems highly analytical and intelligent with how he articulates his thoughts so well. Other two gave great examples on what they individually value out of a headphone. One of your best videos by far!!!

[@robertovillareyjr.8488]

i like how calm they are knowing the prices of each meanwhile everyone around me are always like "wuuut!? that's absurd" after hearing the price of my hifiman He400se...

[@eskamobob8662]

Its all about disposable income. I know several people who don't want to even touch a set of arya as well as a several more who wouldn't even blink if they found out the cost of a susvara chain

[@canIhavethishandle]

i think because Joshua told em about what the video about so they didnt seemed as shocked as people who dont know the context

[@robertovillareyjr.8488]

@@eskamobob8662 that's true since for me and people around me, $100 is already a lot which is why people always complain to me when they ask for how much the Tin T3 when i first got it

[@robertovillareyjr.8488]

@@canIhavethishandle fair enough. it could be that and they're already expecting high prices considering they hit close to the actual prices but could also be the difference on what's considered to be on the expensive side since for where i live, those are on the 'absurd' category and not just expensive

[@nathanfay1988]

Joshua's family probably have some understanding of what he does for a living, maybe even seen a video or two just to learn about one of their family members

[@hedgeearthridge6807]

It's interesting how each of them value something different from the headphones! Russ appreciates the Tuning more, how balanced and present the different frequency ranges are. Jason appreciates Technical ability, like Resolution ("Clear" and "Detailed"), Transients ("Speed", like how "Fast" a headphone is and can accurately represent quick changes in frequency), and to a lesser extent Imaging (Soundstage, and how 3D and positional the sound is), while he also appreciates good Bass Extension. Sam is harder to place, she likes everything overall. Imaging is really important, she wants to feel like she's there or in a movie theater, and she likes good Tuning too, she wants the frequencies to be represented well and sound real. It's so cool!

[@DDHDTV]

completely missed out on the comparison to "consumer" headphones and also enthusiast headphones like 560s or something. Would have liked them to also listen to their music of choice and in the end let them decide which one they liked the most. (including like AKG361, Sony XM4, 6xx and then HIFI or similar)

[@duke86fan]

honestly yeah.. maybe make them try 5 headphones of different styles and price calibre (i dunno about IEMs that might be weird)... lets say random idea... keep the abyss and maybe the focals, but also add in stuff like the AKG K361, the sundaras, and the 6XX.. so we have open and closed back dynamics and planars that have different usages

[@minime453]

Probably saving it for a follow up vid

[@popoffrotmg981]

He said in another comment that they also listened to music of their choice, but I agree that a lower price headphone would be nice.

[@mixedup5858]

He did, it's mixtape

[@cancersillycrab]

I think this video also demonstrates the difference in age groups when it comes what they value, older people observations on good build quality and longevity may come from seeing how back in their day, products lasting a lot longer

[@Mickparrysstepdad]

I'd have included some Sennhieser hd600 because they are well known on most hifi forums as being very neutral, accurate and linear compared to other headphones.

[@flibber123]

The first thing I noticed is none of them had any kind of "Wow!" reaction. You know when someone is truly impressed because they can't hide that instantaneous first reaction. No one had that in this video. That surprised me because I figured that at least one of the headphones you chose would stand out.

[@atomka2433]

My thoughts exactly. I still have this Wow effect almost every day when I put my Grados on my ears.

[@Stavroization]

That's what makes us audiophiles

[@al201103]

@@atomka2433 That's when you know for certain you made the right choice. Same for me with my UM Mest (and DX220 DAP, since it plays a large part)

[@jpcfernandes]

I think Jason was truly impressed by the Hifiman. But yes, I remember when I got to a RicherSounds store to buy some Sony earbuds, and the guy there diligently convinced me to instead take a pair of Klipsch x10 IEMs that were at a very good discount price. The rest is history.

[@todd8155]

​@@jpcfernandes - Jason liked the dynamics of planar magnetics, their clarity and imaging. He wasn't put off by lack of bass punch of planar magnetics. He also surmised their "open" nature (open back distinctios like hearing external sounds). Sam enjoyed the bass punch of the Focal dynamic headphones. Russ seemed pretty good at analysing various components like imagaging, difference in bass, mid, and treble response, as well as build quality. All 3 got the cost in proper order from cheapest to most expensive and were suprisingly close at assigning a price.

[@badseedtech]

Seriously great video man!

[@guacfiend]

good to see you here!

[@ritiksrivastava3093]

First time I tried on the ARIAs, I almost cried listening to my mix. Seeing people so chill with these super high end stuff makes me think they should try some consumer headphones right after just to have a basis for comparison.

[@winstonsmith8236]

First time I tried my new Beyer DT1990 I listened to a Jonsi song (Shiver) I’ve heard 1000 x before and the “new” mix/quality brought me to literal tears.

[@kennymccormick8295]

Wow lol, that's hilarious. Not in a good way.

[@roggiepogi211]

@@WhosThatItsNoOne hahaha what the heck

[@YourLocalCafe]

Oh i got my OnePlus Buds Z2 a month ago (Ik not at all audiophile league but bear with me here) and when i first listened to one of my bass heavy tracks, i almost cried, they sounded miles better than the samsung in-ear buds i used for like 5 years. If you have the listening skills a better device can really change the experience.

[@isaiah3565]

@Ritik Srivastava I think the reason they didn't have much of a reaction is because they weren't listing to their own music. I think It makes a big difference if you're listening to something you've heard before because it just sounds new and you hear things you never did before which is why if I have someone try a new pair that I got I have them pick their favorite song, it just gets much more of an emotional response!

[@DoingEvil01]

This was an awesome idea for a video! I think there should have been a wider range of headphones - from SHP9600, HD58x, Sundara, up to Diana v2 range. These were all pretty premium headphones right out of the gate.

[@Ffoo_ffighter]

That would expose too much.

[@IvFUZEvI]

I think this was a really well done video! One criticism I have though is the lack of comparison with these to low end headphones. For me, when I first put on my hd58x's through the dac I bought, I was like "this sound pretty good, but it's still the same music I'm used to" but then I when I listened to my earbuds that I used previously, I realized there was no way for me to go back. The contrast is what made me appreciate high end audio, not listening to the high end stuff in isolation

[@moviemogul83]

But where’s the control of a consumer headphone?

[@generalqwer]

Yeah shouldve had a Beats by Dre in there

[@HoloScope]

@@generalqwer 😱

[@philorgneopolotin8762]

generalqwer my man you didn’t have to do em like that

[@handcoding]

Oh, what a delight-this was so wholesome and fun! And I’d love to see more videos like this anytime. And not to take away from how great this video was already, but I thought that I might toss out a couple of ideas in case you were to do this again? • Maybe you could mic yourself as well? When your family is on screen, they sounded great, but when you offered comments from off screen, you could kinda tell that you were just being picked up from the on-camera mic? • Maybe you could ask each listener pick a couple of their favorite songs beforehand-just to ensure that they’re each listening to tracks that they know really, really well?

[@MrGrosMamouth]

I appreciated the fact that he did not have a microphone. It sounded real, like I was there.

[@handcoding]

@@MrGrosMamouth I’d venture to guess that Josh was probably no more than a meter or two from his subject in each of the shots. And if you were to have been in the room with them, each of their voices probably would’ve sounded the same to your ears (rather than the guest’s voice sounding clear and Josh’s voice being a skosh reverberant).

[@MrGrosMamouth]

@@handcoding You are probably right. I can’t put my finger on why, but I liked it this way. Maybe it’s the sound perspective? But I agree with you that a louder voice would have been better.

[@athmaid]

@@MrGrosMamouth I like it that way too, it puts them in the spotlight and shows their different roles. Josh is the observer who only steers the interview a little, and they are the "stars of the show" if you will. Makes it seem like he isn't in control of their opinions. At least that's how I feel watching this. I'm sure it's a very deliberate stylistic choice

[@athmaid]

@@handcoding he commented that the songs were a mix of his and theirs. I'd argue that's probably the most important part of doing such a test

[@taidee]

Oh man, this was just beautiful, meeting the family. There is just some warmness one can feel, wholesomeness, thanks Josh.

[@wfifa199]

This ably demonstrates just how personal hifi preferences are. Whilst some products might be technically "better", it doesn't necessarily translate into something that people prefer. It also shows to me how important it is to demo hifi products at a good retailer, rather than just read other people's reviews and then buy it online and hope for the best.

[@tom_from_myspace]

I agree so much, I’ve noticed also that I’ve learned to love sound signatures even if they seems impossible to like at first

[@hahahayess]

The fella in the red flannel has definitely listened to hifi headphones before. He was using all the right terms and described it like he did that for a living.

[@mellified6500]

Sounds like he's into speakers from his comment about car audio, but not so much headphones.

[@TheBoredPersons]

Car audio shares similar terms as well as home audio, he did mention car audio and knowing of focal from that product line specifically sooooo, def not the hifi headphone side but probably closely related interests

[@Steph.98114]

Your dad seems like the sort of guy with a bit of time learning the ins and outs of the hobby would actually be pretty good at giving reviews, he was very analytical.

[@todd8155]

This is exactly what I was thinking. He could be a critic/reviewer if he had the desire and put in some time and effort.

[@Atilakus]

Jason straight up could start his own yt channel. Great voice and even without experience in hifi he was pretty articulate in expressing his own feelings. Charisma is there as well. Russ bringing up wisdom ;) Great video.

[@kdkseven]

Get a room.

[@quincyfreeman2901]

So glad to see an established reviewer go through this process with engaging, willing guests! Thanks family members! I will admit, I wish an entry mid tier option was included (say Sundara or 6xx), since that’s a price range many can relate to, but still great to see. It’s important we make sure to ground ourselves occasionally to see we really are focusing heavily on say 20% of the audio experience or gear potential, and much of the hobby is subjective.

[@drewbrown5447]

Great video! Everyday folk rating products in their point of view and how they hear it. No big fancy explanations and overgrown journalist words. Im amazed at how close they were with the pricing on these. Many people have no idea how far this market reaches in cost. So thats impressive. Well done

[@warfam_clan6933]

Josh, seeing as how each of your family members liked a different headphone from the 3, you should gift them their favorite one for Christmas!

[@snowman7234]

I love how this implies he has thousands of dollars to spend on Christmas gifts lol

[@philorgneopolotin8762]

Snowman just a quick $5k for Christmas gifts this year no biggie

[@kyoyeou5899]

@@snowman7234 and that they will also need what comes with it to run it xD

[@YourLocalCafe]

@@philorgneopolotin8762 lmao MrBeast shit right there

[@carminedesanto6746]

It’s what it’s worth to you . Most people have music as something on in the background. The cost of the cheapest headphone is comparable to what most people would spend on their ENTIRE audio chain . But nice to hear that “regular” people can appreciate good music on nice gear. Unfortunately, I suspect most people have traded in fidelity for convenience. Nice video 🍻

[@Bumzen]

So much fun. All 3 were great at describing their experience, and explaining what they liked. It just shows how subjective sound is. An episode like this with less priced headphones and with IEMs would be fun.

[@LASoundCrafter]

Interesting review, all had interesting and revelatory comments - most noticeable, the most expensive doesn’t always sound the best.

[@dudexyt]

It's nice to see the Valour family. I wonder if they listened to songs straight out of the iPhone or did they listen from a nice DAC/AMP combo. I like how different "generations" of the family liked different headphones.

[@RasheedKhan-he6xx]

What a wonderful family! So relatable and honestly, so much more authentic than any number of "pro" reviewers. I understood exactly what each one was trying to describe. 👌👍

[@richardcongdon1972]

Agree with you -- they were all good sports.

[@joeljrichards]

This was cute and very good. Would love to see this as a series. Different people, different headphones. Perhaps an all-closed or all-open shoot out? Dynamic vs planar? The things that matter to people who care . . . but are they discernible to people who don't?

[@bigjt37]

It's really cool to see how their preferences won the day, and that's what we do 😄 (or should do). The first person, clearly picked the Elex, clearly she really liked the bass, staging, and namely, I feel she was explaining as best she could, the dynamics (Focal usually presents). The 2nd, he in an intelligently deciphering way, ended up picking what he felt to him presented and had the better clarity, detail, and seemingly the immersion he got, from the Arya. The 3rd, he then went on and picked what appeared to be the overall refinement given and separation and distinction of instruments he experienced, and the undoubted quality of feel, the abyss gave him.

[@HoveKB]

I remember the first time I used my DT1990s. Fucking blew my mind coming from the M50x and K7xx. I forgot what DAC/Amp I tested it with. It was a Mojo something. First song I listened to was 1-900-Hustler. I didn’t want to dive too deep into the Hobby. Maybe after I purchase my first home.

[@Benri05]

My first decent headphones were the shp9500 and the difference from gaming headphones are huge, and now I'm eyeing the Sundaras next but I might wait a bit more lol.

[@cowhydrodynamics]

@@Benri05 I just bought them. They are great but they aren’t running away or anything so take your time

[@DonGizzle615]

1-900-Hustler 'The Dynasty' nice one, love it !

[@zephskiee5395]

man just buying a kph30i modded was enough to blow me away lmao

[@DatHombre]

@@zephskiee5395 "modded" as in the pads I'm assuming? But yeah I have the portapros and KSC's with the yaxi pads and definitely agree that they're great!

[@Jacob1451_Kapnobatai]

I loved Russ' technical evaluation on the various different aspects. Love these beginner friendly videos to introduce others into the basics of high quality audio. Great stuff

[@bretspangler8717]

That was a cool social experiment, it was interesting to see them mature and develop their audio reviewer's vocabulary. This takes me back to reading copies of Stereo Review and Stereophile and trying to decipher all the terms they were using, it does take a while to be able to put what you are hearing into words, it can be hard to explain the feeling you have when listening to music.

[@giorgosapo4508]

Hi there Josh, First of all I was super excited to watch this video just from the title itself! Secondly, the persons in the video must be your sister (Same colors as you ) , your brother (that voice!+Arya love) and the last gentleman must be your father who truly impressed me with his excellent notices and his best in class price guessing 👌 Amazing video that's all I have to say , the honesty and notices of people not familiar with such equipment is very interesting because you hear unexpected things that just put a smile on your face.

[@fionnbennett2093]

@Secret Agent Steve because he isnt

[@marco2982]

@@fionnbennett2093 Maybe he identifies as such, you‘re clearly blackphobic and you have no sense for irony bruh 😉

[@fionnbennett2093]

@@marco2982 ohhhhh, i feel like an eejit now

[@vaiuuii]

Fantastic idea. A shame we did not get a budget headphone (Sennheiser HD58X?) in the mix and also a mainstream Sony/Beats/Skullcandy/Insert-Any-Other, it would have been interesting to see a price to value comparison in that case.

[@realworldaudio]

Pretty cool family, very good perceptions and descriptions! Man, they fleeced you on the price challenge :)

[@Keithwithfever]

What surprised me the most was none of them experienced a wow/jaw dropping/earth shaking/life changing moment.

[@subbot8077]

I think a lot of us in the hifi audio community frequently forget that music isn't a huge deal to some people. Hell, I have a few friends who just... *don't* listen to music. I think the greater your appreciation and interest of music is, the more profound the effect of listening through high-quality audio gear.

[@h445]

@@subbot8077 i don't even understand whatever you typed

[@MehanAriaini]

This is like having people who don't drink wine taste between cheap and ultra expensive wines, their answer would be eh this one is a little bit better. Learning to appreciate music and sound takes time, training and interest.

[@michaelthompson9798]

Interesting how the more “budget friendly” models received a better overall response from Sam, Jason & Russ then the OTT models for sound. But the more expensive models seem to receive a better build and lightness, weight wise, compared to the cheaper models. 👍🤯 Me personally, Im sensitive to weight on my head and don’t like heat encased leather/leatherette ear cuffs and much enjoy lighter and airy headphones 🎧🥰👍

[@bathynomusgiganteus2916]

That's because price has little to do with sound quality.

[@trellusg]

Possibly my fave video of this type - thanks, Josh!

[@kenzoquiambao]

We need a review of the new DT PRO X headphones and compare it to DT 1990s, please.

[@Szef4715]

The more you pay the more screaming you get from them Pads better quality Material inside earcup works out some distortion in midrange DT900 Pro X best beyers imo besides the fact they all trash I took them from my store for a test during drive to home, they never got into my house I left them in my car

[@ong8897]

This was absolutely by far the most refreshing video I have ever watched regarding headphones. It was real people giving honest opinions. EVERY other video to date is someone trying to come up with adjectives that better describe something you eat opposed to something you hear. I am tired of people describing the complexity of headphones like it was Coq Au Vin that was prepared by Alain Passard ! Do they sound good to my ears or not ! WELL DONE SIR !

[@CaptnKrksNippls]

It's interesting to see a couple of them pick up on (im guessing) dynamics of the headphones. Where they felt the Elex was a bit more engaging in the bass specifically. I know it has a slightly elevated bass but not by much and that punch quality is what stuck out to them.

[@Smaug1]

What a fun video! I found two things interesting: 1) Price was not necessarily correlated to preference 2) The more expensive ones sound worse to some people 3) The red-headed guy seemed intially impressed by the bass; maybe that's why Beats are so popular...

[@JohnScheppler]

Great idea on the video Josh. A great example that sound is very subjective as each family member liked a different model. I think all headphones are overpriced for what they are. I also agree with Sam, I'd never spend $3,000 on a pair of headphones. The cost to performance just isn't there IMO.

[@angrynerd2103]

They are def good, but you are right. The value proposition is in one two places depending on who you are, you either want like 200-500 is a decent price to performance, ex something like the he400 up to the sundaras. The other good value spot is like 0-50 this is where having something is better than nothing, and more importantly you get all stars like the lower end koss models.

[@angrynerd2103]

Oof the crispy warmth of your voice in the begining segment is wonderful!

[@raphaelmeillat8527]

Great video! Very cool idea and nice people! One little thing: wish you had randomized the order to make that test more natural. Would have loved to see how they would have ranked each pair of headphones price-wise... Great video though

[@04yellowjacket]

That was a great video! This is your best video so far! Very refreshing. VS listening to 'Audiophiles' who insist that their current, super expensive FOTM is the best ever because it must be because it cost them like $4k. Your family were super good at guessing which ones were more expensive too. I think it is great that they all liked a different one. Because we all like different headphones. And just because they cost more does not mean they will sound better to you. I have heard most TOTL headphones including Susvara ($6k) & LCD-5 ($4.5k) etc and my two favorites LCD-XC ($1300) and E-MU Teak ($500) cost far less. Thank you for the great video.

[@bathynomusgiganteus2916]

Their impressions are much more accurate than most "trained reviewers" when compared to the frequency response.

[@ydid687]

so in short Focal: best dynamics and punch Abyss Diana: median but not best of both worlds Hifiman: best for relaxed music

[@RGMDG]

Such a real world test. It just proves EVERYONE hears slightly different. That is where there are so many people that love XYZ and others that don't. Human sensory experiences are so individual, and this small test sample proves that. There is a lot of shared and common experiences but it is still unique to each person. Your family seems very cool. Your parents did good work. Kudos to them. Thanks Josh...

[@ShivasIrons22]

Love the concept. Wish something like the Sundara or 6XX were included.

[@_Azur]

It's hifi not mid Fi though

[@focus0000000]

so wholesome, loved it! thanks to your family :)

[@ducksbewildin1443]

I’ve been waiting for a video like this

[@djsoulfilter]

Same here

[@icarusix8750]

same, was really intrigued listening to them

[@Jisooee]

Same

[@SupplyNinja]

The younger guy has a great presence. Awesome confidence and well spoken. He should have a KZbin page. And I don't know if its just me but i think he just may have be converted to a Hifiman fan :) I own the Hifiman Ananda and they blow me away time after time. I am dying to hear the Arya, OG and Stealth.

[@MrFuzziiWuzzii]

Nice try, younger man in the video. You ain’t slick

[@Schmidteren]

The most expensive set of cans I've tried and owned was around 400 dollars. Maybe a tad more than that. Owned like 30-50 pairs of mid-fi over ear, open-back headphones from around 150-400 dollars. Of the most popular ones available throughout the years. Then I tried a pair of Porta Pro and KSC75, and sold everything else. Those mid-fi cans now just feels like Snake Oil! I'm thinking the same is true with the really expensive ones. Just what I believe, but I've never tried truly expensive cans. :D

[@thorwulfx1]

What a great little test. Your family all seem great, and their feedback was so well thought out.

[@deltadeka492]

Would have loved to see some live listening reactions

[@Mr.DJones]

Great video. Shows how spending more doesn't mean a thing. It's all personal preference. I have Sennheiser HD 700. Really like them even though a lot of ppl didn't. But I like a lot of sharp highs. Thank you for your time.

[@jeffsiemens4485]

Would have been interesting to throw some ‘cheap’ headphones in the mix to see if they could tell the difference. Also would have been useful if the actual price was listed on screen while they were guessing at prices.

[@alonzosmith6189]

Nice, your family provided their honest opinion on build quality and sound. The price did not dictate the quality of the sound. Nice job family

[@Jisooee]

Hey Joshua Valour! Can you review the Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X?

[@ShortThrowShifting]

It was really cool seeing the diversity of their personal tastes, and what each of them preferred out of their headphones. For Sam it was immersion, Jason enjoyed more clarity, and Russ preferred better separation. This is probably the best proof that, to a certain extent, price doesn't matter. It's all about finding what you enjoy most, and taking it from there!

[@Huckleberry42]

Are you sure these are normal people ? They sounded very knowledgeable 😂

[@MacXpert74]

I'm wondering if they didn't 'secretly' watch some of Josh's videos. It would makes sense that they've at least watched some of them, giving them an indication on what they should focus on, when listening to different headphones.

[@clarkejones8090]

Great idea, excellent presentation. It was fun, I thought and brings to our hobby a sense of perspective. Your alert and perceptive family members were/are very likeable. It takes courage to be on test, so to speak, in a public presentation and I am appreciative. Thank you and your family.

[@Bird.droppings]

This was such a cute video and I enjoyed it! Hopefully you'll revisit this concept and make some of the changes that have been recommended by others in the comments.

[@CML21]

What a great video. Thanks for putting that together Josh. Cool concept!

[@nobass_stub1394]

Truly brilliant to see how real world experiences point you to what you like from audio emotions an not what your told! Great Video Joshua.

[@Armbrust210]

I wonder what Josh told them before on what criteria they're supposed to judge the Headphones on, bcs i feel that that has turned out pretty well and they were able to form their opinions sufficiently for people who are not into the hobby. The video was quite long though, i could imagine a lot of people who are not regular viewers of this channel that could be attracted by the theme of the video, might not watch this through to the end. Them guessing the prices and saying which their favorites were, i could imagine is what most people only want to hear about.

[@imKhokie]

This was my favorite video from your channel. The best part about being an audiophile for me is trying to make things more accessible so I can share them with my friends and family. Seeing their reactions to different sound signatures (even if they strongly disagree with my preferences) is nothing short of magic. I live for this stuff. Great idea for a video, keep up the great work !

[@WaZaaap6]

This video proved nothing but the Fact that *Everone has a Different perception of music* as well as that every headphone is better and worst for a certain music genre :) Also that we REEEEALLY need for the Pandemic to go away,so people are able to go to the stores and Properly LISTEN to multiple pairs before they able to pick one that Really fits the style of music they prefer to listen...as well as overall suits their music perception. *Thank you Josh for this curious experiment.I strongly belive that such Are Needed,in order for people to have a proof of everyone's feel and understanding of music is DIFFERENT..because belive it or not - there are a LOT of folks today who doesn't really belives this and they Actually thinking that *everyone has the exact same understanding and feel of music and that 1 Great headphones for ONE person,would Undoubtedly mean that it will be AS GREAT for the other person* ,which ubviously not true and videos like This One ☝ is a live proof of that. Ones again Thanks a Lot Josh.

[@brad_wilson]

I live in Seattle (like Josh) and I don’t know of any store I could go to and listen to any of these headphones (much less all 3 in one place).

[@WaZaaap6]

@@brad_wilson I only know 2 stores that haD a Very High End headphones and overall an Audio equipment here in Toronto,but *Both of them Still got their doors Closed and moved their businesses Online* which is Sucks.. cuz in my opinion,it is Very Important for anyone to be able to put their hands on the Demo models,to have a better understanding of if the item is For Them or Not.

[@mardilee3139]

@@brad_wilson Up the road from you guys in Seattle :) In Vancouver BC we have a brick and mortar store HeadphoneBar that had all demos to listen to from mid-fi to flagship models but the pandemic forced them to close the store but have a strong online presence. Hopefully with the recent lifting of restrictions they will open up again. I agree that one needs to demo live and compare as much as possible.

[@edgarhego642]

What a great experiment, I would love to get at least 1 listen to a high-end headphones in my life. Great video Josh.

[@B.D.B.]

I suspect they knew the rough pricing of hi end gear from knowing you, because very few, non-audiophiles, people would guess that there's even such a thing as a 500+$ headphones. Honestly it would have been more entertaining to have them see the difference, between the shit headphones they're used to to even cheap-ish decent headphones in the 80-150$ range.

[@TheMrTape]

I think it's really awesome they go so much into detail. Very well done.

[@luciken1]

your dad is a very smart great old man. take care of him

[@cbomb1723]

Nice video, your family did great. I kept waiting for one of them to mention the intimate presentation vs the sense of space. They were so close to saying it.

[@MatzRios]

This only solidifies the fact that everyone has different tastes and it just shows even on a “blind test” on pricing, the more expensive doesn’t mean the “best” for certain preferences.

[@CRANEREVIEWS]

Honestly, some older stuff with bad mastering sounds pretty meh on say the Senh's HD800's, and would actually sound "better" on crappy "Beats".

[@sudd3660]

mistake to think like that, you have to be educated and experienced to evaluate things.

[@MatzRios]

@@sudd3660 not all the time, preferences and tastes still goes a long way in this hobby. All of these headphones have different tunings as well and that goes well with certain genres and music tastes of the listener. Obviously having more knowledge about what is good is nice to have, you can’t love a headphone that was tuned the opposite of what your preferences are even if it’s the more expensive one.

[@MatzRios]

@@CRANEREVIEWS yup, if you listen to stuff that isn’t well mastered, it’s better to go with headphones that are more forgiving.

[@carbon_wavelight]

That was fun, great video Josh. Interesting to see who preferred what headphone

[@williemckinney2168]

I enjoyed that, Jason reminded me of when I first started, each time I got something better, I could rationalize paying more. This audiophile journey is addictive 😍 Audiophile Anonymous, I think I'm in denial 😅 Later.

[@proffessasvids]

Hahaa that was epic. The fam was pretty darn good. I suppose the diana's are the detail kings in the line up.. however, someone who doesn't deal with this type of thing on the daily might chose something that has a different spectral balance over that of the detail retrieval. Bless to the fam! Xx

[@endlessdrive8421]

I've learned that high-end headphones are a lot like specialty coffee...for the ordinary person with no experience or proper context, it's very challenging for them to truly conceptualize what the differences are. Also just like coffee, everyone has a personal taste therefore no one hifi headphone/specialty coffee is gonna be the right one for every person.

[@nikogeorgiafentis7450]

Great video. Would be cool to have an everyday user listen to random low budget, mid, budget, and hi budget headphones to see if they can pick out which one is the most expensive.

[@Jisooee]

0:46 is it just okay to cover it with your hair when you wear headphones as a girl? there's no difference when you move out your hair from your ears? I do see a lot of girls wearing headphones like this. won't it be like a different sound?

[@ducksbewildin1443]

I believe that there would be a small amount of muffling in the sound. Can’t be sure though, since I’m not a girl

[@Jisooee]

@@ducksbewildin1443 yep I think it'll be muffled sounding.

[@linghan3260]

It's minimal. Like maybe a 2 percent difference in my experience

[@flufficornss]

its pretty much the exact same as someone with very long hair

[@flufficornss]

i mean there is a difference but you reeeeaaalllllyyy need to nit pick in order to notice it

[@NightAndDay247]

Great idea for a video Josh. Thoroughly enjoyable!

[@houssamalucad753]

Maybe try cheaper headphones next time? Like expensive vs cheap?

[@EricRosenfield]

This. Part of the fun of these kind of videos is discovering whether people think less expensive headphones sound better than more expensive ones.

[@x32i77]

I want them to hear 20k setups

[@aualdrich]

They did a great job of describing the sound qualities for people who have no knowledge of hi-fi!

[@Aeysir]

I like that, "normal" people; shouldn't we just be calling them "people with cash still in their bank accounts"? 😁

[@jpined14]

Not really. People find other ways to blow money (I own a Diana V2) on other things like girlfriends, cars, coffee (drugs), etc. That usually adds up way more than $3k on headphones you can always sell and get 2/3 of your cash back.

[@generalqwer]

@@jpined14 This is good point. If you buy open box, you can probably sell it for the same price

[@mreams1873]

Your videos are always of great quality, but I especially love the concept for this video

[@sergeysh3959]

Счастливые люди, они не болеют аудиофилией :)

[@warfam_clan6933]

This was a very cool video, Josh. I really like your family. More out-there stuff like this in the future, please. It really is a breath of fresh air to see something light-hearted from such a professional reviewer as yourself. Really good stuff, mate!

[@MrDoctorBryce]

Review dt900 pro x vs 1990 pro

[@Jisooee]

That's what I want

[@Jisooee]

I wanna know how the DT 900 Pro X compete with the 1990s.

[@thomaswachter7782]

Great family. It's kind of refreshing to hear them describe things and not using our audiophile terms.

[@duke86fan]

i gave my brother M50s and that impressed him.. i showed him ONE lossless song he knows very well with my dac and he was like "I'm hearing stuff i different hear before." specifically about how good the drums are