This isn’t a fact. What is “better”?
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don’t be obtuse, LoL.
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atleast you’re not actually poor lol… u got some sweet ass headphones 
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my NHC are pretty sweet, I will say that. the rest of my gear is fairly standard, but I enjoy them. 
one day I will be able to get better.
To answer the original authors question, I’ve learned that I will spend money on and enjoy something just because it’s a color I like (Red in one case) or has cool lit up VU meters…I could tell you more but just let that one sink in for a while🤪
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Hmm… the thing is, I rather enjoy badly recorded/mastered music, so I don’t discount it.
Back when I was into vinyl, I liked the unique pops and grit in my records. So many people go for the most refine needles, smoothest players, best preamps, best cleaning practices while handing records with static free white gloves and such. But that’s not part of the vinyl experience to me.
Same with a lot of the music I have. Some rips I have are like… 15 years old. Still good dynamics, but some graininess to it. Those are my personal rips, the sound I’ve known for a decade and a half.
And you often can’t “get better” files with some recordings. So I don’t see music as a thing that changes; it’s the hardware that plays it.
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I don’t believe there’s an objective category either. We can split hairs over graphs and measurements, but at the end of the day we’re reproducing a modified recording of sound. It’s never going to be like sitting in the recording booth–especially with headphones.
Folks try for perfecting sound and whatnot, many saying, “This is how the artist wanted their music to be heard”… but that artist’s equipment is not going to be the same as yours. Some high-end systems are far FAR better than studio equipment on a graph.
My favorite artist uses DT880s and Yamaha reference monitors to master their music, and whatever equipment that’s hooked up to. That’s how they meant their music to be heard.
Just brings us back: Listen to your music/audio with whatever equipment that suits your fancy.
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Well… Don’t keep me waiting! Do tell…
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You are the perfect example. If you wandered into the IEM section of this website looking for the “best” IEM you could buy, you’d be met with suggestions saturated with technical perfection, when the perfect replay for you might be the complete opposite of what most people would consider “best”.
Something like a BL03 would probably be all you’d ever need.
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Lush…
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Damn… funny you say that… 
My main cans are Blon 03. Cable swapped and Spinfit 100s. I work with them (glasses so IEMs), listen casually, and even DJ with them.
But I am on the hunt for an upgrade. Main issue is the comfort after 2-3 hours. I’m one of those freaks that 03s fit well, but they do have the tendency to weasel their way out of my ears. Soundstage and sub-bass is hard to find in IEMs. ;_;
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I don’t know if this is applicable to everyone, but I’ve learned to not limit myself to a certain sound signature. Sometimes there are headphones or IEMs that I imagined as a bad one, but when I tried them, I really loved it.
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That’s the exact reason why I don’t EQ, what’s the point if everything’s a ‘Harman’ or whatever…embrace different sound sig’s, no two concert halls sound the same and in saying that no two IEM’s or HP’s should either.
My audio rule #1 NO EQ lol
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Lesson’s learned…
#1 as above
#2 speaker systems would always be my preferred replay choice
#3 IEM’s are way more comfortable than HP’s, they don’t make your ears stupidly hot, they don’t feel like you’re wearing a head yoke and give another audio insight into to music that doesn’t try and fail to replicate a good speaker system 
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I’m not too far into the hobby, however I feel like EQ can really help with finding out preferences. For instance I was listening to my Grado’s and I heard some things I didn’t like and solved those things using EQ, then I learned stuff like, what happens when 2.5KHz is elevated very much. I don’t use it to listen to music, but I find it a handy tool for playing around with sound and get a better feeling for preferences.
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Totally agree with that 
…but mastering and ultimately the recording is where the sonic gems lie, yes you can tweak to your hearts content, filters, tips, pads, cables etc but at the end of the day…if you listen more than you fiddle then you’ve got it
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I agree 100% with you. Good music is still good on crappy headphones and good headphones won’t make bad music sound good. Anything I spend in this “hobby”, from the first to the last penny, I regard as luxury.
No headphone will ever compete with the sound in your mind and the best thing you can do before buying anything is to physically listen to them beforehand.
Probably the most important lesson I have learned is that no headphone will ever change my life, instead it will keep it the same. Sometimes a trip or a new course is better purchase.
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1- Don’t get a loaner unless you have the cash to buy it.
2 - Don’t mix the feeling of getting something new to superior sound quality - honeymoon period is a thing.
3 - It’s all about music enjoyment. If you are happy stay away from places like this - the rabbit hole is real and will suck your wallet dry.
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I’ve learned so much this past 2 years, new terminology, where to buy used gear at, etc
Ive enjoyed so much, going from an akg 712 to a lcd24, from an atom amp to a xi broadway, from a el dac to a yggdrasil. I’ve learned that gear does get better, I enjoy music now, more than i ever have. What I’ve spent, I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to, and the journey has been great from the start.
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