A community for discussion around all topics related to headphones and personal audio.
Using Amazon a lot and the rare occasions where I had to return something went very very smooth and also in Germany one is allowed to return for a 14 day period by law.
So I think I'd get away with buy and return-sampling headphones all the time, wouldn't do it though, because it doesn't align with my values.
I try and use so many because im interested in them and like helping others decide and i would use them i guess i dont see any wrong in having an interest in something you enjoy doing
Never understood that culture, for me it is dishonest to buy something just to use it for a very few and then returning it, it devaluates the value of the item and the reasons for doing it are dishonest in which the only reasons for returning a product are product mismatch (which applies mostly for clothes) or malfunction.
I was talking to a dealer about this… I wanted to try the Empire Ears Odin, but it was very likely that it either doesn’t fit me or I just don’t think it’s worth the money.
The first dealer said please, don’t buy it from me because an open box IEM loses a ton of value.
The second dealer said here, go ahead because it’s always nice to have one in stock if you return it, here is a huge discount on top as well.
So, I guess I lucked out!
I totally share that mindset!
I guess, this is a generational and cultural thing, though.
Wasteful consumerism is something that was born in the United States (watch my comment disappear in downvotes) and chinese manufacturers quickly latched on to that to maximise profits. (Wish, Shein, etc.)
In Europe, free returns haven't been a thing for most of my life. You ordered clothes, you better hope they'd fit, because sending them back was 10-20 bucks. That was fine, because driving to a store and standing in line in front of the changing rooms took time, too. (and time and gas is money!)
Then, certain brands came on to the market and offered free returns. People started to go crazy, because receiving parcels somehow releases endorphins (they reported about a woman ordering a 500kg europalette full of Zalando boxes!). These stores only wrote red numbers at first, because the cost of taking back opened boxes, folding clothes and wrapping them up again, was so high. But in the end, they all but completely eradicated all the "traditional" online stores that refused to implement the same "free returns" strategy. And they started making money. A saddening number of those clothes end up being incinerated, because it's just too expensive to pack them up again for re-sale..
consumers? ignorant.. don't care.. don't know?
This sickening behaviour has spread across Europe like a plague in the last 10 years. Of all the things, I've ever ordered, I maybe returned 0.01% (unless it was a warranty case, of course), but that's my upbringing, my culture.. and my awareness for the ecological impact of returning goods that don't stand a chance of being re-sold.
When I buy electronics, I want to test them, hands-on.. I travel to a city where I can do so.. I meet with people that own them, so I can try it for myself, etc.
Maybe this is the time where Millennials are "the boomers"... but the hypocrisy of Gen Z people pointing fingers at big companies for damaging the environment, polluting the oceans, etc. all the while enabling them through their consumerism.. it annoys me like hell!
Electronic stores usually sell "refurbished" products also (meaning returned products in good condition). So, I see no harm in buying "refurbished" items and return them if you are not satisfied.
I also pay for a subscription (like Amazon Prime) to a store that allows 60 days returns and this gives me more confidence in trying and buying new things.
Buy and sell used
This.
This. All of my headphones are used. We are in a hobby where people generally take care of their stuff and phones cameras mean everyone can take high quality pictures. Always make sure to ask about the condition and then always pay with paypal goods and services. Typically headphones take a massive hit once they are no longer new in the ball park of 50-80% but after that as long as they are well maintained the value stays pretty flat for quite some time. So as long as you are patient and don't over pay you pretty typically are only out the cost of shipping and the goods and services fee. Then I don't just get a month but as long as you want to really get to know them.
In vietnam, we have to settle for
A. Special occasions when big stores are generous enough to let the customer demo without any commitments.
B. Join a "listening group" on facebook or whatever then trade / resell with other groups.
Frequently stores have many demo sets for headphones and iems to try out. They also provide players and I stream from Tidal or bring my own source.
get ready to receive a dozen comments about people who have no stores within at least 1'000 miles.
r/AVexchange
Been going there 6 or so years and have had very minimal issues. Just follow the best practices and you should be safe.
I found most people there are just as obsessed as myself and take really good care of their stuff. There's occasional hiccups, but the system is based on trust/rep so users generally try to make things right to make everything work. Of course, there's the occasional bad egg that tries to ruin it for everyone, but they're quick to get called out.
I rely on a crap-ton of reading other people's experiences. Buying something just to try it and return rubs me the wrong way and feels dishonest. The two best options are trying them out in a hi-fi store which has demo units, or buying used and selling again at the same price if you don't like them so there's no loss. They're already burnt in that way too.
I would never buy something off Amazon with the intention of just returning it after trying it. However IF for whatever reason I am really disapointed in a headphone I would return them. This hasn't happened yet but it's nice that I can if I wanted to.
I go to meets (Head-fi has a forum for organizing meets in an area), I go to expos (haven't been to CanJam yet, but I went to Capital Audiofest this past month), and I demo at stores. The trick to store demos is to combine them with travel. If you are ever traveling somewhere for work or holiday or whatever, look up if there are any audio stores in the area you're visiting and see if you can add a visit to your itinerary. That's how I visited The Source AV near LA last week; I was in the area visiting my wife's family and took the time to visit the store. Note that few stores are dedicated to headphones. Most will mainly deal in speakers and may have a few headphones on the side. If you're looking at expensive headphones (I'd consider >$800 expensive), it really makes sense to wait for a demo opportunity before buying. If you're looking at the topmost echelon of cost, like several thousand dollars, I think it's absolutely worth spending a few hundred to travel to a store to demo a few pairs. Otherwise, no matter how many reviews you read online, you're still essentially gambling on the purchase.
I also never liked the buy then return process.
Head-Fi is such.... argh... I wanted to love it, but it's just so infuriating! The Voodoo is so incredibly strong with the majority of people there!
Head-fi is way better than reddit for discussing headphones IMO. The voodoo doesn't bother me, I just ignore it if I need to. And the format is far more conducive to actually planning meets and discussing headphones than reddit is. People actually discuss the headphones rather than the stupid questions that constantly pop up here on reddit.
I see a lot of people here dissing head-fi but I've never had problems with it. I just like seeing discussions from years and even decades ago on vintage cans and some decent reviews on rare headphones.
Sorry, what do you mean by “voodoo” ?
There are the people who talk about which cables to use to make the sound brighter or warmer or whatever. All sorts of odd tweaks and somewhat suspect suggestions on improving sound quality.
That stuff just doesn't bother me. I ignore it, or politely decline the option. Some people are more... sensitive to the existence of that sort of thing.
canjam/ audio shows or just go to japan
Am in Australia where there is no buy and try unless you want to pay 30% restocking fee. I watch as many reviews as possible, read forums, etc before buying because here it's buy once cry once
If you happen to live near a Minidisc or an AddictedToAudio etc, that's a big plus. They have quite a lot that's available to try. Otherwise, yeah - buying used is the way...
I used to travel to another city to check out some stores. it's tough though because getting an impression of a headphone or an amp after a short demo isn't enough sometimes. then after i browsed my country's audio classifieds and noticed there's a lot of people in my city and in my neighboring city that sells stuff, and very often it's the same guys who buys new high end stuff and then sells it a few weeks later for a little bit off if they don't like it. i connected with these guys and they're good friends now. we hang out doing non audio related stuff, sometimes demo stuff at each other's houses if they pick up anything new.
there's audio people everywhere and yeah it might take a bit of work to make friends but they're pretty cool people when they're not keyboard warrior-ing it up on the Internet lol
That last bit is so true. It's way more fun to actually attend meets and know other people in person. It's far easier to share and explain listening impressions and I get a better sense of how different people hear things than in reading posts on the Internet. And the most obnoxious keyboard warriors are generally allergic to in-person interactions, so they basically never show up.
For me, there are several major audiophile stores within 30 minutes by subway. Perks of living in a giant city..
All the stores here have demo units.
where can i buy returned headphones? i assume they will be much cheaper than brand new units
They're usually sold as "open-box" or "B-stock" at about 5-10% discount. Or worse, some unscrupulous retailers attempt to pass them off as brand new units at full retail price.
10% that's kinda low.... not enough discount for the risk of receiving a damaged unit
typical autistic obsession
You could always.. you know.. see if there's a group of hifi afficionados in your state... meet and talk, discuss music, exchange headphones, chill, drink beer..
I prefer going to a store (even if it means I have to turn it into a day-trip) because I don't like strangers too much.
Social media allows you to find like-minded people more easily than ever before. Go and find them. Discord, instagram, tik tok.. whatever!
Return policies are fun, so long as you refuse to see the truth behind returned goods! Gen Z pretends to be all about "responsibility, sustainability, equality", etc. But the wasteful consumerism has reached a level like never before in the past century! (Shein, Wish, Amazon, etc.)
Most people refuse to accept that big retailers such as Amazon will quickly scan your returned goods and VERY likely BIN them if they are not 100% mint anymore. Some might end up as "open box", but the majority, unfortunately, ends up on landfills. If you want to blame Amazon for that, fine by me. But don't pretend you're free of guilt. You enable that behaviour with your own consumer decisions!
I buy from Amazon Warehouse where they sell returned or Open Box goods for a discount. That way if I send them back at least I dont destroy any extra value. If I keep them I save money and they dont get thrown in the trash. Not sure if that is available anywhere though.
I'm not sure what the full list is, but off hand I know Amazon's USA, UK, Canada, and Germany sites all have a Warehouse Deals section with returned / open-box items.
I just used Amazon to audition 3 HE1000 variants, DCA Expanse, and some cheaper ones without any issues with restocking fees. I also used Crutchfield and auditioned the Yamaha YH-5000SE and had no restocking fees when returning.
Brick-and-mortar audio stores, used market, or rarely meet-and-greets.
Shows. In the US you guys have Canjam fairly often, but tons of other shows are available.
At least for us in France, Amazon is a no brainer cuz you really don't have to spend a dime when returning products. They aren't picky at all, you don't even need the original cardboard box.
Used market is great. If you're with it, you're not losing much money in the process.
FB groups are kinda seen as "for dads and old farts" but they are the ones with money, some people have access to a ton of gear. You can trade, get loaners, etc to see more stuff in your hands.
The only way I can try out headphones is at Microcenter where they have gaming snd consumer headphones for you to demo.
If I want headphones I will watch as many reviews as possible, get everyone's opinion and see if there are any correlations or contradictions between them. Negative reviews are the best because they really tell you what you need to know about them. Resolve is my go to person as he is very knowledgeable and very critical about sound quality.
We have a small, but trusting community, and people just send gear each other to try. Also, we have a few splendid shops with showrooms in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnepr and Odesa, that give an opportunity for a comfortable testing
Are you in the United States or outside? The US has a fairly strong culture of major stores allowing you to buy stuff and return it if you don't like it, that isn't as strong in other parts of the world.
Dedicated headphone retail store near me that allow demos.
For studio headphones, being a bass player in a city without that many bass players allowed me to try a lot of studio headphones just by going to jams and small sessions at small studios. Although I will say that 50% of what I found was either Beyerdynamic or the same model of Sennheiser and Sony !
Other than that, audiophile store.
Amazon stuff is only always free returns if it is shipped and sold by Amazon. Otherwise sellers have their own policies.
Credit card.