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whm1974
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Is Flips Audio going out of business?

Mon Dec 11, 2017 12:56 pm

OK I have a pair of Flips Audio headphone that can also be used as speakers by turning the ear muffs 180 degrees. I was telling someone at the Anandtech Forums about them and I couldn't find their website but I found their Facebook page and a Walmart page selling for much lower price then what I paid for them back in May/June 2013.

Here is the Walmart page:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Flips-Transf ... n/24725388
They are selling almost the same model I have for $45, I paid $150 for mine at a Walmart store for $150. The last time I've seen Flips Audio's website(months ago) they list for $75. I really hope this is just a Xmas sale and not a going out business sale.

This headphones/speaker combo do make a fairly good pair of speakers in speaker mode, which I am using for computer speakers and they sound really great.

It will a shame if the company is going out of business as I would buy a pair again and I highly recommend getting a pair since they can be used as both headphones and speakers.
 
whm1974
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Re: Is Flips Audio going out of business?

Mon Dec 11, 2017 3:58 pm

Yes I did do a search to see if they are still in business, but couldn't find anything. No one here but me has a pair of these headphone/speakers?
 
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Re: Is Flips Audio going out of business?

Mon Dec 11, 2017 4:06 pm

My goodness, give it more than three hours.

And no, I've never heard (harrr) of this brand. Probably some fly-by-night Kickstarter fad or a shell company to sell stuff made by some Chinese ODM. Bet you can find the same thing with a new name on AliExpress.
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Re: Is Flips Audio going out of business?

Mon Dec 11, 2017 4:19 pm

I haven't paid much attention to Flips since I first heard about them years ago. They seemed like an expensive novelty to me. When they were asking the same amount of money as my ATH-M50x's, I couldn't see the point unless you really needed some small, under-powered travel speakers too. Do you really think they are that good? What other headphones or speakers have you compared them to?
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whm1974
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Re: Is Flips Audio going out of business?

Mon Dec 11, 2017 4:20 pm

derFunkenstein wrote:
My goodness, give it more than three hours.

And no, I've never heard (harrr) of this brand. Probably some fly-by-night Kickstarter fad or a shell company to sell stuff made by some Chinese ODM. Bet you can find the same thing with a new name on AliExpress.

I don't know, they sound pretty good. I really like them due to being to use them as headphones or speakers as needed.
 
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Re: Is Flips Audio going out of business?

Mon Dec 11, 2017 4:22 pm

Jack of all trades...
 
whm1974
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Re: Is Flips Audio going out of business?

Mon Dec 11, 2017 4:23 pm

general_tux wrote:
I haven't paid much attention to Flips since I first heard about them years ago. They seemed like an expensive novelty to me. When they were asking the same amount of money as my ATH-M50x's, I couldn't see the point unless you really needed some small, under-powered travel speakers too. Do you really think they are that good? What other headphones or speakers have you compared them to?

The stereo system I was using before. And I wouldn't call them under-powered speakers either. They are loud enough for my hearing loss to hear while watching movies and such without having to wear my hearing aids.
 
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Re: Is Flips Audio going out of business?

Mon Dec 11, 2017 4:38 pm

whm1974 wrote:
The stereo system I was using before. And I wouldn't call them under-powered speakers either. They are loud enough for my hearing loss to hear while watching movies and such without having to wear my hearing aids.
What was this stereo system? And just because a set of speakers gets loud, doesn't mean they are not under powered. What is the frequency response like? Are the high frequencies tinny? Are the low frequencies full without distortion or do the drivers start to over extend once you get low? Do you have to adjust the equalizer to get them to sound right?
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Re: Is Flips Audio going out of business?

Mon Dec 11, 2017 4:44 pm

I just got a new pair of Bluetooth headphones I'm hoping work out. I used to like Motorola s10 but they were replaced with different upgrades and now seem discontinued or something. I wanted to try a different brand anyway really.

I've had good luck with things marked Amazon choice so I figured I'd give these a shot.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JMCZ7HM/re ... lAbW3F65J2

This had nothing to do with the op but it's relevant enough for a whm thread.
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Re: Is Flips Audio going out of business?

Mon Dec 11, 2017 4:47 pm

Wow, what a dumb idea and clearly cheap junk product.

Headphones and speakers require different drivers. What makes for a good headphone makes for a terrible speaker and vice-versa. I suspect these are mediocre headphones with poor HF response and lousy speakers with no LF reproduction to speak of. That's an educated guess based on simple physics, in that you'd need about 4-5W of power and a 3-4" driver to produce even half-decent low frequencies at even moderate volumes for a small room, the 'best case' scenario for these things.

Also, I want to punch people who wear their headphones around their neck at full volume, forcing everyone in the vicinity to listen to a distorted, tinny version of whatever music they are playing. I can respect people's taste in music may be different to mine, but I'll be damned if I have to listen to them. Last time it happened I managed not to punch the man in question at least; I whipped out my phone, found some Celine Dion on Youtube and moved to sit next to the idiot who couldn't understand how his headphones were supposed to work.
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Re: Is Flips Audio going out of business?

Mon Dec 11, 2017 4:49 pm

general_tux wrote:
whm1974 wrote:
The stereo system I was using before. And I wouldn't call them under-powered speakers either. They are loud enough for my hearing loss to hear while watching movies and such without having to wear my hearing aids.
What was this stereo system? And just because a set of speakers gets loud, doesn't mean they are not under powered. What is the frequency response like? Are the high frequencies tinny? Are the low frequencies full without distortion or do the drivers start to over extend once you get low? Do you have to adjust the equalizer to get them to sound right?

They don't sound tinny to me at all, and I don't have to mess with an equalizer either. Anyway these things do sound perfect with my on board audio.
 
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Re: Is Flips Audio going out of business?

Mon Dec 11, 2017 5:08 pm

whm1974 wrote:
They don't sound tinny to me at all, and I don't have to mess with an equalizer either. Anyway these things do sound perfect with my on board audio.
The problem is, a lot of people don't understand how good headphones/speakers can be. I know lots of people who swear that "these speakers/headphones are perfect" or something similar, but then completely change their mind once they have heard anything that is a cut above what you typically find at Walmart, Best Buy, etc. Without a real reference, most people don't know how to truly compare audio gear. I would really want to see a frequency response curve on those headphones to see what this "perfect" sound is like.
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whm1974
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Re: Is Flips Audio going out of business?

Mon Dec 11, 2017 5:19 pm

general_tux wrote:
whm1974 wrote:
They don't sound tinny to me at all, and I don't have to mess with an equalizer either. Anyway these things do sound perfect with my on board audio.
The problem is, a lot of people don't understand how good headphones/speakers can be. I know lots of people who swear that "these speakers/headphones are perfect" or something similar, but then completely change their mind once they have heard anything that is a cut above what you typically find at Walmart, Best Buy, etc. Without a real reference, most people don't know how to truly compare audio gear. I would really want to see a frequency response curve on those headphones to see what this "perfect" sound is like.

Audiophiles... I guess you have $1000 headphones and speakers don't you?
 
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Re: Is Flips Audio going out of business?

Mon Dec 11, 2017 5:20 pm

My guess is even a $100 pair (Sennheiser HD280) sound better than speakercans.
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Re: Is Flips Audio going out of business?

Mon Dec 11, 2017 5:26 pm

+1 Whm thread
+1 oddball widget
+1 question asked "is this just me?"

This means we'll end up talking about beer or something again.
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Re: Is Flips Audio going out of business?

Mon Dec 11, 2017 5:27 pm

Consumer Reports wrote:
Tested as headphones, the overall sound was closed in, with compressed dynamics. The bass had good impact, but it was muddy and didn't go very deep. Midrange was very muffled, mid- and upper-treble were very rolled off, and lower treble was sizzly.
...
As a portable speaker, perhaps the biggest issue was that the Flips began to distort quite noticeably when pushed to louder volume levels, less so when we backed off the volume. In speaker mode, the lower and mid bass was very rolled off, and bass in general had very little overall impact. Midrange was raspy, with a noticeable plastic resonance, and treble was sizzly, with a rolled off upper treble.

Another review liked them as portable speakers, but panned the headphone mode:
Sound and Vision wrote:
James Taylor’s vocal on “Shower the People” from Live at the Beacon Theatre sounded like he was singing through a bath towel folded over a few times.

“Sounds like it does when the stereo’s playing and my head’s under the pillow,” my fellow Tech^2 blogger Geoff Morrison commented.
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Re: Is Flips Audio going out of business?

Mon Dec 11, 2017 5:31 pm

whm1974 wrote:
Audiophiles... I guess you have $1000 headphones and speakers don't you?

You can get some pretty nice sounding headphones for under $100. And based on the reviews I'm seeing, Flips don't qualify.
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Re: Is Flips Audio going out of business?

Mon Dec 11, 2017 5:40 pm

just brew it! wrote:
whm1974 wrote:
Audiophiles... I guess you have $1000 headphones and speakers don't you?

You can get some pretty nice sounding headphones for under $100. And based on the reviews I'm seeing, Flips don't qualify.


JBI (and everyone else) Superlux HD668B are audiophile-grade headsets, and you can get them online for $40.

Do they sound completely awesome? Not really, but they're a ton better than anything you'll find at brick-and-mortar retail for less than $used car.
 
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Re: Is Flips Audio going out of business?

Mon Dec 11, 2017 5:55 pm

I'll stick with my Oppo PM3s just the same. Planar-magnetic and closed-back, so both high quality and office-friendly. Travel duties belong to the Shure SE530s.
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Re: Is Flips Audio going out of business?

Mon Dec 11, 2017 6:53 pm

Captain Ned wrote:
I'll stick with my Oppo PM3s just the same. Planar-magnetic and closed-back, so both high quality and office-friendly. Travel duties belong to the Shure SE530s.


Cap'n, I have some Sennheiser HD650's myself. My post was in reference to just buying something bad-sounding because it was cheap - there's a bunch of options that are quite good sounding.
 
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Re: Is Flips Audio going out of business?

Mon Dec 11, 2017 8:00 pm

Redocbew wrote:
+1 Whm thread
+1 oddball widget
+1 question asked "is this just me?"

This means we'll end up talking about beer or something again.


I was thinking i might try to order some light lagers to the house for christmas so i can try a few different brands while i'm off. Anyone have any recommendations? I really just like any mild flavored beer i guess.
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Re: Is Flips Audio going out of business?

Mon Dec 11, 2017 10:19 pm

All this talk of $100 headphones?, I'd bet a pair of Koss Portapro would knock the socks of the Flips, given those pretty damning reviews. $30-35 if you look around, though I'm not a fan of the aesthetics.

Hell, the Monoprice 8323 are still on sale and they're damn good for $16. I'd rate them above anything 'fashion-brand' up to at least $75, at which point my personal favorite is the Sony MDR (Specifically the Sony MDR-7506) which is without any question the most common recording studio headphone I've ever encountered. No matter where I'm setting up there will be a pair of these, often battered and taped together with splits in the ear cushions, but the sound quality is simply that good for the money.

Without being too blunt, whm, you argument sounds like someone trying to defend the old style apple earbuds that are widely regarded as the worst main-band earphones ever made. Either your hearing is damaged or you've never heard better - and you have my sympathy in either case.

See if you can get to a store and try some of the classic, unanimously-praised $100 sets like the Grado SR80, Shure SRH440, Sony MDR-7506 or Sennheiser HD280 headphones. They're the sort of kit you'll see lying around professional recording studios; They're what the musicians probably worked with whilst they recorded what you're listening to. I'm sure there are other great headphones out there based on reviews, but I don't like to recommend any headphones I haven't heard for myself.
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whm1974
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Re: Is Flips Audio going out of business?

Tue Dec 12, 2017 1:24 am

Chrispy_ wrote:
All this talk of $100 headphones?, I'd bet a pair of Koss Portapro would knock the socks of the Flips, given those pretty damning reviews. $30-35 if you look around, though I'm not a fan of the aesthetics.

Hell, the Monoprice 8323 are still on sale and they're damn good for $16. I'd rate them above anything 'fashion-brand' up to at least $75, at which point my personal favorite is the Sony MDR (Specifically the Sony MDR-7506) which is without any question the most common recording studio headphone I've ever encountered. No matter where I'm setting up there will be a pair of these, often battered and taped together with splits in the ear cushions, but the sound quality is simply that good for the money.

Without being too blunt, whm, you argument sounds like someone trying to defend the old style apple earbuds that are widely regarded as the worst main-band earphones ever made. Either your hearing is damaged or you've never heard better - and you have my sympathy in either case.

See if you can get to a store and try some of the classic, unanimously-praised $100 sets like the Grado SR80, Shure SRH440, Sony MDR-7506 or Sennheiser HD280 headphones. They're the sort of kit you'll see lying around professional recording studios; They're what the musicians probably worked with whilst they recorded what you're listening to. I'm sure there are other great headphones out there based on reviews, but I don't like to recommend any headphones I haven't heard for myself.

Yes I have hearing loss and no I have never head sound from studio level headphones or speakers.
 
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Re: Is Flips Audio going out of business?

Tue Dec 12, 2017 5:50 am

Chrispy_ wrote:
See if you can get to a store and try some of the classic, unanimously-praised $100 sets like the Grado SR80, Shure SRH440, Sony MDR-7506 or Sennheiser HD280 headphones.
The Sony MDR-V6 / 7506's may be the most comfortable headsets that I ever owned, but I spent quite a bit more than $100 for my high-end Sennheisers.
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Re: Is Flips Audio going out of business?

Tue Dec 12, 2017 7:29 am

I suppose depending on the nature of the hearing loss, fidelity of your headphones/speakers may be less important. Do you know if it is across the board, or particular frequency bands that you have difficulty hearing?
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Re: Is Flips Audio going out of business?

Tue Dec 12, 2017 7:31 am

Chrispy_ wrote:
Without being too blunt, whm, you argument sounds like someone trying to defend the old style apple earbuds that are widely regarded as the worst main-band earphones ever made. Either your hearing is damaged or you've never heard better - and you have my sympathy in either case.

The headphones that were packaged with the Zune were some of the best earbuds Available. Plus the magnetic attachment on the back kept them from getting twisted. Oh, and interchangeable foam or rubber ear gaskets.
 
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Re: Is Flips Audio going out of business?

Tue Dec 12, 2017 7:44 am

just brew it! wrote:
I suppose depending on the nature of the hearing loss, fidelity of your headphones/speakers may be less important. Do you know if it is across the board, or particular frequency bands that you have difficulty hearing?

That I don't know, I think I'm due for another hearing check anyway. I'm hearing impaired in both ears however.
 
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Re: Is Flips Audio going out of business?

Tue Dec 12, 2017 8:08 am

Usacomp2k3 wrote:
The headphones that were packaged with the Zune were some of the best earbuds Available. Plus the magnetic attachment on the back kept them from getting twisted. Oh, and interchangeable foam or rubber ear gaskets.


Yeah, and the sheeple voted for these, instead!

Image

I don't think I've ever seen a pair that isn't mangled, grubby, fraying and of the lowest possible quality.
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Re: Is Flips Audio going out of business?

Tue Dec 12, 2017 8:13 am

Chrispy_ wrote:
Image

wth who has three ears?
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Re: Is Flips Audio going out of business?

Tue Dec 12, 2017 8:59 am

Third one goes where the sun don't shine so you can feel the bass?
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