We get this feedback every now and then. Someone looks at the VMK25.2 headphones and goes: "Those don't look like anything special." True. They don't look like anything – if "something" means headphones should resemble a spaceship, a designer furniture piece, or something carried down the catwalk at Milan Fashion Week.
We made a conscious choice. Headphones are headphones.
Design costs – and the customer pays for it
Big brands spend millions making headphones look a certain way. Design agencies, focus groups, meetings with colour analysts. All of that ends up in the price.
We spend the money on sound design. Jasse sits in the studio tweaking frequency responses until the end result sounds right. His ears are insured. The design agency's opinions are not.
It comes down to what you want from your headphones. If you want an object that looks great in an Instagram photo, there are plenty of options on the market. If you want headphones that make music sound the way it's supposed to sound – well, you're in the right place.
Beauty is between the ears
Design is always a matter of taste. Raimo swears by the Mercedes-Benz W124 and considers everything made after it aesthetically questionable. Henri drives an Alfa Romeo that breaks down once a month but says it's the most beautiful car in the world. Both are wrong, but both are also right.
Same goes for headphones. The VMK20's fabric finish divides opinions. The NL25 earbud case is minimalist. Nordell speakers look like – well, speakers.
But you know what doesn't divide opinions? Sound quality. That's not a matter of taste, it's physics. The frequency response is either balanced or it isn't. Bass either sounds clean or turns to mush. That's where we put everything.
The perks of ugly headphones
Let's list them, in the name of honesty:
- Nobody nicks them. Brand-logo fashion headphones vanish from coffee shops. Valco headphones stay on the table.
- Repairability. When the design isn't overcomplicated, the build lasts and parts can be swapped. We repair our headphones in Kajaani, not toss them in the bin.
- The price stays reasonable. Every euro saved goes into better components. Or the Death Star. Depends on the day.
What if you actually want a beautiful pair of headphones?
Then we recommend the Depression Blue colour. It's as beautiful as a November morning in Kajaani at the crack of dawn. Or Fuckshia, if you want to turn heads in a meeting.
But seriously: put the headphones on, press play, and close your eyes. At that point, design doesn't matter one bit. What matters is how that song sounds.
And it sounds pretty damn good. We promise that – even if we don't promise anything about the looks.
