Sennheiser HD800 Updates!!!

[immtbiker]

Hey Tyll,
How many HD800 units is Headroom receiving (or is that where the number 60 came from)?

[Lamenthe]

Thanks for the update Tyll. I was hoping I'd make it into the first batch of pre-orders, but at this point it's looking grim . I just hope that they restock relatively fast.

[mrmarano]

Originally Posted by Tyll Hertsens

This just in, I've been told that Sennheiser will likely receive only 100 HD800 in the first shipment. They're still thinking late February however.

Hmmm. Sennheiser will receive? Thought they made the cans. Do you mean Senn USA, for distribution to Headroom? To all points in US? Or perhaps you mistyped and meant Headroom will receive the 100?

Originally Posted by Tyll Hertsens

Also, the told me they already have orders for what they expected to be the entire first year's forecast. Guess they undershot that a bit.

So is that 100 the entire quantity for the US? Seems absurdly low.

Reason I'm pressing for clarity? I have to budget very tightly for these if I'm even to try them out. If quantities are as worst-case scarce as may be implied by your message, my odds of scoring a copy in even a year may be pretty grim.

Thanks.

[Dash]

This sounds like the Wii

[wnmnkh]

Originally Posted by Dash

This sounds like the Wii

hahahaha....

[Demix500]

their master plan to raise demand/ get peeps to preorder

[dallan]

Can you say "On Backorder"

[blessingx]

Do we know the time between shipments? Perhaps the second isn't far behind.

On second thought what were those drop to $800 shortly afterward predictions again?

[HeadphoneAddict]

I'm certain I'm in the first batch. I ordered about 2.5 hours after Tyll posted his comments on them here (9:47PM 1/8 posted, 12:22AM 1/9 ordered).

[MASantos]

I guess many headfiers think that we headfiers account for most of the high end headphones sold around the world.

We're only a 88500 people in this forum and the majority come and go quickly. We probably only account for 1 or 2 percent (if that much) of global good quality (entry level grados, sennheiser audiophile line and so on) headphone sales and maybe 5% of high end headphones.

edit:

After reading Jude's post, and re-reading the numbers I understand my mistake. Yes, we're far more than 88500. What I meant to say is, active registered head-fiers only account for a small percentage of headphone purchases.

[jude]

Originally Posted by MASantos

I guess many headfiers think that we headfiers account for most of the high end headphones sold around the world.

We're only a 88500 people in this forum and the majority come and go quickly. We probably only account for 1 or 2 percent (if that much) of global good quality (entry level grados, sennheiser audiophile line and so on) headphone sales and maybe 5% of high end headphones.

Though I won't venture a guess on the percentage of any given market segment the visitors of this site make up, I just wanted to comment on the "88500 people" figure:

Non-registered visitors outnumber registered visitors here. As of this morning 524,850 unique visitors visited Head-Fi.org in the past month (a figure that currently continues to trend upwards).

Again, I'm not offering any commentary here beyond saying it could reasonably be said that the number who visit this site is far higher than 88,500.

[Drumonron]

Originally Posted by MASantos

I guess many headfiers think that we headfiers account for most of the high end headphones sold around the world.

We're only a 88500 people in this forum and the majority come and go quickly. We probably only account for 1 or 2 percent (if that much) of global good quality (entry level grados, sennheiser audiophile line and so on) headphone sales and maybe 5% of high end headphones.

This is silly math...you underestimate the power of head-fi.

[aimlink]

Originally Posted by Kees

I don't think they misjudged the demand, but the timing.
I wouldn't be surprised if the biggest part of their HD800 sales for this year is represented in these pre-orders.

This is what I've been thinking. I wouldn't be surprised that the majority of those willing to spend US$1400 on a pair of headphones, will be the ones purchasing it very early after its, so enticing announcement.

Poor Denon AH-D 7000 sales... I'll go for the Denons.

[markmaxx]

Originally Posted by jude

Though I won't venture a guess on the percentage of any given market segment the visitors of this site make up, I just wanted to comment on the "88500 people" figure:

Non-registered visitors outnumber registered visitors here. As of this morning 524,850 unique visitors visited Head-Fi.org in the past month (a figure that currently continues to trend upwards).

Again, I'm not offering any commentary here beyond saying it could reasonably be said that the number who visit this site is far higher than 88,500.

Wow! you must be proud and amazed at the same time. Jude, Thanks for such a wonderfull place! Now back to the original topic!

[Tyll Hertsens]

To clarify, the word I got was the first shipment to Senn USA will be about 100 units.

I was told that small pie will be split up by how many units the dealers have on order.

My guess is that at 150, HeadRoom likely has the largest currently standing order at Senn USA by a fairly wide margin, so I'm guessing (hoping) that we'll get about 60. Pure speculation.

I really do think the response has taken Sennheiser by surprise and the comment that the current orders in hand that Sennheiser has is equal to their first year's forecast is not surprising.

I would guess that we'll sell our first order of 150 HD800s by the end of Feb, and I would guess that it will take the rest of the year to sell the next 150.

I would guess that 70% of the "hobbyists" that will buy the 800 this year has them on order already. But as enthusiast sales peter out over the course of the year, sales to the wider Audiophile audience will start kicking in. I expect the audiophile sales really won't begin to kick in for at least a year as they will start buying as the 800 gets reviews in Stereophile and The Absolute Sound magazine.

I also predict the 800 will make "Product of the Year" in at least on major journal.