roosta
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2009
- Posts
- 142
- Likes
- 22
hello to everyone.
first off, a little disclaimer: i am a lowly sales adviser for a major UK store and head office have asked what premium headphones the company should stock through out 2012. i will not say which store i work for, all i will say we are big in the UK and electronics is a small part of our company. i am not here fishing for business, i will not name my employer, i do not represent my employer, all writings herewith are my own views and opinions.
i read through all the terms of use etc and i dont think this post has breached any (i am not a member of trade, i am not selling anything, i am not advertising or promoting my employer) and this post is purely for advise. if a moderator takes issue with anything written by all means remove the post and send me a PM explaining the breach but please dont ban me (pretty please?).
so far we have been stocking the beats by Dre headphones, from the basic in ear ibeats and tours, through the solos and solo HDs, up to studios and the detox ones. we also stock Bose headphones. both have been massively popular and sold very well to 2 separate target markets. now they are looking to expand their range.
first criteria for this store is style. the beats sell well because the styling fits well into the stores image.
second is cost. they want premium headphones, not cheap crap headphones, but they need to be affordable. max budget is £300, but they want a range to meet all price points. a clear upgrade path is also a huge help ( eg, HD598 are better than 558)
thirdly we need a range from a manufacturer, not "one from here, one from there".
and lastly they would all need to be designed as DJ or portable headphones. anything that cannot be played from an ipod/iphone is exluded instantly. headbads like the AKG K701 are no good, and any that cannot be worn around the neck should be excluded for style reasons.
so far i have thought from sennheiser: HD 518, 558, 598. HD 202, 219, 229, 239. and the new HD25 replacements the amperiors. maybe also the MM450 blutooth headphones. PXC range too. maybe IE80s dependant on price.
they asked me about the Grado range, which i feel could be good, SR60, SR80, SR125 and SR225s. i have concerns about recommending open 'phones due to noise leakage in public places. our target market will not be using these at home, but while out in town.
the Shure range, including in ears: SE115, SE115m+, SE215, SE325, SRH240, SRH440, SRH840. worried the styling of the SRHxxx will be too industrial and boring for our customers.
the audio technica range looked quite good too, with the M50s, ES55, ES7, ES10(cost?) FC700 and SJ33. no clear upgrade path, but they could be some good headphones there.
i looked at Denon but they get expensive too quickly. D2000 would be pushing it price-wise.
i thought the Phiaton range looked good aesthetically but no idea about sound. same with the V-moda range. the M80 are meant to be good, but we would need at least 3 other headphones to stock from Phiaton and V-moda. also not sure if their brand identity is strong enough.
i think they will look at the Marshal, weSC and House of Marley range to compete directly with the beats (in SQ and looks) but they are not on my list to recommend to them.
anything i have missed? i dont know the sony range at all, would they be good?
first off, a little disclaimer: i am a lowly sales adviser for a major UK store and head office have asked what premium headphones the company should stock through out 2012. i will not say which store i work for, all i will say we are big in the UK and electronics is a small part of our company. i am not here fishing for business, i will not name my employer, i do not represent my employer, all writings herewith are my own views and opinions.
i read through all the terms of use etc and i dont think this post has breached any (i am not a member of trade, i am not selling anything, i am not advertising or promoting my employer) and this post is purely for advise. if a moderator takes issue with anything written by all means remove the post and send me a PM explaining the breach but please dont ban me (pretty please?).
so far we have been stocking the beats by Dre headphones, from the basic in ear ibeats and tours, through the solos and solo HDs, up to studios and the detox ones. we also stock Bose headphones. both have been massively popular and sold very well to 2 separate target markets. now they are looking to expand their range.
first criteria for this store is style. the beats sell well because the styling fits well into the stores image.
second is cost. they want premium headphones, not cheap crap headphones, but they need to be affordable. max budget is £300, but they want a range to meet all price points. a clear upgrade path is also a huge help ( eg, HD598 are better than 558)
thirdly we need a range from a manufacturer, not "one from here, one from there".
and lastly they would all need to be designed as DJ or portable headphones. anything that cannot be played from an ipod/iphone is exluded instantly. headbads like the AKG K701 are no good, and any that cannot be worn around the neck should be excluded for style reasons.
so far i have thought from sennheiser: HD 518, 558, 598. HD 202, 219, 229, 239. and the new HD25 replacements the amperiors. maybe also the MM450 blutooth headphones. PXC range too. maybe IE80s dependant on price.
they asked me about the Grado range, which i feel could be good, SR60, SR80, SR125 and SR225s. i have concerns about recommending open 'phones due to noise leakage in public places. our target market will not be using these at home, but while out in town.
the Shure range, including in ears: SE115, SE115m+, SE215, SE325, SRH240, SRH440, SRH840. worried the styling of the SRHxxx will be too industrial and boring for our customers.
the audio technica range looked quite good too, with the M50s, ES55, ES7, ES10(cost?) FC700 and SJ33. no clear upgrade path, but they could be some good headphones there.
i looked at Denon but they get expensive too quickly. D2000 would be pushing it price-wise.
i thought the Phiaton range looked good aesthetically but no idea about sound. same with the V-moda range. the M80 are meant to be good, but we would need at least 3 other headphones to stock from Phiaton and V-moda. also not sure if their brand identity is strong enough.
i think they will look at the Marshal, weSC and House of Marley range to compete directly with the beats (in SQ and looks) but they are not on my list to recommend to them.
anything i have missed? i dont know the sony range at all, would they be good?
