[indigogo]

You must be crazy to spend $2000 on IEM!
I've been listening to the U12t which my friend kindly provided me for several days and comparing it to the SE846 (the white filter without the cap) and not only do I not hear any benefit but the SE846 gives a more accurate and balanced sound, provided you set them up correctly. And of course SE846 is more convenient.
It's amazing how people can easily pay money for advertising and "righteous" blogger reviews.

 

[chrisnyc75]

You must be crazy to spend $2000 on IEM!
I've been listening to the U12t which my friend kindly provided me for several days and comparing it to the SE846 (the white filter without the cap) and not only do I not hear any benefit but the SE846 gives a more accurate and balanced sound, provided you set them up correctly. And of course SE846 is more convenient.
It's amazing how people can easily pay money for advertising and "righteous" blogger reviews.

I'm sorry, did you think this was the realm of people who only spend $1 per 1 unit of benefit? Because that is sorely not the case.

In audiophile world 1% improvement can easily translate to $1k more cost. If that isn't for you then there are certainly other pursuits that might make more sense. In this hobby diminishing returns are not only understood, but expected.

 

[GrBm]

Of course it is insane that there are $2,000 iems when you stop to think about it.
But $900 isn’t any less insane. $300 could have bought something that one could make the same argument with (disregarding the mistaking personal preference for empirical fact part). But then someone could make the same argument again, this time against the $300 phones using a $100 set. And around and around the picnic (that’s a few sandwiches short) we go.

I’m assuming/hoping I’m just feeding the trolls. If not this should have been put in a way that wasn’t quite as antagonistic.

 

[Nacmy]

The expensive ones have a satisfying sound because it is richer. It's worth it. The counter-argument is that they are overkill and go beyond morality based value so they get messed up and it's intended for the rich people. Join the darkside. But they are still good. The experienced specialized companies probably get the sound more right and elegant.

 

[Pumpo]

The expensive ones have a satisfying sound because it is richer. It's worth it. The counter-argument is that they are overkill and go beyond morality based value so they get messed up and it's intended for the rich people. Join the darkside. But they are still good. The experienced specialized companies probably get the sound more right and elegant.

When do you think the price of diminishing returns begins? I feel like $2k is getting close

 

[sugarsound]

You have a good taste, U12t is an awesome unit.

 

[Nacmy]

The diminishing returns thing probably doesn't exist. You get a richer sounding headphone for a higher price. I'd buy a $10000 iem if I could. I only have the Trio, but I might buy the U12T which I think may be more clean and dreamy. Unless I wanna buy the major-company sony ier-z1r since the major companies produce a more successful sound.

 

[Pumpo]

The diminishing returns thing probably doesn't exist. You get a richer sounding headphone for a higher price. I'd buy a $10000 iem if I could. I only have the Trio, but I might buy the U12T which I think may be more clean and dreamy. Unless I wanna buy the major-company sony ier-z1r since the major companies produce a more successful sound.

I got some iers, they sound absolutely amazing but dont fit in my ears so im currently trying to sell them to get the U12Ts (or maybe some trios, still thinking of what to get)

 

[Pumpo]

What was sony thinking with that shape, it in no way conforms to the human hear, hoping other TOTLs are more comfy

 

[Nacmy]

On the other hand you could argue that the poorer people, the workers who are innocent need to be payed, so the cheaper headphones are actually better value. I would set the limit on the Sennheiser IE800 and AKG K3003. Beyond that the quality control goes crazy. But you get a richer literal experience instead of 'magic-factor' of sane headphones.

 

[Rodmunch]

You must be crazy to spend $2000 on IEM!
I've been listening to the U12t which my friend kindly provided me for several days and comparing it to the SE846 (the white filter without the cap) and not only do I not hear any benefit but the SE846 gives a more accurate and balanced sound, provided you set them up correctly. And of course SE846 is more convenient.
It's amazing how people can easily pay money for advertising and "righteous" blogger reviews.

I thought I'd jump in here to give my input. I might have already mentioned all this in an earlier post, but let's do it again:

1. I bought the U12t during a B-Stock sale at the $1400 price. Expensive still? Very much so! But...
2. For that price the value is amazing.
3. The build quality is the best I've seen in an IEM.
4. I use them mainly at my work desk so they get almost 8 hours of use per day when I'm in the office. I work at home some days where I will use full size headphones instead.
5. The fit is amazing! I rarely get sore while wearing them. I can't say the same for the AKG N5005 I bought on sale recently - they sound great but hurt my ears after a couple hours of use.
6. The APEX feature is great for reducing listening fatigue. And I have tinnitus so anything I can do to alleviate pressure buildup in my ears is welcome.

For those reasons I can easily justify the purchase. So it does not always boil down to sound quality! Fit and lack of fatigue are very important as well because you have to be able to live with them. But the sound quality is very nice indeed.

 

[GrBm]

I thought I'd jump in here to give my input. I might have already mentioned all this in an earlier post, but let's do it again:

1. I bought the U12t during a B-Stock sale at the $1400 price. Expensive still? Very much so! But...
2. For that price the value is amazing.
3. The build quality is the best I've seen in an IEM.
4. I use them mainly at my work desk so they get almost 8 hours of use per day when I'm in the office. I work at home some days where I will use full size headphones instead.
5. The fit is amazing! I rarely get sore while wearing them. I can't say the same for the AKG N5005 I bought on sale recently - they sound great but hurt my ears after a couple hours of use.
6. The APEX feature is great for reducing listening fatigue. And I have tinnitus so anything I can do to alleviate pressure buildup in my ears is welcome.

For those reasons I can easily justify the purchase. So it does not always boil down to sound quality! Fit and lack of fatigue are very important as well because you have to be able to live with them. But the sound quality is very nice indeed.

That’s my same exact justification for buying an expensive IEM. And, it is priceless to be able to listen to music 99% of the work day.

One more (hopefully) productive observation to add to this conversation: especially with the more expensive IEMs/speakers/amps etc. you are not just paying for a quality item, you’re also paying for past and future R&D. An added benefit of this is the tech trickles down to less expensive items over time, that’s how most “break through a” happen.

 

[waveSounds]

The diminishing returns thing probably doesn't exist. You get a richer sounding headphone for a higher price. I'd buy a $10000 iem if I could.

You can. Don't let those poorer people get in your way.

 

[maceto]

You can. Don't let those poorer people get in your way.

Yea anyone paying that much will review it and “it sucks” but I’ll suck it up and move on