[TheSloth]

I accidentally seem to have ordered some K701's...

 

[warpdriver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by VR6ofpain What is the "normal" price people pay for the HD650 these days? do it. Considering this, I would say a more "fair" price to quote the RS-1's would be $650...though many like to use $700. So we have a retails of: RS-1 - $650 HD-650 - $500 K701 - $400 I think the 701 looks like a great deal!

650's go for $400 typically online.

So the 701's are right in the ballpark. Which is great for me since my cap was the price of the 650's (which I was going to buy one of before the 701's came onto the radar screen like a missile).

I'd expect to get RS-1's for $600 if I were in the market. I have be able to negotiate up to 20% off MSRP with my B&M Grado dealers on the lower models (I bought other stuff from them before so that may have helped)

 

[warpdriver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by philodox Oh, dont get me wrong, I think the price on the RS-1's is pretty crazy too.

The price of the 650 is still well within the hump of the bell curve for headphones. I don't think they are outrageous in a world of $3000 Qualias, $5000 Orpheus, Woody AT's, etc.

It's like saying BMW 5 series are outrageous, when there are cars like Ferrari's, Lambos, Astons, Pagani's, Bentleys that make BMW's look like cheap toys.

 

[jesse_w]

Quote:

Originally Posted by warpdriver The price of the 650 is still well within the hump of the bell curve for headphones. I don't think they are outrageous in a world of $3000 Qualias, $5000 Orpheus, Woody AT's, etc. It's like saying BMW 5 series are outrageous, when there are cars like Ferrari's, Lambos, Astons, Pagani's, Bentleys that make BMW's look like cheap toys.

Just because something more expensive exists doesn't make it any less outrageous. The HD650 is not worth $500, and no Grado is worth $500+ either.

jesse

 

[Yikes]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jesse_w Just because something more expensive exists doesn't make it any less outrageous. The HD650 is not worth $500, and no Grado is worth $500+ either. jesse

The value of a product is a subjective judgment. Normally something is “worth” what people are willing to pay for it. Since Grado sells a fair number of RS-1’s it seems as if enough people believe that they are “worth” it to keep the product in their lineup.

 

[warpdriver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jesse_w Just because something more expensive exists doesn't make it any less outrageous. The HD650 is not worth $500, and no Grado is worth $500+ either.

Considering that people dump hundreds, or thousands of dollars into headphones/amps/cables/sources/music collections, $500 for one set of 650's doesn't really seem outrageous.

High end headphones are LUXURY items, and by the definition of the word "luxury", you can't really say $500 headphones are outrageous.

Considering that some consider the HD650 the FINEST dynamic headphone right now...$500 is not outrageous.

I spent $50 on two steak dinners last week.

The 650's will give you 5-10-20 years of musical bliss. That's $50 per year over 10 years.

I spent $500 fixing my car the other day....$60/hour labour rate, now THAT'S outrageous.

You see, it's all how you look at it.

 

[warpdriver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheSloth I accidentally seem to have ordered some K701's...

Wow, they should fix that web page....can't have other people *accidently* ordering headphones so easily

Sooo, tempting....but I really need to hear about how they sound!

 

[philodox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by warpdriver The price of the 650 is still well within the hump of the bell curve for headphones. I don't think they are outrageous in a world of $3000 Qualias, $5000 Orpheus, Woody AT's, etc.

You've got a really good point there... the price of the Qualias is outrageous. The HD650 is better described as simply overpriced. As to the Orpheus, it is a signature item that by all acounts is quite worth it if you can afford the price tag. I still have yet to hear it though, so who knows?

 

[Kwisatz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheSloth I accidentally seem to have ordered some K701's...

Same, but not by accident.

I knew I was going to get them basically as soon as I saw the announcement about their existance and pictures to go along with it. Between the design, and the fact that I've wanted to try an AKG for some time now - it was a set deal. The only question was how long it would take for state-side availability/preorders to take place. Now that the timeframe is settled, it's just a matter of waiting and wondering what they'll sound like. I'm hoping for something middle ground-ish between my 650's and 325i's. If they do fit somewhere in that range, then I'll be a hapy camper as there are times when I'm not in the mood for the lush signature of the 650, but at the same time not wanting the upfront/potentially edgy nature of the 325i's. Variety is the spice of life.

 

[Romanee]

Headroom 601/701 Update 100505

 

[OakIris]

I, too, am looking forward to reading some reviews of the new AKGs. I am not sure about the white trim (?) on the 701s - when I first saw a picture I thought it was just bad lighting making it look white, but it does indeed look as if it is some sort of porcelain want-a-be.

Quote:

Originally Posted by philodox I look forward to hearing them... BTW, I also doubt that they will sound better than the K1000 or K340.

I have a pair of the K340s; you really think that the K701s won't sound as good?

Luckily, I don't have any $$ for more headphones, so, even though I am tempted, I can't buy. Still, I'd love to live/hear vicariously through the rest of you.

Holly

 

[philodox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by OakIris I have a pair of the K340s; you really think that the K701s won't sound as good?

Well, the K1000 'replaced' the K340 and they didn't sound better IMO, just different. I would imaging much the same with the K701.

NOTE: When I refer to the K340, I am always assuming basic mods/recable.

 

[OakIris]

My K340s are a recent purchase from headphile, so of course they have been modded and recabled by Larry! I'm afraid I have never heard the stock K340s, but I like these quite a bit.

Holly

 

[warpdriver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by philodox As to the Orpheus, it is a signature item that by all acounts is quite worth it if you can afford the price tag.

Funny that you don't pin the outrageous tag onto the Orpheus but rather defend its price. The Orpheus is a "statement" product, and by definition, it has to be outrageously priced.

The 650 is their signature dynamic headphone, and is priced accordingly. For any flagship item, the price is out of proportion to the cost of production, but it's deliberately priced higher to make sure it has some prestige value and not associated with cheaper (but similar) headphones like their 580's.

 

[philodox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by OakIris My K340s are a recent purchase from headphile, so of course they have been modded and recabled by Larry! I'm afraid I have never heard the stock K340s, but I like these quite a bit.

Cool, congrats on the new purchase. Did you get that set where Larry tried the new type of screening that uses acoustically transparent material instead of larger holes? Quote:

Originally Posted by warpdriver Funny that you don't pin the outrageous tag onto the Orpheus but rather defend its price. The Orpheus is a "statement" product, and by definition, it has to be outrageously priced. The 650 is their signature dynamic headphone, and is priced accordingly. For any flagship item, the price is out of proportion to the cost of production, but it's deliberately priced higher to make sure it has some prestige value and not associated with cheaper (but similar) headphones like their 580's.

I think you are misunderstanding my reasoning for what I've said so far... let me explain:

I have heard the HD650 and do not feel that they are worth the price.

I have heard the Qualia and do not feel that they are worth the price. In addition, I think that the price they are charging is extremely disproportionate to the headphones performance.

I have not heard the HE90 and therefore cannot say with any certainty if it is worth what it costs.