[-=Germania=-]

The new SR-71 is exceptional.

It will cost more than the "current/previous" SR-71, Though I hace no idea how much more.

I can say that the sound is VERY VERY good, and has me thinking of seriously living beyond my means a little bit on this one.

I can say that personally, I preferred the SR71a to the iQube. We had both at the meet at my house and for me it was an easy decision. That is in no way to discount the iQube! Different flavors maybe?.......

Definately more low end on the SR71, and much more "push" to me. Everything came through equally and more natural. Not the same feeling as an iQube with the space, but that is where flavors come in.

 

[Deadneddz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by -=Germania=- /img/forum/go_quote.gif The new SR-71 is exceptional. It will cost more than the "current/previous" SR-71, Though I hace no idea how much more. I can say that the sound is VERY VERY good, and has me thinking of seriously living beyond my means a little bit on this one. I can say that personally, I preferred the SR71a to the iQube. We had both at the meet at my house and for me it was an easy decision. That is in no way to discount the iQube! Different flavors maybe?....... Definately more low end on the SR71, and much more "push" to me. Everything came through equally and more natural. Not the same feeling as an iQube with the space, but that is where flavors come in.

Was hoping you would post about the sr71 vs iqube since you stated that you already heard the new sr71 earlier.

How was the size on it? Closer to the predator size?

I really want something thats very transparent and fun, liquid kind of sound.

Not sure if the sr71 would be better than the iqube for this.

And ill be using IEMs also, UE-11s.

 

[rwallace]

You people who have listened to one, Germania, etc:

Do you think the SR71a sounds better than a Pico (no DAC version from non computer source)?

Which do you think will arrive faster (supposedly the wait on the Pico is @ 2 months)

I'm getting the impression that the SR71a will be in the $500 range. So maybe a < $400 non-DAC Pico is a better deal?

What I'm hearing about the old SR71 is the big sound stage and the desktop amp like sound. This is what is attractive to me. Is this quality missing in the Pico (provided your headphones are of sufficient quality)?

 

[LFC_SL]

I'm going to ask for an IP ban at this rate. I really should not be buying a new amp before headphones... I certainly can't afford both (well not without taking one meal out of each day)

 

[rhythmdevils]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rwallace /img/forum/go_quote.gif What I'm hearing about the old SR71 is the big sound stage and the desktop amp like sound. This is what is attractive to me. Is this quality missing in the Pico (provided your headphones are of sufficient quality)?

4 weeks ago no one was talking about the old sr71, now all of a sudden everyone says it was the best portable ever made

 

[ZephyrSapphire]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rwallace /img/forum/go_quote.gif You people who have listened to one, Germania, etc: Do you think the SR71a sounds better than a Pico (no DAC version from non computer source)? Which do you think will arrive faster (supposedly the wait on the Pico is @ 2 months) I'm getting the impression that the SR71a will be in the $500 range. So maybe a < $400 non-DAC Pico is a better deal? What I'm hearing about the old SR71 is the big sound stage and the desktop amp like sound. This is what is attractive to me. Is this quality missing in the Pico (provided your headphones are of sufficient quality)?

If it still can't beat the Pico, or at least the 2Move, on Skylab's list, I'll be laughing my head off. Since these two are much cheaper than the Hornet & the SR-71. And definitely cheaper than the SR-71a.

 

[digger945]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rwallace /img/forum/go_quote.gif You people who have listened to one, Germania, etc: Do you think the SR71a sounds better than a Pico (no DAC version from non computer source)? Which do you think will arrive faster (supposedly the wait on the Pico is @ 2 months) I'm getting the impression that the SR71a will be in the $500 range. So maybe a < $400 non-DAC Pico is a better deal? What I'm hearing about the old SR71 is the big sound stage and the desktop amp like sound. This is what is attractive to me. Is this quality missing in the Pico (provided your headphones are of sufficient quality)?

I haven't listened to a Pico. I didn't listen to the iQube at the meet either.
I waited about 3 shipping days for the Predator to be shipped.
It would be impossible to guess as to what the price may be, as the parts used in the 71a are hard to find.
It will be interesting to see someone take a Pico and 71a apart and compare them side by side, then put them together and listen to the difference.
I'm gonna try my best to purchase a 71a as soon as released, I have already put the money in my PPal account just for that. I would also love to have a Pico some day just to compare. I know this for sure, I think the 71a will be, as far as portables for me, the daddy rat.

 

[rwallace]

I'm new to this head-fi subculture but I think I'm getting to the bottom of things. As I see it, everything that's really worth buying is either too expensive (UE11 Pro) or unavailable (XIN SuperMini-IV) or on back order for 2+ months (Pico) or in the pipe, on limited run and shrouded with a veil of secrecy (SR71a).

Someone with some decent business sense and some capital could clean up in this business by putting out two (2) product lines that took Xin's SuperMini IV market share (ultra-thin, ultra-portable, good quality), and Justin and Ray's market share for high end portable with that desktop amp sound stage and SQ.

1) they'd have to ensure quality in designs, cases, components, PCBs and manufacturing, then

2) mass produce the units (to meet current demand) either through outsourcing or by locally apprenticing some promising electrical engineering students from the local community college willing to work part time or some other way, and

3) profit! (slashdot joke...)

Anyhow, nothing against Xin, Ray and Justin, just a thought.

 

[frozenice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rwallace /img/forum/go_quote.gif Someone with some decent business sense and some capital could clean up in this business by putting out two (2) product lines that took Xin's SuperMini IV market share (ultra-thin, ultra-portable, good quality), and Justin and Ray's market share for high end portable with that desktop amp sound stage and SQ.

Someone could clean up easy and yet it doesn't happen. Why, I'm not sure but one thing I've learned is if you work hard at a craft or a skill for a decade or two or three it isn't that easy for others to walk all over you and put you out of business. It's called learning through trial and error.

As far as it being more expensive than the SR-71 if you include 4 rechargeable 9 volt batteries (2 spares) I doubt if it's going to be more expensive.

 

[rwallace]

Quote:

Originally Posted by frozenice /img/forum/go_quote.gif Someone could clean up easy and yet it doesn't happen. Why, I'm not sure but one thing I've learned is if you work hard at a craft or a skill for a decade or two or three it isn't that easy for others to walk all over you and put you out of business. It's called learning through trial and error. As far as it being more expensive than the SR-71 if you include 4 rechargeable 9 volt batteries (2 spares) I doubt if it's going to be more expensive.

And yet there's 10,000+ page views for this thread and as I understand, at least the initial run of SR71a's will be limited to 500 units. 10k - 500 = a whole lot of untapped market share.

The third alternative would be to have someone with an understanding of high tech manufacturing partner up with Justin, Xin and Ray take their 30 years or whatever of knowledge and designs and put them into mass production to meet demand.

Look at American Apparel. The guy started selling door to door underwear now he's making 400 mil a year -- he hooked up with a manufacturing guy who learned mass production and modern practices working for the Gap and now boom, multi-millionaire.

 

[frozenice]

Maybe it's time to relax buddy. The Predator took 3 months to sell 200 at the special introductory price of $50 off and that was also at Xmas time.

 

[trickywombat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rwallace /img/forum/go_quote.gif And yet there's 10,000+ page views for this thread and as I understand, at least the initial run of SR71a's will be limited to 500 units. 10k - 500 = a whole lot of untapped market share. The third alternative would be to have someone with an understanding of high tech manufacturing partner up with Justin, Xin and Ray take their 30 years or whatever of knowledge and designs and put them into mass production to meet demand.

Page views may not translate into sales of a niche product.

Headphone amps have been around for a long time, and so have high end headphones. Over the years, choice has increased and prices have fallen. Prices (and sometimes performance) have also reached a new ceiling to cater to enthusiasts who may have to forgo food, love and shelter.

However, quality headphones and headamps won't be mass market products until the average consumer is willing to spend more. Add-on headphone amplifiers have yet to be accepted by the general public, no matter how many Roos they Boost. Line out docks won't capture the imagination of the public until Manster (misspelled to avoid litigation) makes them.

Justin W. once said that 80% of his sales are generated directly from buzz created on Head-Fi, and I suspect it's pretty much the same core demographic that can afford and subsequently buy each new product.

The rest of the world may not even be trying to figure out why people would spend more than $50 on headphones. To them, nothing could sound better than a [four-letter word]. Those that buy a [four-letter word] take Quiet Comfort in the fact that they spent a fortune on headphones, but got the best. Even then, the [four-letter word] is seen as an extravagant purchase and they can't understand why we would spend more.

In ramping up production, it would be hard for our boutique manufacturers to distribute their capital costs over a large number of production units without acceptance of and demand for their products by the mass market. It would also increase their overhead (marketing, warehousing, personnel, etc) significantly.

I also appreciate such boutique fabricators' attention to detail, customer service and quality control that may be hard to provide in a mass production model.

Unless the government passes some kind of legislation forbidding people to listen to crappy sound, people will continue to buy what they buy. I'm just glad that options and accessibility continue to improve continuously so that ordinary people like me can buy and enjoy a product as well-made as a RSA, iQube, HeadAmp, Corda, Go-Vibe, HeadRoom, FiiO etc.

 

[Spektrograf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rwallace /img/forum/go_quote.gif [snip] Someone with some decent business sense and some capital could clean up in this business... [snip]

While that sounds great at face-value (and many of us would THANK whoever could setup enough production and inventory to make a variety of hardware across a wide price range available when ordered, this is still too much of a niche market for mass production and the associated field repair and customer support infrastructure that people would demand.

That being said, there are several manufacturers that make their products readily available, so it's not that there's no choice... in fact, it's far from it. Can't beat having choices!

EDIT: ...eh... what trickywombat said... x2

 

[Nuwidol]

great post trickywombat.

BTW those 10,000 post views are mostly mine :-/

 

[rwallace]

Wombat: that's a good analysis, however most of your points can be overcome with advertising (e.g., targeting a headphone demographic like the readers of Wired or Rolling Stone.) If people will buy a "Chia Pet," they'll buy amps.

An example of effective advertising in this segment is the Bose QuietComfort headphones. They sell a lot of those, enough to subsidize a media blitz, a campaign that educated people regarding the necessity of noise cancellation -- a valid need for many people who travel, use mass transit to commute or work in an office.

Additionally modern mass production doesn't necessarily translate into lower quality -- there's a reason your shirts are no longer made with a spinning jenny.

On customer service, the boutique model is connected with the assiduity of the owner, and in the case of Xin this has proved unsatisfactory.

Anyhow if my ideas seem grandiose you'll have to concede that hiring one or two more workers could address supply issues.