hewlett168
Head-Fier
Many users of Head-Fi will buy their headphones on the used market. If a used headphone develops a fault of some sort, this can result in very high repair costs and even potentially make it not worthwhile to repair the headphone, especially for TOTL headphones ($1500+). This can be quite a daunting thought, possibly deferring one from buying used and is not discussed in headphone reviews.
Build quality will usually be considered, but that does not relate to the most expensive part of the headphone that can fail, the driver. The driver durability can very important in considering resale value (for those that want to stretch their dollars to achieve the most), but is of course also important for buyers that are seeking end-game, to use a headphone for years and years to come.
My question is very simple: what TOTL/$1500+ headphone provides the best/worst warranty support for used buyers and provides the greatest certainty in regards to driver durability? Please post your suggestions or reply to my suggestion why you do or do not agree. I very much would like to answer this question, as it is one of the most important aspects that I consider in my next headphone purchase.
My suggestion:
- Best: Focal Utopia, 5 year warranty that has recently become transferable to used buyers and does not seem to have driver failure problems. The Utopia can be bought for decent prices in the second hand market, usually with still many years of warranty left. Focal build quality overall is also very good.
Worst: Final D8000 Pro, a very short 1 year warranty and high repair costs outside warranty. For example, to repair a broken wire would cost about 20-30% of the suggested retail price. In the event that repair is deemed difficult and the manufacturer opts to provide a replacement, the cost can be estimated to total 30-50% of the suggested retail price. Thus to repair a broken wire would cost anything between 800 and 1200 dollars and potential driver failure could cost as much as 2000 dollars. I am not certain about the driver durability and cannot report on that.
Happy to hear your suggestions!
Build quality will usually be considered, but that does not relate to the most expensive part of the headphone that can fail, the driver. The driver durability can very important in considering resale value (for those that want to stretch their dollars to achieve the most), but is of course also important for buyers that are seeking end-game, to use a headphone for years and years to come.
My question is very simple: what TOTL/$1500+ headphone provides the best/worst warranty support for used buyers and provides the greatest certainty in regards to driver durability? Please post your suggestions or reply to my suggestion why you do or do not agree. I very much would like to answer this question, as it is one of the most important aspects that I consider in my next headphone purchase.
My suggestion:
- Best: Focal Utopia, 5 year warranty that has recently become transferable to used buyers and does not seem to have driver failure problems. The Utopia can be bought for decent prices in the second hand market, usually with still many years of warranty left. Focal build quality overall is also very good.
Worst: Final D8000 Pro, a very short 1 year warranty and high repair costs outside warranty. For example, to repair a broken wire would cost about 20-30% of the suggested retail price. In the event that repair is deemed difficult and the manufacturer opts to provide a replacement, the cost can be estimated to total 30-50% of the suggested retail price. Thus to repair a broken wire would cost anything between 800 and 1200 dollars and potential driver failure could cost as much as 2000 dollars. I am not certain about the driver durability and cannot report on that.
Happy to hear your suggestions!