Hate to extend the price debacle but just wanted to say I think people underestimate the difficulty of making small things.
Especially outside of audio circles, but even within, I see a lot of people write things like "I'd never spend that much on IEMs" but are perfectly happy spending thousands of dollars on dacs/amps and full size cans.
Even if material costs might be overall lower, IEMs require tight tolerances, durability testing, R&D, etc. I wouldn't be surprised if they gave smaller manufacturing yields at the high end compared to full-sized cans because of the precision needed. I'd be surprised if the margins for IEMs are significantly larger than other audio gear.
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Of course, I would love cheaper gear, but I think that if there's a reasonable argument there, it would have to extend to the entire industry - not just IEMs.
This type of response reminds me of the DSLR scene about 10-15 years ago. There were a lot of people back then (many of them consumers like you) explaining why the full-frame Canon 1Ds had to be 2x as expensive as the identically spec'ed 1D that had
only an aps-h sensor. And people became convinced after 3 iterations (original, mark 2 and mark 3) that this is the natural order of things: full-frame costs 2x as much, and they were
happy to pay what it took to have the full-frame. Then came Nikon with the D3, their first full-frame pro camera at 65% of the cost of the Canon 1Ds and everybody went
"Hey, wait a minute! Was this possible all along?" Yes, it was possible all along.
The point I'm trying to make is that the prices we're seeing now cannot be explained by tight tolerances (have you ever taken a close look at these IEMs?) or durability testing (they're not supposed to survive a drop, so what durability testing are you talking about?) or R&D (which every industry needs). They are explained by the fact that the target group is willing to pay these prices.
I bought 2 pairs of Andromedas (one Green, one S) and I'm very happy with them. But at the same time I think they are grossly overpriced (I'm not thinking here how they compare to ripoffs like the 64Audio IEMs, etc. but in terms of absolute profit margins). Ken (or Caleb) know this but the point of a business is to make money so I will not fault them for it. The fact that they are so much cheaper than many worse sounding gear is probably a great strategic move which helps with their image and appeal (and might be very helpful if the pricing bubble suddenly bursts).
However, I don't think it's healthy (neither for the consumer, nor for the manufacturer) if the consumer turns into fanboy. Instead of finding excuses for the manufacturer for everything you are not 100% happy with, you should demand that they improve. You already voted with your wallet, that is the highest praise you can give them. Now be a bit more critical.
