estreeter
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jun 10, 2009
- Posts
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Tube pre-amp, mosfet output stage - now where have I seen that approach in a headphone amp recently ? Anyone ?
Tube pre-amp, mosfet output stage - now where have I seen that approach in a headphone amp recently ? Anyone ?
Agreed. There is a large and vocal camp on sites like Audiokarma which measures the potential value of an amp by its 'heft' - I'll leave it to others to judge the relative merits of such an approach, but they seem to be looking for amps with chunky power supplies. That, or 90lbs of point-to-point wiring ........
Tube pre-amp, mosfet output stage - now where have I seen that approach in a headphone amp recently ? Anyone ?
I am astounded by how people are biased against traditional Hi-fi brands without even hearing them. Not only in this post - this seems to have become a general trend in Head-fi. While there is absolutely no problem admiring bang-for-the-buck products like the LCD2, Burson Audio, Q cables, Buffalo DAC, Lavry or Schitt, I find that there seems to be a general grudge against the more expensive products, especially traditional Hi-fi brands. I hope everyone enjoys products for value here, but it becomes increasingly disturbing to see that people are finding the more expensive stuff to be guilty without trial. Sure, being more expensive does not necessarily mean they are better (Ultrasone ED10), but taking our most familiar products, i.e. headphones as example, the better ones usually command a higher price - e.g. LCD3/SR009, BHSE, Liquid Fire. For what it's worth, the Cary SLi-80 did receive very good review here and I will be surprised if the Nighthawk would not sound better than most budget headphone amps out there (like Schitt). But until someone really hears it, all is moot.
The prices cover dealer margins. Many of the companies we buy gear from on Head-fi sell direct. I think the problem here is really the pressure on companies to make unique-looking or unique-featured products, as people want to feel they are buying something special when spending 4 figures on equipment.
It comes down to whether or not people are willing to pay 10K for the speakers. They are doing that, presumably, on the back of the reputation that 10K speaker has accrued and their audition experience, which would presumably be extensive for that sort of sticker price.No question that dealer margins are substantial, but it costs money to have expensive toys sitting on the shop floor waiting for that one customer in 'x' sight-seers who is actually going to part with their hard-earned cash. Note that I'm not defending obvious profiteering like the infamous Grado headphone amp, and I certainly cant afford to stroll into a store in Akihabara or The Adelphi with a platinum card and a smile from ear to ear.
Finally, I could show you the parts list for the iPhone and suggest that you build your own for a fraction of the price, but how many can actually do that ? These speakers cost considerably more than 10K, but I doubt that there are too many DiYers with the cabinetmaking skills to create replicas. I have no idea how they sound, but as a work of sculpture they are definitely a conversation starter.
I am astounded by how people are biased against traditional Hi-fi brands without even hearing them. Not only in this post - this seems to have become a general trend in Head-fi. While there is absolutely no problem admiring bang-for-the-buck products like the LCD2, Burson Audio, Q cables, Buffalo DAC, Lavry or Schitt, I find that there seems to be a general grudge against the more expensive products, especially traditional Hi-fi brands. I hope everyone enjoys products for value here, but it becomes increasingly disturbing to see that people are finding the more expensive stuff to be guilty without trial. Sure, being more expensive does not necessarily mean they are better (Ultrasone ED10), but taking our most familiar products, i.e. headphones as example, the better ones usually command a higher price - e.g. LCD3/SR009, BHSE, Liquid Fire. For what it's worth, the Cary SLi-80 did receive very good review here and I will be surprised if the Nighthawk would not sound better than most budget headphone amps out there (like Schitt). But until someone really hears it, all is moot.