[Mach3]

My accurate assumption would be 99.99% of the world's population would not be able to afford it regardless whatever the price is.

 

[JK1]

  My accurate assumption would be 99.99% of the world's population would not be able to afford it regardless whatever the price is.

How do you define being able to afford it? Some might say being able to afford it means that you have enough money to buy it, while others might say that a headphone is unaffordable if it costs more than one week's income after tax. Is it $40K? Few people earn over $2 million a year after tax.

 

[ssrock64]

I think that a debate about affordability of a TOTL project meant specifically as a luxury is somewhat beside the point, and likely will lead down off-topic pathways. This whole hobby is pretty inaccessible to vast swaths of the world's population; it's all relative.
 
Those who end up being able to afford the next Orpheus as first adopters will hopefully buy them in high enough quantities that we will see them at meets and be able to read some thorough reviews, and then those of us with somewhat less free funds may make our decisions based on the impressions of those initial customers. Beyond that, if the new model is beyond the realm of affordability for you, that doesn't mean it should be written off in general as a product.
 
Yes, the hobby has continuously gotten more expensive over time, and yes, the presentation of this model leads one to believe that some of the cost is being wasted on frivolous materials, but in the end, this is almost certainly a massive project on Sennheiser's part with plenty of R&D money poured into a headphone that will likely only be produced in the hundreds, if that. Rather than get caught up in whether I can afford it, I'd rather marvel at the accomplishment and try to find a way to listen one day for myself if it turns out to be a world-beater.

 

[jgazal]

If they wanted to use an element that has a similar conductivity to platinum, they could have chosen beryllium which is way, way lighter.  It seems to me the choice of platinum was more for marketing purposes.

Is it safe to use beryllium? Does it oxidize?

 

[raypin]

Mmm.......about the fuzzy pictures, no longer true. A member posted a link of a short youtube showing the O2 in action. Backread this thread a bit.

 

[raypin]

  I think that a debate about affordability of a TOTL project meant specifically as a luxury is somewhat beside the point, and likely will lead down off-topic pathways. This whole hobby is pretty inaccessible to vast swaths of the world's population; it's all relative.
 
Those who end up being able to afford the next Orpheus as first adopters will hopefully buy them in high enough quantities that we will see them at meets and be able to read some thorough reviews, and then those of us with somewhat less free funds may make our decisions based on the impressions of those initial customers. Beyond that, if the new model is beyond the realm of affordability for you, that doesn't mean it should be written off in general as a product.
 
Yes, the hobby has continuously gotten more expensive over time, and yes, the presentation of this model leads one to believe that some of the cost is being wasted on frivolous materials, but in the end, this is almost certainly a massive project on Sennheiser's part with plenty of R&D money poured into a headphone that will likely only be produced in the hundreds, if that. Rather than get caught up in whether I can afford it, I'd rather marvel at the accomplishment and try to find a way to listen one day for myself if it turns out to be a world-beater.

 
mmm........my thoughts exactly. Also, it is no different than the CONCEPT CARS that car manufacturers unveil during auto shows. The only difference here is that some  (at least the deep-pocketed headphile/audiophile) can actually buy a finished product. Also, much has been made about  the ever-esclating prices of TOTLs. True but how many TOTL headphone models are there anyway in comparison with the dozens of new, down-to-earth affordable and excellent headphones are also being or have been  introduced to the market? Hifiman's HE 400 S is a more recent prime example (I've auditioned it and it is an impressive headcans). Same with other headfi gear, like the excellently-priced Questyle QP1R (which I have been lusting over ever since I read @moedawg140's most excellent review). IOWs, the market rights itself.

 

[jibzilla]

  I think that a debate about affordability of a TOTL project meant specifically as a luxury is somewhat beside the point, and likely will lead down off-topic pathways. This whole hobby is pretty inaccessible to vast swaths of the world's population; it's all relative.
 
Those who end up being able to afford the next Orpheus as first adopters will hopefully buy them in high enough quantities that we will see them at meets and be able to read some thorough reviews, and then those of us with somewhat less free funds may make our decisions based on the impressions of those initial customers. Beyond that, if the new model is beyond the realm of affordability for you, that doesn't mean it should be written off in general as a product.
 
Yes, the hobby has continuously gotten more expensive over time, and yes, the presentation of this model leads one to believe that some of the cost is being wasted on frivolous materials, but in the end, this is almost certainly a massive project on Sennheiser's part with plenty of R&D money poured into a headphone that will likely only be produced in the hundreds, if that. Rather than get caught up in whether I can afford it, I'd rather marvel at the accomplishment and try to find a way to listen one day for myself if it turns out to be a world-beater.

 
Actually the totl of yesteryear was way more expensive till now. R-10, Original Orpheus, Omega, 007mk1, L3000, etc. and that is not with inflation factored in. It also has nothing to do with affordability. At least for me it is the fact that marble was proven to be a poor choice before I was born. Sennheiser has Panzerholz in their own backyard and it is impossible to export. The hev90 was seen as not so great before this website and you can not cram a good amp and dac in that itty bitty amount of space. Or at least the world best builders other than Sennheiser can't do it.
 
At $10k my Pavane/Teton is way larger than hev90#2. Shoot each individually is the same size as the new hev90#2. $10k isn't rich enough? Well lets go up to the $30k DIY T2 and Pinnacle and $20k Esoteric dac. Hey guess what it gets even bigger.
 
Sennheiser engineers! Senheiser engineers! Senheiser engineers are on a massive losing streak with new hd800 amp, amp dac, and hd700. Massively bad.  I seriously doubt any of the Original Orpheus engineers work for sennheiser anymore. If they do they have lost their hearing by now. 

 

[barid]

Actually the totl of yesteryear was way more expensive till now. R-10, Original Orpheus, Omega, 007mk1, L3000, etc. and that is not with inflation factored in. It also has nothing to do with affordability. At least for me it is the fact that marble was proven to be a poor choice before I was born. Sennheiser has Panzerholz in their own backyard and it is impossible to export. The hev90 was seen as not so great before this website and you can not cram a good amp and dac in that itty bitty amount of space. Or at least the world best builders other than Sennheiser can't do it.

At $10k my Pavane/Teton is way larger than hev90#2. Shoot each individually is the same size as the new hev90#2. $10k isn't rich enough? Well lets go up to the $30k DIY T2 and Pinnacle and $20k Esoteric dac. Hey guess what it gets even bigger.

Sennheiser engineers! Senheiser engineers! Senheiser engineers are on a massive losing streak with new hd800 amp, amp dac, and hd700. Massively bad.  I seriously doubt any of the Original Orpheus engineers work for sennheiser anymore. If they do they have lost their hearing by now. 

Im pretty sure this guy likes the headphone... Not positive yet though. Can you confirm that you are in fact a huge fan of this new sennheiser headphone?

 

[hex182]

Is this real life or is it just fanta sea?

 

[TonyNewman]

  Is this real life or is it just fanta sea?

 
If it was a "fanta sea" I would be having a lot more lingerie models sitting on my face on a daily basis

 

[OddE]

  Few people earn over $2 million a year after tax.

 
-If you earn over $2 million a year, chances are you don't have to pay tax. (At least the way the tax system is designed around here - if your income is substantial enough, there's all sorts of (legal) tricks you can pull to ensure you don't have to pay taxes.
 
Last year, I paid more tax than one of Norway's dollar billionaires. :/
 
To sort of (purely by accident) veer off back towards the topic at hand, can someone please satisfy my curiosity - when the original Orpheus was launched, did Sennheiser do a world tour with them to various national shows, or would my best bet if I ever wanted to hear what a bazillion dollars of headphone sounds like be to jump on a plane to one of the major shows and pray that they will allow us common folk to listen for a few seconds?

 

[sahmen]

To talk or not to talk about affordability...
 
I think those who keep complaining about the complaints of others about affordability need to appreciate the irony of their situation.  First of all, affordability, is one of the very first questions that normally raises itself when a new commodity is revealed on the market...  Given that the new monstrosity revealed by Sennheiser is destined for the market, you cannot really fault members of the targeted clientele from discussing its affordability or even complaining about it, if that is what they choose to do...
 
Secondly, to complain about the subject of other people's complaints, or to complain that other people are complaining : this only increases the volume of overall complaints, and helps to make the world a whinier sounding place, a more dissonant sounding place : so if you want to hear fewer complaints, then just don't add to those that already exist...
 
 
The bottom line is this:  If Sennheiser have the temerity to bring the said monstrosity to the market, for $40k - 44k, as repeatedly alleged in this forum, then they deserve all the praise they're getting from the admirers of their "genius" or creativity, *as well as* all the slamming they're getting from those who think they've wandered too far afield into the world of excessive self-indulgence, greed, and absurdity! None of these reactions is inherently "wrong", in my view. Besides, this is  a high-end commodity whose revelation was timed to coincide with a high-profile international event that is well-known to that commodity's target market, an event where it may have the highest visibility and make greatest impact possible on its target clientele., and it has immediately gotten many people talking about it, even without having ever heard it, and without being completely sure how much it would cost.  For better or worse, some are pre-occupied mostly with how it looks for now, others, with how much it would cost, and others, how it is going to sound, and whether the sound would measure up to the hype. Whether it has got people liking it or despising it for whatever reason, it has grabbed all the attention it set out to get, and has got people talking about it, and in that respect alone, its revelation has been a smashing success...  And we are very far from hearing the last of it... I am sure the focus of people's interest in these cans would also evolve and change with time, as we get to learn more about it...  So my recommendation is, let people talk as freely as they want about this unit as long as their language does not become politically or socially inappropriate; let them discuss the price, the looks, and its performance...  There is nothing wrong with any of that.
 
And yes, I am also guilty of complaining that others are complaining about the complaints of Sennheiser's critics.... You could say I am just trying to serve as a good example of the very irony I am describing and attacking at the same time...

 

[ast]

Thought I just got out of this whole headphone hobby ...

 

[pietcux]

-If you earn over $2 million a year, chances are you don't have to pay tax. (At least the way the tax system is designed around here - if your income is substantial enough, there's all sorts of (legal) tricks you can pull to ensure you don't have to pay taxes.

Last year, I paid more tax than one of Norway's dollar billionaires. :/

To sort of (purely by accident) veer off back towards the topic at hand, can someone please satisfy my curiosity - when the original Orpheus was launched, did Sennheiser do a world tour with them to various national shows, or would my best bet if I ever wanted to hear what a bazillion dollars of headphone sounds like be to jump on a plane to one of the major shows and pray that they will allow us common folk to listen for a few seconds?

You might just want to drive to their headquarter in Germany. They will let you listen for sure. It is not too far from Norway, depending on how far north you live. They have a nice Flagship Store there.

 

[OddE]

You might just want to drive to their headquarter in Germany. They will let you listen for sure. It is not too far from Norway, depending on how far north you live. They have a nice Flagship Store there.

 
-It is a 2,920 km round trip, but I really enjoy spending time in Germany and wouldn't rule out that a slight detour (of a few hundred kilometers) to Wennebostel next time I am in Berlin. (From the looks of it, the DB will get me from Berlin Hbf to Wennebostel in less than three hours)
 
Thank you for the suggestion - it would make sense for them to keep a set on display at the place of birth!