[meomap]

I have Odyssey. In my country, in order to sell it and switch to Raven, I have to pay the same amount as I get for the Odyssey. Do you think it's worth it?

What country is that? Good luck to people buying used stuffs....

 

[makbrown]

What country is that? Good luck to people buying used stuffs....

I think this applies to any not very rich/advanced country where audiophilia is poorly developed)

So, the question is the same: is it worth overpaying x2 for the Raven compared to the already existing Odyssey?

 

[CL14715]

I think this applies to any not very rich/advanced country where audiophilia is poorly developed)

So, the question is the same: is it worth overpaying x2 for the Raven compared to the already existing Odyssey?

No.

 

[samuraix920]

I think this applies to any not very rich/advanced country where audiophilia is poorly developed)

So, the question is the same: is it worth overpaying x2 for the Raven compared to the already existing Odyssey?

Stick to the odyssey, the raven isnt an improvement that justifies overpaying x2.

 

[subguy812]

Strictly subjective, I loved Odyssey, but love Raven more. To say what is "worth it" to upgrade is a matter of preference. Both are great but slightly different flavors. Raven is more open sounding than Odyssey but both are tuned well. It is all about sound preference and if you want to let go of the bucks. I do feel, it is really important to remember, Odyssey is a TOTL offering and just because a new model is released doesn't diminish what you currently own or make it any less of an offering. If your happy, your happy. Enjoy the music.

 

[CL14715]

Strictly subjective, I loved Odyssey, but love Raven more. To say what is "worth it" to upgrade is a matter of preference. Both are great but slightly different flavors. Raven is more open sounding than Odyssey but both are tuned well. It is all about sound preference and if you want to let go of the bucks. I do feel, it is really important to remember, Odyssey is a TOTL offering and just because a new model is released doesn't diminish what you currently own or make it any less of an offering. If your happy, your happy. Enjoy the music.

I’d agree. I’d also mention that it’s hard to say any IEM is actually worth $7k. Sure some people can drive the market but that’s a ridiculous asking.

 

[subguy812]

I’d agree. I’d also mention that it’s hard to say any IEM is actually worth $7k. Sure some people can drive the market but that’s a ridiculous asking.

Amen brother. Traillii pushed my limit but was worth it. That said, having the money and wanting to spend it are two different things.

 

[CL14715]

Amen brother. Traillii pushed my limit but was worth it. That said, having the money and wanting to spend it are two different things.

Agreed. I think Raven, Traillii and Anni 2023 are the most enjoyable IEM’s I have heard in the past few years. This is obviously by minuscule margins over others that are neck and neck.

If someone wants to pay $30k for an IEM that’s fine by me. I’m just pointing out that there’s a very strong presence at the $3k range currently that makes it hard for me to justify spending much more.

 

[MatW]

Agreed. I think Raven, Traillii and Anni 2023 are the most enjoyable IEM’s I have heard in the past few years. This is obviously by minuscule margins over others that are neck and neck.

Traillii and Annihilator are among my favorite IEMs, so fully agreed with you there, and I look forward to hearing the Raven soon, hopefully at the Amsterdam watercooler meeting next weekend.

If someone wants to pay $30k for an IEM that’s fine by me. I’m just pointing out that there’s a very strong presence at the $3k range currently that makes it hard for me to justify spending much more.

3K is a mental barrier for me it seems, for both IEMs and headphones, which I rarely exceed. I have made exceptions in the past, e.g. when buying Traillii new, as well as the Abyss 1266 and a few others… but those are extreme cases where I think the headfi gear is worth it.

 

[CL14715]

Traillii and Annihilator are among my favorite IEMs, so fully agreed with you there, and I look forward to hearing the Raven soon, hopefully at the Amsterdam watercooler meeting next weekend.

3K is a mental barrier for me it seems, for both IEMs and headphones, which I rarely exceed. I have made exceptions in the past, e.g. when buying Traillii new, as well as the Abyss 1266 and a few others… but those are extreme cases where I think the headfi gear is worth it.

I’m right there with you. After going through tons of gear like many in the hobby I have developed a mental block. There are the outliers as you mentioned but it takes leaving a lasting impression on me to even consider it.

 

[Frankie D]

Amen brother. Traillii pushed my limit but was worth it. That said, having the money and wanting to spend it are two different things.

Sorry guys, I am a little slow tonight. Where did $7k come from? I had understood both Odyssey and Raven to be in the $3k+ range. What did I miss?

 

[javahut]

Sorry guys, I am a little slow tonight. Where did $7k come from? I had understood both Odyssey and Raven to be in the $3k+ range. What did I miss?

Someone said earlier that in their country, the combination of the price of buying Raven and the price they could get for their Odyssey would mean they would end up effectively paying somewhere around twice as much as the actual price, and wanted to know if it would be worth the upgrade over their Odyssey.

 

[makbrown]

Someone said earlier that in their country, the combination of the price of buying Raven and the price they could get for their Odyssey would mean they would end up effectively paying somewhere around twice as much as the actual price, and wanted to know if it would be worth the upgrade over their Odyssey.

You got my point across damn right!

I don’t think anyone can pay more than $1.5k for a used Odyssey without a kit in my poor European country. This is too niche a device, quite old, and by the standards of most (unfortunately) - paying that kind of money for an IEM in 2024 is sheer madness. After all, the market in recent years has been overflowing with chi-fi for $ and $$, which for their price blow the minds of beginners. Their psychological barrier is a double digit price, not a quadruple digit)

But even if we discard the specifics of selling in my country, and I decide to sell internationally, I will take on the risks of delivery, customs, etc. - I don’t think I can get much more than the mentioned $1.5k for an outdated limited model. But the Raven is a fresh, up-to-date model, the current flagship of the company, and even on the used market it does not suffer much from the cost of new ones. That's where I got the x2 difference from.

But I still have in mind the new AKxEE Novus, which is the ideological successor of the Odyssey, and they generally cost $5k+.

 

[subguy812]

:edit @javahut already answered

 

[MatW]

You got my point across damn right!

I don’t think anyone can pay more than $1.5k for a used Odyssey without a kit in my poor European country. This is too niche a device, quite old, and by the standards of most (unfortunately) - paying that kind of money for an IEM in 2024 is sheer madness. After all, the market in recent years has been overflowing with chi-fi for $ and $$, which for their price blow the minds of beginners. Their psychological barrier is a double digit price, not a quadruple digit)

But even if we discard the specifics of selling in my country, and I decide to sell internationally, I will take on the risks of delivery, customs, etc. - I don’t think I can get much more than the mentioned $1.5k for an outdated limited model. But the Raven is a fresh, up-to-date model, the current flagship of the company, and even on the used market it does not suffer much from the cost of new ones. That's where I got the x2 difference from.

But I still have in mind the new AKxEE Novus, which is the ideological successor of the Odyssey, and they generally cost $5k+.

What you’re describing is a 3k new release which depreciates to 50% of MSRP in 1-2 years max and then there is a brand new super enticing successor for 3-4k and you’re wondering if you should upgrade…That’s just the name of the game in this hobby, wherever you live…

In general, there are a few ways to deal with this, depending on the size of the wallet and levels of madness:
1. Large wallet: do whatever you want, YOLO.
2. Medium wallet / smart: buy new releases with a (review) discount, enjoy them for 2 months, and then sell with limited or no loss
3. Medium wallet / less smart: wait for 6-12 months after release and then buy it used for 30-40% off. Keep for a year and then sell with a relatively small loss.
4. Medium wallet / dumb: same as nr. 3 but keep them forever, letting them depreciate to zero. (My strategy …)
5. Small wallet / dumb: buy new like you can afford it …
6. Small wallet / smarter: buy one good IEM in the used market and stick with it forever
7. Small wallet / smart: delete your headfi account now