[Sound~Patriot]

i get all this 'get the perfect sound/setup' madness (used to be semi-mad myself...) but if the music is good , it's enjoyable even with a decent 100$ iem like Hifiman Re-600 out of Youtube (as it is while i am typing this

wisely said. absolutely agree. This TOTL-madness is getting completely out of control when i look at the recent price policies.

 

[proedros]

well , technically we are all 'mad' - at least in the eyes of the 'sane' people (everybody in my inner circle looks at me like i ate babies for breakfast when i tell them how much Zeus XR costs...) - but there comes a point where madness becomes MADNESS

SE6 is one of those points i think

but if you make 20K/month well then i guess you are less mad - having lots of money kinda absolves the insanity sin i guess (btw watch how insanity starts with sin spelled randomly )

 

[Sound~Patriot]

well , technically we are all 'mad' - at least in the eyes of the 'sane' people (everybody in my inner circle looks at me like i ate babies for breakfast when i tell them how much Zeus XR costs...) - but there comes a point where madness becomes MADNESS

SE6 is one of those points i think

but if you make 20K/month well then i guess you are less mad - having lots of money kinda absolves the insanity sin i guess (btw watch how insanity starts with sin spelled randomly )

Maybe...but there is still something like proportionality......isn't it ?

 

[proedros]

Maybe...but there is still something like proportionality......isn't it ?

the SE6 price is crazy when compared to the median price of a TOTL ciem , no doubt about it

but if you sh.it dollars then this is not a problem - maybe the SE guy wants to go for the really rich crowd , maybe he is bored building ciems and he wants to retire ?

 

[Sound~Patriot]

the SE6 price is crazy when compared to the median price of a TOTL ciem , no doubt about it

but if you sh.it dollars then this is not a problem - maybe the SE guy wants to go for the really rich crowd , maybe he is bored building ciems and he wants to retire ?

...or he just wants to jump on this crazy price-spiral-bandwagon because he noticed that others go exactly this way right now.....

 

[proedros]

well, unless he has done some market research and knows that there is a market/customer base for such extraordinarily-priced/blind buy CIEM , to me this looks like a badly calculated move

in any case i won't lose any sleep over it , as long as my Zeus is working he can do whatever the heck he wants

like i said , what really bugged me is stopping ownership transfer , SE5 are bound to be quite a rarity from now on (remember , other companies offer their iems in universal shells so you can always buy/demo them that way before committing to a custom version)

 

[Wyville]

I need to plan to be at CanJam London someday, crossing the pond is not undoable
The other way around if you drop by Paris you're my guest!

I am quite interested by the E5000, I have such fond memories of the Heaven IV... where did you find them?

Thanks! I won’t be in London much longer, as we are moving in a couple of months. But maybe we will both be tourists at the next Canjam.

I have the E4000 and E5000 in for review through the UK distributor. A good place to get them is HiFi Headphones (hifiheadphones.co.uk), that was where I bought my wife’s and my own E2000 as well.

 

[bvng3540]

well, unless he has done some market research and knows that there is a market/customer base for such extraordinarily-priced/blind buy CIEM , to me this looks like a badly calculated move

in any case i won't lose any sleep over it , as long as my Zeus is working he can do whatever the heck he wants

like i said , what really bugged me is stopping ownership transfer , SE5 are bound to be quite a rarity from now on (remember , other companies offer their iems in universal shells so you can always buy/demo them that way before committing to a custom version)

You need to go on a rant like when EE stop their ownership transfer

 

[davidmolliere]

Thanks! I won’t be in London much longer, as we are moving in a couple of months. But maybe we will both be tourists at the next Canjam.
I have the E4000 and E5000 in for review through the UK distributor. A good place to get them is HiFi Headphones (hifiheadphones.co.uk), that was where I bought my wife’s and my own E2000 as well.

Great thanks!
Any comparison to Campfire's Comet?

 

[teknorob23]

Here's an interesting philosophical question: Should the primary goal of companies like 64 Audio, Empire Ears, Campfire Audio and others like them be to maximize profits, or to serve the portable audiophile community best by making the highest quality products available for the least amount of money whilst still turning a reasonable profit?[/

How many units do manufacturers expect to sell of an totl 2k+ iem. I for one don’t have the answer and without knowing I can’t say whether this is profiteering or the cost of R&D and production + working margin. For example if it takes a team of 4 or 5 engineers a year to design, test, refine and produce a 2k iem, then a team
Of 3 or 4 to market it, attend every trade show, buy advertising, pay the rent on the factory, etc with the expectation of Selling under 500 units, then it seems like a good deal, but as I say, I don’t know.

As Pete says this 7k price is small potatoes in 2 channel, but as similarly none of us are compelled to spend this much but I love the fact there are men/women in sheds worldwide spending years of their lives squeezing 0.00001% improvements into audiophile kit only to sell 10 amplifiers for 25k each in 5 years.

Not wanting to sound like an industry apologist, but so far from the few iem manufacturers I’ve been lucky enough to meet or chat with, very few have turned up aboard a super yacht and to man they appeared obsessed with making the better performing products and pleasing their customers.

I firmly believe when it comes to audiophilia, value is in the ear and pocket of the beholder and It’s all about diminishing returns which we don’t have to pay for if we don’t want to, but if perfection is what you’re after, then it’s awesome these people are out there spending they’re lives trying to provide for us.... sorry, the kids are with granny and I’ve had a whole 3 beers, so please excuse the sermon and yep 7k for iems you can’t try is a massive p&@s take

 

[ctsooner22]

I initially missed it because I was really quite upset about it all and did not read the EE thread much anymore to allow things to settle, but Jack recently made a statement that for me personally ends the business. I will say that as a relatively new reviewer the whole situation has made me a little more cautious about getting closer to companies in general, but I don't hold a grudge against EE. I don't know all the details anyway and if Nic and Jack worked it out between them, then that is it done for me. Time to look forward.

Jack's statement:
"Moving on to the Phantom affair with @flinkenick from a while back. What happened was especially difficult for me personally, since I have had what I consider a long and outstanding relationship with Nic. I think all of us - including Nic – truly regret how things went down, especially after such a successful cooperation during the development of the new lineup. We not only appreciated Nic’s good ear, but his honest and straightforward approach with us. It is our position Nic played an essential role in the feedback process of the Phantom, and in determining whether the end product would be suitable for the high-end audio enthusiast market. In the end, we realize that recognition for the Phantom itself was not the issue, but that an employee’s response to a reviewer’s social media post could have been more tactfully placed, regardless of the content. We hope to work with him in the future, and continue to bring you all the best you have come to associate with Empire Ears."
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/emp...rmerly-earwerkz.786335/page-957#post-14323869

Sorry, but I'm always THAT guy who likes to be peace keeper etc... Jack showed some brass stones when he publicly made this post. I know both Nic and Jack and I know how sad the whole thing was for both these awesome men. Jack swiftly took care of HIS business and he did it behind the scenes and not in public. He did this, knowing it was still hurting his business. but he wanted the whole thing to go away, not just for him or his company, but for Nic too. They really are as close as they seem.

Those of us in business realize that you can't always control the folks working for you, especially when they are so young and don't always realize what they are doing. I'm just thankful that it's over and it's because good people really do prevail. Good on everyone. The best part is that we can all enjoy the great EE line and still be loyal to everyone we want to be loyal to. That's so rare in business adn what I love about this small community. Blessed daily that you all allow me to play. Thanks for making that post Wyville. You know how much I respect you I know.

If you’ve been following Custom Art’s social media, they just made great investments in medical-grade 3D printers, staff training and even more proprietary drivers. They’re a passionate bunch I’ve admired since day one and I can’t wait to see what they’ve got in store.

I really love CA. If I hadn't found Nic, I would own a top CA CIEM. I just love the class act that @piotrus-g is and I have heard so many things about his wonderful IEM's. I'll try not to make this too long. My son, JR to be in college, is autistic and majoring in 3D printing within a manufacturing, 4 year degree. I bought him a cheap printer a few months ago and he just got it up and running this week. They are sooooo cool. They are also not cheap for medical grade ones. That's a true investment into the future of IEM's. For these smaller companies in this industry, it's a big deal. it also allows the designers to make meaningful changes within the shells. This, along with newer materials for DD's and BA's will allow us to benefit. Heck, there is even a PLA spool that is a carbon nano material. We have seen so many of the cool details that it will give us. They can even design a vent for the backwave of the DD's without losing any of the volume or impact.

I wish I had the money to purchase more IEM"s, but I have to keep my 2 channel addiction thriving, lol ....I just ordered 2 more power cables for my speakers, HA!! Saving up for a new set of mono block amps that my friend will be releasing very soon. I think back to when the 2 channel world 'upped the ante' in prices and NO it didn't really have anything to do with higher costs. It had to so with the fact that they could. Wilson audio speakers was the one who marketed so well, that they were able to charge over 10k for their smallest of speakers many years ago and it became a price war.

I see much of that in this industry/hobby. I honestly hope that folks follow the lead of many and don't purchase these uber expensive pieces of gear. If enough do, then the prices will remain in the under 3k or so for TOTL IEM.s. The word incremental was used earlier and should be since that's the reality.

Sorry for the long diatribe, but I just got my MacBook Pro back (I had a defective once for nearly 2 years and they finally gave me a replacement. Thanks. Pete

 

[deafdoorknob]

 

[deafdoorknob]

In a way, this is more interesting than anything I have read Head-Fi related in a longa$$ time

https://www.sony.co.jp/SonyInfo/csr/ForTheNextGeneration/ssp/workshop/headphone.html

Meanwhile...
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/campfire-audio-equinox-custom-iem-beta.885013/#post-14418919

 

[Bosk]

Meanwhile...
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/campfire-audio-equinox-custom-iem-beta.885013/#post-14418919

Very interesting! It gives the impression of being a custom Atlas although perhaps they are tuned differently. Perhaps if CA's production capacity grows they'll produce a custom Andromeda which a lot of people seem to be crying out for.

 

[PinkyPowers]

Man... prices these days.

I'm fine with things existing outside of my personal budget, but what we're seeing now seems delusional. Sure, there are folk who will buy these things, but I can't help thinking they'd make more money keeping products within reach of a larger customer pool.

But oh well. If this strategy doesn't work, they'll adapt, or die.