[sahmen]

I'm jumping off this TH-X00 train. Instead of buying 2, 3 or 4 variations of the same headphone, I'll just go straight to the top and get the TH900 Mk II.

You could also buy just one "variation" of the TH-X00 and just ignore the others... Actually, it is what I have done, because even though I like the looks of the purpleheart, and think the new color they're proposing might also be attractive, I am considering these later iterations to be sidegrades at best from the viewpoint of sq, and I am not one who will get a new set of cans simply and exclusively on the basis of its cosmetic appearance... However, as in everything concerning this hobby, YMMV, of course 

 

[inertianinja]

And also, I would guess that this new "exotic" is going to be at lest $500, maybe more.
 
With the TH900 at such an insanely high price point and Lawton charging so much for exotic wood cups, they have a lot of room to explore just how price sensitive we are.

 

[Liu Junyuan]

I wonder if this means we can transfer our Purpleheart orders over to the new wood, as was allowed with Mahogony to Purpleheart at the launch of the latter. 

 

[BB 808]

You could also buy just one "variation" of the TH-X00 and just ignore the others... Actually, it is what I have done, because even though I like the looks of the purpleheart, and think the new color they're proposing might also be attractive, I am considering these later iterations to be sidegrades at best from the viewpoint of sq, and I am not one who will get a new set of cans simply and exclusively on the basis of its cosmetic appearance... However, as in everything concerning this hobby, YMMV, of course 

Yeah you're right. I have the TH600 and TH-X00 mahagony. I was in on the purpleheart but I cancelled that and I thought about the new dark tonewood for a few minutes. My OCD would have me own all four plus any future TH-X00 variant. My voice of reason (Wife) asked why I need all those variations of the same headphone? She was the one who suggested I clear out the clutter of headphones and just have ONE.

 

[sahmen]

This strategy of flooding ("if not "glutting") the market with Th-X00s amounts to one of eventual "supersaturation," and I am not sure it is entirely beneficial to buyers, especially to those who might want to resell their units after a year or two.  Of course there is a windfall of short-term returns for Massdrop/Fostex, and the size of the "windfall" of profits will correspond with how many units they finally get to sell, and one cannot fault them from that viewpoint...  However, am I the only one who suspects that these repeated runs will only glut the market of enthusiasts with TH-X00s to the point of cheapening them in the long run, and bringing down their resale value for owners who might want to resell their units after a couple years?

 

[HiFiChris]

@DavidA

Three to four weeks to Hawaii? Wow. I expected more like around three days. It was 15 days to Germany. Don't they use DHL/USPS for shipments within America/to Hawaii?
 

---

 
 
Anyway, my TH-X00 is finally in the house! Picked it up from the post office about an hour ago and was also able to take the time for some brief initial listening (less than 15 minutes so far though).


I think you, @Dobrescu George, would like it a lot, based on how you like your IE 800. The Fostex is pretty much for stationary use only because of its little noise attenuation though.
 
And I also think that you, @Podster, would quite like it as well, based on your favourite red-grey-gold FLC8s tuning. Maybe if the future allows it, this is a full-sized headphone you should definitely consider.

 

 

[fjrabon]

  This strategy flooding ("if not "glutting") the market with Th-X00s amounts to one of eventual "supersaturation," and I am not sure it is entirely beneficial to buyers, especially to those who might want to resell their units after a year or two.  Of course there is a windfall of short-term returns for Massdrop/Fostex, and the size of the "windfall" of profits will correspond with how many units they finally get to sell, and one cannot fault them from that viewpoint...  However, am I the only one who suspects that these repeated runs will only glut the market of enthusiasts with TH-X00s to the point of cheapening them in the long run, and bringing down their resale value for owners who might want to resell their units after a couple years?

you know that "repeated runs that glut the market" is less than what regular stores usually do, where you can buy the headphone at any time, right? Like are worried about the market being glutted with HD800Ss?  Because I can go out and buy one right now.  Or TH900s?  

 

[fjrabon]

kinda have to interpret this THX00 Ebony as Massdrop seeing the popularity of the E-MU Ebony cups, lol.  I'll take some of the blame/credit, as I think I was the first to post pictures of the E-MU ebony cups put on the THX00, haha.

 

[betula]

Since I can't afford to join each and every X00 drop, I also decided to focus on enjoying my Mahogany version. If there was a drop for different cups, I would probably experiment with purchasing 1 or 2 pair of them, but buying 3 different X00s in one year just won't happen.

 

[inertianinja]

I don't think it's Massdrop's responsibility to make sure that the resale value of these headphones is sufficiently high. In fact I think it's a pretty negative attitude. It's not like they're repeating the drops with a lower price each time.
 
I like the TH-X00, I hope everyone gets the chance to buy one.
In fact, I would only really be upset by this news about the third version if they limit the drop so I can't get one when I want one.

 

[Daze513]

I don't think it's Massdrop's responsibility to make sure that the resale value of these headphones is sufficiently high. In fact I think it's a pretty negative attitude. It's not like they're repeating the drops with a lower price each time.

I like the TH-X00, I hope everyone gets the chance to buy one.
In fact, I would only really be upset by this news about the third version if they limit the drop so I can't get one when I want one.

You are absolutely right it's not their responsibility to determine used market pricing.

It is however their responsibility to uphold the Exclusivity factor of their brand (if that's what they even want). When you buy from Massdrop, or a similar group buy structure website, Typically you are excited about buying an exclusive product, at a price point that would otherwise be un reachable if it weren't for a "mass" purchase. So the wait time is acceptable, the price is acceptable, and exclusivity is acceptable. However when you got into 2nd, 3rd and 4th drops of a product, some with variations, suddenly that trust in the exclusivity of a brand, diminishes, and as the excited buyer of a 1st drop, you realize that your much anticipated and highly regarded product is no longer that much of a big deal. It's better for second hand buyers, since prices will drop due to market saturation like someone mentioned before.

I'm still sticking to the idea of Massdrop selling cups in different flavors. It's not like they headphones aren't exclusive enough anymore to warrant not wanting to distribute cups.

 

[Daze513]

kinda have to interpret this THX00 Ebony as Massdrop seeing the popularity of the E-MU Ebony cups, lol.  I'll take some of the blame/credit, as I think I was the first to post pictures of the E-MU ebony cups put on the THX00, haha.

HAHA, probably was your fault. But hey better for me right :wink_face:

 

[Whitigir]

I have E-Mu Ebony cups here and swapped into my 900....I confirmed that the sub bass to the mid spectrums are all boosted up significantly with the more constricted soundstage. It shifted the 900 toward a much Bassy and Warmer sound signature with a narrower soundstage, the trebles are perhap still remain, but the boosted up low to mid spectrums are overwhelming. I really thought that the tonal balances overall of the 900 became much worse, and ended up taking it off.

I noticed the Ebony had a shallower concave and angled inner ring than the 900, and I think this was the significant factor that affect the sound quality.

 

[betula]

I listen to my X00s because I enjoy their sound. Not because there is 2000 or 8000 made of them. I won't enjoy them less, because they make another 2000 pieces. Do I like their sound? Yes. Was it good value for money? Yes. Any other thought is just a 'problem creating' thought, and these created problems are the source of suffering. I choose enjoyment over suffering. At least for now.

 

[fjrabon]

I have E-Mu Ebony cups here and swapped into my 900....I confirmed that the sub bass to the mid spectrums are all boosted up significantly with the more constricted soundstage. It shifted the 900 toward a much Bassy and Warmer sound signature with a narrower soundstage, the trebles are perhap still remain, but the boosted up low to mid spectrums are overwhelming. I really thought that the tonal balances overall of the 900 became much worse, and ended up taking it off.

I noticed the Ebony had a shallower concave and angled inner ring than the 900, and I think this was the significant factor that affect the sound quality.

Yeah, I think the foam tuning ring on the TH900 is optimized for the TH900 cups. I don't think they're as easily swappable as the THX00 or TH600.