[drummerman1]

My experience of the High End HP market is very, very limited (one of very few examples was the later Utopia which I could not understand why anyone would spend that much money on). Am I correct in assuming there is much less real value outside the mid ground, lets call it >$2000%

Is it small % chasing or simply succumbing to marketing?

I assume some here will be able to justify the expense and in my defence I am saying again, I simply don't have the exposure to top tier price products to make a balanced judgement.

 

[jonathan c]

My experience of the High End HP market is very, very limited (one of very few examples was the later Utopia which I could not understand why anyone would spend that much money on). Am I correct in assuming there is much less real value outside the mid ground, lets call it >$2000%

Is it small % chasing or simply succumbing to marketing?

I assume some here will be able to justify the expense and in my defence I am saying again, I simply don't have the exposure to top tier price products to make a balanced judgement.

Every sector of audio exhibits 'diminishing marginal returns'. As the gear improves, the next level of improvement is tougher to achieve and is usually more costly - for the developer and for the end-user. It is up to the latter to decide if that improvement "is worth" the additional outlay.

 

[alexdemaet]

I just bought the Khadas tone 2 Pro and it is really really good to pair with Grado.
https://www.khadas.com/product-page/tone2pro
It's so good that I want to sell the Ibasso dc elite.
Anyone else tried the Khadas tone 2 pro?

 

[JerseyD]

I gotta say, Grado and ZMF are hands down my favorite headphone brands. John and Zach have their priorities straight, tuning their headphones for music, unlike those companies lost in the maze of graphs and chasing that pesky Harman curve!

ZMF and Grado are pretty much all I listen to. I can't even explain why, because they sound nothing alike, but I enjoy both, depending on my mood and/or source material.

 

[YtseJamer]

ZMF and Grado are pretty much all I listen to. I can't even explain why, because they sound nothing alike, but I enjoy both, depending on my mood and/or source material.

Honestly, I could happily retire from this hobby with just the PS500x and the Atrium as my main two. Their sound signatures mesh so well together that I don't feel the need to explore any other options in the future. I prioritize timbre and tonality in headphones, and I find that Grado and ZMF excel in delivering that authentic sound of instruments. Technical details aren't a big deal for me, as long as they meet my basic expectations.

 

[jonathan c]

Honestly, I could happily retire from this hobby with just the PS500x and the Atrium as my main two. Their sound signatures mesh so well together that I don't feel the need to explore any other options in the future. I prioritize timbre and tonality in headphones, and I find that Grado and ZMF excel in delivering that authentic sound of instruments. Technical details aren't a big deal for me, as long as they meet my basic expectations.

Besides - when rapt in attention at a live performance, 'technical details' are the last thing on my mind .

 

[JerseyD]

Honestly, I could happily retire from this hobby with just the PS500x and the Atrium as my main two. Their sound signatures mesh so well together that I don't feel the need to explore any other options in the future. I prioritize timbre and tonality in headphones, and I find that Grado and ZMF excel in delivering that authentic sound of instruments. Technical details aren't a big deal for me, as long as they meet my basic expectations.

Atrium and Verite are my main two, with the PS500e as a saucy side dish.

 

[lowrider007]

I most definitely agree that pricing overall in the industry has really become crazy or perhaps obscene would be an even better descriptor. Not so very long ago most companie’s TOTL / Flagship models were $1000 to less than $2000. This continuing trend of higher and higher prices really irks me especially as coming from so many years in retail audio. The graph of performance improvements and dollars spent was much more linear and grounded in years past. Sure there were price no object items (look what we can do) like the Sennheiser Orpheus system at $13,000 and Nakamichi’s gold plated Limited Edition cassette recorder at $5000 but by and large even perceived high end companies of the day like McIntosh had prices that still could be rationalized.

As in theater and concert tickets once a price barrier was broken those prices escalated rapidly.
As an aside the fact that in the 70’s in one week I saw The Who on Wed. at Forest Hills Stadium, Stephen Stills on Friday at Madison Square Garden and George Harrison’s benefit Concert for Bangladesh on Sunday also at the Garden when I was just a few years out of college. Most people’s wallets usually cringe a bit or more to take in one such concert these days.

Totally away from that we will cheerfully have to agree to disagree on the subject of breaking in of certain components. (not limited to speakers and headphones).

The name of the game is to enjoy the music first and foremost and in that we should all be in full agreement.

P.S. Yes, $4000 is a crazy amount of money for a headphone but that number was taken out of context as the example used for griping about a company that arbitrarily lowers a product’s price and then raises it back up again with the same lack of reasoning. No fun being the customer on the up side of the curve.

Cheers

I'm not sure so sure, I just feel today that we have more choice at the top end, the ceiling is higher but that doesn't mean we have to be always reaching for it, I hear people saying all the time, "mobile phones these days cost a fortune!" while clasping an iPhone 15 Max in their hands!, no they don't!

I actually think this hobby is better value than it's ever been in my life time, the choice and value we have at the entry level now is amazing.

 

[plakat]

I'm not sure so sure, I just feel today that we have more choice at the top end, the ceiling is higher but that doesn't mean we have to be always reaching for it, I hear people saying all the time say "mobile phones these days cost a fortune!" while clasping an iPhone 15 Max in their hands!, no they don't!.

I actually think this hobby is better value than it's ever been in my life time, the choice and value we have at the entry level now is amazing.

Interesting perspective. There’s something to that… yes, the mid price segment offers even better value now. And you’re right, one own or obliged to buy from the top shelf.

Diminishing returns etc, but I’m still not persuaded that the 4K+ cans are actually better. And that’s still bothering me.

 

[Shane D]

Interesting perspective. There’s something to that… yes, the mid price segment offers even better value now. And you’re right, one own or obliged to buy from the top shelf.

Diminishing returns etc, but I’m still not persuaded that the 4K+ cans are actually better. And that’s still bothering me.

I think a $4K headphone would Blow anyone's mind! For seconds, minutes, hours, days and weeks. And then your brain would acclimate. And after a month or two it would be just another headphone that you would enjoy.

My most expensive buy, so far, was the Focal Radiance @ $990.00US. worked out to about $1,440.00 landed in Canada. They are not my favourite or even in my top five. Nice headphone, but in hindsight I could have spent that money better.

I Love my Focal Clear's! But I had 90-95% of that sound with the Elex's for Much less money.

Unless you have a large bank account or golden ears, I don't get the point of High End headphones. But that is just my opinion and I am sure that many will disagree.

I think entry level to mid-fi is booming. I really like the sound of my iBasso SR2's, Nectar Sound Ambrosia's, FiiO FT5's, etc.

 

[jonathan c]

Honestly, I could happily retire from this hobby** with just the PS500x and the Atrium as my main two. Their sound signatures mesh so well together that I don't feel the need to explore any other options in the future. I prioritize timbre and tonality in headphones, and I find that Grado and ZMF excel in delivering that authentic sound of instruments. Technical details aren't a big deal for me, as long as they meet my basic expectations.

** but you know that you won't !!

 

[dr cornelius]

Every sector of audio exhibits 'diminishing marginal returns'. As the gear improves, the next level of improvement is tougher to achieve and is usually more costly - for the developer and for the end-user. It is up to the latter to decide if that improvement "is worth" the additional outlay.

So true - also what I've usually found with $1k+ headphones is they'll introduce new problems. If I'm missing something with my current cans, the more expensive ones can overcome that issue, but usually at a cost in another sonic area.

 

[Gradostax fan]

I think a $4K headphone would Blow anyone's mind! For seconds, minutes, hours, days and weeks. And then your brain would acclimate. And after a month or two it would be just another headphone that you would enjoy.

My most expensive buy, so far, was the Focal Radiance @ $990.00US. worked out to about $1,440.00 landed in Canada. They are not my favourite or even in my top five. Nice headphone, but in hindsight I could have spent that money better.

I Love my Focal Clear's! But I had 90-95% of that sound with the Elex's for Much less money.

Unless you have a large bank account or golden ears, I don't get the point of High End headphones. But that is just my opinion and I am sure that many will disagree.

I think entry level to mid-fi is booming. I really like the sound of my iBasso SR2's, Nectar Sound Ambrosia's, FiiO FT5's, etc.

If I could go back to the past , say 15 years back I would have kept my grado rs1 with button and senn hd600 and be happy. No need for electrostatic ! I was too mesmerised by stax back then but now I just feel its only a different flavour.

 

[Guts390]

I feel like if I spent 4k on a pair of headphones, I'd probably go to hell. Lmao.

 

[YtseJamer]

** but you know that you won't !!

Haha, gotta confess, if Grado ever drops a new Heritage headphones (GH5x?) or a fresh version of the GH2 with the X drivers (GH2x?), I'll definitely struggle to resist!