[J-Pak]

I've noticed a trend of less and less discussion of high end headphones here. The majority of the threads are people asking for recommendations for budget headphones. I remember a time when the older reg date members used to enjoy freely discussing high end headphones and it was an amazing resource of information. Now if I need that sort of information I have to search back to before 2005, and sometimes it's hard to go back really far in the archives because the search times out after going back too many pages.

These are screenshots of just the first two pages of the headphone forums:



(I read one thread in two pages)


Now I understand that there aren't too many true flagship headphones out right now, but why not discuss older products? Also I'm fully aware that most of the older members have moved on after finding something they like.

 

[apnk]

Well alot of people can't afford 'high end' cans. So why discuss em if you don't have them? (Well I guess you need to define on what is 'high end', like top of the line or most expensive?)

 

[J-Pak]

Quote:

Originally Posted by apnk /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well alot of people can't afford 'high end' cans. So why discuss em if you don't have them? (Well I guess you need to define on what is 'high end', like top of the line or expensive?)

I understand a lot of people can't afford them. But was the economy really in better shape in 01-05 to allow people to buy such luxuries?

 

[apnk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by J-Pak /img/forum/go_quote.gif I understand a lot of people can't afford them. But was the economy really in better shape in 01-05 to allow people to buy such luxuries?

I don't know about the economy, but my guess is the more 'kids' are out numbering the senior members here and kids usualy have little money to spend compared to someone who has a full time job and a steady paycheck.

 

[mypasswordis]

I think it has more to do with the fact that all the really high end stuff is all discontinued and increasingly hard to find. What's the most expensive and therefore probably most high end headphone currently still in production? Probably the Omega II, followed by a slew of lesser dynamic headphones, such as the GS-1000 and ATH-W5000. Plenty of people have the Omega II and the GS-1000 and W5000 seem to have faults that keep many people from liking them enough to buy and keep them.

 

[markl]

The demographics of Head-Fi are shifting. The people who were already into audio had long since found the site and been participating already. The swell of newer Members is most likely going to always be newbies, hence greater focus on the low end.

The good news is, as well know, once you get a toe-hold into the madness, you ultimately end up scaling the heights of Head-Fi-dom.

J-Pak, I would agree with your assessment of the headphones forum, but then take a look at the explosion in the amp forum.

The trend I see there is towards more and more expensive amps. I see lots and lots of people with some very impressive ampage nowadays. And look at all the newbs-with-tubes. I find it incredible all the teenagers and college kids getting into tube amps, it's pretty insane.


Then again, look at the Sources forum.

It remains a ghost town.... I wish we could convince more people that computers and cheap CDPs are a serious bottleneck on their shiny new $1200 amp.

 

[J-Pak]

Hey markl, thanks for chiming in I thought I might have been crazy

I fully agree the amp forum is alive and kicking in the high end.

And I agree that I rarely read the source forum anymore. And it is silly to pair a cheap source with a good amp. But this is less of a concern for me since other hifi forums discuss sources since they don't apply to just headphones.

 

[JES]

I lurked the he** out of this site several years ago before finally deciding to get Grado SR80's. I was very grateful for the insights of the "older reg date members", and I still am. They all started somewhere, just like me.

There was lots of talk of other hi-end phones, but I wasn't going to drop the kind of money they were talking about for my very first purchase. I didn't even know if my source at the time would make such an investment worthwhile.

My life has changed since then. Of late, I've used this valuable resource (aka Head-fi.org) to research and begin investing in the best portable setup to suit my needs. Again, I am grateful for all of the insights of the "older reg date members".

So maybe the Mods should change the name to Mid-Head-fi.org. Then we'll all know where we're at and what we should post.

 

[Usagi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by markl /img/forum/go_quote.gif Then again, look at the Sources forum. It remains a ghost town.... I wish we could convince more people that computers and cheap CDPs are a serious bottleneck on their shiny new $1200 amp.

As for myself, I prefer to sacrifice that 5% of music fidelity to use a source that is flexible, expedient, and convenient. My listening sessions are far too eclectic to use CDs or Vinyl. At first I could be enjoying Oscar Peterson jazz trios, another minute I get the bug for some ambient electronics, shortly after that maybe I'll move on to some hip-hop or maybe orchestral soundtracks; who knows.

These listening habits would require slow moving multidisc players or burning a new CD every time I turn on my rig, but that would require some forethought. I like to listen on the fly.

 

[Welly Wu]

If discussion of "lower end" headphones means more people discover this hobby, then I am all for that. Can't really blame the members for having few discussions about high end headphones. It's the manufacturers that don't want to push the envelope and produce truly stunning pieces of art technology. If they don't supply, then the demand will eventually diminish and taper off and thus this thread.

I wish we had more contact with reps from this companies on a weekly basis. I'm not talking about featured advertisements or site specific news, but company sponsored forums such that is found on AudioKarma. I don't think our culture will allow such a thing to come to pass as soon as other boards have done so, but if you want to discuss high end cans then you must engage the manufacturers or rather people that have enough clout to make things happen in their respective companies to produce these products every few years.

 

[Welly Wu]

I don't think the sources forum is too bad. I know I am doing my share!

 

[jayehs]

i think the main reason is that there has been an almost exponential increase in people looking for high quality headphones recently. For eg. my close friend bought a pair of grado sr80's about a year 1/2 ago and recommended to everyone. Now almost everyone in our group of friends either has grado's or some type of high end headphones like shure e4's etc. Lot of people posting nowadays are people that are just getting into the hobby and want to start out with the lower end headphones.

 

[luidge]

Maybe it is the fact that product that used to sell for 500$ in 2005 now sell for double the amount like the K1000 and i don't think the other classic high end headphones in good shape would sell for less than they did in 2005. I know for a fact that i would have bought a K1000 if it was still available for 500$ but since it is so costy now that it is discontinued i would feel bad paying twice as much as another person since i am a deal snipper, but it is only my experience. Maybe if the major company come back with realy great and different luxe product i would open my wallet

 

[The_Duke_Of_Eli]

I don't think that it's just that the members have lost an appretiation for the uber-high end of products, but that the companies producing these high-end products are no longer interested in those markets. The super-high end of headphones is a niche which is typically reserved for older members to the forums. Apart from the Omega 2s and the MS-Pro and some Stax, there really isn't any high-end offerings. Sony's Qualia, the K1000, Orpheus and such are all out of production, and it is highly unlikely we'll ever see a wave of high-end products like that again. And as they got older they get rarer and rarer and it's just not possible for a relatively new member to reach that niche without deep pockets. The majority of people on the forums, especially in the past 6 months have been looking for everything budget, 50$ canalphones, 100$ cans, and I think I speak at least partially for some of the more experienced users (even though I'm not even THAT experienced) that it's kind of taking away the interest from the headphone thread. But while we may have lost that high-end headphone niche, there's still lots of other places now that experienced members are moving to that are not easily treaded on by noobies. Such includes primarily DIY and tapers off to DAC and a bit in amplifiers, but even the latter is under the gun.

While I may get sick of the: "Need help, WTB 100$ Closed Headphone thread", there are lots of little places where experienced users can hide away from the noobs. Personally, I think there should be a post count limit or a time period before a new user can post. If anything there should be a crackdown on <10 posting members asking what to replace their triports. I'd say 50 posts or a month actively on the forums.

[Rant mode off]

 

[braillediver]

“So why discuss em if you don't have them?”

I'd personally think there's more to learn about high-end headphones than a pair of SR125's. A high-end headphone would encompass discussion on source / amp / cables / racks / etc.

SR125's what more could possibly said about them?


How about a specific Forum for “High End” Headphones? The quote above would indicate there’s no desire to even be bothered with the postings so please give me someplace to go?

I vote for a High-End Forum.


"the companies producing these high-end products are no longer interested in those markets."

They'll never produce more High-End Headphones if we don't voice demand.



Mitch