[Mediahound]

Looks like a Sony MDR-R10, those wooden cups! and I think that is exactly the point they are trying to make. So it is fair to assume they will cost at least more than 1500 USD
So I'm out

And the fact that Hifiman is even calling them the R10...

I believe there are supposed to be two versions as well, one being over $5,000.

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

This is just sad.

 

[Roukii]

HE-Orpheus/HE-Omega/HE-K1000 ARE ON THE WAY

 

[sennfan83261]

Can't wait for an HE-Orpheus. Disappointing.

Fang already did that with the HE Audio Jade

Paying homage? More like a blatant copy.

I also heard from my friend who watched the live presentation that they even have the cheek to mention they have checked the patents and Sony cannot sue them.

Well, probably the patents already expired. They better hope that their legal team, or the law firm that they hired, did a thorough job.

2 variation
planer r10 goes for 5500 usd
dynamic r10 1400 usd

Sony's MDR-R10 was released in 1989 for $2,500, which is That's $2,910.61 $5,197.52 in today's prices. Still, the og R10 looks far more luxurious than HFM's "homage."

I hope that the dynamic R10 doesn't have HE-350 drivers, lol.

 

[SoundHelmet]

whats the problem with hifiman copying the cups of the sony r10? sony had limited run of the headphone and have not sold anythig on the same level or with similar technology for multiple decades now.

if sony doesn't want to use the concept ever again then let someone else right? i don't see why we as consumers would be angry for copying r10 cups? if hifiman succeeds at capturing the magic we simply benefit. if hifiman fails then its their problem.

 

[AutumnCrown]

Looking forward to comparisons with Verite Closed and Stellia, the former of which has already been favorably compared to the original R10.

 

[GREQ]

whats the problem with hifiman copying the cups of the sony r10? sony had limited run of the headphone and have not sold anythig on the same level or with similar technology for multiple decades now.

if sony doesn't want to use the concept ever again then let someone else right? i don't see why we as consumers would be angry for copying r10 cups? if hifiman succeeds at capturing the magic we simply benefit. if hifiman fails then its their problem.

The problem is that the headband comes from the $220 Devo and the ear pads are $50 Sundara pads.
This means that Hifiman believes the wood cups and planar driver WITH ZERO RnD to cost around (at a conservative estimate) $5200.

 

[Piotr Michalak]

Guys, what is on this measurement? Is this the dynamic or plannar version measured?

...also about the caps on the photo. I can’t read Chinese but there are prices on this photo. Does this mean they will be also selling the cups separately for modders? I’d be glad to upgrade my CD3000

 

[SoundHelmet]

The problem is that the headband comes from the $220 Devo and the ear pads are $50 Sundara pads.
This means that Hifiman believes the wood cups and planar driver WITH ZERO RnD to cost around (at a conservative estimate) $5200.

i dont think its fair to say there is zero rnd. but i am not gonna argue in favor of $5200 prices as i think they are ridiculous as well.

im only paying attention to the dynamic version which has the same cups and costs $1400

 

[GrandNagus50]

I don't understand the immediate and visceral hostility to this move by Hifiman. The MDR-R10 was/is "legendary," and yet has not been made for decades. As pointed out by a previous poster, the price of the Sony in today's dollars would be around $5200. We all know there are people who would pay this, and yet Sony has decided to relegate the R10 to the annals of history.

If Sony had a problem with what Hifiman is doing, you can bet their lawyers would be all over this move. Apparently, Sony is ok with it.

This said, the important determinant of whether the Hifiman headphones are genius or folly is how good they turn out to be. The price of the dynamic version is well below what the Sony would be today. The planars' price will be about what the Sonys would cost today.

If these turn out to be brilliant headphones, especially the dynamic at the price point announced, then I will applaud Hifiman and even consider buying the R10s. If they turn out to be hype, i.e., average headphones that just ape the appearance of the original MDR-R10, then phooey on Dr. Fang.

New products 'pay homage' to old ones all the time, whether it be with cars, cameras, watches, whatever. Ultimately, the important thing is performance, which has to transcend the marketing hype.

 

[XERO1]

 

[Malevolent]

I don't understand the immediate and visceral hostility to this move by Hifiman. The MDR-R10 was/is "legendary," and yet has not been made for decades. As pointed out by a previous poster, the price of the Sony in today's dollars would be around $5200. We all know there are people who would pay this, and yet Sony has decided to relegate the R10 to the annals of history.

If Sony had a problem with what Hifiman is doing, you can bet their lawyers would be all over this move. Apparently, Sony is ok with it.

This said, the important determinant of whether the Hifiman headphones are genius or folly is how good they turn out to be. The price of the dynamic version is well below what the Sony would be today. The planars' price will be about what the Sonys would cost today.

If these turn out to be brilliant headphones, especially the dynamic at the price point announced, then I will applaud Hifiman and even consider buying the R10s. If they turn out to be hype, i.e., average headphones that just ape the appearance of the original MDR-R10, then phooey on Dr. Fang.

New products 'pay homage' to old ones all the time, whether it be with cars, cameras, watches, whatever. Ultimately, the important thing is performance, which has to transcend the marketing hype.

I can't speak for the others, but IMO, this is ostensibly a blatant cash grab on the part of Hifiman. Not only is its design a flagrant replication of the legendary MDR-R10, but they had to use an extremely similar naming scheme, too. I am not buying the 'homage' descriptor, to be honest.

Of course, if both headphone models sound fantastic, then, half the battle would be won.

With that said, I don't understand how such a premium headphone could utilize such cheap-looking components? In its marketing video, the wood cups don't appear to be forged from premium stock. Even the Audio-Technica WP900 utilises better-looking cups, and that headphone costs 1/8th the price of the planar version. They'd have to sound absolutely magical to justify the surge in price.

 

[GrandNagus50]

Of course, if both headphone models sound fantastic, then, half the battle would be won.

Well, there is the bottom line: if they sound fantastic, then most of us will see the move in a sympathetic light. If they are 'meh' headphones, then yes, thumbs down on a cash grab.

 

[CoryGillmore]

As a huge Sony fan and someone who has never even considered a Hifiman can, this may just be my first one ever. The DD version anyway. I see no isses with copying the cup design in order to pay homage to a legendary headphone that hasn't been manufactured in well over 20 years. Hell I wish Sony themselves would pay homage to the R10 with a new woody flagship can.

 

[ervin192]

Sony engineers consider those cups to be only causing more reverb thus affiliate to nothing more than that nostalgic era of 'low-res' CD quality recordings.