[Mad Lust Envy]

Flagship products are usually out of the reach of 'normal' (as such) buyers. They're intended to target another market.

Hence the sticker shock. Normal buyers still salivate and are interested in high end headphone news.

 

[GoldfishX]

I respect Hifiman, but at $3000, I'm thinking SR-009. Or TOTL amp upgrade for my HD800.
 
Too bad, I was kind of hoping this would be competitive price-wise with the Audeze's.

 

[Yoga]

Hence the sticker shock. Normal buyers still salivate and are interested in high end headphone news.

Indeed. Reading, researching and discussing is fun in itself. A proxy hobby to the actual hobby of enjoying music. More so to the audiophile than to the music lover though. The latter tends to read less and listen more :¬)
 
Edit: to clarify, I'm not saying that audiophiles are not music lovers. Rather, they tend to be more technically minded.

 

[phauszzie]

The new design looks quite exquisite! I do wish I could hear them... but NY is a long drive for me.

Haha maybe if I start selling my organs or starve for a few months I'll be able to afford these .

 

[matthewhypolite]

I've recently reserved myself an LAu, in plans to get an Abyss to go along with it later in the year. Then I see Jude's post on these new HE1K.....lol.
 
Very interesting to see some say they clearly beat the Abyss , especially seeing that these should cost $2500 less...
 
Does anyone have more detailed comparison between the two, and why they prefer one over the other? Im coming from an LCD3, and looking at the Abyss for their stellar bass.
 
Also, any word on when these HE1Ks are expected to go on sale?

I'm also interested in durability of Hifiman headphones, any driver failures reported?

 

[barmar46]

Any information about when the production version might become available? And the price and release timeline for the new amp?

 

[Stillhart]

  I respect Hifiman, but at $3000, I'm thinking SR-009. Or TOTL amp upgrade for my HD800.
 
Too bad, I was kind of hoping this would be competitive price-wise with the Audeze's.

 
It's not on the Audeze level tho; it's on the Stax and Abyss level.  Given the pricing of those brands, the HE-1000 is actually quite competitive with its closest competition.
 
Don't get me wrong, I was hoping it'd be cheaper too.  But I truly think it's worth the asking price.  Now whether I'd pay $3k for ANY headphone tho... that's the real question.

 

[musicman59]

The sounds is exceptional and I have my impressions done and ready as part of my column but may post them here soon. They are the best headphone  I have heard and I miss them dearly and cant wait to do the formal review.

I agree with you Frank.

 

[reddog]

It's not on the Audeze level tho; it's on the Stax and Abyss level.  Given the pricing of those brands, the HE-1000 is actually quite competitive with its closest competition.

Don't get me wrong, I was hoping it'd be cheaper too.  But I truly think it's worth the asking price.  Now whether I'd pay $3k for ANY headphone tho... that's the real question.

The real question is which kidney should I sell to get these cans lol. I agree these cans are quite competitive for the niche market they are designed for.

 

[figaro69]

Here's my take.  My money is safely ensconced in my safe in case the itch becomes too much to bear, but I'll be watching from the sidelines with regard to the durability of the membrane and any other potential issues with the drivers.  A year will be my cutoff point.  If I like what I hear from the usual suspects, I'm in...but until then, I'm out.

 

[reddog]

Here's my take.  My money is safely ensconced in my safe in case the itch becomes too much to bear, but I'll be watching from the sidelines with regard to the durability of the membrane and any other potential issues with the drivers.  A year will be my cutoff point.  If I like what I hear from the usual suspects, I'm in...but until then, I'm out.

+1 what he said, kick back and take the long view. And after a year of anticipation, I will have saved the money or sold a kidney.

 

[wuwhere]

With the price set perhaps a new thread is in order to complain about the price?

 

[Stillhart]

  Here's my take.  My money is safely ensconced in my safe in case the itch becomes too much to bear, but I'll be watching from the sidelines with regard to the durability of the membrane and any other potential issues with the drivers.  A year will be my cutoff point.  If I like what I hear from the usual suspects, I'm in...but until then, I'm out.

 
And who knows, in a year maybe they'll have announced the HE-7 with trickle-down tech at a more sane price.

 

[pearljam50000]

How is the soundstage compared to HD800?

 

[dxanex]

Originally Posted by jude /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
What is the HE-1000's price? The HiFiMAN HE-1000 is expected to be priced at $2999.