Well, I can explain this fairly easily, even though I did love my he4xx.
If you study economics and related subjects, you would realize that large companies invest alot in planned obsolescence and marketing, where small boutique manufacturers tend to be better quality.
people said hifiman had terrible QC, I don't think they do, but it was amazing how one earpad came un glued after 2 years, then a month later the other pad came unglued, so I fixed them, then the headband broke, so I fixed that, then the other side of the headband broke, so I fixed it, then the right driver sizzled and crapped out, I don't have warranty, so it's fairly easy to see that it was not made to last longer then 2-3 years.
Then the plastics become frail, the glues begin to dry and since I am out of warranty then my only option is to buy another pair (exactly what the genius company executives hope for)
This model stands for any major company
Planned obsolescence is how most big companies design there products.
It's funny that even tho it was first invented by an American economist, it seems most Americans are oblivious to it, though its the reason why we are now close to environmental disaster (pollution caused by planned obsolescence)
Like apple, first they use a slightly smaller battery, then they removed the 3.5mm, so you are forced into Bluetooth (meanwhile Apple lobbies to take away the right to repair) so you will need 2 charges a day, that's roughly 600 cycles in a year, on a battery that starts breaking down at 500 charge cycles and to make it worst, they add so much glue that it's barely fixable.
So by supporting Apple I show the market that they can make more money by following apple, and we all end up with crappy over priced phones, that are difficult to fix and need replacing every 2 years.....
Like my precious he4xx. It was my first planar, I love it, I was ready to purchase the Sundaras.
But QC is an issue, there glue won't last longer then 2-3 years, and the membrane can fry at any moment (I was only pushing around 600mw when it happened)
So because hifiman has done so well at making sure there cheaper headphones don't last too long, and I am not a rich man, I am considering the boutique headphones, yes you are right, they can simply close shop, but if I can purchase a replacement diaphragm (hifiman does not do this) and since it was not built with planned obsolescence then it it's much higher value, not to mention that with small boutique goods you get better materials vs mass produced cheap plastic headphones that will end up in a landfill, killing the environment, little by little
You see, a large corporation knows it can make mistakes, they now that for every bad review they can generate 20 good ones, they know that marketing is king.
But a small boutique can't afford a mistake.
I understand we have been trained to beleive big corporations make better products, while small companies are not dependable.
So as much as I had my heart set on Sundaras, I don't want to pay 450 dollars for something that will crap out a year or 2 after warranty (extremely common issue for all hifiman models)
So by not purchasing another hifiman, I will be showing this company that it has made a mistake, and maybe it will fix it. Or I could be like most sheeple and buy the same headphones again and again..........
If only people understood........
And before you tell me I am wrong, my wife is an analyst, she literally studied this exact types of topics, and I am a production artist (I have extensive knowledge of materials, including plastics, chemicals like glue and paints, fixatives, woods, metals etc.)
So, some plastics go brittle after 2-3 years (has to do with the chemicals used to soften and type of plastic) cheap glues dry after a year or 2
But the fact that everything failed in a 4 month period means that this was planned
