[silversurfer616]

Not even mildly interested after having owned the original Empyreans.

 

[lambdastorm]

Oh dang I kind of wished it was a trimmed down Empy, not something twice as expensive. Oh well, the MSRP of these TOTL cans these days are really shooting for the stars.

Oh and by the way this trend of ludicrous headphone pricing gives me the mental image that a few years down the line Abyss exhibiting at a headphone show will tell people 'Don't let the price fool you. The Abyss might be affordable but it performs every bit as well as competitors costing twice as much'.

 

[dukeskd]

Oh dang I kind of wished it was a trimmed down Empy, not something twice as expensive. Oh well, the MSRP of these TOTL cans these days are really shooting for the stars.

Oh and by the way this trend of ludicrous headphone pricing gives me the mental image that a few years down the line Abyss exhibiting at a headphone show will tell people 'Don't let the price fool you. The Abyss might be affordable but it performs every bit as well as competitors costing twice as much'.

It's actually the opposite. Years ago when Abyss first arrived on the scene they had pretty much the highest price headphone on the market and there was a lot of skepticism.

 

[rthomas]

Pretty headphones. I liked the original Empy. They were built VERY well.

Congrats to the Headfi marketing machine. In 15 years “normal” TOTL headphone pricing has appreciated from $400 to $4000. I expect TOTL pricing to approach 10k within 7 years.

God bless everyone buying $4k cables to “tune” their headphones. You’re helping a small business thrive.

 

[mysticstryk]

Why ask ? If it sounds good, it can’t be cheap, period. At the moment where the market and demands are, I would say that headphones that sounds good and sitting at TOTL should be priced $8,999 or about that

Before anyone criticize my view, let me remind you that even a cable can cost $3-4k. Now if the phones manufacturers don’t cheap out and include TOTL cables that synergies the best with their TOTL phones, the price range $8,999-10,999 still is cheap

A fool and their money are soon parted.

 

[Siegrein]

The regular Empyreans was too dark for my taste, I hope this is more forward. Loved how comfortable it was.

 

[xmr0613]

I'm having high hopes for this one! The Empyrean OG to me was perfect for anything but sound. The build and aesthetics, extreme comfort and light weight, and on top of that they are easy to drive too. In terms of sound, I don't hate the dark sound signature but from my short impression, the detail/speed/clarity level is more in line with Arya/Clear and not Utopia/LCD4/HE1000SE/DianaPhi.
If the Elite has technicalities that matches other headphones at this price, then I'd say it's definitely the most competitive of the bunch considering all other factors.

 

[Undun]

I'm having high hopes for this one! The Empyrean OG to me was perfect for anything but sound. The build and aesthetics, extreme comfort and light weight, and on top of that they are easy to drive too. In terms of sound, I don't hate the dark sound signature but from my short impression, the detail/speed/clarity level is more in line with Arya/Clear and not Utopia/LCD4/HE1000SE/DianaPhi.
If the Elite has technicalities that matches other headphones at this price, then I'd say it's definitely the most competitive of the bunch considering all other factors.

In my opinion the original Empy was not in the same league with the Arya, as far as resolving capability. The Ananda, maybe.

 

[Soundizer]

$8,999 - $10,999 cheap? Man, Ive heard it all now

I already told my wife that any if our kids misbehaves then they are at risk of being sold so i can justify these headphones. That’s how it is.

 

[musicday]

Finally a headphone to be kept for many years

 

[GREQ]

Finally a headphone to be kept for many years

BNIB until it appreciates?

 

[XGeneX88]

Pretty headphones. I liked the original Empy. They were built VERY well.

Congrats to the Headfi marketing machine. In 15 years “normal” TOTL headphone pricing has appreciated from $400 to $4000. I expect TOTL pricing to approach 10k within 7 years.

God bless everyone buying $4k cables to “tune” their headphones. You’re helping a small business thrive.

LOL, this gave me a good laugh. I immediately thought of the fools out there spending 1k$+ on an "audio" NETWORK CABLE. This really is quite the comical hobby sometimes. I, like many am disappointed to see prices rising into the stratosphere. I honestly feel like at some point, headphones just stop getting "better" and they only become "different". In audio, it's always a trade-off between something.. Bass-Highs-Midrange-Stage-Isolation .. you choose.. Something goes up, something else goes down etc.. I think many people here forget or choose to ignore that our ears have limited hearing capabilities. No.. you will not be able to pick up on that 0.0001% distortion ... or that sound being produced in the 40khz range lol. Yay.. marketing told me they reduced distortion to 0.00005% .. so what.. you'll never actually hear it.

I think what these guys DO however is produce awesome "variants" of the same amazing sound that you can probably purchase at the 1000-2000$ mark .. Think of headphones like the Focal Clear, or HD800S or even the MDR-Z1R (just to throw a closed back in the list) .. these were never $4000. I have personally heard the STAX SR009 powered by a Blue Hawaii with a DAVE in chain which was something silly like a $140000 chain end-to-end. Guess what.. I did not prefer it over an HD800S running on an HDV820. Was the STAX awesome? YES! Was it better? Not necessarily.. Was it different? Heck yes. Anyways.. I think hopefully by now you're at least getting at what I'm trying to say. Would love to see prices not 2x or 3x every 5-10 years. I don't need my drivers to be "Diamond Coated" or made in the "Volcanoes of Mordor by Sauron himself" but thanks guys lol.

 

[ThanatosVI]

made in the "Volcanoes of Mordor by Sauron himself"

Now I need these.
My significant other is a huge lord of the rings Fan, this would get her into this hobby for sure

 

[Whitigir]

LOL, this gave me a good laugh. I immediately thought of the fools out there spending 1k$+ on an "audio" NETWORK CABLE. This really is quite the comical hobby sometimes. I, like many am disappointed to see prices rising into the stratosphere. I honestly feel like at some point, headphones just stop getting "better" and they only become "different". In audio, it's always a trade-off between something.. Bass-Highs-Midrange-Stage-Isolation .. you choose.. Something goes up, something else goes down etc.. I think many people here forget or choose to ignore that our ears have limited hearing capabilities. No.. you will not be able to pick up on that 0.0001% distortion ... or that sound being produced in the 40khz range lol. Yay.. marketing told me they reduced distortion to 0.00005% .. so what.. you'll never actually hear it.

I think what these guys DO however is produce awesome "variants" of the same amazing sound that you can probably purchase at the 1000-2000$ mark .. Think of headphones like the Focal Clear, or HD800S or even the MDR-Z1R (just to throw a closed back in the list) .. these were never $4000. I have personally heard the STAX SR009 powered by a Blue Hawaii with a DAVE in chain which was something silly like a $140000 chain end-to-end. Guess what.. I did not prefer it over an HD800S running on an HDV820. Was the STAX awesome? YES! Was it better? Not necessarily.. Was it different? Heck yes. Anyways.. I think hopefully by now you're at least getting at what I'm trying to say. Would love to see prices not 2x or 3x every 5-10 years. I don't need my drivers to be "Diamond Coated" or made in the "Volcanoes of Mordor by Sauron himself" but thanks guys lol.

too True!! it is about the trade off

I personally trade off my Stax and T2 for my HD800s. Even as good as my HD800S, when compared to anniversary edition, the anniversary has higher dynamic, smoother textures, but trade offs for narrower staging and earlier roll off extensions. There is no perfections. That is not to mention that I didn’t appreciate Stax systems, I did, and it is legendary….however, the meticulous care to keep it, unable to move anywhere, then the cost of the whole.

 

[Sonic Defender]

Why ask ? If it sounds good, it can’t be cheap, period. At the moment where the market and demands are, I would say that headphones that sounds good and sitting at TOTL should be priced $8,999 or about that

Before anyone criticize my view, let me remind you that even a cable can cost $3-4k. Now if the phones manufacturers don’t cheap out and include TOTL cables that synergies the best with their TOTL phones, the price range $8,999-10,999 still is cheap

Good lord, no. Cost is relative of course, but anyone who says headphones should cost this much, may wish to put things in perspective. To be clear, in the end it is absolutely a personal decision, and I have no doubt that for those who can afford such prices the cost is well worth it. You could take this headphone and lay it down on the hood of a brand new vehicle that incorporates airbags, collision avoidance technology, advanced cabin electronics (there of course are levels of advancement) air-conditioning, a stereo etc. You can arguably get a very nice little vehicle that will last for years, many years under the right circumstances from as little as $18 000 (again yes, I know there are levels).

That new car has so much R&D, testing, licensing fees; it has to be manufactured and has so many materials incorporated, and by way of comparison orders of magnitude more engineering. Then it has to be shipped to the marketplace with various layers of profit through the whole chain. And on top of that, people can earn a living through having a vehicle. So when you consider that perspective, how on earth can this (or any TOTL headphone) comparatively simple machine be called cheap?

I am not saying that it isn't worth the money being asked, that is not for me to decide, it is for those who buy it (and for the record I have no doubt that it will sound spectacular). My point is saying that such a price is cheap requires some mental gymnastics. And I do know that a full cost analysis of manufacturing an automobile would reveal many hidden costs paid for by tax payers where the vehicles are made, and in that sense my analysis is very simplistic, but I hope the central argument remains sound.