[vhsownsbeta]

Layla's pricing puts it in a completely different category to Roxanne. I think very few people looking at Roxanne one day would be able to double down the next just like that to get Layla and have the TOTL.

 

[Mimouille]

Layla's pricing puts it in a completely different category to Roxanne. I think very few people looking at Roxanne one day would be able to double down the next just like that to get Layla and have the TOTL.

I could have, except that I would have preferred to have only one JH.

 

[DrSheep]

Layla's pricing puts it in a completely different category to Roxanne. I think very few people looking at Roxanne one day would be able to double down the next just like that to get Layla and have the TOTL.

There are more than enough people in the world that can do that in a heart beat.
 

I could have, except that I would have preferred to have only one JH.

True.  As I probably have to decide whether to keep my Roxanne when Layla comes out.

 

[Neo Zuko]

I'm not sure I should even consider CIEMs that's cost $2500. Or if I would prefer the rock and roll tuning of the Roxanne more. I'm sure my wallet will ultimaly have the biggest vote. I mean I started with the Westone ES5 for $850, loved them but had to return them due to a pink color that should have been cherry red. Then I was going to get the Shure SE846 for $1000, but then the $1300 Westone ES60 caught my eye. Then along came the $1750 Roxanne, and now the $2500 Layla. As much as I would want the Layla I'm not sure if that's a dream or what I will ultimately settle on price wise. I am saving for the LCD-3 as well with a quality DAC headphone amp on top of all that. I was looking at Burson, but then the McIntosh headphone amp just came out looking all sexy and expensive. I need a better job to afford all of this stuff...

 

[vhsownsbeta]

  There are more than enough people in the world that can do that in a heart beat.

 
I have no doubt JH will make a lot of money on Layla.
 
Most people looking at Roxanne would have been thinking, 'this is the highest I can could afford'. Aspirational equipment. It doesn't make sense for them to compare Roxanne/Layla because it is irrelevant.
 
A comparative few people looking at Roxanne would have been thinking 'this is the highest JH goes'. Layla will be for them if they prefer the signature.

 

[Neo Zuko]

Exactly. Me wanting the Layla or the very top of the line does not mean my budget suddenly doubles. I think Angie vs Roxanne is more close in price to compare for different sound signatures.

 

[Spyro]

IMHO Layla will be a bust.  They will sell a few but the sound is already SO good for a quarter or 6th of the price it's completely unnecessary.....even from the audiophile fanatics standpoint.   
 
You can get mind blowing audio quality in the $800-$1500 range.  Why on God's green earth would someone spend twice that amount?

 

[DrSheep]

Guys, let's not get into class warfare here.  I know most of you, including me, is a little piss on the situation, but I am going to reserve my judgement after I can audition the Layla.

 

[jelt2359]

Actually one thing the Layla is making me do is to reconsider my stance towards Stax as being too expensive for my tastes. Lol.

 

[fiascogarcia]

  IMHO Layla will be a bust.  They will sell a few but the sound is already SO good for a quarter or 6th of the price it's completely unnecessary.....even from the audiophile fanatics standpoint.   
 
You can get mind blowing audio quality in the $800-$1500 range.  Why on God's green earth would someone spend twice that amount?

The reality will probably be that a fair number of Roxanne owners and other buyers will perpetuate the rising prices of TOTL equipment by diving into the Layla market.  It's already been proven by the number of AK240 owners who feel justified in spending that amount of money in order to squeeze every last drop of sq improvement out of their system.  Add to that the pure status of owning this type of equipment, and it's a siren song that many simply cannot resist.  Would there be changes in pricing if there was some kind of buyer "movement" towards not purchasing equipment that exceeds a perceived reasonableness?  Possibly, but I'm certainly not naive enough to think there could ever be a concerted effort by consumers to speak to vendors in dollars and cents withheld.  And so it goes, vendors place that gold plated carrot in front of us, and damn if we don't instinctively reach out for it!

  I'm not a flavor of the month kind of guy, so hopefully I'll continue to be able to keep a little coin in my pocket after I buy what I want.  I don't begrudge anyone else for buying what they want regardless of price!

 

[Dinerenblanc]

It depends whether you bought your CIEM because you liked the sound or for TOTL bragging rights. As for JHA releasing a new flagship when they had said they would not. Things change. Things move on. Don't we want innovation in this hobby?

Just because someone bought the best doesn't necessarily mean they wanted bragging rights. People buy the best because they want to own the best and use the best. You can't blame people for being annoyed when they paid $1600 for what they thought was the best, only have them take 8 months for them to deliver their unit before announcing a new TOTL model a little later.

 

[Malevolent]

 
The reality will probably be that a fair number of Roxanne owners and other buyers will perpetuate the rising prices of TOTL equipment by diving into the Layla market.  It's already been proven by the number of AK240 owners who feel justified in spending that amount of money in order to squeeze every last drop of sq improvement out of their system.  Add to that the pure status of owning this type of equipment, and it's a siren song that many simply cannot resist.  Would there be changes in pricing if there was some kind of buyer "movement" towards not purchasing equipment that exceeds a perceived reasonableness?  Possibly, but I'm certainly not naive enough to think there could ever be a concerted effort by consumers to speak to vendors in dollars and cents withheld.  And so it goes, vendors place that gold plated carrot in front of us, and damn if we don't instinctively reach out for it!

  I'm not a flavor of the month kind of guy, so hopefully I'll continue to be able to keep a little coin in my pocket after I buy what I want.  I don't begrudge anyone else for buying what they want regardless of price!

 
True.
 
As long as there are people who are wiling to pay top dollar for flagship items, the frequency of introducing a new TOTL, and the corresponding price increase, will continue unabated.
 
We could all debate on the reasons why people would want to buy the Layla (regardless of the fact if they are coming from a Roxanne). I'm sure some would buy it for bragging rights, and the others are spending 2.5 grand on their quest for the perfect IEM.
 
Anyway, just because someone can afford to buy the Layla doesn't mean they want to. It's freakishly expensive, even for a 12-driver flagship. For me, I'm going to have to wait and see how things unfold. This is definitely an IEM that I must audition thoroughly. If it exceeds something like the K10 in overall brilliance, then it's something I would seriously consider buying.

 

[KimChee]

You can get Layla and ak240 for $5k lol. I got what I wanted with Roxanne an upgrade from JH16, though I still think $1700 is insane

 

[Neo Zuko]

I can never tell my sister how much a Siren CIEM will cost me. LoL!! She will never understand. I bought her Shure SE425s for XMAS the other year and she just kept saying for weeks I spent too much on her gift. But then I said you like them right? Want to go back to your Apple earbuds? Reluctantly she was like yes to the former and no to the latter. So even though she somewhat sees the quality I think that was her limit of appreciation for expensive headphones. I consider it a win in her headphone education nonetheless - before those Shures she knew nothing but average low end audio.

 

[Ivabign]

Just because someone bought the best doesn't necessarily mean they wanted bragging rights. People buy the best because they want to own the best and use the best. You can't blame people for being annoyed when they paid $1600 for what they thought was the best, only have them take 8 months for them to deliver their unit before announcing a new TOTL model a little later.

One can only hope that it will take 8 months after purchase to take delivery of a Layla