Orpheus - HEV90 just sold for 20K-plus on ebay
Dec 21, 2009 at 11:37 AM Post #31 of 66
I believe no matter what there is a "true" value and a "market" value. For example, even though the market collapsing cost so many so much (including my family -- we too lost our home in the process), it brought the housing market closer to the true value which will probably be better in the long run.

The true value is probably closer to where you take the stat field as a whole and measure merits of all regardless of collectible status to find a reasonable price. Even that unfortunately takes market value into account, but not to the same degree.
 
Dec 21, 2009 at 1:45 PM Post #32 of 66
I think that an auction is not always the best indicator of value, as folks often seem to get caught up in the bidding, and ultimately the bidding war becomes more important than the object being sold. I know from personal experience that if my original plan was to spend much less, I end up bidding higher than I ever planned, though fortunately, I always bail out early on when the other bids start coming in - ebay is particularly bad, as you can bid and bid, but someone often has an undisclosed higher maximum bid - so you end up bidding against yourself in a way, and worse yet, that maximum bid pops up about five seconds (as it did yesterday with the HE90/HEV90) before the auction closing time. I really do think that a lot of this is simple competition - "I'm going to have this and I'm going to beat those blankety-blanks who are bidding against me, grrrr, etc."

That's not to say all people are the same, but you have to have really steel nerves and particular type of personality when it comes to bidding at an auction. To be sure, in the end, if the product is desirable enough, it can be a great deal for the seller, and, much more rarely, for the buyer. But with that comes the sheer uncertainty of the process (unless you state upfront a minimum reserve bid). And again, that's what I think contributes to the ultimate price. Whether that reflects true value or just the heat of competition is the question. Said differently, if someone offered the same gear at a firm price - say - 20K or Wmcmanus's 29K - how quickly would the HE90/HEV90 combination have been gobbled up.

While I like to haggle on price, I just don't have the nerves, personally, for auctions.

Now, Sennheiser, please (sorry HE90 owners) release a few more of those HE90s (even without the HEV90) in the near future - I might not even haggle on the price if you do
smily_headphones1.gif
 
Dec 21, 2009 at 1:52 PM Post #33 of 66
To be honest, just my opinion, Sennheiser better upgrade HD800 than putting HE90 in the production again.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 563 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Now, Sennheiser, please (sorry HE90 owners) release a few more of those HE90s (even without the HEV90) in the near future - I might not even haggle on the price if you do
smily_headphones1.gif



 
Dec 21, 2009 at 3:06 PM Post #34 of 66
Simple supply and demand. I was watching the auction closely and from what I could tell (private auction but I could look at bidder history), US buyers topped out at $15K while the Foreign buyers went the rest of the way. The difference in exchange rates explains the willingness to go up to $20K as it is virtually the same money if you are buying in Euros.

It is also a simple case of supply and demand.

But is it worth $20K based on performance alone? I don't think so as there are other options such as the 2005 HE90 run with a Woo WES, Ray Samuels, or Headamp for considerable less that in my opinion offer comparable performance and are not approaching vintage. :)

Is it worth $20K if you simply want it? You bet! I have had cars depreciate that much in a year. Was it worth it? To me it was as I wanted to drive said car and got my money back in enjoyment. I don't see how buying a collectable piece of audio gear is any different from that but that's just me.
 
Dec 21, 2009 at 4:06 PM Post #35 of 66
Makes you wonder how high the bidding would have gone had another bidder gone over $20,700 - that is, I wonder what the winner's maximum bid (as entered on ebay) really was. Wmc - maybe you're short-changing yourself at 29K!

Although I just saw that Bozebuttons sold his for 11K just a few months ago - This kinda indicates that auctions take on a life of their own....
 
Dec 21, 2009 at 4:11 PM Post #36 of 66
Just crazy I would say.
But in the end they are worth exactly what someone else is willing to pay.
 
Dec 21, 2009 at 9:41 PM Post #37 of 66
Can someone "donate" me a couple of hundreds or thousands of dollars -pocket money, really-. My happiness is really worth it
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Dec 21, 2009 at 9:49 PM Post #38 of 66
It comes down to income.. 20,000 to a man who has a mid 6 figure income is like 2,000 to the rest of us.. So in those terms, it's not that expensive at all.. But since most people can't relate, it does sound nuts.. I hope he enjoys it.
 
Dec 21, 2009 at 9:51 PM Post #39 of 66
Quote:

Originally Posted by Wmcmanus /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I disagree. It's not all relative. Or at least at some point, I think there naturally becomes an objective 'truth' type of price point, above which it's just crazy when considering one's alternative uses of funds.

IMO, paying over $20k for the Orpheus system is indeed crazy. Of course, you have to take into account the fact that I already have an Orpheus (thus, I don't want one at this point), and I (almost for sure) don't have the kind of money that the person who paid over $20k does.

But I keep saying the same thing every time I go on a trip to Europe in business class and about choke when I see that the company paid anywhere from $7k to $9k for my ticket. That's just for an air bus ride. It doesn't make sense to me that there would be enough demand for this service to command such a price on a consistent basis when an economy ticket is normally about $1k (more or less).

I guess some things just don't make sense to me in terms of the value proposition.



But you are worth every penny of it right?.. Your company sees value in that.. Just shows how much you are valued as a employee..
 
Dec 21, 2009 at 10:28 PM Post #40 of 66
If you keep it for 20 years its cost you around $2.75 a day,so the way to go is give up a drink a day and enjoy one of the best phones there is instead.
And as a bonus enjoy better health.
Everything that I buy that is a major spend is worked out on usage,if you drop $5000 on a tv and have it for even just 5 years it is still a bargain for the enjoyment that it brings.
 
Dec 21, 2009 at 10:35 PM Post #41 of 66
Well, this fellow who sold it used his for about 100 hours over ten years. But he did, presumably, sell the combination for more than he paid. Of course, I'm bad at math, but I guess that means he earned about 30 cents (?) or so a day owning them?
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Dec 22, 2009 at 12:20 AM Post #42 of 66
Quote:

Originally Posted by kool bubba ice /img/forum/go_quote.gif
It comes down to income.. 20,000 to a man who has a mid 6 figure income is like 2,000 to the rest of us.. So in those terms, it's not that expensive at all.. But since most people can't relate, it does sound nuts.. I hope he enjoys it.


BINGO! I'm glad someone gets it!
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Dec 22, 2009 at 12:53 AM Post #44 of 66
Quote:

Originally Posted by Blackmore /img/forum/go_quote.gif
To be honest, just my opinion, Sennheiser better upgrade HD800 than putting HE90 in the production again.


I'm willing to bet many feel the HD800 is a actual down grade compared to the HE90. Maybe there is somthing to this electro stuff.
 
Dec 22, 2009 at 1:28 AM Post #45 of 66
Quote:

Originally Posted by kool bubba ice /img/forum/go_quote.gif
It comes down to income.. 20,000 to a man who has a mid 6 figure income is like 2,000 to the rest of us.. So in those terms, it's not that expensive at all.. But since most people can't relate, it does sound nuts.. I hope he enjoys it.


Above says it all - here I am a mere high school teacher on a mid 5 figure income, and am delighted with my recent Stax purchase (SR Lambda-normal bias / SRM-1/Mk 2), and can even manage to still keep the bill collectors at bay and feed my family. It's all relative, should I win a power-ball lottery I am sure that my priorities and choices would change accordingly.
 

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