Pioneer's First Hi-End Headphones: SE-Master 1

[Roderick]

You I forgot pandoras but those are dynamic, balanced armature hybrids? Anyway, as a consumer you can't compare final audio to pioneer. Final audio makes some weird stuff with an expensive price tag. I mean, muramasa was a $5000 headphone with no padding on the headband. So it wa practically unwearable. It's more of a statement that you got money. However pandora hope VI which is their real attempt at the consumer market has been one of the best received closed back headphones in years. For 1/4 of the price of pioneers.

 

[rgs9200m]

So has Pioneer ever had a high end headphone before? (Or there new partner, Onkyo?) I don't see anything on the web about it.

 

[willyvlyminck]

So has Pioneer ever had a high end headphone before? (Or there new partner, Onkyo?) I don't see anything on the web about it.

If your definition of High end is 1000+ Euro for a headphone than they didn't have one nor did Onkyo

 

[takato14]

So has Pioneer ever had a high end headphone before? (Or there new partner, Onkyo?) I don't see anything on the web about it.

They (Pioneer) had a lot of headphones in the 70s and 80s that would qualify as "high end" based on price at the time.

SE-100J and SE-1000 (electrostatics), Monitor 10, Monitor 10-II, SE-M10/Master 1S, Master-1G, SE-Eleven, SE-12... all of these were quite expensive for their time period, and the ones I've heard are pretty good even by today's standards.

 

[Nomax]

Another Video from Pioneer's Master 1

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=e-81VPupsjQ

Regards Nomax

 

[PhilW]

We have just started pre-orders on these headphones for UK Customers. The upgrade balanced cable will follow shortly for £269.
 
http://www.custom-cable.co.uk/pioneer-se-master1-flagship-headphones.html

 

[brat]

I've listened to balanced SE-Master 1 at Munich High End 2015. Not impressed. Mediocre sound. Harsh treble, small hedstage, not enough speed... For 2500 euros I'd go with Audeze, Stax or HiFiMan.
 

 

[mrtim6]

I wonder who the designers are? Pioneer of course is famous for some of the finest Hifi equipment ever made - their EXclusive & TAD equipment.
I saw an Exclusive Speaker made around late eighties early ninties sell for around $20,000 a week or so ago on hifido & it was snapped up.

Wether they can match the quality of this headphone with their legendary Hifi equipment only time will tell.

Nomax was this the headphone you were hinting last year would be worth saving for in I think the Sony Z7 thread?

 

[plakat]

  I've listened to balanced SE-Master 1 at Munich High End 2015. Not impressed. Mediocre sound. Harsh treble, small hedstage, not enough speed... For 2500 euros I'd go with Audeze, Stax or HiFiMan.

 
Which is another example of how different tastes we all have... I'd take the Pioneer over any Audeze, Stax or Hifiman I've heard so far (and yes, that includes the HE1000). And in fact I did: mine should be with me before mid of June.
 

Nomax was this the headphone you were hinting last year would be worth saving for in I think the Sony Z7 thread?

 
That I don't know, but it reminded me instantly of the Z7: wearing comfort is quite similar (but that was about the only really convincing part of the Z7 to me).

 

[Oregonian]

   
Which is another example of how different tastes we all have... I'd take the Pioneer over any Audeze, Stax or Hifiman I've heard so far (and yes, that includes the HE1000). And in fact I did: mine should be with me before mid of June.
 
 
That I don't know, but it reminded me instantly of the Z7: wearing comfort is quite similar (but that was about the only really convincing part of the Z7 to me).

I'm very intrigued with these.................especially in light of your comments as I know you have a vast experience level.
 
Question is when they are released in the USA. 

 

[plakat]

  I'm very intrigued with these.................especially in light of your comments as I know you have a vast experience level.
 
Question is when they are released in the USA. 

Thank you for that compliment. Of course I cannot speak for anybody elses taste, but I did like them enough to order them.
 
Bad news is the 1000 units seem sold out as I heard. But that may of course mean just sold to the channels, i.e. Pioneer considers them sold as they went out their door.

 

[PhilW]

Thank you for that compliment. Of course I cannot speak for anybody elses taste, but I did like them enough to order them.

Bad news is the 1000 units seem sold out as I heard. But that may of course mean just sold to the channels, i.e. Pioneer considers them sold as they went out their door.

check how many we have in stock lol

 

[plakat]

check how many we have in stock lol

As I said: there's sold and sold... depends on who's speaking

 

[PhilW]

As I said: there's sold and sold... depends on who's speaking

I can confirm there are only 1000. 999 plus our demo pair.

 

[arnaud]

Thank you for that compliment. Of course I cannot speak for anybody elses taste, but I did like them enough to order them.

Am glad you say this cause I found the pioneer mid-fi sounding at best when I listened to them in Tokyo. There must have been striking differences in the units sound between Munich and Tokyo shows. (I found the one I tested to be so sensitive to seal and cup positioning).

Or maybe they're like those ultrasones that will very much polarize people into either camps? I certainly will be curious to see how these cans fare in 6 months time once they've passed through enough pairs of ears and the initial unobtenium / high expectation effect has worn off.

I had no preconceived thought when I listened to them as I never listened to older high end pioneers before. I was however impressed with the industrial design and inspection of the parts outlayed on side tables aling the waiting line. Maybe I expected these to sound as TOTL based on the price and the apparent high quality of the parts used / well thought out design.