433115
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2015
- Posts
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Drop the HD800 down to $999 and price the HD800S with balanced cable at $1500.
Come on Sennheiser, shake up the headphone world and it's increasingly ludicrous pricing.
Quite some optimistic wishes I think, but one can hope.
I wouldn't really call it anything that bad. The over $2000's are ludicrous but I don't think 1500 for a true top-of-the-line best headphone out there kind of headphone is far too much. SR-009, LCD-4, AB1266, HE1000, etc are the totally nutso ones, paying out thousands of dollars for tiny improvements over the others.
The way I see it, the thing you need is something that resolves the audio into soundwaves good enough for you to get the point. Those can be made for $20 anymore, Monoprice has an excellent example of that (the DJ2383). From there you're paying for better quality. From $20 - $100 is quite a huge jump in quality. From $100 bumping up to $300 pairs, yet another pretty big jump but not quite as big. But once you start going over that you're starting to split hairs in quality while dishing out big money for those little improvements.
Once you're over $2k I'd say you're leaving what I'd call "audiophile" and more into what I'd call "dumbass/crazy" territory. Not to belittle anyone that's done it, but I kinda see it the same as buying a Bugatti Veyron or something... just why, even if it is a freakn W16 or whatever you're just using it to get from point A to Point B all the same and I doubt you'll ever need to go 250MPH and even if did you couldn't because you're not on a racetrack. I feel one has to be just wanting a status symbol or "have it just to have it" to get one. But hey, if I was a multi-millionaire maybe I'd do it because $5k wouldn't be much to me anymore and I may as well get the very best of the best. But I, like most people, am not rich and must make responsible choices with far smaller amounts of money (not to belittle those that are better off, having more is not an inherently good or bad thing).
I personally don't think I'd ever pay over $2k for a headphone myself, it's just unreasonable. I highly doubt the LCD-4, for example, is 2.5 TIMES better than the HD800 (and according to reviews, many prefer the 800 - but I think all of that boils down to personal preferences in sound signature). Same logic being applied, the Veyron isn't several times better at being a car than a high-end sports car that's far more affordable (but still expensive to any normal person).
Though, I suppose the same logic can be applied to ones below that. For example, I doubt the HD800 is a thousand dollars better than a well-amped HD600. But you just have to know where your limits are on that. Rationality tells me that the HD800 would be noticeably better than the HD600 but whether or not it's "worth it" would be totally debatable - I highly doubt there's any black magic involved that makes the HD800 turn signals into soundwaves 4x better than the 600 does. But I'd say if you really love headphones and are audio-crazy, go for it. We all have our passions, audio is one of mine, and we pay out our asses a bit more for the things we love. This is why we work hard for a disposable income. There's some things we just don't wanna "fly coach" on, and it gives us something to obsess about and spend time doing. It's part of what makes living life more entertaining than just a passage of time.
But over $2k is wayyyy overboard even if you're an audio freak I'd say. But in the end, they'll price as much as will get them the most money. Some people are clearly buying them enough to justify the choice if they're doing it. I just know I won't be one of them.
That is of course ignoring "signature" and preferences in that department. This is considering headphones all of the same sound signature, but the world isn't so black and white of course. But even in a world of infinite colors, shapes, and sizes, I think this rationality still mostly stands.
Again, just a newbie and a kid but this is my thought process on it.
I think I may personally buy these if they're under $2k, just to put an end to my search on headphones. Once I have what's (arguably) the best there is (probably the actual best to my ears which likes it pretty true-neutral and analytical), I don't think I'll need to keep thinking about it anymore and will be satisfied. I think putting my mind to rest about it is probably worth it.
