MuppetFace
A Special Snowflake
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2010
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Quote:
Honestly, some of the comments about value in this thread are rather perplexing. Just blindly declaring customs to be more reasonable investments than a similarly priced universal is questionable, because these statements don't really take into account the additional costs and potential frustration of audiologist appointments, impression-taking, mailing said impressions, waiting a month or two, paying for shipment of the customs, possible fit issues and added costs of having to send the earphones back for a readjustment, and then paying for second or third return trips and import tax. You're looking at additional associated costs of between $100 to up to $500 in the most extreme cases for that $700 pair of customs, as well as a month of waiting or perhaps two months if a refit is needed. I'm not knocking customs, as I think they have a legitimate appeal and place in this hobby, but I think many head-fiers recommend them a bit too hastily---at the drop of a hat---and seem to feel that they're a better option than universals for almost every person by default. There's a pervasive view that customs are "worth" their astronomical price tags whereas similarly priced universals are not, and I've seen various arguments to this effect ranging from saying unequivocally that customs just sound better in all cases, to saying the labor put into their construction validates the price.
Now my own experience with customs is far more limited compared to that of universals, however based on that experience I'd say a top-tier universal like the K3003 or FI-BA-SS is pretty much on par in terms of SQ and build. Of course there are certain disadvantages to universals, and in the case of the IE800 one of those is a non-detachable cable. Incidentally I can't think of any universal IEM above $700 that does have a detachable cable, with the sole exception of the TO GO 334, and that is more or less a universalized pair of customs. However there are also disadvantages inherent in owning a pair of customs too! Take resale value for instance. If you ever get tired of your customs and decide to sell them, be prepared to take a MASSIVE hit, far less of a return than you would get selling a K3003 or FI-BA-SS. If you had a cable failure in your universal, you could at least get it repaired under warranty. Sure it would be a hassle to wait for a new one to be shipped to you, but then there's always the chance you'd need a refit with a CIEM and would have to wait in that instance too.
My point is this: I don't feel there is a cut-and-dry delineation between customs and universals in terms of value. Both have their unique advantages and disadvantages, and I would never suggest to someone that they rule out an entire category of listening device without first taking into consideration the benefits and drawbacks and how they relate to one's needs.
Head-fi can be far too dogmatic at times.
* * * * * * *
On a slightly more on-topic note, I'm looking forward to these, as their design is rather interesting and has the appeal of potentially eliminating that "vacuum seal" effect that bothers me from time to time. They look rather Gigerish, and that seems rather appropriate given that people have been comparing the HD800 to a Star Trek prop and likewise the HD700 to something from the set of Star Wars. A sci-fi trifecta of sorts.
While I find Sennheiser can be a bit lacking in terms of visceral excitement, they do make very reliable and solidly built products. I for one wouldn't be too worried about the cable on the IE800 failing. In the event that it happens, well, their customer service is generally spot-on, and it's likely they'd replace them with a fresh pair.
Honestly, some of the comments about value in this thread are rather perplexing. Just blindly declaring customs to be more reasonable investments than a similarly priced universal is questionable, because these statements don't really take into account the additional costs and potential frustration of audiologist appointments, impression-taking, mailing said impressions, waiting a month or two, paying for shipment of the customs, possible fit issues and added costs of having to send the earphones back for a readjustment, and then paying for second or third return trips and import tax. You're looking at additional associated costs of between $100 to up to $500 in the most extreme cases for that $700 pair of customs, as well as a month of waiting or perhaps two months if a refit is needed. I'm not knocking customs, as I think they have a legitimate appeal and place in this hobby, but I think many head-fiers recommend them a bit too hastily---at the drop of a hat---and seem to feel that they're a better option than universals for almost every person by default. There's a pervasive view that customs are "worth" their astronomical price tags whereas similarly priced universals are not, and I've seen various arguments to this effect ranging from saying unequivocally that customs just sound better in all cases, to saying the labor put into their construction validates the price.
Now my own experience with customs is far more limited compared to that of universals, however based on that experience I'd say a top-tier universal like the K3003 or FI-BA-SS is pretty much on par in terms of SQ and build. Of course there are certain disadvantages to universals, and in the case of the IE800 one of those is a non-detachable cable. Incidentally I can't think of any universal IEM above $700 that does have a detachable cable, with the sole exception of the TO GO 334, and that is more or less a universalized pair of customs. However there are also disadvantages inherent in owning a pair of customs too! Take resale value for instance. If you ever get tired of your customs and decide to sell them, be prepared to take a MASSIVE hit, far less of a return than you would get selling a K3003 or FI-BA-SS. If you had a cable failure in your universal, you could at least get it repaired under warranty. Sure it would be a hassle to wait for a new one to be shipped to you, but then there's always the chance you'd need a refit with a CIEM and would have to wait in that instance too.
My point is this: I don't feel there is a cut-and-dry delineation between customs and universals in terms of value. Both have their unique advantages and disadvantages, and I would never suggest to someone that they rule out an entire category of listening device without first taking into consideration the benefits and drawbacks and how they relate to one's needs.
Head-fi can be far too dogmatic at times.
* * * * * * *
On a slightly more on-topic note, I'm looking forward to these, as their design is rather interesting and has the appeal of potentially eliminating that "vacuum seal" effect that bothers me from time to time. They look rather Gigerish, and that seems rather appropriate given that people have been comparing the HD800 to a Star Trek prop and likewise the HD700 to something from the set of Star Wars. A sci-fi trifecta of sorts.
While I find Sennheiser can be a bit lacking in terms of visceral excitement, they do make very reliable and solidly built products. I for one wouldn't be too worried about the cable on the IE800 failing. In the event that it happens, well, their customer service is generally spot-on, and it's likely they'd replace them with a fresh pair.
Ya' got me!
