[Tangster]

Quote:

IMO, true innovation is making better technology cheaper and more accessible. True innovation puts several times the computing power of the first space rockets into the palm of your hand, for exponentially less money. True innovation makes solid state drives only slightly more expensive than their much slower and less durable spinning counterparts.

Early adopters of new technology always, always get price gouged. Early SSDs were very small in capacity(think 8-32GB tops) and cost over $1000+. Some even had the stipulation that you needed a $500+ fiber channel PCI card to plug it into. Technology trickles down from the top, but without those initial adopters companies have no way of knowing if their fancy new technology is going to be accepted or not.
 
Innovation is bloody expensive.
 
Also, the SE846 looks rather large. Might be too large for my ears, the current SE housings are a very snug fit as it is.

 

[sfoclt]

Quote:

Functioning is not the same as functioning optimally.
 

 
 
The point of an optimally performing market is not to get flagships into the hands of every consumer at a price every consumer can afford.  There are $2.71 earphones at monoprice right now that can be purchased as an alternative.  Comments on compelled purchasing only make sense in the absence of those alternatives (and on "must have" products). 

 

[Ultrazino]

Quote:

It doesn't need to be a excuse at this stage, it hasn't even officially been released yet, there seems to be a worrying trend on this thread of judging something by price. Something about putting the horse in front of the cart.

 
It's only half the truth. I think the big problem is that SE535, IE80 and AKG K70x still cost the same. That's why new additions costs so much more. Personally, the IE8 died years ago and minimally tuning the sound with a new faceplate just to ask the same money for 4 years is stupid. The IE80 cannot compete with better products at the same price - but the name Sennheiser is too strong to push over. (Not for hifi anyway - bassheads may disagree.)
 
Now the SE535 is bested by many equally tuned products at lower prices (Fischer Amps FA-3) but it's hard to find a recommendation thread without the mention of Shure. That's why they won't lower the price. Of course they have to add the SE846 on top or else they'd kill their own products. So the actual problem is that the SE535 costs too much. It's an outdated product that is still flawed but has a huge fanbase - I would have expected a lower price for a new flagship and - usually how it's the case with other products - see the price drop drastically for their old line-up.
 
Anyway, that's my major concern and I doubt many companies can do the same. If you are not huge right now, you cannot make the same profit and sell old products.
I repeat myself, but it's just a matter of time until 100$ earphones will outperform the SE535 and IE80. When that happens, I will put Shure and Sennheiser in the same bag with AKG, Bose and Dr. Dre.
 
For now, let's see how innovative Shure actually is and if it can beat customs with enough space in the housing to actually create clean crossovers with a huge stage. I will be sceptical because more drivers don't mean better resolution and crossovers will be harder to implement. Also, I never listened to a proper hifi stereo setup with a separate subwoofer so I actually question their whole design. I will see...

 

[vwinter]

The point of an optimally performing market is not to get flagships into the hands of every consumer at a price every consumer can afford.  There are $2.71 earphones at monoprice right now that can be purchased as an alternative.  Comments on compelled purchasing only make sense in the absence of those alternatives (and on "must have" products). 

Ok.

First, I'm going to be rude:
You obviously are incapable of reading 2 lines of text.

Second I'm going to be sarcastic:
Yea, that's the point.

 

[Tangster]

Quote:

It's only half the truth. I think the big problem is that SE535, IE80 and AKG K70x still cost the same. That's why new additions costs so much more. Personally, the IE8 died years ago and minimally tuning the sound with a new faceplate just to ask the same money for 4 years is stupid. The IE80 cannot compete with better products at the same price - but the name Sennheiser is too strong to push over. (Not for hifi anyway - bassheads may disagree.)
 
Anyway, that's my major concern and I doubt many companies can do the same. If you are not huge right now, you cannot make the same profit and sell old products.
I repeat myself, but it's just a matter of time until 100$ earphones will outperform the SE535 and IE80. When that happens, I will put Shure and Sennheiser in the same bag with AKG, Bose and Dr. Dre.

The IE80 in it's stock configuration just about holds it's own against the Phonak perfect bass and that (was) a fairly inexpensive IEM with a bassy sound and much more ergonomic fit. Personally I think if the SE846 is successful, we can expect to see a full series refresh of the shure BA IEM line.

 

[miceblue]

Why are people still arguing over the price? Is there any point to this discussion?

 

[sfoclt]

Quote:

Ok.

First, I'm going to be rude:
You obviously are incapable of reading 2 lines of text.

Second I'm going to be sarcastic:
Yea, that's the point.

 
I'm not interested in your interest in a market beyond the one under discussion.  I addressed my comment to the topic under discussion for a reason. 

 

[vwinter]

Why are people still arguing over the price? Is there any point to this discussion?

In terms of it actually doing something? I wouldn't bet the farm on it.

 

[vwinter]

I'm not interested in your interest in a market beyond the one under discussion.  I addressed my comment to the topic under discussion for a reason. 

My interest is that your comment as to your interest to the topic at hand is based on a shaky foundation not firmly grounded in reality.

 

[Tangster]

Quote:

Why are people still arguing over the price? Is there any point to this discussion?

Of course not. But there's not much else to talk about since very few people have actually listened to them. Remember the Denon D7100/D600 thread? That was pretty much all discussion of the aesthetics(regardless of how they eventually ended up...). I'm probably going to ignore the thread for a couple of days now.

 

[gelocks]

I hope Jude just updates the first post with impressions and such... (so I can stop reading every other conversation/tangent here!

)

 

[spook76]

Jude or anyone who has actually listened to the 846, is the diameter of the nozzels the same on the 846 as it is on all other Shure earphones?

Could all the folks whining about the price just start a new thread called "846 is too expensive or we need government price controls or Karl Marx is my person hero" and leve this thread to the discussion of the sound/build of the SE 846.

 

[eke2k6]

Quote:

Could all the folks whining about the price just start a new thread called "846 is too expensive or we need government price controls or Karl Marx is my person hero" and leve this thread to the discussion of the sound/build of the SE 846.

 

 

[vwinter]

Jon Stewart was born for this thread. And now I know you have a Jon Stewart folder.

 

[sethsez]

Quote:

Jude or anyone who has actually listened to the 846, is the diameter of the nozzels the same on the 846 as it is on all other Shure earphones?

Could all the folks whining about the price just start a new thread called "846 is too expensive or we need government price controls or Karl Marx is my person hero" and leve this thread to the discussion of the sound/build of the SE 846.

If you think consumers speaking up about feeling ripped off is Marxist and anti-free-market, I don't think you actually understand either of them.