[RulyS]

Danna...interesting. I read in a review that Ascend Acoustics is one those that put their dollar only into in the product, and sell online. They keep to bookshelf speakers and theater systems...again not headphones but just an example.

 

[pkasting]

Yeah, there are quite a few online-only companies now, many of which seem to have very good (or even stellar) reputations for price/performance. SVSubwoofers comes to mind. I thought Outlaw Audio was also online only...?

 

[danaa]

Yes, Ascend, Outlaw, and SVS are among the many. All have their fans. As for Ascend, they may be the best speaker value out there. Some don't like their looks though. I have an open invitation from Curtis, moderator at the Ascend forum, to come by and listen next time I'm in the L.A. area (Manhattan Beach specifically).

Me personally, I ended up with ACI speakers (five of them) and they're amazing to my ears. I NEVER feel fatigue setting in when listening to them. On a thread at AVS forums right now, many ACI users have gone out and tried to compare them to other speakers at B&M stores costing 2-3 X's more and, thus far, they've been unable to find any at that price range that beats the $1300 Sapphires. The new buzz is over their $2000 speakers which some are saying, relatively speaking, are a better value than even the Sapphires. Mike, who owns ACI, is one of the most pleasant people I've met in audio. He bends over backwards to please his customers.

 

[danaa]

Of all the reviews of Sapphires, this is my favorite:

Quote:

When I first got these speakers my wife said, "Wow, I really love the sound of them...they are so beautiful...they just make me feel so good...they make me want to do it."

This was for an older version of the Sapphires, so you can only imagine what the new, apparently much better sounding Sapphires could do for your love life.

 

[RulyS]

Something to check out...thanks.

 

[gradofan]

Does anyone else here wonder how much really nice cans like the Senn HD-600 would cost if there were a much higher demand for them?
Maybe they'd come down from stratospheric price points and play ball at $50, maybe $150 with an amp. Imagine if you could own an awesome system for a few C-notes!!

 

[audiopile]

Although I have been out of consumer electronics for a decade now - the figure i heard quoted repeatadly during 25 years in the industry was that you multiplied the raw manufactored cost ( materials plus assembly labour) by seven (7) to get to a retail price.
I suspect that on shorter run "fashion" electronics - the multiplier may be somewhat more than this.

 

[Edwood]

I have a friend that worked at Best Buy, and the employee cost of the Monster Products was 50% off the retail. Yikes.

-Ed

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Quote:

Originally posted by Edwood I have a friend that worked at Best Buy, and the employee cost of the Monster Products was 50% off the retail. Yikes. -Ed

Not exactly a suprise, though!

 

[shasha]

A high priced, specialized, low demand product would probably cost more to manufacture as there is a diminishing return. What I mean is that the more that you make, the more profit you will turn on the item. Make less of them than the profit is less. Sure the profit margin per item may be the same, but the overall profit for that item for the year will be minimal compared to a mass produced item. I think that the premiere items that have a small production are there for the "wow factor" and they make their money selling the consumer level items. They draw the customer by having the high end stuff showcased at retailers and winning reviews and such. The majority of consumers want it though it is cost prohibitive and they take a step down and by the cheaper one, though it is with the idea that they are getting the same quality as the good one just because of the name. It is a prestige thng. Sure a set of Sennheiser HD-212's sound better than a lot of other cans in that price range, but most people don't buy them because they sampled a ton of headphones and chose them as the best overall, it is because they are Sennheisers and they are as close to a nice set of HD650's as their wallet (and sometimes common sense)

will allow.

So sure companies will make a fair profit on a high priced set of cans, percentage wise, but because they are cost prohibitve for the mass market so they use them to promote their lower end stuff which has a lower per item profit, but a greater gain overall.

Just my rambling, redundant take on it.

 

[KenMui]

well, what about research into making the headphones, people who design them, promote them, advertisements. These are things that contributes to the price of our headphones