[ToTje]

I'm really in doubt if I should buy one or not.
They're now on sale here for €249,-.
I have an AKG K845BT which is just fine enough. Nothing special but also really not bad.
A few years ago I had an Audeze LCD-X and I was madly in love with it, but I needed money so I sold it.
Of course the Pryma won't be anywhere near the quality of an LCD-X, but is it a decent upgrade for my AKG? (Purely looking at the sound quality; I don't care about the looks and even the comfort isn't a major factor.)
The sale might be over after today so I'd have to make a decision soon.
Get this one for €249,- or better wait and save money for a Sennheiser HD650 or perhaps an Audeze EL-8 (they're on sale now as well in two shops) or even something completely different?

Oh and I will only use it indoors on a decent amp.

 

[jwbrent]

I'm really in doubt if I should buy one or not.
They're now on sale here for €249,-.
I have an AKG K845BT which is just fine enough. Nothing special but also really not bad.
A few years ago I had an Audeze LCD-X and I was madly in love with it, but I needed money so I sold it.
Of course the Pryma won't be anywhere near the quality of an LCD-X, but is it a decent upgrade for my AKG? (Purely looking at the sound quality; I don't care about the looks and even the comfort isn't a major factor.)
The sale might be over after today so I'd have to make a decision soon.
Get this one for €249,- or better wait and save money for a Sennheiser HD650 or perhaps an Audeze EL-8 (they're on sale now as well in two shops) or even something completely different?

Oh and I will only use it indoors on a decent amp.

I’m not familiar with your AKGs. I suppose since you loved the LCD-X, an open back headphone, another open back may be the way for you to go. Certainly the AKG K712 should be on your radar, and if you don’t mind a softer presentation, the HD6XX from Massdrop which is only $199 ... that’s a way to get the 650s for a great price.

Regarding the Prymas, I get the feeling there is a close out going on, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the sale price lasts until the remaining inventory is sold through.

 

[ToTje]

I’m not familiar with your AKGs. I suppose since you loved the LCD-X, an open back headphone, another open back may be the way for you to go. Certainly the AKG K712 should be on your radar, and if you don’t mind a softer presentation, the HD6XX from Massdrop which is only $199 ... that’s a way to get the 650s for a great price.

Regarding the Prymas, I get the feeling there is a close out going on, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the sale price lasts until the remaining inventory is sold through.

Thanks for the reply!
Actually I also have had the K712. Really very analytical, great detail. I did enjoy them but it lacked warmth.
With the LCD-X I loved it that it made music sometimes sound more realistic tha reallity; with classical music you really could hear the materials that the instruments were made of. And actually many songs that I usually don't like too much suddenly had moments that sounded absolutely amazing somehow. (Could of course also partially have been caused by my tube amp that I don't have anymore either.)
Massdrop, alright. But I don't think they have a Dutch version of that site huh? Then the shipping costs (if they'd ship it at all) and the import tax still would make it very expensive.
Interesting what you said about the Prymas; one site also is talking about the last ones in stock and on another site a customer also said that these were pretty outdated.

 

[jwbrent]

Depending on the tube amp, it can make all the difference in tonal color.

As to Massdrop, they ship to Europe, but you’re right, with shipping costs and duties, it may be better to just buy a pair of HD 650s locally ... plus any warranty issues would be way easier to deal with.

I get the sense the Prymas were not the big hit Sonus faber hoped them to be, hence, the closeout. There are a few mail order retailers here in the US that are heavily discounting them. Regardless, I love the sound of mine and the build quality is top notch. It’s unfortunate they were tagged early on with the “fashion” label thereby creating the impression they were all about style but not substance. In my opinion, this is a gross underestimate on how good sounding they really are.

Of course, with that said, I’ve owned three different pair of Sonus fabers including the Amati Homage, and I’m a big fan.

 

[Beagle]

Depending on the tube amp, it can make all the difference in tonal color.

Tonal color...that's a good descriptor for the Pryma.

 

[ToTje]

Thanks for the reply!
Perhaps I should get it then. Unfortunately the sale of €249 has ended. Elsewhere it's still on sale for €349.
However, the website that sells it for €249 (ibood) clearly hasn't sold them out yet so I have to keep an eye open for their flash sales; all stock that they want to get rid of gets on sale for a few minutes only on a certain day. If they don't sell it then, they put it in one of their €100 surprise boxes. But if you buy such a box, you could also get a vacuum cleaner or something else. So I really will need to keep an eye on that sale moment of a few minutes on that day.

 

[jwbrent]

Thanks for the reply!
Perhaps I should get it then. Unfortunately the sale of €249 has ended. Elsewhere it's still on sale for €349.
However, the website that sells it for €249 (ibood) clearly hasn't sold them out yet so I have to keep an eye open for their flash sales; all stock that they want to get rid of gets on sale for a few minutes only on a certain day. If they don't sell it then, they put it in one of their €100 surprise boxes. But if you buy such a box, you could also get a vacuum cleaner or something else. So I really will need to keep an eye on that sale moment of a few minutes on that day.

OK, good luck!

 

[DeepSouth]

I didn't like PRYMA the first 2 times I heard them, after a "black friday" special, I decided to go to my local store to try them out again. If you can get these on sale they're amazing. I'm not so sure they're worth retail though. The first 2 times I demoed them, they lacked bass and didn't really fit my ears. Today they fit my ears ok, and the bass is there with more clarity than most others on display. I bought 2! One for me, one for Mrs. Deep Southpaw. It's a total 180 from my memory. These feel like they're plugged in all the way in the ear cup when they're not. I realized when the sound would cut out in one ear intermittently that they weren't all the way in. They sound better plugged in all the way.

 

[jwbrent]

I didn't like PRYMA the first 2 times I heard them, after a "black friday" special, I decided to go to my local store to try them out again. If you can get these on sale they're amazing. I'm not so sure they're worth retail though. The first 2 times I demoed them, they lacked bass and didn't really fit my ears. Today they fit my ears ok, and the bass is there with more clarity than most others on display. I bought 2! One for me, one for Mrs. Deep Southpaw. It's a total 180 from my memory. These feel like they're plugged in all the way in the ear cup when they're not. I realized when the sound would cut out in one ear intermittently that they weren't all the way in. They sound better plugged in all the way.

I had the same issue with the plugs, then I realized they needed a firm push.

Get some more playing time on them and they’ll open up sounding even better. I’m really happy I stumbled on the closeout for these.

 

[ToTje]

Ordered one on iBood (that really can't seem to sell them) for €219,95.
I expect prices to go down even further over time since only 1 of the 7 colors is sold out since my post of october 31, but I also didn't want to risk missing out on this deal.

 

[DeepSouth]

Have any of you upgraded your cable? Are these headphones worth the upgrade or should I save for a better pair?

 

[minh278]

I really love these headphones. I tend to grab them more than the Final Audio Pandora 6 or HD700. I do feel that they do have some burn-in (could be my ears). Form factor and sound are solid. It is kind of sad that these headphones will probably be buried away with time.

 

[jwbrent]

I really love these headphones. I tend to grab them more than the Final Audio Pandora 6 or HD700. I do feel that they do have some burn-in (could be my ears). Form factor and sound are solid. It is kind of sad that these headphones will probably be buried away with time.

I love mine, too. The Italian build and design, the beautiful sound, very happy I bought the Pryma. Unfortunately, this headphone got tagged with the “fashion” label, so many disregarded them. And I agree, it needs some play time to reveal its true qualities.

Lucky for us we have it!

 

[Beagle]

I agree.

 

[jwbrent]

I found the perfect case for the Pryma here ...

Fits perfectly as if it was made for the Pryma. The quality is good with a minimalistic design.