[Pesado]

Finally the long-awaited Sony MM-100 is coming out! Oh wait...

 

[eruilluvitar]

Finally the long-awaited Sony MM-100 is coming out! Oh wait...

I mean.... Sony's naming scheme can't get any worse, right? Right?

 

[Iron-Buddha]

Interesting….on one hand planar magnetic going mainstream is very promising. On the other, I am deeply worried about Audeze’s independence. It would be telling to even find out how the deal was valued, if it was a tech/IP buy or if any multiple was given to product sales/gross profit. The worst case was Audeze wasn’t particularly profitable, or not growing, but had technology that Sony wanted. In time this ends up just being a sticker on Sony headphones “Powered by Audeze”. Audeze themselves seemed to be pivoting of late with their gaming line, which isn’t a good sign for audiophiles that love their product. The pitch deck would have their hifi “legacy” business and a high growth gaming business showing a hockey stick = higher multiple (and look at those Maxwell pre-orders). That’s the pitch that Sony gaming would buy.

The fact that Sony’s hifi group resides in a different division……. I guess it comes down to corporate culture if that is as bad as it looks to be.

Maybe I’m just being pessimistic. Hopefully I am.

 

[Thomasr]

Planar has been the new thing for over 10 years now.

I had a set of Monsoon Audio planar magnetic near field speakers back in the late 90s

 

[Philimon]

Planar has been the new thing for over 10 years now.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/orthodynamic-roundup.111193/

 

[Bret Halford]

It's actually surprising that nobody made this move earlier. I mean the only similar move I can think about was Samsung acquiring Harman and AKG, and that was already old technology. Planar has been the new thing for over 10 years now.

You spelled 50 years wrong.

 

[rgs9200m]

I hope they make an LCD4 that is as light and comfortable as an MDR-Z1R.

 

[catscratch]

Welp. I'm not sure if the right reaction is to be alarmed or extremely alarmed, but I'm sure it's somewhere between the two.

Here's to hoping that it goes better than the Westone sale.

 

[cwoo]

Kinda saddening reading the intial news as an Audeze lover. Hopefully they don't go the way of Sennheiser. This is an acquisition and not a guarenteed partnership (most likely not), and time will tell how much creative genious might remain for Audeze engineering. I have loved most of their high end headphones and have been excited for when the LCD-6 was going to be released. I guess now I will just use whatever headphone comes with the Playstation 6..........

 

[mobbaddict]

You spelled 50 years wrong.

Of course but I meant for the standard consumer -only nerds and techies like us knew about planar before that.

 

[gikigill]

I mean.... Sony's naming scheme can't get any worse, right? Right?

(Removes PFR-V1 to put on IER-Z1R and stores XBA-Z5 into their case while buying the MDR-Z1000)

Sorry what were you saying??

 

[deep2285]

Im just hoping Sony's resource and manufacturing actually can create a lower cost but stil audeze flagship class headphones.
I mean, Sony's flagship headphones itself are never build and packaged badly, both aspect always punching way above their weight in their price point.
Honestly, 4K usd flagship are nuts and am hoping people get more sane if there's a clear respective winners in 500-2000 usd range.

Sony will use the technology for mass production and probably do it in China instead of U.S. It won't ask Audeze to manufacture mass market products.

I don't think Audeze will stop making LCD's anytime soon and give up it's bouqtie headphone business which actually made it the company that they are today.

Maybe they will be Sony X Audeze collaboration Headphones and IEMs.

Even if Audeze is totally converted into a Mass Market brand, I feel that we have plenty of other manufacturers who are offering very good headphones and would never accept being bought out.

 

[EvertonMint]

Strange Sony didnt show any interest in acquiring Stax back in 2011, maybe thats because they dont make gaming headphones, seems a bit vacuous for Sony to buy up Audeze when only part of their business is headphones for gaming, seems like a knee jerk reaction from Sony who often cut parts of their non profit making business loose (Vaio and robotics etc).

Maybe Sony Japan is not the only decision maker here.

 

[TheOneInYellow]

(Removes PFR-V1 to put on IER-Z1R and stores XBA-Z5 into their case while buying the MDR-Z1000)

Sorry what were you saying??

A blast from the past, still consider the PFR-V1 a technological marvel even after 15+ years!

 

[Philimon]

I don't think Audeze will stop making LCD's anytime soon

That’s probably no longer up to Audeze but seems that Audeze will be allowed to continue its venture with high-end audiophile products for the time being. We dont know the details of the contract nor Sony’s long-term intentions. Sony already detailed upcoming planar products but did they mention Audeze in their statements? Are Sony’s upcoming planars built or designed by Audeze?

Im sure Audeze ownership sold for good reason, so congrats!