[krenzler]

To me, it seems too much of a coincidence that SIE is releasing planar gaming headphones just before they bought Audeze. I imagine what happened was an announcement of the new Pulse and Explore headsets, followed by Audeze saying they violated patents and a generous offer from SIE.

That seems backwards to me. Pretty sure Sony have been eyeing Audeze and the deal was struck some time ago before being made public now. The Pulse Elite looks to be the Maxwell (driver, dsp, AI NC) in a cheaper build sold for half the price due to scaled up production. Not a copy of some sort. I could be wrong of course.

 

[cashmonee]

That seems backwards to me. Pretty sure Sony have been eyeing Audeze and the deal was struck some time ago before being made public now. The Pulse Elite looks to be the Maxwell (driver, dsp, AI NC) in a cheaper build sold for half the price due to scaled up production. Not a copy of some sort. I could be wrong of course.

Yeah, you may be right.

I think the piece people are losing sight of us just how small Audeze is. This deal is likely for well under $100 million. We are talking about a company whose annual revenue appears to be in the $10-$15 millionish range.

I feel like a lot of us see Audeze as a huge brand, because in our world, they are. But in the world SIE plays in, they are very small. So what does that mean for their future? Well, Audeze will be a wholly owned subsidiary that operates independent of SIE. So likely, little will change, especially in the near term. And as long as the audiophile stuff is profitable, they will likely continue the lines. However, I wouldn’t expect much cash infusion into those lines and I would expect they will disappear real quick if the returns are not worth it.

I have said it a few times, Audeze was bought by a much larger company that makes video game hardware, accessories, and software. Expect them to support that business.

 

[sahmen]

So what is the official position of Sankar and Audeze in this deal, and what should it imply for Audeze's Audiophile clientele, as seen from Sankar and Audeze's own perspectives? I think Sankar/Audeze have to make their own position about this new order of things and their expectations officially known to their established clientele of Audiophile customers, instead of leaving things to wild speculation, allowing the narrative of Audeze's acquisition by Sony to drift as it seems to be doing now, or, worse, allowing Sony (Playstation) the sole responsibility of controlling that narrative of the acquisition. From the perspective of a customer like me, what counts most, for better or worse, is the policy or agenda Audeze itself intends to pursue in this merge/acquisition.

This is the take of DMS from Headphones.com regarding this whole acquisition business. I shall describe his take as being "very optimistic" about the outcome of the acquisition for both the Sony gaming market and Audeze's established audiophile headphones clientele. Well. optimism itself is good, but there isn't much real-world evidence to support that optimism except a small generic quote from Sankar, which is too telegraphic and ummm "too generic" sounding to be sufficiently reassuring to established Audeze audiophile customers :



I reiterate my request for a more official announcement by Sankar and @Audeze @KMann to established Audeze patrons, if only to settle nerves and abate the ongoing reign of rampant speculations about the acquisition and what it might mean for everyone interested in their products

 

[Mediahound]

^ That video was already posted above multiple times.

I think the writing is on the wall for the LCD line of headphones no matter what they are saying right now. Sony Interactive (Playstation) would have no interest in audiophile products. I could understand if Sony proper bought them but that is not the case.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

^ That video was already posted above multiple times.

I think the writing is on the wall for the LCD line of headphones no matter what they are saying right now. Sony Interactive (Playstation) would have no interest in audiophile products. I could understand if Sony proper bought them but that is not the case.

Dead or not, no way Sony will carry on that medieval enclosure and headband design.

 

[Mediahound]

Dead or not, no way Sony will carry on that medieval enclosure and headband design.

Which model are you referring to? The new style on the LCD-5 is fine, helped also by the fact that it's an overall lighter headphone than prior LCDs.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Which model are you referring to? The new style on the LCD-5 is fine, helped also by the fact that it's an overall lighter headphone than prior LCDs.

LCD-2, LCD-X, and I do not see LCD-5 or MM-500 as a significant improvement in ergonomics or look.

 

[Mediahound]

I do not see LCD-5 or MM-500 as a significant improvement in ergonomics or look.

As a former owner of the LCD-2, LCD-3, LCD-4z and current owner of the LCD-5, those improvements are huge.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

As a former owner of the LCD-2, LCD-3, LCD-4z and current owner of the LCD-5, those improvements are huge.

What exactly changed comfort wise beside unbearable clamp, same basic headband design with swiveled cups and clampier grip.

 

[SHAMuuu]

Nagra and now Sony .... if you told me this 5 years ago... i would've never believed it.

Good for Sankar and the team , really adds credibility on a whole new level

 

[Mediahound]

What exactly changed comfort wise beside unbearable clamp, same basic headband design with swiveled cups and clampier grip.

420g vs 620g headphones makes a huge difference.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Which model are you referring to? The new style on the LCD-5 is fine, helped also by the fact that it's an overall lighter headphone than prior LCDs.

We have to admit audeze has "problem" regarding headphone design. Audeze literally has around 6 years time to develop LCD-5 as new flagship. While the change is significant in term of weight, but what kind of flagship that got updated so fast because the "faulty" of headband clamp? Like, is there any real person that tried the headband while in development?

If you remember back at 2015, Audeze released LCD-4 as new flagship, they also did the same terrible thing. Immediately revised their flagship due to faulty of 100 Ohm Driver. What's the RnD team doing while develop the headphone? It's not a small and forgetful thing.

This kind of problem shouldn't exist if Sony behind the Audeze (I guess).

 

[sahmen]

^ That video was already posted above multiple times.

I think the writing is on the wall for the LCD line of headphones no matter what they are saying right now. Sony Interactive (Playstation) would have no interest in audiophile products. I could understand if Sony proper bought them but that is not the case.

Sorry for repeat-posting the video then, but I wonder why we still do not have an official statement from @Audeze about this acquisition and how the expect it to affect their production policies and business model going forward. I always receive Audeze newsletters in my e-mail announcing relatively minor events, such as the rollout of new products and R & D developments, but there has been nada from Audeze about this Sony acquisition, even though one would normally expect them to say something about such a "big deal" event, No?

 

[Mediahound]

Sorry for repeat-posting the video then, but I wonder why we still do not have an official statement from @Audeze about this acquisition and how the expect it to affect their production policies and business model going forward. I always receive Audeze newsletters in my e-mail announcing relatively minor events, such as the rollout of new products and R & D developments, but there has been nada from Audeze about this Sony acquisition, even though one would normally expect them to say something about such a "big deal" event, No?

Sankar has made an official statement here. Granted, it's not super comprehensive, it is at least something official:

https://sonyinteractive.com/en/press-releases/2023/sony-interactive-entertainment-to-acquire-audeze/

“Sony Interactive provides Audeze with a unique opportunity to scale our business, as we continue with our mission to deliver best-in-class headphones to recording professionals, audiophiles, and gamers,” said Sankar Thiagasamudram, CEO at Audeze. “We’re also looking forward to contributing to Sony Interactive’s efforts to take PlayStation audio experiences to the next level.”

 

[krenzler]

Only a matter of time before we get an expensive wireless BT Audeze branded planar HP with Sony ANC chip+LDAC to compete with ML5909, Bathys, T+A Solitaire T etc.?