[oqvist]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nachkebia /img/forum/go_quote.gif You know, some people can not afford to build top notch speaker setup, so I choose to build below average speaker setup and high end headphone setup, HD800 and T1. speakers just take alot of space, need cabling and so on, it is very complicated for me at least. headphones on the other hand is very simple, laptop > flac > dac > amp > headphone and you have top sound.

by headphone standards

 

[odigg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bilavideo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Headphones have become a hobbyist's bottomless pit, with new offerings coming onto the scene far more often than real innovations.

I think that means headphones are now in-line with most everything else that people crave for. Clothes, electronics, watches, pens, and heaven knows what else. Manufacturers have realized that headphones now have that selling power and they are taking advantage of it.

Of course there is a question of sustainability for the manufacturers. Not all forays into the "luxury" market work out. The HD800 and T1 may have "exceeded initial sales expectations" but I really wonder how long term sales will be. If people are just flocking to the latest top of the line model then it's up to the headphone companies to "improve" their products every few years. Sometimes the whole process fails and companies get out of that market segment all together. Time will tell.

As for the comments about the headphones produced for pro-audio, I agree. You don't have to spend anywhere close to $1K+ on headphones to get a product that reproduces the whole audible range beautifully so we can't complain too much about the new flagships being so expensive. In the future, with companies that really innovate, we'll only have more amazing products for low prices that will make people abandon their $1K masters.

And as Uncle Erik likes to point out - If you think it's too expensive, don't buy it

 

[tvrboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wmcmanus /img/forum/go_quote.gif I could buy a car instead of a motorcycle, but it won't give me the same driving experience. Yes, I would expect that cars will be, on average, more expensive than motorcylces, and certainly the best cars will be considerably more expensive than the best motorcycles. But I'm not at all surprised that a top of the line Ducati costs more than a basic, no frills, economy car. I'll be happy to pay a premium price the for best in style, speed, and overall handling (braking, suspension, etc.) that modern engineering can provide. It's a real pleasure to ride in style and to know that you have that raw performance at your disposal, and as boring as can be to drive a run of the mill economy car.

LOL, Ducati superbikes don't have the best speed or handling. R1, CBR1000RR, and GSXR1000 consistently beat them in magazine tests and are the choice of most amateur racers. Just look at who is racing what in WERA or other amateur groups in the UK and America. Sure, the "R" model Ducatis may have a slight edge over a stock gixxer 1000, but for that money you could equip your Japanese race bike with a supersport-spec engine, traction control and datalogging, and ohlins suspension.

 

[ekliptiko]

its the economy.

 

[estreeter]

I agree that its ALL overpriced, but I havent seen any pair of headphones that cost anything like the Focal Grande Utopia. The rule of thumb is that a pair of headphones can potentially give you the same SQ as a pair of speakers costing 10-15 times as much :

http://www.my-hiend.com/leoyeh/2008c/IMG_1832t.jpg

The topline Utopia goes for around 350K here in Oz - until someone starts marking a 20K AUD pair of headphones, I'd say the HD800/Ed 8 etc are a bargain. Lets face it, most of us are cheapskates - 2.5K for a tube amp to run your 'expensive' headphones would be pocket change to the guy who owns the rig in the photo above ....

 

[mesasone]

I don't think that just because most of us do not have large denomination bills falling out of our pockets means we're cheapskates...

 

[estreeter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mesasone /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't think that just because most of us do not have large denomination bills falling out of our pockets means we're cheapskates...

Check out the portable amps section sometime - anyone who can afford an iPod and a half-decent set of IEMs should, conceivably, be willing to stump up a little over a hundred dollars for an amp, either a new T3 or a secondhand amp of some description. Thats a total spend well under $500 - hardly money falling out of pockets - but many cant seem to stretch that far. I rest my case.

 

[regal]

There is a whole trend on head-fi: who has the most expensive signature. Used to be people were proud to have a Millett Hybrid and its still a fine amp. People need to get back to grassroots around here. Call me nuts but I haven't heard any of these super phones that make me smile the way MS1's can.

 

[tvrboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by regal /img/forum/go_quote.gif There is a whole trend on head-fi: who has the most expensive signature. Used to be people were proud to have a Millett Hybrid and its still a fine amp. People need to get back to grassroots around here. Call me nuts but I haven't heard any of these super phones that make me smile the way MS1's can.

Yeah, somebody with a signature like yours would say that, wouldn't he?

Kidding!

 

[regal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tvrboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yeah, somebody with a signature like yours would say that, wouldn't he? Kidding!

Most of its for sale, any takers?

 

[aimlink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by regal /img/forum/go_quote.gif Most of its for sale, any takers?

What do you plan to get? A Millet Hybrid?

Are you one of those few who has been there and come back.

If so, please do tell.

 

[regal]

Well the SohaII is very very good. The Stacker II is like a Millett Hybrid grown up to ZD levels but the Soha II is 90% of it. I have less than $700 invested in both of them.

As far as DAC's just get the AudioGD 19mk4 with a PMD100 for $470 and be done with it, doesn't get much better.

But I'm a Grado guy, I've tried the HD800 and the T1, nothing does it for me like Grados, honestly I was perfectly content with the MS1's but got a great deal on the MS-Pros ($500 new) which are slightly better. Soundstage illusions created by the super expensive phones don't work for my ears, I like to hear the midrange close up and personal. Basically the expensive phones create an illusion of soundstage by recessing the mids, it works for some people but not my brain for some reason.

If you are a Senn or Beyer Guy build a Bijou, its outstanding for them.

YMMV

 

[aimlink]

I think I'm likely a Grado guy as well.

I love the sound of my Magnums. It's the RS2i the way I'd prefer them. The RS2i is just a tad less pronounced on the higher frequencies. Otherwise the tonal balance on both are remarkably similar. I use the Magnums and RS2i at work.

At the same time, I also love my ALO K702. It's special as well. I genuinely fail to hear a plasticky sound or strange mids when listening to them. The Ed8's are also nice but it's price in no way reflects my regard for it when compared to my other cans. For me, it's just another of them, but boy does it give that bass while being small and light. From where I'm sitting, it's really not an indictment on the Ed8's, but rather, the reality of diminishing returns and how one can easily find satisfaction in less expensive stuff.

I went pretty heavy when I got the HeadRoom Ultra Desktop and DPS. I'm content there for the time being and actually increasingly so as time passes. I'm thinking I'd have been contented without this investment.

My curiosity may well have me fiddling a bit further.

 

[wali]

But on a brighter note, the price of source and amps have come down quite dramatically. Not to mention the old horses are going as strong as ever and these new $1000+ headphones don't seem to be game changers in anyway.

The only interesting top-end headphone imo is HE-5, which retails at $600. So, this hobby as a whole has got much cheaper than before.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wali /img/forum/go_quote.gif But on a brighter note, the price of source and amps have come down quite dramatically. Not to mention the old horses are going as strong as ever and these new $1000+ headphones don't seem to be game changers in anyway. The only interesting top-end headphone imo is HE-5, which retails at $600. So, this hobby as a whole has got much cheaper than before.

Absolutely they are game changers. I too was a happy K701/HD650 owner until I heard the HD800/T1. That's not to say that the K701/HD650 suddenly changed and sounded bad, it's just that the new generation has simply raised the bar (and to my ears, buy a good amount).

If you are happy with your cans, great, you've just save a tonne of cash. But when I heard what was out there with an open mind (and frightened wallet), there simply was no going back.