[FraGGleR]

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I see a pair with the glossy finish that says othewise.  
 

 
 
 

Beauties!  The silk on those cables have a nice sheen that goes well with the glossy.

 

[Solude]

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I see a pair with the glossy finish that says othewise.  
 

 
I would never pay a premium for paint colour but the matte certainly is more coherent top to bottom.  The glossy pops where the unpainted areas are subtle.

 

[JWahl]

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I would never pay a premium for paint colour but the matte certainly is more coherent top to bottom.  The glossy pops where the unpainted areas are subtle.

Well, if your already going to pay the $1500 retail than the "free" paint job isn't a bad deal.  Unless your buying direct from Germany like you said earlier.  It's especially better long term if the colorware paint is more durable than stock.

 

[M-13]

Personally... I would get glossy white (diamond white) everywhere with blue rings.

Black is cool, but it's also boring and ubiquitous.
 
Also I was thinking I could mimic the original colors of the HD800, by going black headband, and then "steel" color for the grey part of the HD800.
 
On a side note. I think it's ridiculous Sennheiser can't use better quality paint that won't chip or peel. I had this problem with two HD650s and people dealing with the same problem on a $1500 Sennheiser Flagship in 2013 is just ridiculous. I hope it's good for the enviornment paint or some other logic behind it. - End of Rant -

 

[Dubstep Girl]

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Originally Posted by M-13 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
On a side note. I think it's ridiculous Sennheiser can't use better quality paint that won't chip or peel. I had this problem with two HD650s and people dealing with the same problem on a $1500 Sennheiser Flagship in 2013 is just ridiculous. I hope it's good for the enviornment paint or some other logic behind it. - End of Rant -

 
its so im constantly tempted to sell my hd 800s and rebuy them brand new in pink/white 

 

[MorbidToaster]

I don't.
 
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I see a pair with the glossy finish that says othewise.  
 

 

[preproman]

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I don't.
 

 
I do - that's all that matters  - because they're mine..

 

[preproman]

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I would never pay a premium for paint colour but the matte certainly is more coherent top to bottom.  The glossy pops where the unpainted areas are subtle.

 
I didn't pay a premium.  I paid the regular MSRP and got the paint job for free

 

[MorbidToaster]

I do - that's all that matters  - because they're mine..

Very true.

 

[Solude]

It's a world market.  If the local market doesn't want to compete it's not my problem.  The other reality is that like changing a car from stock to something personal... resale suffers.  But the point is that retailers can clearly sell it for the same price as the EU and make money but choose not to.  I understand they have to respect the minimum listed price, but that doesn't mean they can't sell it for less.  If Colorware can paint them and sell them for the MSRP then the others can certainly afford to eat the difference.  I paid $1105 for mine, to my door, taxes in.  Couldn't be happier

 

[M-13]

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its so im constantly tempted to sell my hd 800s and rebuy them brand new in pink/white 

My girlfriend wants one in all diamond white with a pink ring (glossy).

 

[DefQon]

I reckon jet black and red looks pretty awesome too. Give a new colour change from the regular silver and black themes.

 

[preproman]

Quote:

It's a world market.  If the local market doesn't want to compete it's not my problem.  The other reality is that like changing a car from stock to something personal... resale suffers.  But the point is that retailers can clearly sell it for the same price as the EU and make money but choose not to.  I understand they have to respect the minimum listed price, but that doesn't mean they can't sell it for less.  If Colorware can paint them and sell them for the MSRP then the others can certainly afford to eat the difference.  I paid $1105 for mine, to my door, taxes in.  Couldn't be happier

 
 
I bet you my $100 to your dime mine or a all black matt will sale faster a few years down the road.  One reason would be paint chips.  If you're not really, really careful the stock paint job sucks and will chip for no reason at all "seems like".
 
Like others, this is my second pair.  First pair sold for what I paid for them so I just added a little bit more for the paint job.  I really couldn't be happier - I think this was the best more to make.  "For me" anyway..  

 

[JWahl]

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It's a world market.  If the local market doesn't want to compete it's not my problem.  The other reality is that like changing a car from stock to something personal... resale suffers.  But the point is that retailers can clearly sell it for the same price as the EU and make money but choose not to.  I understand they have to respect the minimum listed price, but that doesn't mean they can't sell it for less.  If Colorware can paint them and sell them for the MSRP then the others can certainly afford to eat the difference.  I paid $1105 for mine, to my door, taxes in.  Couldn't be happier

Oh, but the local market does want to compete, just Sennheiser doesn't want them to 

 They don't want people to start having the perception that the HD800 is in the same league as the LCD-2 and T1.  I assume your referring to buying them from Meier Audio, he even advertised the lower price for awhile but I'm sure Sennheiser made him take it down.  It is unfortunate that the NA retail is basically EU price + VAT even without actually having the VAT apply.  I'm sure there are local vendors willing to work around the MSRP, either under the table or perhaps offering "free cable upgrades" or the like.  $1100 new certainly seems like a fair price to me, given their elite performance.  I've never quite understand the MSRP price fixing though, Sennheiser is making the same per headphone regardless of how much a vendor sells it for I would imagine.
 
Sennheiser isn't alone in this though.  The Fostex TH-900 is $500 cheaper in Japan, SR-009 nearly $2,000 cheaper, and other examples exist as well.

 

[M-13]

Margins on headphones are about 40%

 same as luxury watches. So a dealer giving you 20% off is not a big deal for them. Giving you a free paint job and throwing in next day shipping still puts them way above water. Say "Hi" to your Rolex dealer for me too.