[kool bubba ice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lmilhan /img/forum/go_quote.gif I remember falling hook, line and sinker when a similar glowing review was posted when the Grado GS-1000s were released at one of the past national meets. I was one of the first batch of people to buy the phones sight unseen based on the glowing hype and praise that the GS-1000s received. I mean the GS-1000s were made out to be like the second coming of Christ... As it turned out, the GS-1000s didn't come close to what was written in the reviews, at least not for my ears / opinion (in the end I decided that I enjoyed the RS-1s considerably more). Luckily I was able to sell the GS-1000s before their re-sale value dropped so dramatically. Oh well, lesson learned. With that said, I think I will lay low for quite a while until the excitement and hype die down, the price inevitably drops dramatically (hopefully by 400 to 500 dollars), and then I will be sure to have a lengthy listen for myself. Who knows, maybe Sennheiser will finally release a pair of phones that don't make me want to fall asleep. It certainly looks like they took a very radical design approach with regard to these new phones, to which I say Bravo. But I can certainly understand why people get so excited over stuff like this. My advice is to not make them out to be so amazing in your own mind before even hearing them for yourself, because you may be setting yourself up for a disappointment. As for looks, all I can say is thank GOD they aren't iPOD white ( I am SO happy that that stupid trend is finally dying off). I don't think they look all that bad, but to be honest I couldn't give a flying **** less what a pair of headphones look like, as long as they sound great and are comfortable. At any rate, it is very cool that Sennheiser gave Jude the honor of releasing the first impressions for these phones. Kudos to Jude - he certainly deserves such an honor. Sounds like you are having a blast out there! I so wish I could be there...

I never seen a 1000 plus headphone for 4-5 hundred..Very wishful thinking..People will now have to ante up to get Sens best dynamic headphone ever.

 

[AC1]

Ya this doesn't look like they want to mass produce and crank it out like the 600 series. I doubt the price will drop from MSRP too much like the 600 series did. They are just different things.

I am personally glad there is finally a real flagship headset. Hopefully it does push the benchmark as described. Because seriously some of the discontinued headphones are not nearly as great as the price people are willing to pay for them and the kind of praise they get on this forum.

 

[Beagle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif Frequency ranges don't top out at 20kHz for SACD, vinyl and other hi-rez formats. Not that you can hear them, but extended frequency response usually means that everything in between is easier to drive. One way to think about it is if you had a car with a maximum speed of 55 MPH and one that can go 100MPH. Both can go 55MPH, but the car limited to 55MPH will be struggling at that speed while the other one won't. Not the best analogy, but that's sort of how it works.

Well, it's not "easier to drive in between" if the headphone has resonances at certain frequencies. This is a very common occurance and easily visible on measurement response graphs. I think it might be more accurate to say that an extended top end would preserve the overtones of the things you can hear at the top end.

 

[rlanger]

Well, I would certainly love to listen to these. Not sure I like how they look though.

But, as far as picking up a pair, I think they would choke on my source!

 

[Drumonron]

Will this be a limited edition Headphone?

 

[dannie01]

Anyway, I think it's time to save up.

 

[Skin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by subtle /img/forum/go_quote.gif What do you mean "on a Sennheiser headphone"? There are plenty of people willing to spend $1400 on headphones period, let alone one made by Sennheiser. Are you familiar with the HE60 and HE90? What about the majority of current and out of production former flagships. R10, HP2, PS1, L3000, OIIMKI, ED7, ED9, Qualia, and the list goes on and on. All sell used for over $1400 and most sell for $2000+. People were only turned off by the price here because they were expecting something a little more in line with 580/600/650 pricing. There ain't going to be a swift price drop on this one. Sorry. Sennheiser will just pull back on production if the demand isn't there. They aren't going to flood the market with these like an HD600/650. Tell you what. Meet me back here in six months and we'll see who gets the first slice of pie.

See thats the problem, you're mentally comparing the HD800 to Limited headphones or ones done in house by, comparatively, very small companies. Its not the same thing. Like it or not the HD800 is simply replacing the HD650 as their top of the line reference model and will drop in price accordingly as time passes by. Why are these particular headphones priced so high compared to the previous models? Simple, a lot more R&D went into them and they have to recoup those costs. Another part of it could be the simple fact that they realized there was a 1k+ market they previously missed out on and want to take advantage of regardless of if the headphones justified the price leap.

As you said, a few months will tell. You think it will stay very high end and, oddly, a rare headphone comparative to their other models. I think its going to drop like a rock after they take advantage of the early adopters who simply dont care about the cost and will be easily obtainable. See you in 6 months

.

 

[jaar]

If these are really individually hand-made, I guess that would justify the price tag. Only the elite few are able to afford them and I doubt they'd sell them at a discounted price if they wanted to.

Waiting a comprehensive review from head-fi.

 

[grawk]

I'd be surprised if anyone discounts these at all for a very long time. And they'll sell just fine.

 

[AC1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skin /img/forum/go_quote.gif See thats the problem, you're mentally comparing the HD800 to Limited headphones or ones done in house by, comparatively, very small companies. Its not the same thing. Like it or not the HD800 is simply replacing the HD650 as their top of the line reference model and will drop in price accordingly as time passes by.

What are you talking about. They have produced real flagships before. These will be more like HE90/60's which I dont ever remeber them selling far below MSRP (other than a when they were discontinue clear outs) like the 600 series.

 

[Canon]

Wow... Just wow...

I love my HD650s but I have to admit, I personally really like the styling and appearance of these cans.

These are hand made in Germany, so it's going to cost more to manufacture and as others have mentioned, lots of R&D has gone into these. Hopefully they live up to the hype for the $1400 price point.

When you consider you can spend this much on a pair of speakers though, it's still not completely insane but it is certainly pretty much out of the running for most people (which is probably part of the point of a product like this based on the manufacturing choice that Sennheiser has made).

I do believe that Westone has released a $1600 headset at CES this year, so I guess something needs to compete in this price range. LOL!

I'm a bit surprised to see that these cost more than the Grado GS 1000 though.

Time will tell I suppose.

 

[subtle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kool bubba ice /img/forum/go_quote.gif No 1,400 headphone will sell well. Only headphone fanatics and people who can afford a luxury like the 800. 99.9 of the population won't buy a 1,400 headphone. Most think 200 is too much. 6-8 hundred would have been reasonable. If Sennheiser wants these phones to be the succeesors to the 650, they will need to mass marketed at a price point that people are ok with..I'm sure the 800s are worth the asking price, but doesn't change the fact they are still over a grand. Yes, I buy when they are under a grand. On a side note, If the transients are faster then the 48s I'd be very impressed.

Do you have a contract with Beyerdynamic whereby you have to mention the 48's in every thread you enter?

 

[ingwe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by F107plus5 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wow! I have been gone for a while! NOW my HD600s are "finally" startin' to look old!

My HD600s continue to sound fantastic and continue to deliver musical satisfaction.

-m

 

[Wmcmanus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldson /img/forum/go_quote.gif you lot must have "more money than senns"

Actually, it's just the opposite - those who buy them will have more Senns than money!

 

[sukamol]

I think AKG have option on some of it model.Me too wishing that Senn offer option on color will be a nice touch for the product that cost this much.