My best friend and I are definitely buying this, no matter what! (Just not quite sure when...)
Concerning the pricing issues... Relatively speaking, this is far less costly than the most expensive speaker systems. Luckily, I prefer headphones over speakers. Either way, I don't care what it costs to get ultimate sound. Not many individuals have such an uncompromising approach, and this is fine. You can immensely enjoy music with all sorts of affordable gear, after all. But this is a luxury statement product made for a select few. Criticizing the price accomplishes nothing. Everyone already knows that most people cannot or will not buy it.
2.) The headphone cable looks like it's detachable from the headphones. (I'm assuming you can at least detach the termination end from the HEV 1060.) Is it? What would be the estimated cost for a replacement cable?