[complin]

I think Sennheiser are in competition with Beats in some of the sectors they manufacture in. Beats for some reason have "street cred" and are supposed to be cool and they sell huge amounts of the cheaply made highly coloured stuff.
I think this is one of the reasons for them producing the Orpheus 2 to demonstrate they have engineering and audio prowess that most competitors dont have. I doubt the new HE1060/HEV1060 is going to sell in huge numbers given its anticipated price, but i'm sure there will be many well heeled people in Asia and Middle east will buy them to demonstrate their wealth rather than being music lovers or a need to use headphones.
 
Quote:

  Interesting all the comments about the pricing.  
 
From marketing perspective, Sennheiser doesn't seem to make full advantage of this model.  It's like sponsoring a racing team for brand promotion, but not selling a mass market version.  Even with all expensive headphones (Stax, Abyss, Hifiman etc flagships at $3K+), Sennheiser as a company is unquestionably with more resource and knowledge in the audiophile sector (not in competition with Beats).  So this set effectively shuts everyone up, with both price and technology anchored at $50K, Sennheiser effectively leaves everyone behind.
 
It is a shame that all that technology does not transfer to other Senn headphones.  No mass market version?  Oppo did a good job anchoring PM-1 at $1200, which I have a suspicion has been planned all along to promote sales for PM-3 at $399.
 
At end of the day, it's always a diminishing return.  Having heard so many headphone and home audio systems ($50K is cheap for a speaker system set up), I found most of the money spent on audio equipment are wasteful, as the increased money spent does not bring you that much closer to music.  After all, we have to admit that we are limited by so many other factors, such as recording quality, ambiance noise, etc.  For a choice to be made, it's better to spend money on actual performances.  I would prefer a live jazz session in a local bar over Miles Davis recording played through a $50K headphone system.
 
But that's beyond the point.  Since this hobby is for the sake of finding and discussing best headphones, headphones are an end, as opposed to a mean to an end.  

 

[masterfuu]

Everyone in my gym wears the beats and thinks it's best $300 they ever spent.

 

[potkettleblack]

Everyone in my gym wears the beats and thinks it's best $300 they ever spent.

Offer to spot them on the bench and then do the needful.
 
The gym cameras won't be able to tell if you meant to do it or not. 

 

[icebear]

Originally Posted by lyin116 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

...
For a choice to be made, it's better to spend money on actual performances.  I would prefer a live jazz session in a local bar over Miles Davis recording played through a $50K headphone system.
...

Well, that depends who is showing up for a gig in your local bar

.
I'm lucky to live close to NYC, so I do consider the Jazz clubs there kind of "local". So whenever there is someone playing in clubs that I like and ticket prices aren't too crazy, I go to see and listen to live concerts. These sessions usually have all kinds of noises, chatty neighbors, bad sound, crammed seating sometimes. A very good recording enjoyed over headphones at homes most likely has better sound ... but of course, it misses the tension of a live performance. Given that some great artist have passed away already, the option to enjoy their recordings on some nice hifi set up is pretty amazing. I am not sure what more a $55k set up can improve over a good set up with a HD800 but sure I wanna listen to it.

 

[HiGHFLYiN9]

Very interesting price-point to choose, seems more like a brand statement than a product offering. I don't know what the $50K headphone market is like, but my guess is they'll be moving like 50-100 a year? 

 

[superlowfi]

that's quite a stretch given that the original orpheus (like its successor) was an electrostatic can and the hd650 is a dynamic can. two fundamentally different headphone technologies there. one was the most expensive headphone system ever made at that time with only a limited number produced, and the other was a mass market product. like comparing apples and oranges i'd say.

 
Having heard extensively over the years both electrostatic and dynamic headphones, in my personal opinion, the differences between these driver technologies is dramatically overhyped. I believe the HD650 was designed to have the euphoric hi-fidelity accuracy of the HE90, and as such can be considered a descendant of the original Orpheus sound.

 

[superlowfi]

 

I think you are mistaken - most who have lived with the original Orpheus would concur with it being the best available at the time it was introduced and for a very, very long time afterwards. Even after 25 years has elapsed and the availability of new materials and manufacturing processes it can still hold its own against anything else and many would argue its still top of the heap overall. Other products now do some things better but as a complete package there is still very little else that comes close.

 
I believe most who have lived with the original Orpheus have now sold theirs. I would be curious to see resale numbers but I have been keeping track over the years and certainly more than half of them have been on the secondary market. 
 
Of course subjective opinions will vary. Of course some thing Orpheus is still the king after 25 years, then again, some who have had Orpheus systems have settled on HD650s as all they need. Still others have held onto their HD580 as the best headphone of all time.
 
Personally I found the HE90 sound signature a bit comical, as it emphasizes euphoric reproduction over absolute accuracy. I suppose that is also why some prefer the Chord Hugo to other DAC styles. Again, there's no accounting for taste.

 

[up late]

Having heard extensively over the years both electrostatic and dynamic headphones, in my personal opinion, the differences between these driver technologies is dramatically overhyped. I believe the HD650 was designed to have the euphoric hi-fidelity accuracy of the HE90, and as such can be considered a descendant of the original Orpheus sound.

they are fundamentally different technologies and headphones regardless of what you believe

 

[jude]

 (with emphasis)/img/forum/go_quote.gif
  Having heard extensively over the years both electrostatic and dynamic headphones, in my personal opinion, the differences between these driver technologies is dramatically overhyped. I believe the HD650 was designed to have the euphoric hi-fidelity accuracy of the HE90, and as such can be considered a descendant of the original Orpheus sound.

 
For years, I've been saying the HD6XX can scale to world-class performance in the right rigs. The HD600 and HD650 remain a couple of my favorite headphones, and still among the best moving coil dynamic headphones in the world (in my opinion).
 
All that said, I can only wish that the HD650 did what the HE90 does. It doesn't.

 

[superlowfi]

   
For years, I've been saying the HD6XX can scale to world-class performance in the right rigs. The HD600 and HD650 remain a couple of my favorite headphones, and still among the best moving coil dynamic headphones in the world (in my opinion).
 
All that said, I can only wish that the HD650 did what the HE90 does. It doesn't.

 
By the same token the HE90 can't do what the HD650 does. They are two different headphones after all.
 
My point was simply some people prefer the HD650 to the HE90. There are cases of people moving on from the HE90 to rest at the HD650 as their "end game".

 

[Deftone]

Hi guys,

The HE 1060 will be available as a separate product as a supplement to the complete system. We cannot guarantee the quality and safety

What?

 

[VandyMan]

Having owned  and enjoyed the HD-600 for over 15 years, both the STAX 009 and the King Sound H-03 stats, and having heard the Orpheus on two occasions, I have to disagree with you on two points. For of all, it is very difficult for me to believe that more than a very small minority would prefer the HD-600 (or 650), even in the most optimal setup, over a properly working Orpheus. Just my opinion, of course. Secondly, I don't find the difference between dynamic and electrostatic to be at all subtle. I'm not saying that one technology is always superior to the other as many design factors come into play. This is not like the difference between amps or DACs. It is much more obvious.

 

[purk]

   
By the same token the HE90 can't do what the HD650 does. They are two different headphones after all.
 
My point was simply some people prefer the HD650 to the HE90. There are cases of people moving on from the HE90 to rest at the HD650 as their "end game".

The HD650 can definitely scale like nothing else; however, it just can't match the HE90.  That's a fact.  The HD650/HD600 is however the best price/performance headphones ever.    

 

[jude]

 

Hi guys,

The HE 1060 will be available as a separate product as a supplement to the complete system. We cannot guarantee the quality and safety

What?

 
You cut off a key part of the quote. Here's a more complete look back:
 

Originally Posted by Rosmadi Mahmood /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
...The HE 1060 will be available as a separate product as a supplement to the complete system. We cannot guarantee the quality and safety of the system if the HE 1060 is connected to systems from other manufacturers.
The second headphones will be available at the same time as the complete HE 1060 / HEV 1060 system: in the middle of 2016...

 
Rosmadi seems to me to be saying that the HE1060 was specifically made to be used with the HEV1060 exclusively, and that they could not guarantee the safety if used outside of its intended use (i.e., with electronics by other manufacturers, DIY'ers, etc.).

 

[batphink]

Someone at Sennheiser must be a big Harry Potter fan because Matt Lewis (Neville Longbottom) got a free listen.