Why don't manufacturers copy the R-10?
Nov 4, 2008 at 1:57 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 14

starscream

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what is stopping other headphone manufacturers from taking apart an R-10 and just practically re-creating what it does? Seeing as it's pretty much the Holy Grail of headphones.
 
Nov 4, 2008 at 2:04 AM Post #2 of 14
Why would companies/manufacterers do that? R-10 is property of Sony. No company in their right mind would steal the designs of other manufacterers (unless they do it secretly) and use it in theirs. They can get sued in a matter of fact.

I also don't consider them as holy grail of headphones. There are others also.
 
Nov 4, 2008 at 2:24 AM Post #3 of 14
Simply even if they want to it there are certain secrets of the trade in there, material used, driver design, etc...They can do it in China of course, not sure to what extend they will sound alike, and there who cares about a sue...
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BTW I do consider them if not the holy grail of dynamic headphones, at least a very strong candidate to be considered as such, and trust me that not that many "others" offer what the R-10 does...and I have heard quite a few headphones in very good setups...
 
Nov 4, 2008 at 2:43 AM Post #4 of 14
because there's no real market for it. It isn't a top seller, and counterfeiters usually don't do anything that doesn't get them maximum gain for the least effort. Case in point: The EP630 and CX300. Does it make sense for a counterfeiter to spend many weeks or months copying the exact design of an R10, the construction techniques, the finishing, in order to accurately replicate it, and then not sell more than a few?

That, and intellectual property.
 
Nov 4, 2008 at 5:09 PM Post #7 of 14
For a handful of reasons I would guess. Like:
* They don't want to get into a lawsuit with Sony.
* The phone will never be a Sony MDR-R10.
* It would require a lot of design hours, and the end result may be quite expensive. There are lots of different material and parts used in an R10, which need to be found out of and replicated.
* They would need a market.
 
Nov 4, 2008 at 5:55 PM Post #8 of 14
Quote:

Originally Posted by krmathis /img/forum/go_quote.gif
* They would need a market.


When the r10 was on the market. I don't think there was as many people interested in high end headphones, thanks to forums like this one.
If the r10 were released today I' m sure it would meet a much higher demand.
 
Nov 4, 2008 at 6:02 PM Post #9 of 14
^ Indeed!
But this one would not be a Sony MDR-R10, and hence they would need to earn respect before people would spend their hard earned cash on one. Making the market probably even smaller than for a Sony MDR-R10.
 
Nov 4, 2008 at 6:13 PM Post #10 of 14
Quote:

Originally Posted by krmathis /img/forum/go_quote.gif
^ Indeed!
But this one would not be a Sony MDR-R10, and hence they would need to earn respect before people would spend their hard earned cash on one. Making the market probably even smaller than for a Sony MDR-R10.



well the idea is a fake = cheap, so the money part is theoretically not there.

but yea OP idea is totally fail. most fakes/copy that are made are almost always way below standards of quality as the original anyway. And if they do make a good copy, there will be lawsuits.
 
Nov 4, 2008 at 6:25 PM Post #11 of 14
Yes they would need to earn respect.
What I actually wanted to say is that now, many more people are looking for very high end headphones.

I remember when I bought my first non cheap headphone, the cd3k during its release period, headphones in the same price range were not really common and many people though I was crazy.
They would have probably sent me to the hospital if I had bought an R10.
Now there are many headphones in the same price range or higher than the cd3k. People mentality has changed and they often buy high end headphones.

If something like an r10 was released today, it would take time for them to be as sought after as the r10 but I'm sure it would still sell much more than the r10 during its time.
 
Nov 4, 2008 at 6:45 PM Post #13 of 14
I wonder why Sony themselves were unable or not willing to adopt the technology to other products. Seems to me, the other Sonys do not even com close. Usually that kind of high end technology is take to a broader market.
 
Nov 4, 2008 at 6:47 PM Post #14 of 14
I don't know how strong the market actually is for this level of headphones. The Grado GS-1000 was introduced to fill a perceived lack in the high end. I don't know what the sales figures are, but they don't get glowing reviews from everyone and not that many seem to own them. I've seen pairs as low as $600 and still can't quite convince myself to bite. I probably will sooner or later, but need to pay off the new amp and finish a few projects first.

I just don't know if someone will roll the dice on producing a new high end headphone. Even the K-1000 was killed twice from lack of sales.
 

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