[jenkinsontherun]

HI all,

Not sure where to post this, but I feel this is the right space. I was just wondering whether discontinued headphones, like the HD800, are worth keeping.

Why would people be so eager to sell their HD800's as I am seeing, even for a price which is actually LOWER than when they were in production?

I think this raises a good question on whether headphones have "antique" value. I feel like they should have antique value, but so far I have just seen headphones go down in value relative to their release date (a downward slope with respect to time). Being discontinued doesn't seem to affect the market all that much, but I might be missing something. Sure, I can name a few sennheisers like the HD540/HD250 but that's about it. Even then, they are still purchasable by the general audience like most other headphones.

Thanks.

EDIT: Limited edition (eg. 500 produced) headphones/IEMs also don't seem to hold more value over time other than their initial premium from the retailer. I'm so frustrated by this phenomenon.

 

[PointyFox]

There aren't many people who collect antique headphones, and of those who do, 20 years old isn't considered antique. Over time headphones are being improved like with the HD800 being tweaked due to complaints with the sound to produce a HD800S, so it's not like old headphones are any better than newer ones. Maybe if a company like Sennheiser was to just vanish, without anyone making better sounding headphones for a number of years after, the prices for the HD800S would go up because they'd still be in demand but have a limited supply.

 

[wuwhere]

This one...

https://www.cnet.com/news/sony-mdr-r10-the-worlds-best-headphone/

 

[wuwhere]

Also this one...

https://www.stereophile.com/headphones/sennheiser_orpheus_he_90_headphones/index.html

 

[Spareribs]

Yes. Discontinued headphones go up in value

 

[wuwhere]

Discontinued headphone amplifiers can also go up in value. This one did...

 

[wuwhere]

If discontinued, this amp will probably go up in value...

 

[wuwhere]

The AKG K1000 has gone up in value also...

 

[pbui44]

There is a documentary on Netflix, called “Jack of All Trades”. Watch it and then basically move the saturated market line from post-1980s baseball cards to post-2010 headphones.

 

[wuwhere]

The Stax Sigma has not lost much of their value. I sometimes see them for sale way above $1k.

 

[SilverEars]

I heard STAX Omega went up like a mofo

 

[jenkinsontherun]

Okay, I will keep my HD800's.

 

[wuwhere]

Okay, I will keep my HD800's.

Sennheiser made and sold a lot of HD800. And they are still making them. Once discontinued will they appreciate in value? I don't know. The ones that really appreciated in value are the limited production. Most people here buy headphones to listen to music. And keep them because they like its sound. They sell the ones that they don't. Limited production does not guarantee that they will appreciate in value. They also have to sound good.

 

[PointyFox]

All of the headphones mentioned so far have gone up in value since they are still regarded by some as summit-fi.

 

[jenkinsontherun]

All of the headphones mentioned so far have gone up in value since they are still regarded by some as summit-fi.

Yeah that's what came across my mind too. What I am actually referring to is not the absolute best of the best, but I am saying like, if sennheiser were to suddenly just make 500 pairs of a limited edition $500 headphone, and the headphone sounds just like any $500 headphone, no better no less, and there's nothing really special about it. Will the value still go up? Obviously, we can't tell the future, but I am sure we can find cases in the past, but I just can't seem to find mid-level gear that has gone up in significant value once discontinued. Maybe the audio market is values audio, not values "value," unlikely many antique items that are pawned (think Pawn Stars)