[Redcarmoose]

Any market has a multitude of price points. These market retail values reflect the buyer price points which are always there in the low price point, medium price point and always emerging mega price point markets. There will always be a buyer looking to spend $100.00, $1000.00 and $10,000.00 for a piece of gear at any given time. I like to think that we have developments in headphone technology too which get pushed into low cost performers and developments which are made for the folks who really want to spend. The real issue here is you can't put a price on lifestyle. You personal lifestyle is priceless. Any product that helps you get there is in reality priceless too.
 
 
For whatever reason, but most likely money, there are many names in audio that don't exist anymore. There are more names of companies that don't exist than are now in product production. This will always be a determining factor. Also for every limited house downpayment priced product put on the market you also have the bang for the buck giant killers which make their profit in volume or with a revolutionary design idea. 
 
I used to get worked up at some of the price of portable audio. As a group we have seen the portable market improve and prices skyrocket into the home headphone market price league. There is truly no correct way to judge this as again these folks are looking for a lifestyle choice and what ever gets them there, gets them there.
 
Things will really stay the way they have been. The only improvement I can see will be better mid level bang for the buck just due to competition. Speakers have always been better than headphones and I feel sorry for anyone who spent 10K on a headphone rig which was surprised by speakers at a friends house. The fact is that 3K gets you 80% there and 5K if spent right, can get you 90% there. The best advise is to not get caught-up searching for the end of the rainbow, as soon as you get there it has seemed to move along somewhere else. That last 10% gets a little more weight than it truly deserves. It is all about the enjoyment of music and not equipment worship.
 
Still a 3K headphone rig sounds pretty close to 80K in HI/FI speakers. This will not change anytime soon.

 

[Ham Sandwich]

The Chinese and companies like Fischer Audio will help keep mid tier prices from escalating too much due to the high end "excess is best" products going higher in price.  For example, if Sennheiser were to discontinue the HD600/HD650 and replace them with a new set of headphones based on their ring driver but decided to price the new ones at $800 street price well then whoa there Sennheiser.  Other companies like Fischer Audio and HiFiMAN and others will be waiting there to fill the void left by Sennheiser abandoning the mid tier and going exotic on us.  So not too much worry that the mid tier will get driven ever higher and higher just to keep pace with the more high end of the market.

 

[9pintube]

Excess in most material "Things" always has a group of guy's /gal's who think that the more they spend the better sounding or faster cooler autos has to be best! This is the sad truth... The winners are the people who are satisfied with what they can afford and be happy with the sound they get etc.etc. These people are the real lovers of THE MUSIC and not the equipment.....IMO...... We must take a stand even if it's by ourselves against these F_ _ _ You money prices.......I blame a lot of these outrages prices for two channel audio gear on the big box stores selling crap HT equipment that's not worth it's weight in salt to the "Tin Eared People" that don't have a clue about what makes great sound.. So many of the big dollar manufactures seem to be happy selling 10,000 units of their 40grand speakers etc.etc., rather then keeping their price around 5 to 10 grand and selling to the masses. The safe bet is to hunt for good used equipment and buy from the idiots who just spent a wad on the "Mark 1" unit and a year later just has to have the new "Mark 2" unit because it just has to be better because he read about it in his favorite audio rag.......So maybe we can save the hobby that we love by buying and building what we can afford and can be happy with. Maybe that will send a message to these stupid priced manufactures.

 

[Uncle Erik]

9pintube, that's what DIY is for.

 

[9pintube]

Quote:

9pintube, that's what DIY is for.

 
You are right Uncle Erik and that's why I included Building in my one sentence, It reads as above, "So maybe we can save the hobby that we love by buying and building what we can afford and can be happy with".  So we agree again!