Has the headphone stuff (headfi) becoming ridiculously expensive?

[david85]

Way back in 2003 when i just stumbled upon headfi , headphones such as hd600 , Grado RS1, iems such as Etymotic er4p/s were considered very expensive high end headphones. And there are those out of production headphones such as Sony R10 , Sennheiser orpheus , they were considered legendary , unobtainable stuff.

Fast forward to present , in matter of 17 years,the headfi had grown massively. Headphones and amplifiers that were considered expensive and high end in the past are budget stuff now. New companies /brands come out of nowhere and produce headphones iem, daps which cost more and more. USD 5k Headphones, USD3k IEMs , USD 3K daps??? Goes on and on. I recently had a brief audition of the 15K T&A headphone system and i felt it was overpriced.

Its getting silly I feel for the way things are now in the headphone/iem audio industry. Its like companies are competing to rip consumers off by keep producing newer products of ever increasing price tag with no end at sight! Anyone has similar opinion?

 

[solderdude]

Fortunately you can still find some excellent headphones for affordable prices ($ 100 to $250 range)

 

[Robin L]

Its getting silly I feel for the way things are now in the headphone/iem audio industry. Its like companies are competing to rip consumers off by keep producing newer products of ever increasing price tag with no end at sight! Anyone has similar opinion?

There's much more access to free or freeish promotion on the internet. So a lot of products that people are offering these days are from small companies with high expectations. I'm guessing that headphones got silly prices due to the Beats phenomenon, with a fashion element thrown into the mix. But the companies that have been in business forever still make reasonably priced products. My understanding is that Topping makes insanely good headphone-related gear for rock bottom prices. And the Stax Earspeakers I got 30 years ago for $2000 were worth every penny. So, no, I don't think that companies are competing to rip customers off. There's a lot of different demographic groups with different needs for headphones. The biggest players of 30 years ago are still the biggest players. If you know where to look you can easily find bargains.

 

[kn0ppers]

Hi-Fi has always been partly about bragging rights (sadly).

If you can't compete with audiophile Millionaires and their dedicated listening rooms with hundreds of thousands worth of equipment, you can still try to be the guy with one of the most impressive stacks on Headfi and "flex on those HD650-Peasants". If you have to list not only your stack, but also every cable in between because you spent a grand on each, I think it says a lot about the person posting (I have seen that on Head-Fi regularly). I try to stay clear of Head-Fi as much as possible...

 

[ElNino]

The Sennheiser Orpheus headphones is really emblematic of this -- when the first gen Orpheus came out, it was pricey, but new generation Orpheus is quite a bit more pricey at $55,000 USD, an increase far in excess of inflation. That being said, I don't blame companies for increasingly targeting the nouveau riche class; there's money to be made.

On the flipside, we're blessed that the cost of world-class performance among reasonably priced electronics has fallen.

 

[RayDunzl]

My old headphones which were total crap Sony which decomposed just sitting on the shelf since 1992.

I splurged a little and bought HD650 seven years ago.

I considered them "The Safe Choice".

Haven't worried about it since.

I like them.

 

[Sukie]

I splurged a little and bought HD650 seven years ago.

My young son, who loves listening to music on his little CD player and thinks headphones cost around £10, could't get his head around me buying a pair of HD600s. Imagine if I'd spent $55,000!

I'm more than happy with my HD600s.

Fast forward to present , in matter of 17 years,the headfi had grown massively. Headphones and amplifiers that were considered expensive and high end in the past are budget stuff now.

This is true in one sense (the literal one - you can pick up very expensive equipment), but you can get absolute bargains today that perform superbly well. Some might turn their noses up at Topping L30 or JDS Atom HPA, but they show that you can get great equipment at rock bottom prices.

 

[Jimbob54]

Way back in 2003 when i just stumbled upon headfi , headphones such as hd600 , Grado RS1, iems such as Etymotic er4p/s were considered very expensive high end headphones. And there are those out of production headphones such as Sony R10 , Sennheiser orpheus , they were considered legendary , unobtainable stuff.

Fast forward to present , in matter of 17 years,the headfi had grown massively. Headphones and amplifiers that were considered expensive and high end in the past are budget stuff now. New companies /brands come out of nowhere and produce headphones iem, daps which cost more and more. USD 5k Headphones, USD3k IEMs , USD 3K daps??? Goes on and on. I recently had a brief audition of the 15K T&A headphone system and i felt it was overpriced.

Its getting silly I feel for the way things are now in the headphone/iem audio industry. Its like companies are competing to rip consumers off by keep producing newer products of ever increasing price tag with no end at sight! Anyone has similar opinion?

Mostly agree to be honest. The plus side, as mentioned by others , is that models that were ToTL back then are still in production for less money than 20 years ago. Yes, tech and development mas moved on, but Im not sure pricing is commensurate with levels of quality obtained. I see the improvement between a £200 headphone and a £1000 headphone. Im not sure I understand £1000 to £3000. Eg what does the Focal Utopia do that the Clear doesnt. Id love to hear both, but there is only one I aspire to own, and even that would be second hand

 

[Nango]

Fortunately you can still find some excellent headphones for affordable prices ($ 100 to $250 range)

Which ones ?? We need guidance!!!

 

[maverickronin]

Its getting silly I feel for the way things are now in the headphone/iem audio industry. Its like companies are competing to rip consumers off by keep producing newer products of ever increasing price tag with no end at sight! Anyone has similar opinion?

I kind of agree. Prices are getting out of hand. Fortunately, even where the more expensive options are actually better (and not just marketing and hot air) diminishing returns are usually pretty steep.

 

[david85]

Which ones ?? We need guidance!!!

lower range grado headphones are good but not all rounder
Meze 99 classic
HD600 on sale or used
For Iems,,, the sony n3a/bp ,vsonic gr01 , jvc fx850 ( dis continued )

 

[Nango]

Not enough resolution the HD600. Not for me.

 

[raistlin65]

Hadphones and amplifiers that were considered expensive and high end in the past are budget stuff now.

Well, there is an upside. DAC and headphone amplifier engineering has advanced at an exponential pace. Now we can get DAC/headphone amp setups for $200 that are extremely accurate. And people would have been willing to pay $1,000 for them 15 years ago.

The fact that there is still much more expensive electronic equipment which is not better, and often worse, performing than that. Well, that's always been the nature of the audio electronics industry. Still plenty of consumers denying that water is wet, when you tell them that DBT and proper volume leveling is necessary for evaluating DACs and amps.

 

[Nango]

Mostly agree to be honest. The plus side, as mentioned by others , is that models that were ToTL back then are still in production for less money than 20 years ago. Yes, tech and development mas moved on, but Im not sure pricing is commensurate with levels of quality obtained. I see the improvement between a £200 headphone and a £1000 headphone. Im not sure I understand £1000 to £3000. Eg what does the Focal Utopia do that the Clear doesnt. Id love to hear both, but there is only one I aspire to own, and even that would be second hand

Is this true? I mean, like in the 70's last century it is today nothing but a magnet moving a membrane, now days made of beryllium if you want, but the tech behind it is the same since then, isn't it?

 

[Jimbob54]

Is this true? I mean, like in the 70's last century it is today nothing but a magnet moving a membrane, now days made of beryllium if you want, but the tech behind it is the same since then, isn't it?

Well- I'm sure the manufacturers would have you believe that they have made giant leaps

But yes, Im not sure if materials used, driver tech or the understanding behind them has moved on. I was making something of an assumption due to ability to measure and model better, and the overall developments in the audio field that this would have resulted in technically "better" headphones. Im sure others more knowledgeable will say whether this is actually the case or not.

 

[Zensō]

I think the expansion of the high end is a natural consequence of the general expansion of the headphone market resulting from the massive move away from two-channel to personal audio. We have much more selection in general, both in low end and high end, than ever before. The best news is that the quality of products available at the low end has improved dramatically, with headphones such as the Drop/Sennheiser HD58X and HiFiMan HE400i, excellent budget IEMs from a variety of sources, as well as excellent budget amps and DACs from JDS Labs, Schiit, Topping, FiiO, Geshelli, et al. We’re definitely in the golden age of headphones/personal audio.

 

[solderdude]

Which ones ?? We need guidance!!!

That depends on what one is looking for and what one prefers, in-ear, ear bud, wireless, ANC, portable, desktop, on-ear, over-ear, warm tilted, V shaped, pretty neutral, lightweight, bass heavy, heavy in weight, velour, pleather, leather, big pads, open, closed, funky looking, colored design, all black, classic design, serviceable, used technology (dynamic, planar, BA), cable length, connectivity, mic/remote functionality, for gaming or travel or portable or home duties, studio properties or hifi, loud or not, usable on phones/tablets/PC, sensitive or not, low or high impedance or inbetween, long or short cable, replaceable or fixed cable. Balanced or SE, dual or single entry... etc..

 

[Zensō]

That depends on what one is looking for and what one prefers, in-ear, ear bud, wireless, ANC, portable, desktop, on-ear, over-ear, warm tilted, V shaped, pretty neutral, lightweight, bass heavy, heavy in weight, velour, pleather, leather, big pads, open, closed, funky looking, colored design, all black, classic design, serviceable etc..

 

[maverickronin]

But yes, Im not sure if materials used, driver tech or the understanding behind them has moved on. I was making something of an assumption due to ability to measure and model better, and the overall developments in the audio field that this would have resulted in technically "better" headphones. Im sure others more knowledgeable will say whether this is actually the case or not.

I think it's mostly that all that measuring and modeling is a lot cheaper and easier now. It's all easily within the realm of small startups now and doesn't require the resources of an large, established company.

 

[Nango]

That depends on what one is looking for and what one prefers, in-ear, ear bud, wireless, ANC, portable, desktop, on-ear, over-ear, warm tilted, V shaped, pretty neutral, lightweight, bass heavy, heavy in weight, velour, pleather, leather, big pads, open, closed, funky looking, colored design, all black, classic design, serviceable, used technology (dynamic, planar, BA), cable length, connectivity, mic/remote functionality, for gaming or travel or portable or home duties, studio properties or hifi, loud or not, usable on phones/tablets/PC, sensitive or not, low or high impedance or inbetween, long or short cable, replaceable or fixed cable. Balanced or SE, dual or single entry... etc..

I better didn't ask you !!!