The price....

[Kinglizard]

The price of some earbuds and headphones really surprises me..
I had no idea earbuds and headphones could cost $1000+ especially earbuds...
What makes them Soo much more expensive than the cheaper ones?
It seems like if you buy an inexpensive DAP player for under a certain amount of money you should get a cheap pair of headphones/earbuds..
If you buy a more expensive DAP player you need expensive headphones/earbuds..
Does that sound about right?

 

[DVDdoug]

You can sort the reviews here by price or "sound quality" and you'll find that there is almost no correlation between sound quality and price (for these devices).

MOST electronics are better than human hearing but some amplifiers/headphone amplifiers go louder than others and have different features, etc.

Tone controls EQ can also have a big effect on sound.

I had no idea earbuds and headphones could cost $1000+ especially earbuds...
What makes them Soo much more expensive than the cheaper ones?

Supply and demand? Some headphones are "really nice" and look really good, some are rugged and some are more comfortable, etc. At the higher-end you can get IEMs custom molded to fit your ears.

...Plus, anything with a high price becomes more attractive to "audiophiles".

If you buy a more expensive DAP player you need expensive headphones/earbuds..
Does that sound about right?

No. Your phone is probably also better than human hearing and it should be fine as long as it goes loud enough for you with your particular headphones/IEMs.

Note that sound quality with headphones/IEMs is somewhat a matter of personal preference:
Harman Curve
Understanding Headphone Measurements (video)

 

[AndyBell]

The price of some earbuds and headphones really surprises me..
I had no idea earbuds and headphones could cost $1000+ especially earbuds...
What makes them Soo much more expensive than the cheaper ones?
It seems like if you buy an inexpensive DAP player for under a certain amount of money you should get a cheap pair of headphones/earbuds..
If you buy a more expensive DAP player you need expensive headphones/earbuds..
Does that sound about right?

Measurements matter. Price doesn’t.

Since joining ASR I have purchased one headphone and one IEM based on Amir’s reviews. Both cost less than $20 and both match or outperform my expensive models.

 

[Joe Smith]

It is, as far as I'm concerned, the age of improved bang-for-the-buck in electronics.
There are plenty, plenty of great IEMs under $100. See the reviews here.
DAPs can be as simple as your phone or a dedicated unit. While there are expensive ones, you're largely paying for bragging rights when you go beyond $200.
It's a great time for personal electronics (as opposed to many other aspects in the world right now, alas).

 

[Kinglizard]

You can sort the reviews here by price or "sound quality" and you'll find that there is almost no correlation between sound quality and price (for these devices).

MOST electronics are better than human hearing but some amplifiers/headphone amplifiers go louder than others and have different features, etc.

Tone controls EQ can also have a big effect on sound.


Supply and demand? Some headphones are "really nice" and look really good, some are rugged and some are more comfortable, etc. At the higher-end you can get IEMs custom molded to fit your ears.

...Plus, anything with a high price becomes more attractive to "audiophiles".


No. Your phone is probably also better than human hearing and it should be fine as long as it goes loud enough for you with your particular headphones/IEMs.

Note that sound quality with headphones/IEMs is somewhat a matter of personal preference:
Harman Curve
Understanding Headphone Measurements (video)

Very well explained and well said..Thank you.

 

[Kinglizard]

Measurements matter. Price doesn’t.

Since joining ASR I have purchased one headphone and one IEM based on Amir’s reviews. Both cost less than $20 and both match or outperform my expensive models.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[Kinglizard]

Measurements matter. Price doesn’t.

Since joining ASR I have purchased one headphone and one IEM based on Amir’s reviews. Both cost less than $20 and both match or outperform my expensive models.

Thanks for the reply

It is, as far as I'm concerned, the age of improved bang-for-the-buck in electronics.
There are plenty, plenty of great IEMs under $100. See the reviews here.
DAPs can be as simple as your phone or a dedicated unit. While there are expensive ones, you're largely paying for bragging rights when you go beyond $200.
It's a great time for personal electronics (as opposed to many other aspects in the world right now, alas).

Nice,thank you.

 

[voodooless]

What makes them Soo much more expensive than the cheaper ones?

The price tag

The rest was already elaborated nicely. Also, especially with headphones, some are really pieces of art with high quality and expensive materials. Obviously often that does not contribute to higher sound quality. In some cases, fit and feel can also be better with the more expensive items. All a matter of personal preference.

 

[kemmler3D]

Truthear has several really good, surprisingly cheap sets of earbuds (IEMs). I worked in the industry for years, and I was really impressed by the TE Gate, along with Hexa, etc. You do not need to spend much to get excellent sound, really $100 or less is plenty when it comes to IEMs, arguably $18 is enough for endgame.

As @DVDdoug says the correlation between price and quality is loose and maybe nonexistent. Spending more doesn't buy you more quality per se, it buys you more options. That can be important to some people because different tunings will sound good to different ears. If you want to explore more tunings you have to spend more money. But really excellent options exist for very little money.

 

[Joe Smith]

And given how easy it is to lose or misplace these items, another reason to go the good but inexpensive route. And any IEM is subject to cord wear over time if in regular use…

Long ago, I left my beloved iPod Classic gen 4 at the gym on a treadmill…that was a bad day.

 

[Kinglizard]

And given how easy it is to lose or misplace these items, another reason to go the good but inexpensive route. And any IEM is subject to cord wear over time if in regular use…

Long ago, I left my beloved iPod Classic gen 4 at the gym on a treadmill…that was a bad day.

Good point

 

[Kinglizard]

And given how easy it is to lose or misplace these items, another reason to go the good but inexpensive route. And any IEM is subject to cord wear over time if in regular use…

Long ago, I left my beloved iPod Classic gen 4 at the gym on a treadmill…that was a bad day.

WOW excellent point

 

[Jiraya369]

look really good

an extremely overlooked aspect, sometimes some people just want something that looks good i spent 300 dollars more on my headphones even though its performance to my ears was the same as a cheaper one, just because i wanted the better looking and feeling build

 

[Jiraya369]

largely paying for bragging rights when you go beyond $200

funnily enough you're right, even 2-4k dollar daps have the same processors as like 300-500 dollar ones and they also STILL use LCD displays and around the same ram.

Paying more just to taste "musicality" and stuff, you spend so much you convince yourself it's doing something and then ofc you just HAVE TO brag about it to your mates

 

[Dk33145]

The market is pretty competitive for anything that is not made in the US or the UK. Good planar drivers are between $50 to $100 a piece (just try to pick up some rare earth magnets at your local science store and you will see why!), so for Moondrop to sell you a nice set of headphones for $300+ means razor thin margins. As for US/UK made audiophile equipment, you are paying for the much higher cost of labor and cachet and perhaps better customer service and warranty.

 

[renaudrenaud]

I have plenty of equipment at my disposal and also bought a salnotes zero 2 after reading the measurements in ASR. Also bought a portable USB DAC with excellent measurements in ASR. Cost is less than 50€ for the combo, lot of listening pleasure, always in my bag and I am sure more expansive equipment will do nothing more in term of sound quality. I am not in search of social representation.

Another benefit is the fact I can offer the combo to children and friends, explaining no expansive equipment is required.

 

[dasherzx]

i look at measurements most of all. i have not found a set of cans that have a good target curve out of the box than the e3 at 2k. maybe theres the noire at 1k now, but i believe theres nothing else on the market with just the right bass and treble without eq.
for iems i agree theres no reason to go higher than a budget truthear. highest i'd go is a nova at $150....

 

[IsaacOscar]

for iems i agree theres no reason to go higher than a budget truthear. highest i'd go is a nova at $150....

Bear in mind sound isn't the only thing that matters (e.g. comfort, appearance, noise isolation/cancelling). Especially if you want true wireless, that will raise the price.

Also different people prefer different sounds, but if you only care about sound, maybe you can find one that has what you want for cheap...