What the hell happened to headphone prices!!

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WelshBloke

WelshBloke

Lifer
Jan 12, 2005
30,022
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So I was thinking of replacing my venerable HD595s, I've replaced the band and ear pads LOTS of times and the new pads are not that comfortable. and theres a couple of cracks on the sides. And the 6.35 jack is, frankly, a pain in the arse in all situations. And they look like they were made in the early 2000's.

They still sound great though.

Anyway I dont remember them costing that much. Headphones that I'm assuming are equal to them (but wireless) seem to be the momentum 4s at over £300!

Am I just an old man shouting at clouds here or has there been a weird headphone price inflation thing that I was unaware of?
 
BoomerD

BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
62,052
10,229
136
WelshBloke said:
So I was thinking of replacing my venerable HD595s, I've replaced the band and ear pads LOTS of times and the new pads are not that comfortable. and theres a couple of cracks on the sides. And the 6.35 jack is, frankly, a pain in the arse in all situations. And they look like they were made in the early 2000's.

They still sound great though.

Anyway I dont remember them costing that much. Headphones that I'm assuming are equal to them (but wireless) seem to be the momentum 4s at over £300!

Am I just an old man shouting at clouds here or has there been a weird headphone price inflation thing that I was unaware of?
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Maybe a bit of both...the 595's came out almost 20 years ago...so MOST things have increased in price considerably since then.
I don't care for the fit of most Sennheiser cans...I went with beyerdynamic DT880Pro 250 ohms. The fit is decent for my fat head and the sound is sweet as hell to my aging ears.
 
nakedfrog

nakedfrog

No Lifer
Apr 3, 2001
57,394
11,248
126
The turntable that I bought 2 years ago for $300 is now being sold for $400.
 
nakedfrog

nakedfrog

No Lifer
Apr 3, 2001
57,394
11,248
126
WelshBloke said:
Out of interest are you playing old vinyl or is new stuff being released on that now?
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Both, I follow a lot of underground bands, lots of times their vinyl doesn't come with a download code so I need to be set up to rip it. Even sometimes major releases don't include a download code, which is kind of annoying.
 
Brainonska511

Brainonska511

Lifer
Dec 10, 2005
23,315
6,013
136
I just stick with wired ones for my desktop - the jack isn't a big deal when it's plugged into the back all the time. Even replaced a set of the HD555 a few years ago with more recent set of the HD599SE. Seems that the HD599 SEs can still be had for ~$200, so price doesn't seem to be that far removed from 2-3 years ago.

However, the price for equivalent wireless headphones just seems absurd and those have kind of blown up in cost.
 
MrSquished

MrSquished

Lifer
Jan 14, 2013
19,851
18,312
136
A lot of headphones are overpriced. Audiophile sound has become a trend, a consumer driven hype train. However, there are some amazing sounds to be had. There are always points of diminishing returns at certain price points. But there are some magical things out there. Why don't you get the Meze 99 classics? Those are a good headphone at those price points.

I fought the urge to splurge on audiophile equipment, and a lot of it is chasing the dragon, so I lost that battle while being aware of the traps - but if you are selective you can find your way to some crazy home listening sessions.

Planar magnetic headphones have changed things on my journey. Right now using a Schiit Bifrost 2 DAC, a Liquid Platinum amp with Gold Lion tubes, to an Audeze LCD-X pair of cans has shown me a world of home listening where I get lost in the music. The Meze 109 pro are a nice match on the dynamic driver sound.

Ultimately as the hobby has become more popular and mainstream, hype trains and selling quality partially via high price points is part of the game. You just gotta research your stuff well and find the appropriate price point/performance balance.

Right now I am quite content, but my current end game headphones are the ZMF Caldera planar magnetic headphones. Hopefully in a year.

You've never heard the impact and texture and layered tightness of bass until you've heard a good planar with good bass characteristics, while still maintaining great clarity and engagement throughout the frequency spectrum.
 
D

[DHT]Osiris

Lifer
Dec 15, 2015
13,034
10,883
146
I have a set of Sony MDR-V900HD's that have been my daily driver's for about 16? years at this point, and still sound like the day I bought them... So get whatever replaced those.
 
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balloonshark

balloonshark

Diamond Member
Jun 5, 2008
6,144
2,488
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Some brands have outlets with refurbs that could save you some money. Prices and availability vary so keep and eye out if you're interested.
 
BoomerD

BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
62,052
10,229
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balloonshark said:
Some brands have outlets with refurbs that could save you some money. Prices and availability vary so keep and eye out if you're interested.
Click to expand...
I got my beyers from the factory's US refurbisher. Saved about $50 with a full factory warranty.
 
balloonshark

balloonshark

Diamond Member
Jun 5, 2008
6,144
2,488
136
BoomerD said:
I got my beyers from the factory's US refurbisher. Saved about $50 with a full factory warranty.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't mind trying factory refurbs. I've bought used and factory refurbs sound much more appealing to me than used from some random internet user.

I like my beyers. I have a pair of DT 770 pros 250ohm and TYGR 300r. The latter I bought used. I don't get the treble being irritating like others but I am over 50 so those frequencies might be gone or dulled to my ears. Drums sound awesome on both. I really enjoy toms with my beyers. Would love to try the DT 1990 pro. Newegg and adorama has new beyers on sale occasionally.
 
Captante

Captante

Lifer
Oct 20, 2003
29,987
10,497
136
I suggest checking out Drop.com before you actually buy anything. :)

(unless paying twice as much for shiny packaging is your thing)
 
Thump553

Thump553

Lifer
Jun 2, 2000
12,536
2,229
126
I don't know, I've had my Senn HD600's for probably 25 years and still love them. About a year ago I replaced all the pads (ears and headband) and the cable with genuine Senn parts from ebay for about $80 and they were like brand new phones. As was mentioned above, audiophile-ness is a rabbit hole that will suck down your money if you let it. Research and buy VG quality.
 
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mikeymikec

mikeymikec

Lifer
May 19, 2011
16,886
7,809
136
MrSquished said:
Audiophile sound has become a trend
Click to expand...

It always has been a trend, but the whole "gold-plated $600 cables" snake oil seems to be a trend of its own these days as well. I got downvoted on imgur by some bozo for pointing out the pseudo-valves with little LEDs inside on the top of an amp :D
 
MrSquished

MrSquished

Lifer
Jan 14, 2013
19,851
18,312
136
Muadib said:
I get my headphones here. They cover all bases, from budget to high end.

audio46.com

Audio46 | Shop Best Audiophile Headphones Online and In Store NYC

Audio46 Headphones Store carries a wide selection of major top brand headphones and earbuds. Audiophile, Wireless, Bluetooth, noise-cancelling we sell all kinds.
audio46.com audio46.com
Click to expand...
audio 46 is great. but definitely check out bloomaudio

smaller operation but amazing customer service, and run by a few guys that listen to and know all the gear. ship fast, always there to help. love to support the little guy sometimes on the rare occasion and they are the definition of that, but fantastic.
 
Meghan54

Meghan54

Lifer
Oct 18, 2009
11,427
4,947
136
mikeymikec said:
It always has been a trend, but the whole "gold-plated $600 cables" snake oil seems to be a trend of its own these days as well. I got downvoted on imgur by some bozo for pointing out the pseudo-valves with little LEDs inside on the top of an amp :D
Click to expand...
Most is snake oil, but gold plated is good…corrosion and all. 🤪

I’m kinda gettin old myself (70 next year..it’s getting real now) and hearing’s just junk now..too much det cord, Bangalore torpedos and C4 in younger years (but hella fun!)

My grados were deteriorating badly, and while looking for replacements, I swear I tried damned near every set y’all have mentioned…Meze, several Beyerdynamics, one Sennheiser, and I ended up using my POS Bose QC35ii for everything.

And the reason was simply comfort…I can wear the QC’s for hours and almost forget they’re there. The Sennheisers were the worst, the Beyers weren’t bad, but couldn’t tolerate them for more than an hour. Meze…meh.

Granted, the Bose’s sound isn’t anywhere the quality/range/depth/however you want to say it compared to those, but they’re darned comfortable. And if they (headphones) are a pain to wear, their sound is irrelevant. The Bose’s sound is good enuf.

I do have Kimber Kable speaker cable in one room. 🤪
 
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