What the hell happened to headphone prices!!

[Zor Prime]

... I can wear the QC’s for hours and almost forget they’re there ...

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.

This. This all day. The QCs have incredible comfort. I CAN forget they're there. They don't sound as good as my old favorite, Sony MDR-7506s but the comfort makes up for it. The 7506's with aftermarket padding are no slouch in the comfort department, too.

 

[igor_kavinski]

Headphones | Samson

With a range of headphones for everything from studio use to casual listening, Samson headphones are designed for critical listening and accurate sound reproduction.

samsontech.com

I have the SR850. The freaky thing is when I hear background sounds in movies, like a door closing, it sounds like it closed behind me, making me look over my shoulder in the middle of the night. Creepy!

Looking to get the SR950. Supposed to be more "fun" sounding.

 

[igor_kavinski]

Also have these: https://www.usa.philips.com/c-p/SHE3590PK_28/in-ear-headphones

For the price, the sound has a surprising bit of oomph to it.

 

[Kaido]

The STAX SR-X9000 electrostatic headphones are on sale for $6,200 with a $500 deposit & 2 to 3 month lead time:

STAX SR-X9000

The STAX SR-X9000 electrostatic headphone sets the bar for premium headphones. Featuring their brand new developed fixed electrode "MLER-3" evolved metal-mesh diaphragm, which realizes the widest sound field ever.

www.headamp.com

Great to pair with a Blue Hawaii amplifier in multiple color choices for only $7,000:

HeadAmp Blue Hawaii Special Edition Electrostatic Headphone Amplifier

No other amplifier can provide electrostatic headphones with the accuracy, drive, and control of the Blue Hawaii SE. When paired with the Dan Clark Audio Voce, STAX SR-009S or SR-007 MK2, the headphones come alive with detail, transparency, and bass control unheard on with lesser amplifiers.

www.headamp.com

Personally, I needed wireless, so I went with the $35 Amazon Echo Buds 2023 Edition instead, still pretty good!

Getting anything for Prime Day?

I needed some new earbuds & the Amazon brand was on an early Prime Day sale for $35: https://www.amazon.com/All-new-Echo-Buds-2023-Release-True-Wireless-Earbuds/dp/B09JVG3TWX/ I'm pretty dang impressed with them! Laundry list review: * I've had my wired Etymotic earbuds for 10+ years. The...

forums.anandtech.com

 

[darkswordsman17]

Meh, that setup has nothing on the Sennheiser Orpheus.

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?

There are modern versions of the 595s (HD 599). I think you can probably even find 595s pretty easily too.

Just be happy you didn't end up on far too many audiophile boutique sites where there's an abundance of $1000+ headphones.

There's more variety and better quality at old prices. You're comparing not equal headphones. Wireless inherently costs more, and the Momentum are targeting the Apple/Beats crowd so they'll carry a bit of a premium as well.

 

[Muse]

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?

Reacting to your thread title I was wondering which way the prices were going until reading your OP here.

My thoughts are this. I don't find over the ear headphones comfortable. I will very often wear headphones for hours at a time. I usually use a set when I watch a movie or when listening to the radio. I listen to my (and other DJ's) 2-3 hour radio shows using them, either live or pre-recorded.

I had a job as the sole programmer/developer for the mission critical data application of the company I worked for in the business district of San Francisco. Only a select few of the upper management had their own offices. I was out in the open floor. A lot of the time I was coding, testing, etc. One error could get me in very hot water. I eventually succeeded in getting them to put me into a tiny office with a door that I shared with just one other person. I liked him fine, plus he was usually out in other places doing this and that, meaning I had total peace and quiet to do my work and could keep the door closed if I wanted to. Before that I was often driven nuts by a variety of chatter "on the floor." The solution I came to was finding isolating earbuds, and they were Etymotic Research ER4S. I read info online by people who swore by their extraordinary fidelity and relatively flat response across the audio spectrum (my preference). A whole lot of the customers said they needed to boost the output with a headphone amplifier, so I bought one of those, an Airhead. But I found that unnecessary and use that now to boost the headphone output of one of my CD systems. I have been a devotee of ER ever since and have bought many of their various offerings. They have several cheaper earbud systems that I find just fine for my purposes. They have the advantage that you can swap out the cords with new ones.

I find earbuds more comfortable than over the ear. Those always press on the outer ear. I also have a set of wireless Sony WF-1000XM3 noise cancelling earbuds, but haven't taken to them. The Etymotic Research issues concern dealing with the cord, but I'll take that over dealing with wireless connectivity issues, so far.

I also have a set of Bose Quietcomfort 20 noise cancelling ear bud headphones that cost me $240 off Ebay in 2014. I use them exclusively to cut out noise from the neighborhood sometimes if I take a nap. I tested them a week or two ago for sound and they were absolute crap compared to any of my ER earbuds. Useless for music! The ER's are not noise cancelling, they are isolating. If you shove the earbuds deep enough into your ear canals (I moisten them with a bit of spit to facilitate this), outside sounds are largely blocked out. I love them for listening to music in the gym for this reason.

This. This all day. The QCs have incredible comfort. I CAN forget they're there. They don't sound as good as my old favorite, Sony MDR-7506s but the comfort makes up for it. The 7506's with aftermarket padding are no slouch in the comfort department, too.

I have a set of those Sony's and never use them because of that comfort thing. I have them stashed in my locker at the radio station in case the headset in the air studio is unusable for some reason.

 

[Zor Prime]

I have a set of those Sony's and never use them because of that comfort thing. I have them stashed in my locker at the radio station in case the headset in the air studio is unusable for some reason.

Who would have thunk it, 7506s at a radio station. What ever is the world coming to? lol. Sometimes once in a rare blue moon I pretend to make music and use the 7506s as a reference monitor headset, which it actually excels at. But yeah the original padding isn't comfortable, not sure it's actually supposed to be comfortable however. But there are lots of aftermarket padding options for it.

 

[Mai72]

These youngins are rasing prices!!

The sony walkman I bought in 1983 was $18 Now its selling for $200 plus.

 

[IronWing]

The STAX SR-X9000 electrostatic headphones are on sale for $6,200 with a $500 deposit & 2 to 3 month lead time:

STAX SR-X9000

The STAX SR-X9000 electrostatic headphone sets the bar for premium headphones. Featuring their brand new developed fixed electrode "MLER-3" evolved metal-mesh diaphragm, which realizes the widest sound field ever.

www.headamp.com

Great to pair with a Blue Hawaii amplifier in multiple color choices for only $7,000:

HeadAmp Blue Hawaii Special Edition Electrostatic Headphone Amplifier

No other amplifier can provide electrostatic headphones with the accuracy, drive, and control of the Blue Hawaii SE. When paired with the Dan Clark Audio Voce, STAX SR-009S or SR-007 MK2, the headphones come alive with detail, transparency, and bass control unheard on with lesser amplifiers.

www.headamp.com

Personally, I needed wireless, so I went with the $35 Amazon Echo Buds 2023 Edition instead, still pretty good!

Getting anything for Prime Day?

I needed some new earbuds & the Amazon brand was on an early Prime Day sale for $35: https://www.amazon.com/All-new-Echo-Buds-2023-Release-True-Wireless-Earbuds/dp/B09JVG3TWX/ I'm pretty dang impressed with them! Laundry list review: * I've had my wired Etymotic earbuds for 10+ years. The...

forums.anandtech.com

View attachment 82772

I don't know. If you look at the spike feet on the two components, you can see that the spikes on the amp have a sharper angle than on the other unit. This can create all sorts of undesirable resonances and anti-sympathetic harmonics. All your music would have an subtle yet unmistakable undercurrent of CSN&Y on a bad day.

 

[IronWing]

These youngins are rasing prices!!

The sony walkman I bought in 1983 was $18 Now its selling for $200 plus.

Walkmans costed a lot more than $18 in 1983.

 

[MrSquished]

Just got the Ultimate Ears U4s as my high end all-rounder IEM.

But ultimately saving up for the ZMF Caldera Planars as my end game over ear. Done so much research on my end-game planars - Meze Elite, Final Audio D1000 Pro, LCD-4, LCD-5. It's the Caldera.

November they will release the next batch of limited edition stabilized wood editions, and I will be ready with my 4K to get them.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

The STAX SR-X9000 electrostatic headphones are on sale for $6,200 with a $500 deposit & 2 to 3 month lead time:

STAX SR-X9000

The STAX SR-X9000 electrostatic headphone sets the bar for premium headphones. Featuring their brand new developed fixed electrode "MLER-3" evolved metal-mesh diaphragm, which realizes the widest sound field ever.

www.headamp.com

Great to pair with a Blue Hawaii amplifier in multiple color choices for only $7,000:

HeadAmp Blue Hawaii Special Edition Electrostatic Headphone Amplifier

No other amplifier can provide electrostatic headphones with the accuracy, drive, and control of the Blue Hawaii SE. When paired with the Dan Clark Audio Voce, STAX SR-009S or SR-007 MK2, the headphones come alive with detail, transparency, and bass control unheard on with lesser amplifiers.

www.headamp.com

Personally, I needed wireless, so I went with the $35 Amazon Echo Buds 2023 Edition instead, still pretty good!

Getting anything for Prime Day?

I needed some new earbuds & the Amazon brand was on an early Prime Day sale for $35: https://www.amazon.com/All-new-Echo-Buds-2023-Release-True-Wireless-Earbuds/dp/B09JVG3TWX/ I'm pretty dang impressed with them! Laundry list review: * I've had my wired Etymotic earbuds for 10+ years. The...

forums.anandtech.com

View attachment 82772

Haha, ridiculous. My MDR-V900HD's are still going strong. Mama's, don't let your babies grow up to be audiophiles.

 

[Muse]

These youngins are rasing prices!!

The sony walkman I bought in 1983 was $18 Now its selling for $200 plus.

I still have my Sony Walkman that I bought probably about 1981?. It was FM, that's it... but boy, it sounded awesome. I repaired that thing so many times! It's like the Frankenstein monster. Epoxy glue inside, outside..., things glued to it, I can't remember the things I did to keep it working. It sits in a drawer. Still have the case it came with too. IIRC, it used 2 AA batteries. I paid a lot more than $18 for it... I don't remember but think I paid ~$100 for it...

Yup:

How much did a Walkman cost in 1981?

In 1981, models of Walkman's ranged in price from $100 to $200. The mobility of the Walkman was its top selling point. Nov 2, 2020

I also repaired myriad headphones I used with the Walkmen type devices I used for years and years.

 

[Muse]

Haha, ridiculous. My MDR-V900HD's are still going strong. Mama's, don't let your babies grow up to be audiophiles.

Better to be a music lover than an audiophile.

 

[MrSquished]

Better to be a music lover than an audiophile.

Very true. It's best to be both. I thought higher end audio was all silly when I was younger. I was wrong. Of course it can also turn into a consumer obsession too, and there are definitely many points of diminishing returns in the hobby. But some good gear with some good music from a good source, it can be mind-blowing.

 

[Muse]

Very true. It's best to be both. I thought higher end audio was all silly when I was younger. I was wrong. Of course it can also turn into a consumer obsession too, and there are definitely many points of diminishing returns in the hobby. But some good gear with some good music from a good source, it can be mind-blowing.

I built a lot of my audio from the beginning.

My first unit was a crystal set! Didn't even have a battery, you used headphones to hear. IIRC, it had one driver, i.e. left ear!

Then I built a radio that used a battery and IIRC had one tube. Also had a little speaker, maybe 4-5 inch POS, the whole thing was contained in a cardboard box. It was a kit.

I think I built another primitive radio, more powerful, but that may be a fantasy.

During my first year at the University I went for real "high fidelity." All from kits, a tuner, a preamp, 2 separate amplifiers, all Eico manufactured. Soldering iron, instructions, it was all parts, nothing pre-assembled. Even my speakers were basically put together. JBL 8" full range speakers in cabinets that I painted glossy jet black.

This was before FM stereo existed. That was born about a year later and I built an Eico multiplex adapter to render my Eico tuner stereo.

My turntable was a kit too, I had to mount everything in a housing I bought separately.

I bought HiFi headphones. I was in high fidelity stereo heaven. I was ALSO a music lover. I liked nothing better to do with my money than buy new LPs, most of which I still have.

But I'm way older now and my ears aren't as good. I still love music, I still have moving new musical discoveries, constantly, but I don't worry about the fidelity of my equipment unless I notice problems... distortion, discontinuity issues, things of that sort. I don't worry about arguments for vinyl versus digital music. I sold my Eico amplifiers to a musician who lived in my house. I was not sad to see them go, I was no longer using them. I hated having to test and replace the Eico components' tubes. I think I must have had to do that dozens of times.

 

[sdifox]

Old men yell at hyperlinear clouds

 

[Muse]

Old men yell at hyperlinear clouds

Hey, if you don't have anything cool or interesting to say, STFU.

 

[sdifox]

Hey, if you don't have anything cool or interesting to say, STFU.

I grew up in an electronics retailer/mid tier distributor. So I am familiar with the shady side of the business.

<--- seen b&w CRT packed in straws and wood slats.

 

[Muse]

I grew up in an electronics retailer/mid tier distributor. So I am familiar with the shady side of the business.

<--- seen b&w CRT packed in straws and wood slats.

The first TV I personally owned was a maybe 12" B&W CRT back in the day. Remotes AFAIK did not exist. Then I went 20 years with no television whatsoever. I'm still not much into TV. Some sports and news, that's mostly it.

One of the books I'm reading is Jerry Mander's Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television. It's really really excellent. It was 1978 and he had tremendous insight into how television was fucking things up bigtime. I only became aware of the book after Mander's death, which was just this April. When the book was published I had no TV and wouldn't for more than a decade.

 

[AndImSinging]

Joe Biden

 

[nakedfrog]

Joe Biden

I think you meant "Thanks, Obama!"

 

[Brainonska511]

I think you meant "Thanks, Obama!"

Countdown to when this new guy starts posting random spam or troll posts...

 

[nakedfrog]

Countdown to when this new guy starts posting random spam or troll posts...

When I logged in this morning it already looked like they'd done an old-fashioned carpet bombing, nearly every post on the front page was last posted by AndImSinging. Could just be a RBM.

 

[Captante]

Joe Biden

Countdown to when this new guy starts posting random spam or troll posts...