It's sad to see headphones go from a fun, affordable hobby to the gold-plated, overpriced audiojewelry model chased by "big" high-end names. It's the same crap that made us get out of high end 20 years ago.

When will manufacturers learn that there's only so much uber-priced, high-margin product you can stuff down an outdated, inefficient rep/distributor/dealer pipeline, in search of the few thousand (or few hundred, literally, depending on the nosebleed price level you've chosen) who have the wherewithal to support it? Awaiting the inevitable $20,000, $50,000, and $100,000 phones now.

I had someone tell me they heard a great set of "mid-priced" planar loudspeakers at a recent show. I was excited to hear them, because my aging Eminent Tech speakers are due for an upgrade. Turns out "mid priced" to him was $25,000. Here's a newsflash, dude: $25,000 speakers are beyond-the-pale crazy.

If people start calling $2500-5000 headphones "mid priced" in a few years, then, well, we truly are insane. And we deserve what we get.

It's sad to see headphones go from a fun, affordable hobby to the gold-plated, overpriced audiojewelry model chased by "big" high-end names. It's the same crap that made us get out of high end 20 years ago.

When will manufacturers learn that there's only so much uber-priced, high-margin product you can stuff down an outdated, inefficient rep/distributor/dealer pipeline, in search of the few thousand (or few hundred, literally, depending on the nosebleed price level you've chosen) who have the wherewithal to support it? Awaiting the inevitable $20,000, $50,000, and $100,000 phones now.

I had someone tell me they heard a great set of "mid-priced" planar loudspeakers at a recent show. I was excited to hear them, because my aging Eminent Tech speakers are due for an upgrade. Turns out "mid priced" to him was $25,000. Here's a newsflash, dude: $25,000 speakers are beyond-the-pale crazy.

If people start calling $2500-5000 headphones "mid priced" in a few years, then, well, we truly are insane. And we deserve what we get.

Quote from: schiit on April 27, 2013, 02:04:03 PM

It's sad to see headphones go from a fun, affordable hobby to the gold-plated, overpriced audiojewelry model chased by "big" high-end names. It's the same crap that made us get out of high end 20 years ago.

When will manufacturers learn that there's only so much uber-priced, high-margin product you can stuff down an outdated, inefficient rep/distributor/dealer pipeline, in search of the few thousand (or few hundred, literally, depending on the nosebleed price level you've chosen) who have the wherewithal to support it? Awaiting the inevitable $20,000, $50,000, and $100,000 phones now.

I had someone tell me they heard a great set of "mid-priced" planar loudspeakers at a recent show. I was excited to hear them, because my aging Eminent Tech speakers are due for an upgrade. Turns out "mid priced" to him was $25,000. Here's a newsflash, dude: $25,000 speakers are beyond-the-pale crazy.

If people start calling $2500-5000 headphones "mid priced" in a few years, then, well, we truly are insane. And we deserve what we get.

I was ranting about this on head-fi in 2007. It's part of why I left.

Manufacturers will learn when people stop buying them. And people will stop buying them when the hobby fosters an atmosphere that encourages critical thinking. Unfortunately, most places have done the opposite, and encouraged not hurting anybody's business. Which, of course, is a dinner bell for rip-off artists everywhere.

You reap what you sow. Enjoy your overpriced crap, there will be plenty more to come.

I do hope that at least where headphones spill into the professional-gear arena (like IEMs, at least of the stage/custom variety) some sanity will remain, even if they're really expensive to begin with.