The aeon2 in some ways is better, since it comes in open and closed variants. It’s also planar so it creates a fuller sound. That said, it can’t really compete with the fine detail the clear can render. It’s close but back to back there’s a very clear difference. The longer I own both of them the more different they sound to me.
I feel the same way about sennheiser. Every time I’ve touched a pair of sennheisers i get immediate “cheap” alarms. I know they last, but it’s kind of the way Toyota engines last, they run like shit forever.
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Yup, there’s a reason Apple has billions in cash. They are absolute experts in creating demand and balancing that against the maximum potential profit. They sell an experience, and the illusion of belonging to an exclusive club.
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Sennheiser HD800/800s
I think since the 6xx is 200$ the hd600 should be also. That also goes in with its value in my estimation
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Anything that uses Beryllium is gonna be really expensive.
Surprisingly. Arm Macs and Big Sur have turned off so many creatives from Apple that its basically guaranteed that its lost its creator class credentials
yeah i agree. certain technologies will make these products expensive. but not that expensive. a headphone thats 2000$ possibly. a headphone thats 4000$ im more skeptical of.
Flagships are a bit of a weird part of marketing. They know specifically they’re not going to sell many of them. They mostly exist as a value proposition, to customers that if they have something THIS ABSURDLY EXPENSIVE AND WELL BUILT then the tech and quality must trickle down to the lower tier stuff.
Hell its mostly why the mac pro exists now, despite them having been creator class models, no exists to be the big ticket item people gawk at at an apple store.
I mean Hifiman has an 8000 dollar set of planars lol
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well, think of how much it would actually cost if that was 20 hours of work by a journeyman? That’s 4 grand in service wages just to make the frame!
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Interesting. Developers only seem to care to the extent of comparability, which shouldn’t be a heavy lift. At least the ones I know are looking forward to it. Shit maybe we won’t have a lap heater anymore.
yeah compared to the likes of sub $200 beyers which look cheap but feel solid and hifimans that are heavy feel like tanks but have had build problems in the past. senns are reliable but so feel cheap. they do make up for it by manufacturing in more expensive markets or at least used to manufacture in ireland. but sennheiser isnt very up to par but they are at least reliable and consistent.
On @MazeFrame 's request I’ve moved all the computer 
related stuff to the “let’s talk about computers” thread 
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While a definite upgrade, I can recommend the AKG K612 as a better value than the K712, based on current US pricing. The K712 have more vocal intimacy and deeper sub-bass while retaining the same soundstage characteristics as the K612, but they are not particularly more revealing.
K612 is virtually identical to the analytical k702 but the k702 is more refined, has a detachable cable, and has deeper pads. They are close to being the same headphone with some minor differences. K712 is closer to the Q701 iirc.
The K712’s have a 62 Ohm impedance vs. the 120 Ohm of the K612. Despite this you would probably want an amp they are strangely somewhat demanding in power. The K612’s do not have a detachable cable while the K712’s do.The K712 is made in Slovakia, while the K612 either comes from China or Austria. There are basically 2 models of the 612 that you should be aware of depending on the generation and if I recall correctly theres multiple variations to the k702 as well. The K712 have more bass and treble detail than the K612. Though sound is very similar overall as the only one of this series that sounds particularly very different was the K7xx…Lastly, The 712 has memory foam vs. the velour of the 612. If an upgrade at all it’s slight with differences
Regardless, buying any of these headphones you are probably better off buying used if you are in the USA as for some reason the companies wish to price these in the upper $250 - $350s despite being able to be purchased hundreds of dollars less
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It’s worth remembering that pricing is not just production cost, it needs to consider the cost of research and development, tooling, likely sales numbers, distribution, marketing costs and perhaps most importantly what the market will accept. In some product categories the cost of manufacturing is an almost insignificant part of the final price.
And then there is the fact that designing and building headphones that sound great does not mean you need fancy machining, exotic materials, deluxe packaging etc. There is nothing wrong with those things but if you want them you are paying a lot for style and presentation, not SQ.
Personally I find it hard to justify the prices of expensive headphones. In some cases build doesn’t seem to be that great (for example, the HD650 looks a bit homespun and feels low rent but actual quality seems way better than expensive Audeze models and anything from hifiman). Price is probably the worst indicator of sound quality there is in audio (I much prefer the K712 to the much more expensive K812 for example) and even where they are better gains are marginal and disproportionate to price difference.
Luckily if people want expensive headphones it is usually not that difficult to get them in clearance deals or pre-owned and save loads if you are patient.
Fostex TH610 sounds to me underwhelming for 600$. Along with it’s somewhat flimsy construction/build quality and mediocre fit. Same thing goes for the Fostex TH900 mk2. Another one would be the Audeze LCD2 Classic which should be around 600 dollares, which was it’s intended price had it been a Drop collabartion product.
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Yeah, I can’t argue with any of your points here. It’s just that having listened to and enjoyed the 612s for months now, I was expecting more from the 712s, given the price differential. Sonically they’re just not enough of an upgrade to justify the price.
Oh, yeah no definitely not to justify the price in my opinion either. sonically they are so virtually identical I think the k612 offers the best budget wise.