Sennheiser Orpheus $50,000 Headphones - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: uncle_bob
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 02:24:15 pm
content: HiThe question is really only relevant to the portion of the population that *has* $50K siting around as loose change. My guess is that other than Dave, that rules all of us out. If you are in the "are three Ferrari's enough or should I get another one?" set, the answer still is most likely no. In my neighborhood the neighbors seem to stop after the first FerrariBob

author: mariush
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 02:31:33 pm
content: Sennheiser's good, i own a pair of headphones and they're still great years later ... granted mine were just 60 euros. Also impressed with my interaction with their distributors .. the cable for my headphones got broken (my fault, catching it under chair legs or pulling it too hard) and the local distributor ordered one replacement cable for me and shipped it to me at the regular (decent) price.Of course, I wouldn't pay $50k for something, unless I had maybe over $100m ... lots of other things to throw money on before spending $50k on hi-fi audio.A look at inside the factory, lot of work still done by hand:

author: AlxDroidDev
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 02:41:51 pm
content: A $50,000 headphone and you can't hear everything because of some ear wax your forgot to clean!A $50,000 headphone and all you listen to is Kanye West.Honestly, how many people have such auditory acuity to actually benefit of this headphones?On a side note: I find that guy from the video, Linus, to be a total douchebag.

author: uncle_bob
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 02:48:02 pm
content: Quote from: AlxDroidDev on March 14, 2016, 02:41:51 pmHiI suspect that if you are in the small group who *has* the $50K, you also have somebody "on staff" to clean the wax out of your earsNote: This is in no way a knock on Senheiser. They do indeed make terrific stuff. Everything I have ever got from them has been top notch. The guys I have known who work there say it is a fine place to work.Bob

author: AlxDroidDev
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 02:57:30 pm
content: Quote from: uncle_bob on March 14, 2016, 02:48:02 pmAgreed, and I have stuff from them (and from Plantronics as well), but I never spent over US$ 100 on headphones. I imagine that for most people, a $50 headphone will enable the same "experience" than a $1,000 headphone.

author: hayatepilot
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 03:09:07 pm
content: There is already a thread on these:Headphones that are over engineered even for a bat just $55k

author: uncle_bob
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 03:54:54 pm
content: HiI think this thread is more oriented to the "sort of person who spends $50K on a toy" ....They actually *looked* at the headphones over in the other thread.Bob

author: Kilrah
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 04:10:48 pm
content: Quote from: AlxDroidDev on March 14, 2016, 02:57:30 pm$350 for me, Bose QC15. Probably my best purchase ever, besides the quality and comfort they actually turned out cheaper as I'm still using them after 5 years while previously I'd usually have to change my $100 or so things after a year because they'd break. I changed the cable twice but it's conveniently plug and play...

author: Dataforensics
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 04:38:30 pm
content: Back in 1997 when I had more money than sense, got a pair of Sennheiser HD600's for a few hundred pounds.However perhaps they were not bad value as apart from replacing the earpads, I still use them.Of course my hearing is degrading over time so I probably cannot appreciate them as much.If I had $50k then rather spend it keeping my ears in as good a shape as possible.

author: Falcon69
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 04:47:33 pm
content: If these headphones can make my hearing go back to my birthday....bypassing all the damage from my teenage and low 20's age of my 10,000watt car stereo blasting down the neighborhoods at 2am (Which I am sure damaged my hearing, at the time I didn't care)....then I'd find a way to pay the 50k, just so I can experience what real music sounds like.

author: uncle_bob
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 07:32:36 pm
content: HiOk, so we all seem to have bought Senheiser stuff from time to time. My observation is that such purchases have less to do with your total income (much of which may go straight to taxes, rent, new oscilloscopes, or some other pre-defined destination) that with your disposable income. Simply defining disposable income is hard, estimating it is even worse. Thus wild guesses are perfectly acceptable in this case:When you bought your last purchase from Senheiser, what percentage of your (annual) disposable income did you spend?In my case I'd say it's never been over 1% a reasonable guess would be half to a quarter of that.If the 50K headphones scale accordingly, their target customer would have a disposable income at least $5M and more likely in the $10M to $20M range. Again, not *total income* or net worth, this is annual disposable income ...I could dig out some statistics I suppose. My guess is that you have just narrowed the customer list down to a group of < 10,000 people.Bob

author: Dataforensics
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 07:44:49 pm
content: Cannot remember exactly how much I paid back then, but it would have been about a months disposable income.

author: uncle_bob
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 07:53:30 pm
content: Quote from: Dataforensics on March 14, 2016, 07:44:49 pmHiOk, so on that basis, you have a much larger target audience for these. Your typical rock star or top football player might be able to afford a pair. That assumes they retain >1/20 of their >$12M a year as disposable income. In many cases that could be a stretch ...Bob

author: blacksheeplogic
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 09:11:09 pm
content: Quote from: AlxDroidDev on March 14, 2016, 02:57:30 pmNo you can tell the difference. Whether it sounds better or not however is a subject of opinion. When you get into the higher end earphones it comes down too which engineered sound profile you prefer. For example the Sure SE535's sound very different to the Sure SE846. Depending on the type of music you listen to and your personal preferences you may prefer the way the SE535 sound but there is a very noticeable and clear difference in the sound between the two sets.

author: Artlav
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 09:15:13 pm
content: Quote from: Kilrah on March 14, 2016, 04:10:48 pmInteresting.I still use the same $10-$20 headphones i got around 2009, and they have no signs of breaking.Where would you even find $100 (much less $350) headphones?The most expensive ones i've seen around are about $50.

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 09:17:19 pm
content: Quote from: Artlav on March 14, 2016, 09:15:13 pmAmazon, eBay, your local hi-fi shop, your local electronics shop.. y'know, just about anywhere.

author: Kilrah
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 09:25:26 pm
content: Quote from: Artlav on March 14, 2016, 09:15:13 pmAnywhere really. And that's only looking at "good" models, not even counting the "fashion" ones that can be significantly more expensive, and usually actually pretty poor...IMO the $100-$350 range gets you the best stuff in termms of sound quality.My headphones usually fail at the plug or entry point in the headset. Being plugged/unplugged/packed in a bag/phone in the pocket several times a day tends to do wear things quickly.

author: uncle_bob
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 09:34:47 pm
content: Quote from: blacksheeplogic on March 14, 2016, 09:11:09 pmHiThe same thing is very true of microphones. You can spend a *ton* of money on this or that device. Switch back and forth between them... you *can* hear the difference.Crazy demo in a speaker factory ..errr ... decades ago:Eyes closed, listen to the speaker. Call out when the sound changes. Surprise, you spotted the change each time. What were they changing? The (virtually identical) cloth on the speaker enclosure cover. The purpose was to show just how nutty making a pair of speakers "identical" could get. Was either sound "better"? I make no claim to having the "golden ears" that can make that call.So being a bunch of engineers, one *must* measure and quantify. Off we go to grab a bunch of test gear and measure the speaker before and after.... gee ... that's a pretty small change(but consistent over several octaves). The textbook says you can't hear less than 1 db ... guess it's time to re-write that part of the textbook.Bob

author: uncle_bob
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 09:43:25 pm
content: Quote from: Artlav on March 14, 2016, 09:15:13 pmHiAmazon, "headphones" in the electronics category:Select Senheiser and sort by price going from low to high.You cross $50 on page 3You cross $100 on page 5There are 8 pages in the search.Highest price listed is $1,169 on the HD-800 (only 19 left in stock order soon !!)... and I only wanted the HD-800 if I could get two dozen of them shipped out today ...Bob

author: MrSlack
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 09:47:38 pm
content: I spent some proper money on some decent headphones (Sennheiser HD25) about 10 years ago and it was money well spent but only because you can replace every part on them without having to fish out for a whole new pair and they sound pretty good, plus the cable is really long and is virtually impossible to break. Prior to this I destroyed a pair every 6 months which was getting expensive.I'd wager that in a blind test they don't sound any different to these $50k things.My daughter has some beats one and they sound like a dog shitting in a bin and cost more than the HD25's did.

author: borjam
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 09:47:59 pm
content: I've got a pair of HD600, purchased almost 20 years ago, and the sound is really great. Moreover, they are very light and comfortable. And last week I bought new earpads and headband cushion to renew them.There *are* very important differences between loudspeakers, microphones, headphones, etc. Of course there is a lot of bullshit in the audio world. Some people even buys special "cable stands" so that cables don't touch the floor.I remember, speaking of Sennheiser, when I bought a MD-441 microphone. The first time I used it at the jazz club, a guy from the audience came to ask what had changed. The trumpet sound was so much better. The guy doesn't know anything about sound and of course he wouldn't notice a new microphone. A $900 microphone and well worth it.

author: AlxDroidDev
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 09:49:15 pm
content: I've been using a Plantronics Gamecon 777 (headset, not just a headphone) on my computer. I paid £36 for it on Amazon.co.uk back in 2009. It still serves very well and has a very rich sound. On my cellphone I use a Sennheiser earbud, a CX 300, and I paid about US$ 40 for it in 2010. I must say I am quite happy with both of them.The central point of our discussion, however, is price X value. If you see value on a $350 headphone and the price is ok for you, then just go for it. In my case, due to my damaged hearing (I used to be an IPSC shooter), and even worse paycheck, I can hardly justify paying more than I did for my headphone and headset.

author: suicidaleggroll
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 10:04:13 pm
content: Quote from: MrSlack on March 14, 2016, 09:47:38 pmYou'd be wrong. Now which one soundedbetterwould be a matter of taste, but they would almost certainly sound different. I own several "high end" ($150-400 range) headphones, and they all sound very different. All equally good, but in different ways, and moreat-homewith different musical genres. My HD650 is probably the best all-around, but I also enjoy my HifiMAN and Audio-Technica cans as well. Even the Senn HD595 sound completely different than the HD650.Quote from: MrSlack on March 14, 2016, 09:47:38 pmWhat else do you expect from Dr Dre?

author: blacksheeplogic
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 10:07:49 pm
content: Quote from: uncle_bob on March 14, 2016, 09:34:47 pmI don't understand your point. Both the SE535 and SE846 are balanced armature with the SE535 being a older design and like most balanced armature earphones lacked base. The SE846 improvement over the SE535 primarily focused on that weakness. For base heavy music they still don't compare with dynamics but they are a lot better than the SE535's.

author: MrSlack
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 10:08:44 pm
content: Quote from: suicidaleggroll on March 14, 2016, 10:04:13 pmNothing. It wasn't my allowance I spent on the things

author: uncle_bob
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 10:09:58 pm
content: Quote from: blacksheeplogic on March 14, 2016, 10:07:49 pmHiTo be very clear: Your ears can hear very small differences in sound.Bob

author: blacksheeplogic
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 10:11:52 pm
content: Quote from: uncle_bob on March 14, 2016, 10:09:58 pmYou may not notice if the treble is turned all they way up and base all the way down, but most people can tell the difference.

author: blacksheeplogic
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 10:19:12 pm
content: Quote from: suicidaleggroll on March 14, 2016, 10:04:13 pmLikewise, all of my earphones sound different.Quote from: suicidaleggroll on March 14, 2016, 10:04:13 pmAlso depends on the type of music you listen too. Some like the Bowers and Wilkins are good earphones but over emphasized the base which can be really unpleasant.

author: timb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 15, 2016, 12:37:17 am
content: Quote from: suicidaleggroll on March 14, 2016, 10:04:13 pmI bought a HD650 about 7 years ago and they're fantastic. I ended up spending about $500 between them and a new amp. (I ended up with an Audio-Gd Compass, which I've heavily customized.) It's funny though, when you tell people you dropped half a grand on a nice pair of headphones, they look at you like you're nuts. But, these are the same people that spend way more than $500 on a surround sound system, or car stereo system. I mean, the original Walkman was over $200 in today's dollars; the iPod nearly $400!I personally prefer headphones because I can listen to what I want as loud as I want whenever I want without waking up the entire house/neighborhood.Also, Sennheiser is a really great company. I bought the 650s to replace my HD595s, which had somehow broke in half (I must have fallen asleep listening to music and rolled over on them). I'd had the 595's for 6 years at that point and, after buying the 650's, I decided to contact Senn to see if I could get parts to fix the 595s, because I didn't want to travel with the 650s. They asked me to ship them back, which I did. Then they sent me a brand new pair. For free. 6 years after purchase. Despite me breaking them. Great customer service.

author: borjam
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 15, 2016, 07:35:47 am
content: Quote from: MrSlack on March 14, 2016, 09:47:38 pmThat model is especially tailored for the professional market. Apart from being popular with DJs it's the staple model for live sound recording, both for nature and film sound recordists

author: tszaboo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 15, 2016, 08:37:28 am
content: I had a HD555, it was the first nice headphones I bought. I bought a HD600, never regret buying it, sound was better and more detailed. Probably I'll buy a HD800 one day, and a nice amplifier for it. That is above the limit of spending for most people. I guess if I would have more money, I would buy the Orpheus.Most people here dont realise that not everything sound related is snake oil. There are good reason to have balanced cables for headphones or have planar speakers or in this case tubes.These are planar headphones, they dont have coils on the speaker. They work differently. Since there are no coils, which are heavy, the moving part is lighter, and so the frequency it can move is greater. Also, they need higher voltage than the usual headphones. So you either throw together a BJT/FET based amplifier, or you use tubes, since there arent many opamps for high voltage. They choose tubes, since they work. You will notice, there isnt the usual transformer on the output, it is not the bullshit amplifier.The rest is just for the show. Price included. So what? Some people spend more on their cars.

author: continuo
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 15, 2016, 08:47:28 am
content: Quote from: NANDBlog on March 15, 2016, 08:37:28 amIt's really a hard decision. Should I get the headphones or a bottle of Whisky for 60.000€ (plus 6.69€ shipping)? Or should I save it all up to be able to pay the taxes on free scopes?http://www.amazon.de/Rarit%C3%A4t-Macallan-Anniversary-Holzkiste-Lederriemen/dp/B00DQDJBGM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458031436&sr=8-1&keywords=B00DQDJBGMDecisions, decisions...

author: MrSlack
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 15, 2016, 08:54:11 am
content: Quote from: borjam on March 15, 2016, 07:35:47 amThis was a big seller for me actually. They have very few compromises for the money.

author: AndyC_772
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 15, 2016, 09:29:46 am
content: I agree, my HD25 'phones are one of those excellent products that 'just work'. Excellent sound, solid build quality, and they do a particularly fine job of keeping the music in and other sounds out.I still have an HD650 for ultimate sound quality, though. I used them daily for years in the office, driven from my PC via a dedicated USB DAC. These are plenty good enough to show up the terrible production jobs on most modern music, so personally I wouldn't spend any more.

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 15, 2016, 08:16:54 pm
content: It's unlikely these $50 000 headphones sound any better than some which can be bought for a fraction of the price. There probably are other reasons than sound quality, why some people spend $50 000 of headphones: comfort, reliability, aesthetics, brand and status symbol: "Wow they've spent 50k on a pair of headphone, they must me loaded." This isn't too different to spending large sums of money on jewellery, clothes, art etc.