[GentleBender]

Pretty funny review of these headphones that "I" will probably never get to hear. 
http://gizmodo.com/we-listened-to-sennheisers-absurd-55-000-orpheus-headp-1741947676?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pulsenews

[SteveFord]

Holy Conspicuous Consumption, Batman!
Way out of my league.

[FullRangeMan]

The reviwver is right 55K sound ridiculous, if these phones sound quality was the best in the world, it does no more than their right duty because of the outrageous and senseless price.
The retractable buttons is a feature useless and unnecessary, engineers will love, its a typical german thing to impress new rich people and audiophools.

[geowak]

Wait....I think I've got enough money in the ashtray of my car for these. Donald

[Guy 13]

Pretty funny review of these headphones that "I" will probably never get to hear. 
http://gizmodo.com/we-listened-to-sennheisers-absurd-55-000-orpheus-headp-1741947676?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pulsenews

Hi GentleBender,
may I post my opinion for what it's worth ?
That's exactly the kind of gadget for the (New Vietnamese) rich that want to impress friends,
to be the only one with such a gadget and at 55K$ to brag about the price.
I know what I am talking about, for twenty years I had some of those new rich in my showroom.
The first question they ask:
Is that new model ?
If I buy, will I be the first and only one to have such an items?
Then, how much. (They pay without asking for any discount.)
Yes, I am sure that the button and tube pop-up stuff will be a good gadget
to impress any visitors to their house.
For me, the first thing I think other than the price is:
Ho my God, what will happen when it breaks ???? Because, it will break,
let's not forget that pop in and out will go like up and down like motor car pistons.
Well, someone - somewhere will make money and laugh his head off
right up to the bank.

Guy 13
 

[FullRangeMan]

Not to mention the tubes w/no cooling, inside glass tubes.

[RDavidson]

Is this really any more absurd than any other luxury item with a luxury price? I just find it funny that we can look at $55k amps, and $55k speakers all day, and can sort of understand why they cost so much....even IF we wouldn't buy them, IF we had the money. But then this pair of $55k headphones comes along and we act like it's a foreign concept.

[dB Cooper]

The retractable buttons is a feature useless and unnecessary, engineers will love, its a typical german thing to impress new rich people and audiophools.

Agreed, not to mention the retractable tubes. What is the point of that? Consider the wiring to the tube sockets, they have to flex every time the amp is turned on and off. To whom does that seem like a good idea? That adds needless complexity that has to detract from reliability. That is my biggest issue with these: Not so much the price as the fact that they are as much about conspicuous consumption as about sound- if not more. They are attracting attention for all the wrong reasons and feeding the public perception of audiophiles (to the extent that there is a public perception of audiophiles) as neurotic spendthrift idiots. We are NOT idiots 

[FullRangeMan]

Agreed, not to mention the retractable tubes. What is the point of that? Consider the wiring to the tube sockets, they have to flex every time the amp is turned on and off. To whom does that seem like a good idea? That adds needless complexity that has to detract from reliability. That is my biggest issue with these: Not so much the price as the fact that they are as much about conspicuous consumption as about sound- if not more. They are attracting attention for all the wrong reasons and feeding the public perception of audiophiles (to the extent that there is a public perception of audiophiles) as neurotic spendthrift idiots. We are NOT idiots 

To Whom does that seem like a good idea?
I think you want mean who in the factory had this ''brilliant'' idea of retractable parts on this unit.
My opinion this is a typical idea from the Marketing Department.

Of course the amp unit dont have Silver Hard Wire, it must use mass made PCBs IMO.

[FullRangeMan]

Is this really any more absurd than any other luxury item with a luxury price? I just find it funny that we can look at $55k amps, and $55k speakers all day, and can sort of understand why they cost so much....even IF we wouldn't buy them, IF we had the money. But then this pair of $55k headphones comes along and we act like it's a foreign concept.

From the already expensive plastic and alum $1500 HD800 from $55K there is a considerable gap.

[thunderbrick]

Is this really any more absurd than any other luxury item with a luxury price? I just find it funny that we can look at $55k amps, and $55k speakers all day, and can sort of understand why they cost so much....even IF we wouldn't buy them, IF we had the money. But then this pair of $55k headphones comes along and we act like it's a foreign concept.

I get tired of people who dismiss or blow a gasket over a high-priced product just because it IS a high-priced product.   Is it due to a deep resentment of those who can afford whats other can't?  An overwhelming feeling of insecurity?  What's wrong with an all-out attempt to make a state-of-the-art set of headphones, an amplifier, a car?  And why must that resentment seem to permeate the threads of some people?

[wushuliu]

I get tired of people who dismiss or blow a gasket over a high-priced product just because it IS a high-priced product.   Is it due to a deep resentment of those who can afford whats other can't?  An overwhelming feeling of insecurity?  What's wrong with an all-out attempt to make a state-of-the-art set of headphones, an amplifier, a car?  And why must that resentment seem to permeate the threads of some people?

Yeah but...they're headphones.

[GentleBender]

I get tired of people who dismiss or blow a gasket over a high-priced product just because it IS a high-priced product.   Is it due to a deep resentment of those who can afford whats other can't?  An overwhelming feeling of insecurity?  What's wrong with an all-out attempt to make a state-of-the-art set of headphones, an amplifier, a car?  And why must that resentment seem to permeate the threads of some people?

I haven't seen any resentment posted about these headphones (I'm sure it is posted somewhere since this is the Internet). There are questionable design factors posted above, but no hate. I would love to give them a listen to see what kind of euphoric sound they have. My cash flow would never allow an overly extravagant object, but that is me. I'm not jealous at all. I could build a listening room onto my house and furnish it with decent gear for that price though, but I am not part of the market they are aiming for.

[FullRangeMan]

Yeah but...they're headphones.

I understand what you mean say, headphones dont have the full size sound, bass transients etc from a floor standing loudspeakers.

Also HiFiMan and Stax have tech conditions to made a capable competitor for much lower price.

This kind of obscene price are very bad to the custumers, as it may inflate prices of others headphones.
If the price of all the products increase as in this case, no one will buy.

[thunderbrick]

This kind of obscene price are very bad to the custumers, as it may inflate prices of others headphones.
If the price of all the products increase as in this case, no one will buy.

On what do you base that assumption?  Please give us a cause-and-effect example/case study.   

[steve in jersey]

There is a story out there about how Infinity contacted Harry Pearson about paying for the speaker system  that he had chosen as his Reference speaker system  for any number of years. The price of that system was
about $20k at the time. Long story / short the speakers went back to Infinity &  another speaker system became his Reference system. $20k back then probably equates to well over $100k now.

Plain & simple , life is about personal values. I think it's somewhat of a useless excercise to concern yourself about what the price of anything is ,unless it's mandatory that we buy that item in question. Too many people
seem to confuse cost & value . There's a saying that goes some people know the cost of everything but the value of little. It's ok to talk about how much things cost , just leave the talk about it's worth out.

If there is anyone, anywhere who finds worth in stratospherically priced audio equipment ,value exists.
That most people would disagree doesn't really matter. Is it that hard to understand ?

[thunderbrick]

If there is anyone, anywhere who finds worth in stratospherically priced audio equipment ,value exists.
That most people would disagree doesn't really matter. Is it that hard to understand ?

Nope!  Well said!   

[neobop]

The simple answer is, maybe someone has made a headphone that sounds just as good.  But while I could try the Stax SR009 for example, I would need to know how good the Orpheus is first.  Or afterward.  Some of the press on this or the previous model suggested that it really had a superior sound, but to my knowledge it was never critically compared.

You could look at it that way or, while I could try the Senn, I would need to know how good the SR009 ($4.5K w/out amp) is first. 

"Stax phones can be bought from Japanese sources at a lower price than US dealers. The US dealers include on-line sellers like Elusive Disc. The very top model, SR-009 costs about $4,500 from US sellers, and that is the price without an amp/energizer which is a necessary item. I heard the SR-009 in direct comparison with the SR-007 mk.1 phones that I own on a Blue Hawaii SE amp/energizer (the model I also own) at a recent audio show. The SR-009 has better bass, a more open and extended sounding top end and is considerably more efficient. But, to me, the upper midrange is a bit more strident sounding and there is more tendency toward sibilance. This might be a harder phone to match with upstream electronics, particularly with solid state gear. I liked the SR-009, but I also liked the SR-007 that I already own too.

I also heard a Sennheiser HE 60 outfitted with Stax-type plug in a direct comparison with both the SR-009 and SR-007. This phone was a little more dynamically laid back and not as extended in bass and treble response as either Stax phones, but, it sounded very natural and tonally well balanced (a better phone than either Stax if you think Stax is a bit too lean or bright sounding). All of these electrostatic phones sound considerably LESS bright and analytical than Sennheiser HD800 dynamic phones, but they are not even close to something like Audeze planar magnetic phones in terms of being warm sounding. There is a pretty wide range of sonic choices among top end phones and matching amps."
http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/just-how-expensive-are-stax-headsets.348899/

I've read that Stax amps are contoured for their phones.  I think the electrostatic elements are biased at 500V so a tube amp is indicated.  Nothing can match the speed and delicacy of an electrostatic transducer.  Depending on your source you could find the amp you like and use digital EQ ? 

It's surprising how many people would spring for something like the Senn system with pop out controls and tubes that rise out of their silos.  Those features alone will sell a bunch of these.
neo

[Joe Nelson]

I was about to place my order, but decided to wait on the deluxe version.

[milford3]

I guess now this makes the Audeze 4 at 4K a bargain.