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from the audiophilia-for-the-1-percent dept.
El Reg reports
Sennheiser has announced a new pair of headphones it says will cost "around €50,000" (£35,314 or US$54,279).
The forthcoming "Orpheus" model boasts silver-plated copper cable and "gold-vaporized ceramic electrodes and platinum-vaporized diaphragms ... exactly 2.4 µ thick, the result of extensive research that shows that any thinner or thicker would be sub-optimal." The accompanying amplifier boasts "comes from Carrara in Italy and is the same type of marble that Michelangelo used to create his sculptures.
The tubes "rise from the base and start to glow", and "the control elements, each of which are crafted from a single piece of brass and then plated with chrome ... slowly extend from the marble housing."
We could go on, but fear doing so may induce ire among some readers. Know, then, that there's a very gushy website here [ecmascript required] full of all the jargon a rich audiophile could want.
(Score: 2) by el_oscuro on Friday November 06 2015, @01:07AM
Or they used to. 30 years ago, I was looking for headphones in a stereo shop. The salesman, seeing I was military recommended a pair which cost about $100. After letting me listen to them - the sound quality was excellent, as expected, he gave me a demo of their durabiltiy: He grabbed both ear pieces and twisted them with as much force as he could, bending them over backwards. When he released them, they returned to their original shape, no worse for wear. He sold me, and I had those headphones for 10 years, surviving an overseas assignment. I might still have them, but I don't know where they are.
Now I am sure they make the same junk in the same Foxconn factories as everyone else.
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2015, @01:14AM
Was going to say, for $50,000; they better be indestructible.
My brother has a problem with ripping out cord our when he gets up. He finally resolved that problem with wireless headphones.
(Score: 2) by Sir Finkus on Friday November 06 2015, @02:28AM
They still do, although I've heard some of their lower end models have durability problems with cheap plastics.
A lot of these audio companies have an outrageously priced "flagship" model. I suspect it's mostly for marketing reasons, as speaker/headphone technology is pretty simple. You gotta make it look like you're innovating with space aged technology or something like that.
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2015, @05:45AM
They still do, although I've heard some of their lower end models have durability problems with cheap plastics.
I bought 5 years ago a pair of sennheisers for 65 € (~ 80 $?) and the earpads are chipping away now. They do sound pretty decent though. Next phones will be same price (or less) and I'll try another (non-sony!) brand.
This is a PR gimmick for sure but hey if somebody wants to pay 50G go right ahead, stupid.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Nuke on Friday November 06 2015, @11:14AM
A lot of these audio companies have an outrageously priced "flagship" model. I suspect it's mostly for marketing reasons
Yes, the idea is to make their mid-range $10,000 model look like a bargain.
(Score: 2, Informative) by CaTfiSh on Friday November 06 2015, @03:14AM
I bought my first pair in 1978. At a time when "sweaty ear syndrome" was par for the course with headphones, they used a lightweight plastic headpiece and open-air foam earpieces. It was revolutionary for the time, sounded excellent, made in West Germany, and cost the princely sum of $60. While I'm sure these sound superior, I think I'd rather purchase a new car.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Friday November 06 2015, @11:48AM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by deimtee on Friday November 06 2015, @02:32PM
Try ebay. I've got a fairly nice sounding set of cheapish (~$100) open sennheisers, but after a few years the foam covers went to pieces. Replacements were about a dollar a pair on ebay, and they work fine.
If you cough while drinking cheap red wine it really cleans out your sinuses.