05-23-2016, 02:23 AM
I personally don't care how much money somebody spends on an audio component, that's their business. But I worked in the high end/specialist audio industry for a number of years, and gained first-hand knowledge about the inflated egos and stunning lack of technical knowledge that characterized many Golden Ear audiophiles. Their condescending attitude towards anyone unwilling to spend astronomical sums on audio equipment ("Well, you must not really care about music.") was comical at best. I was far more interested in the many specialist audio manufacturers who worked to create cost-effective products that the average music lover could afford.
People who truly understand engineering know that the challenge of creating an inexpensive product with outstanding performance (e.g., the N-A-D 3020 integrated amplifier of the late Seventies) is vastly more difficult than building a cost-no-object product that may be based on a medicore circuit topology but is constructed with very expensive parts (e.g., too many tube amps to list).
Sennheiser has a long history of making brilliant products, but this $60K product looks like an effort to meet the self-
esteem needs of certain Golden Ears. In the old days this was known as the "Rich Idiot" market, a phrase used by more than a few audio manufacturers and importers behind closed doors. :emoticon-tv-015:
People who truly understand engineering know that the challenge of creating an inexpensive product with outstanding performance (e.g., the N-A-D 3020 integrated amplifier of the late Seventies) is vastly more difficult than building a cost-no-object product that may be based on a medicore circuit topology but is constructed with very expensive parts (e.g., too many tube amps to list).
Sennheiser has a long history of making brilliant products, but this $60K product looks like an effort to meet the self-
esteem needs of certain Golden Ears. In the old days this was known as the "Rich Idiot" market, a phrase used by more than a few audio manufacturers and importers behind closed doors. :emoticon-tv-015: