2009 - the year of the headphone?

[Clare Newsome]

Head-fi fans will love the stats from last year, revealed here

 

[John Duncan]

On the day my 325s arrived an' all

 

[PJPro]

Any indication on how sales of headphone amps went? I aspire to designing and selling my own.

 

[John Duncan]

PJPro:Any indication on how sales of headphone amps went? I aspire to designing and selling my own.

Interesting thought. My first reaction would be "no way", but I can feel a thread coming on...

 

[margetti]

idc - this has to be your thread, surely to goodness...

 

[PJPro]

JohnDuncan:PJPro:Any indication on how sales of headphone amps went? I aspire to designing and selling my own.

Interesting thought. My first reaction would be "no way"...
Why?

 

[John Duncan]

Market size, primarily. EBRicky said elsewhere that he'd sold something like 90 pairs of his five-star, reasonably affordable, mainstream product. What does that mean for headphone amps? Ten a year for any given model? I wouldn't fancy my chances, no matter how good I could make something.

 

[Clare Newsome]

Headphone amps too small to register as a separate sector yet; ditto DACs.

 

[Anonymous]

Clare Newsome:Headphone amps too small to register as a separate sector yet; ditto DACs.

I have a feeling that will change in the next few years. Hard drive based music systems will continue go grow and the benefits of separate DACs and Headphone amps will be clear - I would think sales would follow.

 

[Clare Newsome]

Though I think you'll start to see a fair bit of integration.....

But yes - it's only this year, for example, that the audio streamer market has registered in reasonable quantities, as the blog details.

 

[idc]

Last year I bought three headphones, but this year plan to buy two. There may be rocky waters ahead.

I agree about integration. Headamps with DACs and DACs with headamps are making the two one.

 

[John Duncan]

idc:
Last year I bought three headphones, but this year plan to buy two. There may be rocky waters ahead.

I agree about integration. Headamps with DACs and DACs with headamps are making the two one.

Oh yes...

 

[chebby]

idc:Last year I bought three headphones, but this year plan to buy two.

This year I found two pairs of headphones. (One pair in a shortbread tin and another in a box I could have sworn contained Canon inkjet cartridges.)

After a tiny dab of superglue I now have a pair of HD-595s and a pair of Grado SR-60 (pre 'i' version). I also have the Beresford which can also do duty as a headphone amp.

The problem is that I don't particularly like using headphones. (The reason the headphones got 'lost' originally and the same reason that I sold a Rega EAR h/phone amp a few years ago.)

Despite all that, 'chez chebby' has contributed to the trend by getting through an average of two pairs of Sennheiser PX100s and two pairs of iPod earpieces a year for the last few years. (Daughters with iPods and PCs and CD Walkpersons before iPods came along.)

 

[PJPro]

JohnDuncan:Market size, primarily. EBRicky said elsewhere that he'd sold something like 90 pairs of his five-star, reasonably affordable, mainstream product. What does that mean for headphone amps? Ten a year for any given model? I wouldn't fancy my chances, no matter how good I could make something.
Sorry John but who is EBRicky?

I know what you're saying as far as sales....but I wouldn't be expecting to jack in the day job.

 

[John Duncan]

The bloke who makes the EB Acoustics EB1 (the review for which I can't find right now)

 

[PJPro]

I thought those speakers were selling like hot cakes....

 

[chebby]

I suspect 90 pairs IS "selling like hot cakes" in the £500 British loudspeaker sector nowadays.

 

[Anonymous]

I LOVE my various pairs of headphones but not even the best capsulate the sense of awareness my speakers give me.