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xnobys
82
Dec 17, 2018
With new tech like this, the focus should be on convincing people that the innovations are actually worthwhile and not just gimicky psychoacoustical BS. Hard to do that when people have to drop eleven hundred with Massdrop's no return policy to give them a try. While it's an improvement over the going-price, it's still too expensive of a gamble. They should have waited to go flagship until they had a lower tier model to draw people in. The fact that the CZ-1 is a couple of years old now seems to validate this idea.
xnobysIndeed, they should have done what Meze did and started with something more budget-friendly before going all out with something like this.
yuchen002
7
Dec 17, 2018
xnobysThat's exactly what I was thinking. Even with half off, it's just too much to drop a grand on something this experimental, and the reviews seem to agree that the CZ isn't the last word in terms of resolution. I've this impression that only two kinds of things show up on Massdrop: items that are really popular, or items that have trouble selling. And given that this headphone has been out for nearly two years... That being said, I've been intrigued by this headphone since it came out and the price drop to $1099 made my heart skip a beat, at least.
xnobys
82
Dec 17, 2018
VinceTheStampede624Even Meze jumped the gun a bit since their flagship is sooooo different from their other options. On the other hand, they have at least proven themselves a reliable and capable company. And, IIRC, the idea behind the Empyrean is that the tech will eventually trickle down. A strategic approach, in other words.
xnobys
82
Dec 17, 2018
yuchen002That's the sad part: It IS intriguing. I would love to hear these and try out the tech. For 300, I'd take the dive. IMO, multi-driver set-ups and built-in DSP (or similar mechanical effects) seem to be the future trend after bluetooth, ANC, and wireless have ceased to be out of the ordinary. It's cool that they are thinking ahead about the tech, they just need to do so with the marketing and business model.
xnobysIndeed, at the very least they established some brand awareness first. The Empyrean did catch me off guard too, being planar/isodynamic and all. Hopefully we'll see a more affordable CZ-2, similar to how Oppo priced their PM2 and PM3 relative to the PM1. At this price point I kinda wish the CZ1 came with a balanced 4-pin XLR or 4.4mm Pentaconn cable.
xnobys
82
Dec 17, 2018
VinceTheStampede624For real. That cable is a joke at the MSRP. That alone makes me distrust them. The headband that looks remarkably generic also does not inspire confidence. I think you're right, Oppo nailed the trickle-down approach. It's a real loss to us that they stopped making audio. For the working their way up approach, I think iBasso and Dunu have done quite well. Basically, they have stepped upwards a bit at a time, increasing their overall quality and refinement each time. MrSpeakers or ZMF are also fantastic examples in the headphone world.
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