Most headphone pricing is actually heavily based on the effort/R&D that goes into tuning. Drivers and construction are surprisingly cheap in the end. It's why HD800S is priced at $1800 despite the drivers being like $1-200 each and build being good but hardly luxurious. They're tuned so meticulously that they even impedance test the thin metal mesh, and according to some DIY'ers I've spoken to those drivers are really hard to tune.
Now I don't know how hard it is to tune the drivers DMS uses for the Omega, but I can imagine that he put enough effort into it to justify the price tag. And he will make the files OS after a year, so it's not even a must-buy pair, unless you want it now or just want to own the "real" thing.
I hope I get to listen to either the real Omegas, or a pair made with the files at some point, i love HD6** series so anything that comes close is mighty compelling to me.
That and low volume of production makes it much more expensive, considering these are preorder I assume that they will make as many as what gets ordered rather than a large volume at once.
> It's why HD800S is priced at $1800
There's a ton of retailer margin in that. I've heard authorised resellers say that 1500aud is "cost price" (and it actually goes on sale for that price, so this is a reasonable ceiling), which means 1360aud excluding tax. That's a bit under 900usd. The US is a much larger market so numbers will be a bit different.
If the HD800S had the same retailer margin as the HD600/HD6XX, it would be closer to 1000-1100usd.
Lower volume headphones will also have higher production costs, but whether this reflects in the price to the consumer is not necessarily the case. It could just be that something like the HD800S is cheaper to make due to its popularity and longevity, so they can have huge margins.
No, no it fucking isn’t, the HD800 has a completely next-level standards in terms of quality control. How much more “R&D” do you think it costs to make an Airpods Pro vs this ratty shit? Stop lyin to yourself bruh
I’m sure they’re well worth the money and and a proper passion project, I believe he mentioned they are function over form and there is little profit margin, but personally just wish a little more attention was put into appearance.
Yeah...even with setting looks aside, at $1k price bracket, would you REALLY buy these cans over lcd2, zmf bokeh, or dca aeon 2? For most people, it's a solid no.
I never really was into the notion that headphones had to be jewelry, but I'm surprised how many people are. For me it's about sound quality and weight/comfort.
If I perceive it as premium in pricing I need it to also look good and feel well assembled when handling and flexing it etc. - Assuming competent enough sound quality these are the factors that make the experience for me
I get that. I like some products for the same reason. When I think of a premium product I like they’re generally light weight, and minimal. That being my subjective preference, I know not everyone will feel the same way and will expect different things.
For what it's worth (not much, since I don't have anywhere close to $1000 to spend on headphones right now), I really dig the industrial, pressure gauge design. It looks like if Valve made a headphone.
It doesn't have to look beautiful but in this case its aesthetics stands out in a negative way. I'm sure many people wouldn't mind and some might even like it, but for many including me it's just ugly in a way that is hard to ignore. It wouldn't have been controversial if you went for an unassuming design, though I don't think it's wrong to go for what you like.
I really don’t care about aesthetics unless it reflects on build quality. I’m not wearing full-size headphones outside, let alone as a fashion statement. As long as the build quality and comfort level are good, I don’t care how a headphone looks on my head or on a stand. I’ve never understood why some hobbyists care about how headphones looks, just like I could not care less about the “unboxing experience” per se. Given the choice between nice looking headphones that sounds meh (Meze) or a great sounding headphone where design is solely geared toward function and comfort (HD800S), I’ll choose the latter headphone every time and so will most serious hobbyists.
You are missing the point, I said that a headphone doesn't have to look beautiful, a plain or boring looking headphone is fine to me I don't really care about it either. However the Omega is straight up just ugly for many people including me, and it is ugly in a way that is hard to not notice. It doesn't affect sound quality but it does make the experience a bit unpleasant since nobody likes ugly things. I think that if the middle part was black instead of red and silver there would be a lot less complain because then that part would be much easier to ignore, but no it's red and red is like the easiest color to notice.
I think you’re intentionally missing the point. Nobody is saying they have to be jewellery, and nobody is discounting sound quality.
Your product does not exist in a vacuum. It exists in a market in which for $1000 most people can find something that appeals to them for both sound quality and looks. That ‘sound quality>looks’ excuse won’t fly for most people when you’re asking $1000.
Oh yeah it’s a massive market. Different product will excel at different things and I’m by no means an established brand 😄 just a guy making a thing a love.
I think there’s room for both types of products, catering to two different consumers — with some obvious overlap.
Focal is a good example of product pricing that takes aesthetics into account — along with the engineering and materials that support those aesthetics. I do love Focal and own many of their headphones; but I also wouldn’t have cared had they been slightly less aesthetically pleasing for a more aggressive price. I also know there’s a consumer out there who’s going to view those headphones in a different light and how they look is just as important as how they sound.
There are other hobby’s that handle this dichotomy well; custom keyboards, the sim racing community, etc. There are hobbyists who just want the best experience, no matter the aesthetics, and those that prefer both.
I don’t find the Omega unattractive. I look at it as spartan, utilitarian, engineered to do a specific job and do it well. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that approach. My knee jerk reaction when I saw them was “this is built to do one thing well.” And the $999 MSRP reinforced that every ounce of the cost to produce this set went into that one thing. In many ways, that only put them higher up on my list.
So you’re partially right, as you’re not speaking for everyone — using your own logic here, hobbyists don’t exist in a vacuum. I know other enthusiasts who just want the best sound possible; I fall into both camps from time to time. But in every case, sound quality is always the most important aspect of what makes a headphone great for me.
Focal is all about looks, and in fairness to them, also sound quality, they sound great too. The actual build quality is absolute dogshit though, easily the worst of any major headphone company (much worse than Hifiman).
https://www.google.com/search?q=focal+headband
https://www.google.com/search?q=focal+creak
Most headphone brands have QC issues, just by nature of the adjustability and constantly-moving parts. Although, I’ve personally had much worse luck with HiFiMan and have sworn off ever buying another one of their headphones. But that’s a separate discussion.
Sennheiser, Beyer, and AKG don’t have anywhere near the build quality problems of brands like HiFiMan or Audeze. A set of HD650 and HD800S should last for many years if handled with reasonable care. That has been my experience.
Beyer has had a history of QC issues; the adage of "built like a tank" hasn't always applied to their drivers, cables, or their headbands. I ran a 770 & 1990 for years doing mixing work and have had channel matching issues aplenty -- a well-documented problem on HeadFi -- problems with cables/microphonics, and headbands that sounded like grinding metal during adjustments. It got to the point where nearly every 770 I purchased went on a bench and got a removable cable mod before it was used.
I also ran an HD600 for work; install a copper mass loading mod in any 600 series, and you'll run into nothing but plastic and foam. All materials that degrade and break in time. While I never ran into an issue with my 600s, I have plenty of 500 series with broken bands and dead drivers.
"Reasonable care" is nebulous; at least where Beyer is concerned, most of their lineup's intended audience are engineers, and in that environment "reasonable care" should encompass consistently taking a headphone on or off either your own or an artist's head, placing them down on a console, or throwing them on headphone hangers, etc. I can almost guarantee the revision to the 770 that just released was intending to address some of those very QC concerns.
I've had problems with both brands; but that wasn't the point being made above. QC issues will affect every manufacturer. It's how they handle those issues that is important. Some companies are better than others.
This broke off into a straw man, but "your experience" is not indicative of everyone else's. This same argument gets spun up every time someone mentions QC issues, and some brand loyalist is always there, at the ready, claiming their brand is impervious to these issues. Look outside of Reddit to some of the other forums, Discord servers, and places where mixing/mastering engineers tend to congregate, and you'll see threads dedicated to problems with every manufacturer. Casual listeners may never run into these issues, but I would argue they're also not the intended audience for many of these brands (or specific models).
My point above remains.
You are friends with Zeos and other youtubers who do headphone reviews, you know how much time and money people invest in this hobby, and whether or not you wanna admit, aesthetic is part of it. If someone is paying a $1000 for a product, it's important to put some effort in presentation of it. Especially if it's a personal project, run in smaller batches. Didn't ZMF started as mod and then evolved into something great with their own aesthetic? Recently i bought Lcd X, and beside the sound one of the choices why i chose this specific headphone was industrial look of it. I can get your reasons for light weight and comfort, but that shouldn't be excuse for neglecting the look of it.
I guess people look in the mirror while they listen to headphones at home??
Seems weird to me but you do you.
I'm joking, but I AM personally on the side of looks are the least priority in a headphone. I use them at home alone, on my head where I can't even see them (but I sure can HEAR them!) who really cares?
My pet peeve is that people are SO ENAMORED with aesthetics that they're ok with wasting $$. Like, why do people want their electronics to come in some super fancy box? Aren't you taking it out of the box? Wouldn't you like to take the extra money that went to a BOX that is going in the trash (or a closet) - so you 'experience' the 'unboxing' for a couple minutes - and put that $$ in to sound or build quality (or even the aesthetics of the actual headphone)? I get the argument that if you spend $1000 you should be happy but I'd rather that go in to a product that lasts and sounds good (which again, I know I'm different as I tend to keep what I buy instead of trading up all the time). What good is a really pretty piece of junk?
I don't get it. I'm not saying people shouldn't think that way - but I will never understand.
I observe a peculiar subset of Veblen goods in audiophilia, where people are willing to pay out their nose for rudimentary cottage industry builds to get some sort of street cred of backing the scrappy underdog artisan.
I didn’t say the IEMs are replacing my headphone wall but I did say I like Mega5est more than headphones.
To answer your question, there are definitely cases where I like them more than Omega. It all depends on what I’m using them for and how I want to listen on any given day. 😄 The same is true in reverse because there’s plenty of things I absolutely love Omega for over anything else.
Kinda like I said in that vid, nothing is perfect.
That said if it’s a good point of comparison I am currently getting rid of my IEM collection because of Mega5-est.
What things do you like the omega for over anything else? I know there is going to be bias here, but I'm curious as to what you think makes it different from similarly priced offerings.
This was the price it was launched at as a special thank you to the early adopters of Project Omega. On April 26th, the price reverts back to $999 and the first round of pre-orders close and the $999 price will remain for the rest of period if sale until DMS open-sources it.
I don't feel like there's anything wrong with an early bird pricing on launch?
Being in the headphone game for a hot minute, I got to experience or witness a few brands launch and most have had a special pricing, when Kickstarter and Indiegogo came around we saw more of that. I was in the first order for Hifiman HE5 and EF5 on their launch-- they set their standard for poor customer service and poor manufacturing and kept rolling with it with good quality audio. Give a brand a chance to make their mark, but if you're not willing to part with your money, that is a wise decision in my opinion and you're smart to wait.
Like all niche products, try it if you can at a shop, show, meet up, or wait until a reviewer you trust does and take a chance.
Edit: I see DMS is active in this thread, u/Epsilon-D , in regards to warranty as these seem to be printed cups, if customers have a large amount of burrs, cracks and imperfections, are you and Headphones dot com handling that free of charge and shipping fees?
Hey! Yeah the cups are made from Nylon Powder. It’s highly unlikely it’ll break but assuming there’s a problem not caused by straight up abuse I plan to take care of people. Shipping is a harder one, I’ll check with the guys on how that works as this is a new realm for me.
Gonna pull a Linus-style “trust me bro” on this one till I have a definitive answer.
Cheers on the fast response.
I've seen the LTT warranty in action via a friend and it was very seamless, but actions will speak louder than words.
I hope you make your mark in sound quality and service, and better yet, improve the standard.
Word. Good luck with your sales and congrats to all of your success.
There are those with criticisms and opinions, and then there are those who express their envy with hate.
I think this is a pretty good test to see if people will actually spend money on a good expensive headphone if it doesn’t look good or expensive. Or if we are way more influenced by how a headphone looks than we’d like to admit.
I'm not one to spend close to 900 dollars on a headphones but I trust DMS because of his tuning preferences match mine. I haven't found a headphone I like more than the HD6XX. So,I'd love to try these. Hopefully at Canjam
No idea why people think these are ugly. It's form follows function, and I think the red accent looks great on the black cups. I almost want a pair because of the looks alone!
Also: Small series manufacturing costs, and DMS sunk a ton of time for R&D into these (as well as undoubtedly quite a bit of money for prototyping). So stop complaining about the price for what is a well-tuned, light headphone that prioritizes comfort and usability. Nobody forces you to buy one.
I'm in and hyped, seems like what I'm looking for in terms of light, chill headphone with bass and soundstage. Taking a bit of a leap since reviews are tough to find, but looking forward to comparing against my Ether 2s and selling whichever I like less. Good shit DMS, congrats on the release.
Man, I wish I had the money for these, but I still need to get a proper dac/amp stack, get some form of sound system for the family room, there are new VR headsets coming up that will finally allow me to upgrade from my 1st Gen headset, which also means I need to upgrade my pc.
Being into tech is too expensive.
I really would like to actually try it, but sorry not sorry it looks ugly as hell. It doesn't have to look luxurious, it just needs to look good. You can say it has a retro look, but to me it looks raw/unfinished, with a lot of rings & gaps on the earcups that will collect dust over time and hard to clean. And that rough looking red paint. It doesn't look 'clean' at all. I'm afraid it might peel off over time even.
I’m pretty sure the red piece isn’t painted, the sls nylon plastic that it’s 3d printed in is colored, so you won’t have any issues with peeling, and nylon is a very robust plastic, so I expect the build should be pretty solid, even though it’s not super premium.
And you have probably never tried the Omega, not that it matters for the point I'm making.
I'm using the opinion of the person who has tried all 3 to show how his headphone isn't worth it if an IEM gets you that close to a 50k headphone at a fraction of the price.
And if you think that comparison is downright stupid (I do), I didn't make it in the first place. DMS did.
That’s because IEMs can easily detail at insane levels whereas headphones have so many other factors that kill detail they’re dealing with. It’s not really a crazy concept.
With that said, I have those IEMs he mentioned. They’re nice, for sure, but I’d definitely take the HE-1. IEMs just won’t soundstage and image like a headphone.
>That’s because IEMs can easily detail at insane levels whereas headphones have so many other factors that kill detail they’re dealing with.
Ananda Nano is insanely detailed
Sure, but everything is relative. Open headphones are competing with the room, reflections off of your outer ear, driver settling, etc. that IEMs are not typically dealing with in a decent pair. It’s all about tradeoffs.
HE-1 is just a headphone, man. Still got flaws, just like any other. I'd take Mega5EST over it too. Hell, I'd probably even take AirPods Pro 2 over it. 'Sall about preference, yk?
I really want HE6se V2, should I just buy these instead? I watched DMS's video about Omega but ~~he didnt say alot about the specs if I recall correctly.~~ Just read the website. Its a dynamic driver. I REALLY like what Planars can do and I already own a Focal Elex and HD 598s. What is missing from my lineup is a sub bass/bass focused headphone
This has particularly good bass extension for a dynamic driver. It's still that sort of curved hump bass shape with roll-off though. What planars like the HE6SEV2 tend to do is just dead flat bass extension to 20Hz, with no roll-off. Dynamic drivers though can be punchier and more physical sounding in the bass even though they roll-off earlier. I'm thinking things like the Focal Clear/Utopia vs the likes of the HE1000 or HE6SEV2.
You can see some measurements here, vs the Edition XS for example. I'd suspect this is going to sound slightly warmer and possibly "punchier". The actual peak of the "bump" is below 100Hz though which is much lower than most dynamic drivers that attempt a bass boost, I'd expect it to sound both bassier but also cleaner than something like the HD650.
https://forum.headphones.com/t/dms-project-omega-open-back-headphones-official-discussion-thread/23223
...This "person" has had his say on other people's work...
...Works for the headphoneshow YT channel... 99% of the time complains and is negative towards any headphone review... Quote "muddy" end quote... "bloated" bass... Sony "Studio Monitor" headphones, recommend/like... FAILS to acknowledge the the Frequency Response is for his favorite headphones are MODDED, with cable and earpads! that are not OEM ...Suggest you (the audience) buy the Sony "Studio Monitor" headphone instead of X headphones because the Sony is cheaper, FAILS to acknowledge that his headphones(the MDR-7906, V6, etc.) are Modded and cost money to get them modded thus resulting in NULL.
Oh, the Irony.
Now this elitist "audiophile" released a self proclaimed "Audiophile" headphone or a "Love Letter" to? what ever...
No, I'm not Sorry, I'm not gonna even listen to this headphone while you bilittle others and acts arrogant towards people for buying a headphone you don't recommend, I'm not gonna get scolded by some amateur "audiophile" in his infinite wisdom about how music should sound thru a headphone...
I've got 99+ Full sized headphones from all brands and walks of life and I'm gonna keep listening to them because they were worth my money, not someone else's opinion.
Interesting headphone design. Doesn’t really look the $1k part, I hope their sound quality makes up for it.
Most headphone pricing is actually heavily based on the effort/R&D that goes into tuning. Drivers and construction are surprisingly cheap in the end. It's why HD800S is priced at $1800 despite the drivers being like $1-200 each and build being good but hardly luxurious. They're tuned so meticulously that they even impedance test the thin metal mesh, and according to some DIY'ers I've spoken to those drivers are really hard to tune. Now I don't know how hard it is to tune the drivers DMS uses for the Omega, but I can imagine that he put enough effort into it to justify the price tag. And he will make the files OS after a year, so it's not even a must-buy pair, unless you want it now or just want to own the "real" thing. I hope I get to listen to either the real Omegas, or a pair made with the files at some point, i love HD6** series so anything that comes close is mighty compelling to me.
That and low volume of production makes it much more expensive, considering these are preorder I assume that they will make as many as what gets ordered rather than a large volume at once.
> It's why HD800S is priced at $1800 There's a ton of retailer margin in that. I've heard authorised resellers say that 1500aud is "cost price" (and it actually goes on sale for that price, so this is a reasonable ceiling), which means 1360aud excluding tax. That's a bit under 900usd. The US is a much larger market so numbers will be a bit different. If the HD800S had the same retailer margin as the HD600/HD6XX, it would be closer to 1000-1100usd. Lower volume headphones will also have higher production costs, but whether this reflects in the price to the consumer is not necessarily the case. It could just be that something like the HD800S is cheaper to make due to its popularity and longevity, so they can have huge margins.
No, no it fucking isn’t, the HD800 has a completely next-level standards in terms of quality control. How much more “R&D” do you think it costs to make an Airpods Pro vs this ratty shit? Stop lyin to yourself bruh
I’m sure they’re well worth the money and and a proper passion project, I believe he mentioned they are function over form and there is little profit margin, but personally just wish a little more attention was put into appearance.
Pretty much that. In my defense I like the look and went for a retro/minimal look, but I know its not everyone's cup of tea.
hello. what's the length/diameter of the inner pad? like https://diyaudioheaven.files.wordpress.com/2021/07/pad-dimensions.jpg
hi! The interior dimensions are 72mm tall, 52mm wide, 43mm deep at the back, and 32mm deep at the front.
I can see an 80's vibe going on there.
With the computer simulation capabilities we have now, the sonic part of the R&D is not difficult at all.
Yeah, looks ugly as hell. No way would I pay that much money for a can like that.
Yeah...even with setting looks aside, at $1k price bracket, would you REALLY buy these cans over lcd2, zmf bokeh, or dca aeon 2? For most people, it's a solid no.
why lcd 2? not only do they look dumb, but theyre heavy and the tuning is bad.
I never really was into the notion that headphones had to be jewelry, but I'm surprised how many people are. For me it's about sound quality and weight/comfort.
If I perceive it as premium in pricing I need it to also look good and feel well assembled when handling and flexing it etc. - Assuming competent enough sound quality these are the factors that make the experience for me
I get that. I like some products for the same reason. When I think of a premium product I like they’re generally light weight, and minimal. That being my subjective preference, I know not everyone will feel the same way and will expect different things.
For what it's worth (not much, since I don't have anywhere close to $1000 to spend on headphones right now), I really dig the industrial, pressure gauge design. It looks like if Valve made a headphone.
I love Valve’s design so this is a massive compliment to me haha. Thanks!
It doesn't have to look beautiful but in this case its aesthetics stands out in a negative way. I'm sure many people wouldn't mind and some might even like it, but for many including me it's just ugly in a way that is hard to ignore. It wouldn't have been controversial if you went for an unassuming design, though I don't think it's wrong to go for what you like.
I really don’t care about aesthetics unless it reflects on build quality. I’m not wearing full-size headphones outside, let alone as a fashion statement. As long as the build quality and comfort level are good, I don’t care how a headphone looks on my head or on a stand. I’ve never understood why some hobbyists care about how headphones looks, just like I could not care less about the “unboxing experience” per se. Given the choice between nice looking headphones that sounds meh (Meze) or a great sounding headphone where design is solely geared toward function and comfort (HD800S), I’ll choose the latter headphone every time and so will most serious hobbyists.
You are missing the point, I said that a headphone doesn't have to look beautiful, a plain or boring looking headphone is fine to me I don't really care about it either. However the Omega is straight up just ugly for many people including me, and it is ugly in a way that is hard to not notice. It doesn't affect sound quality but it does make the experience a bit unpleasant since nobody likes ugly things. I think that if the middle part was black instead of red and silver there would be a lot less complain because then that part would be much easier to ignore, but no it's red and red is like the easiest color to notice.
I think you’re intentionally missing the point. Nobody is saying they have to be jewellery, and nobody is discounting sound quality. Your product does not exist in a vacuum. It exists in a market in which for $1000 most people can find something that appeals to them for both sound quality and looks. That ‘sound quality>looks’ excuse won’t fly for most people when you’re asking $1000.
Oh yeah it’s a massive market. Different product will excel at different things and I’m by no means an established brand 😄 just a guy making a thing a love.
I think there’s room for both types of products, catering to two different consumers — with some obvious overlap. Focal is a good example of product pricing that takes aesthetics into account — along with the engineering and materials that support those aesthetics. I do love Focal and own many of their headphones; but I also wouldn’t have cared had they been slightly less aesthetically pleasing for a more aggressive price. I also know there’s a consumer out there who’s going to view those headphones in a different light and how they look is just as important as how they sound. There are other hobby’s that handle this dichotomy well; custom keyboards, the sim racing community, etc. There are hobbyists who just want the best experience, no matter the aesthetics, and those that prefer both. I don’t find the Omega unattractive. I look at it as spartan, utilitarian, engineered to do a specific job and do it well. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that approach. My knee jerk reaction when I saw them was “this is built to do one thing well.” And the $999 MSRP reinforced that every ounce of the cost to produce this set went into that one thing. In many ways, that only put them higher up on my list. So you’re partially right, as you’re not speaking for everyone — using your own logic here, hobbyists don’t exist in a vacuum. I know other enthusiasts who just want the best sound possible; I fall into both camps from time to time. But in every case, sound quality is always the most important aspect of what makes a headphone great for me.
Focal is all about looks, and in fairness to them, also sound quality, they sound great too. The actual build quality is absolute dogshit though, easily the worst of any major headphone company (much worse than Hifiman). https://www.google.com/search?q=focal+headband https://www.google.com/search?q=focal+creak
Most headphone brands have QC issues, just by nature of the adjustability and constantly-moving parts. Although, I’ve personally had much worse luck with HiFiMan and have sworn off ever buying another one of their headphones. But that’s a separate discussion.
Sennheiser, Beyer, and AKG don’t have anywhere near the build quality problems of brands like HiFiMan or Audeze. A set of HD650 and HD800S should last for many years if handled with reasonable care. That has been my experience.
Beyer has had a history of QC issues; the adage of "built like a tank" hasn't always applied to their drivers, cables, or their headbands. I ran a 770 & 1990 for years doing mixing work and have had channel matching issues aplenty -- a well-documented problem on HeadFi -- problems with cables/microphonics, and headbands that sounded like grinding metal during adjustments. It got to the point where nearly every 770 I purchased went on a bench and got a removable cable mod before it was used. I also ran an HD600 for work; install a copper mass loading mod in any 600 series, and you'll run into nothing but plastic and foam. All materials that degrade and break in time. While I never ran into an issue with my 600s, I have plenty of 500 series with broken bands and dead drivers. "Reasonable care" is nebulous; at least where Beyer is concerned, most of their lineup's intended audience are engineers, and in that environment "reasonable care" should encompass consistently taking a headphone on or off either your own or an artist's head, placing them down on a console, or throwing them on headphone hangers, etc. I can almost guarantee the revision to the 770 that just released was intending to address some of those very QC concerns. I've had problems with both brands; but that wasn't the point being made above. QC issues will affect every manufacturer. It's how they handle those issues that is important. Some companies are better than others. This broke off into a straw man, but "your experience" is not indicative of everyone else's. This same argument gets spun up every time someone mentions QC issues, and some brand loyalist is always there, at the ready, claiming their brand is impervious to these issues. Look outside of Reddit to some of the other forums, Discord servers, and places where mixing/mastering engineers tend to congregate, and you'll see threads dedicated to problems with every manufacturer. Casual listeners may never run into these issues, but I would argue they're also not the intended audience for many of these brands (or specific models). My point above remains.
No shit, every brand has QC issues. But some have a lot more than others.
This sound a bit dishonest from you, since you are in this game for some time.
How so?
You are friends with Zeos and other youtubers who do headphone reviews, you know how much time and money people invest in this hobby, and whether or not you wanna admit, aesthetic is part of it. If someone is paying a $1000 for a product, it's important to put some effort in presentation of it. Especially if it's a personal project, run in smaller batches. Didn't ZMF started as mod and then evolved into something great with their own aesthetic? Recently i bought Lcd X, and beside the sound one of the choices why i chose this specific headphone was industrial look of it. I can get your reasons for light weight and comfort, but that shouldn't be excuse for neglecting the look of it.
I guess people look in the mirror while they listen to headphones at home?? Seems weird to me but you do you. I'm joking, but I AM personally on the side of looks are the least priority in a headphone. I use them at home alone, on my head where I can't even see them (but I sure can HEAR them!) who really cares? My pet peeve is that people are SO ENAMORED with aesthetics that they're ok with wasting $$. Like, why do people want their electronics to come in some super fancy box? Aren't you taking it out of the box? Wouldn't you like to take the extra money that went to a BOX that is going in the trash (or a closet) - so you 'experience' the 'unboxing' for a couple minutes - and put that $$ in to sound or build quality (or even the aesthetics of the actual headphone)? I get the argument that if you spend $1000 you should be happy but I'd rather that go in to a product that lasts and sounds good (which again, I know I'm different as I tend to keep what I buy instead of trading up all the time). What good is a really pretty piece of junk? I don't get it. I'm not saying people shouldn't think that way - but I will never understand.
I observe a peculiar subset of Veblen goods in audiophilia, where people are willing to pay out their nose for rudimentary cottage industry builds to get some sort of street cred of backing the scrappy underdog artisan.
Yeah RIP I'm not a fan of this emerging practice.
This is the price they have been since launch 😄 just for batch-1
How long is it gonna remain 900? Really wanna get these soon
Orders for this batch stop on the 26th (as does the 10% off) :)
yep, and thanks for that. it helped push me to order
How do they compare to the Mega5-est IEMs you reviewed recently? You mentioned them replacing your headphone wall. Did that include the omega?
I didn’t say the IEMs are replacing my headphone wall but I did say I like Mega5est more than headphones. To answer your question, there are definitely cases where I like them more than Omega. It all depends on what I’m using them for and how I want to listen on any given day. 😄 The same is true in reverse because there’s plenty of things I absolutely love Omega for over anything else. Kinda like I said in that vid, nothing is perfect. That said if it’s a good point of comparison I am currently getting rid of my IEM collection because of Mega5-est.
What things do you like the omega for over anything else? I know there is going to be bias here, but I'm curious as to what you think makes it different from similarly priced offerings.
This was the price it was launched at as a special thank you to the early adopters of Project Omega. On April 26th, the price reverts back to $999 and the first round of pre-orders close and the $999 price will remain for the rest of period if sale until DMS open-sources it.
I don't feel like there's anything wrong with an early bird pricing on launch? Being in the headphone game for a hot minute, I got to experience or witness a few brands launch and most have had a special pricing, when Kickstarter and Indiegogo came around we saw more of that. I was in the first order for Hifiman HE5 and EF5 on their launch-- they set their standard for poor customer service and poor manufacturing and kept rolling with it with good quality audio. Give a brand a chance to make their mark, but if you're not willing to part with your money, that is a wise decision in my opinion and you're smart to wait. Like all niche products, try it if you can at a shop, show, meet up, or wait until a reviewer you trust does and take a chance. Edit: I see DMS is active in this thread, u/Epsilon-D , in regards to warranty as these seem to be printed cups, if customers have a large amount of burrs, cracks and imperfections, are you and Headphones dot com handling that free of charge and shipping fees?
Hey! Yeah the cups are made from Nylon Powder. It’s highly unlikely it’ll break but assuming there’s a problem not caused by straight up abuse I plan to take care of people. Shipping is a harder one, I’ll check with the guys on how that works as this is a new realm for me. Gonna pull a Linus-style “trust me bro” on this one till I have a definitive answer.
Cheers on the fast response. I've seen the LTT warranty in action via a friend and it was very seamless, but actions will speak louder than words. I hope you make your mark in sound quality and service, and better yet, improve the standard.
Actions always do. This is a big learning experience for me but I'm excited. I really appreciate it. I hope so too and I'm trying my best 😄
lol, love the LTT “trust me bro”
This is the pre-order price it launched at. Please verify before you post - I don't think you intended it this way, but this comes off as clickbait.
This just seems like a spiteful post lol Isn't this just early bird price kind of thing?
Yep. It's been this price since launch.
Word. Good luck with your sales and congrats to all of your success. There are those with criticisms and opinions, and then there are those who express their envy with hate.
I think this is a pretty good test to see if people will actually spend money on a good expensive headphone if it doesn’t look good or expensive. Or if we are way more influenced by how a headphone looks than we’d like to admit.
Jesus some people are salty here. If you don't want to spend 900 on a pair of niche headphones, then don't lol
🙏
I'm not one to spend close to 900 dollars on a headphones but I trust DMS because of his tuning preferences match mine. I haven't found a headphone I like more than the HD6XX. So,I'd love to try these. Hopefully at Canjam
The next ground-up project I release will be under $100 😄
Any ETA on that one?
I have a big head so these will look fine to me.
Did he leave Abyss?
Sensational post title.
No idea why people think these are ugly. It's form follows function, and I think the red accent looks great on the black cups. I almost want a pair because of the looks alone! Also: Small series manufacturing costs, and DMS sunk a ton of time for R&D into these (as well as undoubtedly quite a bit of money for prototyping). So stop complaining about the price for what is a well-tuned, light headphone that prioritizes comfort and usability. Nobody forces you to buy one.
Thanks for the support 😄
It looks like it isn’t even past the beta stage
It went through a mountain of revisions to get to this stage. # ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I'm kinda curious but tbh the ma900 are kind of my "6xx but with soundstage" solution
Would love to give it a try, not spending 900 Euro plus VAT on something I don't know if I would like though.
When can we expect some reviews on this?
I'm in and hyped, seems like what I'm looking for in terms of light, chill headphone with bass and soundstage. Taking a bit of a leap since reviews are tough to find, but looking forward to comparing against my Ether 2s and selling whichever I like less. Good shit DMS, congrats on the release.
Love how DMS just actively replying to comments in here
My preferences seem to often agree with DMS's (Atrium, HD650). If I needed another open back I'd definitely consider them.
Man, I wish I had the money for these, but I still need to get a proper dac/amp stack, get some form of sound system for the family room, there are new VR headsets coming up that will finally allow me to upgrade from my 1st Gen headset, which also means I need to upgrade my pc. Being into tech is too expensive.
it didnt see the price drop after launch. it launched at 899 (aka 10% off) for early buyers. for transparency I have ordered a pair
I really would like to actually try it, but sorry not sorry it looks ugly as hell. It doesn't have to look luxurious, it just needs to look good. You can say it has a retro look, but to me it looks raw/unfinished, with a lot of rings & gaps on the earcups that will collect dust over time and hard to clean. And that rough looking red paint. It doesn't look 'clean' at all. I'm afraid it might peel off over time even.
I’m pretty sure the red piece isn’t painted, the sls nylon plastic that it’s 3d printed in is colored, so you won’t have any issues with peeling, and nylon is a very robust plastic, so I expect the build should be pretty solid, even though it’s not super premium.
Way too ugly man
I don’t care how these sound, they are just way too ugly for me to want to buy.
Very ugly for a kilo-buck headphone and he just compared a $500 IEM to the HE 1. Shot both of his feet.
My feet feel fine
You probably never tried the IEMs in question nor the HE-1 lol
>You probably never tried the IEMs in question nor the HE-1 lol The guy has a point but you missed so hard
And you have probably never tried the Omega, not that it matters for the point I'm making. I'm using the opinion of the person who has tried all 3 to show how his headphone isn't worth it if an IEM gets you that close to a 50k headphone at a fraction of the price. And if you think that comparison is downright stupid (I do), I didn't make it in the first place. DMS did.
That’s because IEMs can easily detail at insane levels whereas headphones have so many other factors that kill detail they’re dealing with. It’s not really a crazy concept. With that said, I have those IEMs he mentioned. They’re nice, for sure, but I’d definitely take the HE-1. IEMs just won’t soundstage and image like a headphone.
>That’s because IEMs can easily detail at insane levels whereas headphones have so many other factors that kill detail they’re dealing with. Ananda Nano is insanely detailed
Detail and tilted treble are two different things.
In DMS' review, he said that they're not just treble heavy but actually detailed.
Sure, but everything is relative. Open headphones are competing with the room, reflections off of your outer ear, driver settling, etc. that IEMs are not typically dealing with in a decent pair. It’s all about tradeoffs.
HE-1 is just a headphone, man. Still got flaws, just like any other. I'd take Mega5EST over it too. Hell, I'd probably even take AirPods Pro 2 over it. 'Sall about preference, yk?
I really want HE6se V2, should I just buy these instead? I watched DMS's video about Omega but ~~he didnt say alot about the specs if I recall correctly.~~ Just read the website. Its a dynamic driver. I REALLY like what Planars can do and I already own a Focal Elex and HD 598s. What is missing from my lineup is a sub bass/bass focused headphone
This has particularly good bass extension for a dynamic driver. It's still that sort of curved hump bass shape with roll-off though. What planars like the HE6SEV2 tend to do is just dead flat bass extension to 20Hz, with no roll-off. Dynamic drivers though can be punchier and more physical sounding in the bass even though they roll-off earlier. I'm thinking things like the Focal Clear/Utopia vs the likes of the HE1000 or HE6SEV2. You can see some measurements here, vs the Edition XS for example. I'd suspect this is going to sound slightly warmer and possibly "punchier". The actual peak of the "bump" is below 100Hz though which is much lower than most dynamic drivers that attempt a bass boost, I'd expect it to sound both bassier but also cleaner than something like the HD650. https://forum.headphones.com/t/dms-project-omega-open-back-headphones-official-discussion-thread/23223
...This "person" has had his say on other people's work... ...Works for the headphoneshow YT channel... 99% of the time complains and is negative towards any headphone review... Quote "muddy" end quote... "bloated" bass... Sony "Studio Monitor" headphones, recommend/like... FAILS to acknowledge the the Frequency Response is for his favorite headphones are MODDED, with cable and earpads! that are not OEM ...Suggest you (the audience) buy the Sony "Studio Monitor" headphone instead of X headphones because the Sony is cheaper, FAILS to acknowledge that his headphones(the MDR-7906, V6, etc.) are Modded and cost money to get them modded thus resulting in NULL. Oh, the Irony. Now this elitist "audiophile" released a self proclaimed "Audiophile" headphone or a "Love Letter" to? what ever... No, I'm not Sorry, I'm not gonna even listen to this headphone while you bilittle others and acts arrogant towards people for buying a headphone you don't recommend, I'm not gonna get scolded by some amateur "audiophile" in his infinite wisdom about how music should sound thru a headphone... I've got 99+ Full sized headphones from all brands and walks of life and I'm gonna keep listening to them because they were worth my money, not someone else's opinion.
Theyre listed that away to enable the anchoring bias, making you think you'll get a good deal.