2009 - the year of the headphone?
Head-fi fans will love the stats from last year, revealed here
Any indication on how sales of headphone amps went? I aspire to designing and selling my own.
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...
idc - this has to be your thread, surely to goodness...
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?
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.
Headphone amps too small to register as a separate sector yet; ditto DACs.
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.
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.
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.
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...
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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.)
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.
The bloke who makes the EB Acoustics EB1 (the review for which I can't find right now)
I thought those speakers were selling like hot cakes....
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