Headphones at OcUK - An Update

rjk

rjk

rjk

Caporegime
Joined
8 Aug 2007
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Hi Guys

Recent feedback and conversations away from the forums have meant that I really have to make this thread to keep you guys in the loop.

Two main objectives we have at the moment are:
- Offer a headphone range
- improve on accessories such as DAC/Amps etc.


With regards to the headphone range, there are a lot of pitfalls in this area that are preventing this from being a quick task. A lot of headphone manufacturers deal with a very insular distribution network and we are simply unable to buy from them. Reasons I have been provided with on a number of occasions include cheap copies of this sort of product being sold.

I have gone through our existing channels and we have spoken to Beyerdynamic, Sennheiser and Creative.

Creative - range is being updated today.
Sennheiser - still awaiting responses internally from them
Beyerdynamic - proving difficult as they are changing their sales channels which means we have no access to their standard lineup currently.


I have contacted a few other brands but realistically a lot of them just arent within reach currently.

What I am asking in this thread is what would you like to see at OCUK?

Dacs? Headphones?

any feedback is appreciated and we will explore everything suggested here.

Cheers

Rich
 
What about stocking some of the popular Asian brands, particularly new upstarts? Head-fi is undoubtedly the biggest platform for an insight on trends and there are many Headfiers who will drop £30-£60 on earphones or amps without a second thought if the performance equals or beats something costing £200+

Not definitive by any means but brands such as, Fiio, Vsonic, Vmoda, Shure, AKG, HiFiMan, Topping, Aune etc… are very popular on Headfi.

Also, as mentioned below, if you 'really' want to grab the attention of buyers and push sales in this area then pricing is key. If you can be the cheapest with stock then ripples will become waves.
 
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I already have headphones but if someone wanted a recommendation on a gaming headset I'd point him towards your headphones if you had stock of:

PortaPros, Creative Aurvana Live, DT770, HD598, AD700X

I don't think you need a bigger range than those 5 tbh unless you want headphones which are more "all rounders" and not just for gaming but for all purposes, then I would try and get Fidelio X1's in stock because the porta pro's, CAL's and DT770 are already pretty much all rounders anyway. I have left the Q701 off the list because it is very hard to drive. I don't think a lot of people starting out in the headphone world want something that is hard to drive, they are looking for low impedance headphones, so they don't need to spend a large chunk of money on an AMP or a DAC and an AMP.

As for DAC's it's something I am interested in but it's a very very complicated market. I have been told pretty much all DAC's under £100 are all the same thing really the differences are minimal at best. So long as it's an O2 (http://nwavguy.blogspot.co.uk/), Wolfson, Schhit or Cirrus they are all pretty much similar in terms of SQ in this price range. The same goes for all DAC's in the £100-£200 price range iirc there's not much difference between them and the cheaper <£100 DAC's from the above companies to justify paying for them so they are pretty much not good in terms of value for money. It's when you start to spend £200+ that you get significantly better sound quality than say a £70 DAC from the above companies. Are people willing to pay that though?

This is why it's a very very complicated market. I will buy a better DAC/AMP in future but I think it will be the NAD D 3020, simply because it kills 2 birds with 1 stone. It's a hi-fi amp and a headphone amp in one. The Headphone amp isn't as good as the D 1050 but the D 1050 is the same money just for a headphone amp (can only work with headphones).

This is why DAC's is a very complicated market. You cannot have a DAC without an AMP and vice versa. Do people want to buy DAC's and AMP's separately? or better to get an all in one solution? I think all in ones would be more user friendly (especially for noobs).

There's so many companies out there too, fiio, nad, cmoy, aune, bottlehead, etc, etc.

If you were to go into this market I would pick one of each product for each price point:

one DAC and also one AMP for under £100
one DAC and also one AMP for under £200
one DAC and also one AMP for under £500

that's it about 3-6 products depending on if the above are separated or all in ones.

will any of these items sell here? only if they are priced competitively tbh and word gets around on places like head fi, avforums and on here that you sell them for the same price or less than the competition.

To give you an idea here is my setups:

Portable: ipod touch 3rd gen with fiio L9 LOD and topping NX1 amp and sennheiser HD 25-1 II's or a selection of IEM's.

Console: astro mixamp with dx clip on mic and Sennheiser HD 595

PC: Asus Xonar DG (bought from yourselves) and Fidelio X1's


for me to get better SQ than the above setups I need to spend big money to see significant improvement, that's why I am going to wait it out and see if I can pick up a bargain otherwise save up for the NAD D 3020 and some Tannoy's.
 
I think you already have my view on this, but some substitutes for the Beyers, if you can't get anywhere with them would be the Shure SRH840, and/or the slightly cheaper Sony MDR-MA900.

Regarding other companies to try and talk to with regards to sources, as previously mentioned it has to be the larger (booming) Asian companies. CMoy, Aune, FiiO (definitely FiiO, some amazing kit for the price) - these mainly produce DACs/amps however are so aren't a great lot of use if you're struggling to source headphones.

Contrary to what Sonny is saying, you can indeed have an amp without a DAC and vice versa - some may already have a soundcard and hence may not want a DAC (as it would be fruitless) for example. (P.S. Sonny, dont get the D3020, grab a 3020A from the bay, so much nicer sounding).
 
Well I'm looking into DAC's to match Epiphany acoustics for example margin will be low. Shipping will be as cheap as it can be.

They apparently have no intention of putting their prices back up to suit Rainforest prices. As they have seen a nice increase in their own sales thanks to the drop I understand and I also understand that my buy price to start with won't be as good as it could be if the relationship goes well and we buy regularly, without trashing their price. Something we rarely do with any product.

Now for such a small range I have no problem putting in the effort and closely match them obviously for forum users they will be cheaper than EPH direct as you get shipping free. The great news is they are offering 2 year onsite repair and that you can go direct to them down in Exeter which if something does break is really good news for a swift and fast turnaround.

I think for the time being we need to keep it under £200 buying £500 DAC's is a high risk purchase maybe once word has gotten out that we are supporting DAC's and Headphones and if we see a positive influx of traffic be it via searches, requests, hits on the site or sales in general we can look to expand

Essentially small steps we aren't the go to place for these items so we can't expect an instant result but we can certainly make a start

Oh and

Creative Labs Aurvana Live! Headphones @ £51.95 inc VAT

SP-179-CL_400.jpg


VIVID PERFORMANCE FOR MUSIC CONNOISSEURS

Bring out the vibrancy in all your music playback with the Creative Aurvana Live! headphones. Lightweight and ergonomically designed, the Aurvana Live! is perfect for listening to music on the move or for your home entertainment use. Constructed with revolutionary driver technology and in-depth acoustic tuning, it delivers a natural and faithful audio presentation akin to a live performance. Sharp transients and dynamic passages are handled with effortless finesse. For realistic music listening, look to the Aurvana Live! today.


Long hours of music enjoyment
The Aurvana Live! provides outstanding comfort with its soft leatherette earpads and adjustable padded headband. You can now comfortably immerse in your music for hours on end.

High performance drivers
Enjoy clear and detailed highs, coupled with remarkable deep and rich bass tones from the powerful Neodymium magnet driver with ultra-thin bio-cellulose diaphragm.

Stylishly designed
Optimally contoured earcups minimize internal sound distortion while offering an aesthetic appeal with its high-gloss finish.

Convenient to carry
The included microfiber travel pouch allows you to carry your headphones around easily while doubling up conveniently as a earcup polisher.

Perfect companion for your music
Enjoy life-like music from your audio players with the Aurvana Live! headphones.

Specifications:-
- Wearing Style: Over-the-Ear
- Weight: 210g (7.4oz)
- Driver Size: 40mm (1.57 inches) Neodymium magnet
- Frequency Response: 10Hz ~ 30KHz
- Cable Length: 1.2m / 3.9ft
- Product Type: Wired Headphones

In the box:
- Creative Aurvana Live! headphones
- 1.2m extension cable
- 6.3mm (1/4?) stereo adapter
- Travel pouch

Only £51.95 inc VAT.

ORDER NOW
 
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With regards to the EPH, JDSLabs do a custom Objective2 with RCA out on the rear, psu also on the rear. If Epiphany can do this for OCUK I will buy it now.
 
by do this do you mean with the RCA on the back or do you mean if Epiphany come on board with us?
 
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Cookeh said:
(P.S. Sonny, dont get the D3020, grab a 3020A from the bay, so much nicer sounding).
Click to expand...

Will this be good for both headphones and tannoys?

How much are they worth as ebay is sporadic with pricing? Also are they easily fixable should something go wrong. I am wary of buying second hand electronics and therefore would only buy if the price is dirt cheap compared to a new product as there is zero warranty, etc.

It looks huge though.
 
TwsT said:
by do this do you mean with the RCA on the back or do you mean if Epiphany come on board with us?
Click to expand...

Epiphany don't offer a custom option at the moment. However, if they get on board with OCUK it would be great if the partnership resulted in something unique, such as, a custom option with RCA on the rear (just like the JDSLabs custom option).
 
Astro is sadly a no go and has been for a few years. I have tried on a few occasions to get them on board but they simply dont sell their products via retailers.
 
EPH are planning to move the RCA/power input to the rear of the O2 when they refresh the model.

J-Labs do an amp very similar (in appearance, I can't vouch for the electronics) to the EPH O2, but with the RCA/power inputs in the rear, which I believe is what gjc is talking about. This isn't particularly important, however, especially with EPH redesigning their layout.

Psycho Sonny said:
Will this be good for both headphones and tannoys?

How much are they worth as ebay is sporadic with pricing? Also are they easily fixable should something go wrong. I am wary of buying second hand electronics and therefore would only buy if the price is dirt cheap compared to a new product as there is zero warranty, etc.

It looks huge though.
Click to expand...

It's approx the same size as most modern amps, in fact it has a lower profile. It has a headphone out socket and sounds great with both headphones and speakers. Pairing isn't an issue either, pretty much all speakers work well with it.

Regarding the Tannoys, what are you thinking of getting and at what budget? Beneath £200 you wont get any better than the Q Acoustics 2020is, or the Cambridge Audio SX50s.

TwsT said:
Oh and

Creative Labs Aurvana Live! Headphones @ £51.95 inc VAT
Click to expand...

Excellent, glad to see this - slightly cheaper than competitors at the moment too. Hopefully this is just the start, and the PortaPros will soon be stocked ;) (Next most important imo, most recommendations are falling between £30 and £50, for which the PortaPro and CAL! are the best options).
 
rjkoneill said:
ours comes with a £7 clip on mic free of charge too ;)
Click to expand...

that's a brilliant deal, although I think the spes mic is better than the zalman.

are you going to get the spes back in stock? if so then I would give the option of paying a few quid extra and get the spes instead of the zalman.

if not it's still great for a beginner setup tbh and a lot of gamers would probably stop there tbh, upgrades after the cal become very expensive quickly.
 
TwsT said:
Oh and

Creative Labs Aurvana Live! Headphones @ £51.95 inc VAT

SP-179-CL_400.jpg
Click to expand...

I think I might purchase these. Needing some headphones for gaming really and a microphone that doesn't pick up my keyboard. Hopefully these will serve all these purposes.

I've been watching some of the discussions in this forum and this is an excellent move. Unfortunately I can't offer any advice due to my lack of knowledge!

Thanks :)
 
wildest_jjk said:
I think I might purchase these. Needing some headphones for gaming really and a microphone that doesn't pick up my keyboard. Hopefully these will serve all these purposes.

I've been watching some of the discussions in this forum and this is an excellent move. Unfortunately I can't offer any advice due to my lack of knowledge!

Thanks :)
Click to expand...

They are an absolutely excellent choice for the money. Cheapest I can find them here as well once you factor in the mic.

You will not be dissapointed.
 
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