It happens periodically, where there will be this groundswell of resentment over pricing in high-end audio. As if the wallet of any individual were what was driving the price of any particular product. Instead of looking at it and saying “That’s not for me”, there are those that take it personally, as if “it really was for me, if it weren’t for all those greedy bastards!”
For those folks especially, the headphone-based high-end is a really nifty place to explore.
Take Pendulumic, for example.
Their top-of-the-range Stance S1+ is $199. That’s not pocket change, but it’s pretty damn affordable. It’s also wireless, featuring the latest aptX “wideband” Bluetooth protocol (and Bluetooth 4.0 and A2DP), and a 30 hour playtime. They’re built well, sound great, and look ma, no wires! Wait — just ran out of juice? Aww, too bad — just add a wire, and you’re back in business. The design folds flat, and has an option for AAA batteries to back up the on-board rechargeable. Pretty nifty.
Sonically, the Stance S1+ appears to carry more of a pro-audio voicing, which is fine, but they aren’t going to be knocking out any of the $1,000+ headphones anytime soon. That’s also beside the point. They’re not $1,000. And for their wireless competitors, I think these are definitely in the game.
Looking forward to seeing more from Pendulumic.
