Yes, I certainly have faced the opposite of FOMO recently.

After trying the Focal Utopia 2022 earlier this year on tour, and comparing it to a bunch of my other headphones, I finally realized just how steep the diminishing returns roll off is past a certain price point in headphones. I experienced the opposite of FOMO when I compared the Utopia for two weeks to all my other under $500 headphones, and actually not hearing the substantial difference I was expecting. Hell, I even compared the Utopia to my IEMs under $200. The Utopias are more detailed and resolving, sure, but was it $4000 better? Absolutely not. I was able to get a similar sound with the Focal Clear MG I already owned. Also even more with the (now on sale) $129 JVC HA-FD01 IEMs, which have given me a super enjoyable, punchy and dynamic experience similar to that of the Clear MG and Utopia, at least when using a custom EQ profile for my ears.

If I had an extra few thousand dollars lying around right now, I probably would still get the Utopia 2022, it sounds incredible and is one of my favorites. But I’m honestly getting 95% of that ultra high end experience with things that cost a tenth of the price, and sometimes they can sound even better. Granted I haven’t heard many headphones above $1k, I still need to hear stuff like the LCD-4, Abyss, Susvara, etc. But I feel like most of these summit fi headphones are ultra detailed specialists, and I would rather go back to the trusty Sennheiser HD600, Hifiman HE-500, and Focal Clear MG for all rounder open back headphones. Or, dare I say it, the Koss KPH40.

This isn’t an issue with the Pro versions (OG and MG) since they use black paint on top of black plastic. I also recall seeing something similar with the brown MG model chipping off. Really is a shame since they sound so good.

Just an HD660S2 this year, which I am incredibly happy with.

My wife already knows I spend too much on headphones lol. But she admits she spends too much on makeup and other beauty products, so we get along.