Anticipating headphone releases is a rather curious concept. It's not like headphones get updated every year like smartphones, or even on a regular basis. And nothing really revolutionary happens in headphones anyways. All the better IMO. Maybe it's just me getting older, but anticipating a product release isn't something that happens to me very much. Curiosity, of course. Interest, sure. But nail-biting anticipation? Not really something that I feel.
I'm still interested in new headphones, even if I'm not anticipating them. I'd like to hear the new entry-level Stax SR-X1 at some point. It's Stax's first accessibly priced headphone in a while that looks normal (i.e. not a Lambda). It's always good to have a cheaper model to fit normal budgets and normal tastes in headphone aesthetics. It is expected to be released mid-year and maybe it'll reach the US by the fall. In any case, I'm planning a Tokyo/Japan trip for the end of the year and I'll probably get to hear it if I visit e-earphone or Fujiya-avic.
On the exact opposite end, I'm curious about the Raal 1995 Immanis and Magna. Ribbons are a path I didn't take in my journey, so I think it would be interesting to hear the Immanis/Magna at some point. The Final D7000 has also piqued my curiosity. Technically released late last year, but I'm still curious about the DCA E3; I have not enjoyed any of DCA's headphones (I own the Aeon 2 Closed/Noire and I've had multiple demoes of the Stealth, Expanse, and Corina, as well as a brief listen of the Ether 2 Open), but hope springs eternal that I might find a DCA that I like. I want to hear these headphones, but I'm also not in a rush to do so, or keen on closely following the conversation around them.