Ajani
01-22-2008, 05:20 PM
I know this is a constant debate among audiophiles, non-audiophiles and haters (lol).... but are there products that can actually justify their high costs, or is the high-end made up mostly of high profit margins and snakeoil?
Snakeoil arguements
1) Expensive/Luxury products generally have high profit margins, since they can't make much profit based on selling high quantities. i.e. How many $100k speakers can a manufacturer sell in a year compared to the number of $1K speakers?
2) A great deal of the cost of high end products are spent on improving appearance rather than sound quality. e.g. Would you expect a real wood veneer on a $500 speaker? Probably not, a cheap vinyl one would be appropriate... But would you expect an expensive veneer on a $5K speaker? I don't think a cheap vinyl finish is gonna cut it at that price...
Some good examples of how much finishes can inflate the cost of speakers can be seen by custom ordering speakers from internet manufacturers like Norh and Axiom. I remember checking out what it would cost to get a High gloss white veneer on some Axiom towers versus one of the standard finishes.... I was able to turn a $1k speaker into a $2k speaker just by changing the finish and If I'm not mistaken the site made sure to state that the finishes do not improve sound quality (or maybe I read that in a review as well). Norh has a choice between real and synthetic marble for their speakers... and they state on their site that the much cheaper synthetic sounds exactly the same, but just doesn't look as good....
Counter Points
I notice that some of the strongest advocates of the quality of expensive gear are planar lovers....
Generally planars don't have quite as swanky finishes as comparably priced cone speakers.... and the planar technology seems to justify their high costs... simply because larger and larger planars are needed to generate more bass. so a modest increase in bass may require doubling the size of the speaker... and its not unreasonable to expect that doubling the speaker size might double the costs....
Also, Since many of these speakers need a lot of power to drive them... it requires more powerful amps... more watts = more $$$$$....
I haven't really heard a great arguement for expensive CD players yet though....
Anyway, what are your views on the age old question? And feel free to share your experiences
Snakeoil arguements
1) Expensive/Luxury products generally have high profit margins, since they can't make much profit based on selling high quantities. i.e. How many $100k speakers can a manufacturer sell in a year compared to the number of $1K speakers?
2) A great deal of the cost of high end products are spent on improving appearance rather than sound quality. e.g. Would you expect a real wood veneer on a $500 speaker? Probably not, a cheap vinyl one would be appropriate... But would you expect an expensive veneer on a $5K speaker? I don't think a cheap vinyl finish is gonna cut it at that price...
Some good examples of how much finishes can inflate the cost of speakers can be seen by custom ordering speakers from internet manufacturers like Norh and Axiom. I remember checking out what it would cost to get a High gloss white veneer on some Axiom towers versus one of the standard finishes.... I was able to turn a $1k speaker into a $2k speaker just by changing the finish and If I'm not mistaken the site made sure to state that the finishes do not improve sound quality (or maybe I read that in a review as well). Norh has a choice between real and synthetic marble for their speakers... and they state on their site that the much cheaper synthetic sounds exactly the same, but just doesn't look as good....
Counter Points
I notice that some of the strongest advocates of the quality of expensive gear are planar lovers....
Generally planars don't have quite as swanky finishes as comparably priced cone speakers.... and the planar technology seems to justify their high costs... simply because larger and larger planars are needed to generate more bass. so a modest increase in bass may require doubling the size of the speaker... and its not unreasonable to expect that doubling the speaker size might double the costs....
Also, Since many of these speakers need a lot of power to drive them... it requires more powerful amps... more watts = more $$$$$....
I haven't really heard a great arguement for expensive CD players yet though....
Anyway, what are your views on the age old question? And feel free to share your experiences