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Hype, Hyperbole and high price!

Okay, I understand that this site has to make money by having advertisers, but cheese and crackers, the claims that are made are just laughable if not down right criminal!  Before I attended an engineering university I too was duped into buying expensive wires and such.  Now, armed with an engineering and physics background, I can see through the BS claims made.  I try and not let it get in the way of my enjoyment of good quality stereo equipment, but when a salesman tries to sell me something based on testimonials, hype and hyperbole, I tell him politely my background and then ask him a series of questions which leaves him dumbfounded. 

Such crap as directional wires - (I used to work for both Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman) and trust me, if we had to test the miles of wires for directionality in every piece of equipment built...well you get the gist.

I have friends that are audio snobs and although they argue with me (Basically buyer's remorse) they know that what I say is true and end the conversation.  Oh well, I suppose I will continue to get a headache when I read said claims.

Sigh!
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almarg
9,670 posts
 
Uncledemp 5-7-2016
If engineering expertise can be applied in a factual manner to audio, why does a company not dominate as a result?

Seriously, I often read what doesn’t work. But what does? I assume electrical engineers are designing at least some of the available equipment. Is it just the nature of audio that lends itself to this differing of application and result?
There are a multitude of factors that are involved, some of which have been well stated in the previous responses to your question. I would say simply that as in many other technical fields, for example medicine, audio is an inexact science.

And I’ll add that a good engineer is open-minded enough to recognize that while circuits and systems can be analyzed and measured, some things inherently have little or no predictability. One example, among countless others that could be cited, being the effects of electrical noise that may be coupled into a circuit. Or the effects involving digital cables that I referred to in my post near the top of this page.

Also, just as in the case of, for example, an automobile, any design represents a unique combination of a vast number of tradeoffs. And as with automobiles, no matter how perfect the net result of those tradeoffs may be, no one company will dominate because different people have different tastes, different practical requirements, and different budgets.

Regards,
-- Al

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danvignau
935 posts
 
     I would never claim that companies that design moon gear have no audio knowledge. Where do you guys think low noise electronics cam from? You know, they did send an analog signal to the moon and back.
     Just look at the number of audio engineers who immediately used these parts when they came available to us, in really good designs, and/or built their own companies: Julius Siksnius (Apollo rocket scientist, Audire), Mark Levinson, Stuart Taylor (Any electronics from several companies, including Adcom and Bryston, with a model number that begins with "ST"),  John Curl (Any Mark Levinson gear with a model number beginning with (JC), etc.
    Let's us also not forget that the reason we have such great tubes/valves-for-the-aficionado,  is that the USSR was so far behind us in electronics that they perfected their tubes for use in MIG radar. That is why tubes come from Russia and China.
     TRIVIA: When turning and firing  their cannons, MIG pilots had to compensate for the gravitational forces on the stretching elements in the tube radar. 
knghifi
1,668 posts
 
For me the big issue with all these incredibly priced products is the impact they have on bringing new folks into the fold.  I can't tell you how many folks, both young with good-paying jobs and older with disposable income, that just roll their eyes about investing in quality audio systems after browsing ads, magazines, and websites and seeing $1,000+ cables, $2,000 plus cartridges, $3,000K DACs and other such costly items.  Between the ridiculous (at least to them) cost and claims, this completely turns many interested folks off to our hobby.  To me this is the biggest problem with such items.  Granted there are much less expensive but really good products out there, but that is not what the general public really gets exposed to.  

Super cars and mansions in magazines and TV shows don't prevent anyone from buying cars or homes.   Just buy what you can afford?    You can build a very nice system on a budget especially internet age.   Used market or home base retailers with lower operating expenses.

I don't buy the argument expensive components is the reason for lack of interest in the hobby.
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geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Ihor wrote,

"... that just roll their eyes about investing in quality audio systems after browsing ads, magazines, and websites and seeing $1,000+ cables, $2,000 plus cartridges, $3,000K DACs and other such costly items."

Actually you are underestimating the high end prices enormously. If they just rolled their eyes at your prices one imagines their eyes would pop out of their heads entirely if they saw what the high offers the well heeled audiophile today: $24,000 interconnects, $15,000 cartridges, $30,000 DACs and $100,000 turntables.

cheers

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