Most overpriced audio component made

Cables, power cords? Of course! But that's like shooting fish in a bucket. As far as I'm concerned, any gadget or doohickey from Shun Mook takes the prize (they go one better than cables: the cable jacket!). Product price truly reflective of cost: Avantgarde speakers. When one thinks of how much research went into them, and then investment they had to make to build the dies that are used to cast their horns, they seem like a bargain. What do many speaker manufacturers do other than buy an assortment of drivers, resistors, capacitors and inductors, and then mix and match them in a wood box? Sure they spend a lot of time listening to their speakers and tweaking them, but how much is their time worth relative to the investment those speaker manufacturers that build their own drivers have to make?

I totally agree with the statement by definitive above. i have a friend who owns a hi-end store. He showed me a book on some well known brand of cables. I bought a pair for over 60% off,and he showed me the mark down in the book the dealers give them,he told me he still makes money even at that price.Cables are the biggest mark up for dealers and where they make the most money by far. I'm guessing that they make 70 to 80%. all this cable stuff is a bunch of hype. $500 here $2000 there. next time you spend that kinda of money on cables, just remember the person you got them from is pocketing 80% profit!

I can stand to but a few good interconnects and speaker cable I kinda think is ok but how much can a $2000 power cable really have over a $50 one. In my opinion as long as the contacts are clean, the wire is thick, and the power gets to the component my power cables task is done.

Cables are a huge rip off.They make a huge difference and good cables are a must.To get the best out of your system you need great cables.You just dont have to pay the stupid mark ups of the big guys.MIT,NORDST are some of the biggest rip offs around.A properly designed interconnect and one that does justice to high end grar can be sold for 300.00 and the mfg and dealer can still make a good living.I have been fourtunate enough to have tried not purchased many of the high dollar Cables in the marketplace.MIT NORDOST are pure junk.Most 200/300 are far supperior to any thing they make a whatever price points.Wireworld make probably the best cables out thier when you take sound not price into account.Just recently a friend who has a state of the art system which has been evolving over the past 20 years has replaced his Wireworld Gold Eclipse III interconnects which where the best interconnect he had heard at any price with a 299.00 pair of intercoonects.The 299.00 interconnects use every material and sound construction technique required in building a good cable.I have been builing my own for years and have read all the DIY books.This 299.00 cable is built to the highest specs.It is pure proof that you dont have to spend huge money.The difference between this 299.00 cable andd the 2000.00 is the MFG is happy to make an honest living and not rip off the public with the help of the Audio press.One thing is for sure not one reviwer would ever agree to do a blind test with any cable.They would be revealled as the frauds that they are. The cable I speak of is MFG by Coincident Speaker Technology.

Case04: if you don't know, don't say. Cables have a "70-80% mark up". Really? On what planet, because it's not this one! Dealers are lucky to make 20% on cables and often less on components and speakers. "70-80%"? What, you know of someone that paid full retail and then added a tip to the total?! Yes, cables are overpriced, some more than others, but you should keep your assumptions and misconceptions to yourself (importers and distributors don't even that that kind of pricing!)