Why pay so much for super high end?

Dear Mr. Fun--Fun

I am a dealer of high end audio and have been for about 12 years. In my twenties I worked for a hi fi shop in Denver that did sell a few hi fi items, Kef, ADS, Luxman but that was in the 70's. So one would think that things would improve at a pretty good clip. I have yet to see it loudspeakers. It is almost like hobbyists that enjoy music systems say to themselves, " I think I could make a loud speaker better the these. Then they are off and running. Big MDF boxes with three drivers. WOW isn't that special. You hire a cabinet guy to go to work, you buy drivers, none are as good as you would like them to be but latter you will order direct from the factory and have them add a couple of windings and call them custom, then you play around with crossovers and settle for one, then late you will upgrade the parts and say what a huge improvement that makes.

Now you are in business. Marketing comes  next.

So I wish I did't have to say this but I agree with you.

Maybe not about the other stuff you said regarding the people who buy them.

  

soundsrealaudio, 

Can you give more details and some examples? There's always going to be a mix of good and bad speakers in the market. But if you look at most of the successful speaker companies that have an established brand, along with track record of repeat sales, they seem to be unique in that they're products are able to outperform DIY speakers. Of course, you'll have the ocassional exception, but for the most part, DIY has a difficult time competing with established brands.

@mb1audio, I couldn't agree more w/11-23 11:52.

I'm diying a classic design with an nod to the German Physiks model.  The sound of the former with an 'update', with my own 'take' on the concept.  I can't buy what's in my mind's eye at any price.  That, and a champagne taste with a cold water budget.
If I'm going to 'tilt windmills', dammit, I'm going to pick a Big One and have @ it. *L*
If I come up a good one, I'll obviously share that.  And a vid with better sound in the effort.
If it sucks, I share that too.  "Don't go there with That."  
It requires commitment.  I can do that.
Thought.  Planning.  Execution.  Yup.
I'm not building a cabinet, it's a speaker.  Well, half of one, anyway.
Not that I've not thought of that, though....one could...but I digress...a lot.
While some chase Nirvana 'that'away', I'm going 'this'away'.
And the enjoyment of My chase vs. yours vs. anyone else's...
...is relatively the same to me, just a different POV.

I like 'surround'.  I just want Really Good Surround.
That's My itch.  Scratching as fast as I can.... ;)
Your scratch yours...I'm busy. *L*

Mb1 audio of course most diy speakers aren't as good as high end.  a lot of them use budget bang for the buck drivers like Dayton etc and the cabinetsame while sophisticated could be improved.

My point is there should be a site like diyaudio.com where there are several designs that people with extensive building knowledge design 150-200+ lb cabinets with high end drivers and crossovers instead of budget designs that would actually put a dent in the scam market there is today.

I'd personally prefer to buy retail but hey I refuse to be scammed.

If enough people decided hey....I don't want to buy $25,000 speakers any more and pay a 1000% margin on cost to build...then they will drastically lower prices.  There are too many speaker companies anyways there are thousands.  There are only a hand full of car dealers, tv manufacturers and cell phone makers.  These huge, huge margins allow 1000s of small companies to exist because they make a fortune when they sell 1 pair of speakers.  People don't understand they're being scammed...if they did they wouldn't do it.  

No amplifier should ever cost more than $5,000 to buy.  No 10' 100% copper speaker cables should ever cost more than $150 to buy.  No processor should ever cost more than $5,000 to buy.  No Source player should ever cost more than $1,000 unless it's 500 disc capacity.  No pair of speakers should ever cost over $10,000 unless it's something crazy like a line source or special circumstances.


If you guys keep paying the margins out of ignorance then they will keep reaping the fruits of it.


Even though the diy revolution will probably never happen I have a feeling a factory direct speaker company is going to off set the market in the next 10 years...


Someone is going to design  a 150 lb well built cabinet with super high end drivers and an excellent crossover and you will get the highest end 11 channel atmos speaker set for like $12,500 and it will rival $500,000 systems but the placebo reviewers will gawk at its low price and say it's ok when in reality they'll be the top speakers on the market.


Can't wait for it.

Then another factory direct company will follow suit...and soon there will be a handfull of companies with flagship speakers rivaling speakers costing 100 times their asking prices.  Super high end scan Speak, dynaudio oem and Seas designs and accuton ...all for pennies compared to the high end world.

It already started when SVS released the PB16-Ultra for $2,500...arguably the greatest commercial subwoofer on earth for $2,500.

If SVS or Aperion or Ascend Acoustics released a full scan Speak Illuminator speaker with excellent cabinets and good crossovers for 4 way full range floorstanders and $5,000 and a 3 way bookshelf for $2750 and 3 way center for $1,750 it would change things.  The d3004 is considered by a  great many as the best tweeter in the world same with their 4.5" midrange...and their woofers are considered of the best too.  
The amplifier market and processor and sources and cables will probably be that way until a 60 minutes episode comes out.  Even then people have been used to the Idea that $20,000 for an amplifier is normal...they won't go away for a while.


It will end one day just who knows when.