Why pay so much?

funaudiofun,

"If you asked people if they would be willing to get their wiring for 99% off? 99% of people would say the affirmative, H*** Yeah."

"And the fact that people are willing to knock on doors to get these ridiculously priced wiring is the exact fact of why they charge these prices. Because people are willing to do this."

So, are they willing to pay ridiculous prices or not?

By the way, I did not mention that people are willing to be ripped off and like it. You, again, placed your incorrect interpretation as my words. You may not be willing to accept it, but what you consider a "rip-off" is not what everybody considers a rip-off. Some people just want to buy expensive cables.

There is definitely a place for affordable audio in the world. It exists. It is all over the place. Of course, what is "affordable audio" is another question. For some, $70 000 speaker cables are just that.

funaudiofun,

I do not own an audio company.

You can call people idiots, but not everyone can build a speaker in the garage. Many do not even have an interest in doing it to spite someone who is trying to make a living by producing something we can use.

"By saying that a garage, tools and waste materials amount to 50,000+% margins?"

You forgot the other two, easily the most expensive things I listed. Time and injuries. They are worth whatever someone is willing to pay. For the buyer, it is not about margins, it is about final price.

While you are at margins, do you happen to have some info about margins for Celine Trapeze? How about pricier models? You would not even need a garage to try to reproduce it. You could, in theory, do it on the kitchen table. Now, go to your wife, sister, neighbor, and tell her that you will do it for her instead of paying Celine. Let us know the response you get.

Okay, lol, I feel like your being funny and egging me on now, lol.

In the purest intentions, $30,000 speaker wire for $300, with 1,000% margins, $100,000 speakers for $4,000 with 1,000% margins, and processors and amplifiers for no more than $1,000 for 1,000+% margins would be not only good for the market with the volume over high margins low sales, would not only still be very profitable for 7 or 8 companies (we don’t need more - it’s either the best, or it isn’t), but high end audio would be available to the $50,000 a year salesman who works 50+ hours a week, and who would love to listen to all the notes of the music, the "way music is supposed to be heard" in terms of notes, etc.

And if you want to just "buy expensive" components, then spend the money you’d save on buying hi fi components at a 99% reduction to buying for other people who would like it. I’m sure the expensive thrill would be more thrilling this way.

It’s making the hobby not fair by being cavalier and saying "I want expensive". Everyone else is screwed by willing to pay these components weight in literally gold.

It’ll still look and feel and sound expensive, I assure you! With out all the light wallet, and the wife getting mad at you!

Nothing would change!

And buying for the sake of expensive?

Take the money you’d save by buying the less expensive gear which would be the same, and invest it in the stock market like Belden, lol, or Harmon Kardon.

Buying something for the sake of saying I bought something expensive is ridiculous.

These companies will still exist! You don’t need to pay these high prices! These items will still be there!

They don’t need these 100,000% margins to exist!

- Andy

Glupson - you don’t have to build these speakers yourselves.

I’m saying they are making 10,000%+ margins on speaker sales.

If people wouldn’t pay it, they’d drop to 500%. And at that price, nothing would cost more than $5,000 from any companies.

Put simply, a speaker company should exist that sells factory direct Scan- Speak, Accuton, Seas, Audio Technology and Dayton speakers.

They could make 300% margins, and still make tons and tons and tons of money.

Those are the main speaker driver companies used in $10,000+ speakers.

SVSound used a Scan Speak d3004 in a cheap speaker, and I’m assuming the speaker industry threatened them in to not doing it, because within a month or 2 it was withdrawn, and a cheaper alternative was put out.

The d3004-6600 is widely considered one of the greatest tweeters ever invented or conceived.

They got "backlash" from it, and wow, what a surprise, they changed it.

"...high end audio would be available to the $50,000 a year salesman who works 50+ hours a week, and who would love to listen to all the notes of the music, the "way music is supposed to be heard" in terms of notes, etc."

That would depend on his other expenses and disposable income, not on his absolute income.

At the same time, there are many audio reproduction items in the lower price ranges and they still sound great. Most of them are.

$70 000 speaker cables are rare as are $250 000 speakers. Quite good under-$1000 amplifiers exist together with decent $1500 speakers. I have no idea if that particular salesman would find them "too expensive" or "just right".