WILSON AUDIO/ cost vs. value

Holenneck, I have been following this thread and since it started. Wilson threads are always interesting.
First, I applaud Dave Wilson for his success. I see nothing wrong with him charging 28k for his WP8. There are buyers out there for the speaker and he has done a great deal of work in developing this model over the years.
Second, don't accuse me of a closed mind. I have had an open mind to everything in this hobby. I actually like Wilson. I stated that I made no comment on the sound of the speakers as this was not the topic of the thread. Pay attention.
I watched the whole thing because I am open minded. I found the show quite ridiculous. Perhaps this is more a commentary on the show itself rather than the topic of the show. I simply feel Dave Wilson did not do himself any favors by appearing on that show.
I admire his success and respect his accomplishments. That is in spite of his participating in that silly program.

As a product manager for a major biotechnology firm, I find it amusing that Wilson tries to exert leverage on potential buyers by invoking a "because he doesn't charge huge margins that's good enough reason for you to buy our products." This simply plays off the ignorance of consumers, nothing wrong with that but it has nothing to do with the features and benefits of the products. That's some "clever" agency he has retained to come up with this campaign. It's as though, because I'm mostly putting more of my money into his products realtive to what he pays for them and less than what other manufacturers put into their own pockets, this is the reason I should buy Wilson? Very clever and some may bite, but in the long run if the products don't deliver, then reputation catches up. Sad that a manufacturer has to resort to such lame tactics. Makes me wonder what else he is hiding, besides the simple technical fact that you cannot deliver, at least in this universe, accurate midrange with 7 inch drivers.

again, you dont see the purpose of the video, it seems to be a cable access show within the state limits of Utah that Wilson appeared on not to advertise, but to discuss his business. When he spoke technically about his products and his company in general, it was way over the head of any of the three hosts. I doubt a single owner of Wilson speakers saw the broadcast of the show before it leaked on the internet. I believe he did the show to showcase his company to the local public and discuss his business strategy for the future. It is a business show. Wilson is a company based in Utah, they employ local people, yet they sell their speakers in over 40 countries. That is a pretty amazing success story, dont you think? I am sure he never thought for a minute it would be shown on the internet and be discussed by some nuckleheads like us, but it did. Other than that, what else is there left to say?

Holleneck - I also thought the show was silly. You are right that it could have been about farm equipment and it probably was the following week. It could have been about the upcoming fireworks display or the Prom 2 weeks ago. It was a poorly executed puff piece put on by a local news show. Dave probably helped to write the script, telling the emcee dude what questions to ask. For a company that markets itself to the rich and famous, it was embarrassingly provincial. Dave came across to me like Donald Trump.
And to stay on point, I don't think there is any real justification for speakers to cost so much. Hence, I do not see them as a good value. I would say the same about a $1000 bottle of wine. It is just so far beyond the point of diminishing returns that it cannot be commensurately better than other options available for a fraction of the cost.
Unlike some others, I do not feel a crime is being committed in the sale of these items though I would not choose them at one tenth of the price. Timex is just as good as Rolex. And they're both better than my ex.

If we truly want to discuss his margins, we need to know what salary David Wilson is paying himself, his wife & what his employee payroll is. His advertising budget is enourmous as well. Also, he can do some innovative bookkeeping to keep the profit elsewhere. He could have 2 separate companies selling from 1 to the other and the profit is divided. All this is guessing but possible.

Now discussing his advertising. I bet there is a firm involved. If you see his advertising is thematic. Many different ads with different information concepts seeking to differentiate Wilson from other speakers. The advertising campaign might have a few poorly chosen examples, but this is all from the advertising firm.

On to Dave Wilson's salary. For a multi million $ company I am sure he is allowed to pay himself a huge salary & why not. I believe he pays his staff very well, but to be fair he should as he probably is sharing his growth.

I am also guessing that he manufacturers more of the product in house than many other speaker manufacturers. Other manufacturers probably farm out a lot of their production including cabinet work. Others manufacturers might not have a marketing department, customer service dept. or a quality control dept.