It Is what it is but that's a big "except".
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- 70 posts total
"I have no problem with extreme wealth, except with how it is corrupting our democracy." Has it not been so for at least 100 years in the US and even to the beginnings of civilization worldwide. Nothing new under the Sun. Relevancy to audio? Not much. Plenty of great gear out there at affordable prices. Dave |
@bdp24 You mention: " So back to the 2150. How close to it’s sound quality could Boulder get if the amps price point was $49,000? Or $29,000? And to what degree are they offering it out of a belief that if it’s priced high enough, it will appeal and sell to consumers desiring not just great sound, but bragging rights, or membership in an exclusive club, or whatever? Pride of ownership is one thing, vanity another." Technically if you're looking at 49K, then you're pretty close to the 2160 stereo amp which is basically 1 monoblock. At the 29K mark,youre about 20% above what the 1060 stereo amp retails. Boulder sells at a few price points, but I believe they are very expensive regardless. It took me a lot of months to really decide if I were serious enough to make the jump to the 2060. |
Just to be as clear as possible, I have no problem with companies designing, making, and selling cost-no-object products, or with those who can afford and buy them. You go, boy! I just don’t like to see them reviewed as if they are real-world products, no different than "affordable" ones. Of course it’s all relative---enthusiasts may consider a $10,000 loudspeaker or $5,000 amplifier affordable, but non-enthusiasts sure don’t. It has been argued that the work devoted to cost-no-object products allows the development and improvement of lower-priced products---trickle-down engineering. If true---and I have no reason to doubt the veracity of that claim, great. That might be the best justification of all---for those needing one---for such products. TAS is much worse in regard to the prices of the products they review than is Stereophile, covering almost exclusively the highest of high-end. The price of the products they review could cause one to consider the question of morality, though I don’t care to open that can of worms. But there comes a point where things can appear to be somewhat amorally gluttonous. Lifestyles of the rich & famous. Yuck. I am attempting to resist the temptation to be judgmental, but attending CES sure affords one the opportunity to get a glimpse into the character of the people involved in the industry---designer/manufactures, retail dealers, and reviewers. Hearing people speak, seeing how they comport themselves, how they talk to others, what kind of products they are interested in selling. Over-hearing how they talk about each other, and their customers/clients---it’s really interesting to see how that relates to the products each makes or sells. I’ve witnessed major retailers acting like they are Rock stars, while others are humble and modest. The same with designer/manufactures. I have found the relationship between products and character to be very much evident. We are all free to support the manufactures, products, and dealers we choose. Our choices are revealing of OUR character. |
"I have no problem with extreme wealth, except with how it is corrupting our democracy." Dave, that's where I was coming from, and I apologize to "audiophiles" for getting so far off track. My thoughts are not about one 100K amp, but about this sudden increase in the number of audiophile products in that price range; I suspect those buyers aren't even audiophiles, but people with so much excess wealth they're having trouble finding some entertaining way to spend it. Once upon a time, while you went about your business of working, and entertaining yourself with our hobby of enjoying good sound, there were many people who worked in government agencies protecting all of us; not from some alien enemy, but criminal exploitation by "billionaires"; some of those agencies have been "hijacked" by politicians for their own personal gain. Since audiophiles are accustomed to reading charts and graphs, they know what information is conveyed by them. These charts and graphs convey what you paid for food and gasoline over this period of time. Imagine how much you would make if you could sell gasoline for $2.00 a gallon more than what you paid for it without ever even smelling one gallon of gas. That's what you could do if you were part of the 1% who run the politicians, and therefore this country. The CFTC is the government agency that prevents such exploitation. What if politicians could force the CFTC to look the other way while you conducted your nefarious business? http://wealthisbeingtranfered.wordpress.com/2012/06/12/wealth-is-being-transferred-from-us-to-them/ There are factors in those charts that confirm what I have stated. Those charts are part of public record, they can not be erased. |
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