@jdoris Exotic veneer or high end automotive finish is obviously bling.
But does finish account for a high percentage of costs on luxury speakers? I dunno. 10 v. 2 bucks per sf. of veneer doesn’t add up to much.
A lot of stuff that kinda feels bling-y, like the multi-piece cabinets on the big Wilsons, is of course supposed to positively influence sonics.
Thankyou, this goes to my wish for clarification about what is bling? I’m thinking of the AGD Audion which has been discussed a bit here.
Some see the tube which appears a marketing ploy, is that bling? It has that aspect, but it is also a deliberate functional part of the design - it affords easy replacement if and when upgrades become available (perhaps every year or so? Its already on MKII).
The Audion is available in matte or chrome. Is chrome bling? Is matte bling? Does it serve a function? (hmm, second time I’ve used that word)
Some people who are blessed to have a very extraordinary utility such as the Audion and which is gunna be sitting peering down at you from its esteemed pedestal for the next 100 years may wish it to be chrome rather than matte for their aesthetic preferences. Or matte rather than chrome.
Does that choice contribute to the utility that the owner derives? It certainly does not contribute to sonics. No correlation here at all with sonics and aesthetics.
What was the question?