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When someone tells you it's a $40,000 amp, does it sound better?

I've always been a little bit suspicious when gear costs more than $25,000 . At $25,000 all the components should be the finest, and allow room for designer Builder and the dealer to make some money.

I mean that seems fair, these boxes are not volume sellers no one's making a ton of money selling the stuff.

But if I'm listening to a $40,000 amplifier I imagine me Liking it a whole lot more just because it costs $40,000. How many people have actually experienced listening to a $40,000 amplifier.  It doesn't happen that often and usually when you do there's nothing else around to compare it to.  
 

I'm just saying expensive gear is absolutely ridiculous.  It's more of a head game I'm afraid. Some how if you have the money to spend, and a lot of people do, these individuals feel a lot better spending more money for something.  Now you own it, and while listening to it you will always be saying to yourself that thing cost $40,000 and somehow you'll enjoy it more.

 

jumia
mahlman
433 posts
 

@secretguy 

"I've never known anyone silly enough to spend 40k."

It is not about silly it is a different value system then most of us have to worry about. Like some big fancy houses I have been to in Nashville where they have the four walls but are now to broke to fill the inside with "fine" furniture. But the house says I made it.

Why did Andy Warhols ridiculous famous, I have no idea why either, Cambell's Soup can painting go for 11.8 million? Because someone wanted a trophy not a work of genuine art..

  As is often mentioned it is their money to do with as they see fit and they pay the bills for the makers of such "fine" audio gear. I don't object to how they spend it I object to how they think I should revere their bad choices as being great sound.

laoman's avatar
laoman
460 posts
 

This forum is really becoming as silly as ASR. Yes, a lot of audio equipment is overpriced. Yes, some cheaper equipment sounds great. Yes, some dear equipment sounds poor. Yes, some high priced amplifiers are worth it and you can really hear the difference. Listen with your ears and not your eyes.

jumia OP
528 posts
 

The problem with the high priced audio gear is that the marketing information that accompanies this gear is horrifying.  It's just a lot of crap meant to be read by people who don't know what they're doing.  The dealers don't really understand what they're selling and they don't have any of these higher end products in stock so you're forced to buy it without hearing it.  The dealers are forced to buy the product before they can sell it to you.  And even if you did hear it, it's not gonna be the same at your home.

It's the worst possible selling situation in the world.  

unreceivedogma's avatar
unreceivedogma
1,028 posts
 

@mrdecibel
Being at a live show also has compromises: the person sitting in front of you, the one sitting to one side of you, the one sitting in back of you, the quality of the seating, how far back, to one side, or close you are sitting, the depth of the stage, and most importantly, the quality of the acoustics of the music hall, which are almost always compromised, depending on where you are sitting. I could go on.

roxy54's avatar
roxy54
8,102 posts
 

@unreceivedogma 

That's a good observation.

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