The Snob Appeal Premium


I have learned that speakers are a typical victim of "Designer Label Syndrome".  Supposedly an $8 billion a year market (hard to believe) speakers are fairly simple beasts with little substantive improvements over the last 50 years. Ever since Paul Klipsch ( a character in his own right) read the Bell Labs 1934 papers and revolutionized speaker technology there have been few similar revolutionary improvements to the speaker. So- if you are an enterprising manufacturer of speakers (which are relatively cheap to build) how do you extract more and more money from the consumer ?  Answer: Synthetic demand driven by cachet' !  Like a pair of Louis Vuitton sneakers @ $650 a pair vs. New Balance runners @ 60/pr. It's snobby bragging rights stuff I'm describing here- perceived vs. actual value in a product. 

Here's an anecdotal example: 

I recently set out to build a high end mid-fi system (ARC preamp, power amp, Dac 9) for a large room "main house" (not a listening room) system. The goal was big, full, rich sound in a room full of furniture, chow dogs, kids and untreatable other things like 20 foot ceilings, multiple openings such as a balcony to the upstairs bedrooms, etc. Basically an audiophile's nightmare. 

I auditioned a number of speakers- Perlistens supported by JL Fathom subs, B&W Signatures, Bryston Model Ts, Vienna Acoustics Mahlers and Bethovens. IMO all of these are somewhat similar towers (except the Perlistens). The price point was not as important as the sound- given the limitations of the application. 

In the shopping for new or used I found a number of odd prices. The most unusual finding was a brand new set of Model Ts here in Audiogon advertised for $4K with a 20 year factory warranty. The dealer had one slide around of his hand truck and it put white paint smears on a corner of the Boston Cherry cabinet. Hmmm- 4 grand vs. 12 grand for a small fixable cosmetic flaw? I bought them. They sound fantastic. Some elbow grease and a furniture marker pen made the flaw vanish. 

I asked the dealer (Paul Kraft in Easton PA- great guy BTW) why the Audiogon Blue Book for a Model T was so low. His answer was "snob appeal". Apparently there is a big bragging rights  premium paid for having the UFO looking B&W Signatures vs what the snobs call the Bryston Model Ts "Axioms in a fancy suit".  I later learned that there are some prominent reviewers who refuse to listen to A/B speaker comparisons behind a silk curtain unless they know what brand is being scrutinized. To me that means "payola". 

Do the Model Ts sound better to me than the Mahlers, Bethovens, B&Ws? No. But they don't sound worse either (in my application). Do the above sound $8,000-$14,000 better than the Brystons in the listening rooms of the dealers? IMO NO WAY. To be fair price/value does color my perception much like a bottle of $40 Rumbauer Zin tastes better to me than $200 Silver Oak expense account wine. 

I'm guessing this post will anger brand snobs and garner snarky comments because their taste in sound is different than mine. Although this missive is really about personal perceptions of value v. sound I found my education on pricing fascinating and I feel great about finding amazing value in the brand new Model T's that needed 30 minutes of TLC to be at home in my family room. 

Moral of the story: Try em before you buy em, and look for value. It's fun and rewarding with no buyers remorse. 

128x128Ag insider logo xs@2xyesiam_a_pirate

I’m just a blue collar guy that likes good HiFi.   I make concessions in other areas , work OT ,  live an otherwise frugal life 

I’m lucky , kids are grown , bills are low , hearing is still pretty good.    I make no apologies for any toys I buy.   I save for something I want , never buy anything I can’t pay for in cash ….  
 

I also try to buy gear that is desirable at resale.  Sometimes my swapping out gear is more like a long term rental.   In the case of some CJ and Mac gear I have sold I have actually profited.   

@oddiofyl 

To me, you are the essence of a true audiophile. Someone that is passionate about sound quality / music and makes concessions in other parts of their life to achieve the best possible sound for you.
 

I had a cheap used Datson 1200 car for fifteen years (20 - 35), and bought the cheapest TP,  but bought a new a cutting edge Threshold amplifier (costing over 5 times what my car costs). No snobbery, just passion.

@pennfootball71 

 

Other speakers I heard and tried

YG acoustics Carmel 2, YG acoustics Hailey 2.2, YG Sonja 2.2

Vivid Kaya 25 & 45, Vivid Giya G1 and G2

Dynamikks Athos 10 (best bang per buck)

Magico A5 & Magico S5

Kharma Exquisite Midi 3.0

Wilson Alexx V, Wilson Alexia V, Wilson Sash DAW

Raidho TD 3.8, Raidho D3

Borreson 05

I'd be very interested in your impressions, even if brief, of the speakers on that impressive list!

Cheers.

ghdprentice, I totally get it... also have driven some real turds ..... when I had a young family I was very fiscally responsible to make sure they had everything they needed. Always put them first .... now they are adults and ask for nothing.

But.... I love quality gear. I am fortunate to have just taken in a pair of Sonus Faber monitors. They sound fantastic. They are 20 + years old , but you would never know it. Look and sound amazing. When.I listen to speakers of this calibre it validates the old saying " you get what you pay for "

I was going to sell these but it is nice being able to rotate speakers. I am having a pair of Omegas built so I am using these for the time being .

The goal of my bedroom system was : not to break the bank , compact , good sound, convenient

I took a chance and bought a new Cyrus i7XR that was on closeout. I’m staring at it right now and am amazed how good this little shoe box sized amp sounds. I am definitely keeping this one. Built in DAC , phono, remote, AV mode and a bunch of other great and unique features. It’s in my main listening room right now. Plays nice with my Forte too...