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Does anyone really need to spend 10k on power

Conditioning. I was on another website and they were discussing Intimately about a power conditioner set up that cost 10k. In the 10k I am not Including power cords. They went on and on about it being the greatest thing since sliced bread.

I read this 2 days ago and it's been haunting me ever since. I'm not saying power conditioning doesn't help. I'm sure in some cases it does. But it being the greatest thing since sliced. I think that is ridiculous. I really believe that in today's market a person could buy used gear on Audiogon and come up with a first rate system for 10 to 15k.

I think in this hobby people get crazy and spend obscene amounts of money because they can. I think they would be better off getting young people into this hobby before it dies. Hell, If they want to piss away money set up a college fund for people that play music or want to learn music theory. (Actually that's not pissing away money) Spending 10k on power conditioning is pissing away money.
taters
jmcgrogan2's avatar
jmcgrogan2
6,346 posts
 
10-02-13: Onhwy61
All your arguments about personal choice and liberty are beside the point. I don't think anybody is advocating not allowing people to buy what they want. What I question is whether the proliferation of ultra expensive products is good for the long term health of the audiophile world?

Actually, this question should be asked of our entire economy, not just the audiophile world, since the audiophile world is simply following in the footsteps of the economy as a whole. Is it healthy for us as a society to have shrunk our middle class and moved the bulk of our money to the few at the top?

This issue goes far beyond audio, luxury car sales are up 10 fold in the past 30 years. The same can be said about just about any luxury item. We have turned into a society of haves and have nots. How does that bode for the long term health of our economic system as a whole?
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,333 posts
 
Luxury items are what they are. Some beter values than others. No different than the rest in this respect. What's there to debate? Specific items maybe. Bigger stakes though...more feelings to get hurt maybe, so why bother? Generalizations won't get us far. We all covet something. Why not a 10k power conditioner? Whether one "needs" it or not is a different story. What luxury items are there that are "needed"? I can't think of any. That sort of goes with the definition of a luxury item. Its not needed, just wanted perhaps.
czarivey
5,946 posts
 
$10k conditioners are not always luxury items. they may be necessary, but not for home audio.
onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,236 posts
 
Jmcgrogan2, I agree but I didn't want to take the discussion to a direct discussion of politics.

Some others in this thread recognize that large parts of high end audio have become luxury goods and priced accordingly. That hasn't always been the case. The classic tubed McIntosh equipment were mass market products. Same for the Quad ESLs, Linn turntables, Revox R2R or Shure cartridges. They weren't cheap, but they did offer the best performance for their time.

On a side note, what does it matter to anyone else if you build a 40,000 SF house with twenty car garage and helicopter pad? In theory it shouldn't matter, but if everybody in China and India did it at the same time the Earth would be stripped bare of it's forest and surface fresh water depleted.
mrtennis
3,295 posts
 
the issue is the intrinsic value of material things.

there is no way to calculate or determine the worth of an inanimate object/
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