Why hi-end speakers are so expensive? Only Bill Gate$ has hi-end at home?

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Sophistry.

$20K speakers are not required to build based on the physics.

$20K revenue per will buy fast cars and pay large mortgages.

Prices like this involve fools and their money, and sharp people and fools' money.



"Sophistry?"

Sorry Jack, it's a fact. As for the rest of your rather meaningless mumbling, it certainly isn't specific enough to make a viable point!

TerryO
 
People with money and no taste line up to buy uber expensive stuff just because it's expensive.

There will always be someone who will buy speakers purely because they are ridiculously expensive and made to look like works of art(even though often their designs are at odds with good acoustic design).

These people often really don't know what sounds better but want to be able to point to them with snobby guests and say oh my system costs thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis much.

There are many DIY designs that will give 95% of the very best sound quality you can find(with comparible transducers) for a fraction of the cost. Troels Gravesen and Zaph Audio's designs are certainly right up there as far as high end drivers and very well thought out design.

HOWEVER...SOME very expensive gear is such because of high development costs and expensive method of production. Take a relatively 'mainstream' audiophile company like Sonus Faber and in essence a lot of the money goes into cabinet work and immaculate finish(they are beautiful!). These speakers often use off the shelf components(scanspeak/vifa etc) and are fairly well designed acoustically but are wrapped in stunning woodwork.

I would say however, with items like phono catridges, often the very expensive ones will be almost the same cost to build as units which are much cheaper yet the price will increase dramatically for tiny improvements(if any).

Many will argue that the money is well spent and sooooo many 'veils' have been lifted and oh 'timing' etc has improved but often they are either defending their purchase(and knowing they've been duped) or trying to convince themselves it IS better because it's expensive and 'special'. One of my current favourites are power cables, somehow that last 3 feet of cable DRAMATICALLY improves a system, and somehow forget the other 100ft of super cheap installer grade cable in the wall that is magically mitigated by a bit of techflex and a nice IEC plug on the end.

Did anyone see that review where the author cut open one of these magic cables to find very very standard 2.5mm2 mains cable inside?

All of this is the same reason many audiophiles arrange all of their gear symmetrically in the room, with cables neatly arranged and their big glowing monoblocks sitting in a mirror image pair on the floor etc. All of this is because firstly it looks nice to them(and who doesn't like a nicely laid out room?) and because when it is all 'just so' and laid out like that, it is 'special' and will sound the best that way. Even though you would have no real change in sound if it was arranged completely randomly(and cables were all the same length as before). Hifi for many people is as much about presentation and 'ritual' as it is for actual sound.
 
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Zaph Audio

at a fraction of what ?

Afair, the days of well-off folks trying to impress snobs with 2-way monitors on a fancy stand are long gone (SF Amator/Electa/Minima)

Troels Gravesen appears to enjoy borrowing from others.
As far as looks go, there's not a single original image on that page.
Mr Gravesen even credits Wilson audio for their design ideas.

A Wilson Sasha does around €30k here, 200lb each with custom drivers.
If anyone thinks he can build those himself at a 'fraction' of the cost (one that makes the huge number of hours worth it, 1/5th-1/6th isn't), with zero resale value, he's welcome to it.
Only folks I'm in touch with who build stuff with a BOM price tag of $5k-$50k, make things which can't be bought elsewhere.
 
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too many generalizations methinks, I know some far less than stupidly wealthy people who buy expensive gear for all the wrong reasons (hereabouts, it's a lot of Doctors and small business owners with finances leveraged into their grand-kid's generation)

mind you, if I won the big lottery, one of my first purchases would be a 918 Spyder, just 'cause it's so damned sexy - and almost practical enough

oh, and a trip to the ISS
 
too many generalizations methinks, I know some far less than stupidly wealthy people who buy expensive gear for all the wrong reasons (hereabouts, it's a lot of Doctors and small business owners with finances leveraged into their grand-kid's generation)

mind you, if I won the big lottery, one of my first purchases would be a 918 Spyder, just 'cause it's so damned sexy - and almost practical enough

oh, and a trip to the ISS

As a fabulously wealthy living legend, it has always been my custom to retain only the finest Artisans to produce my Custom Designs. Having said that, I will note that the Finest Artisans are usually busy, which forces me to retain one of the most revered Artisans in the Art of Polyester Tone-Sauce Application and custom finishes!

I have spared no expense for any of my creations, as their stunning visual impact can attest! On one pair of my speakers I have applied a finish that represents an investment of (literally) several tens of millions of US Dollars!

Your Humble Servant.

Moronimus J. Weathworthy IV
 
I was at a presentation, I think accent on the first syllable was appropriate at that time.

given what VC is pouring bigger money into I don't begrudge them burning a few $10 Million a year on something that hard - as long as its only tax dollars - at least its not equipment and infrastructure being destroyed in the middle eastern desert because its too expensive to transport or repurpose or now has the wrong guys driving it around
 
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Dear Mr MJW, the fourth, please for the great unwashed plebes in the audience, speak the Queen's English.

If need be, you can enroll in refresher lessons this weekend; even absent Mr Weldon, I'm sure we could find a suitable tutor amongst our cohort - and of course, it goes without saying that resulting fees would be pocket change to an individual such as yourself.

cheers, and huzzah, I say
 
Dear Mr MJW, the fourth, please for the great unwashed plebes in the audience, speak the Queen's English.

If need be, you can enroll in refresher lessons this weekend; even absent Mr Weldon, I'm sure we could find a suitable tutor amongst our cohort - and of course, it goes without saying that resulting fees would be pocket change to an individual such as yourself.

cheers, and huzzah, I say

Regarding any fees that one might assume would be required, I have decided to waive them, as there may be individuals that require my advice and wouldn't normally be able to afford the usual fees. Thank you for offering to pay me, but I'm widely known for my acts of kindness towards the peasants.

Your Humble Servant,

Moronimus J. Wealthworthy IV
 
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