Quebec audiophile shows off his new Hi-Fi system, very expensive set up

[Multicore]

That’s a great argument for subjective listening and decision making, actually.

I don't understand how one can listen except subjectively.

As for choices, we can bring objective information such as measurements to the table but our choices are still ours, i.e. subjective. Even in the case that I exclude all criteria except budget and Amir's reports, I chose to structure the decision that way, that choice was mine.

The painting analogy makes for a big tent!

I like it too. Jon Hassell's last two albums were:

Listening To Pictures (Pentimento Volume One)
Seeing Through Sound (Pentimento Volume Two)

 

[ahofer]

People like you are the worse. You think you know so much better what X want, thinks, dream and needs then himself. Maybe you are a better person to choose who he should marry too?
Adios.

I’m not sure why you are worked up, though. Some people buy fancy crap, some spend their time making fun of them on the internet for buying fancy crap. And the world still spins…

 

[Killingbeans]

You think you know so much better what X want, thinks, dream and needs then himself.

I don't really see how that's relevant. I'm much more interested in discussing how those things were shaped in first place.

In the case of the Shunyata cockamamie cables, it's pretty safe to assume that the snake-oil industry is responsible for planting those dreams and making sure they evolved to a "need" eventually. That's the sad part.

Yes, the dude is happy, and that's all that matters to him.

Doesn't change the fact that the "blueprint", laid out by the hobby for achieving said happiness, is rather ridiculous.

 

[Mr. Widget]

Doesn't change the fact that the "blueprint", laid out by the hobby for achieving said happiness, is rather ridiculous.

When Noel Lee brought Monster Cable to market in the late 70s he had no idea what joy he would bring decades later to countless folks on the internet bashing others for their stupidity in buying over priced audio cables.

 

[BlackTalon]

What if...

...the owners of Shunyata are secretly large donors to many good charity organizations, and they are 'stealing' money from the rich to give to the poor? That would explain a lot, wouldn't it?

And I am 1,000% positive that is not the case.

 

[fpitas]

they are 'stealing' money from the rich to give to themselves

Fixed that for ya.

 

[Sokel]

Again,these kind of cables are most often gifts,everyone in HEA knows this,and in all cases the price is vastly lower.
The sad story are people caught by the looks or mythology of such systems and buy the same cables for their much cheaper gear online as they usually have no relationship with dealers.

 

[CapMan]

I’ve recently undertaken a massive downsize in my HiFi, replacing a lot of expensive electronics with a Denon 4800 AVR powering Revel F206 speakers.

The only cables I need connect the AVR to the speakers - these are made by Sommer and cost £6 a meter.

There is no reduction in either my enjoyment or fidelity - I am delighted every time I turn it on. It really is good enough for my fallible ears and crappy room! The Revels have made a big difference.

My take is this - if you need to keep time accurately, buy a Casio wrist watch. If you need to impress and enjoy a feeling of the esoteric by all means buy a Patek Philippe.

 

[techguypaul]

No back wall in the theater?
I know not everyone has an ideal space to work with but it looks like it would have been easily possible.
Sorry if this has already been covered.

 

[Axo1989]

OMG, it's all so awful and then there's that music. I am disgusted.

Nooo, that made me listen out of morbid curiosity. I will now need to play a cleansing [anything else]. Of course, he listens to the music he likes, so no (or minimal, or moderate ...) judgement. Also personally I'm not a fan of the high-rise gear altar, regardless of the gear.

Curiously, the artist (Airixis, previously unknown to me) looks like a de-aged clone of the subject Quebec audiophile (aka Pan). Perhaps an exercise in narcissism, like YouTube itself ...

 

[Axo1989]

There are two literal things in front of us in the OP: a) the audio system, b) the YouTube video. The audio system, like a Rolex or a Porsche, has intrinsic properties that one may enjoy privately but such things can also be worn socially as a badge. I think the YouTube video with so far over 350k views and 1780 comments, which y'all really should read, is evidence that the social purpose has been served very well.

Here in these 16 ASR pages so far we have mostly haggled over the specific intrinsic properties of the system that may be privately enjoyed, in which ways, by whom, at what cost etc. That's great and all but, to me, and I may be an outlier here, idk, it seems peripheral to Pan's main purpose with the thing.

Nice reflection on the function of the subject system for its purchaser. I think our discussion of the system here is also interesting, of course, but the YT social context is most informative in this case.

Edit: I just skimmed the video (without the sound mostly) and listed to enough of the music at the end, I'm not sufficiently interested in the details of his system, so I have no further insight.

 

[Chrispy]

Again,these kind of cables are most often gifts,everyone in HEA knows this,and in all cases the price is vastly lower.
The sad story are people caught by the looks or mythology of such systems and buy the same cables for their much cheaper gear online as they usually have no relationship with dealers.

So no one pays full ticket for the silly "HEA" wires? I'm NOT sure with all the sharpies that actually still want them that it matters much. Always wondered what the dealer's actual cost is with much of the audiophool supplies. Or are you saying it's the dealers actually "giving" them away the majority of the time, or is it their friends/family gifting them?

 

[Axo1989]

Video Review

That nerd is boring and so is his over-complicated pimped-out stereo. So I skipped to the music and then, for some reason I cannot explain, I felt the need to watch the Windowlicker video.

Now I feel better.

Haha, video matches, makes sense ... RDJ getting it on with reflections of himself turns out to be all the commentary on narcissism that's required.

 

[Sokel]

So no one pays full ticket for the silly "HEA" wires? I'm NOT sure with all the sharpies that actually still want them that it matters much. Always wondered what the dealer's actual cost is with much of the audiophool supplies. Or are you saying it's the dealers actually "giving" them away the majority of the time, or is it their friends/family gifting them?

Depending your relationship with the dealer,yes,you either get a HUGE discount or even get them for free.
And that discount does not only apply to silly cables but to the actual gear as well but not big.

You can safely assume a 10-20% discount on the gear you see on this thread and a 70 to 100% to the cables and the rest of the silly stuff.

Again,depends on the relationship that has been built for years.

(we're talking about hiend stuff and even if the price of the gear here seems high it's actually on the low side,specially the speakers, but I'm sure he got his discounts based on the sheer volume of stereo and HT gear and the room treatment also if it was carried out by the same dealer)

 

[Chrispy]

Depending your relationship with the dealer,yes,you either get a HUGE discount or even get them for free.
And that discount does not only apply to silly cables but to the actual gear as well but not big.

You can safely assume a 10-20% discount on the gear you see on this thread and a 70 to 100% to the cables and the rest of the silly stuff.

Again,depends on the relationship that has been built for years.

(we're talking about hiend stuff and even if the price of the gear here seems high it's actually on the low side,specially the speakers, but I'm sure he got his discounts based on the sheer volume of stereo and HT gear and the room treatment also if it was carried out by the same dealer)

Guess it has comfortable markup then Why would anyone support a "hi-end" dealer that trades in silly cables?

 

[Sokel]

Guess it has comfortable markup then Why would anyone support a "hi-end" dealer that trades in silly cables?

I guess works both ways.
Dealer gets a steady client who will give him a good profit over the years (no one stays with the same for long) and client feels he got a good deal.
Same as every loyal luxury market client,they probably use the same model.

 

[SuicideSquid]

I guess works both ways.
Dealer gets a steady client who will give him a good profit over the years (no one stays with the same for long) and client feels he got a good deal.
Same as every loyal luxury market client,they probably use the same model.

I once worked for a retail audio store that sold high-end cables.

I was a good salesman and so I had the leverage to say to management, "I will sell these cables if someone specifically requests them, but I will never push them on someone". They were okay with that because I was putting up great numbers. If they weren't, I'd have quit.

There's an important distinction between someone who stocks a product because customers ask for it, and someone who pushes a product. Most retailers sell "high-end" cables because some customers expect them and won't think you're a serious vender if you don't have them. But that doesn't mean you have to fill people's heads with nonsense and upsell regular customers - then you're just a scumbag fleecing rubes.

 

[Chrispy]

I once worked for a retail audio store that sold high-end cables.

I was a good salesman and so I had the leverage to say to management, "I will sell these cables if someone specifically requests them, but I will never push them on someone". They were okay with that because I was putting up great numbers. If they weren't, I'd have quit.

There's an important distinction between someone who stocks a product because customers ask for it, and someone who pushes a product. Most retailers sell "high-end" cables because some customers expect them and won't think you're a serious vender if you don't have them. But that doesn't mean you have to fill people's heads with nonsense and upsell regular customers - then you're just a scumbag fleecing rubes.

What percentage of customers asked for them?

 

[DMill]

I once worked for a retail audio store that sold high-end cables.

I’d also be curious if the store you worked for carried anything but designer cables? I've noticed the high end stores around me often don’t. It might be totally innocent and be due to shelf space or is it a way of selling cables with large markups without “pushing” anything. It also implies the only cables good enough for my new McIntosh are by Kimber, AQ, etc.

 

[SuicideSquid]

What percentage of customers asked for them?

No more than 10%

I’d also be curious if the store you worked for carried anything but designer cables? I've noticed the high end stores around me often don’t. It might be totally innocent and be due to shelf space or is it a way of selling cables with large markups without “pushing” anything. It also implies the only cables good enough for my new McIntosh are by Kimber, AQ, etc.

Yes we were an interesting store - a music retailer as well as a high-end audio store, we stocked discmen and cheap headphones and high-end headphones, inexpensive stereos and $10,000+ speakers. It was really a one-stop shop for sound. We carried your super basic no-name RCA cables and off-the-roll bulk 18 gauge through 10 gauge speaker wire, decent quality but no BS Belkin cables, and then some "high-end" stuff. We didn't carry the crazy $1,000 per foot stuff, but we had some fancy BS speaker wire and lots of $100-$500 interconnects.