Inheritance and large lottery winnings could do that.
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Extreme Snake Oil
- Thread starter Spkrdctr
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RetroStereo
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IMO, expensive speakers are most likely not in the snake oil (or fraud) category. A tremendous amount of work goes into making high-end speakers and the results are always somewhat subjective. There is a science and engineering aspect to speaker design, but there is also the interaction of that design on the unknown space in which it will be used as well as the listener's perception.
These days, DSP EQ can compensate for many speaker (and listening room) response shortcomings; however, again, IMO, the better the speaker, the less such compensation is needed and the better, and, hopefully, the more natural the sound reproduction.
After having a high-end stereo system for a few years, I went without a system for over 40 years. But I maintained my interest in the hobby. And I have close friends who have the means to indulge in all but the most extreme of high-end equipment. Most of them are reasonably sane about their purchases (except for one - he claims to be able to hear the difference in AC power cords). When I started looking for a new system several years ago, I decided to go vintage for many of the components. While they might not be state of the art by today's standards, I'd be willing to bet they are within a very few percentage points of that level. And I'm enjoying my re-immersion into the sounds of music as well as laughing at all the snake oil.
These days, DSP EQ can compensate for many speaker (and listening room) response shortcomings; however, again, IMO, the better the speaker, the less such compensation is needed and the better, and, hopefully, the more natural the sound reproduction.
After having a high-end stereo system for a few years, I went without a system for over 40 years. But I maintained my interest in the hobby. And I have close friends who have the means to indulge in all but the most extreme of high-end equipment. Most of them are reasonably sane about their purchases (except for one - he claims to be able to hear the difference in AC power cords). When I started looking for a new system several years ago, I decided to go vintage for many of the components. While they might not be state of the art by today's standards, I'd be willing to bet they are within a very few percentage points of that level. And I'm enjoying my re-immersion into the sounds of music as well as laughing at all the snake oil.
PristineSound
Major Contributor
Sorry but hating on the rich and thinking that they didn't earn or deserved their riches or got rich from inheritance or lottery is the mentality of poor people or people with a small mind.
I don't envy the rich, though I love to be one of them, but I certainly don't hate on them nor assume they are automatically underserving.
kemmler3D
Master Contributor
Actually what I meant to say is that AUDIO snake oil claims to do things that are impossible for that type of audio equipment.
I think your statement is correct but "claims to do the impossible" is a higher bar than I meant to set for how I think of snake oil.
RetroStereo
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Reminds me of an old adage about untruths: Lies, damned lies, and statistics.
kemmler3D
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Those that deserve their circumstances make me glad, justice is rare and precious. Undeserving poor make me sad, undeserving rich make me mildly annoyed, undeserving rich who loudly proclaim the contrary make me angry. The latter group, entirely due to their own actions, are the most visible of the 3.
PristineSound
Major Contributor
I believe the only rich who is undeserving are those (and the ones who inherited from) who cheat, lie, steal and commit crimes. Even those who won the lottery but are terrible people, deserves every penny, that is why it's called the lottery, the draw of the luck.
I am neutral on everyone else, because that is life, I just focus on myself.
RetroStereo
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I have a problem with anyone who cannot see past his own corneas.
kemmler3D
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Even with strict criteria like that, you could write a very long list...
It's the richest kind!
RetroStereo
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I rather think that all who cheat, lie and steal are undeserving of anything except justice for their actions. I'll mitigate the implementation of that justice for those whose actions are out of the desperation of poverty and multiply it tenfold for those driven by greed and hate.
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When my late Rhinelander friend and mentor immigrated to U.S. back in the 1960s, our country was known as "the land of unlimited opportunity" all over Europe -- when he arrived and settled in NYC he realized that description applied as much or more to the ruthless and amoral connivers than to those who actually had the talent and work ethic to succeed honestly.
RetroStereo
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So sad and so often too true.
Yorkshire Mouth
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‘Appen.
Just noticed that thanks for this post have topped 100. Thank you, everyone.
RetroStereo
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I'd completely forgotten about that one. Read about it in Stereophile. Sold for $300. That was pretty expensive for a cheap digital clock.
PristineSound
Major Contributor
Watching this video, it makes me a bit violent, I want to find the people who sell this cable and burn them at the stake.
Summary: $150k speaker cables with a blackbox of horse shite.
www.facebook.com
Summary: $150k speaker cables with a blackbox of horse shite.
199K views · 1.1K reactions | $150K for a car or speaker cables? #AudiophileLife | Audio Connection Australia
$150K for a car or speaker cables? #AudiophileLife
www.facebook.com
Watching this video, it makes me a bit violent, I want to find the people who sell this cable and burn them at the stake.
Summary: $150k speaker cables with a blackbox of horse shite.
199K views · 1.1K reactions | $150K for a car or speaker cables? #AudiophileLife | Audio Connection Australia
$150K for a car or speaker cables? #AudiophileLife
Why do you care?
I mean, it's a free country.
I actually bought some fancy looking AC cables for my preamp and amps because I like how they look. I think I paid like 55 bucks per eight foot cable. Mind you, I got a box full of "normal" power cables, which actually cost about 15 bucks per an eight footer nowadays - the 15A variety...
Do them fancy cables sound better? I don't really care. I just like how they look and they do have nicely terminated ends.
I also have some nice silk ties. And a couple of very nice suits. Sometimes you just buy things because you like how they look...
There are people for whom a $150K cable is peanuts.... It is a free country, let them enjoy life and don't try to tell them how to spend their money.
Relax.
Let's concentrate on why it is that a bit of negative second order harmonic distortion, aka "sugar", makes a stereo soundstage sound more realistic. Let's realize that we really don't know what to measure because we really don't have an accurate physical model of what makes audio reproduction realistic.
Look!
I really should offer 100 bucks... just for kicks. I mean, it will be for sure a funny item to show off to my audiophile friends.... they all know about this thing... we all believe it's snake oil, but, for 100 bucks, why not? Own a bit of Audio History....
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