Financial Times Story on Hi-Fi That Costs as Much as a House

[tonybarrett]

Client Challenge

 

[RexrothPigeon]

ah, the elusive "both derisive and sycophantic" authorial voice

 

[ahofer]

Funny. I like the FT and subscribed for many years, but the digital subscription is just too much. Perhaps the higher investment focuses the mind?

 

[Mart68]

Newspaper articles about hi-fi are always lame. £11 grand ethernet cable - how many potential enthusiast will read that and be put off for life?

Why not an article about a £1K system that sounds fantastic?

 

[sergeauckland]

Newspaper articles about hi-fi are always lame. £11 grand ethernet cable - how many potential enthusiast will read that and be put off for life?

Why not an article about a £1K system that sounds fantastic?

For the same reason why there are magazines dedicated to cars costing well over £100,000, even £1,000,000 whereas there are no magazines dedicated to cars costing £10,000, or even £30,000.

People like to dream.

S.

 

[tonybarrett]

Funny. I like the FT and subscribed for many years, but the digital subscription is just too much. Perhaps the higher investment focuses the mind?

There is a cheaper option. A facsimile of the hard copy called Financial Times Digital Edition. Obviously not as up to date as the website.

 

[formdissolve]

Newspaper articles about hi-fi are always lame. £11 grand ethernet cable - how many potential enthusiast will read that and be put off for life?

Why not an article about a £1K system that sounds fantastic?

Stereophile used to have a budget section just for that. Forgot who ran it, but I found it very helpful over 15 years ago when I was building out a budget system! I think it may have been Stephen Mejias (who also recommended some really good albums and record labels back then).

 

[egellings]

Newspaper articles about hi-fi are always lame. £11 grand ethernet cable - how many potential enthusiast will read that and be put off for life?

Why not an article about a £1K system that sounds fantastic?

I wonder how many of those cables have been sold. Nice thing is that the company does not have to sell many to make a killing on them, since a cable, even a fancy one, would not cost much to make.

 

[JeffS7444]

You know that the FT writer is trying to convey a posh vibe by using words like "bespoke" unironically.

 

[valerianf]

All these products are for the 1% rich people that want to impress their friends showing a no limit spending in audio equipments.
Most of them are using a contractor that select what to buy and do the room installation.
Are these customers real audiophiles?
I am not sure about that.

 

[chelgrian]

All these products are for the 1% rich people that want to impress their friends showing a no limit spending in audio equipments.
Most of them are using a contractor that select what to buy and do the room installation.
Are these customers real audiophiles?
I am not sure about that.

For the last year data is available for the 99% percentile point is a yearly income after tax of around £130,000 most people in that earnings bracket are going to have substantial outgoings in terms of mortgage and other costs of living.

It’s more like the top 0.1% or fewer or people who have inherited unearned wealth that might be buying this stuff.

 

[Robin L]

Stereophile used to have a budget section just for that. Forgot who ran it, but I found it very helpful over 15 years ago when I was building out a budget system! I think it may have been Stephen Mejias (who also recommended some really good albums and record labels back then).

This from Stereophile, noting the first appearance of the "Audio Cheapskate" in 1983:

"As significant in our world as the introduction of the CD is in the wider one is the first appearance, in Vol.5 No.10, of Sam Tellig's "Audio Cheapskate" column. Sam begins his Stereophile career with a survey of moving-magnet phono cartridges, quickly becomes our most popular writer, and remains so to this day. But the magazine also benefits over the next 15 years from the circulation-promotion expertise of Sam's real-life alter ego, Tom Gillett."

40 Years of Stereophile: What Happened When Page 2 | Stereophile.com

1973: In October, tired of waiting for the next issue of The Stereophile to arrive in his mailbox, Harry Pearson launches the first issue of The Abso!ute Sound, to be based on an editorial philosophy of judging audio components by listening to them. 1975: Apparently out of design inspiration, J...

www.stereophile.com

 

[Beave]

Stereophile used to have a budget section just for that. Forgot who ran it, but I found it very helpful over 15 years ago when I was building out a budget system! I think it may have been Stephen Mejias (who also recommended some really good albums and record labels back then).

The same Stephen Mejias who left Stereophile and joined AudioQuest.

So much for seeking out and promoting value in audio.