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Is Harman Anti-Audiophile?
- Thread starter watchnerd
- Start date
Same here. I've found it ever increasingly embarrassing to use "audiophile" in today's word lest I be associated with the phools buying $6k power cords, $30k speaker cables or $20k interconnects.
Same here. I've found it ever increasingly embarrassing to use "audiophile" in today's word lest I be associated with the phools buying $6k power cords, $30k speaker cables or $20k interconnects.
I know what you mean. There has to be something seriously wrong with those people.
The strangest thing, to me, is that some of these people actively DONT WANT to save money. "So you're saying that a DAC that costs 1/10 of the DAC I'm thinking of buying can serve me just as well? Hm... I don't like the sound of that".
Intresting story, a dealer I know demo' d a TT to a client .. They loved it but when the client found out how much it was they were a little dissopointed as to them it was not expensive enough ( it was several thousands of pounds mind you)
Solution , custom fitted diamonds here and there to increase the cost... Happy client
Nowt strange as folk.
Intresting story, a dealer I know demo' d a TT to a client .. They loved it but when the client found out how much it was they were a little dissopointed as to them it was not expensive enough ( it was several thousands of pounds mind you)
Solution , custom fitted diamonds here and there to increase the cost... Happy client
Nowt strange as folk.
Yap, people get their kicks in different ways.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspicuous_consumption
I've heard an anecdote, that in the upscale shopping district in Moscow, the stores with the highest prices sells the most, even if you can get the exact same products for less in a shop across the street. Probably happens in other major cities as well.
It's a prestige thing, the guy with the most money to throw away wins.
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Same here. I've found it ever increasingly embarrassing to use "audiophile" in today's word lest I be associated with the phools buying $6k power cords, $30k speaker cables or $20k interconnects.
If anyone asks just tell them your good cables and cords are out being cryo-treated. Then you'll have them Quantum rejuvenated before getting them back in the system.
I've found the electrons in my cables and gear are guaranteed for at least 66,000 yotta years.
http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/2015/dec/09/electron-lifetime-is-at-least-66000-yottayears
http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/2015/dec/09/electron-lifetime-is-at-least-66000-yottayears
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That's not gonna cut it for me. I'm planning on living forever.
I learned that early in high school. At the time, I was an "outside salesman" for a local audio store where the owner hired local kids to wire up Dynakits and he sold the amps at lower prices than the factory-wired. However, considering the narrow range of prices (Stereo 70 was originally 89.99 as a kit and $110.95 factory-wired), he found it hard to sell his locally-wired amps at any intermediate price. However, at my suggestion, he repriced his amps at a higher price than factory-wired and they sold rapidly.
I learned that early in high school. At the time, I was an "outside salesman" for a local audio store where the owner hired local kids to wire up Dynakits and he sold the amps at lower prices than the factory-wired. However, considering the narrow range of prices (Stereo 70 was originally 89.99 as a kit and $110.95 factory-wired), he found it hard to sell his locally-wired amps at any intermediate price. However, at my suggestion, he repriced his amps at a higher price than factory-wired and they sold rapidly.
Fascinating. This tendency has apparently been studied by psychologists:
"Social psychologist Robert Cialdini suggests that in some cases, businesses can actually increase their sales by raising prices. The reason behind this surprising phenomenon, he revealed in a recent podcast interview, is that in “markets in which people are not completely sure of how to assess quality, they use price as a stand-in for quality.” While most customers wouldn’t pay $20 for paper towels because it’s easy to compare them to other products on the store shelves, it’s much harder to evaluate certain categories of products or services. Art is notoriously challenging – what makes a Damien Hirst sell for millions while a similar piece by someone else might languish?"
This is probably a perfect fit for audio... How can I know - and I mean really, really know - that there's no way that super expensive cable actually will improve my system just a little? After all, it IS more expensive.
https://www.google.no/amp/www.forbe...prices-can-increase-your-sales/?client=safari
It most definitely is. I've never seen anything that so accurately describes the current state of audiophilia.
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Now come on Ray. You know that when you connect a power supply electrons flow from it pushing your cable electrons out the other end. Over time your electrons are not the same ones you started with. Hence the need to rejuvenate them with higher quality electrons periodically. While the EM waves travel near speed of light the electrons move a few centimeters per hour. In time you have changed out all the electrons you once had. As such things can be quantum entangled you don't know the specific condition of the recently migrated electrons compared to the high end ones you paid for in good cables. The good ones would be entangled with the high end electrons kept in a state of high quality at the manufacturer. That is why newer cables always seem to get better yet our quality doesn't advance over time. Most audiophiles don't appreciate the effects this has on sound quality.
https://www.uu.edu/dept/physics/scienceguys/2001Nov.cfm
http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2015/03/fast-electrons-flow-electric-cables/
Old Listener
Senior Member
Sounds right. It fits with the actual basis of the audiophile hobby for many people: spending on expensive gear as often as finances allow. They don't spend reluctantly; they spend eagerly. Cheap gear just doesn't satisfy the need.
It also explains why audiophiles are anti-science and anti-measurement. They don't want their gear turned into commodities.
"High End Audio" as we know it today is all about luxury goods and bragging rights. For these people, actual performance doesn't even matter at all.
"You show me your price-tag, and I'll show you mine".
Bah, humbug...
"You show me your price-tag, and I'll show you mine".
Bah, humbug...
A sad state of affairs for sure.
Worst part is that this situation so dominates the industry. From the manufacturers to the distributors, the dealers, and the media. They have all joined together to promote the snake-oil claims on the basis that its "good for commerce" and to hell with any real promotion of true Hi Fi.
Yep. All this snake-oil bullshit means that very little actual progress is being made. Throw together some under-engineered piece of crap, slap a huge price-tag on it, and market it to the audiophool media. Instant profit.
Spending becomes a way of vanquishing anxiety, it becomes a addiction . The need to replace the defective part with the new much better part as they will see it.
It's the buying that's the hobby, the actual hifi merely a function of the need to vanquish those anxieties and of course it buys you In to the club.. More you spend the more you know and the more gravitas your opinion holds..
This is the funny thing with this hobby. You can log on to pretty much any audiophile forum on the web, and you will notice that the guys with the most expensive systems are automatically seen as some sort of "experts on everything audio". Even if it's ridiculously obvious that they have no freaking clue what they are talking about. Which is usually the case.
To be honest, I'm starting to really hate this hobby. The whole thing is starting to look like one big joke.
