Snobbery in Hi-Fi. Why are people so stupid and turn their noses up at gear costing much less which is just as good?

[Westsounds]

the Chord DAVE is a good example. No other DAC looks anything like it. If someone bought one just for the looks, no problem. If they bought it just for 'better sound' over a Topping, I'd think they were a bit daft.

The Chord DAVE is basically the Rolex watch of DACs

 

[pderousse]

You don't seem to get that you do not get a vote on what other spend their money on. That's not snobbery. If they want to overspend THEIR money, they will. You get no vote. How is this difficult?

It is inverted snobbery to imagine everyone is "stupid" (your word) for turning up their noses at gear costing much less that is - in your opinion "just as good.' I use a Mcintosh C49 Preamp, which surely qualifies me for the "stupid" badge. You can proove that you're not a snob by outfitting my livingroom with a just as good preamp. Just pay for the difference in SRP, I'll pay tax and postage for the replacement. Deal?

To make it extra fair, I will destroy the c49 with you on youtube. You will get more dopamine hits than 25 pages on ASR and you can get the last word.

Overspending when there's no need to for nothing more other than perceived performance, is more than kind of stupid. I no longer do it, I did when I was ill informed and believed marketing and hype. It was nothing more than just a lack of intelligence, slow-wittedness, or poor judgment, often leading to careless, irrational, or senseless decisions. Which actually is the definition of stupid. I know I don't get to vote, but sites like this are a means of education.

To be clear: You are the arbiter of “need” and any deviation is slow-witted poor judgement lack of intelligence, careless, irrational and senseless.

Sites like this are a means to education, but not dogma. There are many reasons why someone may purchase something. Are you so sure that buying audiophile equipment is rational?

 

[Westsounds]

No, the OP (and you) are insisting that people who buy the finer things in life are doing it for status.

I am insisting that I and along with many others here buy the finer things in life for self-gluttonous enjoyment.

And we make such purchase with no guilt, whatsoever.

It's your money to waste. I couldn’t do it even if I had the money to waste. I just couldn’t knowing that something as good could be bought for much less. And I really couldn’t care what people thought of me. And there’s definitely an element of status in there, as much as you deny it.

 

[Mart68]

And there’s definitely an element of status in there, as much as you deny it.

I think you're barking up the wrong tree. No-one attempting to attain status via material goods thinks of hi-fi as something to do that. Hardly anyone's interested, even less would know what it was let alone what it cost.

You buy a flash watch, clothes, cars, that sort of thing. Something that's on show when you're out and about, and that everyone who sees it knows it is expensive.

Hi-fi is just for you. Like buying an expensive bed. Or one of those Japanese toilets with the music and the fountains.

 

[PristineSound]

I just couldn’t knowing that something as good could be bought for much less. And I really couldn’t care what people thought of me.

Except that you care so much that you started an entire thread on it and proceed to convince others to not buy luxury items; even to stating that your Peugeot is on par with a Mercedes and Lambo.

And there’s definitely an element of status in there, as much as you deny it.

If you insist on how other people truly feel, sure.

 

[Westsounds]

The problem is people, you in this case, use it because they have very poor understanding of science or engineering so don't realise how spectacularly wrong they are being.

I have a problem with people overspending when they don’t need to, if people do I believe it’s stupid, and I'm entitled to say so, just as you think you're entitled to say people like me are the problem. Who made you the authority on all things spending or science anyway. What's next arguing about who's got the most credentials, then what, calling each other derogatory terms which you are already alluding to. I thought this site was to educate people to make informed buying decisions. Not I know more than you do posts. I wasn’t born privileged as some, or perhaps I didn’t get the opportunities that some have had in life to waste even more money than I need to.

 

[PristineSound]

I think you're barking up the wrong tree. No-one attempting to attain status via material goods thinks of hi-fi as something to do that. Hardly anyone's interested, even less would know what it was let alone what it cost.

You buy a flash watch, clothes, cars, that sort of thing. Something that's on show when you're out and about, and that everyone who sees it knows it is expensive.

Hi-fi is just for you. Like buying an expensive bed. Or one of those Japanese toilets with the music and the fountains.

I have an Omega Speedmaster watch. I always love how the Speedmaster looks, just stunning. Sure it doesn't have the gold and diamonds of a Rolex, but I personally prefer the looks of the Speedmaster at the time I brought it anyway. But I hate wearing it in public despite how I enjoy admiring the beauty of the watch, how it feels on my wrist, how the precision mechanics tick despite how inaccurate it may be compared to a quartz, I admire the mechanical complexity of how the self-winding mechanism works.

Why do I hate wearing it in public you may ask? Every once in a blue moon, I get some mechanical watch aficionado making a comment or complimenting my watch and then it draws attention with other people around. I hate that. I have since stop wearing the watch for this reason, but I still like to pull it out to admire it.

 

[Talisman]

I'm not a fan of American cars in general. However, the most beautiful car ever is American.

 

[Westsounds]

Well for a start you are commenting about something i've not said so, yea, maybe you've had nerve pinched.

What exactly is the OP wrong about in his post?
You'll be telling me next people buy Iphones because they "just work".

The point of diminishing returns in HIFI is continually shrinking meaning that performance is getting cheaper and that for the most part, the problem is solved. Spending outside of that point of diminishing returns is more about cache' and status and little to do with performance.

By saying this bit out loud, the OP has triggered those who fall outside the curve and have likely spent much, for little gain.
It's a bit like the vintage hifi cultists who spend inordinate amount of cash on something with worst performance than new whilst convincing themselves the opposite is true.

HIFI is no different than anything else humans buy or sell.

That’s spot on, thank you.

As BT says that point of diminishing returns falls off a cliff when you get to a certain point, and it just doesn’t get any better. Things get different yes but this Hi-Fi technology has been pretty much plateaued for some time. And now as manufacturing is getting better and better and mass production is getting cheaper the lines between ‘hi-end’ nonsense and what everyone can afford are completely blurred. If someone wants to go out and spend 100x more for a DAC which will not yield any better results other than an over expense bit of hi-fi jewellery then they really need to be educated that they are buying bling and kudos. Don’t expect mystical audio wonderment from it as well, but people do actually believe it.

 

[PristineSound]

I have a problem with people overspending when they don’t need to

But why? I supposed you can be upset if that person were someone like Ted Denney who sold a bunch of snake oil cables to unassuming consumers and then he brought a Ferrari with that money (which is true in real life).

But this is someone else's money, and they have that money to spend. Are they spending your money? Why so much hate for people who got the money to spend?


This is where I am now absolutely convinced you have a self-esteem and self-assurance issue. I also think there is a sense of feeling of self-inadequacies, possibly some envy as well.

 

[Westsounds]

But why? I supposed you can be upset if that person were someone like Ted Denney who sold a bunch of snake oil cables to unassuming consumers and then he brought a Ferrari with that money (which is true in real life).

But this is someone else's money, and they have that money to spend. Are they spending your money? Why so much hate for people who got the money to spend?


This is where I am now absolutely convinced you have a self-esteem and self-assurance issue. I also think there is a sense of feeling of self-inadequacies, possibly some envy as well.

It’s not self inadequacy or envy really, and thanks for the belittlement again I used to spend it myself and believe I was hearing better, then like many I took the red pill and found ASR. I’m still a fan of Hi-Fi all of it, but as others have said in this thread. People have said when asked ‘oh my budget is more than that’ but just why. They don’t even have a product in mind, it’s just mindless spending. I've overindulged myself too, but I’m just glad I’m the other side of it.

 

[ErVikingo]

Regarding the OG Viper, 4mpg when not behaving 9-10 when you do.

 

[krabapple]

You don't seem to get that you do not get a vote on what other spend their money on. That's not snobbery. If they want to overspend THEIR money, they will. You get no vote. How is this difficult?

It is inverted snobbery to imagine everyone is "stupid" (your word) for turning up their noses at gear costing much less that is - in your opinion "just as good.'

It's only about what people say in 'public' about the cheap gear and the spendy gear. Usually some statement about the reason they bought X not Y..

That's where the stupidity comes in.

It's easy to NOT to say something stupid about that. But alas rare.

 

[ErVikingo]

I hear your point OP, and you’re absolutely entitled to your view on spending. My only pushback is on how we frame it. Calling people “stupid” for making different choices doesn’t really move the conversation forward, especially in a space meant to help others make informed decisions.

I’m not claiming to be an authority on spending, science, or anything else, just offering a perspective, the same way you are. We all come from different backgrounds, budgets, and experiences, and that’s exactly why respectful dialogue matters.

If we keep the focus on sharing information rather than questioning each other’s intelligence or circumstances, everyone benefits.

 

[ErVikingo]

I'm not a fan of American cars in general. However, the most beautiful car ever is American.

only that it is not an American design; its British.

There are many awesome looking cars and I struggle with picking the most beautiful but everytime I look at a friend's Miura S i fall in love. Still hate myself for passing on a beautiful Mangusta (Italo Argentinean design with American muscle).

 

[krabapple]

And enough already with the f***ing car and watch analogies.

 

[PristineSound]

It’s not self inadequacy or envy really, and thanks for the belittlement again I used to spend it myself and believe I was hearing better, then like many I took the red pill and found ASR. I’m still a fan of Hi-Fi all of it, but as others have said in this thread. People have said when asked ‘oh my budget is more than that’ but just why. They don’t even have a product in mind, it’s just mindless spending. I've overindulged myself too, but I’m just glad I’m the other side of it.

You are not answering the question though, why do you have a problem with other people "overspending" their own money?

I have a problem with people overspending when they don’t need to,

I afraid whether you admit it and know it or not, there is a sense of feeling of self-inadequacy and envy at the worst case, at best case, you have a level of self-esteem and self-assurance issue. It's becoming very obvious at this point.

You shouldn't worry about other people, if you think some random person is making a bad purchasing decision, you can help educate them. If they don't want to listen, you can even laugh behind their back and then feel great how prudent of a financial decision you made.

 

[Westsounds]

I hear your point OP, and you’re absolutely entitled to your view on spending. My only pushback is on how we frame it. Calling people “stupid” for making different choices doesn’t really move the conversation forward, especially in a space meant to help others make informed decisions.

I’m not claiming to be an authority on spending, science, or anything else, just offering a perspective, the same way you are. We all come from different backgrounds, budgets, and experiences, and that’s exactly why respectful dialogue matters.

If we keep the focus on sharing information rather than questioning each other’s intelligence or circumstances, everyone benefits.

I understand what you are saying. And I seemed to have ruffled feathers by mentioning a word like ‘stupid’ but it’s just a word like, uninformed or uneducated, words just trigger people sometimes. I wouldn’t find it offensive and if it helped to open my eyes to something might even be grateful of a bold title to draw my attention in. In some ways I’d love money to waste, but I don’t think I’ll ever get that chance. And even if I did have that ridiculous money to burn I still think I wouldn't spend it on bling, I just haven't got it in me to do that. I’d buy quality or something tried and tested by ASR anything else is superfluous though. I’d perhaps be more inclined to spend it on friends or family and put it to use there see them having a good time or enjoyment from it. That would give me more pleasure than an overpriced DAC sitting in the rack.

 

[Labhound]

How do you scientifically prove an opinion to be right or wrong?

My opinion is that all fat women are not attractive. Do you think a chubby chaser would agree to this?

Edit: Likewise, how do you scientifically prove that someone's opinion in, say, McIntosh amp is of great brand heritage right or wrong?

Well to prove it wrong it first has to be falsifiable with observable evidence. Subjective opinions are not falsifiable. (The falsifiable requirement has been disputed as over simplified.)

 

[Frank Dernie]

I have a problem with people overspending when they don’t need to, if people do I believe it’s stupid, and I'm entitled to say so, just as you think you're entitled to say people like me are the problem. Who made you the authority on all things spending or science anyway. What's next arguing about who's got the most credentials, then what, calling each other derogatory terms which you are already alluding to. I thought this site was to educate people to make informed buying decisions. Not I know more than you do posts. I wasn’t born privileged as some, or perhaps I didn’t get the opportunities that some have had in life to waste even more money than I need to.

I wasn't referring to wasting money but the use of, for example car analogies, as wholly inappropriate, sorry I wasn't clear.