Why are you still buying expensive premium gears when cheap stuff does the same

[raz1969]

Not everything is the same, personal preference is important. I know my Apple AirPo Pro’s are not the best earphones, but they are comfortable when I’m laying down and have noise canceling and I like those features. A lot of earbuds are not comfy when prone.

 

[Adi777]

Seriously, really strange topic. Why? Because a lot of peaple can? Why not? Why buy everything cheap? It's not only sound quality. It's also many, many another things like design, built quality, and another.

 

[Triliza]

Seriously, really strange topic. Why? Because a lot of peaple can? Why not? Why buy everything cheap? It's not only sound quality. It's also many, many another things like design, built quality, and another.

It's not exactly about buying cheap stuff. It's more about getting one's needs covered while not breaking the bank. I find it hard to believe that the people that are saying they don't mind giving a lot of money to buy the audio gears they fancy have the same attitude about every aspect of their life, I mean if your amp costs $25 grand, you should live in a mansion and have like 2-3 expensive cars, a yacht and what not. Some people do exactly that because they can, but not all of us.

This topic is of interest because it reveals the nature of this and every other hobby out there, people are willing to spend sometimes more that they can or need, because it satisfy and make them feel good. And that's just fine.

 

[TonyJZX]

you cannot expect us, as humans, and... well... MEN who have be exposed to years of advertising and whatever if your noted 'zeitgeist' to look only at the graphs and buy products as if they were lab equipment.

i think most people here would look at the infamous stuff like the SMSL SU-1 and the Fosi V3 and with the combo, you know that this is close to being 'good enough' for many uses... AND sadly we know that a combo like this would run rings around a LOT of hyped up consumer stuff that costs many multiples more.

BUT... do you honestly want to use an SU1 and a V3 day to day?

does it hit you in the 'amigdala' or the lizard brain? why would you spend more?

i mean these are fine devices but you can readily see why people dont want them. I respect that stuff but I'm not buying it.

There's also further stuff I would note. Like people will buy stuff if the price is inconsequential and its fun to 'find out'.

I see guys here buying low priced stuff because.... eh... its better than gambling or drinking. Get rid of it on CL or ebay if you dont like it.

 

[Adi777]

people are willing to spend sometimes more that they can or need, because it satisfy and make them feel good. And that's just fine.

This underlined can be financially dangerous, but yes, that's just fine - this is the most important in audiohobby.

 

[SSS]

you cannot expect us, as humans, and... well... MEN who have be exposed to years of advertising and whatever if your noted 'zeitgeist' to look only at the graphs and buy products as if they were lab equipment.

i think most people here would look at the infamous stuff like the SMSL SU-1 and the Fosi V3 and with the combo, you know that this is close to being 'good enough' for many uses... AND sadly we know that a combo like this would run rings around a LOT of hyped up consumer stuff that costs many multiples more.

BUT... do you honestly want to use an SU1 and a V3 day to day?

does it hit you in the 'amigdala' or the lizard brain? why would you spend more?

i mean these are fine devices but you can readily see why people dont want them. I respect that stuff but I'm not buying it.

There's also further stuff I would note. Like people will buy stuff if the price is inconsequential and its fun to 'find out'.

I see guys here buying low priced stuff because.... eh... its better than gambling or drinking. Get rid of it on CL or ebay if you dont like it.

Agree, would not use the two products mentioned. Just because of missing several additonal functionality and I don't like external power supplies. But on the other hand the sound may be OK and if someone is happy whit it, why not. My aproach is to find a good optimum between price and what I need in terms of features and quality. Therefore I don't buy the overpriced hi-end stuff and also not the cheapest gear. I need some confidence that the gear will work for many years without trouble.

 

[nonnyno]

1) Ikeep seeing statements about failure rates for Topping and SMSL. I haven't seen average real failure rates for Topping SMSL so am in no position to determine whether they are more or less reliable on average than any other devices out there. My personal failure rate for both manufacturers experienced over a 4 year period is 0. I see no reason nto to buy them as a result over American, British, European or Japanese products. All manufacturers have trouble with some products from time to time. Topping et al have the advantage that they're cheaper and usually measure better. You might get better customer service out of Accuphase or whoever but you'll pay orders of magnitude more for it.
2) As to what you should spend on stuff. Well my foolosophy has always been let people spend what they want to spend if it makes them happy and doesn't damage anyone or anything. Pay the money, enjoy, be happy. Sure I can't hear the difference between an SMSL SU10 (I don't own one) and a SMSL DO100 (or one of these) but when I look at those SINAD charts I can convince myself that its worth paying the extra to know I've got the best - I've killed any possibility of envy/FOMO. I might also of course prefer the looks of the SU10 or the Topping DX9 or the A70 pro or whatever product floats your boat.
3) I wont put myself into debt to purchase any want, like hi-fi gear. I want something thats good, solid, attractive and measures well. Furthermore I wont spend extra when I can't tell the difference in sound over what I've got. As a for example I heard a direct comparison between the DCA Aeon 2 Noire and the Focal Stellia in an audition (The STellia is a thing of beauty). Not only did I think that the DCA Aeon 2 Noire was more detailed (I'm not talking about imagined noises I'm talking about real musical sounds) but I preferred the sound signature. The salesman in the hi-fi dealer tried both and concluded the same thing as I did. The Noire IMHO was better FOR ME. I preferred the aesthetics of the Stellia but nt aenough to pay 3 times the price of the Noires and lose the extra detail. That said a comparison against the Sennheiser HD820 and the DCA Stealth didn't have the same result.

I'm fortunate enough that I don't have to breach my rule 3 to buy any of the devices mentioned. I'm honest enough to admit that I probably won't hear that much difference in the DAC/AMP than what I've got by buying into a Topping d70/A70 pro or a DX9 when it eventually comes out assuming it measures well.These devices though will kill off any FOMO. Are more attractive than my current rig and will give me a feel good. Somebody suggested to me that I should just skip all the Topping gear and buy an RME-ADI 2 as the end game as its more reliable than the Topping gear (Is it? I haven't seen any evidence). There's even a good deal on one bundled with the Dan Clark Expanse headphones (which I haven't yet heard from Scan Computers here in the UK @ £4,599). So although thats giving the equivelant of a hefty discount on the RME I'm not sure that I like the looks as much or that the performance will be as good so will FOMO still rear its ugly head. Why do I say all this? Because as can be seen from the examples given, you can reach good enough on measurements at certain low price points but your total collective decision to buy a product is determined by many criteria which can make the differenc between a more expensive purchase or a cheapr one. Furthermore your financial position will differ from others and change over time thus changing your perception of relative value too both for yourself and between yourself and others.

 

[Overseas]

More expensive must be sound better, it is something behavioral about humans. Must rationalize a lot for counterattacking. It's like giving bone to a dog.

 

[Platypus20]

The only time what my amp or DAC cost, should concern you, is if your paying for it, if I’m paying, I’ll buy what I want

 

[Anton D]

not really the same since the Porsche has demonstrably better performance.

The question here is why pay more for the same performance?

As an aside I was contacted by a company wanting to rent 6 BMW 4x4s, they had ordered some direct but the lead time was months.

I didn't have any BMWs but did have six KIA 4x4s that were brand new. They were very reluctant but I eventually talked them into it on the grounds it was only temporary.

Two weeks later they contacted me to say their people loved the KIAs, they would be keeping them, and they had cancelled the BMW order. All is not always as it appears!

I like the auto analogy, as well, but I admit it breaks (brakes..;-p) down easily.

I think of performance as lap time, but that falls short if other performance parameters are needed…mileage, good off road, passenger and luggage capacity: etc.

I likely agree with you about ‘performance’ and the first thing that comes to mind!!

 

[jooc]

A $200 DAC can do almost everything you want in a common playback system. Amplifiers that have enough power and distortion cost less and less, too. Why spend $1K on IEMs when a random Chinese brand can almost outperform most of them under $50? Expensive streamers, CD transport and DAPs are well proved that they can do nothing more. Maybe expensive headphones and speakers can prove them well deserved but there are also many cheap ones performs greatly. ASR can help so many people save a significant amount of money on audio equipment by letting people realize all of these facts.

I think there are many members who are willing to purchase premium, expensive gears knowing all of that, for one reason or another. This thread is not an actual question but rather a survey. To you who are knowledgeable about measurements and blind tests in audio: what are some of your reasons to spend money on more expensive items when dirt cheap ones functioned the same.

If this were a primary hobby of mine (and I could afford it) I would have no problem paying premium for excellent workmanship, longevity and aesthetics, absolutely. But I wouldn't sacrifice performance to get that, what I probably would buy would still measure very well.

It's pretty much impossible to over-spend on speakers though, if you think about it. A set of extraordinary floor-standers can cost 10K, which some say brings you to the top of the performance curve for speakers - but you can also buy a second pair that's equally good with different sound, and then a metered switch and a third pair. Then 8 monoblocks and a 4th pair and pretty soon you're like that one guy who's home was eaten by his stereo.

 

[dfuller]

Simple, I can't get 8 110dB+ SINAD line IO for $200. That costs money.

 

[Platypus20]

Last month I bought a pair of Benchmark AHB2s, a LA4 and a DAC3 HGC, could I have paid less for some other equipment, absolutely, but I bought the models and the brand of what I wanted. I wanted service, the factory is 10 miles away, if I have a question, they always answer the phone, not some 3-4 day wait for a email (if ever), I’m retired, close to 70, I want it to be hopefully the last audio equipment purchase, I ever make. My stereo runs 10-12 hours everyday, I want to function flawlessly.

 

[Descartes]

To answer the question at the beginning of this post: Because I can and I like to buy toys if I can afford them

 

[pseudoid]

Wall Street is stating that there is a deflation going-on in China and prices of (all sorts) of goods are supposed to be tumbling...
Not that I wish bad for fair, international business endeavors, but this news could be a boon for us consumers, across the Pacific.
Don't forget to mind the "de minimus" valuation law.

 

[kemmler3D]

My personal reasons to spend more than is strictly required for a given level of performance:

1. Aesthetics. I have KEF LS60s and KC62s in my living room. Why? Because in my house, things in the living room need to look a certain way. It so happens they're probably the best sounding speakers I can get that fit those criteria.
2. Resale value. I have some B&W DM 602s in another room. Not the best speakers ever, arguably overpriced for the SQ even though I bought them used. But, B&W tends to sell pretty well on the secondhand market, so I won't have a hard time selling them, eventually.

TCO (total cost of ownership) is a good metric to consider when buying secondhand. Big-name, high-end stuff can (not always, but often) hold its value better than cheaper stuff. So in the end, the more expensive thing might actually be the cheaper thing, if you end up re-selling it.

Example: I bought some Hypex NC500 amps a while back secondhand. I expect that I can sell them for about what I paid, maybe more. If I had paid 1/5 that for a Fosi V3, it might have been enough power, might not. But I would end up with less $$ in the end with the Fosi.

On the other hand, cheap is often more than good enough. For my outdoor setup I have a WiiM Mini, Fosi V3, and some JBL Control X speakers I got on eBay for $90. They sound great. Not planning to re-sell, either.

 

[CleanSound]

Not that I wish bad for fair,

I'm not a business owner, and I'm sorry for the business owners out there, so let it tumble and fumble, how low can you go?!?!

 

[jooc]

... I mean if your amp costs $25 grand, you should live in a mansion and have like 2-3 expensive cars, a yacht and what not....

There's always this thought, though: $25K to $50K 'mid--tier' Bass boats exist. UTVs exist ($12K to $30K.) Dirt bikes exist, most new Xcross style bikes cost 10 grand now or more. Jet-skis are all over the lakes and rivers. DSLR camera gear, video cards, gaming rigs, etc, etc.

These are toys that are bought and owned by blue collar, middle class guys all the time, and they're just not considered luxury, rich-guy goods. There's a guy on my block, retired plumber, just bought a Polaris UTV for like 20K to go along with his fishing boat and trailer and 4 wheeler. Each of those toys cost much more than I'll likely ever spend on audio

 

[DLS79]

• Its not always possible to get the inputs and outputs you want/need on the cheapest models regardless of who manufactures them.
• it's not always possible to get the features you want on the cheapest models regardless of who manufactures them.
• sometimes the cheapest models look like steaming dog poo, regardless of who manufactures them, not everyone wants to look at that.

 

[kemmler3D]

There's always this thought, though: $25K to $50K 'mid--tier' Bass boats exist. UTVs exist ($12K to $30K.) Dirt bikes exist, most new Xcross style bikes cost 10 grand now or more. Jet-skis are all over the lakes and rivers. DSLR camera gear, video cards, gaming rigs, etc, etc.

These are toys that are bought and owned by blue collar, middle class guys all the time, and they're just not considered luxury, rich-guy goods. There's a guy on my block, retired plumber, just bought a Polaris UTV for like 20K to go along with his fishing boat and trailer and 4 wheeler. Each of those toys cost much more than I'll likely ever spend on audio

A decent amp costs anywhere from $100-1500 depending on what you need it to do.

A decent ATV costs about $8K. So if we use the same proportions and a $25K amp is for a rich guy, the rich guy's ATV would cost at least $135K. I think most would consider that ridiculous.

Doubly so if the $135K ATV had effectively identical performance to the $8K one.