In my opinion, everything is getting more expensive nowadays without audio discernible improvements and the public isn't doing enough to stop this trend.
I think that for speakers especially there should be more initiative, otherwise even the budget manufacturers will increase the prices up, just as these expensive manufacturers:
https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/dynaudio-confidence-20-loudspeaker/ - 13000$/pair
Imagine the impact of multiple blind-tests using a 300-500$ bookshelf speakers and some EQ to match the sound of the Dynaudio and not being able to distinguish them or getting a difference that doesn't justify the extra money.
For amplifiers and DACs the blind test comparison should be easier since they're supposed to color the sound less than speakers.
A few points on this, the last one is the most important...
1. We are manufacturers ourselves in Germany and in the last 5 years our production costs, excluding employees, have increased by at least 30-50%, in some cases even by 80%. The purchase prices for finished products that we buy have even tripled.
And this is the case in almost all areas worldwide.
2. Don't take the following personally, this actually applies to most end users.
You have no idea how sales prices are made up and how they are calculated by the manufacturer. Are you aware that the manufacturer only gets a maximum of 25-40% of its products that are sold through retailers (including online and Amazon)?
3. Are you also aware that with the purchase price you are not only paying for the device, components and manufacturing costs, but also development costs, measuring device costs, building costs, sales costs, employees, etc. The development costs in particular are in the 5-6 digit range and must also be covered by the 25-40%.
Or are you not paid for your work? I am still looking for employees who will work for free.
4. Every manufacturer has the right to price their devices, speakers, etc. as they see fit, and that is none of the buyer's business.
The buyer has the right to decide for themselves whether the product is worth the price. If not, buy something else, nobody is forcing you to do anything.
And there are not only measured values or ratings after blind tests, but much more, such as materials, value, surface quality, component quality, reputation, status symbol, quality, durability, repairability (even after years or decades), service, maintenance and expansion of firmware, etc.
All costs must also always be divided by the number of units, which makes small quantities and niche products very expensive.
All things that you can pay for, or not.
5. These blind tests were already carried out 20-30 years ago, and they achieved nothing except that even more expensive products were sold. In the 90s and early 2000s there were countless listening sessions and blind tests by retailers and manufacturers. I once went to 6 of these events within a month and it took place at least 10 times throughout the day. Always with 15-30 people.
Real and usable blind tests are much more difficult, complex and costly than you imagine. Especially if you want to be as unassailable as possible.
And the results will often not be what you want.
6. But the most important point is that such low prices, or prices that are too low, lead to the problems that we now have with many manufacturers. And buyers who buy at such low prices don't need to complain about it.
Unfinished devices, hardware and firmware, no detailed tests, no long-term tests, only optimized on the AP to shine with good measured values. The result is always shown in failed devices, firmware problems, hardware problems, strange behavior, unfinished devices, etc.
But most of these cheap developments were also created on the fly (1-2 months after the release of new DAC chips, the first top devices are available), far from being mature, far from being fully developed.
Tests? Long-term tests? Quality controls? But you don't want to pay for that.
Oh yes, and a large proportion of the devices come from the standard layouts and white papers of the chip manufacturers with little development effort. No real innovations, no real or individual developments, only standard designs optimized on the AP for measured values.
With customers like these, it doesn't surprise me at all that many good manufacturers are pulling out or moving their products into a more expensive luxury segment, like Linn, for example.
Because when one of these cheap manufacturers released one of the best DACs tested here in the forum for €/$900 around 3 years ago, with many of its own developments and certainly high development costs, the manufacturer was attacked for the price.
It seems that most buyers work voluntarily and don't want to be paid for their work. Please contact me, we have enough work.
