Expensive Speakers

Normal people look at us and think the same thing. Why are we spending our money on this stuff when an iPhone is good enough?

 

The price of this stuff would bother me if that were the only way to get great sound: fortunately, it's not the case and a quality audiophile system can be assembled at a vast range of price-points including very modest budgets.

I think this is a great time to be an audiophile: who cares if there's some stuff that is vastly overpriced and under-performing (not saying that's necessarily the case with anything here). As long as I'm able to get a system that enables me to get transported by beautiful music at a budget I can afford, I'm happy.

 

Seems like a reasonable question to me.

 

It sure is a whole lot better than it was only 20 years ago.

 

What "values" are you even discussing? The monetary value or the morality of buying expensive audio gear?

An no, I don't have any values whatsoever. I'm a gleefully evil hedonist and my stereo is made entirely from the blood of the exploited working class and the precious tears of starving children...

To your other point, no, I do not want this thread locked! I feel it will prove to be endlessly entertaining.

 

At least you have a sense of humor.

 

Just auditioning the excellent speakers up to $20,000 would be mind boggling.
IMO: I suspect non-audio issues at play in the purchase of speakers in the astronomical price range.

 

If you cryogenically freeze those tears it really makes the mids sparkle. #protip

 

I'd buy expensive stuff if I could afford it.

 

There's solid science behind glass-tulip head speaker technology. Tulip-head tweeters have superior dispersion characteristics over non-tulip-head designs.

 

Meanwhile, there is a supercar thread that requires drool to be wiped up.

The benefits of seeking out and joining a local audio club are opportunities to audition a wide range of audio products - including uber priced stuff.

Some of the auditions I've had the privilege of attending are underwhelming, some are mind blowing.

There have been auditions I've gone to where they are held at the audio dealer's store, some in homes, and some in what would equal an Italian Villa.

I've talked to some of the other audio club members who can afford these upper echelon products. It was interesting to hear the reasons for buying these pricey items - including speakers. One member in particular is a pianist (and accomplished business man) who has a passion for classical music and attends many concerts. His earnest and sincere reason for seeking out and buying equipment I could never afford was to recreate, as closely as possible, the live concert hall experience from the middle of the 7th row.

I will never be able to afford most of the equipment I've auditioned, but it has demonstrated to me that some of this stuff offers an amazing audio experience and not available at prices points I could afford.

 

I would think if you want to reproduce the 7th row, you better start by building your stand alone super insulated building to house said speakers and system then start auditioning systems where they will be expected to live and perform.

 

Warring factions, right... I'm digging for my tomahawk as I'm typing this...

 

I feel that having that reference point is really important when auditioning equipment you can afford.

 

I look at them, and thinking why they are spending money on iPhone if....

 

What's normal?

 

The resale value of a set of something like Wilson WAMMs is probably constrained by the small size of the market for 'em, not the "delicacy" of the hardware. Speakers aren't really that delicate. Yeah, if the surrounds are made of foam -- probably not the case with $100K speakers these days -- the foam might need replacing at some point; electrolytic caps in a crossover might need replacing after a decade or two; other than that they should run for years and years if properly operated (maybe now with old paper cones or new retro paper cones). Also, you know, when you buy something like the WAMMs, you get a lot of hand holding from the company, which is like a 20 or 30 year old company (though of course the length of a company's existence really doesn't at all mean that the company can't go bankrupt or be sold and completely change tomorrow).

I see a set of KEF Blades on offer on Audiogon at the moment for $15K, that's a steep, 40% discount. But you know, a Mercedes C250 will depreciate 35% in its first year. Do a search on Audiogon, and sort the speakers by price. They offering prices on a lot of the super expensive stuff is definitely steeply discounted 50% or more in a lot of cases, and who know what if anything they really sell for.

I think there's a much bigger market for a high performance use care, like 911 Turbo or something, than for the WAMMs, and at that price, a potential buyer of WAMMs is probably more likely to buy new -- it's not like price difference between new and old is meaningful to that buyer. But speakers aren't necessarily that delicate. Many folks on this forum are using decades old speakers.

But I doubt anyone who can afford to buy these kinds of speakers cares about the resale value. To them they're more likely to be a semi-disposable durable good, more like buying an Electro Lux Grand Cuisine range when they're redecorating the kitchen at the beach house. If in a couple of years they want to redesign the kitchen, they'll replace the range.