KenA
Member
In addition to aesthetic’s and just feeling good about owning a luxury item, there’s longevity and durability that generally comes (although not every time!) with gear that is well engineered and built of quality and robust materials.
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How people choose very expensive High-End speakers?
- Thread starter SiriusCanopus
- Start date
no, very different.
people buying $1k-$2.5k per pair go to forums like this (or worse) and ask questions. some will go to a showroom to audition, and may buy something else entirely different. some will just google and buy the currently on sales of recommended pairs.
people who buy $250k pair of speakers will likely spend $1m on the setup. at that point, the buying process is supposed to be an experience. people will try to sell it to you, not you try to buy from them.
for us the commoners, it's useless and pointless, but for the riches, that's how they spend their money.
tough question - in the end I went for 'Because you can' and found 60 percent of voters agree with me.
Seems to me one advantage of having stupid amounts of money is you never have to rationalize any purchase.
Seems to me one advantage of having stupid amounts of money is you never have to rationalize any purchase.
Anton D
Addicted to Fun and Learning
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I'd go with because some consultant they hired to do something to one of their houses told them to have a look at them, and they have more money than brains or taste!
I've said it before the grande utopia em evo, look like a prop out of some crappy C level science fiction movie.
I've said it before the grande utopia em evo, look like a prop out of some crappy C level science fiction movie.
Sometimes they go to some weird friend who frequents places like this (or, god forbid, Audiogon) and just do what he (usually he) says.
Not an easy question to answer since IMHO it is a loaded question.
True music lovers and enthusiasts will choose based on performance, aesthetics and brand recognition; same as with cyclists, guitarists, car aficionados, wine enthusiasts, etc. Equipment aficionados will choose based on specs or based on the tech aspects.
If we are not lying to ourselves, most users here choose based on the same parameters. I went for the best speakers I listened to which fit in my space, I could afford as part of my total system cost/budget, were aesthetically pleasing (WAF) and had brand recognition for the odd time when I would try to sell them.
For the rest, snobs will purchase due to snob appeal; people with consultants will end up with what brings the highest return to the consultant.
I see it all the time in the auto and bicycle world.
True music lovers and enthusiasts will choose based on performance, aesthetics and brand recognition; same as with cyclists, guitarists, car aficionados, wine enthusiasts, etc. Equipment aficionados will choose based on specs or based on the tech aspects.
If we are not lying to ourselves, most users here choose based on the same parameters. I went for the best speakers I listened to which fit in my space, I could afford as part of my total system cost/budget, were aesthetically pleasing (WAF) and had brand recognition for the odd time when I would try to sell them.
For the rest, snobs will purchase due to snob appeal; people with consultants will end up with what brings the highest return to the consultant.
I see it all the time in the auto and bicycle world.
I think if I was in a position to buy a Corvette or 911, which is a pricey but not an outrageous must-win-the-lottery expense, I might consider getting the original B&W Nautilus instead, even though newer speakers may measure better, it is like a Porsche 959 or Lexus LFA in that it’s an iconic product that is probably still plenty good in real world environments. (The same way you can get cheaper cars with the same performance or faster cars, but it’s still just as enjoyable driving at posted speed limits).
Yorkshire Mouth
Major Contributor
Well, this thread has helped me with a very important buying decision.
Many thanks.
Many thanks.
What did you end up with?
I don't know why people spend tens if not sometimes hundreds of thousands of euros on a speaker or audio component.
All the options you mentioned are probably true and put together. I just know that I would never do it.
With all the passion I have for the audio world, it doesn't even cross my mind to spend that amount of money.
All the options you mentioned are probably true and put together. I just know that I would never do it.
With all the passion I have for the audio world, it doesn't even cross my mind to spend that amount of money.
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Sunday evening and I have some thoughts to share and would like hear yours' as well.
So, let's define "very expensive speakers" as anything above 25k USD per 1 speaker as 2024. Why? In my head 50k per pair is like buying Porsche 911, it can be life time goal, but achievable. Anything after is like Rolls-Royce for me - most likely non achievable unless I will win a lottery
Is it just looks and style, or brand name? Or maybe the other way around, what marketing strategy these brands follow to be able to sell such speakers? Exclusiveness?
I don't want to undermine that sound quality, but there should be a logic here, and I just looking to find it
I suggest that, though there are cases of just rich people throwin' their money around, for the most part those more expensive speakers and other gear are simply purchased by audiophiles who just have more money and can afford it. By that I mean, I see the same motivations and obsession with sound in people who own expensive stuff as I see in audiophiles of more modest means. Same enthusiasm; More money.
Anton D
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So, above your budget is for snobs.
What if their budget is simply higher than yours and they don't have to live with your wife?
Yorkshire Mouth
Major Contributor
Nothing yet.
But I started with a thread comparing the Wharfedale Diamond 12.1s (£250 UK) with the Revel M16s (£500), before a detour in my brain when I found you could get the M106s for £1,000.
But I’ve revisited my own logic, and have come back round to the 12.1s.
Some information here.
Would someone care to interprate Amir's measurements/reviews here? Revel v Wharfedale.
Okay, I'm looking at two reviews, and trying to see if I should get one or the other I'll post links below. After that I'll let you know my thinking, but you might want to write your comments in the reply box before reading that bit, so as not to colour your judgement. There's also a bit of...
audiosciencereview.com
I'm pretty sure I've shared this anecdote before, so apologies to those who have already read it from me:
About 15 years ago I visited two super high-end dealers in southern California, one carrying Wilson's most expensive speakers (they were maybe $150k at the time), among other things, and the other dealer carrying Focal's most expensive speakers, among others costing over $100k.
I got to talk to people at both places. They said that selling just one or two pairs of the most expensive speakers each year was enough to keep them in business for the year (although I think both stores are now gone!).
One mentioned that often for the sales of the very most expensive speakers, the buyer wouldn't be the person who was going to own them, but rather their personal assistant or decorator who was given the task of buying a stereo - usually, go buy the best stereo you can find. And to people who don't study forums like ASR, "best" just means most expensive. And when dealers see such potential buyers come in, you can bet they are going to steer them to the most expensive gear they sell.
On the other hand, these stores were often visited by real enthusiasts, usually people who would hang out and listen to lots of speakers, talk shop, and occasionally buy something - something well below the top of the line but still perhaps a few thousand dollars.
And on rare occasions you get the combination of both - somebody filthy rich who is also an enthusiast who wants to audition and read/learn about gear and who may or may not end up buying the most expensive products but will probably spend quite a lot of money.
I also found it amusing that all the high-end dealers I visited in southern California had copies of Stereophile and/or The Absolute Sound that had glowing reviews of whatever speaker line they sold (if the store had Wilsons, for example, they had every Stereophile that had a rave review about Wilsons, and if the store carried Focal, they'd have every issue that raved about a Focal speaker). And they might just have copies of those placed on a table right in front of the listening seat for whichever speakers were showcased in that room. So the magazine helps seal the sale.
About 15 years ago I visited two super high-end dealers in southern California, one carrying Wilson's most expensive speakers (they were maybe $150k at the time), among other things, and the other dealer carrying Focal's most expensive speakers, among others costing over $100k.
I got to talk to people at both places. They said that selling just one or two pairs of the most expensive speakers each year was enough to keep them in business for the year (although I think both stores are now gone!).
One mentioned that often for the sales of the very most expensive speakers, the buyer wouldn't be the person who was going to own them, but rather their personal assistant or decorator who was given the task of buying a stereo - usually, go buy the best stereo you can find. And to people who don't study forums like ASR, "best" just means most expensive. And when dealers see such potential buyers come in, you can bet they are going to steer them to the most expensive gear they sell.
On the other hand, these stores were often visited by real enthusiasts, usually people who would hang out and listen to lots of speakers, talk shop, and occasionally buy something - something well below the top of the line but still perhaps a few thousand dollars.
And on rare occasions you get the combination of both - somebody filthy rich who is also an enthusiast who wants to audition and read/learn about gear and who may or may not end up buying the most expensive products but will probably spend quite a lot of money.
I also found it amusing that all the high-end dealers I visited in southern California had copies of Stereophile and/or The Absolute Sound that had glowing reviews of whatever speaker line they sold (if the store had Wilsons, for example, they had every Stereophile that had a rave review about Wilsons, and if the store carried Focal, they'd have every issue that raved about a Focal speaker). And they might just have copies of those placed on a table right in front of the listening seat for whichever speakers were showcased in that room. So the magazine helps seal the sale.
Yea, the only reason he's great at B-ball are those runners.
Expensive dosnt guarantee any of the above.
We installed these in a restaurant once. Black ones. $250k
https://steinwaylyngdorf.com/steinway-sons-model-d/
Totaly unimpressed by the sound. But they looked impressive and thats what they were going for
https://steinwaylyngdorf.com/steinway-sons-model-d/
Totaly unimpressed by the sound. But they looked impressive and thats what they were going for
Yep,
For example:
Ferrari 458 Italia recalled due to fire hazard
The Ferrari 458 Italia is so hot right now. It's so hot in fact that the company's had to issue a global recall due to the 200mph supercar's propensity to burst into flames.
www.cnet.com
Good try Anton but that is not what I said. I described how I purchased. My speakers (most of my components actually) were then (and still are) above the budgets of many. I was listing my understanding of the thought process for purchasing most anything. Trust me, a lot of posters here think my equipment is for snobs