Spending big bucks on HiFi Audio

[AaronJ]

To be clear I live in the US and have lived in big cities for most of my adult life, so maybe my perspective is warped... it could easily be that other cultures have very different opinions about this. But I honestly don't see it. Where and when are people being judged poorly for spending a lot of money on hobbies / luxuries?

I know people don't like hearing about niche hobbies they have no interest in. Nobody wants to be told everything about why a speaker costs $10,000 except another audiophile. But the price alone doesn't seem to be socially unacceptable to me - unless you need to tell someone "no, can't afford the other thing you want" as a result.

I have lived in big, affluent, American cities and suburbs and have seen plenty of excess. Just because a lot of people drive luxury cars, wear $5,000 suits, Rolex watches, or any other luxury does not at all mean that society around them accepts it. They just tolerate it.

 

[Sal1950]

Yes, in fact this sort of behavior can indeed make it more difficult to find a marriage partner.

It won't help you date, but I'd be surprised if you got dumped over it, either.

Maybe easier/faster to find a divorce decree on the dinning table.

 

[kemmler3D]

luxury cars, wear $5,000 suits, Rolex watches,

From a certain POV this might be just splitting hairs, but these are pure luxury items and not hobby items.

I don't know how many people judge such things negatively, either. I guess my personal attitude is that acceptance and tolerance are the same thing here. Would I prefer those people spend their money on something else? Maybe, sure. But I also don't have a lot of energy to get upset about it. In my personal opinion, there are bigger fish to fry, if you're worried about the state of society, than overpriced cars.

 

[Mikig]

music is universal.

always and for anyone, today as at the dawn of time....
we are also passionate about music reproduction techniques, so unlike the whole world, we also love one of the many technical aspects that form the "music" galaxy...

as an aspect universal, it is taken for granted that it must be within everyone's reach, so it is quite normal that most people do not care about its reproduction.
This certainly provides a clue as to why so many people do not understand our efforts and commitment, including economic, to listen well.

I think that the predominant interest is in the intrinsic characteristic of music: words and melody. Regardless of how it is reproduced…

 

[Mart68]

I have lived in big, affluent, American cities and suburbs and have seen plenty of excess. Just because a lot of people drive luxury cars, wear $5,000 suits, Rolex watches, or any other luxury does not at all mean that society around them accepts it. They just tolerate it.

On the contrary, I'd suggest that the majority of people aspire to those things, and most of the rest are not bothered by it one way or the other.

 

[Mr. Widget]

On the contrary, I'd suggest that the majority of people aspire to those things, and most of the rest are not bothered by it one way or the other.

Not sure about aspiring to those things, but I agree, I doubt most people care what clothes others are wearing or what is on their wrist. Not all deluxe items are for showing off or bragging rights. Personally I like exquisitely made objects and am glad they exist.

I'm pretty sure no one on this forum can afford a Fabergé Egg. I know I can't and wouldn't want one if I could, but I appreciate the insane level of craftsmanship and am glad things like that exist even if the designs are off the charts garish. If someone on this forum has one sitting next to his 8' tall Wilson Chrono Magnificents custom painted to match, good for them.

 

[Vacceo]

My 2nd wife saw my big KEF towers and was kinda disgusted. Then after she became used to the sound she appreciated them and asked if we could listen to them. So there is hope...LoL.

I understand you completely. A decade of second hand KEF IQ's is packed with some quite nice memories.

 

[DLS79]

Where and when are people being judged poorly for spending a lot of money on hobbies / luxuries?

I've seen people get pissy about expensive hobby/interest purchases several times before. The hostility wasn't about the item purchased, it was about not being able to spend similar amounts of money on things they wanted.

It's nothing more than old school biblical jealousy!

 

[Sonic icons]

From a utilitarian perspective, hi fi is way too small in aggregate expenditure to be criticized. I’m sure there are innumerable examples of vastly larger categories of spend and resource utilization that are far more wasteful. Imagine all the excess cotton t shirts the world produces each year and how those dollar, water and land resources could be reallocated to more productive use. the world’s richest person at times has been chairman of LVMH, owner of many luxury goods grands. That’s cool with me but I also see as evidence of very poor decision making, and resource allocation and distribution by humans. But i enjoy reading Veblen, Mencken and their modern counterparts and luxury goods make for entertaining satire of human failings.

From a report "Fast Fashion and its Environmental Impact in 2024",

According to an analysis by Business Insider, fashion production comprises 10% of total global carbon emissions, as much as the European Union. It dries up water sources and pollutes rivers and streams, while 85% of all textiles go to dumps each year.

I don't think there are any audiophiles / audio enthusiasts who throw 85% by weight of their existing gear in the trash each year, so we're way ahead of the fashion industry (which is much larger because it appeals to a larger percentage of the world population) in environmental awareness.

 

[kemmler3D]

From a report "Fast Fashion and its Environmental Impact in 2024",



I don't think there are any audiophiles / audio enthusiasts who throw 85% by weight of their existing gear in the trash each year, so we're way ahead of the fashion industry (which is much larger because it appeals to a larger percentage of the world population) in environmental awareness.

The point made here is fine, but people aren't throwing away 85% of their clothes every year, the industry itself discards a lot of unsold items (this is a pretty harrowing story about it) and there's some waste involved with making clothes in the first place.

 

[Sonic icons]

I think a big divide comes from what people think it should cost. For instance, show a couple people a picture of the Focal Grande Utopia EM Evo and I’d wager most people won’t guess over $5k despite it retailing for $280k.

I had to check to remind myself of what that looks like, and I say well worth the price for those who can afford it - especially the "in your face" factor if the owner can arrange for it to be viewed by professional or social rivals. Gives the impression it's going to come to life any moment and start talking to its owner about upgrade paths. The best colors are forest green or electric blue, best placement near a large picture window.

Even going more realistic and sane, if you show them a Revel F208 they’ll probably guess around $700 and not $4000.

People don’t have exposure to audio product prices, they have a giant exposure to car prices.

Switching to discussion of these more mundanely priced components, it occurred to me that most people, if shown a F36 (currently on sale for $600 ea) and F206, wouldn't be able to guess which is more expensive. An audio enthusiast not already familiar with the models might notice two "tells" on the F206 - the medium sized driver between the little one and the big ones, implying a 3-way crossover, and the curved cabinet shape (higher manufacturing cost).

 

[Sonic icons]

The point made here is fine, but people aren't throwing away 85% of their clothes every year, the industry itself discards a lot of unsold items (this is a pretty harrowing story about it) and there's some waste involved with making clothes in the first place.

I don't doubt that, but the total waste of resources from an environmental point of view is due to the sum of actions by industry and consumers - and very concept of "fast fashion" indicates that the industry is selling the idea to consumers "you should replace your clothes more frequently to achieve a look that's ahead of the curve".

 

[kemmler3D]

I don't doubt that, but the total waste of resources from an environmental point of view is due to the sum of actions by industry and consumers - and very concept of "fast fashion" indicates that the industry is selling the idea to consumers "you should replace your clothes more frequently to achieve a look that's ahead of the curve".

Definitely agree. Unfortunately people are conditioned to expect large amounts of low-quality clothing at absurdly low prices instead of buying a quality item at 5x the price.

I'll also take a moment to quickly plug buying your gear secondhand to extend the useful life of things and slow down pollution and consumption of raw materials.

 

[Sonic icons]

Audio is a hobby but listening to music is more than a hobby. Music is like air or sunshine to me. Over five decades I've spent thousands on equipment, perhaps as much as the cost of a new Honda Accord in total. That was only one-half the expense. How much have I spent on LP's and Cd's I wonder. Do many of you, like me, enjoy looking for used CD's at thrift stores and stores that stock and sell used media? At $16 per CD I won't take a risk on an unknown artist or music from an obscure part of the world, but for a few $'s I often do, and I have been rewarded doing that. How many LP's and CD's have I owned and played over the years? Maybe 500 LP's or more, and 1,500 Cd's. The cost isn't much if you think of music as being akin to food. It nurishes us. Maybe playing with the equipment does too. And it is play. I won't but I could write about getting the Thorens set up right, and the experience of first listening to memorable records (record is a term for LP which is a specific memory bank on an old-timer).

I've noticed that a current trend in the classical music world is imperiling the living space and maybe the sanity of collectors: releasing "complete editions", all the recordings by a given conductor, artist and/or ensemble on a given label, and enticingly priced in cost per disc. For example, on the PrestoMusic site, I see these new + best-selling releases: Sir Neville Marriner, The Complete Warner Classics Recordings, 80 CDs for only $206; Bach, The Complete Vocal Works, Bach Collegium of Japan, 78 SACDs for only $340; Simon Rattle - The Berlin Years - 45 CDs; Wolfgang Sawallisch Collection - 43 CDs; Paavo Berglund Edition - 42 CDs; etc etc etc. The record company goal is clearly "let no classical collector escape with a disc collection numbering under triple (oops typo) quadruple digits". And most of these mega-releases are physical disc only, no download option - maybe because vendors such as Presto Music are worried about the potential for huge downloads to crash their servers.

 

[Axo1989]

I had to check to remind myself of what that looks like, and I say well worth the price for those who can afford it - especially the "in your face" factor if the owner can arrange for it to be viewed by professional or social rivals. Gives the impression it's going to come to life any moment and start talking to its owner about upgrade paths. The best colors are forest green or electric blue, best placement near a large picture window.

Not one but two second-hand pairs appeared in my local hi-fi shop recently. But both were black. I have my heart set on the fun colours.

 

[egellings]

I'm not so sure I'd agree with that.
Over the decades I'd bet more than a few have left my house saying,
He must be nuts spending that kind of money on Hi Fi when he could have gotten X, Y, or Z.

I've heard that from my family, and others family about our motorcycles many times for sure.
Or as they love to call them "murdercycles". KMA

On a motorcycle, your exposure is really high. You're lucky if all you get is road rash after an incident. Unless you stick your fingers into a tube amp, audio is comparatively safe.

 

[Sal1950]

On a motorcycle, your exposure is really high.

Oh well, if your scared, go to church instead. LOL

 

[DLS79]

Oh well, if your scared, go to church instead. LOL

my state has a bunch of BS about bikes. I can get a ticket for not wearing a seatbelt, but motorcyclists aren't required to wear helmets!

 

[Sal1950]

my state has a bunch of BS about bikes. I can get a ticket for not wearing a seatbelt, but motorcyclists aren't required to wear helmets!

We riders have successfully fought helmet laws nation wide for decades and thankfully Grown Adults are now able to ride helmet free in the larger percentage of US states. Put on a full face helmet that highly obscures your peripheral vision and badly restricts your hearing, then tell me you feel safer from the auto drivers?
Let Those Who Ride Decide.

 

[DLS79]

We riders have successfully fought helmet laws nation wide for decades and thankfully Grown Adults are now able to ride helmet free in the larger percentage of US states. Put on a full face helmet that highly obscures your peripheral vision and badly restricts your hearing, then tell me you feel safer from the auto drivers?
Let Those Who Ride Decide.

I've warn a race Helmut before, I still think its BS.