Would you pay to listen?

Kbarkamian,

Agree the arrogance is astounding with some of these guys. One would think you should be able to hear a Hi-Fi system in a hi-fi store ...

I would not pay to listen to a system I can't afford. Although I've heard a 300 K $ system too, and was astounded.

But I would easily pay, even 200 $ for a unit that I could borrow for one day to listen in my own system. Especially one that I view as a possible upgrade.

I wouldn't pay money to audition in the premise of paying money to listen to high end system. But as a form of entertainment it could work. People pay similar amount of money just to play billiard, watch movies or enter clubs. I wouldn't mind hanging out at an audio shop with my friends while having some wine and listening to music for a nominal fee.

i would mot pay for several reasons:

1) not knowing the equipment in advance, and price being irrelevant, there is no way to know in advance if i would like the sound

2) it's only a stereo. i would not pay to listen to recorded music, only to live music

3) listening at home, if the equipment were favorable to my taste would be the only exception to # 2.
a dealer showroom introduces too many variables.

I would never rent a Ferrari for a day, unless I could be assured that the seats were molded to my exact body, the tires had just a few thousand miles on them and were properly warmed, the suspension was setup for my exact driving tastes, the intake and exhaust were tuned to achieve the absolute perfect mix of torque and horsepower, it had exactly 12 gallons of 102 octane gasoline, all wiring was replaced with solid silver cables, the roads were free of all debris, cracks, litter, pebbles, other people, etc., the sun offered zero glare in my eyes, and the temperature was 67.5 degrees with 35% humidity, and a light wind out of the southwest.

It is preposterous to think that a Ferrari engineer, and retailer, could EVER put together a car that would perform as perfectly as my 1983 Mazda RX7 GS. Frankly, I’m offended that anyone would suggest that I ‘pay’ to drive that vehicle. The dealer should gladly give me the keys, so I can take it home and drive it at my leisure. After all, I need to see how it will look in my garage, and I can’t imagine renting it unless I ‘knew’ I was going to like it. I find it personally offensive that anyone would suggest I simply rent the car, enjoy the experience for what it is, and have a richer life for the experience. Harrumph!

lol…where do you guys get the curmudgeon sized vat of starch for your underwear?