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MSRP, diferentiation and the illusion of value

I've been an audiophile for a very long time.  I've gotten to listen to a wide variety of gear, and even participated in the creation and manufacture of some audio gear in my past.  Took college courses in audio engineering I was not prepared for, and read quite a bit from the usual audio rags.

I want to share something I think every audiophile should know, which is how manufacturers leverage the suggested retail price (MSRP) as well as product differentiation to create this illusion of value.

A lot of gear sounds different. Cables are good examples. You make a cable which sounds different to a perceptive ear.  It doesn't matter if it's better or worse, but just make it different, and raise the MSRP above other cables costing similar prices to manufacture. Throw on some connector jewelry and exotic fabric to dress them in and bam, your $1 to make cable just became $250.

My point is, too often audiophiles want to equate different sounding with better. If the MSRP is higher, well, that reinforces this idea that this difference must be going towards some illusory holy grail, floating above the tower of nuns. Another factor that benefits the seller is that we almost never ask ourselves how much this difference is worth.  Lets accept that these cables, or speakers or amps are different sounding, and that you have judged that difference as preferable to what you wanted to buy when you started. How many of us step back and ask "is this difference worth the $$$ being asked?" Will it make my life that much better, or am I just bejeweling my sensual pleasures every chance I get?

I'm not begrudging anyone the right to spend money how they please.  I do however think audiophiles who feel like they work hard for their money to stop and think about these natural forces when judging how they will spend it.
erik_squires
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cleeds
5,642 posts
 
erik_squires
How many of us step back and ask "is this difference worth the $$$ being asked?" Will it make my life that much better, or am I just bejeweling my sensual pleasures every chance I get? I'm not begrudging anyone the right to spend money how they please. I do however think audiophiles who feel like they work hard for their money to stop and think about these natural forces when judging how they will spend it.
I can't imagine why you'd think audiophiles don't already routinely ask themselves that basic question whenever they make a purchase, especially an expensive one.
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yogiboy
5,461 posts
 
"I’ve gotten to listen to a wide variety of gear, and even participated in the creation and manufacture of some audio gear in my past. "
What gear might that be?

winoguy17
1,082 posts
 
 What cleeds said........
erik_squires OP
15,646 posts
 
What gear might that be?

Processors and racks which went into motion picture auditoriums. :) None of which you’d be familiar with. The closest thing most audiogoner’s would know is that for many years we kept Halfer in business, buying his amp modules to put into our own chassis.
erik_squires OP
15,646 posts
 
I can't imagine why you'd think audiophiles don't already routinely ask themselves that basic question whenever they make a purchase, especially an expensive one.


From reading the forums and interacting with others. It seems to me, as often as not, we get entranced by "different" and "better" without thought given to value. To some degree this is the nature of the beast. Being able to invest in audio gear is a luxury, even if it's just a boom box but stopping to think about relative merit is not a bad idea.
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