Why Is Hi Fi Gear So Darn Expensive?

Again, Price has nothing to do with sound.  Can someone make something as good or better for less, why sure.  There a differences though depending on who makes the product.

I imagine no body here has tried to manufacturer anything and sell it in a competitive market.  It is not so easy.  Everyone has an opinion on everything and most likely, no body has had the opportunity to do extensive comparisons using different components,

Try designing something, marketing something, getting parts, boxes, reviews, etc.  What do you think that costs?  No one in audio is getting rich, at least not many.  That is why some of the favorite manufacturers are out of business today.

BUT there are high priced components that actually do sound much better.  That I can prove. Our listening room is open in Northern New Jersey if anyone wants to come a play.

Happy Listening.

I never understood $100K amps, $250K speakers, $50K streamers.. Yet, I am totally ok with it. It's called capitalism..  The market will sort itself out in the long run !

+1 @thyname Why are so many budget conscious Audiophiles(?) so concerned about what others spend? I think there is a mind set(fear=snake oil) in them to beat the "Pay to Play" theory which unfortunately exits Another meaningless cliche is "The Law Of Diminishing Returns" It does not apply to a subjective hobby. A $20K amp must sound/measure 10x better then a $2k amp, which is a foolish formula. A 20k amp can sound a million times(subjective) better then a 2k amp. IMO the 20k amp would clearly be the better value. There is no need/want or desire for ’Gatekeepers" in this hobby.

@bluorion

Regarding the how much does high fidelity have to cost I will throw out the example of Grado SR80i headphones as a lowest cost entry point. Use these with any good quality streaming app on a smartphone and viola…..really good sound!

Or Vanatoo active speakers. $600 + a smart phone source and you are good to go in many rooms.

Price has anything to do with consumer products.

You pay you get. Miracles do not happen. Since a preamp comparison was mentioned, one costing 2k and the other 20k, which one is better? Easy the more expensive one, because in an accompanying system of relative value it would show less limitations compared to the more economic one. That does not limit the quality of the 2k one, which in turn could be better than a 3k preamp, making it a an excellent choice for the right system and most likely above that.

One of the issues is who can bring lower pricing on a statement product, my answer would be the big guns, you know the ones that produce mass market goods also, have the resources and the ability, and care to see in the end a profitable category and not product alone. Unfortunately snobbish behaviours apply to this hobby as elsewhere. Reasons for not succeeding has nothing to do with sound quality or construction but rather distribution, lower margins and not so perfect after sales service. Back to square one.