What’s the Sweet Spot price point wise in your audio journey?

@goofyfoot “The more l spend, the more l save”

l don’t think that is possible in the true meaning of saving.
 

Every time you get a discount you achieve more value for money, not saving.
Mathematically, the more times you spend, the less surplus £$€ you can potentially save, accumulate in savings.

@mylogic Rather, the more I save on the cost of the item,

@goofyfoot 

You just nailed it!  
 

The harder the times, the higher the buying power should be. There’s plenty of margin in the mark up of luxury items. The prices demanded more often depends on the restraints some manufacturers put on the dealer market place. Protectionism and price maintenance by brand names are directly at odds with fair competition.

Exclusivity + no competition = higher prices

Collusion (price maintenance) is rife between “brand” and “dealership” retailers, who both love to keep their sweet spots as high as possible.

@mylogic I hear different claims regarding profit margins. For example, the profit margin on phono cartridges is very low versus headphones which is very high. Where getting ten percent off might be standard, it might be impossible when buying a phono cartridge. I'm pretty much at the dealers mercy on certain items but if I think I'm being treated unfairly, I just go to a different dealer.

@goofyfoot “Profit margins”

l think it’s a bit hit and miss with cartridges particularly at the lower end of the market, but it certainly is not for speaker cables and interconnects where the mark ups are 50% or more.

Insider information (which may or may not be reliable) suggests hardware like speakers and amplifiers are higher than that. Hi-fi is similar to the margins made on furniture. Furnishings can reach a staggering 75 - 100% mark up before discounts are offered.

”Profit” is not a dirty word, but “sky high mark ups” (margin) are dirty words.