Would you pay to listen?

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Amazing. I find it odd that thousands of audiophiles buy plane tickets and rent hotel rooms for several days to go to places like the Rocky Mountain AudioFest or CES to hear these type of systems. Lots of times in less than ideal listening conditions. I'm sure their total expenses exceed twenty bucks. But some of you won't pay $20 locally to see a killer system.

I live in Los Angeles. I drive a very nice car which satisfies all of my automotive needs. However, there are several places here that rent exotic cars and they do a pretty brisk business. Though I've never rented one, I'd love to take a Ferrari, Bentley or a Lamborghini out for a spin up the Pacific Coast. No, I can't afford to buy one, but I'd like to have the experience.

I allow local artists to do art shows in my loft in exchange for a piece of their original artwork. Over the years of doing this, I've managed to assemble a very beautiful collection of original paintings and scuptures that I'm very proud of. I've never paid for a piece of artwork in my life. However, five years ago when the Guggenheim brought their art show to the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, I got on a plane and rented a room to see it. I got to see works of Van Gogh, Rubens, Picasso, Kandinski, Degas, Chagall and scores of other masterpieces by other great artists. Of course I'll never own any of those pieces, but I gladly paid money to go see them. When I got back home, I still apprciated my own collection and am still happy with it. I'm living proof that you don't have to pay millions to own beautiful art....but, I'll still pay money to go see works by the greats.

Of course you don't have to spend $100k to get great sound. My system doesn't even come close to that kind of dough and I enjoy it immensely.

Tom6897, this hypothetical room certainly would not be a 10 x 12 room, that would be ridiculous. In my original post, I said the room would be great. So, you could make the room any size you wanted, free of the noise and crowds of an audio show. I'd like to hear the Genesis 1.2 speaker system. I think it goes for about $180k. I'd like to hear it with the Audio Research Reference Anniversary preamp ($25k), triamped with Audio Research Reference 610T tube amps ($120k for three pair) with the ARC Reference Phono2 ($12k), ARC Reference CD8 ($10k) and the flagship VPI turntable fitted with a killer arm and flagship Koetsu cartridge. Of course all cabling and power cords would be of similar caliber for a system such as this. Sorry Tom6897 and Polk432, but I don't care who you know, no $25k system will come close to a system like the one above... and I'd pay money to hear it. I've seen several systems here on Audiogon that I'd pay money to hear.

Of course you don't have to spend $100k to get great sound. My system doesn't even come close to that kind of dough and I still enjoy it immensely.

Timrhu, for $3k your system makes you smile (I did the math). I'm not talking about a system to make you smile, we all have one of those. I'm talking about one that will make your jaw drop.

Soniqmike, I had to chuckle at your post....I have no interest for such a business venture. I don't have the dough to assemble the dream system that I'd pay to hear. Obviously judging from the posts above, I'd starve to death in such a business.

Gsself, you hit the nail on the head! I never pay money to go to movies, I'm content with my home theater. HOWEVER, when an action blockbuster comes out like The Dark Knight, Spiderman and Iron Man, I'm first in line at the IMAX to see it. No home theater can match that for pure size, scale and impact, and I gladly pay the dough every time. This whole post was to see if there was a comercial place with a killer two channel system where you could buy a ticket and listen to state of the art stuff in a killer room. I'd buy a ticket in a heartbeat.
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Would there be pretty hostesses?

Don't have to. There's a dealer with a $150,000 system not 10 minutes from where I live. He operates out of his home and is most generous with his time and advice. Talk about luck.

Do the math. 5000 hours at $20/hr just to pay for the equipemnt. What about the cost of staffing, rent/mortgage for the location, electricity and other overhead. realistically, would would have to charge somewhere in the $60-$80 range. Assuming you're open 8 hours/day and you where totally booked solid, it would still take about three years to break even. More likely, it would take five plus years to break even and by that time you would need to update the equipemnt.

Most people regard music as a distraction; something to fill in the background while doing something else. Very few people these days actually sit down just to listen. Audiophiles make up a very, very small minority of the population. Also, there's a subset of "audiophiles" that just have equipment envy and couldn't hear the difference between a $1500 system and a $150,000 system. Remember it's takes a trained ear as well as a fat wallet.

No, I think you would have sell the equipment after a period of time to buy new and better equipment. Hold on, I think you just opened up a high end audio showroom and store.

I'm a classically trained Chef, with a trained palate, and I enjoy fine dining. However, it's very rare that I go out for a $125 Burger with Pomme Frites.

I would. It would be great to hear a kilobuck system properly set up at its best. Of course, it probably wouldn't sound that good, because I have preconcieved notions (hey, isn't that what it is all about)? I doubt a 100K stereo could sound that much "better" than a 20K system- Remember , we are listing to prerecorded music that has its limits, Lets say you get the best record from the best guitarist- that is as good as it will ever get- and yet the recording still has its limits. At some point you have to run up against the limits of the recording and a system can never sound better than that at any cost.

I must spend at least $50 for gas to get to the nearest dealer with any high end gear worthy of mention, and they have open houses all the time with the likes of Wilson, Ayre,Spectral etc. and I never go, even with an invationtion.
I could listen to any product by the above any time.