$27,500 is a nice chunk of change, even in the audiophile world. I think we can all agree on this. You can get a pretty kick ass system for that amount. I think we can all agree on this, too. I just read something at stereophile.com that almost...almost made me choke on my triscuit. Luckily for me, I had water ready to go, knowing how dry those things are. $27,500 is the price for a paint upgrade, a color called cranberry pearl finish on a pair of speakers made by Wilson, the Chronosonic XVX. Now, when we hear the name Wilson, we all know what that means. But come on man, $27,500 for a paint upgrade.
Anyway, on a side note that maybe related. McLaren supercars and Ferrari supercars tend to have similar MSRP. But a used Ferrari will tend to keep its values very well and in some cases, rises in values. On the other hand, McLaren cars do not keep their values very well.
The point here is it's the market that determines the value of something, not the manufacturer. I mean you can say your product will cost an x-amount, but it will only worth that much if the market decides to pay for that.
If nobody is willing to pay Wilson 20K for a paint job, you can bet your little johnny Wilson is not going to charge that next time.
"I don't know if Wilson runs an in house paint shop (expect that they probably do)"
If my memory serves me well, I saw a Wilson ad some years ago. It had a story about a man who does the paint work. It was one of the ads from a few that put faces of people who actually manufacture their speakers. I remember a father and son but do not remember what their position was.
Thank you for your informed responses. My first thought when I read the original post was that $27k sounded about right. In fact, if the usual manufacturing and retail markups apply, charging 27k for a custom finish means that the manufacturer's cost was around 7 or 8 thousand. Doesn't seem unreasonable to me.
I had a manufacturing company that made high end backyard products and one of my partners owned a sophisticated machine shop. When I look at $850k Wilson speakers I know from experience that their direct manufacturing cost (materials and labor) was probably about 1/4 of their retail price. The wholesale price to the dealer, probably around $450k, has to cover the extensive R&D to develop the model, sales, marketing, administrative costs, and overhead. I can easily believe that materials and labor runs $80k each. The shipping crates probably cost several thousand dollars. They are made in small quantities and include dozens of highly engineered custom machined parts, complex cabinetry, and a large amount of hand labor. Regarding the finish one must remember that it has to be perfect. I mean freakin' perfect. I small flaw in a wood veneer finish is generally overlooked but not in a high end paint finish. Wilson is reputed to have one of the highest quality standards of any company on the planet. Not only does it have to be perfect when it leaves the factory it has to be perfect when it arrives at the buyer's home.
I bristle when someone characterizes a high end company as greedy. I'm sure Wilson is quite profitable but I'm also sure that their prices reflect their costs just like pretty much any other manufacturer. From everything I've read their customer service is outstanding and they support their legacy products which costs money. Typical consumers cannot fathom how costly it is to design, test, and manufacture an ultra high-end product like the big Wilsons. Maybe some audiophiles buy these speakers for vanity reasons but I believe most of them appreciate the engineering and performance and believe that they represent good value.
Having said all that, the big Wilsons I have heard at audio shows don't sound very good to me and I think they look awful. But I have great respect for the company and I believe they occupy an important place in the high-end ecosystem.
One thing that you have to understand is that the finish on the Wilsons really is the equivalent of a high end automotive concours job. Some of the other painted speakers are equivalent to a quick Maaco sand and spray.
Having said that, and understanding that there is as much disassembly masking and reassembly as on a car, I'd have to say that the price is inflated. I don't know if Wilson runs an in house paint shop (expect that they probably do) but would think that a subcontractor would charge about half that for the same job, based on personal experience in the car realm.
And if these big boys are basically made to order, then it isn't a case of respraying an existing set on the showroom floor, it is just a case of choosing a different paint code as they go down the line, which would make the price even crazier
To put my comments in perspective, I do own Wilsons (painted in Argento Nurburgring, a 2006 Ferrari colour) and thus can confirm their paint quality.
I see now that the late David Wilson's son is now running the company. Let's say he needs a new paint job for his automobile and he wants a really good top of the line job done, the paint specialist tells him that it will cost him $27,500 to have it done. Now I would like to see the look on Mr. Wilson's face and his thoughts on that quote. The prices they charge for their speakers with paper cones in them I would not touch at normal prices.
For me the challenge in Audio is to get the most bang for my dollar spent. I use Zu Audio speakers in my system and have had them for 4 years no desire to upgrade. Dirty Omen with Soul Superfly driver upgrades. Super high efficiency 100db high impedance 12 to 16 ohms. Any amp can drive them. They do custom colors at reasonable upcharges. Anyways I don't spend $27K on a car let alone a set of speakers.
Crazy price for a paint job, BUT- at the end of the day; Wilson Audio’s bottom line will be fine, their Facebook followers will still be happy(ie: reviews = 4.9 out of 5 stars, their, "likes" = >41K), and- the underprivileged will continue their ubiquitous crying. Want some cheap cheese, to go with your box of whine?
Andy 2 hit it right on the head.....The value of (anything) is only what a person will pay for it. My Lawyer's got speaker cables that cost more than (both) my cars !!!
That must be some old saying. These days, $ 7 000 000 probably does not warrant its own.
That's true. The amount of money on wall streets nowaday is just unreal. It's hard to imagine how the FED and wall streets together can play this game ...
ad nfinitum ..... without any eventual consequences.
It all boils down to what my very wise father (RIP) once told me...he said son do not ever forget “there is an a-- for every seat.” Case closed.
Every seat needs an a-- otherwise the theater would be empty. Where I came from, that's how people make money. Unless you won a lottery in which case I can understand you don't care.
It is then less than 10% of the price. It does seem like a fair deal to me. Instead of investing $329 000 for "good enough", you spend $354 000 for "just right". Of course, if you like the color.
First of all if you can afford a pair of $850,000 speakers what’s $25,000 for a paint job ? It’s very cheap. If I had that kind of $$$$ for a pair of speakers and if I wanted them that color I’d spend the money. That’s pocket change.
I agree about the advertising part, but, at the end of the day, recent batch of their cars is nicely made. Every "fancy" make probably has some "prestige" built-in in the price. I was surprised that it is only $190 000. I guess they are trying to widen their market.
Going back to the original post’s topic while staying with this one, one of the nice things about their cars is it can be Q-ed (yes, James Bond, I know)/Q-commissioned. It is really a good option, albeit a pricey one. Kind of like Wilson speakers color. You do not need to get it, but it is nice to know you could.
Did Aston Martin make James Bonds or vice versa? Is it the chicken or the egg? If James Bonds is a real person, then maybe the answer is a bit more obvious.
People are so naive ... a $190K SUV from a crappy company called Aston Martin is like a base starting price. There's another world out there beyond the "normal".
I am so glad I have wifi in the garage where I can retreat to the better end, rest the Lizard King brain ( your musical reference for the day ) and settle into my folding camp chair, fire up the $26 NAD 3020, the beater Nakamichi Eric flipped to me ( thanks @ bdp24 ) and see IF I can out compete the neighbors with my 1972 Cornwalls, wallnut veneer ( which would have been viewed as high end in Arkentuckey )...
I had to look it up. Now, I guess it is not a yellow one, but am curious how much was a paint job, if it is not the original paint. If it is original, they don't make them like that anymore.
Wilson could re-badge stagger and stack several crap 901’s in 2 columns paint product high gloss Tremclad yellow....And many a Yum Yum would line up with thousands to purchase.... Idiots
Arm chair quarterback is alive and well. Most of the time though, it's more like couch potato quarterback unfortunately and sadly. The final fate for most of them.
Wilson could re-badge stagger and stack several crap 901’s in 2 columns paint product high gloss Tremclad yellow....And many a Yum Yum would line up with thousands to purchase.... Idiots
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