Thinking audiophiles might change the way the industry makes recordings might be taken of evidence of audiophiles being out of their minds for all practical purposes at least.
Are audiophiles still out of their minds?
I've been in this hobby for 30 years and owned many gears throughout the years, but never that many cables. I know cables can make a difference in sound quality of your system, but never dramatic like changing speakers, amplifiers, or even more importantly room treatment. Yes, I've evaluated many vaunted cables at dealers and at home over the years, but never heard dramatic effect that I would plunk $5000 for a cable. The most I've ever spent was $2700 for pair of speaker cables, and I kinda regret it to this day. So when I see cable manufacturers charging 5 figures for their latest and "greatest" speaker cables, PC, and ICs, I have to ask myself who buys this stuff. Why would you buy a $10k+ cable, when there are so many great speakers, amplifiers, DACs for that kind of money, or room treatment that would have greater effect on your systems sound? May be I'm getting ornery with age, like the water boy says in Adam Sandler's movie.
Showing 20 responses by mapman
Business models of companies selling products with appeal to only a small market of the wealthiest individuals (there will always be some) have to charge more and make a larger profit per unit. Its basic math, pretty irrefutable. But there still has to be a value proposition. Bling factor is usually a big part of it. Performance need not necessarily be that much greater than most things, if at all. Its all in the perception of value. Sticking that wire in a really nice case built to withstand a nuclear blast helps. Unfortunately the wires won’t be in the case when the bomb goes off. :^) Also its been pretty well established I think that bling factor of audio gear does not work on "hot chicks" nearly as well as cars, jewelry, you know things that they actually care about. So choose your bling wisely. |
A few years back at Capital Audiofest, the DIY guys had one of the best sounding systems in the whole show using a slightly tweaked but modest cost amp, DIY speakers assembled from a few hundred dollars worth of parts, run of the mill wires, and some ingenuity in the setup. That’s just my opinion but I saw a lot of others in there listening as well stunned at what could be done for such modest cost compared to most all the rest there. I wonder if they’ll let those guys back in again this year? |
DNM Reson ICs still my personal favorites. Minimalist design sounds great and can only cost so much. As long as lack of shielding is not an issue for any particular case. Pangea AC14 power cords for source devices are built like a tank and do quite well for the price. Still not feeling it for anything more than a basic good quality digital cable of suitable length like one might get from Amazon Basics for $10 or so. I find I can also live with most any decent quality speaker wire once all the rest is good. Not that they all sound the same by any means, I just prefer to tweak elsewhere when needed. In general I agree start with good stuff that works well together and tweaks naturally assume a lesser role. |
When I was dating my wife back circa late 80’s, her cassette player broke so I gave her my Aiwa AD6550 cassette player, which in fact was quite nice looking and had some bling. We were married shortly after and she always remembers the Aiwa, though I think she appreciated the gesture and its nice appearance more than the sound. |
Even if the really expensive wires really do sound the best by far and the buyer has peace of mind as a result, that does not mean the audiophile who bought it is still not out of their mind in the minds of others. Most might think that of anyone spending 5 or 6 figures total happily on most any audio gear, much less just expensive wires. Its all mostly whatever people think. Life is but a dream. |
Price should never be the determining factor for what one buys other than to stay in budget as needed. Wires are no exception. It just seems sillier when people spend large sums of cash on things to solve a relatively simple problem that might have been solved just as well or maybe even better perhaps for less. |
JMc, Who are you quoting? Not me I think I don’t recall ever saying anyone specifically spent too much money. It’s completely up to them what they choose to buy obviously. I am supporting the argument in general though that there may be less expensive alternatives to some more expensive products that may perform as well or better. That’s good news for those on a limited budget and for the audio industry that might like to have more potential customers. . For those who are not, price does not matter and I’m sure their wires sound great. I’ve heard some very good systems with some very expensive wires. I did say God bless everyone who is happy with their music. What else can I say there? Does this then make some people "out of their mind" as proposed? That’s strictly a judgement call that can’t be controlled, but it should not bother those who knowingly arrived wherever they are and are happy being there. Trying to be rational about it. Of course one could always turn to good quality pro audio wires and avoid the high end audio murk altogether, but that's another story....
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I’ve stated many times that I do not think ANY two things are exactly the same so I do not think "wire is wire", a fuse is a fuse, etc. The debate is always about various paths people take to a good solution and cost is always a part of that discussion. I don’t see a problem. We know that everyone will never agree on exactly the same solution and that everyone wants the best sound possible that they can afford. |
DNM Reson satisfied all my IC needs. One could take a look at their minimalist design and think they are overpriced as well for what they are. But thing is I tried them specifically because of their unique minimalist approach (something clearly much different than the norm just by appearance) and have found them to sound best overall especially in regards to coherency top to bottom. So I have dropped a few hundred into these wires that appear to not be much different than your run of the mill 300ohm dipole wire antenna you paid $5 bucks or so for a t Radio Shack in years past and no longer have any real interest in others unless they provide something truly unique for a comparable price. Well, they are single strand I believe and some come with beefed up connectors so I suppose that gotta cost something. |
Obviously how much anything is worth is a matter of opinion and opinions will vary. Resale prices over the long run are most likely the only reliable metric to bank on when it comes to determining value. Another truth would seem to be that those resale values are almost always way less then original retail price especially when it comes to more commodity type products like wires. So its fine to pay a lot for nice new wires just don't expect anyone else is likely to pay you the same amount if you paid full retail. I hope I'm wrong but I suspect in many cases here touting new expensive wires or other accessories that the touters did not pay full retail yet those influenced may well end up doing just that. |
I actually use DNM Reson and MIT ICs. Which sounds best best is mostly a function of system used in and personal preference. The MITs are more laid back and perhaps slightly rolled off on the top end and can take an edge off the music if desired while DNM is probably more balanced and coherent top to bottom. I use DNM in one system and MIT in the other both off similar BelCanto Class D amps and the difference in sound reflects that. |
TL is a reference to Tara Labs I believe. When people read or hear teh words of others, its always a judgement call. People's perceptions matter and do not always match the facts even if the facts are made clearly available. Its just the way things are and good for one to be aware of as opposed to banking on facts alone. |