Hey RICH Audiophiles

@jerry_gt3rs - do you know Cheech, from Rennwerke in Elmsford NY? A madman, to be sure, but he knows the older cars and did meticulous work (more mechanics, not body restoration as I recall). He had some serious cars in that shop.

The real question is why do rich audiophiles buy exorbitantly high priced systems when there are so many less expensive options to achieving equal or even better sound? Wealthy / successful people are usually focused on end state results, not tweeking or enjoying the incremental upgrade steps. I don't consider them audiophiles any more than I would consider a street beggar a concert violinist just because someone gave him  a Stratovarius.

whart1,

 I do not know him specifically but I have heard of the shop. We only do mechanical work here, although the Roadster is here for a full reassembly. It came to us pretty much as a shell along with about a dozen unlabeled boxes along with 2 engines!

@1extreme 

Your post is not accurate. You assume so much and like many times in life, the assumptions are drawn from incomplete data or incorrect assumptions. Your version of rich may not be a completely accurate picture.

Super successful people, in general, are not satisfied with mediocre anything but if it has no value or utility, then they move on without a second thought. Time to this group is precious and those I know who fall into this category are not remotely interested in a cable shootout or posting on a web forum and they will not waste their time debating what is or isn’t an audiophile, they simply buy experiences. They underwrite symphonies, opera, jazz venues, festivals, universities, cancer research and hospitals. They heli-ski rather than take a lift because the lift doesn’t go where they want to go. The money value of time is equally as important as the time value of money.

I recently was invited to dine in the home of a very successful gentleman. His setup was modest (Definitive bookshelves, a hidden away mass market amp Im sure playing satellite fed music from his cable tv provider). I kow he liked music and asked him about his setup and he said its just for background, conversational listening. He said he hadnt heard too many systems that recreated anything resembling real so he was satisfied that to hear the real thing they would just go to concerts and venues to hear live. People in his tax bracket have many homes, many systems and very little free time.

So, I guess my point is I wouldnt worry too much about why the wealthy choose what they choose. Like everyone else in the world, they are shaped by their experiences.

@ghasley
I think you just made my point better than I did.

My point was, in general, the super wealthy aren’t the ones buying “exorbitantly high priced systems”. Super wealthy audiophiles who do happen to buy super high end dont typically need to tweak. They get what they want and dont fuss around.

Again, your version of rich and the real version of rich are possibly disconnected. 

@jag, agree how ridiculous .
@dobnbav flaunt your money, let everybody know how rich you are & how many toys you have you wont let a girlfriend play with. Arrogant people like you are.......you know what you are

Well heeled people tend not to buy stereo systems - they buy flashy cars, hugely expensive watches, boats, the wines with the highest ratings etc.

You don't get peer points for having anything as geeky and esoteric as a truly well developed audio system - but you do for video so they are much more likely to install snazzy home theatre systems with subwoofers capable of reproducing the explosion of Krakatoa.

The very small segment of society that are interested in high end audio and also are financially able to indulge that hobby are the only ones that build a system like that.

In my experience most nouveau rich are short on attention span and on patience with detail, both of which are an advantage....almost a requirement for our hobby.

Man, i have to read about that in here,,,,,,""No more sitting in traffic,wasting gas & polluting the environment"""  Class D
amp guy ,yes.    look at the price to rent a supercar
 what I'm only saying is go to the store a listen 
let's get that right 
 

I'm unemployed and unemployable. I am not suave, I am not sophisticated, I do not look like Pierce Brosnan. My ears tell me I am rich in sound though. My lady and my family love me. That's all that counts. Cheers!

dobnbav said, "Now go buy a boat and find out what a real money pit is!" Gee, I have a nice audio system and a boat.........gulp!

@dobnbav

Well I have a have a main system which cost over $50K. I used to have $50K speakers and even more expensive amps. So you want to hear my answer? If you can’t afford it stop asking. If you are serious then get on a plane or hit the road in your car and go to dealers who have the equipment you want. I also used to own a very high end shop in NYC.

Safe guess that a sparkling personality and a huge pile of humility have something to do with why he no longer owns a "high-end shop" in NYC.   

A woman goes in to Harrods of London and is looking to buy loads of furniture for the QE2, the salesman says 'what boat do you come from'? the lady with a deadpan look replies, 'sir, a boat is something we get into then the ship is sinking'.........

I have seen home after expensive home without a set-up consisting
of separate audio components. They spoil the decor and their home theatre room has in-wall speakers. Perhaps orchestra conductors with liberal recording contracts buy top-of-the-line audio... 
They (billionaires) DO HAVE wristwatches that cost $600,000 dollars. A McLaren or
Lamborghini could set you back $2 Million or more. Yeah, they're nice, but completely useless (0-60 in 3.5 seconds). They're so fast that you just let the computer operate the transmission. I learned to drive a stick so I could "drive" my Honda/Toyota. It felt wonderful to be in control.
They park their yachts at Monaco and drink $2000/glasses of wine. As for music for entertainment-
Mozart or Gaga? Music is an art form, not a fashion statement. I think.
As long as your toilet seat is made of gold what difference does it make anymore? 
OTOH, I feel "most" high end audio should not cost prices that seem ludicrous. 
A manufacturer of (for ex.) a speaker should admit a certain product is more of a "prototype" then a commercial offering, unless you "really"
have to have it. Not to have a reviewer brag about how great it is in a specially designed room with dozens of other components making them work the way they do. I remember seeing a demo of the (beautiful) B&W Reference"Snails" with 4 Krell mono-amps/speaker, custom Krell crossovers, custom wire, custom preamps, etc. The sound was very clean and grain-free, but not the same "wow" response I got the1st time I heard the B&W 801 Matrix speakers ($5000/pair) at a dealer. And those "Snails" are not (I guess) "so amazing" anymore. So 0-60 in 3.5 seconds
should be a guide to this hobby as well. 
(BTW Rich People- 8K OLED TV sets are coming out. OH, sorry, you already know... 

the affordable low end has never sounded better....

get a rega a denon Or ortofon a nice sprout or nad or Rogue, a bluesound streamer and a pair of Maggies or Vandersteen, buy some concert tickets and a case of wine at Costco and a used Boxster...

James Dean did not live ( or die ) as well.

rich is always relative

signing out...

I think a system costing hundreds of thousands of dollars can still sound great. Also, I'd rather mention how relatively inexpensive my fabulous sounding system is as that makes me seem real smart. Win win.

To be rich is to enjoy and appreciate what you have.  I live way below my means and seek out activities and items that are of value to me.  One of my cars is a Mazdaspeed MX-5 which is basically a Miata on factory steroids.  It's not nearly as fast as an exotic car but on curvy public roads I'd rate it 90% as fun to drive.  The insurance and maintenance costs are low and I don't worry about where I'm going to park it whenever I go anywhere.  I could boost the performance big time with aftermarket modifications but often that results in reliability issues.  There are modders who can tweak my Oppo UDP-205 but I don't want to trade a minor improvement for a potential future catastrophic failure.  I don't concern myself that there is something better out there, I just smile and enjoy what I have - and share the fun with friends and family.

wolf_garcia4,528 posts01-26-2019 3:04amI think a system costing hundreds of thousands of dollars can still sound great.

>>>>>Maybe. It might also sound like horse manure. You certainly can’t tell by just looking at it. Camel, eye of needle.

News flash: The ever re-posting Kaitty has lost his ability to detect irony. I suggest that he request that the orderlies put him closer to a window for some air, and remove the dromedary based children's books from his reach. He can thank me later.

alltrinnov

To be rich is to enjoy and appreciate what you have. I live way below my means and seek out activities and items that are of value to me.

+1. Bigtime.

"To be rich is not to have a chest full of gold coins at home. To be rich is to not have an alarm clock at home."

(from...)

Expensive stereo parts are heavy and difficult to move. The best component made is a friend to enjoy your system with no matter the price. It would be better to invite people over to share the sound and experience it together. To share opinions much like this site but face to face or should I say ear to ear. 

Hey, Wolf, glad to hear you finally got rid of your low end speakers and got some solid mid fi speakers. I bet you think you died and went to heaven. 

astewart8944
So that's frustrating! Sorry for the double posting of basically nothing. I meant to positively acknowledge schubert's wise quote.

so that wasn't schubert's quote. He was just renting it.
8^0

my only alarm clock is wireless......

When you're retired and happy, time is meaningless....

If time did not exist man would have to create it.

Oh no! I’ve been SPEAKER SHAMED by Kaitty which in the context of this thread doesn’t make any sense, but desperate responses rarely do.

I don't want a rich person to see my life. They'll be so jealous of how great I have it and I don't want the pressure of fighting off their interest

FANTASTIC!
 I had no idea the comments would be so entertaining when I posted this I was simply venting after a wasted 6 hours trying to demo a few speakers in the Seattle area..
 

There are no poor audiophiles, there are however poor individuals audiophile systems which makes them wise audiophiles.

@freediver. Seattle is tough, takes forever in traffic. Limited selection , high prices, and not so great setups. I drove in to audition speakers. Setup was so bad I hated the speakers and amp. Ended up with the same model speakers and couldn't be happier. There was a rather active audio group there, might be worth connecting with them

try Advanced in Tacoma

   Never saw a single Porsche I didn’t admire . Especially the 917-30 with Mark Donahue driving . I savor the picture of myself  helping the late Al Holbert push the Lowenbrau 962 into the garage at Riverside . As a teen , I rode in the now famous #198 Cobra (on the street ) and also got to start George Harm’s Mclaren Can-Am car. My biggest scare came in a Slantnose that my buddy had on loan . I attended the Rennsport Reunion at Laguna Seca and appreciated everything from the tatttered 914’s in the infield to the Restomod Mclaren 911 with the TAG F1 V6 at $1.2 million . And of course the 917’s . Even the Porsche Tractor race was cool . I talked to Derrick Bell and the nice man that owned the 962 he was driving . It’s interesting how pleasant real racing people are compared to the small penis lot that share here . BTW , I’m one of those sub $150k people. Yes it was a poor question , but what a circle jerk this is . See you “ Pros “ and “ Super High End” people next year at RMAF . Cheers , Mike .  

@ alltrinnov To be rich is to enjoy and appreciate what you have. I live way below my means and seek out activities and items that are of value to me.
I don't concern myself that there is something better out there, I just smile and enjoy what I have - and share the fun with friends and family.
+2 ditto - Bigtime
@ thomascrownafair Expensive stereo parts are heavy and difficult to move. The best component made is a friend to enjoy your system with no matter the price. It would be better to invite people over to share the sound and experience it together. To share opinions much like this site but face to face or should I say ear to ear.
+1

Sometimes we get so immured by the travels, we fail to appreciate the journey or recognize the destination when we get there.......Jim

wolf_garcia,

"Oh no! I’ve been SPEAKER SHAMED by Kaitty…"

Do not despair, you can always invest $20 in used Grado headphones and catch up with geoffkait.

"Performance" cars. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz oh sorry, dozed off there for a sec.
Spend your $10K on even a medium sized motorbike and experience real acceleration and performance.

Jtcf your post right after dobnbav almost killed me. Laughed for a solid two min. 

I'd happily have one of these, Please. *VBS*

https://www.roadandtrack.com/motorsports/a10022304/lotus-elise-hillclimb-car-uses-v8-formed-from-two...

...sans the decals, though....don't desire to be blatant, as the sheer sound is music to my ears. ;)  Even through 'roadie' earplugs (Yes, I have & use them...I'm enthusiastic, not stupid. :p *L*

In lieu, and certainly less expensive...a '18 Focus RS Hatch with some *ah* 'reverse detailing' (removal of some of the 'obvious' factory markings to render it a bit more 'innocent looking'...more 'typical, harmless, not capable of sucking your doors off'....  What used to be called a "Q ship".

VW 'bugs' with a Porsche 911 engine comes to mind.  Made 'Vette owners pull over and stare at you disappearing....*smirk*

Renting out your audio gear strikes me as a sure-fire way to become more neurotic than you already may be...IMHO.

Y'all are welcome to drop by and listen, though.  AVL is a nice place to visit....*G*

Glupson...I was using Grado SR80s as part of my bedtime reading and listening ritual until recently upgrading to the SR325e...an astonishingly great sounding piece of gear that makes the SR80s seem reticent and low-fi, highly recommended...my last Sony Discman died last year rendering me less Kaitty-like in two ways.

i wonder what a pair of Koss headphones in the freezer would do ?

or two nickels, seeking absolute zero but frustrated by the limitations of mortal man and GE....

I will swing by the local thrift today, the KOSS don’t actually need to work....right...

drove the Panzerwaggen to the thrift the other day, fellow remarked on the apparent oddity, I said, that shopping there is HOW I got the hulking SUV...and manage to feed it....

fun thread, maybe when I turn 60 I can get a “ fine motorbike and a red headed girl “....

I've had the 911's, the Boxsters, 928gt-- I now have a Macan and I think it whips them all around!!!! If you have a chance to drive one, try it-- Took me all of 5 mins to issue the purchase--

928, the most advanced car on this side of Citroen DS21.

Choosing a car over a motorcycle, you pick comfort over some more performance. Wind, rain, etc.

This thread has developed into a fun reading mix of cars (mainly Porsche) and audio equipment.

Do you guys with 911 actually hear the music in the car, or the engine sound is music? Every time I drove one, it was like a construction site right behind my back. Even in the parking lot.