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Is it Audio, or is it Art?

A casual survey of the latest batch of high end electronics and speakers leads me to an interesting observation. The trend is towards exotic physical shapes which go far beyond any legitimate technical necessity. Taking power amplifiers as an example, electronic “guts” worth about $2000 can be near SOTA. You could put the circuitry in a plain metal box and it would sound the same. But no…we see beautifully sculptured enclosures, and price tags in the multi-kilobuck range. In the case of loudspeakers the number of 6 inch drivers, exhibited without a grill, seems to be a selling point, like the number of cup holders in autos a few years back.

I used to get mad about the prices charged for high end power amps, but not now since I have tumbled to the fact that these items are works of art as much as they are practical sound systems. Are they not proudly displayed on open racks? When you think of, for example, a pair of Chord monoblocks for $75,000, as electronic gear it is completely absurd, but when viewed as a piece of artwork (sculpture) 75 grand is unexceptional. And it plays music too!
eldartford

Showing 4 responses by eldartford

eldartford OP
4,262 posts
 
The watch example is perfect. A $24 Timex keeps time within a few seconds per year. If keeping time is what you want, spending more than $24 is foolish. Of course there are beautiful watches that cost a lot more, but they are not about telling time. People buy them for other reasons.
eldartford OP
4,262 posts
 
Gregm...Agree that the example I used, Chord, does look like something out of a steam engine factory, but that "goes with" high end turntables. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

My point is that the artistic aspect of high end equipment is separate and distinct from its sound reproduction function, and art is what commands the high prices. Have you priced any artwork lately.
eldartford OP
4,262 posts
 
Onhwy61....True...I myself don't wear any watch at all except when I go out of town on a trip. (But when I do it's a Timex). Don't get me wrong: it's perfectly OK by me if people want to wear a beautiful braclet rather than a timepiece. So too in audio some people want to exhibit beautiful audio equipment on racks which suggest a museum display, while others hide their utilitarian butt kicking circuitry in the cellar.

All I am trying to do is to understand how some high end audio equipment can find buyers at the prices asked. The price structure for artwork is quite different from electronic gizmos, and I believe gives this explanation.

In the automobile business there was a time when high end buyers would purchase a bare chassis and then hire any of many body specialists to craft a body to his particular styling taste. Perhaps this will happen with audio. You buy the circuits, and hire an artist to create an enclosure for them.
eldartford OP
4,262 posts
 
Triode...Perhaps the title suggests an either/or situation, but it should be clear from my comments that I am not suggesting this. Rather, I am suggesting that many high end purchases are predominantly art aquisitions. For example, with $75,000 power amplifiers, I would estimate that $10,000 is for audio, and $65,000 for art. (We could quibble about the numbers, but you get my point).
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