Is it possible for a high end manufacturer to overprice their goods?


Having just read the interesting and hyperbole laden review by RH of the new Rockport Orion speakers in the latest issue of The Absolute Sound, one thing struck me..

is it possible in the high end for a manufacturer to overprice their product ( doesn’t have to be a speaker, but this example comes to mind)? I ask this, as the Orion is priced at $133k! Yes,a price that would probably make 99% of hobbyists squirm. Yet, the speaker now joins a number of competitors that are in the $100k realm. 
To that, this particular speaker stands just 50.3” tall and is just 14.3” wide…with one 13” woofer, one 7” midrange and a 1.25” beryllium dome ( which these days is nothing special at all…and could potentially lead to the nasties of beryllium bite).

The question is…given this speakers design and parts, which may or may not be SOTA, is it possible that this is just another overpriced product that will not sell, or is it like others, correctly priced for its target market? Thoughts…

128x128daveyf

Showing 1 response by mapman

If they charge enough and sell just 1 that might be all they need for easy money and a big profit. Some might call it a scam. But It’s attempted here all the time (sell something for absolute top dollar that can be finagled). It’s something agon is designed to do ie facilitate sales of one-off hyped up items only here on the “high end” site….the Ultimate hifi boutique shop. Complete with free forum for marketing efforts. See the occasional ad for a 10k power cord from a total unknown, for example. High end means more expensive and elaborate. Things few others are likely to own or want. Duh! Get a clue hombre! All else is subjective. So nope, no price is too high. The sky is the limit. All you may need is a buyer. So just factor in expense of hiring a few good shills perhaps. You know, the usual story just with expensive hifi things. Have at it!

 

Then you have the reputable vendors who have to be concerned about maintaining a good reputation. Different story !