shy about prices

I guess the old adage about, "If you have to ask the price, you can't afford it", applies in a lot of cases.  But I'll still click on something I'm not sure of if it looks good. At The Music Room or Safe and Sound I find great looking stuff, then find out lists for $46K. Oh well, eye candy. 

@grislybutter -- "But is that "normal"?"

I’ve always liked the saying that "normal" is a setting on your clothes dryer.

I think the key is that there aren’t any standardized requirements regarding advertising other than one cannot make willful misrepresentations or fraudulent/deceptive statements about the product. There is no rule against being obscure about a product’s price in your advertising.

So, it boils down to a manufacturer’s or retailer’s best guess as to how to approach their target market. For some that is being upfront about a low price. For others, its "OK, we’re not the cheapest but look what you get for your money!" Or, "Look, we are so fantastic and exclusive that if you’re worried about the price then you can’t afford it." The list of possibilities and variations is endless.

One of the common keys for high-end audio products is they are just that -- high-end. Looks, features, exclusivity, name recognition and bragging rights are the main points of their advertising in contrast to Best Buy’s newspaper ad for what mass market item is on sale this week. So its no surprise to me that the high-end makers are often vague about pricing.

I'm a dealer, and the main reason I put up an online site with prices is so people can see if the product fits their budget. This was one of my gripes when I was a consumer. That being said, it's a PITA to keep the prices updated. I do over 95% in-person sales so the website is mainly a service.

thanks @mlsstl sure sounds like a unique market that most people are not knowledgeable about

Don’t some manufacturers restrict advertising pricing? I thought that was part of some agreements relating to authorized dealership, which is tied to the ability to enforce warranties. It may be obsolete in the internet age, but I always looked at it as part of territories in a sense.

my attempt to lookup 500 or so speakers

It sounds more like you just broke the Internet! How long would it take to really audition 500 speakers?

Anyway, I’ve never had much trouble finding the actual price of any components with some googling and if you’re really interested there is always the phone call.

Oh, and try price comparison shopping for mattresses...