Stratospheric audio gear prices

As some have pointed out - It is all relative to the goals of the individual consumer. There are those who find peer brand acceptance more important than enjoying the authentic experience. 

To take the OPs car example - As a consumer are you looking to enjoy the feeling of having your body accelerate through space and time at maximum speed, or do you want to experience the pride of ownership of a Ferrari.

One does not  need a Ferrari to accomplish the first goal. If one were experienced and savvy enough, they could build a car for a fraction of the price capable of producing the same RPMs necessary to create that sought after feeling.

If one's preference was looking to actually owning a Ferrari, the question then becomes which one? One designed and built by Enzo, or one built by the Marlboro Man? In most cases those motivated by peer acceptance don't care as long as it says Ferrari.

Then there is what I identify as the educated consumer - the one that understands the necessary committed Investment needed towards accomplishing the enjoyment of the experience. The Investment made at that level is based on the accountability associated with the brand and its performance.

I posted this on the “Biggest audio hoaxes” thread. It seems appropriate to post it in response to your question here:

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I don’t know that this qualifies as a hoax. But my anecdote says a lot about the current state of the audio industry. 

A few years back, I was walking home from work and the route took me past an audio shop a few blocks away from where I lived at the time. I looked in the window and saw a pair of imposing speakers with a familiar footprint. Curious, I walked inside. 

I went straight over to them and examined them. A salesman came over and asked if I had any questions. I asked him to simply me what he knew about the speakers.

The salesperson said that were made by Shindo. He spent a considerable amount of time explaining how Shindo wanted to create a proprietary design based on classical speakers of the past. After some 5 minutes or so I interrupt and ask “This design is new and proprietary?” 

“Yes! Shindo has ...”

I interrupt again: “Well, the reason this speaker caught my eye outside is because the scale of the cabinet looked very familiar. It looks like my Altec 604C from the 1950s. It’s a speaker that’s more often than not frowned upon in most audio circles, and I was surprised to see something similar sitting on a shop floor with other very pricy speakers. When I got a closer look inside, I’m realizing that it IS an Altec 604C ...”

The salesperson said that I was mistaken. Undeterred, I pull out my cell phone and say “I’m absolutely certain this is a 604C or D driver. They are quite distinctive. Here’s a picture of my own”. 

I take note of the price. “$33,000? Well, this speaker is very pricy as well. At least for me. Why are they so expensive?” So he carries on about Shindo’s innovative crossover, but this time I don’t let him get as far. After 30 seconds or so, I ask “Could I see the crossover?” But they are inside the cabinet. 

”Could they be by any chance based on the same crossover design that Doug Sax of The Mastering Lab came up with for Bruce Botnick back in the 1960s? Could they be that crossover? Because I use those crossovers in my speakers as well.”

He starts to talk about the cabinet but I continue: “the cabinet is the same size as my own. That’s what caught my attention in the first place. They seem to be built to Altec specs. So, it seems that this speaker is little different from mine. However, my cost of acquisition and refurbishment (I had Jon Specter rebuild the crossover using audio grade Jansen caps, and the drivers re-coned by Gabriel Sound) was $3,500. You are asking $33,000. Granted, the cabinets are much more beautiful than my vintage 1950s design, but isn’t $29,500 an awful lot for a piece of furniture? Surely there must be something else?”

By this time our conversation has attracted a half dozen onlookers, and I spot a brochure about the Shindo Al-ni-co 604. 

“Well, Shindo seems to be somewhat transparent with the name they are using, but I’m still hard pressed to explain the huge price differential. Look, I have to leave, my wife has dinner ready. Could you do me a favor. Call Shindo and tell them about our conversation and ask them about the price differential? I’ll stop by next week to hear from you what they say”. 

I leave, shaking my head. The shop is a short 20 blocks away from Wall Street. I imagine some naive dude from Goldman Sacked or some such investment house, with more money than he (almost always a he) knows what to do with, walking in, getting seduced by the spiel and getting taken to the cleaners. 

I stop in next week. No answer from Shindo. The speakers were sold. 

I was willing to pay substantially for my First Run cables and they are worth every penny.  So I don't understand the purpose of the OP's message.  Sure, some expensive items aren't worth much, but when it makes a difference, then its worth the price.  Like a Ferrari.

simpletheater: I’m not gonna pay a lot for those cables! 😆

This industry needs someone with the same engineering and brand philosophy as the legendary David Hafler and Ed Laurent:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynaco :

“Today, Dynaco is best remembered for its highly regarded vacuum tube stereo amplifier, the Stereo 70 (ST 70). Introduced in 1959, the ST 70 was available as a kit (Dynakit) intended for assembly by the purchaser or as a complete factory-wired unit. The ST 70 used four EL34 output tubes, one GZ34/5AR4 rectifier tube, two 7199 input (driver) tubes, two output transformers, one power transformer, and a preassembled printed circuit board (PCB) containing the driver circuit. It produced 35 watts per channel. The driver circuit had a single 7199 pentode/triode tube per channel, and used the driver tube to handle both voltage amplification and phase splitting. The output transformers are an ultralinear design, whereby part of the primary winding is fed back to the output tube’s screen grid. This design reduced distortion and improved audio quality. 

A masterpiece of efficient circuit design, the ST 70 provided reliable, high-quality audio amplification at an affordable price. The popularity of the ST 70 contributed more than any other single product to continuing consumer interest in tube-based stereo amplifiers at a time of increasing market dominance by solid state audio products. Because of its excellent value for cost, Dynaco tube amplifiers were often referred to as "the poor man’s McIntosh”. More than 350,000 ST-70 amplifiers had been sold when production finally ceased, making the ST 70 the most popular tube power amplifier ever made. [citation needed]”