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Why Is Hi Fi Gear So Darn Expensive?

Why Is Hi-Fi Gear So Darn Expensive?! - The Absolute Sound

Interesting read.

"I recently heard a small 2-way stand mount speaker at a show. The sound was excellent. The product was priced at $50,000 or thereabouts, per pair. Allowing for distribution and marketing leaves about $25,000."

$25000 for distribution and marketing? Really? That much more for this than a similar product at 1/10th the cost?

I don’t doubt the marketing cost per unit could be much higher with boutique products. Makes sense. Is the cat is out of the bag regarding the value proposition of boutique products?

How about fancy fuses marketed for free here that cost practically nothing to ship? Oh my!

I guess there are "excellent" expensive boutique products and others that offer value everywhere. Hifi not unique. Take your pick! Live and learn!

The article also chalks up people’s reactions to high-fi prices to emotion. What about the sound they hear? Real or emotionally distorted? What would Mr. Spock think about that? I know he likes music...he plays a harp!

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Showing 1 response by russbutton

russbutton's avatar
russbutton
410 posts
 

P.T. Barnum was right.  "There's a sucker born every minute."

You can build the Linkwitz LX521 system for as little as $6000, and it will stand up against the $50,000+ systems all day.  You could easily drop $100,000 and more and get sound not as good as the LX521.   If you haven't got the courage to do the project yourself, there is a company that will sell you the full system, fully built and ready to run, at about $20,000.

 

This is a full system that includes amplification because it is multiamplified and uses an active crossover.

 

The LX521 is not hard to build.  Madisound sells flat pack kits, and there's nothing to stop you from having a local cabinet maker do up a custom set for you at a reasonable price.  Any competent cabinet maker could knock them out in a day or so.

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