Shadorne, your argument might work for cars and other luxuries. Unfortunately I have yet to find any woman who does'nt find an interest in Audio, plain weird. Threads like this are interesting, but the arguments are so predictable, you could write them in advance.
1. You are not paying $350000 for the component quality, but for the years the genius designer struggled in a basement with a soldering iron. Sorry, that won't work. Let's be generous and say the 120lb's of steel glass and wire costs $30000 in premium components. lets also be generous and say construction is complex, hand wound transformers for example and that costs $20000. That leaves $300000 and yes I know there are a lot of other costs, but that's the point, those costs are spread over a small number of components. As someone else pointed out, it is grade school economics "Economies of scale", or rather the lack of them. The fixed costs are spread over a handful of units produced, not millions. That is why you are looking at $350000 and it makes for very poor value for money. Besides, who is the real genius, a designer using the very best avaiable components to make the best amp he can, or the guy using inferior parts to make a darn good amp for $5000? I know who I would choose.
2. Putting up the price of a component, may make it more saleable, by making it more reassuringly expensive. Unfortunately, that's probably true and a sad judgement on many of us, who can be schmoozed by a slick salesman, by an invite into the select High end dem room, away from the little people. It probably would work on me too, but I buy 2nd hand, so avoid temptation.
Sadly it's the story of "The Emperors new clothes" an old scam that works every time.
3. Spending $350000 on an amp is immoral, I happen to agree, but it's not illegal. People can spend their money as they wish and their are enough plonkers around to keep the company in business. Spend $10000, 30000 if you must and give the rest to charity, you'll sleep better at night. Plonker by the way is an apt Cockney description, google it if you like, see also dipstick.
Not relevant I know, but the real, hit you between the eyes with a 4 by 2 immoral act, is spending $500 on a meal for 2, when kids are starving for the lack of a few dollars worth of rice, but again, it's a free country.
Finally I have to admit, shaking my head at articles for $1500 interconnects a few years ago, that I buy now. My only defence is I get them second hand.
There I feel better for that rant
1. You are not paying $350000 for the component quality, but for the years the genius designer struggled in a basement with a soldering iron. Sorry, that won't work. Let's be generous and say the 120lb's of steel glass and wire costs $30000 in premium components. lets also be generous and say construction is complex, hand wound transformers for example and that costs $20000. That leaves $300000 and yes I know there are a lot of other costs, but that's the point, those costs are spread over a small number of components. As someone else pointed out, it is grade school economics "Economies of scale", or rather the lack of them. The fixed costs are spread over a handful of units produced, not millions. That is why you are looking at $350000 and it makes for very poor value for money. Besides, who is the real genius, a designer using the very best avaiable components to make the best amp he can, or the guy using inferior parts to make a darn good amp for $5000? I know who I would choose.
2. Putting up the price of a component, may make it more saleable, by making it more reassuringly expensive. Unfortunately, that's probably true and a sad judgement on many of us, who can be schmoozed by a slick salesman, by an invite into the select High end dem room, away from the little people. It probably would work on me too, but I buy 2nd hand, so avoid temptation.
Sadly it's the story of "The Emperors new clothes" an old scam that works every time.
3. Spending $350000 on an amp is immoral, I happen to agree, but it's not illegal. People can spend their money as they wish and their are enough plonkers around to keep the company in business. Spend $10000, 30000 if you must and give the rest to charity, you'll sleep better at night. Plonker by the way is an apt Cockney description, google it if you like, see also dipstick.
Not relevant I know, but the real, hit you between the eyes with a 4 by 2 immoral act, is spending $500 on a meal for 2, when kids are starving for the lack of a few dollars worth of rice, but again, it's a free country.
Finally I have to admit, shaking my head at articles for $1500 interconnects a few years ago, that I buy now. My only defence is I get them second hand.
There I feel better for that rant