Hype, Hyperbole and high price!

I've read this entire thread and Geared4me you are very astute .
Charles, 

I'll bet some of you REALLY miss your messiah, Julian Hirsch.

aolmrd1241 - I tried to point out that I get disturbed when I see speaker cable listed for 15K and then read the literature claiming this and that, then my eyes roll back in my head.  I avoid the literature of the affordable items, then audition then make an informed decision based on that.  My skeptic hat goes on when I am purposely looking at adverts that try to justify such an absurd price point for cable.  The question I ask is, "what makes this cable worth thousands of dollars to that of another affordable one?"  Curiosity?  Maybe, fraud, you be the judge.

It seems you are doing with motorcycles what you disdain of others in terms of cables. Chrome and whitewalls add zero functionality, advantage to riding (unless you wish to make an argument that whitewalls add to safety features, but somehow I doubt that the reason for purchase).   :(

I point this out because you seem to disdain people for their selections which can't be justified in engineering terms. Yet, none of us is perfectly consistent in the matter. I happen to be a rider, too, and I find it not justifiable to spend obnoxious amounts on a cycle. I have a Kawasaki Versys 650 and a Yamaha Stryker, which is about half the cost of a comparable Harley and about twice as reliable, imo. I wouldn't dream of spending more for a bike in which you get "nothing" of added value. Very poor performance to value outliers are seen in custom choppers, and some of them as you know are wretched rides. Is there any conceivable justification for ownership? Not in my opinion; it's just money blown foolishly for a brand affiliation or attention. 

Now, that's MY perspective; yours is obviously different. And that's ok. Perhaps you can see that this can apply also to cables. There is a highly variable range of performance, bling and price for all consumer items, and people fall into a wide distribution on purchases. 

FYI, I review and have worked with dozens of sets of cables, and let's just say that experience changes one's perception on the value that cables bring to systems. I suppose that if I had much more experience, say trying fifteen other bikes, I may have a different set of expectations and criteria for what constitutes a good value/performance/price equation for motorcycles. :) 

@kenny928 wrote:

geared 4me- You missed my point completely, I was just pointing out that the industry is flawed and unless we as consumers put an end to it it will continue.

Yes, but what you are missing is the industry is simply a reflection of the flawed economy. As more and more money is passed upstream, the rich become richer. Hence the 'need' for $100,000 amplifiers, $500,000 speakers, $10,000 cables.
It's not just the audio industry either, look at boats, cars, pets, etc. Is there really a need for a $1.8 million dollar 52 carat diamond dog collar?

http://www.incrediblethings.com/lists/14-ridiculously-expensive-pet-products/

You will not bring any sanity to the audio industry until sanity is restored to the economic system as a whole. When wallets tighten, industries will change to reflect the change.

In the meantime, I don't see how it pays to shoot the messenger (industry) if you don't like the message (economy).
Industries cater to their customer base, the customer tells the market what they want.
If you look at the audio industry in general, you will note that EVERYONE has come out with newer, MEGA expensive products, not just cables. Amp manufacturers today top of the line product is selling for 3-5 times what their top of the line product sold for 8-12 years ago. 

I don't blame the manufacturers, they are only doing what they are told to by the market.