@thyname i will start my own post about it
Is it possible for a high end manufacturer to overprice their goods?
Having just read the interesting and hyperbole laden review by RH of the new Rockport Orion speakers in the latest issue of The Absolute Sound, one thing struck me..
is it possible in the high end for a manufacturer to overprice their product ( doesn’t have to be a speaker, but this example comes to mind)? I ask this, as the Orion is priced at $133k! Yes,a price that would probably make 99% of hobbyists squirm. Yet, the speaker now joins a number of competitors that are in the $100k realm.
To that, this particular speaker stands just 50.3” tall and is just 14.3” wide…with one 13” woofer, one 7” midrange and a 1.25” beryllium dome ( which these days is nothing special at all…and could potentially lead to the nasties of beryllium bite).
The question is…given this speakers design and parts, which may or may not be SOTA, is it possible that this is just another overpriced product that will not sell, or is it like others, correctly priced for its target market? Thoughts…
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I go to AXPONA every year and if you hear enough rooms you realize that some of these prices are not based on any cost formula. Made up out of thin air. I look at the Estelon speakers and they are a beautiful work of art and sound and I can see a wealthy person buying in. Some of the others not so much. For my money the Dynaudio Confidence 50 is all you could possibly want for sound. That room was my favorite. The jewelry aspect can't be denied at a certain price point. |
@yogiboy Actually, bears will poop anywhere, not just in the woods. So, yes, overpriced equipment abounds. More so with tweaks and cables where the cost to sales ratio can be phenomenally large. The Orion speaker was costly to design and manufacture with home built drivers yet. Whether it is sonically worth the $133K price is unknown, but it is an expensive audio product to produce from design to finish. @dean_palmer 100% @jimmyblues1959 Nope I have had the pleasure of hearing a $1 million+ audio system and it blew away any other system I've heard. My own system(s) cost me $5K and about $60K, the latter in a $150K custom listening room. The latter permits lesser cost speakers to sound like expensive speakers. I plan on upgrading from my currently valued $2500 full range Focuses to a superior speaker for reasons of greater listening area (e.g Von Scweikert) and ambiance/resolution which will cost me somewhere between $35K and $180K. I am satisfied for now but want to share with more than one or two people the sound of the center seat. There are some brands of high end, sometimes costly speakers which I do not find musically involving-Magico (heard 18+ A, S and Q series), Wilson (smaller the better), YG Acoustics, Vivid, Vandersteen, etc. I heard several Rockports and liked them. Still, I want to audition speakers in my room with my equipment to determine whether they will be worth the expense. I'm certain the the $180K VS Ultra 7s would be wonderful (I've heard the 9 and 11 and my best friend's VR35 export) but my budget does not allow that and at 67, I may be too old when I can afford it. |
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