The Snob Appeal Premium


I have learned that speakers are a typical victim of "Designer Label Syndrome".  Supposedly an $8 billion a year market (hard to believe) speakers are fairly simple beasts with little substantive improvements over the last 50 years. Ever since Paul Klipsch ( a character in his own right) read the Bell Labs 1934 papers and revolutionized speaker technology there have been few similar revolutionary improvements to the speaker. So- if you are an enterprising manufacturer of speakers (which are relatively cheap to build) how do you extract more and more money from the consumer ?  Answer: Synthetic demand driven by cachet' !  Like a pair of Louis Vuitton sneakers @ $650 a pair vs. New Balance runners @ 60/pr. It's snobby bragging rights stuff I'm describing here- perceived vs. actual value in a product. 

Here's an anecdotal example: 

I recently set out to build a high end mid-fi system (ARC preamp, power amp, Dac 9) for a large room "main house" (not a listening room) system. The goal was big, full, rich sound in a room full of furniture, chow dogs, kids and untreatable other things like 20 foot ceilings, multiple openings such as a balcony to the upstairs bedrooms, etc. Basically an audiophile's nightmare. 

I auditioned a number of speakers- Perlistens supported by JL Fathom subs, B&W Signatures, Bryston Model Ts, Vienna Acoustics Mahlers and Bethovens. IMO all of these are somewhat similar towers (except the Perlistens). The price point was not as important as the sound- given the limitations of the application. 

In the shopping for new or used I found a number of odd prices. The most unusual finding was a brand new set of Model Ts here in Audiogon advertised for $4K with a 20 year factory warranty. The dealer had one slide around of his hand truck and it put white paint smears on a corner of the Boston Cherry cabinet. Hmmm- 4 grand vs. 12 grand for a small fixable cosmetic flaw? I bought them. They sound fantastic. Some elbow grease and a furniture marker pen made the flaw vanish. 

I asked the dealer (Paul Kraft in Easton PA- great guy BTW) why the Audiogon Blue Book for a Model T was so low. His answer was "snob appeal". Apparently there is a big bragging rights  premium paid for having the UFO looking B&W Signatures vs what the snobs call the Bryston Model Ts "Axioms in a fancy suit".  I later learned that there are some prominent reviewers who refuse to listen to A/B speaker comparisons behind a silk curtain unless they know what brand is being scrutinized. To me that means "payola". 

Do the Model Ts sound better to me than the Mahlers, Bethovens, B&Ws? No. But they don't sound worse either (in my application). Do the above sound $8,000-$14,000 better than the Brystons in the listening rooms of the dealers? IMO NO WAY. To be fair price/value does color my perception much like a bottle of $40 Rumbauer Zin tastes better to me than $200 Silver Oak expense account wine. 

I'm guessing this post will anger brand snobs and garner snarky comments because their taste in sound is different than mine. Although this missive is really about personal perceptions of value v. sound I found my education on pricing fascinating and I feel great about finding amazing value in the brand new Model T's that needed 30 minutes of TLC to be at home in my family room. 

Moral of the story: Try em before you buy em, and look for value. It's fun and rewarding with no buyers remorse. 

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@yoder Call me a cheapskate, but still think that you’re paying for the KEF name at $1200. I think I have a contender, something nobody wants but it oozes quality. It’s called the Ruark Templar for $600. It has SEAS drivers and a crossover inspired by Peter Linkwitz (the legend). The Stereophile review is glowing. But I can’t bring myself to audition/buy them. Maybe I gotta stop reading the classfields. I am overwhelmed with the sheer number of dirt cheap defunct British brands on offer. 

@kokakolia may depend what you value,  but the Ruark wouldn't contend overall with KEF 107's for me.  I think you're right that KEF is not the right brand example of not snobbery though I believe they still offer some current value contenders based on feedback from listeners I trust.  I was getting caught up more in KEF 107 value than brand snobbery discussion.  Whether you love them or not, the Ruarks would appear to be a not snob choice. If $600 is beyond your limit,  I would call you a cheapskate,  and applaud you for it if you're happy with what you have. Though they may be relatively cheap you're doing some snobbing on driver brand and crossover designer influence. 

Some of the biggest snobs I know are very good at getting good stuff for a steal. More power to them, but they can be every bit as insufferable as a high end snob.

@bolong You hit me right in the feels man! Yeah, I was a snobbing no doubt. Regardless, these Ruark speakers look like an unbeatable deal. Furthermore, you can save a lot of cash if you have the knowledge. SEAS drivers are good. Linkwitz knows a lot about crossovers. Take notice. So you can always describe a statement with many adjectives.