In the very lengthy thread on head-fi about Schiit Audio, there is a running theme (pretty common elsewhere too) that audiophiles are more influenced by price and looks than actual sound. I don’t buy into that claim overall, and feel they are setting up a strawman to have to have someone to put down so they can feel better about their choices. However, I do believe there is some amount of influence as pertains to the claim.
So here is the question – how influenced are you by a product’s price? Will you automatically not be interested in a product if it costs significantly less than what you already have? Is there a cognitive dissonance in the price/performance ratio that prevents some people from considering certain products if the price is too low?
Would any of you upgrade sound quality in your system if someone came with a better sounding product for half the price of what you currently have? At a quarter of the price? A tenth?
I’m not passing judgment, just curious. I had some folks question me when I upgraded my system switching from a $3000 set of speakers to a set that only cost $1000, and again when I swapped out cables that were a couple hundred dollars each for a set that were $49 each. Both did result in improvements in my system.
Granted, part of my enjoyment and focus in this hobby is hunting down those high value bargains, and getting the best sound I can for least amount of money. I consider it a challenge. However, I certainly understand that the best gear is likely to cost a fairly high price. My question is about once you reach the “expensive stuff” how important the expense is in determining your perception of quality?
So here is the question – how influenced are you by a product’s price? Will you automatically not be interested in a product if it costs significantly less than what you already have? Is there a cognitive dissonance in the price/performance ratio that prevents some people from considering certain products if the price is too low?
Would any of you upgrade sound quality in your system if someone came with a better sounding product for half the price of what you currently have? At a quarter of the price? A tenth?
I’m not passing judgment, just curious. I had some folks question me when I upgraded my system switching from a $3000 set of speakers to a set that only cost $1000, and again when I swapped out cables that were a couple hundred dollars each for a set that were $49 each. Both did result in improvements in my system.
Granted, part of my enjoyment and focus in this hobby is hunting down those high value bargains, and getting the best sound I can for least amount of money. I consider it a challenge. However, I certainly understand that the best gear is likely to cost a fairly high price. My question is about once you reach the “expensive stuff” how important the expense is in determining your perception of quality?
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