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Why are the world’s best loudspeakers so expensive?
- petercooper 11y agoThis isn't much different from whether a $2m supercar is really much "better" as a car than a $500k one. It doesn't really matter as long as the buyer perceives the value/exclusivity/aesthetics.
- have_faith 11y agoThis is what I was thinking. Once you hit a certain price bracket for speakers (about £1000?) you hit diminishing returns hard. The whole 'audiophiles use music to listen to their equipment instead of using their equipment to listen to their music' springs to mind.
- bhrgunatha 11y agoI had a similar conversation recently where I heard a great summary - price increases asymptotically as quality improves. It seems to be quite an accurate summary.
- vlehto 11y agoI think that's about right price point for audiophile who wants return for investment. Beyond that it will be about appreciating the engineering feats, not something you could find in blind testing.
- noir_lord 11y agoBeautiful craftsmanship and perceived value I think. I use an old pair of Wharfedales I was given along with an old yamaha amp as my primary PC speakers and they are truly excellent compared to any dedicated computer set I've ever used, so much so when they eventually break I'll probably hunt down a second hand set to replace them rather than computer speakers.
- nawitus 11y agoI'd estimate that sound quality improves up to a few thousand dollars per speaker, after that you're pretty much paying for aesthetics and the brand. Professionals tend to use active monitors from companies like Genelec.
- mschuster91 11y agoSomething that tends to be ignored a bit is the build quality. Especially cheaper consumer gear is fraught with shit like glue disintegrating, solder connections becoming loose due to vibrations, wood increasing in volume due to humidity... for headphones, cheap plastic stuff breaking after a single drop, wires so thin they easily break, connectors which don't meet specs... edit: also, in my experience, expensiver speakers handle abuse like clipping or otherwise "bad" input far better than cheap ones. Most likely because cheap speakers operate on the upper end of their abilities and don't have much reserve margin, while a more expensive one is spec'd below what it can actually handle.
- noir_lord 11y agoMy wharfedales are built like battleships, not even that expensive but just excellent build quality.
- switch007 11y agoHow old are they?
- noir_lord 11y agoMust be 15 or so years old I guess. These http://i.ytimg.com/vi/OlydiO2EpA8/maxresdefault.jpg http://i.ytimg.com/vi/OlydiO2EpA8/maxresdefault.jpg nothing to set the world on fire but the sound quality is spot on for me and they are basically indestructible.
- mschuster91 11y agoI think you're spot on with the battleship comparison... the house could collapse and these speakers would still be in perfect working order.
- tmikaeld 11y agoA Swedish speaker manufacturer have been trying to change this for many years and have top reviews on all speakers even though they all cost a fraction of the competition. http://www.xtz.se http://www.xtz.se They have measurements on all speakers and room measurement equipment for "cheap" - the room really makes a huge impact on the sound. I have the S-800 Speakers and the new Cinema Package
- vlehto 11y agoA Finnish speaker manufacturer has been making studio quality speakers with fraction of cost of that. http://www.genelec.com/ http://www.genelec.com/ You see this stuff in professional anechoic chambers and mixing studios. I have friend who has PhD in audio signal processing and he doesn't see much point going beyond genelecs. The only downside is that you might get "too accurate" playback for hobbyist taste. EDIT: Actually the price point is quite similar. Sorry.
- cJ0th 11y agoThere is a German firm which goes by the name Beringer. They cloned a genelec model: http://www.thomann.de/de/behringer_b2031a_truth_aktivmonitor.htm http://www.thomann.de/de/behringer_b2031a_truth_aktivmonitor... Many people refuse to acknowledge that you can work professionally with their products. However, I've seen those speakers in many studios where professional work gets done.
- vlehto 11y agoI have audion engineer friend who has love/hate relationship with Behringer. Some years back they had quality problems. Good behringer is good, but you might get a bad specimen too. I have experience with their cheap end mixer, and it was good until it started to slowly break down. One component at the time. Luckily it had some excess potential, so in terms of play hours/price it was still OK.
- radiowave 11y ago
- mamon 11y agoI think that such expensive speakers fall in the same category as all "audiovoodoo" items, like this "quantum purifier" or cd mat :) http://stonessoundstudio.com.au/stone/Bybee/Bybee_Slipstream_Quantum_Purifier.htm http://stonessoundstudio.com.au/stone/Bybee/Bybee_Slipstream... http://marigoaudio.com/titanium-power-cable/cd-mats/3-d-signature/ http://marigoaudio.com/titanium-power-cable/cd-mats/3-d-sign...
- kenneth_reitz 11y agoThe marketing for these products always amazes me.
- dsr_ 11y agoThat's a lousy headline. It should be: How good are the world's most expensive loudspeakers? (To which the answer is: it varies, from very good to horrendously bad. You're paying for status, not performance.)
- nandemo 11y agoYour correction of the headline question is on point. I'm not sure about your answer, though. I doubt any 20k USD speaker sounds "bad". It's more like: most are not measurably better than speakers that cost only 1/10 as much.
- MikeNomad 11y agoTo address the question in the title of the article, here are some aspects not addressed: / R & D has a lot of time associated with it. Specifically, time not spent making finished products for sale. People working on the product still need to eat. / Anechoic chambers and other specialized equipment are expensive. / As the article details, solving for novel/unique problems can involve unique solutions. That will translate to new/ non-standard manufacturing techniques. And that means more costs. / The Wife Acceptance Factor. As pointed out in the article, getting small speaker systems to sound as big as the orchestra recorded for playback is a challenge. One approach is to use bigger drivers. Another approach is to use large arrays of drivers. Either way, you get cabinets that have the volume (size, not sound) of refrigerators. Anything that big has a noticeable visual presence. Looking good adds more to the price [If there is a question as to sources on this point, I refer to my ongoing experience as a Klipsch Cornwall owner]. Sidebar: As a BBC article, kinda surprised they didn't profile Tannoy for contrast.
- nandemo 11y agoOr KEF, or Quad, etc. Also, it's too bad they chose to display stock photography instead of, you know, pictures of actual damn speakers.
- kyleblarson 11y agoThey are so expensive because someone is willing to pay that much.
- timc3 11y agoQuite often the manufacturing process is expensive - For instance in some high end drivers the materials are just expensive to source. Who knows how much of that is bragging rights though
- gefh 11y agoBecause people have more money than sense? Same with any luxury item really. And I don't mean that more money implies _less_ sense, just that sense is limited and money isn't.
- mtanski 11y agoThe wire cutter did a recent article on best bookshelves speakers in the sub $500 range. There are clearly better (and more expensive) options out there. But the summary managed to find a bunch that punch above their price class. thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-bookshelf-speakers/
- quantgenius 11y agoI'm surprised nobody has mentioned Vandersteen speakers. http://www.vandersteen.com http://www.vandersteen.com They are famous for their 2's and 2C's which did away with a box for the speaker altogether. The money went to circuitry and drivers which are enclosed in cloth on all 4 sides. The 1, 1C, 2, 2C and 3 are fantastic and amazing value for the money, probably better than competitors costing 5x as much. Their newer speakers and some higher end speakers do have boxes and in my opinion don't deliver anywhere near as much bang for the buck.