In Reply to: What sells? Fidelity or Beauty posted by mark.korda@myfairpoint.net on October 22, 2015 at 13:43:58:
A high end manufacturer told me once that when he made a budget version of his amp -- same amp but without the fancy faceplate -- nobody bought it. And I've heard similar stories from others -- audiophiles want something that looks impressive.
But it isn't only audiophiles -- Floyd Toole mentions a study in which listeners rated a cheap-looking speaker more highly when they couldn't see it than when they could -- and this was true even of audio engineers who thought they were beyond such stuff.
So I guess there are at least three major factors here -- the desire to impress, aesthetics, and confirmation bias.
I often wonder when I prefer one piece of gear to another how much of my preference is real, and how much is just that I'm hearing what I think I should hear.
Which makes it doubly impressive when a really cheap piece of gear garners raves -- I figure it has to be doubly good to overcome our natural tendency to assume that more expensive is best.
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Follow Ups
- It won't sell - josh358 19:33:55 10/24/15 (31)
- RE: It won't sell - hahax@verizon.net 17:12:23 10/26/15 (2)
- RE: It won't sell - josh358 05:49:42 10/27/15 (0)
- RE: It won't sell - A.Wayne 18:55:27 10/26/15 (0)
- RE: It won't sell - RGA 20:11:29 10/24/15 (27)
- RE: It won't sell - josh358 07:26:16 10/25/15 (26)
- RE: It won't sell - RGA 01:43:08 10/27/15 (2)
- RE: It won't sell - josh358 05:25:02 10/27/15 (0)
- RE: It won't sell - A.Wayne 03:22:47 10/27/15 (0)
- RE: It won't sell - regmac 09:01:38 10/25/15 (22)
- RE: It won't sell - josh358 18:38:53 10/25/15 (14)
- RE: It won't sell - regmac 20:15:00 10/25/15 (13)
- RE: It won't sell - josh358 06:24:08 10/26/15 (12)
- Shared Delusions... - regmac 07:55:29 10/26/15 (11)
- RE: Shared Delusions... - timhannimw 11:48:30 10/28/15 (0)
- RE: Shared Delusions... - josh358 09:09:25 10/26/15 (2)
- RE: Shared Delusions... - regmac 09:18:58 10/26/15 (1)
- RE: Shared Delusions... - josh358 09:58:37 10/26/15 (0)
- What then when - E-Stat 08:55:24 10/26/15 (6)
- RE: What then when - A.Wayne 13:01:21 10/29/15 (1)
- RE: What then when - E-Stat 13:55:40 10/29/15 (0)
- RE: What then when - regmac 09:14:49 10/26/15 (3)
- RE: What then when - E-Stat 09:19:49 10/26/15 (2)
- RE: What then when - regmac 09:23:17 10/26/15 (1)
- Why then... - mkuller 12:43:52 10/29/15 (0)
- RE: It won't sell - mkuller 11:52:45 10/25/15 (6)
- RE: Regardless if its pseudo science or beauty - A.Wayne 13:34:36 10/25/15 (5)
- RE: Regardless if its pseudo science or beauty - josh358 18:12:08 10/25/15 (3)
- RE: Regardless if its pseudo science or beauty - regmac 08:18:26 10/26/15 (2)
- RE: Regardless if its pseudo science or beauty - A.Wayne 13:14:06 10/29/15 (0)
- RE: Regardless if its pseudo science or beauty - josh358 08:57:05 10/26/15 (0)
- And what percent of reality... - mkuller 14:31:07 10/25/15 (0)