Home Critic's Corner

Discuss a review. Provide constructive feedback. Talk to the industry.

It won't sell

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.



This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
  Parts Connexion  


Follow Ups Full Thread
Follow Ups

FAQ

Post a Message!

Forgot Password?
Moniker (Username):
Password (Optional):
  Remember my Moniker & Password  (What's this?)    Eat Me
E-Mail (Optional):
Subject:
Message:   (Posts are subject to Content Rules)
Optional Link URL:
Optional Link Title:
Optional Image URL:
Upload Image:
E-mail Replies:  Automagically notify you when someone responds.