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tofupoopbeerpee t1_jcwjczr wrote

At that price it better be BFL.

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TaliesinWI t1_jcx07sm wrote

Pfft. McIntosh will sell you an amplifier with a 1 in front of that price (not that I would ever pay nearly that much for one) and you can easily double that price with other high-end brands. The Audio Research 160M monoblocks at $30K/pair come to mind.

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Regulator0110 t1_jcylrn3 wrote

Pffft, I will sell you my desktop monitors for 100k each. This game is EASY.

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TaliesinWI t1_jcyxjkb wrote

Meh, generally the more expensive stuff sounds better than the mass-fi stuff Best Buy will sell you. The prices go up faster than the "benefit" because the high-end stuff doesn't have economy of scale and/or is hand built (or at least isn't being churned off a non-US/European assembly line). Whether it's worth it to you/anyone is another matter entirely, and even those deep in the hobby have a cutoff point.

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Regulator0110 t1_jcz28jp wrote

For sure, Ive hand-soldered point-to-point tube power amplifiers, so I totally understand, but at a point, a large percentage of the asking price is gatekeeping the prestige, regardless of how transparent the soundstage. I bet they do sound phenomenal though.

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TheEverHumbled t1_jd0cwib wrote

BIFL community walks a tricky line between "good value" and "status symbol" goods, sometimes.

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My interpretation of an ideal BIFL item boils down to this:

-The item costs you more in the short term, but you are saving money/avoiding waste in the long run.

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For instance, quality boots which can be resoled repeatedly and last much longer than cheapo's, are a great BIFL. Stuff which is modular, and allows for self-repair with low cost, commonly worn sub-components are great for this.

On the flip side, rare/elite goods sometimes have a cost well beyond what most of us would ever spend in their entire lifetimes on moderate quality alternatives. Such things have allure for enthusiasts, in part because the detailing brings them joy, possibly beyond the raw utility of the item.

Also, if an item dramatically changes your behavior such that you have to be really cautious or paranoid of people borrowing, stealing, damaging or losing the item, I feel like those aspects need to be considered too.

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Stuff like Montblanc or Rolex can be fine items, but sometimes a LAMY or Casio will suit the needs of many as a durable value.

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dontshoot4301 t1_jczmbul wrote

Audiophiles, like most hobbies to a lesser extreme do this crazy shit. It’s barely discernible improvements for exponentially higher prices and everyone fawns over the price rather than the enjoyment.

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ChalupaCabre t1_jcwz33x wrote

BIFF.. Buy It For Forever

$5300USD?? Wtf!

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deltarho t1_jcx3qc5 wrote

First time seeing an expensive piece of hifi gear?

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ChalupaCabre t1_jcx4h6c wrote

No… I own a pair of Apple AirPod Pro’s. Lol

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Lee1138 t1_jcxt6q4 wrote

If you think airpods are expensive audio gear, you are not the target demo for this kind of item.

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StevenTM t1_jczejpr wrote

Oof

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ChalupaCabre t1_jd09s09 wrote

Lol pretty are very uptight about their audio!

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StevenTM t1_jd0axwp wrote

I don't own anything better than my airpods pro (adequate on the go), a pair of Bose QC35 (comfy!) and a 3.0 Sonos system with no sub, which is nonetheless more than adequate for my needs.

But yeah, when discussing "expensive" and "hifi" audio gear, airpods aren't really part of either discussion.

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