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Nature of the current used speaker market

What do you think of the current market for used speakers above the $6,000 price point?  It seems to me like the market is soft, really soft, since I keep seeing the same speakers posted for sale over and over again by the same seller.  And these are top flight speakers from solid manufacturers such as Focal, B&W, Rockport, Sonus Faber, etc.  Does this mean the number of audiophiles and audio enthusiasts is on the wane, or is there just a glut of used speakers for sale out there? 
mtrot
amg56's avatar
amg56
666 posts
 

What a myopic point of view. We regret the geniuses of the past, and their passing. But there are new ones on the rise. There are commercial people who know what current markets are. HEA is still there because there are more millionaires in this world than ever. More billionaires than ever. They cover the high end and middle markets just on their own.

There is a bigger market than contributors and readers on Audiogon.

mirolab
59 posts
 
The 3 speaker pairs that i've owned for 15-20 years, and still love, have 10", 12" and 15" woofers.  I have tried several times to replace them with more modern designs with 6.5", 7", and 8" pairs of woofers... you know, the slender tower type, and they have all left me unsatisfied.   All very good speakers, with great detail & imaging.... but I never really fell for them.  I guess I just can't buy into a full range speaker with small woofers!   My guess is that many people are unsatisfied with modern "good looking, decor friendly" speakers, but they just don't know why.
inna
5,245 posts
 
Yup. It's increasingly easy to make money if you already have a lot of it, virtually no effort. Those people buy new, some of them are even audiophiles. It's mafia syndicate capitalism.
Happy listening, as some here say.
michaelgreenaudio's avatar
michaelgreenaudio
643 posts
 

Hi inna, you said

"Those people buy new, some of them are even audiophiles."

I don’t see these guys showing up at the HEA trade shows do you?

I might be way off target but I don’t see the market the way some here are describing it at all. Let me give an example.

2 years ago we were approached by a HEA rep who wanted to push our products (happens often nothin new). My first question was "where’s your website" he didn’t have one. Next I asked how much did he sale at his last show of another product he carried? He bragged $47,000.00. I come to find out that the company he was talking about sold zero $$$$ at that show. The hype projected in HEA right now is desperate at best.

here’s another example

Talked with a designer (well known) about his price increases over the last few years. We asked "is the product better" to which he answered "nope, I’m selling 1/10 the product I did a couple of years ago".

What I’m saying is, the market has changed and the people who did buy $$$,$$$.00 are not being fooled anymore. 5k for an amp folks could deal with, 10k they even bought into it. But when the price and size race took off, and when you only got a volume control, the fate was sealed. Millionaires are rich, they’re not stupid. They’re not buying into a C Class selling for $40,000.00 jumping over night to $400,000.00. Not happening with Mercedes and for sure isn’t happening with HEA once reality sets in. Reality is setting in.

Audiophiles are fine, HEA?, is in the middle of redefining itself.

mg

lhasaguy's avatar
lhasaguy
95 posts
 
I believe the quest for the “Best” sound has gotten to a point where the marginal cost versus the marginal gain from the next level up is rather small.

High quality sound can be achieved today without being a millionaire.  That is especially true when factoring in the used market.

The market has split with far more home theaters being built than audiophile 2 channel systems.  I am a dinosaur and prefer great 2 channel sound.

I liken sound systems that cost the price of a house as analogous to the guy who buys a Million dollar car.  You are not buying transportation at that point, and the same is true for music.

my take is the companies making $80,000 speakers, amps, etc. will never make money on them in the long run, but having a “Flagship” product is more an exercise in advertising and also letting the engineers have some fun.
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