Well, it helps to have all these magazines/reviewers inspecting and judging the merits of a wide range of products. I think the biggest deception, however, comes in how components are bundled together by audio/video stores who have sales reps with far more opinions than facts about what their selling. An example, is the recommendation of amplifier power. Higher wattage amps typically cost a lot more than lower power amps from the same manufacturer. But bigger is better, right? Wrong, if the ohm rating and efficiency of the speakers are not considered, not to mention the volume of the listening space, and the listener's music preferences. I believe quality should always trump quantity in a limited resources scenario. Rarely will you find a sales person willing or able to take the time necessary to work through these types of variables. As such, many consumers wind up spending a lot of money without getting the maximum 'bang-for-the-buck'. No one likes to go over to a friend's house and hear a system obviously outperforming at a third the cost. But...it happens all the time. I guess that's why AudioGon does so well!
Audiophile Fakery
I recently became aware of a trend in the auto world and I'm wondering if there is an audiophile analogy.
The sound of a revving engine says something primal to those who know and appreciate such sounds. The rumble of a V-8, the whine of an in-line four, that 12 cylinder growl and of course, the Harley heavy metal thunder. The newer, smaller and more efficient engines simply don't make these sounds and the auto makers have found a way around what they perceive as a problem. They simply fake the sound and run it through the car's audio system. Sometimes the engine sound is digitally synthesized and other times it's actual engine noise run through mechanical or DSP processors and then amplified. The list of manufacturers that engage in this sort of fakery includes BMW, Ford, Lexus, Volkswagen and Lotus.
I don't know if there are any high end audio equivalents of this practice, but could there be?
How about a preamp with half a dozen tubes prominently displayed, but when you examine the signal path the tubes are all bypassed. Or maybe a loudspeaker with a ribbon supertweeter that's not connected. A 160 lb. mono power amp with 120 lbs. of lead shot concealed under the circuit board. If these products existed would they be fakes or are the manufacturers just giving the people what they want, or at least what they think they want?
The sound of a revving engine says something primal to those who know and appreciate such sounds. The rumble of a V-8, the whine of an in-line four, that 12 cylinder growl and of course, the Harley heavy metal thunder. The newer, smaller and more efficient engines simply don't make these sounds and the auto makers have found a way around what they perceive as a problem. They simply fake the sound and run it through the car's audio system. Sometimes the engine sound is digitally synthesized and other times it's actual engine noise run through mechanical or DSP processors and then amplified. The list of manufacturers that engage in this sort of fakery includes BMW, Ford, Lexus, Volkswagen and Lotus.
I don't know if there are any high end audio equivalents of this practice, but could there be?
How about a preamp with half a dozen tubes prominently displayed, but when you examine the signal path the tubes are all bypassed. Or maybe a loudspeaker with a ribbon supertweeter that's not connected. A 160 lb. mono power amp with 120 lbs. of lead shot concealed under the circuit board. If these products existed would they be fakes or are the manufacturers just giving the people what they want, or at least what they think they want?
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- 40 posts total
- 40 posts total