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Personal vs. Market Values

Take truffle oil. Or truffles. The mushrooms, not the confection.
Honestly I can’t taste it. I’ve ordered all sorts of dishes with "truffle oil" which commanded a premium and if there is any difference at all in the taste I could not tell you even after being told about it.

The point of this is that truffle oil holds no personal value to me. I’m not trading in it or running a restaurant or buying it in bulk. If I did that I’d feel and be willing to spend quite differently than I do now.

The point to this and how this matters in audio is that you should be true to your own ears. Use friends, reviews (cough) and other sources as guides. You may also evaluate a brand based on re-sale value. That’s reasonable as the resale could have a material impact on you in the future.

But if you can’t hear a difference or prefer a speaker/cable/amp no one else does then serve only yourself and your loved ones. Don’t be fooled into thinking that the market value of a particular product has value for you or that it is a display of relative merit. It may not. Our hobby is filled with charlatans selling invisible clothes.

Those who say they can't taste the truffle oil or see invisible clothes spend less and are far happier I think.

Happy listening,

E
erik_squires
n80
1,227 posts
 
I've seen truffle oil with truffle physically in it. So there may be variations.
jond's avatar
jond
3,400 posts
 
Yes there is real truffle oil and there is fake truffle oil. And yes white truffles are absolutely amazing especially with scrambled eggs or anything with eggs really.
16f4's avatar
16f4
64 posts
 
Personal taste is just that...personal.  I am one of the estimated 25 percent of the population that cannot taste truffles due to an inability to smell androstenone.  Discovered this in cooking school when the rest of the class was swooning over a truffle dish, and try as I might I could not taste it.

It’s  the same with stereo equipment:  some of us can hear better than others.  My hearing has certainly changed over the years, not only gotten worse but my music preferences have moved on from rock to bebop jazz.  Even if I were willing to spend any amount of money for the perfect system, that system purchased in my 20s would probably not sound very good to me now.  

So to to your point about happiness and charlatans, I completely agree.  Someone is always there to sell you something they say will make you happier.  I never felt I needed to spend a lot of money on stereo equipment to enjoy music; right now I have a Linn Axis turntable I bought second hand 20 years ago, an AT95 cartridge, an NAD 7020 I bought off eBay and had refurbished and a pair of Paradigm Atom V.2 speakers I just refoamed.  And I buy most of my records at flea markets.  But I did recently invest in a Pro-Ject RCM and am looking at a pair of Elac Debut series speakers for Christmas.  

If someone wants to spend more money on their music hobby, and can afford it, then more power to them.  Not my taste, but neither are truffles. 😁
unsound
6,115 posts
 
Most “truffle oil” is crap. Made from inferior species, left over remnants, or from a perfumeries laboratory. 
Might one care not to spend money on fresh truffles, they might get better results with more modestly ( compared to high quality fresh ) priced products labeled truffle butter.
erik_squires OP
5,268 posts
 
Most “truffle oil” is crap. Made from inferior species, left over remnants, or from a perfumeries laboratory.
Might one care not to spend money on fresh truffles, they might get better results with more modestly ( compared to high quality fresh ) priced products labeled truffle butter.

There are clear analogies between this and the audio industry. :) The difference between a great technology executed well and a great technology executed poorly is everywhere.

E
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