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Is it Audio, or is it Art?

A casual survey of the latest batch of high end electronics and speakers leads me to an interesting observation. The trend is towards exotic physical shapes which go far beyond any legitimate technical necessity. Taking power amplifiers as an example, electronic “guts” worth about $2000 can be near SOTA. You could put the circuitry in a plain metal box and it would sound the same. But no…we see beautifully sculptured enclosures, and price tags in the multi-kilobuck range. In the case of loudspeakers the number of 6 inch drivers, exhibited without a grill, seems to be a selling point, like the number of cup holders in autos a few years back.

I used to get mad about the prices charged for high end power amps, but not now since I have tumbled to the fact that these items are works of art as much as they are practical sound systems. Are they not proudly displayed on open racks? When you think of, for example, a pair of Chord monoblocks for $75,000, as electronic gear it is completely absurd, but when viewed as a piece of artwork (sculpture) 75 grand is unexceptional. And it plays music too!
eldartford
tvad
9,467 posts
 
Consumer electronics have a long history of decorative art. Consider radios from the 30s and 40s, early telephones, and to some extent televisions from the 50s and early 60s.

There is some stunningly good looking stereo gear being built these days. VAC Phi amps. Shanling CD players and amps. MBL loudspeakers are works of art.

Whether the price of these pieces warrants a price premium is open to debate, but some additional value is achieved in visually pleasing, or interesting design.
shadorne's avatar
shadorne
7,333 posts
 
Gold, silver, fantastic shapes, exotic veneers and monolithic designs are all intended to flaunt the high cost and high quality of the underlying audio component.

They almost never add anything to the audio quality....but they do look nice and make their owners proud. I think they can improve the enjoyment too....just like a nicely served meal in a classy setting.
gregm
3,021 posts
 
a pair of Chord monoblocks for $75,000, as electronic gear it is completely absurd, but when viewed as a piece of artwork (sculpture) 75 grand is unexceptional
Must be an established and exceptional artist to sell that high, dont you think?

Overall it looks more like industrial design to me than sculpture -- but all the same, aesthetics do play a big role and many components are very attractive. Picture the giga$ tube amps or TTs for example...
aball
1,994 posts
 
Musical reproduction is an art form so why not the gear too? Isn't that the very reason we pay so much money for this stuff? Isn't the difference between Yamaha and Burmester essentially art? I think it is clear that we appreciate our music as visual and aural art together.
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