First, reading this I was reminded of talking to my boss just yesterday about wine, and he states, "I like wine... preferably three bottles at a time. But I can't really tell the difference between them." Basically, he's just the guy you describe in your first post.
Lyle Fass wrote:High end audio is a scam.
Was that really the point trying to be made? I find it quite interesting that you state this as fact, and give the Polk vs Wilson example. In fact it seems quite hypocritical to me, and contributes to the exact problem you're trying to solve. This is exactly how many people think of high end wine.
I generally completely agree with Ned's point vs High End audio, something I am also passionate about. But I hate walking into stores because generally the way they try and sell is by telling you that your $5,000 whatever is crap and you need what they have to offer. It's true that MOST high end shops I've been in use the approach of insulting the consumer to the point of hopefully humiliating them enough to guilt them into buying whatever wares they're peddling. That's not to say there isn't an actual difference between Polk and Wilson. Apparently you couldn't tell the difference, and that's fine. I don't believe my boss would tell much of a difference between a La Tache and a Village Burgundy. Does that mean that you and I wouldn't notice the difference? To us it'd likely be a great difference. I bet to him it'd be minor, because he isn't paying attention. Though admittedly, I too likely wouldn't have appreciated the difference if I hadn't geeked out on wine over the last number of years. Couldn't perhaps the same be true of high end audio? Are you really stating that there isn't a difference between some Polk whatever speakers and Wilson WATT/Puppies?
I make this point because you are dumbing down high end audio in just the way you say that people are dumbing down wine. Usually, because they don't understand it or aren't passionate enough about it to explore the differences. THAT is why things are dumbed down. You posting your disinterest of high end audio on a high end audio forum would probably illicit the same type of response you initially posted in this thread. Same thing, different game.
I enjoy the sound of SACDs. I think they are a marked improvement over most redbook discs. The format will never catch on in a society where 128Kbps mp3s sound good enough. But whenever I've found a friend wondering if they "can really hear the difference," I set them in front of the stereo, play the redbook layer, and switch to the SACD layer.. without fail, everyone has been amazed at the increased clarity, spacial definition, and overall enjoyment of listening. Worth the price of admission to them? Probably not worth the bother, but like with wine, once you open the door to them, and show them the difference, the people can perceive things. Thing is, most people just don't care enough to make the shift.
Of course, in both fields, you get the law of diminishing returns. Let me use the point system you hate, as an example. Obviously this is total BS, but let's say that most $3 Pinot Noirs probably would score 60. Since the scale starts at 50, that means that something "twice as good" should cost $6 and score 70, on average. Sounds fair... Okay, then something 4 times better should cost $12 and score on average 90, right? And something 5 times better would score 100 and cost $24? Probably not, due to this law of diminishing returns... same goes for high end audio. Yeah, the Wilson WATT/Puppy system probably won't sound 28 times better than the high end Polks, but will it sound better, and will the cost be worth it to those who have the money? To some, yes. Hmm... I really like this example, because the more I think about it, high end audio really is like Burgundy. Because you are right, the $10,000 amp may not sound better than the $5,000 amp (and the $200 Burgundy certainly may not taste better than the $100 one). However, generally speaking, as you approach the higher end of the scale, refinement does happen. Yes, installing that pure gold signal cable didn't double the enjoyment of my system, but it did add a few percentage points of refinement that made the overall experience more enjoyable.
It doesn't bother me one bit that people think my interest in audio (which really isn't that at all... it's an interest in music) is silly, mythical, to them. Why do you care so much if our wine culture isn't mature, anyway? Does it really take away from your enjoyment of wine? To me, it's those worrying about the maturity of the culture that are the ones creating a feeling of immaturity. Do the French worry about the maturity of their wine culture? Of course not... I also doubt they even think about whether it's mature. It's a confidence of knowledge and experience that causes them to not even think about it. I definitely agree it's true, but I just try not to let it bother me, and will certainly discuss with anyone interested in learning more about wine.
David
