Conspicuous Consumption

That's about the only phrase that applies to the latest issue of a major audiophile magazine. In this time of people worrying about money, of families doing without, of inflated grocery prices and all the rest, I almost can't stand to look at this particular magazine without a feeling of near-disgust creep over me. It has gone far beyond any notion of good sound or better sound or any kind of sound. It's all about conspicuous consumption at this point.

They've been criticized before about covering only insanely expensive hi-fi equipment to the detriment of almost anything else. But now they would appear to have doubled down on their stance. This issue was filled with speaker systems costing 6 figures. There was a cartridge (yes, for a turntable) that cost $20K. A turntable in the $130K realm. Everything hyper-expensive and hyper-twee.

Could any of these guys (always guys!) really hear any improvement from this stuff? I mean, come on: a quarter million dollars for a pair of frigging speakers? How much of the improvement is real, and how much of it is placebo effect?

The entire mag appears to be dedicated to the guys who drive Porsche cars and drink super-expensive wines and cognacs. I get the impression of a bunch of older guys with white mustaches, wearing Hawaiian shirts. Smug, self-satisfied bastards with their entitlement and privilege.

It's the wrong direction, period. That entire demographic is dying off and the younger folks want nothing to do with it. For that matter, I don't want anything to do with it, and I'm one of those people who like audiophile equipment.