Wrapping Your Head Around the Price of Expensive Stereo Equipment in Chicago

Talk to any Joe off the street about what they’d spend on a home audio system and you’re not likely going to hear an answer that tops a couple of thousand dollars. Now, if you were to bring this same question to the attention of an audiophile or someone who is familiar with the various brands, makes and models of expensive stereo equipment in Chicago, you’re likely going to hear a completely different answer: one that could top hundreds of thousands of dollars!

Why the price discrepancy? How could a little knowledge of audio systems create a price jump so dramatic in what people are willing to pay for quality sound? The answer is complicated, but almost always comes down to an understanding of sound. Those people who understand sound quality or who have experienced it at its fullest are definitely going to understand, and even justify, spending the money on a top-tier sound system.

Setting a standard

The first and foremost thing to understand about expensive stereo equipment in Chicago is that it’s not common knowledge amongst most people. The average homeowner isn’t going to have any knowledge of SR-1 speakers from Pass Labs or the Magico M5, and thus won’t understand the true capabilities that these technological innovations can have on the way sound is processed and projected.

The reason for this lack of knowledge and information? It’s because the average homeowner isn’t the target demographic for these manufacturers! For someone who will just be watching football on Sundays, sitcoms during the week or listening to music while they clean the house, there’s no reason to pay the exorbitant prices that these setups fetch! In the end, if the product doesn’t fit your conception of its capabilities, relative to your income, you’re not going to find it justifiable to spend that sum of money on it!

Produced with care

Another thing that drives up the price of expensive stereo equipment in Chicago is availability. Unlike mass-produced products that are shipped into stores by the truckload, high end audio equipment is manufactured in a limited capacity and often times, with far more attention to detail and a handcrafted approach.

As any economics class will teach you, the less of something there is, the more scarce it is and the more scarce it is, the higher its value. If X amount of a units are produced each year, the cost will be higher based on the cost of materials, time and effort put into the craftsmanship and Y demand for the finished product. By the time you’re done, you’re left with a product that’s going to be very expensive. Couple this idea with exceptional performance and rave reviews and you’ve got an even more in-demand item, garnering even higher prices!

Perfection in execution

The biggest reason for the price hike in expensive stereo equipment in Chicago? The quality of what you’re getting! Think about it this way: why do people pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for high end cars? Because they’re superior in every day to the average sedan rolling around on the highways.

It’s not hard to conceive that high end audio products exist at the prices they do—it’s hard to wrap your head around why anyone would pay those prices if you yourself wouldn’t. And, as always, the answer lies in perceived value. Those people who understand the above factors and equate them with substantial benefit are going to be those people who justify their costs.

Categorised in: Ultra High End Audio

This post was written by Writer