[soundbitten1]

If you value your time the biggest ripoff in audio is reading this thread.     

[RDavidson]

Totally agree, jackman. We're all in the same asylum, but with varying degrees of craziness. Or maybe I should say we're all on the same beach in Speedos, but with varying degrees of obesity.

What always gets me are the people, who don't understand our hobby likely see other expensive hobbies, such as restoring cars (or things along those lines) as "normal," or more easily justifiable. I think there's a direct correlation between one's ability to understand something (or at least have an open mind) and have an appreciation for whatever it is. It's easier for people to look at an expensive car and say "Wow! That's beautiful" than it is for someone to listen to music on an expensive audio system and say the same thing. This all makes sense because, of all human senses, vision is probably the most important / most used / most stimulated. Maybe our friends just need help understanding (appreciating) how important not just hearing, but listening can be?

But anyway, rip offs.............let's see..............It's hard to think of one now, with the understanding that we're all fat.

[srb]

I doubt that anyone restoring a car has ever spent $5K on a set of spark plug cables!  Well, unless they really want the purr of the engine to emenate from a blacker background or to have more sense of air between the firing of cylinders.

Steve

[mcgsxr]

Agree about how our hobby gets sideways looks while other expensive hobbies get less.

Far more people understand the 10K investment I have in my 1969 Ford Thunderbird than would be excited about a stack of amps and some imposing speakers.

I get happiness out of both music and cars, so I guess I am the lucky one!

I figure the biggest rip-off in high end audio must be all the stuff I never buy - I've never made a mistake in a purchase... 

[jackman]

Yep, I guess rip-offs are in the eye of the beholder.  My non-audiogeek friends think we are crazy, but many of them think nothing of spending $500 in a club or dropping $5K in Vegas.  Music is my favorite hobby/obsession and a good system helps me enjoy the music more, in most cases.  The obsession part is an unfortunate component of my personality that I don't fully understand.  It makes me happy to improve my system or to listen to other systems.  Sometimes it's good to take a step back and gain some perspective. 

In my example, I assumed I was the 300 lb guy on the beach in the speedo but to some people (if you will pardon the analogy), I'm probably the 400 lb guy or worse.  In either case, we are all a little "sick", even thouse of us who don't always realize it... There are worse things we could be doing, drugs, hookers, gambling, etc., although some would say this rationalization lacks perspective as well. 

Cheers,

J

[RDavidson]

I doubt that anyone restoring a car has ever spent $5K on a set of spark plug cables!  Well, unless they really want the purr of the engine to emenate from a blacker background or to have more sense of air between the firing of cylinders.

Steve

I don't know, man. Maybe a better example : Each machined titanium bolt on the Bugatti Veyron = $100.
Wonder if Monster makes spark plug cables?

[charmerci]

If you value your time the biggest ripoff in audio is reading this thread.     

Well, boo! Go sit in the corner! Time out for you!

[steve in jersey]

Well, boo! Go sit in the corner! Time out for you!

If you are spending money at this level of expense , it's okay to call many items overpriced. Unless
people are being forced to buy things it's ridiculous to call something ""A ripoff" .

At some point "you" have to take responsibility for what you "were" willing to pay for the component.
I would have no problem following a thread about "Biggest regret Hi End purchases" "Ripoff" implies
there was intent to take money from someone without their consent.

Time to be honest here (someone must like these things as demand is what drives prices up).I'd gladly go back & read some of the thread if the thread title is amended.
 
 That 683(in a day's time) people had no problem contributing to a thread with this title proves once again people are willing to jump on bandwagons with little regard to what is said in an original posting. ( unless , some were honest like I was)

[Guy 13]

If you are spending money at this level of expense , it's okay to call many items overpriced. Unless
people are being forced to buy things it's ridiculous to call something ""A ripoff" .

At some point "you" have to take responsibility for what you "were" willing to pay for the component.
I would have no problem following a thread about "Biggest regret Hi End purchases" "Ripoff" implies
there was intent to take money from someone without their consent.

Time to be honest here (someone must like these things as demand is what drives prices up).I'd gladly go back & read some of the thread if the thread title is amended.

Hi Steve.
Well said and written.
Bravo.

Guy 13

[Letitroll98]

I'd gladly go back & read some of the thread if the thread title is amended.

Just to help out, this is post #10:

Oh yeah,  these threads always go well

maybe should be subtitled - what was your own most expensive disappointment?

So the efficacy of the thread has been brought into question since the beginning.  Therefore from the start we've allowed "I don't consider it a ripoff, but my biggest disappointment was...."  And note two other facts, there was a thread on my biggest disappointment and it drifted back into obscurity, and this thread is still here showing continued interest in the topic.  The title being controversial may contribute to the 35 pages of posts thus far, everyone likes rubbernecking a car wreck, possibly making the name of your thread dramatic as important as the content for longevity.  Or if the content is weak, you need a dramatic title, however one decides to view it.           

[JohnR]

Well, renaming a whole 35-page thread so one individual will agree to read it would be only a little extreme...

[RDavidson]

I totally agree with responsible spending. Most responsible spenders do their research and make informed decisions. Thus, they shouldn't encounter feeling ripped-off regardless of whatever amount of money they spent on whatever they bought.

I always approached the thread from the perspective of what I see in the industry as a rip-off (ie what I believe are predatory practices toward general consumers) or an instance where I bought something from an individual and it wasn't received as described. The latter is probably the best example of being ripped off that I've encountered. The former, not as much, if considering the general consumer is being responsible. Many aren't responsible however, and they get taken advantage of, though they usually don't know it....at least not right away. Maybe ignorance truly is bliss?

[Camembert]

I did not read all the pages of this thread, so sorry if this has been mentioned already: I find audio-focused ethernet cables with a direction arrow printed on them a bizarre idea. Even Denon, usually such a common sense brand, has an ethernet cable with a direction arrow on it.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

This has got to be one of the top rip offs, true snake oil-

http://www.thecableco.com/Product/Disc-Energizer

[Tyson]

My first answer was anything over $10k is a poor cost/performance ratio, and anything over $20k is probably a total ripoff. 

My second answer is that the entire industry of high end audio is a rip off.

[rbbert]

How is anything a "rip-off" if you get what you wanted for a price you were willing to pay?

[Freo-1]

My first answer was anything over $10k is a poor cost/performance ratio, and anything over $20k is probably a total ripoff. 

My second answer is that the entire industry of high end audio is a rip off.

This is closer to the truth than most of us would like to admit.  To me, one's best bet is to get the BEST possible speakers you can for reasonable cost, and not worry as much about the electronics.  For example, I was able to get a pair of large floor standing T+A German speakers for a very good price.  I hooked them up to a HT receiver (Yamaha A1030), and was shocked at just how good the sound was from this setup.  The speakers were the main reason for the high quality sound.   

[Wayner]

I like Tyson's answer. All of audio is an entire rip-off. Low quantity products means high production costs, which then means most of the money you spend goes for limited production chassis machining and printed circuit boards. End result: lots of money spent on very little "hi-fi". Most of the cash went to pay for tooling and very limited production runs.

[macrojack]

If you are spending money at this level of expense , it's okay to call many items overpriced. Unless
people are being forced to buy things it's ridiculous to call something ""A ripoff" .

At some point "you" have to take responsibility for what you "were" willing to pay for the component.
I would have no problem following a thread about "Biggest regret Hi End purchases" "Ripoff" implies
there was intent to take money from someone without their consent.

Time to be honest here (someone must like these things as demand is what drives prices up).I'd gladly go back & read some of the thread if the thread title is amended.
 
 That 683(in a day's time) people had no problem contributing to a thread with this title proves once again people are willing to jump on bandwagons with little regard to what is said in an original posting. ( unless , some were honest like I was)

I do not recall anyone claiming that Bernie Madoff took their money without their consent but everyone seems to agree that he was a ripoff.

And rbbert, you seem to think that a statement can't be false if you believe it. Sure you got what you wanted at a price you were willing to pay --- but what if your willingness was based on misrepresentation? That makes you a victim and a fool. Are you OK with that?

[Early B.]

How is anything a "rip-off" if you get what you wanted for a price you were willing to pay?

You can be ripped off and not know it. That's how the "snake oil" concept works.