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What has happened to (small) speaker prices

ossy

pfm Member
I’ve got a pair of Ruark Sabre 3 standmounts. Very nice they sound too. Rather than leaving well alone I am increasingly being drawn to perusing other small speakers in the belief that nirvana is just one upgrade away. The last time I looked (albeit some time ago) a pair of Harbeth P3esr’s were £1200. They are now £1995 & £2595 if you plump for the ‘XD’ version. The new Spendor classic 4/5’s are £1600. Whilst I’m sure both are extremely good, I doubt that they are ‘that’ good, although expectations are likely dependent on your disposable income. Have things really improved so much in this area or are manufacturers just cashing in? And yes, I have heard of this thing called ‘inflation’, however, prices seem to have well outstripped what I would call sensible. The market seems to be currently awash with small standmounts that cost a fortune, or am I wrong?

Oh, and if anybody can suggest a sensible upgrade over my ruarks I would be delighted to respond.
 
One reason often given for the ridiculous hike in hifi prices is that the market is shrinking as audiophiles get older and die and so the manufacturer must make more per unit. Apparently there just aren't a big enough number of young people to replace the old ones.

I don't follow prices but is it not the case across all items and not just stand mounts ?
 
Decent UK handmade cabinet are expensive regardless of size, and good drivers cost c£300 each. Plus, all the trendy accessories such as WBT terminals, high quality cross-over parts and cabling etc. Then add packaging, shipment costs, manufacturers profit before the retailers cut and you're kinda in the £3/4k RRP mark for a high class speaker, regardless of size.
 
Well, everything goes up but hifi especially so and it seems especially with regards to smal
Decent handmade cabinet are expensive regardless of size, and good drivers cost c£300 each. Plus, all the trendy accessories such as WBT terminal and high quality cross-over parts and cabling etc. Then add packaging, shipment costs, manufacturers profit before the retailers cut and you're kinda in the £3k RRP mark for a high class speaker, regardless of size.

Agreed, but why the above inflation hike to some of the large prices we see today? I guess that’s the market right now but who is buying these?
 
Well, everything goes up but hifi especially so and it seems especially with regards to smal
Agreed, but why the above inflation hike to some of the large prices we see today? I guess that’s the market right now but who is buying these?
Specialist market, appealing to individuals with money who want to chase "the best". That's got to be expensive, right?
 
Wilson Audio had a sales increase of 30% because/thanks to the actual pandemic.
People that can afford these are the ones having cash to travel around the world but can’t do it at the moment because of obvious reasons.
I think they don’t really care or know if the price of these products went up 15% within a year, they just want to give themselves a treat.
I am neither rich or poor, middle class I would say but I would never pay $ 10 000.00 CDN for these :

https://www.audioholics.com/bookshelf-speaker-reviews/wilson-audio-tunetot-bookshelf-speaker
 
My favorite small speakers are either the Stirling LS3/5A V3 or the equivalent in Graham’s but they might be overpriced unless a used pair would be available.
 
I use a set of Wilson standmounters with a Krell amp and am amazed at how expensive it'd now be to buy the current equivalents. The entry Level Krell is about 3 or 4 times what it used to be, and the entry level Wilson speaker has had a similar increase.
 
harbeths are a shocking price , enjoyed my p3esr but at a fith of the price b&w 607s2 anniversary are pretty fine [ under 450 quid ] becuase they are vinyl wrap and made in china . kef l50 are good too .
 
Price is generally governed by demand.

Yes, and I notice your omission of 'supply' as it's irrelevant in this type of high end consumer goods. Compare with 'luxury' ladies hand bags or, even more noticable, perfumes. The higher the price, the more sought after it is.

Being rich today isn't as it used to be. Every one can afford a car and speed limit's are the same for every one. Your luxury apartment in Monaco is even more cramped than a student ones in Leeds. And the poor neighbours old stand mount speakers sound at least as good as the new mega buck ones...
 
Yes, and I notice your omission of 'supply' as it's irrelevant in this type of high end consumer goods. Compare with 'luxury' ladies hand bags or, even more noticable, perfumes. The higher the price, the more sought after it is.

Being rich today isn't as it used to be. Every one can afford a car and speed limit's are the same for every one. Your luxury apartment in Monaco is even more cramped than a student ones in Leeds. And the poor neighbours old stand mount speakers sound at least as good as the new mega buck ones...
Nice post, reads a bit like a poem.
 
I’ve got a pair of Ruark Sabre 3 standmounts. Very nice they sound too. Rather than leaving well alone I am increasingly being drawn to perusing other small speakers in the belief that nirvana is just one upgrade away. The last time I looked (albeit some time ago) a pair of Harbeth P3esr’s were £1200. They are now £1995 & £2595 if you plump for the ‘XD’ version. The new Spendor classic 4/5’s are £1600. Whilst I’m sure both are extremely good, I doubt that they are ‘that’ good, although expectations are likely dependent on your disposable income. Have things really improved so much in this area or are manufacturers just cashing in? And yes, I have heard of this thing called ‘inflation’, however, prices seem to have well outstripped what I would call sensible. The market seems to be currently awash with small standmounts that cost a fortune, or am I wrong?

Oh, and if anybody can suggest a sensible upgrade over my ruarks I would be delighted to respond.
What amp are you using?
 
These types of products are marketed as ‘covetable’ or ‘enigmatic’. Once you can ‘market’ the product into these echelons, sound quality is no longer the priority. It becomes a ‘pride of ownership/status product’. Linn, Apple and B&O have all managed this and it seems that once you do, the price is your oyster. That’s not saying they are bad products. They aren’t. The question is whether they are good enough to merit the price hike over other very capable products.
 
I agree. Is there something out there as nice and above all as good and durable as an iMac?
No there isn’t. I guess same goes with quality hi-fi.
The difference is that nice, expensive hi-fi can be bought second-hand!
Cosmetic products are all rip-offs. No exceptions.
 
Aye, all the above in terms of desire combined with business models aligned with the calculated perception of what people are prepared to pay. Business and capitalism are what they are. I say this as a P3ESR owner !

To be fair it can't be easy being in a luxury goods business that retains production in the UK. As I think mentioned above, the market's probably been shrinking for years.
 
My wife has Macs. Very nice. But my Dell wipes the floor with them. And I can fix or add things easily. When my wife’s Mac goes wrong, it’s endless disbelief.
 


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