You are correct, I guess, that some people are more interested in designer labels than patiently and meticulously auditioning components to ascertain their own personal sonic preferences.
Hi Ron,
I hate to sort-of disagree with you, but the majority of people other than a few thousand, or so, most engaged audiophiles in this hobby do not meticulously audition gear. Most audiophiles are not like the several thousand guys who check forums religiously.
Furthermore, the dilemma that gear purchasers and fans face is that there are literally thousands of products out there to hear and determine sonic signatures. And on top of that, the sonic essence of many components is revealed only in combination with other gear, such as amps and speakers needing to be paired.
So it's virtually impossible - even for the most engaged audio fans gear purchasing prospects - to listen to every piece of gear and every likely combination that exists.
It's also very hard to tell in advance which experience will move the soul. So data points from others play a major role of marketing gear.
Opinions on high end gear do not come about independently!
So what we have in audio is called the "bandwagon effect" (or Herd Effect). Let's call it bandwagon effect because audiophiles are very sensitive bunch. The bandwagon is where popular brands become even more popular as people gain knowledge of them from their friends, experienced influencers, dealers, online boards, show reports, "audio journalists", etc.
Wilson Audio is by far the market leader. Sure, they make a great product for whomever wants that taste, but the majority just jump on the bandwagon. Is Wilson Audio better than Magico, Eggleston, British Wilsons Benisches, Avalon, Dynaudio, Avantgarde, Sonus Faber, your Griffin speakers?
As they say, there is no point arguing about tastes. But they are most successful because of the economic forces I describe above. (And in case you are wondering, this is what the Wilson Marketing thread is all about.) Cheers!
