I drive an electric car so my experience at the gas pumps is rather limited. That said, I do notice the signs advertising the various prices for different qualities of gasoline.
Am I to believe that opting for the more expensive blend of dinosaur juice will up my driving game? That I will experience greater thrust when I step on the gas pedal?
I remember years ago when we (thankfully) switched from leaded gasoline to unleaded thanks to the innovation of the catalytic converter. In some engines, choosing the more expensive petrol blend reduced an irritating knocking sound in the engine.
What's this got to do with stereos? Simply this. It occurs to me that we're constantly expecting a price to performance relationship. A $30K speaker should noticeably outperform a $2K version—else, why would you pay the difference?
On the flip side of this expectation is the hope of stumbling upon the gem in the rough. The miracle product that breaks all the rules.
Truth is, those miracle products are not only rare, they're often laser focused on only one or two benefits while downplaying the rest—like the lure of a 3 watt tube amp: a sweet top end at the expense of bass and dynamics.
For most well meaning companies in our industry, you get what you pay for.
