High-end audio equipment is in many ways similar to high-end fashion. Prices are astronomical and it takes a sophisticated ear/eye to appreciate them. Both purchases are a reflection of your individual sophistication and style, and can only be appreciated by your equally sophisticated peers.
Not everyone can admire the space potato sack dress (for its fashion-forwardness), or the unsightly cherry-wood floor speakers (for their exceptional sound). A woman who favored Marni was once told she was lucky to be married — since “no man would take her out on a date in those ridiculous clothes.” But what is to be said of guys who spend $20,000 on a speaker system and wear $20 jeans from Wal-Mart?
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vs. |  |
| SVS PC-Ultra Powered Cylinder Subwoofer, $1,399 | Marc Jacobs Collection Quilted Stam Bag, $1,350 |
In both industries, brand recognition is extremely important. Most people have heard of Prada and Bang & Olufsen, but what about Peter Som or mbl? If you and your partner are, respectively, home theatre and fashion enthusiasts, here’s a quick reference chart so you can be on the same page. (For example upgrading to Yamaha’s top of the line $5,000+ reciever, is comparable to investing in a Chanel jacket as a wardrobe staple.)
| Market Category | Fashion Industry | Audio Industry |
| Discount | Wal-Mart, Target, Kohls | KHL, DCM, Coby |
| Mass market | Old Navy, Gap, Express | Bose, JBL, Cambridge Audio |
| Affordable luxury | Banana Republic, Coach, BCBG | Klipsch, Polk Audio, NHT |
| Designer luxury | Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton | MartinLogan, Thiel, B&W, Bang & Olufsen |
| Super high-end luxury | Chanel couture, Lanvin, Hermes | Wilson Audio, Krell, mbl |
Tatjana Mitchell
Contributing Editor
eCoustics.com
