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Identify and certify

Paul's Posts — 26 March 2012

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Identify and certify

Step 2 in building a growing high-end audio community is to identify, qualify and certify a group of products giving people permission to purchase.

In the first step we created a simple understandable brand around high-end audio that gets us closer to the music and clears the crap out of the way to do that.

Now it’s time to help people looking for that brand to make sure they get exactly what the brand promises.

Yesterday we used organic as a brand concept example: today we go back to it.  If you’re looking for organic food, our society gives you permission to purchase those items only if they are certified by a group of experts.  We don’t know who those experts are or what criteria they use to certify our food but we accept their findings and buy only certified organics.

The same should happen for high-end.  We should form an approval committee to certify products as true high-end.  Maybe it’s a group of magazine reviewers, maybe a group of manufacturers, maybe a community group.  Form a group, create a website, build members and interest.  www.highendcertify.com is available right now.

What would make one product high-end while others not?  I don’t have the ready formula for that but I, like you, know it if I hear it.  It shouldn’t be too difficult.

By creating an agreed upon certification process we clear away all the numbskulls that claim to be high-end but in fact make bad sounding products that don’t serve the music and give prospective customers a clear path to getting the brand promise in their hands.

Tomorrow making it easier to access.

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About Author

Paul McGowan

Paul McGowan is the CEO and co-founder of PS Audio Inc. a Boulder Colorado design and manufacturing company of high-end audio products and services. McGowan has been designing and building high-end products for nearly 40 years. Hobbies include skiing, music, hiking, artisan bread baking, kick boxing and cooking. He lives in Boulder Colorado with his wife Terri and his 4 sons.

(10) Readers Comments

  1. demeter

    March 26, 2012 at 4:06 am

    You write: “…What would make one product high-end while others not? I don’t have the ready formula for that but I, like you, know it if I hear it. It shouldn’t be too difficult…”
    For me is:
    High fidelity: Brings the imagination of a concert hall in your listening room.
    High- end : Brings you into the concert hall (eyes closed certainly!)

    • March 26, 2012 at 6:46 am

      Yes, that’s exactly right. The difference is listening to a “wall of sound” relative to an immersive you are there experience. How to quantify that into a single phrase or word is the difficult brand challenge we spoke of yesterday.

  2. Ladderman

    March 26, 2012 at 5:40 am

    Paul ,
    Not so sure the accreditation idea is a goer for the long term. Often these things start out with high ideals, but over the passage of time, standards get watered down and as was discussed recently in your posts “what is absolute sound?” makes the choice of a product subjective which opens it up for animated informed and uninformed debate. For the retailer and the customer there is another very important criteria which has caused me some grief over the years and that is a product that gets a rave review in a magazine we listen to the product and make a decision to sell it only to find some time later there are reliability issues and the local agent cant solve the problem.
    Make people AWARE what good sound is.
    We made a real effort to let as many people as possible, that came into our store, hear one of our better systems, even if they were only looking.

    • March 26, 2012 at 6:52 am

      While I think you’re right in the broad sense, what I find is that people generally want to be assured what they buy lives up to a certain standard of whatever that brand promise is.

      Customer reads in her magazine there’s a new immersive range of products that makes the listener feel like they are there at the concert. OK, that sounds good. How do I get that? Just make sure you look for this symbol.

      Let’s use the example of the brand promise we will call 3D Audio. Yup, for now, let’s go with that.

      You are used to listening in only 2 dimensions, left and right. But there’s a new group of products that you can add to your home that give you the 3d dimension, depth. It’s as if you were at the concert. Look for any product with the 3D audio brand image.

      I call around and that’s what I am looking for. It’s no different than what Dolby did. And yes, you must be Dolby certified to display the tag – does it mean anything? It used to – until they sold out.

  3. Ed S

    March 26, 2012 at 7:43 am

    Anyone remember the IHF certification? Nope, didn’t think you did. Anyway, it turned into a farcical numbers game.

  4. Bassman23

    March 26, 2012 at 8:21 am

    The “Recommended Components” listings in the major audio magazines are something like this, but the problem with these and all lists is that they deal with a partial population of components – those that have been reviewed.
    The leaders in coffee distribution established a “Cup of Excellence” competition where they go to the major coffee-growing regions of the world and invite the growers to bring their best for sampling. Those coffees that win or score highly then get the ability to use the “Cup of Excellence” label on their product, commanding higher prices than the earlier co-op model allowed.
    Going from a “Best Sound in Show” concept to a “Golden Ear Award” to multiple displays at major audio shows might fulfill the same purpose. It would then take mass media to play up this new concept as one that might draw in more of the general public. Public relations is the key.

  5. Ed S

    March 26, 2012 at 9:48 am

    The rapper Dr. Dre listens to a batch of headphones, picks the one he likes best, and “Beats” headphones sell like hotcakes.

  6. Rob

    March 27, 2012 at 3:49 am

    Yeah, I agree with you here Paul.

    Industry standard! Perfect. Yes please!

    Include all back end products like cables and plugs.

    Have it so everything falls between a recommended price ranges so the best products compete for that spot.

    Have the industry peers set the bar.

    A sliding price scale so people know what they can expect for their money. Let us the customer experience what brand is offering value/quality for money.

    Hi Fi is personal so let us see who really cares and who see the clients as “Muppets”.

    Build the trust and watch the repeat business. Watch people come back for the pricier cables and plugs. Move more gear.

    I want something/someone that I can trust.

    All distributors who want to sell the gear have to sell the idea.

    Smaller manufacturers can compete with the big guys but also nail down and find their niche in the market. Youll be able to measure what price range is moving and what is not.

    WE WANT VALUE FOR OUR MONEY

    Make the industry fight for its spot.

    Make it easier for your dealers/distributors to sell the gear.

    Why risk paying 1-3-5-10k for a pair of speakers when there are many “industry standard’ speakers to choose from and not some sales rep pushing a product because they get a better return or because they need to move the stock.

    I don’t find buying hi fi easy. There is so much now and with the net and info overload.

    While I agree personalities can move product through just their name, thats just part of it, but what price range are they pushing and is it industry standard?.

    If the industry can make the excitement of buying gear easier then maybe we may see a return to the dealer who everyone knows where his shop is.

    Great idea can’t wait to read about it in hi fi mags.

    Rob

  7. LarryE

    March 28, 2012 at 3:25 pm

    This is a great topic. It brings me to a pet peeve. I can’t remember the last time I read a review where the product was stated to be sub par. I have seen so many that talk about punching above its weight etc. What would greatly help is honesty! Is that DAC really worth $20,000?! OK, so I get the “if you can afford it” line of discussion, but to grow the hobby we have to remove the hyperbole and be willing to say nope this just isn’t worth that much buy this one instead and get just as good for a lot less money. Perhaps we might generate some credibility.

    Having an industry group that hands out a cert for a product is a good idea but the board needs to be made up of more than reviewers or prominent manufactures. The people that set these standards must meet the scrutiny of the public or the standard becomes moot. (Ed S was right IHF any one?) I read the recommended issues of the mags as we all do, but they seem to be more of a flavor of the month than a real recommended product list. The broader public wants to know that making an investment is a good purchase and that the product will retain its value for more than a month or until the next killer review comes along.

    One final rant, If I made all of the changes to my system that I have read about that everyone tells me is a “Huge” I think I might create a singularity or a quantum rift.

    Thanks for this discussion.

  8. Rob

    March 31, 2012 at 3:26 am

    Absolutely Larry,

    Is that Dac/Amp/Cable gear really worth 20k?

    Particularly when you will read the following week how this particular piece of 10k kit sounds better than your brand new 20k kit.

    I’d be gutted to think I invested my hard earned $s on some gear and then find I paid twice a much for half as good.

    Would you go anywhere near the shop that sold you the 20k kit again? Not me.

    Could you ever really be happy with your 20k kit knowing what you know?
    I’d feel ripped off.

    What other pieces could I have purchased for the extra 10k to improve my system even more?

    People who buy Ferraris, Porches Dodges, VWs Toyotas, and Mazda’s know exactly what they are getting.

    When we go to buy our next piece of gear why can’t we have some indicator as to what sounds like a Ferrari and what sounds like a…?

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