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What price passion?

Paul's Posts — 28 September 2012

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What price passion?

My neighbor Mike has a $12,000 bicycle that is hand crafted from carbon fiber and weighs a mere 14 pounds.  Next year the company is announcing a huge breakthrough; a 13 pound version for another $2K.  My neighbor also rides 4500 miles a year on this bike and, as you can guess, is very involved in cycling and all that comes with it.  His hi-fi consists of an iPod and a pair of crappy loudspeakers in a dock.

I own a $200 bicycle that is mass produced and weighs upwards of 30 pounds.  Next year my bike company will have a new color scheme to attract more buyers and probably charge the same, maybe less.  I ride perhaps 50 miles a year and, as you can guess, am not very involved in cycling; even being so bold as to wear just any old shorts, a T-shirt and street shoes.  My hi-fi consists of a $27,000 pair of loudspeakers for starters and just gets more expensive from there.

I smiled yesterday when Mike asked me why in the world anyone would pay more than a few hundred bucks for a stereo system.

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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. sbrinck

    September 28, 2012 at 6:16 am

    Different Strokes For Different Folks
    Everyone knows one of those Paul .
    What happen to the NAS discussion ?
    It was just starting to spark my interest ,

    • September 28, 2012 at 6:20 am

      I screwed up on the release dates. Tomorrow it’ll be back. Sorry.

    • ron

      September 28, 2012 at 6:57 am

      Funny, the reaction to a motorhome pulling a v8 speed boat is Ooooo and Aaaaah. When one has a similar investment in audio the reaction is quite the opposite.
      The real trick is to have the six didget system in your motorhome….then lets see the Ooooo’s and Aaaaah’s
      Tee Hee

  2. Tom

    September 28, 2012 at 6:31 am

    Bikes and audio gear? From the title, I was expecting something a bit more steamy…if not totally illegal, at least where I live.

    • September 28, 2012 at 6:45 am

      Yeah, steamy tease in the headline. I don’t think anyone’s interested in reading steamy stuff from me. :)

  3. Undilutedigital

    September 28, 2012 at 9:56 am

    Hey, some of us enjoy BOTH passions. I consider myself lucky. :) . As I like to say, my bike is worth about twice what my car is worth. It’s a 16 lbs. titanium and carbon fiber wonder, and I do ~2k miles / year. And my audio system is worth twice what my bike is worth. Seems like a good blance to me. :)

  4. Dmitrylo

    September 28, 2012 at 10:06 am

    I have a bike for $2500, it weighs 18 pounds. My stereo system is a little bit more expensive, but it looks dirty cheap in comparison with yours, Paul.
    Nonetheless I do not think it is right to compare bikes and audio equipment. Because our health and even life depend on the quality of the bike. And the quality of the audio – only our ideas of a good enough sound.

    • September 28, 2012 at 10:23 am

      Understood however, the point I was trying to make wasn’t really a comparison between a bike and a stereo – but rather priorities. While I cannot imagine me spending $10K on a bike I don’t blink spending a lot on a stereo. Others with cars, and so on. The whole point is one of perspective.

  5. Bassman23

    September 28, 2012 at 6:47 pm

    Dmitrylo, you have your perspective, but a pair of good running shoes can be had for @ $100 and many people exercise daily for next to nothing. On the other hand, I can attest to the great health benefits of listening to 30 – 60 minutes of great music per day. My stress disappears during a great listening session. It would not disappear were I listening through $200 of audio equipment.
    I am reminded of an article I read back in the late ’60s. In discussing hippy values, someone noted that a used VW got you back and forth to work but a great stereo got you closer to God. I don’t mind driving a better car, but my soul loves my audio equipment and audio collection.

  6. oliver T. Finch

    September 28, 2012 at 10:12 pm

    Like you said it’s all about priorities.The interesting question is what sets one’s priorities. It appears that two factors play a major role.One is physical i.e. hearing ability and the other is the psychological satisfaction one gets from listening to well reproduced music.Regarding the former a tone deaf person would not care if he is listening to mice singing in a tin can or to a high end system and about the latter one looks forward with great anticipation to the time when he can kick back and relax totally. I am talking about serious listening not background music.Regards.

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