The FT had a headline yesterday that said this:
Sometimes, the truth comes out of the mouths of babes.
B&O make speakers costing more than £100,000. It seems that they chose to use them instead to broadcast their version of the truth.
Doing so, they succinctly summarise why the world is going to hell in a handcart.
Excess consumption by a few, driven by growing inequality, is going to destroy our planet for human habitation unless we change course.
And, it would seem B&O are saying they'd rather that destruction than question their source of profits in the interests of humankind.
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One thing we know about the rich and those who flog stuff to them is that their lack of self consciousness and modesty will always reveal themselves to us.
You can also guarantee that the same money that keeps B&O afloat finds its way into the political party funding as well , subverting our democracy.
Thank you and well said, both.
It’s not untypical.
The FT revels in this sort of thing, too, and is oblivious to what goes on. Their former political correspondent, really a client journalist, Sebastian Payne has been rejected three times by Conservative constituency parties. Resistance to these bubble types is growing in the Tory grass roots.
Some years ago, the FT arranged an interview with Rees-Mogg at his country estate / constituency home. Two colleagues arrived on Monday morning at the manor and were stunned to see Payne in his dressing gown. He had spent the week-end chez Rees-Mogg. There’s a lot of this, including in the (blairite) Labour ranks.
The dinner party and country weekend house party culture wherein all the real decisions that destroy ordinary peoples lives continue to be brokered. The British class system remains the hedge fund riveted dynamo that continues to ruin, but pretends to run, the levers of political and financial power in the UK. What a tragic farce.
As the old gag goes, I apologise for bringing religion into Christmas, but the B & O announcement, particularly at this time of the year, is a yet another tiny, but perfect example of the now rampant new greed.
It used to be said that hypocrisy was the tribute that vice paid to virtue, but at least since the advent of Johnson openly displaying your vice, in the sure knowledge that your side holds all the power and you will get away with it, appears to be the new fashionable way of showing off.
Lawns were once an arrogant display of excess wealth. In some respects, they still are, and we should be rid of them. They are, in these increasingly desperate days when all our soil needs to be turned to productive purposes, an unaffordable conceit.
Let them grow wild for nature
In my cornea haze I thought to myself surely B&Q dont make £10K speakers.
Make that a purple haze and pump it through these 🙂 https://petertyson.co.uk/bang-olufsen-beolab-90-loudspeakers?kk=a4c6293-18c77f07e76-1510ee7&kgclid=CjwKCAiA1fqrBhA1EiwAMU5m_3HDHhsZhmu9kTSdyFbUwnz6rXRHwIGf3LM8JpN1czXzDZRzJVrhvhoCYMwQAvD_BwE&utm_source=kelkoouk&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=kelkooclick&utm_term=Bang+%26+Olufsen+Beolab+90
And they only come with three years warranty! These very rich people don’t seem to have much sense. Mind you, when I saw the picture I thought they were knee guards.
When I went to look, I saw voucher for £10 off – so only £109,990 (reminds me of the Rolls Royce salesman, offering 3d off a Rolls (a real one, not a Dinky toy) in a cartoon in my comic 60 odd years ago) – and only one one star review (comment was you must be joking! – so not a confirmed purchaser – they probably haven’t had one to do a genuine review). Seeing as they’re in Carlisle, I almost expect to get a free house thrown in with it (well, you stand a chance of deafening the neighbours if you’re in a flat…)
I see that the site linked by Bill Kruse offers the magnificent discount of £10 if you sign up – almost makes the speakers worth it!
Who do they imagine will be making the music they expect to listen to?
The music doesn’t matter. People who buy audio equipment that is this expensive listen to the speakers not the music.
In my experience, folk with Bang & Olufsen speakers often have the worst taste in the music they play through them.
I’m tempted to mention some artists, but I fear it would only start a rammy!
I knew a B&O dealer once when I lived in London
He quietly laughed at his customers – who were almost exclusively mail techies. As he pinned out, over the age of 30 most men simply don’t gave the hearing range to tell the difference between B&O and something good but very much cheaper. The difference existed – but they would never hear it.
As rich people age their ability to hear the top and bottom of the sound spectrum diminishes.
Possibly like this:
• By age 50, most people have trouble hearing noise above 14khz at all, and at average volume the top end is usually closer to 11.2khz.
• By age 70, the average person hears sounds up to 9.8khz comfortably at normal noise levels, with a top end of around 12khz for loud noises.
https://www.hearcenter.org/how-does-your-hearing-change-as-you-age/
These expensive Biolab 90 speakers have a Frequency Range of 12 to 43,000 Hz.
Dogs may be able to hear some of that. Rich old people, not so sure.
Therefore does the law of diminishing returns apply to some of those who can afford these £100k plus B & O speakers?
B&O.. who they?
If you want quality sound B&W – made in the Uk (well the ones I have were) & purchased 2nd hand for £100 – beautiful to look at and a sound to match. Whats not to like?
Ref Richard’s post on the B&O dealer – I guess the quote: “fools & their money are easily parted” applies.
Re the last, yes
Positional goods (per Thorsten Veblen).
Why else (lower down the budget scale) do overpriced branded clothes splash their logos all over them? (I always think “they should be paying me, for walking around like a man with a sandwich board’…!” Not that I buy such anyway. )
This of course is where economic growth (if any) will come… but we’re heading into “Great Gatsby land”; and we know that didn’t end well. This will be worse, with a planetary system crash not just a financial meltdown, if we don’t make some big changes, and soon.
Carbon footprint from buying B&O top range may be quite small. I expect those rich audiophiles spent more carbon driving to B&O.
B&O should be congratulated, because what is needed urgently is removing the wealth of billionaires. Wealth is pretty much directly proportional to carbon footprint. It should be made illegal to have wealth over £100k – for the sake of the planet.
Sorry Norman, but that spectacularly misses the point
And your suggestyioin also means no oine could own a hosue and no one could have a private pension paying more than about £5,000 a year
Sorry – but that makes no sense at all
I agree; that was the point!
OK….
Perhaps the last word should be left to the greatest ever writer of English:
fashion not yourselves to the world …………………(with respect to the need to own the speakers)
the signs of the times……………………………………… (that such speakers are marketed to those with large amount of money)
filthy lucre ……………………………………………………….(required in volume to own such products)
the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak ………… (the desire to own & giving in to it).
The good citizens of Vilvorde have a park which honours him & his work.
Tyndale?
Indeed.
his phrases are to me everyday coinage. Timeless stuff about the human condition. A great artist and a great work of art.
Robert Armstrong discussed this problem in the FT :
https://on.ft.com/3ROw7nF
Pithily he notes ”
Witness, for example, the leisure sneaker phenomenon: you can buy a $1,000-ish pair from Loro Piana, or Louis Vuitton, or The Row, or Brunello Cucinelli, or Zegna. Beside their prices, what they all have in common is that they are not better looking, more refined, more comfortable or sturdier than a nice pair of Nike’s that will set you back less than $100 (manufacturing technology has driven the real cost of good sneakers down dramatically in recent years). The luxury sneakers do, however, successfully signal to a select group of people that you are rich.
The problem is that to a different select group of people, they signal that you are an idiot.”
I wear my £9.99 replica 1950’s British Army watch with pride.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/
Search Replica 1950’s British Soldiers Watch Eagle Moss Collection. It works brilliantly.
As for speakers test before you buy. But again there are a lot of dying music buffs flooding the second hand market…
Perhaps you should add a merchandising section to your excellent website…The young are attracted to that sort of thing.
I very happily buy second hand in some areas – because it is good value
I think my eldest son only buys pants and socks new
And music is usually listened to by me on sub £100 headphones I have had for some time that do me just fine
But maybe my household is not typical