Sound systems with SNOB value

[manumani]

Hi,
We all like to indulge in Bose-bashing because of its poor sound quality (as suggested by members). However, I believe most of you would agree it ranks fairly high on SNOB value. What other brands can you think of (should be recognizable brands) that are high on snob value ?

Regards
Manumani

 

[bhanja_trinanjan]

Bang & Olufsen... B&O

But they are a lot better than Bose, SQ wise..

 

[thevortex]

Any system can have snob value provided one is ready to become snobbish

Jokes apart the criticism of Bose is not only related to audio quality. It is one related to the price-performance ratio as well.

 

[psychotropic]

yeah B&O would be the ultimate in snob value i guess, but they do make good, if overpriced, stuff i am told.

 

[anm]

one problem with snob value of B&O is - 99% of the people will not understand that B&O is more expensive that Bose!
Only your audioholic friends - 1 in 10,000 would appreciate that.
In fact, I think Bose has better snob value - people will think you have got so much money to spend on something sounding so lousy, you must be pretty rich!

 

[manumani]

True. has to be a recognized brand. Like Sony in TVs (atleast in India)

Regards
Manumani

 

[psychotropic]

excellent point....that way Bose is excellent VFM in the snob stakes. Say you get like a pair of Bose bookshelves for under 20k, and 8 out of 10 fellow who come to your house will go "Wow, Bose", whereas if you spend 2 lakhs and get a B&O setup, 8 out of 10 people will say "wow, this is pretty, what is it?".

one problem with snob value of B&O is - 99% of the people will not understand that B&O is more expensive that Bose!
Only your audioholic friends - 1 in 10,000 would appreciate that.
In fact, I think Bose has better snob value - people will think you have got so much money to spend on something sounding so lousy, you must be pretty rich!

 

[hemantwaghe]

New nakamichi - to some extent...
JVC wood cone - IMHO sound is good but not justifying the price
Many tube based system esp jadis ...

Again Mc Intosh - in fact they ran a campaign on their snob value..
Anyone seen ( in mags) co branded sysyems like Ferrari & Stienway (World's no 1 grand piano's)...
mbl - for people who know

Now snob value is difficulf to define sometimes for people who know

Like a lot of cheapoes wear gold tone watches ( to match with dangling chains and gold bracelets ) as snob alue ,when they go slightly above wear gaudi Rado Diastar ( the "Bhai ' watch...!) and show snobbery!

But real mccoy may be wering very simple Rolex to which comman ppl will not give a second look -and most basic steel Rolex costs upword 1.25 L ...but they say those people who know spot rolex from the crown visible out of cuff....

and then I've seen People who are above rolex and waer brands like Piaget, Patek or Audemars Pieuget

Like that there are sometimes people who becomes snobs in specialists -ie audiophiles ...I mean acquiring big brands just to show is snobbery ,or building just a home theatre just to show but do not have proper software to listen !( Exceptions - Vinay built not only very good home theatre but he enjoys movie with passion and sees many movies , I've met another member who bought expensive cadence as he like jazz and cadence is best for jazz..and o man I've seen part of his collection of vinyl's)

So there is fine line between enthusiam and snobbery don't you think so? If someone is enjoying yhis music/movies and using his system to fullest IMHO he is not a snob!

 

[soulforged]

Bose out and out for the layman snob...B&O, Nakamichi close on the heals but they also spell class...

For the initiated...Acapella, MBL, Avantgarde, LAMM...well for the initiated the list does not end...

 

[suri]

Bose rocks as far as snob value goes. At least you know that the people buying it are rich and stupid at the same time, which are pretty resonant with other characteristics of a snob. I would be horrified to hear of Symphonic Line, Hemp Acoustics, and Grande Utopias from my neighborhood paanwala, but I'd be cool with him buying a Bose. At least it is where it deserves to be.

And Bose really sound terrible. Really terrible. They have a system installed in the Metro cinema lounge upstairs, where the VIP area is. I bet a cheap i-ball system will sound a bit better than that piece of junk. I was there for 20 minutes at a meeting and I requested them to turn it off, it was so painful.

This should be the dissertation of choice for a PhD.! - "why does the average sentient human being who is not into awareness, fall in love with a Bose system at the first instant"?

a person who buys a flat (a penthouse even!) for 120 lacs will install a Bose (registered trademark) system to show off his/her taste.

There must be sumthin' to these fu@@***

 

[bhanja_trinanjan]

Bose rocks as far as snob value goes. At least you know that the people buying it are rich and stupid at the same time, which are pretty resonant with other characteristics of a snob. I would be horrified to hear of Symphonic Line, Hemp Acoustics, and Grande Utopias from my neighborhood paanwala, but I'd be cool with him buying a Bose. At least it is where it deserves to be.

And Bose really sound terrible. Really terrible. They have a system installed in the Metro cinema lounge upstairs, where the VIP area is. I bet a cheap i-ball system will sound a bit better than that piece of junk. I was there for 20 minutes at a meeting and I requested them to turn it off, it was so painful.

Well said! ROFLMAO

 

[heliumflight]

BOSE eat the rich!

 

[bhanja_trinanjan]

Bose rocks as far as snob value goes. At least you know that the people buying it are rich and stupid at the same time, which are pretty resonant with other characteristics of a snob. I would be horrified to hear of Symphonic Line, Hemp Acoustics, and Grande Utopias from my neighborhood paanwala, but I'd be cool with him buying a Bose. At least it is where it deserves to be.

And Bose really sound terrible. Really terrible. They have a system installed in the Metro cinema lounge upstairs, where the VIP area is. I bet a cheap i-ball system will sound a bit better than that piece of junk. I was there for 20 minutes at a meeting and I requested them to turn it off, it was so painful.

The BOSE system @ Music World, Park Street, Kolkata too sucks big time... :lol:

 

[anm]

actually B&W when pronounced in a hurry sounds like BMW and that really impresses people. But, lot of people on actually seeing B&W might think it is a cheap imitation of greater BMW brand! Ignorance is bliss!

 

[Shuvc]

I've encountered another level of snobbery that is fed by the PMPO wattage of a setup. Brands kind of take a back seat here. Although the 'Sony' name seems to come up quite often in this circle.

 

[psychotropic]

oh ya, these are the guys who think more boomy, reverberating bass is the sign of great sound. 3500W pmpo with MEGA XPLOSIVE BASS.

I've encountered another level of snobbery that is fed by the PMPO wattage of a setup. Brands kind of take a back seat here. Although the 'Sony' name seems to come up quite often in this circle.

 

[moserw]

oh ya, these are the guys who think more boomy, reverberating bass is the sign of great sound. 3500W pmpo with MEGA XPLOSIVE BASS.

Well this is descriptive of our own Manu bhai, but he is not snobbish at all.

 

[Rem]

I guess some beautifully constructed and well made speakers like Sonus Faber or a Focal Grande Utopia and many such really high end brands would also rank pretty high though many people would not have heard the names just by seeing those things in ur living room will brings a sense of wow

So I guess that feeling should also be a factor in deciding snob value not just the brand recognition.

Like when you see something luxurious you would want to know what brand it is and even though you may not have heard about it you would know its not the one you get it from your local super market I guess those things are also snob worthy.

 

[suri]

everything has to fit in -

if one saw a very rich lady wearing a diamond necklace, one would not suspect that she was actually wearing cheap american diamonds (hocked off the originals to buy her boy-toy lover a 3.0litre v6 accord)

but if the school-teacher (married to a central government employee) were to announce in the common room that she was wearing diamond ear-rings, the other teachers would think "Balls, she must be wearing american diamonds. (in reality, this lady has been entertaining many male admirers who have showered her with money for favours received, and the diamonds are genuine nakshatra with aishwarya rai's signature - of course, the husband believes that the late nights were for correcting answer papers, and that all the three children are his!)