Southwest Audio Fest 2024

Ken really brought the heat. Very similar experience to you, Mark. Impressive.

Great. Just what we all want: fantastic sounding speakers for billionaires. Let’s have more.

$45k is about what a new Toyota Camry costs, so hardly a 1%'er item. I used the Google and apparently I'm in the 1% in the US (just barely, and only by one measure - less than halfway there by the other) and this is near the top of what I can "afford" to spend on stereo speakers.

There are over 8 billion people in the world, the "1%" is likely over 100 million people (household measure vs. people in household) which is *not* a small market. From a profit standpoint, it may be the best demographic to target.

Mark Phillips

N.B. A friend of mine from high school (who worked at Sumiko for many years) may have married into the Songer family. I keep meaning to ask...

The low number for the US 1% is ~$5.8 million net worth, the high is around $18 million (probably individual vs household). I'm well under 10. If you think I'm on Easy St. you don't understand economics and really shouldn't comment on them. Realistically, ca. $100 million is the start of "F You" money and about $500 million is low end "elite."

I can't afford to fly in private jets, buy a new Porsche 911, nor $100k audio components that don't produce income (like a recording studio mixing console would). I've also been too broke to buy a POS car and rode the bus for about a year. In Texas, where every city has terrible public transit. I got my money the old fashioned way, I inherited it. Made my own way before that, incl. almost $100k in student loan debt for a biochem degree, because they (gov't & family) don't give grants for 2nd bachelor's degrees and neither Austin nor UT are cheap. Working and taking O-chem and P-chem was a blast. not.

I live in one of the two or three highest crime ZIP codes in Central TX (and likely #1 for murder/violent crime). It's been tops since the Eastside was gentrified 20ish years ago and it'll be at least another 10 years before it's gentrified out where I live. There was a MS13 front shop busted a mile from my house last year (fake paper plates for cars, popular with criminals). There's a LOT of light industrial and auto shops in my area. And a Hare Krishna temple :)

I am on 3/4 acre in the city, paid about 1/3 what it would cost in a nicer part of town (which I can't afford). Maybe you should just shut yer pie hole when you don't have a clue about whatever you're pontificating upon anonymously. Elitist? Bahahahaha, no. I don't have near that kind of dosh.

Get mad at the 0.1% - the ones with enough actual money to effect change, and own politicians and Supreme Court judges.

PS - I do have access to certain resources that made my effective tax rate in 2022 under 10% even after a $150k capital gain from a land sale, and it will be even lower for 2023. neener neener.

Oh, and I have a voting rule that I've never broken and likely never will - *never* vote for the GOP (didn't see that one coming, did you). I do vote regularly.

I should have said ‘speakers for millionaires’. In any case, any speaker priced over $10,000 is irrelevant to the greater population of music lovers. Please note I refrain from using the odious term ‘audiophile’. These are people who are trapped in the vice (vise) of listening to gear - rather than music.

I will definitely request this song at their room this year. Love that album...Cannot wait! And I will do my best William S. Burroughs impression while in the room; to scare off all of the sweet spot listeners from their perches! 'Hey Kemosabe!!' Lmao..