Rogs, only reason you'd even consider NT1 = U47 is because you've never done the comparison yourself. Don't you see the problem in saying people are dupes, whilst yourself being duped by a paid advertisement?
Someone sensible would also know the position of thinking other people are deaf and stupid isn't tenable. Simple example: that desk will make anything sound good. Literally anything. That's why people pay $80K for the pleasure. They're not duped into buying something super expensive that still makes $200 mics sound like $200. Nor does the price tag of the desk muffle their ears and compel them to defend Neve's honour on forums.
Vast majority of Rode NT1 owners though, use generic digital pre-amps on generic cheap converters. So what's the point of the video?
(seriously, not at all interested in debating NT1 = U47. It's silly and not worth anyone's time. I'm only here for the $80,200 NT1 vocal chain ;D )
rogs said:
I think you've slightly missed the point on the concept of 'Veblen goods'. The higher the price, the bigger the market grows. Investing in a Neumann U47 - or several other specific types of overpriced microphones - may well be a good investment. But that won't be for technical reasons. .. Just Veblen - or 'fairy dust' - ones.
You're not thinking this through. Pro audio market is a niche market. Boutique audio is a niche market inside a niche market. Vintage audio gear is a niche market inside the niche market of a niche market. DIY is a niche market inside of a niche market inside the niche market of another niche market. The higher you go, the rarer everything becomes. There is no endless supply of people with $20K to spend on a vintage mic or with the patience to learn how to DIY their own U87.
But there is a neverending supply of smart young cool beautiful people with small budgets willing to spend $200 on an NT1, even as an impulse buy. Rode maybe sells 10 or 20K NT1's a month. Popular boutique mics sell maybe 100 to 200 units a year, if they're lucky... And does it even matter if the NT1 is good? Most people who buy it probably don't care. They just want to record something and have fun with a new hobby. Pretending it's some super pro tool defeats the purpose it was created for, to be mass producable, cheap, and easily available.
I have called it 'fairy dust' because - to me - that best describes a lot of the subjective (non scientific) reasons given to try and justify the (sometimes very) expensive prices for certain microphones.
Nothing subjective about actual reasons behind high prices. Just simple economics. If you still believe people work for free, a good start is to account for how unrealistic that is. When a $5K microphone sells, it's not the manufacturer making the most profit.
