Well, assuming that they wouldn't have otherwise used the money for some morally preferable purpose, you do have a point. There's even an argument that it doesn't matter whether a cable or some other accessory really makes a difference, because if the customer thinks it does then he will be satisfied with his expenditure, and it is cruel of people like me to point out that identical results can be obtained for a fraction of the price.

But these arguments certainly don't apply in the case of some of the expensive accessories that are pushed at ordinary consumers who simply want to get the best out of their purchases - as in the OP.

Malcolm Gluck, the Guardian wine expert, was once asked if high priced wines were worth the price. His reply went along the lines of.. "It's not how much you pay for the wine that is important, it's whether you think the wine is worth the price you paid. So a £5.00 bottle of wine that you enjoy and think is well worth £5.00 should be considered better value than a £6.00 bottle of wine you didn't enjoy so much".

I think that principle is true for most things. To an extent the price you pay for something is almost irrelevant, as long as you're happy with what you've got for the price you've paid.

I have an Audi A 6 TDi SE

A great car, no doubt about it. Do I go to Audi and spend £80 an hour for some grease monkey to service it? NO

Do I spend £130 a tyre on it ? NO

I also have a 25 square metre kitchen , and with the boss wanting a new kitchen I got a few builders in for quotes. £18,500 up to £26,000. After sourcing many a place and DIY ; I have come in at £4246.40 . I will admit it took a year , but no loans and everything paid in cash ; the boss is happy and so am I.

So you pay your money and you spend it where you like.

You can buy a ghastly Hi-Fi and use bell wire or buy a half decent system ( which snobbery dictates you can call it Hi-Fi ) and buy more expensive wire. Its up to you.

Everyone has a budget and I am with you Glawster.

Everyones senses are different.

Being a country bumkin I can tell you which bird is whistling a tune without seeing it.

I can see the screen flicker on a new fangled telly and can hear a good range of sound as well.

I plod along on my old slow computer and dont need quad core , blu ray burning dual layer 10000x speed dvd device. HOWEVER I dont slag off the computer geek who has it.

I totally agree with that statement, but it is obvious that the majority of the general public are working on the theory that a £20 item is better than a £10 item based on the "you get what you pay for" adage.
One often adopted by the general public when they cant/cant be bothered/dont have the time to follow the math.
From here it is not a quantum leap to convince yourself you can hear/taste/smell/see/feel the difference.
Human nature for people who dont really know what they are doing and dont have a link into a forum where they can ask via intelligent dialogue.

God what a lot of rot is being written in here. It's all very well painting the deceived as happy believers...what of those who are not as well informed? I helped an elderly friend install a DVR some time ago, and discovered she had been sold a £20 silver braided RF cable. Is anyone going to stick up for them? When I was a youngster I worked in a Hi Fi shop that sold exotic cables and all that bilge. Guess what? the profit margin on them was by far the highest of any item in the shop.

Yes we know, I mention it often

Yeah, what scum. God forbid anyone makes a profit in business, eh? If they aren't going to do it for the love of being in the business then they should clear out. It's a diabolical liberty.

I bet you were honourable though and never took a wage. Good on ya!

My point being, their true material value is far less than, e.g, an amplifier, as a proportion of the purchase price. How does a proud purchaser feel that his new £80 interconnect actually cost the retailer £35, the distributor £25, and the manufacturer likely less than £5 to make?

It bugs me when one business type is judged on the operating practices of another. The Hi-Fi industry is a boutique business, not a cash'n'carry.

boutique my bottom, it's a large industry. Monster Cable isn't a mom & pop soldering shop. HiFi electronics carry a margin of perhaps 20-30%, in complete contrast to "accessories".

Hang on a sec you're the one who said you worked in a HiFi shop and referenced the cables, prices and margins.

yes, I did. 15 years ago. I don't see why that should mean I can't call exotic cables a steaming rip-off.

This Is More Like It, I Came On Here For An Argument !

full hour, sir?

So what's your definition of a HiFi shop then?

edit: I'll rephrase that... Name some HiFi shops.

er....a shop that sells hi-fi separates and speakers, and the like.

OK, ummm....Sevenoaks, The Cornflake Shop, that sort of thing.

So, you think Sevenoaks represents a large HiFi business. And the Cornflake shop isn't a boutique?

Yeah, Sevenoaks is a fairly large chain. Of course the Cornflake shop is a boutique, but that isn't what you said, you said the industry is a boutique one, which is plainly isn't. Certain high-end manufacturers might be described as boutique but the industry itself, not. I don't see where you're trying to get to with this?

my definition of a quality HiFi shop is one where the staff are knowlegeable and they have a good range of high end kit which most people look at and then go and buy online somewhere else.
I refer you back to the OP which cites Comet as the cause of the original misinformation and hence post.
Surely a candidate for the most un-boutiqey place in Blighty

More "buttock" than "boutique"...