Q: As a listener of music, I've noticed that you can never raise your volume knob on any stereo past about two-thirds without severe drop in sound quality. Any higher, and the music sounds like a whoopee cushion symphony. Why do manufacturers allow a volume knob to go so loud, when it can't really handle it? This applies to car stereos as well as home stereos and headphones. It's almost like they want me to bust the speakers so I have to buy new ones.
A: Well, yes. No one would be happier than the sound boutiques if you blew out your speakers on a regular basis. But, still, it's a matter of the illusion of plenty. Every volume knob goes to ten (or 1200, or whatever insane numbers they put in the displays now), whether doing so is a good idea or not. Would you buy a stereo setup that went to five? You would feel like you had been robbed.
The other answer, of course, is that running volume knobs up to astronomical heights costs no more than having them set to some safer level for the manufacturer, so why not? I'm stunned that no one has started actually putting a "self-destruct" setting on them. What American could pass that up?
Showing posts with label marketing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marketing. Show all posts
Monday, May 19, 2008
Empty promises
Q: I have two questions along the same vein, but I'll split it up. Part One: My Honda Civic's speedometer reads a theoretical maximum speed of 130 mph. Knowing that my car starts to shimmy violently after 70, I've never tested this limit. Even if I did, I'd be crazy to try (not to mention way past lawful limits). So why does every car list a speed you can't reach?
A: Why do people buy mountain bikes when they don't even intend to hop over a curb? Why do tiny little women buy enormous SUVs? Why do suburbanites in the South buy 4-wheel-drive vehicles?
It's because Americans figure that if a little is good, a lot is much better. This is why you can't buy regular Tylenol anymore, just Extra-Strength! In a few years, if you want an Aspirin, the only kind of pain killer you'll be able to find is what they give to crash victims with compound fractures.
This principle applies to things that really aren't as robust, too, as long as they seem to be. Don't you feel cool looking at your speedometer and thinking, "I could go 130mph. I just don't want to." Vrooom. How would you feel if the speedometer stopped at 65? Not much like a Ferrari driver, I'll bet. I get a thrill just seeing how many kilometers per hour I can get my little sub-compact to burn up. It's not any faster, but seems faster.
A: Why do people buy mountain bikes when they don't even intend to hop over a curb? Why do tiny little women buy enormous SUVs? Why do suburbanites in the South buy 4-wheel-drive vehicles?
It's because Americans figure that if a little is good, a lot is much better. This is why you can't buy regular Tylenol anymore, just Extra-Strength! In a few years, if you want an Aspirin, the only kind of pain killer you'll be able to find is what they give to crash victims with compound fractures.
This principle applies to things that really aren't as robust, too, as long as they seem to be. Don't you feel cool looking at your speedometer and thinking, "I could go 130mph. I just don't want to." Vrooom. How would you feel if the speedometer stopped at 65? Not much like a Ferrari driver, I'll bet. I get a thrill just seeing how many kilometers per hour I can get my little sub-compact to burn up. It's not any faster, but seems faster.
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