[TenderTendon]

I think it would be interesting to get an overall picture on the how the Head-Fi community, in general, makes purchase decisions. Here's a scenario:
 
   You have your mind made up that you want to buy a new Ford Mustang. While on their website, you notice that there is a new option available called the "Ultimate Performance Carbon Fiber Engine Package" for an additional $2500. The package consists of a carbon fiber intake manifold, air intake and valve covers. They claim that "carbon fiber is a space age polymer used in Formula 1 race cars because of it's light weight and strength. It allows us to extract the most possible power from the engine, while saving weight at the same time". There is no more information given. There is no claim made regarding an increase in horsepower.
   In a quest to find more information, you join a Mustang forum, where you find a few people discussing this option. They are sharing their observations and how excited they are to own it. Some claim that they test drove both versions and were stating things like "The carbon fiber package gave an obvious horsepower increase. You can feel it in the seat of your pants. It also feels more agile in the corners".
   You later find a Road and Track article where they are reviewing the new Mustang. They report that the Mustang with the carbon fiber package does not have any more horsepower than the one without. Dynamometer results are the same for both. Furthermore, they report that the carbon fiber parts offer a weight savings of only 8 pounds and that wasn't enough for any noticeable improvement in acceleration, braking or cornering. Reports and videos from race tracks and drag strips reveal that cars with the carbon fiber package are not winning any more races than ones without.  It's easy to conclude that these results are more of a reflection of the drivers, not the cars. Owners of the carbon fiber package still insist that it is more powerful and that it must be driven to be felt. They claim that dyno numbers don't mean anything and owners that are losing at the track are just bad drivers. You really can't compare at the dealership, because they don't allow full throttle road tests.
 
 
What would you do?

 

[TwinQY]

​The scenario is framed in such a way where the intent of the choices all seem a bit transparent. I'd be interested in a trickier scenario where the choices are a bit less obvious. I suspect that many of us are more/less pragmatic than we think of ourselves.

 

[VNandor]

I would get that stupid car if I had to and put the rest of the money to good use and get a nice headphone.

 

[TenderTendon]

  ​The scenario is framed in such a way where the intent of the choices all seem a bit transparent. I'd be interested in a trickier scenario where the choices are a bit less obvious. I suspect that many of us are more/less pragmatic than we think of ourselves.

I agree. My subconscious psychoanalysis skills suck. It is pretty obvious, isn't it.....

 

[TwinQY]

I agree. My subconscious psychoanalysis skills suck. It is pretty obvious, isn't it.....

Perhaps this is the "curse" of Head-Fi. We've come across situations like this so very often on the forums. We've internalized it to where many would have immediately seen the parallels. I've re-read the scenario after my previous post, and disregarding the intent part, I think the scenario itself is sound enough to generate good food for thought.
 
Discussions that unfold like the one in the scenario can get contentious because of the ambiguity involved. To play devil's advocate, maybe somebody could have raised some valid, technical concerns about the car review's test methodologies. Sure, maybe it might not have completely devalued the review, but now the evidence for one side is not as conclusive. And perhaps there were strong cases made for there being an unmeasured factor that accounted for what those Mustang owners felt. A lot of these arguments devolve into ones about philosophy, which inevitably devolve into ones about semantics. Very ambigous stuff, and it's difficult to dig yourself out of that hole. Some discussions are only really difficult because of how quickly the arguments become more and more pedantic.

 

[serman005]

I have a carbon fiber road bike that is just ridiculous. What a joy. No comparison to aluminum. I love carbon fiber.

 

[wink]

Bah Humbug........   

 

[Old Pa]

$2,500 is a nice chunk of change to take to the aftermarket for accessories proven to improve performance and handling.  Or maybe one or two good driving schools?  It really often is "the nut behind the wheel". 

 

[Music Alchemist]

If I was the type of person who cared about cars, I would buy the carbon fiber upgrade for the sheer luxury of it regardless of whether it yielded a genuine improvement in performance. However...I am not the type of person who cares about cars. I got rid of all my cars long ago and save thousands by not using a car at all.
 
I'd rather put the money toward audio gear.

 

 

[pofdstudios]

  I think it would be interesting to get an overall picture on the how the Head-Fi community, in general, makes purchase decisions. Here's a scenario:
 
   You have your mind made up that you want to buy a new Ford Mustang. While on their website, you notice that there is a new option available called the "Ultimate Performance Carbon Fiber Engine Package" for an additional $2500. The package consists of a carbon fiber intake manifold, air intake and valve covers. They claim that "carbon fiber is a space age polymer used in Formula 1 race cars because of it's light weight and strength. It allows us to extract the most possible power from the engine, while saving weight at the same time". There is no more information given. There is no claim made regarding an increase in horsepower.
   In a quest to find more information, you join a Mustang forum, where you find a few people discussing this option. They are sharing their observations and how excited they are to own it. Some claim that they test drove both versions and were stating things like "The carbon fiber package gave an obvious horsepower increase. You can feel it in the seat of your pants. It also feels more agile in the corners".
   You later find a Road and Track article where they are reviewing the new Mustang. They report that the Mustang with the carbon fiber package does not have any more horsepower than the one without. Dynamometer results are the same for both. Furthermore, they report that the carbon fiber parts offer a weight savings of only 8 pounds and that wasn't enough for any noticeable improvement in acceleration, braking or cornering. Reports and videos from race tracks and drag strips reveal that cars with the carbon fiber package are not winning any more races than ones without.  It's easy to conclude that these results are more of a reflection of the drivers, not the cars. Owners of the carbon fiber package still insist that it is more powerful and that it must be driven to be felt. They claim that dyno numbers don't mean anything and owners that are losing at the track are just bad drivers. You really can't compare at the dealership, because they don't allow full throttle road tests.
 
 
What would you do?

Buy a Chevy

 

[wink]

Make one out of paper mache....

 

[PL4Y3R 0N3]

Although I wouldn't buy a mustang, I wouldn't get the upgrade. I'm a skeptic when it comes to things like this, and I would go by the scientific test over the word of the enthusiast.
But when it comes to headphones I'm a bit different. Although graphs and opinions are good and all, at the end of the day I trust my ears more than anything when it comes to the gear I buy for myself. I may look at reviews while deciding, and I may reccomend someone look into a headphone I haven't heard personally because it sounds like what they are looking for based on the reviews I've seen, but at the end of the day the only thing I am absolutely certain of is what I hear for myself.
And if I'm going to dump that kind of money on a car, I'd get a Nissan 370Z.

 

[Philimon]

Buy both and ABX double blind trial.

 

[Philimon]

Buy both and double-blind ABX. 

 

[VNandor]

  Buy both and double-blind ABX. 

Also don't forget to volume match the engines. A louder and "more roary" engine might make you think you are going faster while you are in fact not.