[112233]

Is the joy some people get, at least in part, derived from knowing the price? Let's try to be honest — if this thing sold for 40$, everyone would be making fun of it. You cannot afford Push or MPC, you fiddle with the kiddy synth.

The high price is one of the most important reasons for their success.

[neom]

How long have you spent using their toys?

[112233]

I have not even touched one, as most people without €1000 impulse purchase budget, instead having fun with Drambo and Aum on my ipad. I do, however, read what people who use OP-1 write about it or how they speak in the videos. It is a very familiar tone, the same you hear from owners of Leica, Porsche, Astell-Kern etc.

The device itself can be designed (and most likely is designed) in the most fabulous way imaginable — by pricing it this way they make conscious decision to position themselves as a lifestyle, luxury goods, just for the target audience of people who make music.

Have you seen many people telling you how happy using SunVox (5$) makes them in comparable way?

[neom]

I wonder if it's...er, an autism thing? the feel of the buttons, the tension of the knobs, the plastic they selected, just how it feels literally, it really makes me inspired to play with music, something I'm bad at but get joy from. I HATE how expensive it is, I'm cheap as fuck, but I get so much joy from it that I wouldn't no have one. I've been buying their stuff since they started and I accepted the price because they're small team making physical stuff, I don't know if that is true or not.

[112233]

I have noticed a lot of premium price design focused this way — instead of creating the most versatile or functional product it is meticulously designed to provide premium "feeling" and satisfaction, or to give rich sensory feedback. Large weighted knobs on expesive audio gear, the smooth hinge resistance and open/close click sound, surface texture — as you say, it does not make a difference on spec sheet, but something in the brain finds the whole experience supremely rewarding and pleasant. So of course if all of that is ignored and the argument is being made purely based on feature set, it becomes one-sided.

I just think that knowing price also plays into this psychological effect. At least, it measurably does in audiophile circle.