Henry Rollins' $200K speakers: How punk is(n't) that?

Naptown Rob

Ponographer
In the As We See It column of the new issue of Stereophile, Rollins is back, & discusses his system which includes Wilson Alexandria XLF speakers ($200,000/pair) and some VTL Sigfried Series 2 amps ($65,000), Series 7.5 III preamp ($20,000) and TP-6.5 phono stage ($6,500). So we are at over $290,000 without getting to the turntable and cartridge or cabling.

This from the man who said "We are consumer driven and materialistic. Certainly, we are not the only country like that but we are very much into our stuff, we value our stuff and we often judge ourselves by size of house, bank account, etc. I think being this way perhaps cuts some of us off from seeing a bigger picture."

Talk amongst yourselves...
 
I have enjoyed the Rollins Band over the years. However, He sold out decades ago. Remember those gap ads on the old MTV? And no I wouldn't .... I did, however, pose the same question from the safety of my audience seat during a "speaking" engagement.
 
I have enjoyed the Rollins Band over the years. However, He sold out decades ago. Remember those gap ads on the old MTV? And no I wouldn't .... I did, however, pose the same question from the safety of my audience seat during a "speaking" engagement.

And what did he say?
 
Well, there are a lot of "Stars" out there that can spend that much money on drugs and booze over a given time period also. Perhaps this is the better choice? :D
 
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While seemingly against his public values...I do think it's pretty awesome that he's investing money into something like this and not other ventures!
 
A musician (punk!) buying Hi-End and practicing audiophile rituals. Now that is a rare sight. Usually successful musicians have expensive studio setups in their homes but nothing too serious from Hi-Fi.

He sounds like just another guy who got rich by hating rich people. Nothing new or enlightening in the world of showbiz. No need to fulfill WJs prophecy in this thread.

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I try not to judge, which is a PC way of saying I don't give a shit what anyone does as long as it doesn't affect me. (Edit- or the well being of others, of course)
Also, everyone is a hypocrite in some sense. They may not think it, but I can almost guarantee they participate in some activity that is against their belief system. I am guilty so no way I'm gonna throw stones.
Rollins is a celebrity, so he gets to voice his opinion a lot. That's all well and good, but it doesn't have any more value than yours or mine. As far as the OP goes, well, he's gotta spend it somehow...he doesn't do drugs...doesn't like girls...or cars....what else is left?
 
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What a bad thread. I mean seriously, if you had money like that you wouldn't buy the best stereo you can buy? Really?

Sent from the driver's seat or the desk at work via my Google Nexus 4
 
I guess I'm the only one who's never heard of his guy. :dunno: Any relation to Sonny Rollins? Hope he's enjoying his system. Maybe he'll post pics in our Members Systems forum. ;)
 
Now speaking of consumerism, chances are that Rollins gear is made in very limited numbers by extremely well paid craftsman as opposed to under paid labor from developing countries whose cheap cost subsidize our comparatively lavish lifestyles. I find it much less likely that human suffering is a built in component to the cost of Rollins gear. Certainly not as much as 95% of the goods the rest of us regular people buy on a daily basis.

So I can't see how Rollins would have compromised his statements against consumerism when selecting the components that he did.

Sent from my listening chair via my Google Nexus 7
 
He is a music fan. He should have a nice stereo. He also bought Roky Erickson an new set of dentures. How is that for putting your money where your (Roky's actually) mouth is?
 
Not very "punk" but he hasn't been for decades now.
Like someone else said, he's a music guy. If I had money, that's what I'd buy.
 
Now speaking of consumerism, chances are that Rollins gear is made in very limited numbers by extremely well paid craftsman as opposed to under paid labor from developing countries whose cheap cost subsidize our comparatively lavish lifestyles. I find it much less likely that human suffering is a built in component to the cost of Rollins gear. Certainly not as much as 95% of the goods the rest of us regular people buy on a daily basis.

This may be political, but in what way is a poor Chinese/Indian/Malaysian etc. earning money in a factory suffering? I've always considered this to be real Foreign Aid, i.e. teaching the peasant to fish as opposed to taking a handout or giving aid to governments so they can buy more weapons.

Certainly I have no problem with how Rollins spends his money anymore than I have with Pete Townsend still being alive after hoping "to die before I get old.":D
 
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