Abingdon Music Research Luna Series Pushes the Boundaries of High End Audio.

There are certain areas of the consumer market so extreme, and so obscure, that most have never heard of them, and their existence beggars belief.  Brands operate within these spaces that produce products for customers for whom money really is no object.  For example, most high end consumer males believe they have a good understanding of luxury accessories.  Yet if you asked them about Roland Iten's gold diamond studded shoe lace tips for thousands of dollars, they would either laugh or stare blankly.

High end audio is a similar sector.  Most consumers believe their knowledge of McIntosh and Bang & Olufsen put them a cut above.  However, the real high end audio consumers smile quietly when overhearing such talk, because for them the High End show in Vienna in June 2026, an event again most have never heard of, brands such as B&O are like Primark.

AMR's new Luna Series show this with aplomb.  A piece of audio hardware some 12 years in the making, this four quadrant push-pull amplifier which is the first in the world of its kind, features processing hardware and software that makes music flowing through its four 80kg each components give the first sense of being present in person. The price of each of these 148 limited pieces shows the disparity between the pedestrian and the niche.   Each set costs £441,000.00.  If the sense that there's a world beyond your ken isn't clearly generated, the fact that half have already sold is.

Our take?  This is true luxury.  Pieces that are unique, special, and provide something you cannot obtain anywhere else.

 

Commodore Callback - Useless Dumb Phone's Continue Their March

 We have long supported the notion that the only thing dumb about dumb phones is the concept itself.  Yet perhaps nothing better exemplifies this than the new dumb phone that saw the storied brand Commodore throwing their hat in the ring, the Commodore Callback.

For younger people Commodore might not ring any bells.  However, at one point in the 1980's it was the largest computer manufacturer in the world.  That history is long past now, and following bankruptcy the brand was purchased by a German computer company in 1995.  Since then Commodore has been producing mostly retro tech, with the passion for that in the last few years seeing a ramping up of products targeting consumers.  This is the background that made them design, manufacture, and release, the Callback.

It can't be disputed that this is an aptronym, as it is most certainly a callback.  Coming in three classic designs, transparent and gold, harking back to the face swapping of the 90's, and a classic white, that evoke's Commodore's old computer designs.  It's also a clamshell, which can't help but make users think of the 1990s.  The dot matrix display, and LED notification lights, also can't hale a child of the 70's feel nostalgic.  

However, beyond aesthetics, this manages to also  be aptly named, as anyone buying this particular dumb phone can hardly be called wise.  We started this article mentioning dumb phones being dumb, yet many offer some advantages.  But the Callback allows no email, no RCS, and doesn't permit banking apps.  This last point is understandable, as the proliferation of finance apps is ludicrous.  But lacking the fundamental communication method of email is criminal.  As is the price for this inadequate communication tool, which is £350.

Vertu Resorts to AI Slop in Advertising it'a AlphFold AI Agent Phone.

We mentioned a year or so ago that Vertu re-emerging would supply endless comedy moments (here), and we had been repeatedly proven right.  Their latest AlphaFold phone shows this with absolute aplomb.  apparently targeted towards business users, it apparently comes with a brand new AI agent known as "Hermes".  Apparently it is so advanced it can handle schedules and tasks on a users behalf.

This is quite remarkable, as it seems to indicate that Vertu have achieved what all other AI producers have not, a form of active, General AI.  It appears that without telling anyone, Vertu achieved the singularity.

Or perhaps not.  Indeed, far more likely not.  Like everything they now produce it's smoke and mirrors.  Their logo states "Vertu England", but the phones are made in mainland China, and the headquarters is in Hong Kong.  The new phone specs are irrelevant, because no-one will buy it.  But what is amusing is that they've fallen so far that they have now resorted to using AI generated advertisements.  Presumably the difficulties they faced have made them reconsider having a marketing budget.  

In any event, the AlphaFold will be available from £5,000.00 to £100,000.00 in precious metals.  If you are so inclined to buy one, don't be surprised if you're laughed at by others for using it.

 

Bose Attempts To Clone Sonos With New Lifestyle Collection.

Bose is a brand which only really had one big win, that being Active Noice Cancelling.  They pretty much invented it, sold it en-masse to aviation, and then put it into the retail arena to great success.  They're a big company, and make profit, but their brand identity has always been confused.  

Indeed, it always felt like they were playing catch-up outside of ANC.  All their surround sound kits seemed to ape Sony kit, and there was a constant antagonism with Bang and Olufsen.  In that they're a lifestyle design leaning audio brand, but weren't able to justify Bang Olufsen prices, while often following their design cues.  Their new lifestyle collection therefore seems very on brand, in that they feel like a cross between 2010 Sonos speakers, and the Bang Olufsen M3.  

Frankly, nothing here is particularly offensive.  Bose make good kit, and these probably all sound great, with lots of connectivity options.  The prices of this little set of three items are pretty reasonable.  The M3 clone speaker is £349.00, the subwoofer is £849.00, and the soundbar is £999.00.  But they all just look a bit. . . bland.  Also outdated.  

Perhaps you disagree?  If so, they're available now from Bose online.

Hermes Paddock Yoyo Asks How Much is Too Much for a Charging Device

Living in a world where most digital devices come with a charging cable and plug free, and alternative's can be purchased for pennies, the question might be asked, how far could one go moving in the opposite direction of this disposability.  In fact, this question has already been asked and answered by Hermes, with the new Paddock Yoyo range of charging devices. 

The selection includes an Apple Watch charging pad, duo charging pad, and plugs and cables.  All of which are smothered in Epsom calf leather.  The prices start from £1,000.00, and go up to £4,000.00 for the full set in a leather pouch.

We'd love to suggest this is merely the grandstanding that brands such as Louis Vuitton partake in, with for example the "burger box" they released some years ago.  However, this is Hermes, and if they produced this, they know they have consumers.  That we live in a society where there are clientele that will pay £4,000.00 for a charger set where it's not even possible to stand your Apple Watch up, meaning in most cases the band needs to be removed to use it, is definitely a symptom of deeper ills.  Perhaps you disagree?  In which case head on over to Hermes before they sell out!  

 

Casio S100X Urushi Edition Calculator - Otherwise known as the Special One

It's difficult to imagine spending £500.00 on a calculator, considering it's been a feature of every mobile phone for over 20 years.  However, Casio have produced a special edition of their flagship S100X model.  Do you doubt it's a special edition?  They even call it the "special one".

The features are pretty irrelevant, because it's a calculator.  If you need a feature list for a calculator then you are a very particular type of audience.  Probably you're an accountant.  What's more interesting to the man on the Clapham Omnibus is that while the standard line on this is how stratospherically expensive it is, it actually isn't.  For the price to be properly estimated, the non special-edition model needs consideration.  Its price is £350.00 to £400.00.

So what does the additional £100.00 to £150.00 get you?  A calculator cast with a Japanese Urushi lacquer technique by a master craftsman, Ryuji Umeda.  This utilises layering lacquer tree's filtered sap on the calculators miles aluminium housing, and achieving a sense of depth with repeated applications.  This process takes around a month for each model, and a good example of how much an average Urushi lacquer item costs can be found by a quick google search.  This shows average models, such as a small box from less skilled craftsmen, cost £50.00 to £100.00.

So then what we have is, contrary to the popular view, not an extortionately expensive calculator. But rather an already expensive calculator in a handcrafted housing, which all signs point to consumers being charged cost price for.

The re-sale market however is another thing altogether.  These are listed on eBay and other resale sites for £1,500.00 - £2,000.00.   

New Balance Phone and Balance Phone Pro Minimalist Smartphone

It never ceases to surprise us the ways in which lifestyle choices can be subverted into consumer products, with the minimalist phone 'market' being an exceptional example of this.  What began from some individuals deciding to use simpler phones that lack the trappings of fully-fledged devices has now morphed into a complete industry.   We have the Light Phone, Punkt phones, Brick device for limiting phone functionality, and the less creatively named Minimal Phone.  Now from a Catalan based company comes the Balance Phone and Balance Phone Pro.

This device, in the same way as all others in this space, promises to help you "avoid distractions" and "reclaim your time".  Along with hyperbolic statements about living "intentionally".  It offers these as a solution for children, lacking addictive apps, and the ability to access harmful sites.  Along with bold promises that "finally you have a distraction free phone".

Our view of this is; if you want to avoid distraction, buy an old candy-bar type phone.  They still make them, so there's no need to buy one from a brand with a website featuring Sans Serif and stylish design cues.  Furthermore, the idea a child would be satisfied with anything less than the latest and most advanced iPhone, or that you can simply prevent them from contacting their peers through apps, is ludicrous, and demonstrates unfailingly the creators of this phone have no children.  As with all the devices in this rapidly growing marketplace, they are merely vacuous aesthetic luxury choices.  The only one that's sort of acceptable is the Punkt MC02, as it it has big bold keys for old people, and no screen, and therefore no apps.  To reiterate, these minimal smartphones are oxymoron's, which is fitting as they will likely be used by morons.  

If you disagree, the Balance Phone is £269.00, and the Pro for £609.00, both from their website, and available now.

 

 

Astell Kern Ultra High End SP4000 MP3 Player

 

In a world where separate dedicated devices are becoming increasingly rare, and in which a smartphone or laptop is generally peoples all-in-one entertainment device, some brands keep the candle of specialisation burning.  Astell & Kern manage to do this with the MP3 player.  

The new SP4000 is their most ambitious yet.  With direct access to to music apps, preserving hi-fidelty audio quality.  Their True Quad-DAC creates exceptional signal to noise ratios, and copper-shielding, and the latest technology in high end audio.

The price for this excellence is £3999.99, making it the brands most expensive player yet.  It's a remarkable achievement that this brand single handedly keeps the world of high-end MP3 players alive.  A remarkable achievement given how completely redundant MP3 players now are.

Bang Olufsen Pre Loved Demonstrates Commitment to Circular Production, or a Desire to Sell old and Refurbished Stock.

 

The re-utilisation of older tech devices is an extremely nuanced practice.  On the one hand there's the idea that high quality products should be able to be re-used, otherwise why bother paying a premium. Then there's the highly contentious environmental conservation argument.  Based around the principle that producing products requires energy, so using older ones is simply good use of limited resources. Weighing into this sector is Bang Olufsen's "Reloved" retail arm.

There's not much to say about the logistics here. It's a new Bang Olufsen department that sells refurbished items.  Presumably stuff that came in for repair and didn't have an issue, or had some other reason to come to the brands workshops that could be turned around and resold.

The website for these items speaks both overtly and covertly of the idea that this is a major step towards "circular" production methods.  This is not an entirely bad idea, as conceptually circular production really just means a product is manufactured with a view to it lasting longer.  However this directly contradicts with the brands approach to this, as they're constantly producing new colour ways to maximise profit with their Atelier range we often deride.

We don't entirely disregard the idea that hi-fi products can be reused and have longevity.  It is definitely one of the the categories of technological products that can last and last, and have real workmanship put into its production.  It certainly falls into the group of products such as cars and watches that can be handed down.  Yet Bang & Olufsen's approach here is pretty nakedly an attempt to profit unfairly by selling deadstock and repairs they have lying around.  Don't believe use?  Just take a look at their pricing; an M3 speaker discontinued around a year ago which sold for £300 are on their new website for £319.00.

You might disagree, and there is of course one counterpoint; that you can get designs you might like that aren't available any longer with a B&O warranty.  If that's for you head to https://www.bang-olufsen.com/en/gb/home/reloved to browse the regularly updated selection.

Leica Shows Dichotomy of it's Position With M-EV1 and Leica Phone 3 Releases.

 Nothing better exemplifies the difficult position high-end luxury brands find themselves in than the two new releases from Leica.  We all know Leica, vertiginously expensive sport optics, and goal photography cameras.  A red dot attracts a well earned premium, and the M Series camera's cost tens of thousands, with  limited editions approaching six digits in some cases.

That might seem enough for them to focus on gravitating towards the same gilded age direction that many luxury brands are moving in of making their prices entirely out of reach to all but the very rich.  Such as Rolex for example which increased their prices by 15% against global 3%-6% inflation in 2025. Yet Leica is rather trying to straddle both worlds, and so continues releasing "affordable" products alongside ultra high-end pieces.

This split is demonstrated in the recent releases from them.  On the one hand we have the Leica M-EV1.  A classic Leica M Series which introduces a digital viewfinder to the M range.  This is a massive step forward, as it means the user can see centre view like other digital cameras, but with Leica's outstanding optics and operating system. On the other hadn't we have the Leica Phone 3, which is a mobile phone with a Leica lens on the back.    Anyone curious why this might warrant attention should consider the story of Vertu's mobile phone division.  They went out of business repeatedly, and old Vertu's sell 95% - 99% of the original retail price, or are simply sold for their precious metal weight, and the electronics are junked.

The reason for this should be obvious.  Certain items of technology are able to warrant high prices and can have longevity. Cars are pieces of technology, and they can last for lifetimes.  Along with audio equipment, and of course camera's like Leica's.  Yet mobile phones are inherently transient.  They simply are not capable of lasting for a long period of time because the technological networks and systems they operate on constantly evolve and develop.  Therefore they are not capable of being around longer than a year or two.  Together with their daily use profile, there's no way they can last a lifetime.  This is fundamentally antithetical to thinking in terms of high-end luxury.  But that won't stop Leica and other brands from trying!

In truth Leica have always made a nod to low-end high-end.  The D-Lux range, and Sofort's are example's.  Yet these are still camera's even if they're just reskinned Panasonic's and Fuji's.  Phone's aren't where it's at, and if that's doubted, check the sold prices on eBay for the Leica Phone 2.  Released in 2022 for £1,500.00.  One sold in December 2025 for £300.00.  While the D Lux 7 which retailed for £1,150 still sells in online marketplaces for £800 to £900.

It's a pity Leica is continuing to take this approach, as in our view these phone releases diminish the brand.  However, they are, and if you disagree, the Leica M-EV1 is available now from £6,840.00 without lenses or accessories, and the Leica Phone 3 will cost £1,700.00 when released next month.

Vertu Surprise With Vertu Meta No Subscription Smart Ring.

 

A stopped clock is right twice a day, and Vertu, if their marketing and press releases are correct, have managed to produce a product that isn't an insulting joke.

The Smart Ring has a relatively pleasing design, in either a transparent crystal showing the electronics, or a mild flowery design reminiscent of Louis Vuitton's flowers.  In respect of the technology, it tracks steps, sleep, and heart rate, and has a battery life of 10 days.  Therefore, it's relatively on par with most others.  But the way it offers its service makes it stand out.

What makes this surprising is that it entirely eschews the standard industry approach of a subscription service.  This is a buy once, all in, permanently functioning package.  We've given Vertu a lot of well justified hate for their offerings, however, this is impressive in our view.  One thing that prevent many people from getting a Smart Ring is the fact they require a monthly payment to use them.  This doesn't, and at £460.00, it's even priced reactively reasonably.  Available now.

Vertu AI Agent Q Phone for £100,000.00.

 

Just a few short weeks ago we wrote about the return of Vertu to the mobile phone space, and how pleased we were that the font of endless comedic content had returned.  No sooner than us saying that, Vertu has already released something which can only be described as faintly ridiculous.

The new Agent Q from Vertu manages to combine both an utter lack of taste, with gauche and gaudy exteriors, with the worst excesses of modern hyperbole, by featuring "AI", without any clear meaning of what it actually does.  According to the marketing guff it is exclusively for high net worth individuals, with a toolbox of of AI agents for all the needs of the users, yet just as with the laughable Amazon "AI" stores that turned out to be merely cameras connected to a call centre, this connects to a human concierge,  Thereby rendering the AI element as useless as it truly is.  Don't forget the useless "wings" on the back!

Available now starting from £7,000 up to over £100,000.00 for the most blinged out version. Buy now!  Or not if you have any sense.

Vertu Returns to Phone's, No One Asked For It, But They're Back.

 

Long ago we found endless sources of comedy with Vertu's releases.  The tone deaf releases, which each year desperately attempted to cash in on the Chinese New Year, were always hilarious.  We were deeply disappointed with the font of content that Vertu represented ceasing operation in 2017, and deciding not to continue producing mobile phones after relaunching as a luxury accessories brand in 2018.

We are therefore extremely pleased to note that Vertu have decided in 2025 to return to the mobile phone game.  Despite, as the title holds, no one wanting them to.  We could spend inches of column space on the history of Vertu, and poking fun at them along the way.  But we couldn't possibly provide an account as laughable as Vertu's own website here.

The self own this article presents is quite epic.  It's obviously cut and pasted from ChatGPT or another Large Language Model, with the prompt "set out the history of Vertu".  See for maximum laughs the "fall of Vertu" section, which provides "Vertu fell behind in technology, it focused on luxury, but others offered better cameras and faster phones."  Quite.

Actually, it failed because it's stupid to have ultra luxury technological devices.  Irrespective of how wealthy a person is there needs to be a value proposition in consumption.  Luxury goods provide the value proposition of exclusivity and quality by virtue of longevity.  Technological devices are inherently transient, and paying above the odds for them is faintly ridiculous.  

Vertu seems to have failed to recognise that once again, and we can't wait to see their entertaining offerings.

Bang & Olufsen Release Beosound Premiere at a Lower Price Point than Current Top End Soundbar.

Bang & Olufsen have announced and released a brand new Soundbar into their range, the Beosound Premiere.  With the same type of directional audio lens type technology employed in many of its other models, this is likely to present an all in one audio solution for those desiring it.  Or the centrepiece in an ultra high end surround sound cinema setup.

However, what we find most interesting and compelling about this is its price point.  At £3,900.00 as a starting price, it is less than 50% the price of the Beosound Theatre, currently B&O's top Soundbar.  This is an odd decision.  Especially given the brands recent pricing and market positioning decisions.  See for example the grossly overpriced Beo Grace earbuds.  

Yet celebrating might be unwise.  This is still a considerable amount more expensive than the Resound Stage, which currently costs £2,300.00, and which appears to show low stock on the UK site.  This means that the Stage will probably be discontinued, and the Premiere will be the new low end Soundbar.  That makes more sense in respect of the direction Bang Olufsen is moving in.  With that direction being one of nonsensical out of touch pricing.

It's a real pity the brand is moving this way.  We have mentioned it before, but it bears repeating.  This seems a violent counter-reaction against their 2010's "Beo Play" range, which was an attempt to produce a budget range.  That rightly failed, but the new movement is taking the brand into he stratosphere in the worst way.  Adjusted for inflation their prices are considerably more than they were 20 years ago.  Which might be one of the reasons they are struggling financially, which a cursory look at their annual earnings report demonstrates.

We very much hope this doesn't continue.  If it does the brand risks being purchased by a company that will strip away everything that made it great, such as (horror) LVMH.

 

Bang Olufsen Centennial Collection Colours Actual Hit.

 

Bang & Olufsen are celebrating being in business for 100 years in the only way they seem to know, by releasing a special limited edition collection.  And similar to nearly every other limited edition they release, it is absolutely no different in any meaningful or material manner, and is simple a change in paint.

However, as the somewhat obvious title of this brief entry indicates, we're fans this time.  Regular readers will be well aware of our disdain for B&O's so called limited editions, and that they add nothing.  Along with the healthy disgust we have for their Atelier ranges that are grossly overpriced for a different colour way.

However, the Centennial collection is liked by us for two reasons.  Firstly, the colours chosen are genuinely attractive.  The Brown leather with the H100, looks stunning for example.  Second, and perhaps more importantly, the premium here isn't a premium, it's either a very small increase over the conventional pricing, or less.  For example, the Beosound A5 in Century Weave is £1,500, while in the evergreen dark oak it's £1,600.

Montblanc Hope Second Time is the Charm with Digital Paper.

 Readers of the luxury consumer press might have come across glowing and effusive praise for Montblanc's exciting new Digital Paper.  The new device is effectively a writing tablet, Wirth accompanying Montblanc Meisterstuck pen,

The marketing material suggests this is Montblanc's first foray into the digital writing space, and that it represents a remarkable new direction for the storied firm.  This is extremely odd.  As the brands own website still stocks and sells "Augmented Paper", their first attempt to break into the digital writing space. Available at this link at time of writing.

The older Augmented Paper, which has existed for over 10 years, is a conventional piece of paper, with special pen, and sensors, that turns writing into digital text via the sensors and a program.  Granted, this is clearly quite different from a tablet one writes on, but it is still profoundly odd that they wax lyrical on the new tablet, giving the impression throughout that they never dipped their toe into technology before.

We like making suggestions and predictions here, and would love to again.  Yet a pen company releasing a new digital product suggesting it's their first, while an existing digital product exists in their range really doesn't make much sense.  Even less so when in consideration of the fact the older product never sold well.

The sensible choice would have been to quietly discontinue the unpopular Augmented Paper, and release the Digital Paper to much fanfare.  But they didn't, so let's look on the bright side, you as a consumer have choice!  You can go for the Augmented Paper, pad with pen, for around £1,000, or the new Digital Paper tablet for £750, plus Digital Pen for £230.  Enjoy.

Bang Olufsen Beo Grace Fail to Impress Prior to Reviews

 

Bang & Olufsen has continually failed to impress in one area of their product ranges, that being their in ear headphones.  They haven't managed to capture the market since the days of their A8 headphones, and with their latest wireless earbuds they appear to be harkening directly back to those Halcyon days.  Yet forums and tech journalism is not persuaded.

Those who consume design led magazines and newspapers might be fooled, as several of the higher end publications have written in the most glowing terms about these.  Waxing lyrical on the high design, and stunning feature set.  Yet a glance towards outlets that regularly write about technology, along with forums for B&O, show a far more circumspect view, which firmly seems to have declined to drink the marketing Kool Aid.

Amongst these more realistic groups the 4.5 hour battery life has been derided as beyond disappointing.  While the claims of battery replaceability having been simply laughed at.  The major reason for this is the price, which is £1,000, or $1,500.  This makes them at the same level as IEM's, yet while IEM's can offer world class sound, these seem to lack high resolution codec, only supporting AAC, SBC and LC3.

It's difficult to discern what the marketing team at Bang Olufsen are thinking here with the pricing.  The H100's are pricey, but they offer an entirely different value proposition.  Over ear headphones can last for many, many years.  In ear headphones won't.  No amount of marketing guff will change that.  We can't help feeling that using these is more likely to get you laughed at than admired, as they are simply overpriced at their release.

Hermes Rare Swing and a Miss With Connected and Terre Speakers, and Headphones plus more Audio Plans.

 

Just yesterday we ridiculed the Loewe x Jacob headphones as risible (here), yet we turn around and immediately find another luxury audio technology release bordering on the ridiculous, and this time from out favourite luxury merchant, Hermes.  

First we have the connected speaker, in leather, for £24,000 per speaker, next the Odyssey Terre which has a detachable "mini" speaker for $27,000, then the wireless headphones on limited release for $15,000, and a £250,000 statement jukebox not worth mentioning as it isn't on general release.

The speakers, and limited release headphones, give no information about the specifications, no updates on the technology inside, and nothing speaking to what they do, just the price tag and the vaguest of information on the fact they are audio equipment.  According to the most Delphic press statement imaginable from Axel de Beaufort, Ateliers Horizons' creative director, “We need to understand the engineering of things. It doesn’t mean that we do the engineering, but we need to understand and we need to be able to push boundaries." Whatever that means.

As the headline states, in out view this is a miss for Hermes, and smacks of the same slightly sad desperation seen in the Loewe Jacob release.  The luxury market is contracting, so they are flailing desperately and trying to do something, anything, to draw clientele back to spend money.  But this isn't it.  We're not saying luxury technology isn't desirable, Bang Olufsen regularly show that with £100,000 plus speakers.  But this isn't luxury technology, because technology by its nature should move with the times.  This is obviously very low end tech which is likely already obsolete, covered in Hermes leather, with vague press releases promising commitment to more tech, identical to the Jacob Loewe set of headphones.  Which is a sad indictment of how Hermes must be doing. 

We only hope they don't do poorly enough to consider allowing themselves to be acquired by LVMH, and therefore loosing everything that makes them special.  That, not the sad outdated old hifi kit they attempting to rip clients off with, will be the true tragedy.

Loewe Jacob $135,000 Headphones Desperately Flail in a Failing Luxury Market.

 

On its face, these pairs of headphones which are a collaboration between Loewe technology and Jacob the jeweller are yawn inducing.  They follow the staid and predicable trend of attempting to grab attention with eye-watering prices.  The silver pair being white god and diamond costing $135,000, and the fancy coloured black set costing $120,000 with multi hued sapphires and yellow gold. 

We've frankly seen it all before.  With excessively vulgar brands such as Gresso pumping out diamond studded iPhone's, and special limited edition premium versions of everyday items, such as the $2 million diamond shoes also from Jacob the Jeweller (here).

Yet, there was a whimsical, playful, and genuine sense that those other items were fun.  The Loewe Jacob headphones smack of desperation in the current dire luxury market's climate.  Launched at an event in Monaco which appeared to have been attended by a cast of super villains, a Forbes article waxed lyrical about how these are redefining what luxury means (here).  If they mean producing pointless tasteless products no-one wants and nobody will buy, as even the super wealthy would make fun of anyone buying these, then yes, they most certainly are "redefining luxury".