“The playback source is a whole, including the player, audio cables, records, and tapes. What I mean is, you need a good player, such as a record player or a high-quality radio. Of course, if you have the money, you can just buy a CD player,” Xing Baohua explained.

Seeing the other person nod, as if they understood what he meant.

Xing Baohua continued, "The above are all hardware requirements, and the requirements for records and tapes are also very high."

"It's such a hassle to hear a sound through a stereo! It's much easier to just use the speaker on a tape recorder; that's how everyone does it," said the slightly chubby young man.

“Zhang Taoming, if you don’t understand, then say less. You haven’t heard what that sound system is like. Once my sound system is set up, you can go and listen to it and experience it for yourself,” Sun Changjie said.

The slightly chubby Zhang Taoming curled his lip in disdain and stopped talking.

Liu Haibo asked, "I have a relative who's planning to start a personal business. He sells cassette tapes and stuff, sourcing them from the south. He bought this huge dual-cassette recorder specifically to play music and sell tapes."

As he spoke, he gestured with his hands to explain the size of the radio.

Xing Baohua listened, waiting for him to continue.

“Speaking of loudspeakers, why don’t we install one for him too, so it won’t be too loud?” Liu Haibo said with a smile, pointing at Xing Baohua.

Xing Baohua shook his head slightly and said, "The sound system I designed for Sun Changjie is not suitable for outdoor use. Outdoors is noisy, so we don't need great sound quality, just loud sound."

"You mean you can't do it?" Liu Haibo asked.

"No, that's not it. What I mean is, there's no need to get it from me. The cost of getting it from me is quite high, and your relatives don't have much need. Buying a power amplifier and high-power speakers will suffice," Xing Baohua explained. Actually, he also wanted to make that money, but after thinking about it for a moment, he realized that the technology involved wasn't very high, and it didn't require any chips, so it wasn't easy to fool them.

If he manufactures it and sells it at a high price, someone in the know will immediately know he's been ripped off. He doesn't want to cause unnecessary trouble for a few dozen yuan in profit. Besides, he's quite pressed for time.

"You mean you only make high-end products, for testing purposes? My relative sells cassette tapes anyway, why don't you make one for him too? It doesn't need to be big, just for testing purposes." Liu Haibo seemed aggressive. Although he had never heard of Xing Baohua's products, what Sun Changjie said still seemed credible.

“No matter where your tapes came from, if they were pirated, the quality will be poor. Even the best audio system won’t be able to achieve the same effect. The key is the playback source,” Xing Baohua said.

“A fool would use a pirated recording to listen to audio. Don’t worry about this. I’m just asking you, are you going to make a promise or not?” Liu Haibo pressed.

“Make it, but you have to pay the full amount upfront. Once it’s finished, pick it up from me. It’s the repair department at the machinery factory; you can find it easily with a few inquiries,” Xing Baohua said, secretly wondering what Liu Haibo really meant.

Most high-end audio systems are decided upon after listening to them. It's not something you buy on a whim just because you think it looks good—unless you're extremely wealthy. If someone doesn't like it, it can simply sit aside collecting dust or be given away.

Because this thing is expensive, I'm very careful when I buy it. I try it out a few times to get a feel for it before I buy it. Once I buy it, I can't return it.

"How is the price calculated?" Liu Haibo asked, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"I can currently offer you three options. First, a trial listening session with no specific environmental requirements. Second, similar to Sun Changjie's approach, which demands high quality control. Third, the highest level of quality control, but with an additional requirement: a very demanding environment. In other words, if you want to hear the highest level of quality, you'll need to renovate the listening room first."

Xing Baohua didn't directly state the price, but rather mentioned the level of service. The implication was that the highest level would incur the highest cost, while mid-level services would follow Sun Changjie's pricing.

"Tell me first what kind of environment is required for this highest level, and how much it will cost approximately," Liu Haibo asked.

"I really don't know. You'll have to ask an expert in acoustics, like someone who builds auditoriums, churches, or nightclubs, to design the listening room you need. They'll decide the budget and everything else," Xing Baohua said.

"You can't do it?" Liu Haibo asked.

"I can't do it, it's not the same system. It involves different specialties. I can build, I can listen, but that doesn't mean I can do renovations. The difference in knowledge is huge," Xing Baohua said. Actually, he just wanted to set a high bar to discourage Liu Haibo.

It wasn't that he didn't want to earn the money, but he felt that Liu Haibo lacked sincerity and seemed to be just saying it casually.

“Let’s build the sound system to the highest standard. How much will it cost? As long as it’s not outrageous, I’ll order one. But let’s make it clear, I’ll only pay a deposit, and you’ll settle the rest after you see and inspect the goods,” Liu Haibo said.

Xing Baohua shook his head slightly and said, "The cost is too high. I don't have the capital myself, so I can only use your payment to buy parts. I also have to test them continuously. The components can't withstand the wear and tear; they are consumables. If I make a mistake, I will lose money."

"You're not giving me any face!" Liu Haibo said.

"Since we're sitting here, we're friends, so I'll definitely give you face, but I don't have the money to help you build it." Xing Baohua spread his hands, making it very clear that he simply didn't have the money, and it was up to him whether he built it or not.

But he was also secretly delighted, because if the other party fell into the trap, he would make a huge profit from the cost alone.

Sun Changjie didn't want the two sides to fall out, so he wanted to find out the price from Xing Baohua first. He interjected and asked, "How much do you need to build the highest-level audio system?"

Xing Baohua glanced at Sun Changjie and said, "The chip has to be completely imported, and we have to specially source it; ordinary chips won't work. We can only use the main chip from the computer. That's the most expensive part of the audio system. Of course, the other components are also quite expensive! Starting at 20,000."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!