Simulating through Summer

August 05, 2026

Hi Friends,

Can’t believe it’s already August - summer flies when you’re busy simulating. Last week we hosted our summer party with Bang & Olufsen. Great turnout, and a fun chance to show off our latest model.

Demo at Bang & Olufsen

At our event with Bang & Olufsen, we ran a conjoint study to settle a tension every premium speaker brand is betting on: are people buying the smart features, or the design?

We ran it through Subconscious.ai, because we can tell you what's actually driving a purchase decision faster and better than a traditional research agency can.

Turns out... no one wants Alexa in their speakers.

→ Price matters most, about 45% of the decision. After that, design beats technology outright. Aesthetic design carries more than three times the weight of smart home integration, which came in last of everything tested.

→ The sharpest number in the whole study is the price cliff. The $899-978 tier is the strongest, most confidently loved price point tested. Cross around $1,240 and preference doesn't soften, it flips: the $1,580-2,999 tier is the single most rejected thing in the entire study.

→ Bang & Olufsen's brand is worth $100 - before a product even enters the chat.

→ But of all the products tested, Bang & Olufsen's Beosound A5 posted the highest, ahead of competition.

→ Their positioning line, "Luxury design audio combining iconic Danish aesthetics with premium sound," was one of only two positioning statements in the entire study that tested positively.

→ Design-Forward Innovators, about 17% of the market, are young, educated, status-driven, and will pay $200 or more for exactly this kind of design.

Heritage design isn't losing to tech in this category. It's outperforming it. Thank you to Bang & Olufsen for hosting us!

Team Member Spotlight

We are thrilled to spotlight our summer intern Laura Bellizia! Laura is studying Business Analytics and Psychology at Notre Dame and has been working with us on digital marketing!

A Note from Subconscious:

Thank you to all of our supporters and friends! If you are interested in learning more about what we are building, please grab 20 minutes at the link below. 

Avi Yashchin

CEO, Subconscious AI