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In Reply to: RE: Looking to S'phile's Rec. Comps. for help choosing preamps to audition/buy? posted by Rick W on March 23, 2015 at 10:20:27
I'd suggest that we have only ourselves to blame.
Stereophile caters to its audience and since the audience's emphasis is and always has been primarily on cost and bling bling, Stereophile is simply giving its audience what they crave.
Nobody drools over a $200 component. But post a picture of an $85,000 amp as somebody just did in the amp/preamp seciton of AA, and without ever hearing it, some enthusiasts are probably already reaching for their checkbook. Simply because it draws an audience and visually it wreaks of performance. I'd venture that even if an $85k amp sounded sub-par, it would not interfere much with its sales volume. That is unless a magazine stated it sounded deficient, then nobody would buy it.
If I didn't know better I'd think "high-end" audio is much like the exotic watch industry. There the watches all pretty much tell the same time but what the watch enthusiast is buying is a quality work-of-art and pride of ownership that in the end is probably not much more accurate than your grandfather's $30 Timex watch.
But that is what the typical audio enthusiast craves. If that is true, I don't think it fair to put Stereophile or other mags on the hook for catering to the majority's cravings.
Follow Ups:
The idea that it must offer more because it is more expensive, which is by no means limited just to high end audio!!
Of course what is more likely is that the more expensive unit is built to be more expensive to take advantage of the Veblen Effect.
We actually offered a real innovation in tube preamp technology (patent and everything) a long time ago but no-one cared because we did not price it to be particularly expensive.
"We actually offered a real innovation in tube preamp technology (patent and everything) a long time ago but no-one cared because we did not price it to be particularly expensive." - Ralph
Ralph how much more for a nice chassis without the radio shack knobs,nice chassis abound these days, whats the deal ..?
Radio Shack knobs?
Are you referring to a preamp?
I think you were talking about this pre ....
Edits: 04/03/15
Actually I was not.
However FWIW the chassis on the UV-1 is welded and ground so its seamless. The front is angled, so its not a typical chassis and its really rugged.
We've tried a bunch of different knobs. On the blue version, like you see here they look fine. The black version seems like it will get a different part. FWIW though the knobs don't come from Radio Shack (they are gone but the knobs remain) - they are instrumentation knobs. I guarantee they don't affect the sound.
I was initially referring to the MP-1 which has a direct-coupled balanced output and was the first balanced line preamp made.
I was initially referring to the MP-1 which has a direct-coupled balanced output and was the first balanced line preamp made. -Atmasphere
Ralph what year was this ...? the MP-1 is an attractive looking chassis ....
Edits: 04/06/15
-and we still make the MP-1 today.
What is it's equivalent today ........... ?
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First of all, thank you VERY much for the discs, John, I got them 2 days ago. I cannot wait to listen to them and give you some honest feedback.You wrote:
"Nobody drools over a $200 component. But post a picture of an $85,000 amp as somebody just did in the amp/preamp seciton of AA, and without ever hearing it, some enthusiasts are probably already reaching for their checkbook....But that is what the typical audio enthusiast craves. If that is true, I don't think it fair to put Stereophile or other mags on the hook for catering to the majority's cravings."
First of all, just how many folks on this enthusiast website could even consider an $85,000 amp? Precious few, that's how many. And I seriously doubt that the "typical" audio enthusiast craves an amp that costs as much as a VERY nice car - or even a decent home in some markets.Get real. $85K amps are the stuff of (unattainable) dreams, and nothing more. They look good on the cover of a magazine. Big deal. I'd even venture to guess that very few on this site have an entire system that costs $85K. The vast majority have systems costing $25K or less. And I'd also bet dollars to donuts that less than 1% of this site's readers could ever afford such an amp.
So let's try and keep it real, okay? Who loves ya, bubbe?! [g]
-RW-
Edits: 03/26/15
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