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RE: I think Valin's observations are spot on

A few points:

1) The Audio Note Ongaku was $89,000 back in 1989. So high prices are nothing new.

2) representative sentiment over high prices and judging things entirely on one audio show is irrelevant to me. Opinions are a dime a dozen - every single audio product that is out there gets a positive review by someone - the ears that matter to me are MY EARS and I trust people who hear it the way I hear it. The fact that someone likes a cheap product at an audio show over $100,000 system is great and all - but it's my hearing of it that counts to me and the people who hear it like me. And at the US shows I've been to along with systems I hear all the time in HK - the best systems have not been the cheap ones - albeit less expensive rooms can take down some (some) expensive systems.

3) Bias goes both ways - people may believe expensive is better but people also "want to believe" that cheap is just as good because all they can afford is cheap and it makes them happier to think they outsmart rich people. The best stuff that I have heard I will NEVER be able to afford to buy but I am not going to pretend that what I can afford is"just as good" because under a show condition a $5k system beat some $50k systems.

4) Shows are intended mainly for dealers - to get dealers to want to pick up a company's line of product (or for importers and distributors).

I have spoken to many of these show set-up people and it's rather shocking how hard it is to get everything right in just a couple of hours often without things being shopped to the hotel in time or given the wrong rooms or not told that - by the way there is a big air vent right above the speaker end of the room which is going to serve as a giant boom box - treatments just can't fix that.

And aside from any of that I have read exact polar opposites on the exact same room from the internet peanut gallery over the years. I have heard the same set-ups where at one show it would have been in the running for absolute worst sound at show and at another show I chose as near the very best. Holy cow a striking difference.

Many posters do not listen to their own recordings or stay for any period of time through their own admissions. One room plays the fancy Iso-Mike suped up "special" recordings of supreme fidelity while the next room plays 1929 Opera on a scratchy vinyl. Guy pops his head in for 4 minutes and makes his "absolute conclusion for the rest of his life" that room B sucks and is grossly overpriced while room A is a "fraction of the price" and is vastly better.

I get it - I try to be a cheap bastard whenever possible and want to find the giant killer as much as the next guy. And sometimes the cheaper will slay some (but not all) the giants.

5) reviewers can say whatever the heck they want. They are people too. When John Marks continuously recommends Vivid Audio, ATC, Usher and Wilson Benesch it's because he happens to really like those speakers.

6) Manufacturers send products for review with the HOPES that the reviewer will advocate for their product by giving it a good review. If Manufacturers didn't have that hope they would not send products for review - nothing would get reviewed and there would be nothing for anyone to read.


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  Kimber Kable  


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