Most overrated audio manufacturers?

"07-05-14: Twb2
Ayre?? Not my experience! Sound quality, reliability and customer service from Ayre are absolutely superb IMO. All my Ayre gear (and I have a lot) was purchased used, so value is excellent as well. However, I don't like dealing with their dealers."

If you are looking for a good Ayre dealer, try one of these: Audio Connection, Audio Center and Audio Alternative. Audio Connection is my favorite, but the other 2 are also very good. I've done business with all 3 and always had a good experience.

Ok, so some of you are saying a certain manufacturer's product is the most "overrated." Folks, the problem with the subject matter here is that in general, most audiophiles and enthusiasts mix and match speakers, amplifiers, preamplifiers, cd players, turntables, cables, DACs etc. from a variety of manufacturers. How can you tell if the poor experience that you formulated your "overrated" judgement on is the poor (overrated)performance of a manufacturer's component(s), or because the product did not match up well with the rest of the products (gear)in your system?

If we were talking about an all Ayre system, or an all Levinson system then judgements are more valid. Or, if someone is pairing B&W speakers with the same system that B&W uses to evaluate the speaker's sound, or the audio system that ZU Audio uses to evaluate the sound of their speakers, then judgements like most "overrated" would take on much more validity. But instead, most of us are using completely different mixing and matching of speakers, amps, preamps, cables etc in our homes than the manufacturer that designed and evaluated their product before putting it on the market.

On a practical level, in most cases, having a system all from one manufacturer with the same cables, or having the same system and cables as the one used by the manufacturer for evaluating their products is usually impossible for various reasons.

The real question isn't "what equipment is overrated?", but "why is it overrated?". If you can get to the "why" of it, you'll have some info that is of real use.

None of this will ever make sense because this group will never agree on the definition of "overrated" as relates to audio manufacturers, which the OP should have defined as part of his question, in the first place.

I found these definitions of "overrated" by the Urban Dictionary to sort of sum up the futility of this thread;

A word which recently has been used liberally as a way of discrediting something without having to give a proper justification, most often when someone finds they have a disliking for a popular phenomenom and is resentful of those who embrace it. Often used by anti-trendies.

and

So due to personal opinion and anyone who hates anything that's well known, no matter how brilliant something is, if it gets a lot of media attention then there's always someone who will think it's overrated.

and finally, an example;

Person A) "I'm gonna watch my TV..."
Person B) "TV is overrated"
Person A) "I want an Xbox..."
Person B) "Xbox is overrated"
Person A) "Jesus, shutup"
Person B) "Jesus is overrate-"
*punches in face*

Elizabeth is correct, the only thing the average American hates worse than the truth is reality.
US education from K-12 is essentially one long propaganda fest
to ensure this mindset endures for a lifetime.
Also extended to BA level in majority of colleges.