@kahlenz....you worded it better than I did, stating that it would be unfair to the manufacturers and distributors, and this was the reason why I found the OP’s question initially ridiculous. On the other hand, I do understand the OP for wanting to know, from us here on the Gon, what products to stay away from, based on our perceived value. As I apologized to the OP for my response to his post, I should have explained this to him immediately, which would have shown brotherly love, which is what we should all be doing. Music listening, for most of us ( for me at least ), allows the connection with the artist ( s ), and transcends us to being part of the performance, in the audience, on stage, or back stage, you get the point. BTW, I feel the OP and I connected, as both our fathers introduced us to ole Blue Eyes, and we both smoked pot. It is awesome connecting with people. This is the beauty of music, and this why we are ( I am ) here. @roberjerman, I apologize, but you still need to try some power cables and hear, if not benefits, differences, as you will understand, we are not lunatics. @lgoler, Hey buddy................... It is a beautiful day and I’m going to the pool. Be back later.......Enjoy ! MrD.
Art Dudley Calls B.S. but without naming names - PLEASE DO!
Hey all,
As someone who hasn't been reading the audiophile press for all that long, I stumbled upon this article that I'm sure it lit up these airwaves when it was first published: https://www.stereophile.com/content/skin-deep
It's a great article and one that any knowledgeable person would most likely agree with, but hey, spending your own hard-earned (or inherited) money is a right and a privilege. Art does call out some brands that he perceives to give great value: AMVR, VPL, Conrad-Johnson, DeVore and Harbeth and Kimber and Peachtree and Quicksilver and Rega and Rogue and Spendor and Wavelength. Shouldn't NAD be on this list?
But what he doesn't do and I think is warranted, is name the companies that are most egregious in selling high-end products where the performance is far below the cost.
I, for one, would love to see a list of those manufacturers from the people who read this forum. You can group them by what they manufacture or just put them in order as you see fit. I think it would be most helpful in calling b.s. but with "added-value", which is what this whole article was all about. Right?
As someone who hasn't been reading the audiophile press for all that long, I stumbled upon this article that I'm sure it lit up these airwaves when it was first published: https://www.stereophile.com/content/skin-deep
It's a great article and one that any knowledgeable person would most likely agree with, but hey, spending your own hard-earned (or inherited) money is a right and a privilege. Art does call out some brands that he perceives to give great value: AMVR, VPL, Conrad-Johnson, DeVore and Harbeth and Kimber and Peachtree and Quicksilver and Rega and Rogue and Spendor and Wavelength. Shouldn't NAD be on this list?
But what he doesn't do and I think is warranted, is name the companies that are most egregious in selling high-end products where the performance is far below the cost.
I, for one, would love to see a list of those manufacturers from the people who read this forum. You can group them by what they manufacture or just put them in order as you see fit. I think it would be most helpful in calling b.s. but with "added-value", which is what this whole article was all about. Right?
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- 141 posts total
Of course you do. Disagreement on this Board (and most others) is about as endemic as smoking among Israeli twenty-somethings. What Art would and would not buy or put in his own living room is not the point. The point is that a segment of what we consider the high end audio consumer segment will buy spartan looking gear like Class-D monoblocks in small plain black boxes and Sandy Gross' Triton line of speakers in cock-socks and another segment has to have this "beauty" https://www.mcintoshlabs.com/products/turntables/MT10#gallery-1. You might disagree, but most would believe that John DeVore's fiddleback mahogany finish on the front baffles of the O Series speakers helps them sell, and are certainly appreciated to offset/accent those plain paper woofers. |
Well, the high end world is bad it was also bad 10 years ago it will stay bad in the next 10 years Magazines live from Advertising, no one writes for free. There is a writer for Digital guys. There is a writer for the expensive units There is a writer for the younger ones There is a writer for technical stuff and then there is Art Do you think, online mags are good? For whom? I would say, for the owner. I don’t read Dudley, never took him serious. Best source for information is here, Audiogon. |
@mrdecibel I think the fact the general public considers high end audio fraudulent was very much the point of the article. Much of his complaint was about folks overdressing their gear to make it appears more upscale so they could ask more money. He pointed out the general failure of the industry to produce quality at rational prices. Even Nelson Pass has commented on how designers overdress their products to lend credibility to otherwise uninspiring circuits. Some debate whether the average slob would know high end audio if they heard it. I lean in the direction they generally do. I've talked to too many people who've heard good stuff and recognized the quality. Hearing it doesn't seem to be the problem. Perceiving useful value given the prices of decent gear is the problem. For the price of my Focals one could have a Schiit Ragnarok and some LS50's and be listening quite nicely. But that's not what dealers try to sell, and that's rarely what editors write about, and that jazz will get you shamed on forums. |
- 141 posts total