Most overrated audio manufacturers?

Hype alone is not the evil. This reminds me of a book called "Bad, or
The Dumbing of America" (Paul Fussell) published in 1991, where he
describes the real sin being the 'delta' between the hype and the reality. So
many of the products mentioned above may have hype or buzz, but
actually deliver and have had or still have many satisfied user/customers
over many years. So, by that standard, they aren't overrated. I may not like
them, they may not be my cup of tea, but is that overrated? I know there is
a tendency for product 'groupthink' sometimes- whether it is reviews or
marketing, or both (some claim reviews are marketing), but knowing how
fickle audiophiles are, that doesn't translate into long-term business. And
given the intra-web, including this place, you'd hear about it (whether it is
product failures, lack of good support or just general dissatisfaction with the
product or its company). And those products often just fade into the sunset.
So, the market 'corrects' this, even if there is 'buy in' initially.
To me, the cool thing about this industry, unlike many others, is that it is still
in many ways a cottage industry. Yeah, there are big corporate
conglomerates that own some of the companies, and black box/consumer
electronics, but think about how many of the products that are still around,
year after year, or pop up fresh and get a following, that are made by little
companies, tinkerers, or long time enthusiasts from other industries who
have transferred their skills, etc. Not many businesses like that, in my
estimation.

Whart, you're over-thinking this maybe. Anyway, in the overrated category, one that I'm surprised hasn't been mentioned yet, but then again most of you folks probably haven't heard any Emotiva gear. And that's not a bad thing! What makes them overrated is: 1) Their audio quality is very entry level for the most part. 2) The company's wild claims which are in total opposition to #1. 3) Unbelievable delays for new products after the company president has promised they'd be released(the latest example is the XMC, and several tube based products).

Runnin, maybe that's true, but what you just described is perfectly consistent with what I was referring to~ the 'delta' between the hype and the reality.

I suppose I hold the view that the hype and the reality should match for these higher end manufacturers. My example about Emotiva may be an extreme case. They have promised the XMC for over 4 years now. People have been on a waiting list for that long! They are late by at several months for many of their products, and anything with firmware usually has some issues that haven't been dealt with by beta testers.

I can't think of any other manufacturer that REGULARLY treats the consumer this way. At any rate, you seem to accept this delta, to explain/understand it and hold the view that the market deals with it. I'm not sure about that, because there's a sucker born every minute. The uniformed with a credit card, keep the delta in existence.

So, the market 'corrects' this, even if there is 'buy in' initially.

+1 Whart

the cool thing about this industry, unlike many others, is that it is still in many ways a cottage industry...
think about how many of the products that are still around,
year after year, or pop up fresh and get a following, that are made by little companies, tinkerers, or long time enthusiasts from other industries who have transferred their skills

+2

Considering home audio is an industry with new stuff coming to market all the time, created by both artisans and larger manufacturers, that offers a wide range of buying options from dealers to web-based sellers, a wide range of audition options from showrooms to audio shows to home demos, and the ability to achieve stunning sound from even modestly priced home systems, audiophiles sure find a lot to be critical about.