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?

128x128lgoler
Audio today is in a death price spiral  manufacturer A raises prices since so many audiophiles correlate price with performance so manufacturer Bs lower price on top model is seen as being lower in performance over costlier model A thus manufacturer of B raises prices now manufacturer A top model is no longer consider the best by audiophiles who correlate price with performance and now they must raise prices. At the same time these high priced offerings are selling in less nums since price increases  thus price is increased again to cover costs... 
jhills
@geoffkait
Right?
Regardless, the quot still holds true...Jim

Hey, whatev.

@johnk  A bit of a cynical post.  Not disputing that one-upmanship does exist between or among some manufacturers, but there are thankfully many very forthright, honest manufacturers well recognized for delivering great value in their products.  Thank goodness they're out there.  I have tried very hard to purchase only what I perceive as high value products.  It's quite remarkable the amazing sound quality many 'philes manifest from very modestly priced systems. Very satisfying outcomes!
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