pragmasi ...
Thanks for your interesting response
To answer your question ... I know of no manufacturer that uses boutique fuses in their finished products. There's a price point to this.
It is no secret that a dealer pays 50% to 60% of the end retail price of the high-end electronics sitting on his/her shelf. If a unit cost the factory $2500 to build, the dealer gets it for $5000. Then the consumer pays $10,000 ... less anything that is negotiated off of the full retail price.
Let's say, just for discussion, that the manufacturer pays for a fuse at "dealer cost." The end product, once it hits the dealer's shelf, would be four times the cost of what the factory paid for the fuse. So, a fuse that retails for $160, would cost the factory approximately $80.00. That would be a $320.00 increase in the price of the final product to the end consumer.
Extrapolate it out for every device used in the manufacturing of any product. In this case high-end audio. There are companies that use the very best and expensive parts attainable ... and the consumer pays through the nose for those products. There's a reason we have speakers that cost $250,000 per pair, and amplifiers that cost $150,000. I don't even want to get into turntables.
If every manufacturer were to use the most expensive parts available, then people with modest incomes would never be able to afford to enter the hobby. For me ... I'll stick with my ARC gear and upgrade fuses as they come available.
Frank
Thanks for your interesting response
To answer your question ... I know of no manufacturer that uses boutique fuses in their finished products. There's a price point to this.
It is no secret that a dealer pays 50% to 60% of the end retail price of the high-end electronics sitting on his/her shelf. If a unit cost the factory $2500 to build, the dealer gets it for $5000. Then the consumer pays $10,000 ... less anything that is negotiated off of the full retail price.
Let's say, just for discussion, that the manufacturer pays for a fuse at "dealer cost." The end product, once it hits the dealer's shelf, would be four times the cost of what the factory paid for the fuse. So, a fuse that retails for $160, would cost the factory approximately $80.00. That would be a $320.00 increase in the price of the final product to the end consumer.
Extrapolate it out for every device used in the manufacturing of any product. In this case high-end audio. There are companies that use the very best and expensive parts attainable ... and the consumer pays through the nose for those products. There's a reason we have speakers that cost $250,000 per pair, and amplifiers that cost $150,000. I don't even want to get into turntables.
If every manufacturer were to use the most expensive parts available, then people with modest incomes would never be able to afford to enter the hobby. For me ... I'll stick with my ARC gear and upgrade fuses as they come available.
Frank