Notlistening, ha! I still drive an R32 I bought in 2004 and was thinking exactly the same thing. I also own the project. But… I’d rather have the Porsche and the Gryphon, apart from having to pay for them. Very happy with the R32 and the project
Aqua 'La Diva' ($9k) or Gryphon 'Ethos' ($39k) versus. Pro-Ject CD Box RS2 T ($3k)?
What sensible rationale is there for buying either of the two above-mentioned VERY COSTLY CD spinners (Aqua ’La Diva,’ a CD-only transport, and the Gryphon ’Ethos,’ a CD player with built-in DAC) when we can get the same pure Red-Book CD digital output from the Pro-Ject CD Box RS2 T for FAR less money?
What is a potential buyer getting for their significantly increased expenditure other than fancy packaging and possibly a boost to their egos from ownership of a prestige brand-name item? The one component (and a crucially-significant one at that) which all three of these products have in common is the new Philips-based Stream Unlimited CD Pro 8 CD player mechanism. Aside than that, what one appears to get with the two far-higher-priced components is little more than pure window-dressing, not substantive gains in performance over the CD Box RS2 T.
It is little wonder that one reviewer of the RS2 T thinks of it as nothing less than a "giant killer," in that it makes it nearly impossible for any level-headed purchaser, even one with the means to spend lavishly, to rationalize spending thousands of dollars more on these two competing products (or on others like them) when one can get the same sonic results (which from most reports are splendid) from the humble little CD Box.
Any thoughts? Do we audiophiles finally have good reason to come to our buying senses? To me, Pro-Ject Audio Systems may have struck a true winning vein with their CD Box when prospecting for gold.
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Hi @disc I do not see how the Gryphon ETHOS CD player fits in this thread (As was pointed out earlier in this thread. Different type of prroduct and market segment ). Rather, I was referencing the insightful comparison of the Pro-Ject and Aqua La Diva M2 that @thebursrer1 was kind enough to share on this thread a few days ago. Charles |
The fact that the Gryphon ETHOS CD Player is priced at U.S.$39,000.00, speaks to the reality that there ARE people roaming the surface of our Planet Earth to whom PRICE IS TRULY NO OBJECT. Please bear in mind that you can buy yourself a pretty handsome and decent automobile for this amount of money Therefore, it is incumbent upon manufacturers who cater for these people’s obsessive desire and need to pay the maximum conceivable amount for a product, whether in U.S., Canadian or Australian Dollars, Euros or British Pound Sterling, to price it accordingly! There really is no other rational explanation for this phenomenon. |
Charles, glad you asked! I did drive both cars in 2004 and the Porsche was very comfortable but slow as molasses at 9+ seconds 0-60; R32 around 5 seconds. Cayenne with the turbo 8 cyl was quick enough but twice the $$$. erictal, it's worth noting that the average new car price was $46,329- in November! |
@ notlistening: Interesting point you make: my guess is that Elon Musk and his Tesla brand of electric cars (and the move toward electric-powered cars in general) are driving up the average new-car price. I know it’s off-topic, but with respect to transitioning from gas-fueled to electric cars, "range anxiety" plus the time it takes to fully recharge an electric car versus "gassing up" a petrol vehicle, remain full game-stoppers for me. Hybrids currently offer us the best climate vs. practical convenience option we have right now. |
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