From Amir:
@ticat
I repeat....
Always follow the Money...
You say that but you don't follow that advice, do you?
Some of you know that I am the founder of a company (Madrona Digital) that does custom integration of electronics into very high end homes.
One day a local distributor called us for a meeting. He said that we should source flat screen TVs from them. I asked them how their prices were compared to big box stores. He said, "if they have a sale, then our cost to you will be higher!' I asked him how we were going to do that? He said, "you can match their prices and then make money on selling them cables and extended warranty!!!" With cables having as much as 70% gross margin, you can see why he said that.
Do you listen to this? No. You happily go and pay thousands of dollars for non-performant gear that only enriches the manufacturer at your expense. You believe what they say on their website. You believe random youtuber getting eval gear and gushing over said cable. And oh, the more expensive that cable, the better it must be. Never mind that the more expensive, the more it enriches the manufacture.
So no, you don't believe in that. You are using it as a cheap talking point without foundation to boot.
To repeat, all the information on ASR forum is available to everyone for free. No content is behind paywall or delayed for paying members to read first. Large number of ASR members read the forum without any contribution. And are not looked down upon whatsoever.
I am fortunate enough to be independent and don't rely on ASR to make money. If it were different, I would turn on ads and allow sponsorships as all other sites do.
Am I here to solve world hunger? No. I have my interested in what I like to do and test. It just happens that this interest aligns with the needs of many audiophiles. They appreciate the uncluttered site that is not running banners everywhere you look. Or my youtube channel where there is zero begging for subscription, likes, etc. And has no monetization even though I am fully qualified by Google to do so.
If this is not for you, then that is that. But stick to facts and don't make proclamations that are simply not true.
Ooops ...Sorry ... Hit a nerve there huh...?
BTW... my 2 chanel system consists of amplifier, pre-amplifier and phono pre-amplifier that are custom built KITS...SUT is custom built from various parts... tone arm is hand made in England. TT is vintage, with updated internal parts. Speakers are used, with updated OEM parts and upgrades from the designer.
Yeah the Marketing Boggie Man really got me.... you really Nailed it.
