Al, you're right of course, but you have to admit that my animal joke fits to expensive cable trade.
Amp design logic
I hope you'll excuse my absolute and obvious ignorance...but this is a sincere question.
I don't get why one company is selling a new tube amp for ~$1000, and another is selling one for ~$50,000. What is one paying for? The proprietary circuit design?
Surely if one adds up the cost of the parts, trannies, chassis, etc. it's not worth $50K.
I accept that the more expensive one sounds lots, lots better. But what makes the price so high? Demand?
I think given a circuit diagram from a repair manual, I could eventually build most tube amps from scratch, using the absolute best of each part available. After I learn to solder. For less than $50K, just buying the best cap, resistor, wire, etc. made, for each part, I could slowly build an amp equal to the best in the world. So I don't get it.
What makes an amp worth $50K? It can only be the proprietary tube amp design.
Maybe another factor is the transformers. Each company seems to have their own iron, but that can't be a significant part of $50K?
Thanks, just really wondering about this. And wondering why don't I just make my own? If I buy one part at a time, eventually I can have the best amp there can be.
Jim
I don't get why one company is selling a new tube amp for ~$1000, and another is selling one for ~$50,000. What is one paying for? The proprietary circuit design?
Surely if one adds up the cost of the parts, trannies, chassis, etc. it's not worth $50K.
I accept that the more expensive one sounds lots, lots better. But what makes the price so high? Demand?
I think given a circuit diagram from a repair manual, I could eventually build most tube amps from scratch, using the absolute best of each part available. After I learn to solder. For less than $50K, just buying the best cap, resistor, wire, etc. made, for each part, I could slowly build an amp equal to the best in the world. So I don't get it.
What makes an amp worth $50K? It can only be the proprietary tube amp design.
Maybe another factor is the transformers. Each company seems to have their own iron, but that can't be a significant part of $50K?
Thanks, just really wondering about this. And wondering why don't I just make my own? If I buy one part at a time, eventually I can have the best amp there can be.
Jim
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- 40 posts total
What's the difference between a $2.4 million Bugatti Veyron and a $12,000 Chevrolet Aveo? They both get you from point A to point B. I guess it's just a good thing that you are not asking about the REALLY expensive amplifiers. Sheesh.... |
A friend makes tube preamps by hand; when I bought one in the late 80s the price was around $1000. He investigated producing them commercially but found that setting up an actual production line would result in them having to retail at $3000 to $4000. One at a time he could hand built them in his basement and check everything himself; but having a factory, reps, dealers , advertising etc would require a much higher price. And this was for a produce that had already been developed; no research and development costs. Granted that some seem overpriced; quality seldom comes cheap for any type of product. |
Stanwal, my friend was planning to do the same with amplifier he designed. Unfortunately this amplifier had tendency to oscillate in certain setups. I told him that it would be financial suicide if his amp will start damaging customers' speakers. He couldn't afford to buy many common speakers or spend a lot of time testing. Fortunately he gave up this idea. It is very difficult and costly to start such business and get any recognition. |
- 40 posts total