$100,000 line stage

It's hard for me to fatham so much $$ for a pre amp. However, its all relative. For those who can only shop at the low end of the spectrum (there is some really great low cost gear BTW), a $3000 component may seem a bit over the top. I do, however, think it's great that companies like Schiit, Peachtree, Pro-Ject plus many big names offer high quality items at a lower cost. 

Back in MY day (late 70's), I could get a 30 watt Pioneer receiver, Pioneer Belt driven TT with Empire cartridge, Teac Cassette deck, Realistic EQ, and a pair of Fisher speakers and be blown away how well it sounded. I believe those times are with us again with all the new companies and lower cost gear.

I'm not concerned with others. I was shopping preamp reviews and came across the one in initial post. I was taken back by the price for a preamp which is technically a simple configuration. Thats all. No envy or concern on my end. If one found a Billion dollar car for sale somewhere, many would post the same on another forum. If I had the money, I would probably buy such things myself (I am a sucker for high priced cameras and vehicles currently).

Dave: Please return to your "troll cave" Just pass the thread by. The world will go on....just trying to get some conversation like 90% of threads on AG. Just resist the urge Dave....resist.....you can do it. 

Do you really think the reviewer bought the review unit at 50% off retail? Mark-ups on some of these uber priced gear can be unbelievable. When I was importing Kondo gear (Audio Note Japan) and selling Ongaku amps they had a retail of $89,000. I sold them to  customers for 24-26k depending on the value of the Yen and still made a profit! I bet the reviewer didn't pay more than 20k for the pre-amp.

That may be accurate in this case. I'm not going to question any reviewer's ethics or practices since I do not know them personally or follow their work. I know some reviewers in major stereo rags purchase equipment as well. 

Do you think reviewers should disclose their "discount"? I know that would not look good for a company that is selling a $100,000 piece of gear for $20,000 to the reviewer. However, knowing that huge discount is available, could that have influence the review itself? A reviewer is not going to "pretend" to like a component and shell over $20k. However, a reviewer could be "over" excited about talking up the value of the equipment at MSRP (knowing he's going to get at 25% of the price). Without directly saying, the reviewer of the preamp in this thread does give the impression that he is paying full price (at least to me).

The transformers they use were buried underneath the base of Mount Fuji for 10
years prior to being installed, allowing them to project that very organic sound.

One of my goals is to attend one of the major audio shows next year. It will be exciting to hear the components at ultra high price levels. I know hotel rooms are not always optimal listening conditions, however, probably the closest ill get to such pricey stereo equipment

Here's the thing. If someone built a 10 million dollar passenger car, someone would buy it. I am not knocking anybody buying this level of stereo. In fact, I think in Asia countries, Audio gets really high. I was just taken aback by the price. Many knock the audio rags for reviewing high priced components. Personally, I like the reviews plus many of those makers produce affordable gear as well. But, $100 k for a preamp is high end that one does not see everyday. 

Thanks for the link. If I were a high paid athlete, I would be all over this stuff

I agree, for $100,000 + MSRP, The chassis looks unattractive. I guess you have to compare it to a street legal race car. Very plain, just enough safety-emissions to be legal. Nothing pretty compared to a typical "dealership" exotic car.. You could compare the basic volume control to having to use actual keys to start the car instead of button, plus probably no air conditioning or power windows.
It's all under the hood

Those are some nice pre's.