Are High End Audio Products Unreliable?

I do not agree.

In the $20K pricepoint level, price mY REGA ISIS valve cdp and the matched REGA OSIRIS integrated amp are both built like the proverbial brick s***house. Each pf the remotes weighs like a brick ... all top shelf. But then again it was all made in the UK.

The quality is unsurpassed and my experience with other high-end similar kit (NAIM, MARK LEVINSON, SIM AUDIO, CLASSE, CHORD ) is the same... LL built like a tank with no reliability problems and it will last you a lfetime.

Snackeyp, so what problem is the SLI 80 giving you? I have an SLI 50, same basic chassis but different circuit which I've had for 16 years. During that time, I've had to replace the power switch and the selector switch.

The switches are a bit cheesey, but all in all not a bad repair record for that amount of time. I do love the sound of the Cary.

It's not likely to ever happen, but the study that would be needed to determine reliability of high end audio products compared to others would be very interesting. Do high end audio products in general determine the high end in regards to reliability to go along with the big price tags and thereby lower total cost of ownership and increase the value proposition? Or are they no better or perhaps even worse than the rest in regards to reliability?

Higher reliability would help offset acquisition costs and make higher price tags more digestible for me, but I am skeptical that this is the case.

I see no positive correlation between price tags and reliability in general based on my purchases over the years.

In fact, I would have to say the higher end pieces I have owned over the years have also proved to typically involve more ongoing costs for maintenance and repair than the rest.

For example, high end tube gear involves periodic replacement of tubes to retain the good sound. PRices of tubes, especially those suited for high end audio application seem to be on the rise.

The highest end amp I have ever owned recently went in for a repair. THis was the first time in years I had an amp go bad on me. THe repairs were handled efficiently and for reasonable cost by the maker though I must say.

The highest end CD player I ever owned was a Cal Audio Ikon MkII which went in for expensive repairs on several occasions. CD players, especially transports, have always seemed to be relatively problematic though I must say.

On the other hand, my Linn turntable has been going strong since bought originally new back in the 80's and has been one of the most reliable pieces I have ever owned.

a better question is :

is there a correlation between price of product and reliability ?

I'm told it is the relay board that controls the remote that is bad. The problem varies between turning the amp on and the sound not working to the remote control not working. I guess it is a known issue and also a simple fix, but it does require me boxing it up and sending it in, which is expensive and time consuming. I will get it fixed and then look forward to many years of trouble-free listening, but I'm frustrated to say the least.

I've generally had good luck with the reliability of high end products, with one exception: Meridian. I've owned a Meridian G68 for about 4 years and it has given me all kinds of trouble... overheating, a dead power supply, a front panel display that freezes up, the occasional shockingly loud POP, one of which fried a crossover in one of my speakers. Nightmare stuff. The MSRP of the unit at the time I bought it: $10k. Now: $12k.

When the power supply died, I sent the unit to Meridian service. They replaced it and charged me 8 times the cost of the power supply if I had bought it online, which would have been trivial. I'm a fool.

My experience with Meridian's unreliability and greed is definitely not idiosyncratic. If you browse the unofficial Meridian forum, you will see many similar stories.

I still own the Meridian. As I said, I'm a fool.

Bryon

Never had a problem with anything but French-made CD players. May they rot in hell.

Quick update. I bought a Music Hall A15.2 integrated amp about two months ago. I hardly used it until a few nights ago. I was listening to my ipod through the mini jack on the front when the left channel went dead. Testing it showed that it was dead through and through, regardless of the source. So, it's in for repair now. Yet another product that I have had trouble with. The good news is that my local dealer is super easy to deal with and is taking care of it.
Because of all my bad luck I have started to buy only new products and mostly buying them locally. In the future I am considering mostly buying products from local companies in fact. I live in the Minneapolis area where there are many high end companies to choose from: Magnepan, Audio Research, Atmasphere, Bel Canto, to name a few.

Nothing is 100% stuff happens!!

I agree with Ebm. Infant mortality is one thing, long term unreliability is another entirely. I'm pleased to hear any early problems you experienced have been resolved to your satisfaction, with a good local dealer to help. The bottom line, though, isn't just reliability, it's performance. They don't necessarily go hand in hand.

The Concord SST had just two accidents over it's 27 year commercial history of flying, but because of the low quantity of passenger's it's safety record per passenger mile made it the least safest commercial transport in history. High performance has its price.

I meant one accident.