Art Dudley Calls B.S. but without naming names - PLEASE DO!


Hey all,

As someone who hasn't been reading the audiophile press for all that long, I stumbled upon this article that I'm sure it lit up these airwaves when it was first published: https://www.stereophile.com/content/skin-deep

It's a great article and one that any knowledgeable person would most likely agree with, but hey, spending your own hard-earned (or inherited) money is a right and a privilege.  Art does call out some brands that he perceives to give great value:  AMVR, VPL, Conrad-Johnson, DeVore and Harbeth and Kimber and Peachtree and Quicksilver and Rega and Rogue and Spendor and Wavelength.  Shouldn't NAD be on this list?  

But what he doesn't do and I think is warranted, is name the companies that are most egregious in selling high-end products where the performance is far below the cost.  

I, for one, would love to see a list of those manufacturers from the people who read this forum.  You can group them by what they manufacture or just put them in order as you see fit.  I think it would be most helpful in calling b.s. but with "added-value", which is what this whole article was all about.  Right?

128x128lgoler

Showing 9 responses by hifiman5

@geoffkait   Too bad he didn't say "There is a sucker born every minuet".  A very musical quote to be sure!😛
@johnk  A bit of a cynical post.  Not disputing that one-upmanship does exist between or among some manufacturers, but there are thankfully many very forthright, honest manufacturers well recognized for delivering great value in their products.  Thank goodness they're out there.  I have tried very hard to purchase only what I perceive as high value products.  It's quite remarkable the amazing sound quality many 'philes manifest from very modestly priced systems. Very satisfying outcomes!
@mapman Wow. I thought I was the only Amishman here among so many "English".  Welcome aboard brother!
@thermals1  Very well said!   It is important for us to share good and less satisfying experiences with gear.  We need to know what equipment we want to avoid as well as what we want to quest after.
@dentdog   Can't agree more about the importance of feeding your system good quality power.  I just looked at your virtual system.  Beautiful set-up.  Is it a basement room?
As long as there are folks who appreciate the nuances of fine music reproduction, there will be an audio industry to service those listeners.

Think about it...if the hifi industry can and is surviving the mp3 download culture, it will continue to thrive into the future.  Indeed, many of those mp3 listeners, realizing the flaws in their culture's format, have, in large measure, given rise to the resurgence in vinyl!
Interesting how it seems that the luster has worn off many people's perceptions of Audio Research gear.  Years ago I rarely read anything but glowing comments about their offerings.  I have a friend who has their large all tube mono blocks and they sound great!

My only personal experience was auditioning an LS7 preamp many years ago.  There was a slight but perceptible "glaze" to the sound of that inexpensive piece that turned me off.  cj won me over!