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Audiophile TT article in Forbes

I am going to try one more time with this tread because I believe the Audiogon Moderator is flagging this because of the naming of a name. In the latest Forbes special issue there is a nice article about the resurrection of vinyl and Audiophile grade TT. The article shows some nice pictures of high end grade TT with there tone arms and statements from VPI owner claiming every time he wakes up he pinches himself to think in a digital age sales are up steadily. But the big eye opener was that very well known vinyl and turntable guru from a major audio magazine is purchasing a one hundred grand table and tone arm combo Continuum Audio Labs Caliburn turntable & Cobra tonearm
for much less than retail what is much less the article never states but I would guess to venture half off listed which if my math is good would be fifty grand total. Now I don't really have a problem with this but in the article the writer states he the well known guru reviewer is also going to write off the purchase as a business deduction? I am not a CPA or a tax attorney but I would guess that this would raise a red flag at the local/federal tax office as being a LUXURY item. Can you honestly think that standing in tax court a judge wouldn't ask you do they really make a 100 grand turntable and why do you need this piece of gear just to listen and review a record or even having to compare it to the competition.
schipo

Showing 1 response by raquel

raquel
841 posts
 
If you google "Forbes" and "Fremer" and "VPI" and "vinyl", the link to the article comes up first (moderators often don't like links, which may be why no post has mentioned the link, so I'll try it this way).

I prefer to focus on the article, which is fairly accurate as mainstream press articles about audiophilia go. It does get some things wrong, however. For example, "heavy PLATTERS of virgin vinyl" (emphasis added)?? The article wrongly suggests that purchasing a high-end turntable also gets you an arm and a cartridge (the best of which are made from "titanium", which is wrong if one believes that there is rarely a "best", just "different"). It fails to mention that an analog rig necessarily includes a phono stage. Given the author's goal of pointing out the great cost of high-end analog, the article would have been better had the considerable potential cost of these additional items been mentioned.

I do not believe for a minute that Singer sold only one turntable five years ago (that is wrong).

The NY Times published a very so-so article about tube amps four or five years ago (Singer was mentioned therein as well).

Let's stop writing about the tax/legal issues of others (... a sure-fire way to get this thread shut down).
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