I found a way to get around tariffs that will raise the price of audio equipment.

@mapman ,

I eat eggs and oatmeal for breakfast. So there! I do go easy on the yokes though

That is certainly one approach that many people take, but I’d still say to throw at least one yolk in as I seem to remember that the egg white, although containing 0 grams of fat, is an incomplete protein. The theory that I remember is that for protein in the egg white to be more usable, it needs to be combined with all of the rest of the essential amino acids (which I believe the egg white lacks). But stay on top of that LDL--I don’t think that anyone will argue about the link between elevated LDL levels and coronary artery disease.

He'd post screeds and manifestos, all taken from the right wing fever swamp trying to recruit members to his way of thinking.

@nonoise , for some reason I missed all of that.  He must have been phasing out as I was just getting here.  The last thread I remember MC participating in was one about the reason for setting up a single circuit for audio gear. 

. . . too late to edit, but heredity seems to be linked to high LDL as well.

@grannyring 

My question was intended to be rhetorical but thanks.

You can talk about eggs but stay clear about prices. 
You can talk about cholesterol but stay clear of science.
You can talk about audio but stay clear about point of origin.  
I can't wait to crap on the next thread about buying only American made gear...
so political. 

All the best,
Nonoise

I eat eggs because i have chickens, i give oats to my live stock to fatten them up for market

@immatthewj 

You were spared some good times. MC was fine with me when it came to audio as sometimes our opinions were the same and we ended up on the same side of an argument. It was around the time of Covid that things got really nasty and downright weird. 

All the best,
Nonoise

From the late ’80s and throughout the ’90s and into the early ’00s I used to religiously drink (three times a day on work days) this concoction I made up of skim mily, either a cup or two cups (I cannot remember for sure it’s been so long) of powdered milk, this brewers yeast powder I bought at GNC, and four raw eggs of which I separated the yolk from white as best I could on three of them (I threw in some black strap molasses to compensate for the slimy raw egg taste). I felt great back then, but that was 30 years ago and things change. My cholesterol was never an issue back then. It is now.

I am trying to do more oats these days.

I say again….

Back to regularly scheduled programming.

How will you avoid the higher costs of audio gear associated with tariffs?

New or used gear? 

@2psyop , for me it will be NO gear upgrades for a few years.  No more eggs, either.

@nonoise , now that you mention it, I do remember a post by MC regarding HRC, prison jump suits, and the CCP.

Between AudioMart, AudiogoN, eBay, HiFi Shark, CraigsList and the others, one might find just what one needs used and avoid the tariffs.

dill- good point

I was throwing a big hint to my fellow audiophiles out there. Maybe, just maybe you might avoid the temptation to collect more audio equipment. Have a chair, grab a drink and listen to the music. Reap the benefits of your choices and experience and enjoy the listening experience again. If you were ever waiting for a time to pause your spending and enjoy what you have now, this is the time.

@deep_333 Newer research indicates eggs are safe.

highly concentrated cholesterol orbs can compromise your health

@2psyop Yes it’s a good thing we already have hifis to listen to before old man you-know-who ruined everything.

Statins work wonders.

I’ve always looked at this as a journey one that wouldn’t stop until my heart stopped beating. It appears on the horizon that we have a mountain in front of us. Much like those on the Oregon Trail as they came into Denver and looked upon the Rocky Mountains. It didn’t stop them and it won’t stop me. I will do my best to make wise purchasing decisions as I’ve always tried to do. As Stated before who was asking why are these prices are so high? Everyone the first time they walk into a stereo store. 

Yeah, some excellent used equipment is not very expensive really. By audiophile standards. Well maintained very good condition Studer A810 for less than $10k. Some people pay more for cartridges and a few cables. That Studer is ridiculously cheap. Or SME top tables for less than half the price. Some very good speakers for $5k-$7k. Gryphon Diablo 300 with phono stage and DAC for $12.5k, that's a bargain if you don't want to go full tubes. Plenty of great stuff.

Enjoying what you have now is the easiest way to avoid the impact of the tariffs on the hifi part of the hobby. It won't doing anything to prevent the descent into authoritarian fascism though.

Lots of good gear made in USA. Some affordable even.

Oh wait….the parts!!!!!😩

Plenty of awesome audio gear made here in the USA..Tariff free.

Plenty of awesome audio gear made here in the USA..Tariff free.

@paqua123 as ​​​​​@mapman just noted in the post above yours, the parts for the gear are not all being made in the US.  If the manufacturers have to pay tariffs on those parts I would imagine that they will have to pass the expenses on to the consumers.

Are you saying they have no stock of parts? I dont believe they are making gear made to order. So if they are already charging more they are cheating you. I could see maybe by the end of the yearish maybe

Surely, manufacturers can set the price as high as they want to. Question is who is going to pay what ?

Ain’t nothin’ changin’ in this system but tubes and an occasional cartridge. Go grow a vegetable garden peeps; while cultivating it, you won’t care about domestic and planetary horrors, you’ll be investing in your health and fine dining and after working in the garden and dining on your garden-sourced gourmet organic vegetable dinner, you’ll appreciate the well earned cocktail and the rewards of your amazing audio system. Point is: be happy with your home audio system and seek to improve your home fresh food system...might even be a healthier hobby...

Excellent advice Xenolith. Get some chickens too. They are hilarious and eggs are always welcome

Right, Get a chicken and name it Vector. 

Damn, now we are sliding into discussing agriculture.

Tony, your new PM is up to something, for better or for worse, I don't know. In league with Europeans. And they all don't sound like true audiophiles, which means that big screw ups are likely coming from all sides.

I still don't know how to open Swiss bank account. Both US and Canadian dollars might go down big time.

Sweat in the garden; chill with the system.

.....Or just buy American made gear. There is plenty of really top quality gear made here. Americans are the King of preamps, and arguably power amps as well. 

On another note bespoke gear is so overpriced these days (gee thanks Mr. Levenson) that I hope the manufacturers eat the costs of the imported goods they sell. 

Bryston told me they are eating the increased costs "so Americans don't buy McIntosh instead of Bryston" 

FWIW I have not seen any items at my local dealer marked up yet. 

Speaking of audio equipment and tariffs, are you aware that Cornish game hens are not Cornish, they’re not game, and half the time they’re not hens??!

All they are are 4-5 week old regular chickens, both male and female.

The poultry equivalent of veal.

I will tell you after 40 years of medicine and alot of head and neck cancer surgery i have done cholesterol is you least problem with alcohol tobacco.it has a direct link to head and neck cancer as does human papillon virous.i trained in newyork at one of the top 5 centers in America with 10 head and neck surgeons.we had one of the first pet scanners in america.believe me the last thing you want is a hole in your neck to breath through and a radiated neck. To bad we can't put a tariff on cancer. Enjoy the music

Buy made in the USA, that will take care of tarrifs for scared US boys.

Tweaks, creative room treatment, upgrades like installing a dedicated 20 amp circuit ( some material would need to be purchased but most of the cost is labor) Making sure your speaker placement is perfect.  Some things that wouldn’t require the purpose of new gear.  Sticking to used gear, enjoying the music.  

It's starting to snow again. You can set your clock to it. 

My solution was to purchase my Canadian made Anthem STR Preamp from a US dealer trade-in stock.  Works great!

I see a lot of post that say buy US-made and all your problems will be solved. One only needs to look at when the Soviet Union closed ranks and created an iron curtain. How one could think that the same thing would not happen in the US is a complete fool. how many of us on this site Chase after Soviet era Hifi gear? Iron curtain products were crap. Why do you think they were so excited when they got a pair of Levi’s? So yes, it will be American made, but without any competition…

I have written these three words before, “pain and suffering”. I think to a higher or lesser degree we will all experience this. For myself I know I can mitigate this by being content with my gear, my house , my family and my own peace away from the madness. We are here now. It does not matter who you voted for, this is the situation you find yourself in. I feel bad for farmers and their families and many others caught in the net. For the music listening experience I can find some peace…for now. I had mentioned before that in the 80’s while a young American serviceman I was asked by some German friends why Americans are so ignorant about world affairs, their own history and the political landscape and I was naive and offended by these questions. Now all these years later I realize they were right. Americans are not engaged and that’s why they get led around like dumb sheep. Germans learned the hard way that if they don’t pay attention a madman will take over.

Last year was my purchase/downsizing year.  Didn't have to buy better speakers but started looking at options domestically as well as abroad including some hard to find ones here in the States.

So not everything was readily available but I had a short list of possibilities I whittled down.  Almost chose a Fritz but a speaker came up out of the blue from a brand I didn't know existed and the birch plywood box (not Closer) sealed the deal and they perform as reviews stated.

There's a few products I would like to try be it amp, dac, speaker but standing pat and not chasing gear at the moment.  Perhaps if something comes up used at a great discount, then perhaps. 

Now trying to sell the gear the new ones replaced and I think alot of people are standing pat too.  Slower market, new or used.

2psyop, hear hear. I would guess that plenty of Germans who were concerned about where their country was going in 1939 were also labeled "chicken littles" or whatever the equivalent of "seagull squad" (such a cute name!) was. Half of the country has been led to believe in exceptionalism and the concept of the rugged individual (the "self-made man" myth). 

I'm very glad I purchased a car last month, and I will be engaging in what the OP proposes, no purchases unless absolutely necessary, and in those potential scenarios, used.

If tariffs remain, and it looks like they will, as pointed out electronic equipment will (is?) get(ing) more expensive and that includes equipment from American companies. 

I am in a good place as I have a nice collection of quality equipment. One thing I will watch is used equipment prices as that would likely rise as well. I would be tempted to sell my very large, well built amplifiers such as Luxman and Bryston products. I'm getting older and it's harder to lift those heavy beasts. As well, I am quite impressed with the small chip amps. So a cheap Chinese chip amp, even with a hefty tariff still isn't too bad to contemplate.

Don't get me wrong, I hate the tariff proclamations and don't want to go back to 1950 or the gilded age whenever America was perceived as being great. I think small well defined tariffs would be okay, but the sledge hammer approach is ridiculous.

@61falcon +1

There's two sides to this story...

I always hated Tariffs. It was not an equal playing field. I was charged tariffs to send my products to other countries but my overseas competitors could bring in their products here with no fees. It gave them an unfair price advantage.

I never heard anyone complaining about tariffs then. This isn't a "sledge hammer" approach. If you charge a tariff we will charge you the EXACT amount back at you. Sounds perfectly fair!

Oh, how comsumers loved those cheap prices all the while supporting my competitors.  Yes, tariffs are totally unfair when only one side has them.

@2psyop 

You can mitigate all you want but it's here and it's going to get worse. Much worse. Finding solace in your system won't help much as we're all caught in the net. No man is an island in these new times.

To think so reminds me of that old Twilight Zone episode, Time Enough At Last, where an avid book reader with a nagging wife and boss just wants to read as it gives him joy. He can't stand the interruptions. One day he's down in the bank vault when nuclear war destroys the planet and he's the only survivor. 

He comes up and rejoices as now he has salvation in the rubble of a ruined world. He looks at all the books he can read and is beside himself. As he's going through all the books, his glasses falls off his face and shatters on the steps of the bank and they were some very thick glasses. His vision is so bad he can't read any of the books he lusted after. 

Replace those broken glasses with the broken systems we're facing and others to come and the analogy becomes obvious. We're just biding time.

All the best,
Nonoise

The consuming masses quite ignorant of the power they hold. People like to blame manufacturers, other countries, gvts. for the trade situation. American consumers chose to vote with their wallets many decades ago, I well remember the 1980's and the establishment of Wallmart and other big box retailers displacing local mom and pop establishments. Consumers have one track lowest price minds, hey cheap Chinese products, I'll have some of that. The de-industrialization of America during same period also comes to mind, we pay too much to union workers, outsourcing for cheap labor results in lower prices, the consumer says I'm all for that.

And now you tell me we're all done with that, I don't think so, consumers continue to cry about high prices, inflation, I don't think reliance on solely American citizen labor and a complete rebuild of infrastructure is going to help that situation. Nope, we're at the point we're all screwed, mass consumerism ain't going to fix it.

He was supposed to lower prices.  Another lie. Sorry but true. Gotta at least keep track of the whoppers that affect everyone. More time and money wasted for all. A complete cf.

To the OP question, I'll be practicing the "buy locally" approach. Plenty of excellent nationally made products to choose from. And when not available locally/nationally, I'll only be looking at "friendly" locations/nations. I do not like bullies and will always stand up to them. They always loose.

Name me one bully who has bettered the group of their choosing. Advancement only happens when you have cooperation on a mutual interest.

As for only one side having tariffs, that’s nonsense. The average tariff in the EU on US goods is around 1.97% with the weighted average around 1.34%. The average US tariff on imported goods from anywhere was 1.61% so it was tit for tat and nothing to write home about, until Rump came to town.

In his first term, he cost Americans consumers more than $51 Billion with his tariff games. The cost of bailing out our farmers from his trade war with China was 92% of all the tariffs he put on China. Tariffs we paid, not China. We won nothing. It’s going to cost us a lot more this time. He’s losing approval faster than Tesla stock so now he’s ordering US car companies to pay the tariff taxes that we’d have to pay so we won’t feel the pain. That sounds very Stalinist, doesn’t it? Price controls, favoritism and no free markets.

All the best,
Nonoise

If you get sick, you ain’t enjoying music all that much

Are we allowed to talk about breakfast foods? I don’t think they have much to do with audio though cholesterol issues tend to never help anything. They do say “everything matters” though….

About 3 years ago, some blood work from my doc revealed high ldl. He was about to prescribe statins. But, I said that I’d get back to him for a re-test in some months ...after I do some lifestyle changes.

And i started to wonder...i work out, don’t eat mammals, no diary, quit drinking etc... and what the hell might be going on.

Dropped the eggs and triple filtered the coffee, i.e., there is a item in unfiltered coffee that’s a culprit, etc.

i went back in about 11-ish months and ldl had returned to normal!

My doc was like, "wai wai wai wai wai waiittttt, did you go to some other doctor and get statins?!?!?!" I said, "Noooooo, never cheated on ya, you’re the only one!! I just made some dietary changes"

Long story short, I feel like spring chicken these days and have the ldl of some 19 yr old buck or whatever. I am sure genetics and everything else matters, but, the above mentioned worked out for me.

There does not seem to be any hard and fast evidence, @deep_333 , whether high serum LDL cholesterol can be attributed to diet or not. There does seem to be a definite link to alcohol, tobacco, stress, sedentary life style and obesity. Eggs are not necessarily linked to obesity, and they are an excellent source of a complete protein with only 5 or 6 grams of fat.