2. misc-audio
  3. 152905-868

Inflated prices in audio

Not being funny but I put a post into the thread about SME no longer selling tone-arms on their own saying they are not silly priced - I then had to row it back a bit when I saw that the SME V retails at £5500. 110 years ago it was half that price. My salary ain't doubled.

Likewise there are some real silly price audio equipment. If you index link top end audio from the 80's they would still come out significantly cheaper than now.

I'm not convinced that the best high-end from now is necessarily better than the stuff back then - different perhaps.

Is there any logical explanation for this? I think magazines like hi-fi world and what hifi are fairly responsible and do review a lot of real world products, but other publications are fixated with the utterly un-affordable.

What do you 'goners think?
lohanimal

Showing 1 response by richopp

richopp
760 posts
 
I THINK the 3009II--might be wrong on that model number as it was 45 years ago--was $135.00--when I sold them.

They were considered "middle of the road" for sound quality back then--1974.  Better arms--not sure of the names these days--were put on the best tables at the time.  Linn Sondek and the new "direct drive" tables from Technics were big back then.  Thornes was considered the "old guy." 

The MOST FUN table, that did not in any way work, was the Michell Transcriptor.  We had one on display with an SME arm, as I remember--could be wrong--but it was a real showpiece.  Didn't actually play any records, but darn nice to watch turn around.  Expensive, too, and pretty hard to assemble as I remember.

Funny to see SME arms at such a high price.  Should have bought another dozen from Shure back then, I guess...

Cheers!
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