The December 2019 edition of Hi-Fi News carries an old review of the SME V by Martin Colloms from June 1986, the price of the arm was £1188, not exactly inexpenive at the time. Mine cost £2300 in April 2010 albeit for the "VD" model with detachable headshell. High retail prices in audio must reflect the fewer people now interested and buying hi-fi generally. Looking back one forgets what good value some kit was back in the day - my Michell Gyro Dec was priced at a "mere" £659 back in 1992 and it serves me well to this day. The SME VD will be/is my final upgrade though !!!. Steve M
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?
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?