Modern Linestages

Mikelavigne, thanks for your response. It's good to hear the opinion of someone who has extensive experience with such high quality products.

My question isn't really about value or sound quality. It's more about why are these products so complex. The expense is a byproduct of the complexity. Think A.I. when I say this, "linestages, we're talking about linestages!" How complex do they need to be?

In my earlier reference to high horsepower sedans, I understand that manufacturers make statement products that demonstrate the limits of what they can do. But such products raise the question that beyond a challenging technical/manufacturing exercise, what's the point?

BTW, Mikelavigne's preamp is at the low end of the cost scale compared to some recent entries.

is every expensive preamp worth it? no.

do some deliver the goods? sure they do.

i have 'one of those' over $20k preamps with built-in phono stage. it's too bad it's sounds better than less expensive pre's, or even other expensive pre's, but it does.

it's swiss made, battery powered, and i've owned it for 5 years. i've compared it directly to quite a few stand alone phono stages and other pre's. it sounds better.

Michael Fremer has had the same pre for 3 years and compared it to 4 or 5 equally or more expensive pre's and only one (more expensive) was it's match....if somewhat different.

sure; the Swiss franc and the dollar is part of the issue. but it's assembled like a swiss watch....and then there is how it sounds (or rather does not sound).

and if you are asking 'where's the value?' you need to listen to it in a system which can show what it can do, maybe open it up and look at how it is assembled. use it for awhile to see how everything works exactly like you might want it to.

in the context of a top level system a no-holds-bared preamp does earn it's place. unless you have very low noise sources, a good turntable, arm and cartridge which can take full advantage of the low noise switching and attenuation, you nmight not get the full value of the refinement of the top of the food chain.

The Manufacturers operate at a Mark up of 500%...Thats the reality of it.....

I bet that overall circuit components would not exceed $1000 even on these preamps. It's obvious that from circuit components net worth of $1000 you can have world class performance. Such great preamps as Pass or Bryston don't even reach this level so here's my humble opinion.

I agree. Are some manufacturers "gilding the lilly" just not to fall behind in sophistication perception?

Dammed if I know. Seems as if the cost of some of the finer vintage pre-amps w/phono stages when adjusted for inflation etc, cost no more than current line stages, albeit the newer lines stages may sound more detailed, etc.

Lets face it, cost correlates more with 'expected' value than anything else. And, FWIW bling has never come cheap either.