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What makes a $20,000 cd player cost 20,000?

Hi,
Listened to a Linn Sondeck CD12 (sp?) a few years back and the thing amazed me.
Was expecting that digital player development would continue to progress and that this level of performance would become available in the 2-5,000 range. It appears to me that redbook cd player development has stagnated, so I wanted to run a couple questions by for a sanity check.
1. Is there anything in the design or manufacture of top notch cd players that neccessarily results in stratospheric production costs?
2. Has anything come out in the last two or three years that really struck you as raising the bar in the price to performace ratio?
Happy listening.
jeff_jones

Showing 2 responses by aida_w

aida_w
308 posts
 
Oh - all these "reliable sources" - give me a break. Your question about the price is easy to answer. Part of it is research, part of it is development, part of it is cost no object design, which means material, hand selected electronical parts etc.. Part of it is man power i.e. hand work and part of it is exclusivity and/or hype. But - hey, that all applies to ANY high end stuff, or do you really think that a 5er BMW f.e. is "worth" the money they ask? I'm driving one at the moment because my MINI has electronic ailment. The Beamer is a WONDERFUL car, but not worth 65.000! Ok, and here is my "reliable source": WADIA 270/27ix upgraded by Great Northern - forget anything else.
Happy listening!
aida_w
308 posts
 
Oh - all these "reliable sources" - give me a break. Your question about the price is easy to answer. Part of it is research, part of it is development, part of it is cost no object design, which means material, hand selected electronical parts etc.. Part of it is man power i.e. hand work and part of it is exclusivity and/or hype. But - hey, that all applies to ANY high end stuff, or do you really think that a 5er BMW f.e. is "worth" the money they ask? I'm driving one at the moment because my MINI has electronic ailment. The Beamer is a WONDERFUL car, but not worth 65.000! Ok, and here is my "reliable source": WADIA 270/27ix upgraded by Great Northern - forget anything else.
Happy listening!
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