2. amps-preamps
  3. 1187930396

Why so expensive??

I'm siting here Looking at amps,preamps,speakers,etc...and wondering why some of this stuff cost so much.Don't get me wrong i have some crazy expensive equipment,but $350,000 for amps' come on give me a break.$100,000 for a pre-amp'please.There is no way in h#%* it cost even close to that for parts and build time.So why???What NUT whould buy something like this?Ohh it's the same Nut that just traded in his '06 lamborgini for a '08.God bless you folks with that kinda of cash.And by the way when your ready to trade up let me know i will take your used equipment for FREE since you blowing your money anyway.
Thanks in advanced for your used equipment..
spaz

Showing 2 responses by atmasphere

atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
12,086 posts
 
We have an amp that costs $92,000... it takes 2 of our guys about 3 months of solid work to build it. Its on 4 chassis and makes a lot of power: 500 watts into 4 ohms and it has built in tube testing and power line regulation. At least when done you can *see* where the money went. OTOH I agree with the initial comments but there was some thread drift so I jumped in....
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
12,086 posts
 
If I can point out a few things:

Anyone who objects to the price might want to do a serious price analysis on what the parts cost, the cost of labor, the cost of certification (such as in the EU), the cost of shipping, the cost of reviewers on the take, the cost of advertising, the cost of rent, utilities, the phone, IP service and the like, the cost of administration such as accounting, the cost of shows like CES and RMAF, the cost of warranty, the cost of out of spec parts that suppliers took you to the cleaners for, the cost of Federal, state and city fees and taxation...

Add to that the fact that some of out here who got into this really want to see how well our technologies can perform if we go all out. IOW, the game is not worth playing if you don't enjoy it and give it your ALL.

I concede that some manufacturers appear to be gouging. But I can point to a lot that are not. What we have found is that there is a segment of the audio market that is willing to pay for true state of the art (as opposed to fake state of the art) and they have the ears to know.

If you choose your system based on size, cost, heat, weight constraints, the resulting sound will be a crap shoot. If you choose the system entirely based on the sound being the best that you understand, the result will be entirely different- a transformation.

I also believe that the 'best' exists as a possibililty. I concede that most people have not heard it, and in that world as they have already found out, its all about taste. But the fact of the matter is that the best is real, IOW it it possible. If you've not heard it yet, that's OK, but I would not let that stop you from trying!! Isn't that a large part of what drives the high end of any endeavor?

All the Best,

-Ralph
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