Do you remember?

As a follow up to my first answer, now I think I know what caused the demise of Sonic Frontiers: I was looking at the new listings for the day and there was one for an SF preamp, looked at the pictures and now I'm certain I know what done it: the ugly gold faceplate! Why would anyone not want anything but the beautiful black faceplate I will never know.

Pbb, they make the gold for the Far East. I've been told that 75% of the North American high end manufacturers business is from Asia. The Asians like gold, and shiny looks. That's why silver and gold are so popular with high end manufacturers. Not for the USA, but for their main customers in Asia, where black is repulsive.

FWIW, I agree with you, I prefer black faceplates.

I second Hales. I just picked up a set of Concept 5s'. What a speaker. The other speakers I have are now standing in a corner.

I was wondering exactly the same thing about roofing contractors. Why is it that you hire them and they give you a ten year guarantee and then they have disolved in two years and formed a new company....?

Perhaps the barriers to entry are too low and competition too fierce and the high end customers a fickle lot which chase the latest marketing hype. Perhaps high end audio has overshot the mainstream customer (cheap systems, even the dreaded Bose, are on the whole pretty darn good). Dunno...good question, as I sit here in Houston airport there is not a single Audio magazine available at the newstands.....but tons of stuff on home improvement, cars,fitness, PC's, self-help, hollywood celebs and regular newsmagazines. Fergilicious was on the cover of one magazine....mmmh hard for a black or gold amplifier face plate to compete with that!!!

John, no what I am saying is that the price that was asked for the product was probably correctly set to enable the manufacturer to make enough money to stay in business. But all this hinges on how many units the manufacturer can sell. You are saying that their lack of staying power only results in having set their prices too low, had they done otherwise they would still be in business. I'm saying that the fickle nature of audio buyers is what kills them. Using your logic, cars would still be the province of royalty and the moneyed and would still be made by hand by Rolls-Royce, Hispano-Suiza and Dusenberg. I am sure there is a different story behind the demise of each of these companies or of these brands and that too low a selling price is not necessarily the issue.