Hi group -

The recurrent discussion here about whether the high-end is a rip off and
the recent discussion about "then and now" output amps led me to do a little
research. I was trained as an economist, so I have my "quirks", one of
which is that I keep an annually updated cost of living index going all the
way back to when I graduated from college. And as a longtime audiophile, I
have a collection of catalogs and "annuals" going back to 1964.

To try to answer the question of "what compares to what" and auxiliary
questions such as "What would a Citation II cost today" or "What old
equipment best compares to an VTL ST-85 today" I have used this index to
calculate 1964 prices forward, and 2002 prices backward. The only exception
is Audio Research Corp, where I started the pricing comparison based on 1972
data, the first year they appeared.

The following is a summary in 2002 dollars of both old and current
equipment. For comparison I used conventional push-pull tube amplifiers
rated for the most part between 50 and 75 watts per channel. In the 60's
and early 70's this usually meant the manufacturers top of the line power
amps....in 2002 this generally meant manufacturers bottom of the line (or
nearly so) power amps. This is as close to an apples-to-apples comparison
that I can come up with.

Herewith the results:

Old Amps (in order of ascending price) in 2002 dollars:

Eico HF89 (50wpc) $839 ($8.39dpw)
Pr. Dynaco Mk III (60wpc) $1203 ($7.52dpw)
Citation II (60wpc) $1504 ($12.53dpw)
McIntosh 240 (58wpc) $1733 ($14.94dpw)
Fisher K1000 (65wpc) $1983 ($15.25dpw)
McIntosh 275 (75wpc) $2671 ($17.81dpw)
ARC Dual 75 (75wpc) $3906 ($26.04dpw)
Marantz 9A (70wpc) $4621 ($33.01dpw)

New Amps (in order of ascending actual 2002 price)

VTL ST-85 (85wpc) $1750 ($10.78)
VAC Auricle (55wpc) $2000 ($18.18)
Sonic Frontiers Power 1 (55wpc) $2499 ($22.78)
Conrad Johnson MV-60 (55wpc) $2795 ($25.41)
ARC VT-50 (50wpc) $3995 ($39.95)
BAT VK75 (75wpc) $6000 ($40.00)
ARC VT100 MkIII (100wpc) $5995 ($29.98)
McIntosh 2102 (100wpc) $6000 ($30.00)

I offer this more for study than for any firm conclusions, but I would draw
your attention to a few things:

* The lowest dollar/watt amps are the Eico and the Dyna MkIII's, followed by
the VTL ST85.
* Both the ARC VT100MkIII and the McIntosh 2102 cost slightly less on a
dollar per watt basis than the Marantz 9A did in 1964...extreme quality was
costly even back then.
* Of the newer amps, on a dollar per watt basis, all except the VTL cost
more than any of the 1964 amps other than the ARC Dual75 and the Marantz 9A
which seems to indicate some pricing inflation.
* Both in 1964 and 2002, dollar per watt generally increased with the price
of the unit. In other words the higher prices were associated with cost of
parts and/or circuit complexity, craftsmanship, or reputation and the
general difficulty of getting higher wattages out of tubes.
* The biggest change in "position" was McIntosh, which on a dollar per watt
basis went from solid upper middle class in the '60's to very high end in
this decade.
* ARC was premium priced when introduced and has remained so.
* Is BAT the Marantz of this decade?
* When exclaiming over the high cost of the current high end, it is useful
to understand that in terms of output most high-end amps today (tube or
otherwise) are much more powerful than those of the 60's and as already
noted, cost per watt goes up with power (at least with tubes).

************************************************** ***

If you would like a copy of the Excel spreadsheet showing actual and imputed
pricing for the years 1964, 72, 80, 87, 85, and 2002, and dollars/watts
figures for all these amps, just request and I will be happy to send.

If I get a chance, I'll extend my pricing index back to 1955 and compare
actual tube prices from tubes heyday to the current price of tubes...since
tube prices have to be one major component of a tube amp. Don't hold your
breath waiting, however, as this will be a lot of work.

--
Harry. Lavo
"it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing" - Duke Ellington