"Sander deWaal" wrote in message
...
" said:

Too bad the big audio names seem to come into and out of fashion
with the whims of reviewers, the budgets of advertisement, or the
addition
of, "gasp", a consumer retail outlet.


Please note that second-hand quality audio gear seems to hold up its
value pretty well.

A used Krell, Mark Levinson, Rowland, Audio Research, yes even Quad or
Radford can't be had for a bargain.


But products from lesser known names that sound identical can be.


That may be true, but with the brands mentioned above, it's not just
about sonical performance IMO.

That's pretty much been my point for some time. If you pay more for an amp,
CD player, or whatever, you don't get better sound, you get bragging rights.
Once you achieve flat response without any form of audible distortion or
noise, and the ability to drive difficult loads, you have a perfect piece of
equipment. Adding heavy faceplates or designer caps, and coils, doesn't
really get you better sound, but it might get you a longer product life.

Nothing wrong with spending whatever someone wants for their gear, but
people should be aware of the fact that it doesn't get them better sound as
the manufacturers and SP type reviewers would like us to believe.

The comment was directed at Robert, who stated that "the big audio
names seem to come in and out of fashion", with which statement I
disagree, at least where it concerns well-known brand names that are
with us for several decades now.

--

"Audio as a serious hobby is going down the tubes."
- Howard Ferstler, 25/4/2005