high-end gear

[blaymire]

i think i have said enough on the subject of hi-end gear , and i seem to have upset some members , but when i read criticism of a cartridge that i had owned and loved for about 4 years , i felt i could not let it go unanswered. .
i thought that joining this forum (as opposed to certain others) might have been different , but it seems that the same type of pettiness aplies here (it's not the site , it's the members ) so it might be better all round if i log-out and don't 'muddy the waters' and upset the apple-cart .
if i have offended anyone (progmeister in particular) then i apologise , as this was not the intention.
this is probably why i don't mix with other audiophiles , as they seem not to take too kindly to criticism

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

Don't be silly, no one is offended, people are *discussing*, and that means we at times disagree with each other, it is normal.

[antonio66]

I cannot agree with your last post Blaywire. If the cartridge you owned was a Koetsu, DSJR states he will get his Black repaired in time and Applemarc has lived with one for a long time, even the Doc said Applemarc's SME sounded lovely on a previous thread. I have never heard one but have a Lyra and from what I've read these are at the opposite end of the scale to Koetsu, and I would certainly not be put out if you did not like my Lyra. Read my last post, I have nothing against hi end hi fi, quite the opposite love to hear it.

[applemarc]

I have owned some very expensive hardware in the past actually still do and I am very happy with it. I know that I have paid over the odds especially if you buy anything imported to the UK from the US which is why I bought used direct from the US and saved a small fortune. But remember it’s my money and I can spend it where I like and this applies to anyone so if someone wants to buy a 8 to 10 k cartridge it’s there money let them do it same with amps.
Some high end kit is very good but you do pay a lot of money for it.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

My point is there are people and things (products) that need the piss taken out of them, as a form of balance. They rely on an aura of exclusivity and snobbishness which I find ludicrous in most case. There were exceptions as with the Pioneer Exclusive Range in the 1980's, the fact is they really were exceptional but not sold in the UK because we were hoodwinked into thinking cheap crap as with the Linn LP12 was exceptional, well more fool us as it wasn't.

I no longer see exceptional high end product being sold apart from the really exceptional from the past second hand. The stuff being pushed today at ridiculous prices, is just that - ridiculous, so deserves the piss being taken out of it.

[Daniel Quinn]

blaymire , you are confusing a number of issues probably as a consequence of the term high end being in precise . What is high end .I would say NVA is high end . There are number of separate but interrelated issues

is it high end only in price ,what performance betterment are you getting for the price

why does it cost what it costs .

if I can design an amplifier that sounds as good as a 15k one but costs me £300 to make , is it okay to sell it for £15,000.

Finally , if I think you wasted your money on a koestu cartridge you should take no notice of me , you are entitled to spend your money on what you want , its the law . However ,this fact misses a point , high end audio exists because of the world we live in , ie a capitalist economy in which the rewards are concentrated at the top . That is why I find it offensive . I would rather live in a world in which income was distributed so everyone could afford NVA statement amps than a world in which 100'S can afford naim statement amps

[joe]

Personally I buy whatever I choose and don't give a toss what anyone else thinks. This applies to hifi, clothes, music, books, food, furniture (well, OK, furniture is more of a joint purchase, so someone else's opinion counts there). It's the only way to be, really.

[Daniel Quinn]

Personally I buy whatever I choose and don't give a toss what anyone else thinks. This applies to hifi, clothes, music, books, food, furniture (well, OK, furniture is more of a joint purchase, so someone else's opinion counts there). It's the only way to be, really.

most people do , that is why there are 177 different washing powders in the supermarket .

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

And the eeediots buy the most expensive one as advertised on TV.

[joe]

And the eeediots buy the most expensive one as advertised on TV.

I buy whatever's on special offer. I'm fairly frugal on non-hifi things; e.g. the vast majority of my books come from secondhand bookshops and charity shops.