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Do you remember...

Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2018 5:41 pm
by Latteman
Hi, anyone remember Kelvin Labs- I think it was ‘labs’
Came across a length of their K120 speaker cable today in my spares (crap) box- remember buying it in a hifi shop just off Donegal square Belfast late 80s early 90s- :lol:

Re: Do you remember...

Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2018 5:57 pm
by valvesRus
Latteman wrote: Mon Sep 10, 2018 5:41 pm Hi, anyone remember Kelvin Labs-l:
I do, they did an integrated amp and a class A (he-he-he) pre/power amp.

Image

Re: Do you remember...

Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2018 6:02 pm
by Latteman
British?
Very nice

Re: Do you remember...

Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2018 6:06 pm
by Dr Bunsen Honeydew
Seen off by the Linn / Naim stitch-up. Like many others.

I challenge you all to name them. No new company could survive back then unless they went export. Dealers were corrupt, magazines were corrupt, reviewers were corrupt. AND corruption doesn't mean money in the pocket, there were the being part of the gang, or as one famous reviewer told me, "if I didn't own and review with Linn and Naim I wouldn't have got any work". "if I had made anything better than them I wouldn't have been given any credibility, so work would have dried up".

I still think people don't understand how screwed and corrupt our hobby was.

Re: Do you remember...

Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2018 6:29 pm
by Latteman
So sad
I try to look for and support the non corporate companies, this is similar in cycling, a non hifi brand that also has similar issues with the biggies
www.airdropbikes.com

Re: Do you remember...

Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2018 6:46 pm
by Dr Bunsen Honeydew
People call it capitalism, I call it corruption. Proper capitalism shouldn't be corrupt, but don't hold your breath for things to change. The internet now gives people the option to change it, before they knew no better.

Re: Do you remember...

Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2018 3:42 am
by It is I, Leclerc
I remember the name Kelvin Labs but that's as far as it goes, I can't bring any of their products to mind. The beast above looks to be a fair old lump!

Re: Do you remember...

Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2018 7:44 am
by CN211276
I vaguely remember the name.

Re: Do you remember...

Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2018 9:03 am
by savvypaul
I tried a KL pre-power on loan but my speakers at the time (Rega Ela) needed something to help them a bit more in the bass department. The dealer was pretty keen on the KL stuff but, as already said, very hard for a new maker to get a lot of traction in those days. The internet has opened up more possibilities but many small makers are still struggling with how to get heard...

Re: Do you remember...

Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2018 7:46 pm
by guydarryl
Latteman wrote: Mon Sep 10, 2018 6:29 pm So sad
I try to look for and support the non corporate companies, this is similar in cycling, a non hifi brand that also has similar issues with the biggies
www.airdropbikes.com
Not my style of bike (I like old steel!) but lovely to read about the company. I hope that they continue to thrive.

Similar story to be told about beer, thankfully small concerns have thrived over the last few years and the customer gets more choice/better product as a result.