There are always intangibles that guide business decisions when surviving family must make them. Family owned and operated concerns often fail to survive the first generation due to a myriad od competing family interests. Additionally loss of control and perceived loss of honor (i.e Kondo AN/AN...
I've owned ARC since 1979 (SP6A/D52B). Only with the 160S (three failed ghost meters), 6SE (failed volume control) and 3SE (delivered with non functional input 1 R channel) have I experienced such poor quality control and, in my opinion, component design flaws. Mr. Suggs cared about customer...
If ARC has new or significantly updated models to replace the current line up and the there is no or minimal price increase the new/updated line pricing will be easier to sell. If no new/updated components emerge then then the road ahead may prove rather rugged.
High and ultra high end audio products have characteristics of Veblen goods where demand does not decline or even increases as price increases. Some audio component manufacturers have established their requisite cachet in a highly rarefied market that does not obey normal demand curve behavior...
Couple of photos of my Artisan Fidelity Garrard 301 Statement with Ikeda 407 and Koetsu Coralstone. Platter and chassis are stainless steel. Plinth is AF’s panzerholst ply with quilted sapele veneer.
I had hoped to have my boron Coralstone updated and rebuilt as a diamond, but that now seems unlikely. Lucky to have it at all. One human being does make a difference.
So true. Cannot judge an old LP by its cover or appearance. But it is very satisfying when that old LP turns out to be a gem. It bothers me much less when an old LP turns out to be a dud than when the same happens with a repress.
We use the concept of diminishing returns in its most prosaic sense, rapidly decreasing benefit from rapidly increasing cost. However on a less easily quantified measure there is the drive to extend limits regardless of cost. Robert Browning‘s ”that a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or...
Disappointment seems to pervade so many represses that I have bought. Mostly lifeless and compressed echoes of the originals. I have many LPs my father bought in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s that after decades still deliver superb sound. Perhaps you really can’t go home again.
I do not possess a reviewer’s specialized vocabulary so this response may be lacking. My impression of the three Koetsu cartridges I’ve owned (Wajima, Coralstone, Leopard) is that their overall coherence, tonality, and soundstage depth are very satisfying, the stone bodies perhaps more so...
I’ve had mine since end of June. Very smooth and detailed right out of the box. dialed in with surprising ease. I’ve had my boron Coralstone since 2020 and I don’t think it was as “right” at zero hours. I fiddled with the VTA and loading (50/100/150 ohms0. I load at 100 ohms and it seems just...
Since I was 1was 14 listening to music was a solitary and contemplative activity. It still is when I want to listen, immerse,, and contemplate. My wife prefers to read as her solitary and contemplative time. Others will have different outlets for solitary pursuits. Casual uninvolved ”listening”...
As most here know High end audio was born at the tail end of the post WWII Golden age of classical music when the last generation of old school European artists were recorded by a developing new age of audio. The music inspired the recording which inspired the gear. Those early recording...
Really was not like that in the mid to late 1970s. There wasn’t that much “high end”. In ‘79 I had been reading HP’s TAS in college for years. I put every cent I had together for an ARC D52B and SP6B, Speakers were MG 1s. TT went from a Phillips 312 to a Thorens with an Infinity black widow...
The prices will go up but so will supply. As he said Rolex is now on the hook directly and they now have real money interest in the consumer end. You will get the watch of your choice at higher MSRP than current without significant wait. This will negatively affect the gray market as customers...
Posted system in my signature. Has been evolving over decades. My story like many here, smitten with audio early teens. It’s the music, but love the gear. Read original TAS in college, HP’s philosophy made a lasting impression. No particular biases. No one right answer. Many roads lead to Rome...
Many of you know Artisan Fidelity and are familiar with their custom turntables. Christopher is a consummate professional. He is committed to both meticulous attention to detail and devotion to engineering excellence. I recently took delivery of a Garrard 301 Statement SE and Ikeda 407. Artisan...