Hey Marty,
It was great to meet you....thx so much for the visit and kind words. Look forward to our next listening session whenever that occurs.
That was a PiGreco Sonfinia (Italian) cdp being used as a transport for the Vitus DAC. The Vitus 100Watt Class mono amps were the SM102's.
Bob (Northstar) HI, it's been a while, hope all is well.
Everyone has a different perspective on things, it is what it is. I totally understand all of your perspectives regarding pricing in the high end audio industry. It's your opinions and I respect everyone's opinion.
Regardging the Mpods, I have five or six people that are waiting for my M3's to arrive to listen to them. I've told them all about the Mpod stand. Four out of the six M3 interested customers definitely wanted to hear the M3's with the MPod set up and if they purchase M3's will probably purchase the MPod stands. And that's one small NYC dealer, with a product that has not even arrived or been heard yet. Add that up with an international dealer network. My prediction is that most people that purchase M3's will opt for the Mpod stands.
There is a difference between actual M3 buyers and forum activity that critiques and does not agree with a manufacturer's pricing policies.
Again, my offer stands, would really enjoy visits from any of the WBF members for a listening session.....please bring your own great music to turn me onto as Marty did!
I have to add this- I am an audio dealer because I love listening to music and I love gear as well. I also love playing music (guitar and keyboards). Here's the thing, I know how much I love the S7's, they REALLY float my boat. I am "betting" on the come with the M3's that I am going to like them even more. Not as a dealer, but as a listener and music lover. If in fact I was buying the M3's for my personal use for $75K and I liked them as much or more than I like the S7's and I could make them sound significantly better for an additional $9600, then I would have no problem with that.
It's all relative, it you have $300K worth of electronics and cables and are buying $75K speakers, then an extra $10K just doesn't seem to matter, IF it ups the game sonically in a noticeable/positive way. Maybe it does to you, but personally the cost does not matter to me, I'm after sonic performance. Neither does $30K speaker cables or even $100K preamp (that's with a $20K phono board option and a $12K Silver wound SUT included btw), AGAIN IF it increases not only my listening pleasure but I happen to like the company and it's values and the aesthetic look of the product.
There are thousands of audiophiles globally with $300K+ systems. They buy Tripoint grounding devices for $75K, what if the Mpod stands made just as much of a difference as a $75K grounding box, would it still be foolish to purchase? There are SO MANY crazy priced audio products out there. There are also reasonably priced products that sound great too. But there is a reason for Chevys and Ferraris, Timex and Rolex, etc. We are living in a global environment at this point and sometimes things that seem out of wack to a certain geographic region seem totally normal in another area.
Sorry for rambling but I just don't see the big deal about $10K speaker stands that I think are highly engineered devices that support 300+ lb speakers and make them sound better and supported by a first class company. They are also engineered to have wheels installed in the bottom of the stands so the M3's "roll out" of their crates and then you can simply remove the wheels and lower the speaker down which is then supported by the MPod stand. When dealing with 300+ lb speakers all of this means something, again for me personally.
Some of you think they are a rip off, I personally don't, sorry we just disagree. I respect your opinion but honestly it doesn't bother me if you do not respect my perspective, that's all in your heads not mine
.....peace be with you!
