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And now a $2500 Battery

raistlin65

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I'm in the wrong racket... Perhaps I can make some snake oil stuFF too >@^_*@<

You'll only succeed if you can come up with creative product descriptions. :D

Personally, I'm thinking of selling cables that are infused with dark matter. Surprised no one has thought of that one yet since it can't be easily tested. And one could make up all kinds of sonic effects. lol
 

jsrtheta

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This is particularly sad, this is not the first respected name in audio or electronics to simply advertise with pure BS.

Nagra started making moves on the U.S. high end market years ago. Their push into consumer audio started in 1997.

Prior to that, I only knew them as the manufacturer of the tape recorders we used when we wired up undercover investigators to record bad guys. I had thought that it would be James Bond stuff, but they were just small (but not that small) recorders we had to tape to the investigator's chest. Nothing like the movies or TV, where they had all these micro doodads that performed miracles because, well, that was movies and TV.

The high end move must be paying off very well for them.
 

mhardy6647

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$2,500? LOL! What an expensive joke for a lithium-ion "powerbank" of unknown/unpublished storage capacity.

I'm about to order the below "TalentCell" brand 5-12-24v, 42,980mAh (159Wh) power-bank, which costs $124 at Amazon. It's even got the proper safety certification markings. (Higher capacity power-banks are available, but most are bigger and heavier, and they include an inverter for 120vac output.)
View attachment 47216
View attachment 47218

...
Just out of morbid academic curiosity -- does one have any reason to believe that those certifications are legitimate? ;)

I mean, like this Quad amplifier, you know?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Finish...=1424550688176e6e045bcfa3463a8b1b966eef92e79a

It says Made in Huntingdon England right on it. That's legit, right?
:p

1579902990206.png
 

Xulonn

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Just out of morbid academic curiosity -- does one have any reason to believe that those certifications are legitimate?

Yes - a very strong reason. Your example is not well thought out, and I have no idea why you equated "unknown-clone" audio components with a product from a legitimate SOTA lithium-ion battery pack manufacturer.

Your example is not being sold as a "Quad Preamplifier and Amplifier", but rather, it is correctly identified "clone" of a 30+ y/o Quad preamplifier and amplifier design, and listed as "Unbranded/Generic." The ad states very clearly that those Quad clones are made in China, and surely you can comprehend the the silk-screened makkings "Made in Huntington England" is part of the "cloning" process. Any buyer who overlooks that clearly stated information is being very foolish.

Buying a clone amplifier that is identified as a clone from an unknown, anonymous seller on eBay is not the same as buying a product on Amazon that is manufactured by an 18 y/o, well-established "clean energy" corporation in China. LINK

If you are not able to make that distinction, you will have difficulty finding good, legitimate products. OTOH, some products from established and known corporations can be sub-standard, and some "boutique" products can be well-made and reasonably priced.

If one does a bit of research instead of relying on flawed generalities, one will probably end up with sub-standard products less often.
 
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mhardy6647

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As long as one knows the source is genuine, than that sounds fine. "TalentCell" is not a brand with which I am familiar, and the chain of custody from a seller via Amazon is... sometimes somewhat checkered (edit: I have heard of counterfeit products coming out of China, sometimes even from the same factories as the legitimate products). I don't know how one can tell the delivered product is genuine -- maybe this is only a problem with Amazon sellers in the US.
Thanks for clearing all that up!
 
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Xulonn

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As long as one knows the source is genuine, than that sounds fine. "TalentCell" is not a brand with which I am familiar, and the chain of custody from a seller via Amazon is... sometimes somewhat checkered (edit: I have heard of counterfeit products coming out of China, sometimes even from the same factories as the legitimate products). I don't know how one can tell the delivered product is genuine -- maybe this is only a problem with Amazon sellers in the US.
Thanks for clearing all that up!

Because there is so much crap on eBay and AliExpress, I understand your quickness to judgement. I had never heard of TalentCell either - they appear to be a decent size modern company, but are not a major global corporation. But they were easy to find via an internet search, and by checking out their website, I got a good initial impression and felt that they were very likely a good manufacturer. Although I have a love/hate relationship with Amazon and how it treats its warehouse employees, after 20 years, they are still my "go-to" supplier for shipping to Florida and forwarding to Panama. I think eBay has more flaky sellers and is not as easy to deal with. However, I do spend a lot of time agonizing over many of my purchases, because if I am unhappy or have problems with a product, it is difficult and expensive for me to return it.

But not all companies whose products I buy are so easy to check out. I just purchased an "I.AM.D. v200" Chinese mini DAC/AMP from AliExpress to use as my computer/desktop amp. I did a lot of internet research before I ordered it, because It is an obscure product from a small-time player in the market. It has precisely the features I want - and none that I do not want. Also, I did not want another power supply brick, and it was available without one, which saves on shipping from Miami to Panama.

The I.AM.D v200 was at one time sold by Audiophonics, but is currently tagged as "No longer in stock." It has a couple of 5-star reviews there. It also had a bunch of fans at the DIYAudio forum, so I took a chance and bought one - and I like it. Solid construction, nice case fit, sharp and bright little LED display , basic remote that works fine, XMOS USB connectivity that worked and automatically the minute I connected it to my Windows 10 Intel NUC PC. And it drives my old Yamaha mini-monitors nicely. But I still have absolutely no idea who designed or manufactures it.

So, a bit of internet research doesn't guarantee that a product is good - or that you will like it. But it increases the odds that your purchase will be a good decision.
 

captain paranoia

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I'm assuming QRT stands for something like 'Quantum Resonance Technology'.

I'm guessing that, like Schrodinger's cat, whilst the thing is still in the box, you can't tell if it's snake oil or not...
 

captain paranoia

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Just out of morbid academic curiosity -- does one have any reason to believe that those certifications are legitimate?

The same thought occurred to me about all those very expensive cables posted above, sold in China. I'm sure they're all genuine products, and not counterfeits... I mean, whoever heard of Chinese being involved with counterfeiting...?

n.b. I buy quite a bit of stuff direct from China. I have no idea if it is 'genuine', since they are from nondescript brands.
 

Billy Budapest

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Reminder that Steve Hoffman recieved hundreds of thousands of dollars of free Nagra equipment last year and had the gall to ask for donations to pay for his website hosting just a week later. I believe he's received millions of dollars of high end equipment from various esoteric manufactures on indefinite loan in the past decade or two.
I am not sure what Steve Hoffman has to do with this discussion.

If Nagra gave him free gear, so what? It’s part of their marketing—just like how Nike gives free shoes, clothes, swimsuits to professional and Olympic athletes. Nagra wants an endorsement from one of the big names in the audio production and mastering field and wants their products to be visible in that field.

The Steve Hoffman Music Forum is another story entirely. It’s run without advertising and its bandwidth costs are enormous. The forum doesn’t benefit Steve personally—if anything, it has dragged his name into the mud at least on occasion. The forum exists for the benefit of its members and because Google bots index it so much, the public at large. It would be crazy for Steve to pay for this out of his own pocket. I am sure the cost to run it for a year is more than the MSRP of the Nagra gear you mentioned above.

There are lots of friends of ASR on the Steve Hoffman forum. I’m one of them.
 

direstraitsfan98

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Oh boy the steve hoffman fanboys are crawling out of the woodwork
 

Billy Budapest

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Oh boy the steve hoffman fanboys are crawling out of the woodwork
Give it a rest! Not a “fanboy.” You seem to be a “hater.” I get useful information from that forum and this one. I just don’t understand what Hoffman has to do with this discussion.
 

sejarzo

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LOL I think the only thing getting drilled deeper is the buyer's [you fill in the blank.]

1580168330851.png
 

ousi

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Here's a $9000 battery!

https://www.nagraaudio.com/product/nagra-mps/

Nagra reccomends you purchase the VFS as well to use with all their products! Only $1500 for piece of metal.

https://www.nagraaudio.com/product/nagra-vfs-vfs-l/

Yea, and Nagra cheapest component is at least 10,000USD. 1500 seems like a chump change for their client base.
Or maybe we can also check out some Constellation Audio stuff too. Anyway I do like the look of the Nagra Integrated. Will fit nicely into a less than 100USD Ikea 13 inch wide Kallax shelf in my bedroom.
 

Siwel

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A bit of history about Nagra.

The company was formed by Stefan Kudelski in the early 50s. Any film maker or remote recordist who had the ability owned a Nagra for field work. They were relatively easy to sync to cameras, a key feature. Kudelski designed his system to sync using the pilot tone approach that was common to pro cameras. Unique to Nagra was the quality and convenient size of his offerings, miniaturized by the standards of the day, unexcelled recording capability and all in a shoebox sized package (of highest quality). And... this in an open reel machine providing open reel quality while adapting providing the bells and whistles, improved through time by the developing refinement of the technology.


The brute force approach to synchronization was rendered largely obsolete by the advent of digital for all, which has also democratized location recording and every other kind of recording as well. Regardless what level you work at, there's a remote recording system for you that can lock up tight to your video or film. But none of this was so easy or compact in 1950's to early 1980s or so. There was Nagra (and Stellavox). Developments came, (SMPTE) time code being the default mechanism and has been standard protocol since for this sort of work.

The facility I worked at in San Francisco had a Nagra 4.2S and a Nagra 3 plus the associated stuff to syncronize and record (and play back) in sync and Nagra equipment was valued along with the Neumann, Sennheiser and AKG mics that were and still are stock and trade. Nagras were considered marvels of audio quality, build quality, engineering, durability and miniaturization. When I worked for Otari I discovered the same respect for Nagra among the Japanese engineers there.

Stefan Kudelski (born Polish but Swiss by choice) died a few years back and I saw little mention of it anywhere but Nagra still makes specialty recorders for pros but of course now they're digital recorders. I'm sure they are excellent. His son/family (?) owns the company as the "Kudelski Group" and I think they may be a little bigger than one might suppose.

As regards the hifi I have nothing that adds any insight as I have no interest in it especially considering the tariff.

However, their recorder looks well thought out and I would imagine performs superbly, at least the tradition is that it will. Gven who they are and where it is made, the prices aren't as high as you might think. So, consider the other side of Nagra Here.

There are also several Utoob videos that detail the machine's purpose and features...if you're interested.

Two sides to this coin.
 
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Doodski

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The brute force approach to synchronization was rendered largely obsolete by the advent of digital for all, which has also democratized location recording and every other kind of recording as well. Regardless what level you work at, there's a remote recording system for you that can lock up tight to your video or film. But none of this was so easy or compact in 1950's to early 1980s or so.

Sidenote.
I was the Sony of Canada recommended Western Canada go to guy for some years in Vancouver for servicing handheld DAT units for remote location recordings. Basically the pro-recording peeps would bring them in bi-annually for repair, service and calibration. One guy had 6 of them for recording stuff from butterflies to birds and whatever for nature films seen globally. I thought it was great stuff >@^_*@<
 

mansr

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Stefan Kudelski (born Polish but Swiss by choice) died a few years back and I saw little mention of it anywhere but Nagra still makes specialty recorders for pros but of course now they're digital recorders. I'm sure they are excellent. His son/family (?) owns the company as the "Kudelski Group" and I think they may be a little bigger than one might suppose.
I first encountered the company when I worked in the satellite/cable TV industry. They had a reputation of selling good products at high prices.
 

Doodski

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I first encountered the company when I worked in the satellite/cable TV industry. They had a reputation of selling good products at high prices.
Where you installing the 10'-12' actuated dishes with Ku and C band?
 
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