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Insanely Expensive Audio

watchnerd

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There's just SOMETHING about dragging a rock through a groove....

Snap, hiss, pop, click, thuck thuck thuck.

Oligarch ballers like Putin and Medvedev like their vinyl and reel-to-reel:

250539d1395481405-tape-forum-image.jpg


But...pfffft?

A Technics RS-1500-series tape deck? Seriously, Dimtri?

You couldn't spring for a Studer A810?

250543d1395482624-tape-forum-medvedev.jpeg


And is that an Avid Acutus SP turntable?

That thing is only like $27k. Heck, that's even within my 'ambitious purchase' price range if I thought they were remotely worth the money (I'd rather have a Technics SL-1000R for the same cash).

LOL, silly Russians. WBF forum members have pricier systems, and they don't even control whole countries.
 

cjfrbw

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That's a pretty wimpy stereo for an oligarch.

I prefer my vinyl vintage from the thrift shops or from Amoeba. I have no modern re-issues. The reissues I have heard don't sound as good to me as decent copies of the original issues.
 

JJB70

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On a serious note how many homes have an audio system front and centre these days? When I was growing up Technics stacks seemed to be almost like standard issue lounge decoration.
 

Rod

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Isn't it kinda of the same today? I would think that the guys who buy that sort of equipment are the ones who have a "goodo_O" stereo, maybe a car and no girlfriend?:facepalm: (xcept for those who have so much money that 10k$ is just pocket money:rolleyes:)

Well I dont remember having a good stereo or a car ever got me a date. It was always random events that led to meeting someone. Which worked fine for me.
 
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Thomas savage

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That's a pretty wimpy stereo for an oligarch.

I prefer my vinyl vintage from the thrift shops or from Amoeba. I have no modern re-issues. The reissues I have heard don't sound as good to me as decent copies of the original issues.
The real shit biscuit is the poor guy has to ask Vladimir for permission to turn it on and they have to only listen to right said Fred.
 

Thomas savage

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Oligarch ballers like Putin and Medvedev like their vinyl and reel-to-reel:

250539d1395481405-tape-forum-image.jpg


But...pfffft?

A Technics RS-1500-series tape deck? Seriously, Dimtri?

You couldn't spring for a Studer A810?

250543d1395482624-tape-forum-medvedev.jpeg


And is that an Avid Acutus SP turntable?

That thing is only like $27k. Heck, that's even within my 'ambitious purchase' price range if I thought they were remotely worth the money (I'd rather have a Technics SL-1000R for the same cash).

LOL, silly Russians. WBF forum members have pricier systems, and they don't even control whole countries.
Naim CDP? Looks like a CD5 to me.
 

Dialectic

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Two things I can't figure out:

1. what are those speakers?
2. where is the seating sweet spot?

An answer to your question 1: The speakers are by Daniel Hertz, Mark Levinson's newest company that manufactures devices from inexpensive off-the-shelf components, or simply re-badges entire devices, and then sells them for a killing.
 

JJB70

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An answer to your question 1: The speakers are by Daniel Hertz, Mark Levinson's newest company that manufactures devices from inexpensive off-the-shelf components, or simply re-badges entire devices, and then sells them for a killing.

It genuinely amazed me that so many people fell over themselves to denounce anybody that pointed out that rather than buying Chinese OEM gear with a red rose sticker on the front at a hideous mark up people might be better off buying the Chinese gear.
 

watchnerd

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It genuinely amazed me that so many people fell over themselves to denounce anybody that pointed out that rather than buying Chinese OEM gear with a red rose sticker on the front at a hideous mark up people might be better off buying the Chinese gear.

red rose sticker?
 

Sal1950

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JJB70

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??? Must be a UK thing.

Was not the Levinson selling Chinese OEM amps etc at a 1000% mark up when he was selling Red Rose badged equipment?
 
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Wasn't it the Lexicon BD-30 CD player that was an Oppo BDP-83 inside with a few 100% upped on the price? Daniel Hertz/Mark Levinson behind Lexicon?
 
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Ron Texas

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Was not the Levinson selling Chinese OEM amps etc at a 1000% mark up when he was selling Red Rose badged equipment?

Not insanely expensive, but an insanely bad deal.
 

JJB70

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Re-badging audio gear isn't new, and it may not necessarily a bad thing if companies share development costs etc, and usually the price differential isn't that extreme. However in the case of Red Rose Mark Levinson took a Chinese product which was a thoroughly decent product but one which his client base wouldn't have wiped their backsides with. He put his own label on it and suddenly people were falling over themselves to pay $2000 for it and then got all stroppy when informed they'd paid an $1800 surcharge to get a fancy name from a manufacturer they'd sneer at otherwise.
 

Sal1950

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Re-badging audio gear isn't new, and it may not necessarily a bad thing if companies share development costs etc, and usually the price differential isn't that extreme. However in the case of Red Rose Mark Levinson took a Chinese product which was a thoroughly decent product but one which his client base wouldn't have wiped their backsides with. He put his own label on it and suddenly people were falling over themselves to pay $2000 for it and then got all stroppy when informed they'd paid an $1800 surcharge to get a fancy name from a manufacturer they'd sneer at otherwise.
I don't remember ever reading anything the Red Rose deal, I'm fairly knowledgeable of the high end market in the US but I may just have missed it. Or it may have been more prevalent in the EU media?

As to re-badging, how many amps does ATI sell under other names? Quite a few though I'm not aware of any large discrepancy in pricing.
 

JJB70

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Red Rose seemed to be quite a niche outfit, trading on the Mark Levinson name (despite the Mark Levinson company already not having anything to do with the man). I remember one of their amplifiers was quite widely reviewed over here and won rave reviews with magazines claiming it was a bargain and basically giving it a glowing recommendation because if Mark Levinson was behind the company then it must be great. The same magazines wouldn't have given space to the original Chinese amp and if they had I suspect that rather than waxing lyrical about it's wonderful build under the Red Rose name would've found plenty to criticise. Not that I'm a cynic or anything.
 
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