What gear you wouldn't buy because of its name or cult status.

[mhardy6647]

What makes a tuner a great tuner? An honest question from someone who knows nothing about tuners.

Selectivity, sensitivity, capture ratio, s/n, THD, frequency response, stereo (vs. mono) performance.

 

[mhardy6647]

A good outdoor antenna, especially motorized so you can orient it.

oh, yeah, this, too
...whenever feasible, of course.

 

[sq225917]

Thetes no brands I wouldn't buy due to name or status, those simply aren't factors in my buying decisions.

 

[MattHooper]

I'll play:

KEF LS50.

Ubiquitous to the point of numbing: My gawd if I see another picture of those in an audiophile's set up....

(Hypocritically: I induced my non-audiophile friends, looking for their first audiophile-rated speakers, to buy some second hand LS50s...)

 

[mhardy6647]

I'll play:

KEF LS50.

Ubiquitous to the point of numbing: My gawd if I see another picture of those in an audiophile's set up....

(Hypocritically: I induced my non-audiophile friends, looking for their first audiophile-rated speakers, to buy some second hand LS50s...)

yeah, but now you can get Metas!

 

[jhaider]

…Lexicon…

Why? I have had a search going for their “pro” Quantum Logic upmixer for some time.

As for me, I dunno, maybe Linn? I don’t know jack about the products so I don’t even know if they make anything I’d like, but the cult turns me off.

Also, I lost all respect for Audio Research after one of their reps started going off on how different case-top materials affect the sound from the audio outputs. But truthfully I’d never be in the market for the types of stuff they sell so that’s of no consequence to anyone.

 

[Astoneroad]

Raidho. Hegel. The whole audio guru thing... I find it distasteful and "Lemmingesque".

 

[Astrozombie]

Probably Bowers and Wilkins

I'll play:

KEF LS50.

Do they have grills? Might as well get Monitors, plus they say they need a subwoofer.............at that price? Are you kidding me!

 

[AudioAaron]

Schiit. They should rename to truly capture their brand ethos: Douche.

 

[restorer-john]

The one that got me back in the day was Tag McLaren.

Competition in Rolex Ferrari and the Japanese version, Seiko Lexus never saw the light of day- thank goodness.

 

[Axo1989]

I don't assign strong feelings to literal brand names, generally speaking.

But I have some odd reactions despite this: I'll dislike brands that are someone's full name: so Mark Levinson is off-putting even though I know that isn't logical. Triggers my particular generational distaste for boomer patriarchy (and post-war corporate culture) I guess. Anything with a middle initial would be beyond the pale (which taints JBL somewhat, although acronyms are generally inoffensive).

Related style issues: brand logotypes presented as a signature (I equate florid signatures with excessive ego). So Krell was fine but Daniel D'Agostino as a signature logotype (it's on the VU meters) is tacky on all counts (it didn't help that his amps took a co-incident steampunk-bling turn). And a faux-signature font can put me right off: for some time I assumed Benchmark was pretentious rubbish based purely on the logotype. So I know such biases can be entirely misleading.

Often biases reflect some cultural/ideological preference or alignment. Brand reactions (even aesthetic reactions) may be triggered because signifiers encode these meanings/values. Often people won't dig into their own biases, but until you do they operate on a subconscious level. Prejudice means judging before thinking, after all. Errors of pre-judgement are avoidable.

 

[jhaider]

The one that got me back in the day was Tag McLaren.

Counterpoint:

…A little after the turn of the millenium, whilst I was Technical Director of TAG McLaren Audio (TMA), I wrote a little Java application as a spare time activity. It was called TMREQ Wizard, aimed at assisting owners of TMA AV processors in setting up those units' TAG McLaren Room EQualisation (TMREQ) filters to tackle modal resonances…Following the demise of TAG McLaren Audio early in 2004, …That was the birth of REW.

 

[pseudoid]

*Pending further explanation.*

Notice some of the even most recent AVRs and AVPs still retain an input RCA pair labeled "Tuner".
But if you search for the same brands' product lists, you will find that a majority of them do not offer an AM/FM tuner.
(Denon, NAD, ParaSound, Pro-ject, TEAC possibly excluded)
The problem with AM/FM tuners is the same faith of the typewriter and the calculator.
If FM offered any sort of good/quality musical content worth tuning into; I would seriously consider buying one of these:

Magnum-DynaLab MD90T SE specification are (as a reference):

 

[beefkabob]

Schitt. What a stupid name.

 

[pseudoid]

There is no product I wouldn't buy simply or only because it has cult status...

Do you really mean it as a double-negative?
I think this way it means, you would buy all products that are cult.
... but then you make an exception. argh!

 

[flyzipper]

Apple.

 

[clearnfc]

Bose..... because its way too expensive for what it does.

 

[restorer-john]

Counterpoint:

Good point.

 

[pseudoid]

Apple.

I thought the thread was about audio gear.
Since you are going to stretch it this far: Then, I have no choice but to see your Apple and raise you:

Smart Phones.

 

[restorer-john]

If FM offered any sort of good/quality musical content worth tuning into; I would seriously consider buying one of these:

That's the problem isn't it? I remember quality FM broadcasts in the mid 1980s of CDs and with a good tuner and mastead amplifier, the sound was virtually indistinguishable to the CD.

Here's one of my favourite tuner's FM specs: