Hi All,
People are just getting more and more scared to have anything "affordable" at the show for lack of being taken "seriously".
Magico and Spectral = cold dead fish
Soulution and ?? (remind me) = cold dead metallic fish
CH precision and Wilson Benesch: Someone please tell me what the fascination is with this brand of electronics?? It is not as Soulless as Soulution but it is bland bland bland. Wilson Benesch is also not a favorite as it tends to sound rather dead dynamically but this was pretty lifeless listening. With all due respect to Gian et. al I don't get what you guys are hearing there.
FM acoustics demonstrated their insanely priced gear and I can say it did dynamics well but it sounded pushed and the highs were wiry and thin. Not worth the nutso money.
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That's a great write up, morricab. I think you may have answered your own question about so many of these manufacturer's...like CH precision and Soulution, etc. Your highlighted first statement is the answer. It's far more logical to produce electronics and other gear in small quantities and with nice casework and ask insane pricing than to risk producing the same gear with 'good enough' casework and ask an entry level price...thereby making the piece available to a much larger audience, but also being susceptible to the 'audio snob' who has to have the best...and equates best with highest price and bling casing ( Hello Mr. Dan D'Agostino- and so many others who TOTALLY get this!!). Even though those with good ears are completely questioning the sound of said piece, LOL. IMHO, this is the current and possibly future state of high end audio. Unfortunately, I also believe that this marketing plan could ultimately lead to the complete demise of the industry. Luckily, there are still some folks who are trying to bring great sounding gear to the market at entry level prices....problem is they are typically looked upon in a less favorable light! Sometimes, I question whether the MF's and JV's of the world along with their "anything below $500K is pretty cheap" philosophy, is in fact beneficial to this hobby?????