Well Arthur Hailey's 'wheels' is still valid today. Car manufacurers will baulk over a single cent added to the price of a part. But they have exceedingly stringent specs. Auto grade is often better than mil Spec in terms of reliability!
Edit: Johns designs, esp the Parasound JC series are well engineered, reliable and not silly money. He does come up with some corkers though, like the review where he told the chimp that the XLR connectors had been mis-supplied and had too high ferrous content so needed 100 hours break in before they sounded at their best!
Edit: Johns designs, esp the Parasound JC series are well engineered, reliable and not silly money. He does come up with some corkers though, like the review where he told the chimp that the XLR connectors had been mis-supplied and had too high ferrous content so needed 100 hours break in before they sounded at their best!
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Could be. It's been awhile since I read about that. But I don't think it was the book, Wheels, that I read.
How about ignition switches? They eventually got fixed, and at a huge loss to the company in that case. But not for a long time, and after several deaths.
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Getting back to my other example: bathroom tissue. It isn't sold based specifications such as, perforation or tear resistance, surface roughness, contour conformance, etc. So, why aren't we outraged and offended? It isn't just about cars. Its pervasive in society. I think that's why the world outside of this group doesn't get so worked up about speaker cables and such.
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Actually there used to be. It was called Izal and we had it at school. It was awful at its job, but made good tracing paper or fine wet and dry!
Actually outside this group the standard 'look at those audiophile idiots' laugh from normal people IS the amount spent on speaker cables. And think back a few years when, on purchase of a new TV you were pressured into getting the $75 monster HDMI cable to go with it. That was widely lampooned, but was accepted that the profit in the transaction was in the cable. Same with bricks and mortar hifi shops. You need to sell the cables to make good margin.
I am outraged and offended by many things. cost of Iphones for a start. Advertising is everywhere. Worst is where a supposed article is a thinly veiled advertorial. Wife sent me a link to a newspaper article on jogging buggies as we need a double buggy come the summer. It had 'buy it now' links at the bottom.
Grrr rant, snort. 🙂
Actually outside this group the standard 'look at those audiophile idiots' laugh from normal people IS the amount spent on speaker cables. And think back a few years when, on purchase of a new TV you were pressured into getting the $75 monster HDMI cable to go with it. That was widely lampooned, but was accepted that the profit in the transaction was in the cable. Same with bricks and mortar hifi shops. You need to sell the cables to make good margin.
I am outraged and offended by many things. cost of Iphones for a start. Advertising is everywhere. Worst is where a supposed article is a thinly veiled advertorial. Wife sent me a link to a newspaper article on jogging buggies as we need a double buggy come the summer. It had 'buy it now' links at the bottom.
Grrr rant, snort. 🙂
When I did my Kickstarter I was bombarded with people offering me 'help' to get the most money out of it. All kinds of tricks and stuff, some I found really embarrassing.
For instance, there is apparently a whole school on how to ph(r)ase your rewards for maximum money, for instance how to phrase it such that you give the impression that it is almost gone and they (the potential backer) should act now or lose out for ever.
As you said, advertising is everywhere.
Jan
For instance, there is apparently a whole school on how to ph(r)ase your rewards for maximum money, for instance how to phrase it such that you give the impression that it is almost gone and they (the potential backer) should act now or lose out for ever.
As you said, advertising is everywhere.
Jan
Laughing about something you can't change may be better than perpetual anger about it. Better for your health, less stress hormones, less chance of eventual heart attack, etc. Don't be a grouchy old man, not that anybody is old around here.
According to my daughers I am already a grouchy old man! Me I am chilled. Next addition is developing nicely and nothing has broken at work yet today.
Now inside this group there are a lot of Engineers and tech types and a number fully badged and piled high and deep. The old adage about arguing with a scientist is like wrestling a pig in mud..eventually you realise they are enjoying it! This being the lounge as well!
Edit: Jan you are not old, just well matured 😛.
Now inside this group there are a lot of Engineers and tech types and a number fully badged and piled high and deep. The old adage about arguing with a scientist is like wrestling a pig in mud..eventually you realise they are enjoying it! This being the lounge as well!
Edit: Jan you are not old, just well matured 😛.
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Good thing your designs are only second best!
The story is of an advertising copy writer who looking for work list himself as the world's second best copy writer. Got lots of responses as everyone else would claim to be the best.
On the false advertising front, most of the poorly made and deceptive advertising was done by the so called "high end" designers. I have seen equipment that was unreliable, failed specs (not repairable - by design) and so forth. Typically the most secretive companies were the worst. Generally speaking, the single designer companies really didn't do a good job at it.
So, on average, normal "mid-fi" equipment provides the best bang for the buck and the greater chance you will have a superior audio system if you know what to buy. I haven't heard a Parasound recently, so I can't have an opinion on it. I will assume that it is among the group that delivers on it's claims. But most of the "high end" products are a simple rip-off packaged in a lie.
Hi DVV,
Love your Marantz gear, and I'll agree with you. I have the 3650 and 300DC. With some changes, the performance will improve quite a bit too. That's both measured and listening impressions. An 1180DC is very close to a 3250 and 170DC combination, examine the schematics. 🙂
-Chris
So, on average, normal "mid-fi" equipment provides the best bang for the buck and the greater chance you will have a superior audio system if you know what to buy. I haven't heard a Parasound recently, so I can't have an opinion on it. I will assume that it is among the group that delivers on it's claims. But most of the "high end" products are a simple rip-off packaged in a lie.
Hi DVV,
Love your Marantz gear, and I'll agree with you. I have the 3650 and 300DC. With some changes, the performance will improve quite a bit too. That's both measured and listening impressions. An 1180DC is very close to a 3250 and 170DC combination, examine the schematics. 🙂
-Chris
Puffery verses False Advertising, according to the ABA: http://www.americanbar.org/content/...nel3_the_worlds_most_trusted.authcheckdam.pdf
Cable vendor slapped for unproven claims ? The Register
Took 3 years to clear.
https://www.asa.org.uk/Rulings/Adjudications/2014/1/Russ-Andrews-Accessories-Ltd/SHP_ADJ_228690.aspx
Meantime caused the aforementioned amusement I Think We’ve Got A Lead… – Bad Science
And Russ Andrews, whilst now cleared still claims magical improvements
Russ Andrews 2016 - Connect With Your Music
And keeps Ray Kimber happy. 🙂
Took 3 years to clear.
https://www.asa.org.uk/Rulings/Adjudications/2014/1/Russ-Andrews-Accessories-Ltd/SHP_ADJ_228690.aspx
Meantime caused the aforementioned amusement I Think We’ve Got A Lead… – Bad Science
And Russ Andrews, whilst now cleared still claims magical improvements
Russ Andrews 2016 - Connect With Your Music
And keeps Ray Kimber happy. 🙂
What I find interesting in this paper is the notion that it is important whether you can expect a 'reasonable' customer to realize that a claim is not a literally true claim but just an unsubstantiated piece of puffery.
But is that in itself reasonable? To remain with audio, if I make an outlandish claim for genetically engineered cables, can we expect the average customer to see through it as puffery? Many posts here in the past make me doubt that.
Jan
Thank you, Chris, glad to see you agree, at least in general. I have left it well alone, I feel the combo does fall somewhat short of what wuld be my ideal, and that ideal is reached by swappeing the Marantz 170 DC power amp with a Harman/Kardon PA 2400 (2*200W/8 Ohms, said to be capable of impulse currents of better than 100 A), but also having a mean streak when and if required. A Godsend for hard rock, let alone metallica.
Anatech, I can do one vetter then examine the schematics, I can play the 3250 and 170 DC versus the 1180 in person. Practically the same thing.
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