In Reply to: But but but....the part that trickles down is still not the 'high end.' posted by Enophile on September 26, 2013 at 15:05:08:
I chose 1983 because it was just before TAS and Stereophile began to reach a wider audience.
There was Mark Levinson, Counterpoint and CAT; Cotter, Lynn and Sumiko; Infinity, Acoustat, and B&W; Straightwire and Fulton.
A system of those was about $20,000. Close to $150,000 in today's dollars and guess what, every issue of either mag back had letters decrying the high cost of all the components reviewed.
The "high end" will always be out of reach for all but the wealthiest Filberts, but fortunately, the rest of us can go back in time and luxuriate in the "high end" of 10 years ago. What's wrong with that? To me. it's still "high end"
For those with the desire to do better, there is the example of any number of plans available at Diyaudio.com or other sources for schematics and info to build better. During the same time I was building my Single-ended, direct-coupled, CCS'd, parallel-fed, UX-45 amp, I had a parade of KRAudio, Accuphase, Melody, Red Rocks Audio and a few others come through my listening room. The Simple 45, with about $1400 in parts, matched them all except in output.
That was exactly 3 years after I built my first kit, the Bottlehead Foreplay, which I had to send to Dan Scmalle for testing because I was afraid to use DVM probes on a live circuit! If it hadn't been for the pictures, I wouldn't have known the difference between a resistor and a capacitor. Now I are one ;-}
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Follow Ups
- RE: What was the "high-end" in 1983? - amioutaline? 09/26/1316:07:12 09/26/13 (6)
- 1983.... - Enophile 16:54:12 09/26/13 (3)
- "spendy" meaning getting one's moneysworth? [n.t.a.] - wangmr 06:21:48 09/27/13 (2)
- No though many would like you to believe that... - Goober58 09:43:00 09/27/13 (1)
- RE:thanks; it guess it's intuitive without consulting a dictionary.... - wangmr 07:28:33 09/29/13 (0)
- Let's go back to 1977... - mkuller 16:52:37 09/26/13 (1)
- And if you were an audiophile back in the 70s... - Goober58 09:40:41 09/27/13 (0)