Art Dudley Calls B.S. but without naming names - PLEASE DO!


Hey all,

As someone who hasn't been reading the audiophile press for all that long, I stumbled upon this article that I'm sure it lit up these airwaves when it was first published: https://www.stereophile.com/content/skin-deep

It's a great article and one that any knowledgeable person would most likely agree with, but hey, spending your own hard-earned (or inherited) money is a right and a privilege.  Art does call out some brands that he perceives to give great value:  AMVR, VPL, Conrad-Johnson, DeVore and Harbeth and Kimber and Peachtree and Quicksilver and Rega and Rogue and Spendor and Wavelength.  Shouldn't NAD be on this list?  

But what he doesn't do and I think is warranted, is name the companies that are most egregious in selling high-end products where the performance is far below the cost.  

I, for one, would love to see a list of those manufacturers from the people who read this forum.  You can group them by what they manufacture or just put them in order as you see fit.  I think it would be most helpful in calling b.s. but with "added-value", which is what this whole article was all about.  Right?

128x128lgoler

Showing 1 response by andrei_nz

No one yet has named a name.  It seems most reviews talk 'value' and products that 'punch above their weight' or 'you wont get better for X times the price'.  Well here here is one that punches below its weight: Triangle.  I have Triangle Speakers in their Magellan series.  They look ok and sound very good, but are poor value for money.  Also when I had a driver problem it took three emails to get a response to the effect that they were busy and would respond.  They never did.  Focal Sopras, Magico S1, and Canton K3 (all recent auditions that sound a good step up in quality).  Another disappointment was Anthem.  Their 225 amp had the specs but it was lifeless at low volume.  Mind you it was not expensive, so that was more a 'You get what you pay for' product.