High End Amp Price Collapse musings
If Class D amplification becomes accepted by audiophiles there should be a glut of high end amps (Krell, Levinson, Pass etc) becoming available on the used market at prices a fraction of what they are now.
Think CRT TV when the flat panels began emerging.I think Ill hold off on a new/used amp purchase for a little while. Maybe I will bet a Boulder.
Has any one else considered this?
Just call Neal at Sound Science and he will work with you. I purchased my music server from him also. We both replaced some $20,000 - $25,000 in separates it's the 2170. http://www.soundsciencecat.com |
This is an amazing and rational thread. I am currently auditioning a Nuprime ST10 and Red Dragon S500 class D amps, but well $2K, and they are quite good. However, these class D amps do, frankly, seem less musically involving that that fine tube amps. The class D amps are astonishing clarity and LF control, but neither of the modestly-priced class D amps I am auditioning can come close to matching the appealing mid-range bloom of a my tube amp. However, they excel in other respects. Finally, a shout-out to Tgonzales and Guidocorona for two of the most erudite posts I have had the pleasure of reading on Audiogon. Sharp guys, these two. "Rational audiophiles" is an oxymoronic descriptor. We might fancy that we are such, but we are really, in the main, religious zealots passionately devoted to that particular aspect of musical reproduction that moves us, and the gear that makes the happen. As the Buddha said, "There are many paths..." I do note in passing that there are boatloads of sellers of uber-expensive amplifiers on Audiogon and Audio Mart that will be fortunate enough to recover 50% of the cost of their gear in the aftermarket. I don't think class D amps have moved the needle to much, but clearly they are garnering market share. I have never played in this realm of costly gear myself, but there are clearly winners and losers in the bargain. It is symmetrical in that the loss the sellers will bear will be the same benefit the buyers will receive. With the plethora of gear for sale in the on-line aftermarket so heavily discounted, I question the wisdom of buying new gear. Personally, I prefer to buy used whenever possible. |
