It's a lack of depth and understanding. Most of the companies listed as relevant, are sold and re-sold, and maybe still good, but as said before here it's marketing. Question- "why has marketing influenced/formed your opinions". Some equipment casings are pure eye candy. Sound is, or should be the one thing on trial here and each one of us are entitled to that opinion, our impressions and what we like. My opinion is that many companies can make an amp or preamp or speaker. Some do a better job for my ears than others. CJ- Well Conrad Johnson is still extremely relevant. Their many decades long employee and designer, Jeff Fischel, has put his fingerprint on again, decades worth of equipment. They still take calls, emails and they still service equipment made 30+ years ago. They are a boutique provider, and that's their model of business. The model is high value, high dollar, at a limited production. The other manufacturers are what they are, same or different. I doubt CJ is selling 20+Million in products. This also means they don't have the marketing budget of some more well marketed/relevant companies.
a year. Imagine a much smaller staff, high value in part quality and true to their house sound. Relevance- it fades, is fickle, means what to whom? If something is so relevant, do I need others to make me feel like my purchase is justifiable and therefore reinforce me making it? I'd take a CJ Premier 350sa, a solid state amp over a newer and better advertised product any day. I'd take a CJ Premier 12 Monoblock tube amp set over anything close to the price of a used pair (of which there are quite a few great buys on the market). Why? The presentation of sound, the imaging, sound stage, that these monoblocks have is incredible to my ears either with KT88, 6550's, or KT120's. I do get impressed by my Pass Labs XA amps or my PrimaLuna EVO' 400's and my LTA Preamp, but none of them are as pleasing. The OP did mot mention what he/she owns? What do you own?
a year. Imagine a much smaller staff, high value in part quality and true to their house sound. Relevance- it fades, is fickle, means what to whom? If something is so relevant, do I need others to make me feel like my purchase is justifiable and therefore reinforce me making it? I'd take a CJ Premier 350sa, a solid state amp over a newer and better advertised product any day. I'd take a CJ Premier 12 Monoblock tube amp set over anything close to the price of a used pair (of which there are quite a few great buys on the market). Why? The presentation of sound, the imaging, sound stage, that these monoblocks have is incredible to my ears either with KT88, 6550's, or KT120's. I do get impressed by my Pass Labs XA amps or my PrimaLuna EVO' 400's and my LTA Preamp, but none of them are as pleasing. The OP did mot mention what he/she owns? What do you own?