Am I courting derision and contempt?

Kramer64 said:
I wish that were true but there are several distilleries in Kentucky that have hit hard times and recent months, Kentucky owl, Garrard County distilling, and others.. Jim Beam, as anyone familiar with the industry knows, is a major player and the bourbon business.
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A very large swath of American are also abstaining from consuming alcoholic beverages. I am sure that is more of an impact on these companies than an embargo with Canada afterall it is only 41M people heck there are 31M in Texas.....Titos is rocking down here in Austin...
 
crwilli said:
Not cool man. You’re going to lose your ‘DUDE’ badge.

I am pretty sure you were not granted the special membership that lets you decide who gets in and what they are allowed to post?
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He is the same "dude" complaining about snark and synoecism in the various audio forums. Gotta have a thick hide.
 
The is a big hobby, with many sorts of people and gear, and a big world. I come here to read other peoples perspectives about what interests them. And to hear about their opinions about gear I might, or not, be interested in. I did well in life, and collected a few shiny toys, but am retired now, and the uber gear is no longer in play for me.

I was quite interested in the Dartzeel 8550 integrated amp at one point, that interest cooled when Dartzeel closed/shut/slowed down.

I don’t have a problem with a copy made of a famous device after the IP protection period runs out. I’m quite sure that the cheaper alternative is not completely up to snuff with the original, but as I have heard neither, I’ll not comment. Dartzeel did not seem to be thriving selling pieces at Dartzeel pricing. Dartzeel finale, or continued existence, still to be determined. I know that they still continue to service the existing units, currently.

I was, and might again, be involved with DIY amplifiers. I built several amps from the FirstWatt line. Nelson Pass is famously involved with this community, and releases the schematic when an amp is taken out of production. He then answers questions about the schematic on the forum. He has also designed new schematics , and even created kits with hard to find parts for construction. So, I’m not at all surprised to see different, famous, amps being reconstructed, and sold, by others.
 
Bones13 said:
The is a big hobby, with many sorts of people and gear, and a big world. I come here to read other peoples perspectives about what interests them. And to hear about their opinions about gear I might, or not, be interested in. I did well in life, and collected a few shiny toys, but am retired now, and the uber gear is no longer in play for me.

I was quite interested in the Dartzeel 8550 integrated amp at one point, that interest cooled when Dartzeel closed/shut/slowed down.

I don’t have a problem with a copy made of a famous device after the IP protection period runs out. I’m quite sure that the cheaper alternative is not completely up to snuff with the original, but as I have heard neither, I’ll not comment. Dartzeel did not seem to be thriving selling pieces at Dartzeel pricing. Dartzeel finale, or continued existence, still to be determined. I know that they still continue to service the existing units, currently.

I was, and might again, be involved with DIY amplifiers. I built several amps from the FirstWatt line. Nelson Pass is famously involved with this community, and releases the schematic when an amp is taken out of production. He then answers questions about the schematic on the forum. He has also designed new schematics , and even created kits with hard to find parts for construction. So, I’m not at all surprised to see different, famous, amps being reconstructed, and sold, by others.
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Patents expire for a reason and that is so they can be copied and use for the benefit of all users in competitive market place. Patents were not conceive solely to line the pockets of inventors, much less to stroke their egos.

Cheap clones will not usually have many "audiophile-grade" components but generally they do use decent, industry standard components that will do the job without "gilding the lily". They Chinese cloners don't spend too much time on cosmetics and tend to use mass-produce cases, etc. All said however one is certainly NOT guaranteed that the "clone" is going to equal the performance of the original.

Regarding DIY and Pass/First Watt, I' curious to know if you have any experience of the Buffer or Balance Zen preamp?
 
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Feanor said:
Patents expire for a reason and that is so they can be copied and use for the benefit of all users in competitive market place. Patents were not conceive solely to line the pockets of inventors, much less to stroke their egos.

Cheap clones will not usually have many "audiophile-grade" components but generally they do use decent, industry standard components that will do the job without "gilding the lily". They Chinese cloners don't spend too much time on cosmetics and tend to use mass-produce cases, etc.

Regarding DIY and Pass/First Watt, I' curious to know if you have any experience of the Buffer or Balance Zen preamp?
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I agree with you that once a patent expires, its fair game and that's a good thing. Theft of intellectual property is a different matter. I avoid buying Chinese when feasible. I doubt that any of us don't own something made in China, there are likely lots of Chinese parts in all sorts of products. I had a chance to buy a Russian made component not long ago at a pretty good price. I passed because I would go out of my way to avoid anything that supports the Russian economy. That's just me, others have a different view and how someone chooses to spend their money, as long as its legal, is not my business or my place to judge.

I did see an interesting YouTube where Erin's Audio Corner compared a McIintosh amp with a Chinese clone. He is very good with measurements and the clone didn't stack up very well against the Mac-which might be expected since its about a third of the price.
 
Kramer64 said:
I agree with you that once a patent expires, its fair game and that's a good thing. Theft of intellectual property is a different matter. I avoid buying Chinese when feasible. I doubt that any of us don't own something made in China, there are likely lots of Chinese parts in all sorts of products. I had a chance to buy a Russian made component not long ago at a pretty good price. I passed because I would go out of my way to avoid anything that supports the Russian economy. That's just me, others have a different view and how someone chooses to spend their money, as long as its legal, is not my business or my place to judge.

I did see an interesting YouTube where Erin's Audio Corner compared a McIintosh amp with a Chinese clone. He is very good with measurements and the clone didn't stack up very well against the Mac-which might be expected since its about a third of the price.
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Shocking :eek:
 
Cayin gave their amps different model numbers and didn't market as clones many of them were replicas of well known classic tube amps. If memory serves they would note in the description something like McIntosh XXX replica. They were typically inexpensive but not to the point some of the clones we are talking about now.
 
ggdudeabides said:
I'll pass on your thread. I did serious audio for 30 years plus so I think I know about audio memory. And I don't like the word "must", regardless of its intended use. Thanks.
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So every time you listen to your stereo it's like the first time all over again, how much fun for you. Must be tough though not recognizing the voices of family and friends.
 
Mr Peabody said:
So every time you listen to your stereo it's like the first time all over again, how much fun for you. Must be tough though not recognizing the voices of family and friends.
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Audio memory in terms of referencing stereo, is your brains ability to remember / recall musical details of how an audio system sounds last year, last week or yesterday for comparative purpose to what you are currently hearing. You know that and so does everyone else involved in audio listening. There is no need to be sarcastic and insulting. WOW. Sorry you're upset that I don't want to read your thread. Did not know it was obligatory.
 
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