what price love?

O

Old Bob

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May 27, 2016
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good morning everyone!
on page 20 in the June stereophile magazine, i found something interesting. it was an ad for PrimaLuna preamps. i have heard nothing but good things about Prima Luna.

in the ad, they claimed a "major brand" solid state preamp sells for $7595, and could sell for $2595 and "they would still make a fat profit"

wow.

this ad further claims that their tube preamps at $2200 and $3200 are better.

you know, when you are buying high end, costly equipment, you are CHOOSING to do so, as you do with a mercedes, $1 million dollar house,etc. a company making a good profit off well to do people is just fine with me, BUT adding $5000 to a $2500 preamp is pretty offensive. i work hard for my money, and want to spend it on GREAT RESULTS at a fair price.

what do you guys think? is this true? could the prima luna preamps be "better" than the one for $7600?

is this kind of markup typical?



call me "dumb in Massachusetts" ! ha!

have a great day
bob

:hey:
 
Bob
In my opinion it is difficult to justify the cost of "the higher end" products within our hobby yet if someone wishes to purchase one of these uber prices units more power to them. I cannot determine how someone else places a value on industrial design, exclusivity, resale value, a robust service network, warranty etc.

Our hobby is no different than cars, wine, watches, or clothing. You can pay a lot for something that might be perceived to be just a bit "better" but actually functions similarly.
 
Validation of the ad is subjective. I'm not saying PL doesn't have the integrity but it's a difficult thing to believe that a company would be willing to accept less profit/bring home pay, when the rest of the industry is at a higher level. If they are a better value it would be a motivation to have them on your audition list.
 
Mr Peabody said:
Validation of the ad is subjective. I'm not saying PL doesn't have the integrity but it's a difficult thing to believe that a company would be willing to accept less profit/bring home pay, when the rest of the industry is at a higher level. If they are a better value it would be a motivation to have them on your audition list.
Click to expand...


Mr. P, it all depends on how you look at it. Maybe the company thinks that they will sell more products at a lower price and make about the same profit in the end. Certainly with higher volume comes cheaper manufacturing costs.
 
In my opinion, value is not determined by the manufacturer despite their pricing structure. Value is determined by the buyer. If one perceives a product meets their needs, satisfies their desires, and sufficiently strokes their ego, the cost becomes irrelevant to those who can afford it. If a product is perceived as too cheap or too expensive with respect to true value, it will likely remain unsold. Buyers may not set pricing but they always determine value.
 
Nothing dumb about questioning price.
The real value of things like this is shown at resale, when the replacement model comes out.

Many of the familiar brands began building their products in Chinese factories, years ago.

When multiple lines are doing this, on legacy designs - you're paying for something other than innovation.

So yes, the Prima Luna gear is a good value. Would I buy it new? Nope.

This is a common practice.


Mark Levinson's Red Rose audio ran afoul of this "rebadging" practice.

http://www.goodsound.com/equipment/dussun_ds99.htm

Go see Darius at QAudio in Cambridge.
He'll offer good value.






Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
 
anji12305 said:
Nothing dumb about questioning price.
The real value of things like this is shown at resale, when the replacement model comes out.

Many of the familiar brands began building their products in Chinese factories, years ago.

When multiple lines are doing this, on legacy designs - you're paying for something other than innovation.

So yes, the Prima Luna gear is a good value. Would I buy it new? Nope.

This is a common practice.


Mark Levinson's Red Rose audio ran afoul of this "rebadging" practice.

http://www.goodsound.com/equipment/dussun_ds99.htm

Go see Darius at QAudio in Cambridge.
He'll offer good value.






Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I have fond memories of Q Audio. I gave them my business when I lived in Maine once upon a longtime ago.
 
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