Any good Integrated Amp Roundups ~$600?

[corysmith01]

Good point.

 

[furrycute]

Very good point about volume. I guess the analogy would be a single owner grocery store, compared to a large chain store such as Kroger's. Kroger's is able to get much lower prices for the same products because of the large volume they purchase from distributors.

 

[jaxvon]

Very good point about volume. I guess the analogy would be a single owner grocery store, compared to a large chain store such as Kroger's. Kroger's is able to get much lower prices for the same products because of the large volume they purchase from distributors.

Except for the fact that many small grocery stores purchase from distributors with groups of 10 or 15 other smaller stores to get a good rate like Kroger and whatnot. Obviously, this doesn't apply to an Internet-Only company that has its own proprietary drivers.

 

[Rob Babcock]

I'd wager that AV123 does a lot more volume than my local specialty retailer, which isn't a part of a chain. If Gorley's buys with anyone they either aren't getting much of a break or they choose not to pass it along to the customer. I suspect your Axioms, SVSs and Cambridge Soundworks are selling a lot of gear. And that doesn't even take into account 'net sales of "conventional" brands like Crutchfield and J&R.

 

[Sleestack]

No, I have not heard the SP3. But I have heard cheap tube amps before. And I did not like what I heard.

Onix is the same company that markets Rockets line of speakers. And those speakers have been praised ad nauseum all over the net. I have heard the Rockets towers, and I did not like what I heard.

Onix tends to engage in "exaggerated" internet advertising, with their Rockets line of speakers, and I suspect with this tube amp as well.

You get what you pay for. You cannot get the sound of a pair of $6,000 speakers in a $600 package. And you cannot get the sound of a $6,000 tube amp in a $600 package. The workmanship cost is there, the materials cost is there, the manufacturing cost is there. For $600, you have to cut corners somewhere.

And please don't bring up this whole "internet direct sales" sales pitch again. Those internet direct companies have as much markup if not more compared to traditional B&M brands.

Why do you make so many rash generalizations and suspect assumptions? You haven't heard the SP3, you haven't heard the Ref.3s, and you clearly don't know much about how businesses actually operate. At least get some fisrt hand experience and basic facts.

Onix "tends to exaggerate with their advertising" so you "suspect this with their tube amps as well?" Can you offer a specific example? And even if you can, what exactly have they said about the SP3 that you consider overblown? Who ever said AV123 markets their $600 products to be the equivalent of $6K products (not that price is any absolute indicator)?

With their speakers, I have never heard the Rocket line, so I won't comment. I do own a pair of Ref. 3s (and 1s) along with a pair of Epiphany 12-12s and Merlin TSM MX's, both of which are exceptional speakers. While the Ref. 3s aren't on the same level of the Epiphany's (although not many speakers are), they are great speakers that are on par with anything I have heard in the $8K and under price bracket.

"Those internet direct companies have as much markup if not more compared to traditional B&M brands." And you base this on what? I'm not saying you are right or wrong, but can you at least provide some details? Even if you are correct, it doesn't mean much if they also have completely different costs.

You are certinaly entitled to your opinion, but I don't really understand your position given that its seems almost entirely based on assumptions. Furthermore, I truly believe many of the AV123 products offfer great values for people looking for excellent products at great prices. I own many pieces considered high end, if not esoteric, and wholeheartedly recommend products like the SP3/Ref.1 because I feel that people should know about them. Even though I use a $13K bookshelf system in my office, I get 99% (if I had to put a figure on it) as much aural satisfaction using my $1300 SP3/Ref.1/XCD-99 combo. Now, my opinion my be crap, but I stand by it.

 

[furrycute]

Now, my opinion my be crap, but I stand by it.

No, I never called your assumptions crap. But please extend the same courtesy to my opinions.

 

[Nick250]

Let's not forget about supply and demand. Every business, be it the local B&M, Best Buy, Internet sales or Denon, Sony or Hsu, is trying to sell their product for as much as they can and still maintain (or increase) their market share. Big operations (Sony for example) have economies of scale on their side, smaller operations do not. But the bottom line is they are all in the game to maximize their profit, as they should. So we, as consumers look at quality, convince, price and customer service and make our purchasing decisions. For me that means I will pay a bit more to buy locally where I can look, feel and hear the product before I buy it. And for me, as long as the manufacturer of the product I buy honors their warranty, it makes absolutely no difference to me how much they are making or losing on an individual item. I have shopped around and I am making an informed decision as to price and quality of the product and I am a happy camper.

 

[Rob Babcock]

Auditioning a component in a store is useless, IMO- the sound you get there bears no relationship to how it will sound in my room. That's the beauty of most internet companies; you can try the product in your own rig, usually for 30 days or so, and find out if it will work for you.

I've heard rumors of B&M stores that will allow this, but I've personally never wandered into one.

 

[furrycute]

but I've personally never wandered into one.

Nex time, please make a visit to your friendly local hifi dealer.

Most dealers will lend you the floor models, plus a deposit, if you sweet talk them.