I probably got the numbers wrong. But my focus was on the $8 Billion vs ($1 Billion - $400 Million) = $600 Million loss.
TLS guy has been on rant for weeks about the doom and gloom of Masimo’s Sound United losing millions while Yamaha had a decline of $8 billions in one year, which makes the Masimo loss seem like peanuts.
Yamaha have much deeper pockets than Masimo! That difference is crucial to be putting this in perspective.
However no corporation is going to fund AV as a charity. So, things have to change.
Lets face it we walked into an era where to properly enjoy what was on offer required a purpose built room integral with the system. I know, I know, you can shoe horn this gear into suboptimal spaces. The results are suboptimal and risk a costly divorce on top of the equipment cost.
The fact is that two and three channel systems, and may be a sub, should have been dominant and NOT 11 or 13 plus a bunch of subs. This has gone off the rails of practicality and the ability to provide it at a price where the equipment is reliable.
For the cost lay out, the equipment should be built around at least auto grade components, to provide adequate longevity. However, that would place equipment beyond the reach of even more.
So, the focus has to shift to gear that is priced within the range of the majority of middle class families and is compatible with the interior design of most homes.
I am totally atypical ,and way at the end of what is essentially a loony spectrum and a lot of the rest of you hoping to catch up. However I revel in my insanity, and have been lucky enough to have had the skills to do it on the cheap.
That leads me to my last point. I expect most of you have noticed, that I am an old man, with the temperament to boot. I was however blessed with a good memory and a curiosity of how things worked and to improve them. At that simpler time many were building their own systems, electronics and systems both. The leaders of this burgeoning new industry were only too eager to help and share what they knew and were doing. Far from reducing sales, this did the exact opposite and created a fervor of enthusiasm in those now far off days.
As I have said before, a circuit diagram was pretty much always included in the user manual, especially by Peter Walker of Quad. He said, "no one will copy the designs, but I can and have had me designs improved for free!" That is true humility.
A huge share of this current debacle can be laid right at the door of MBAs and marketers, who I have long, and always will despise and hold in contempt.
