Peter Breuninger
New Member
I don't disagree about "professional" CEOs, but entrepreneurs are to be applauded (most of the time).
Peter Breuninger, TAS
Peter Breuninger, TAS
Most expensive tube amplifiers etc. ;^)
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ducati_EL34
Addicted Member
Not everything is an investment, nor does it have to make sense...
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dbCooper
Well-Known Member
Let's see. The Lars 1 puts out 16 watts per channel. At $100K that's $6250 per watt! I'd rather kick in an additional $47K and pick up the AtmaSphere. At 500 watts per channel that brings my cost per watt down to only $294.00 and it will kick that little 16W amp's ass!
Besides, I like the retro look. It would also work well as a space heater in the winter!
Besides, I like the retro look. It would also work well as a space heater in the winter!
TerryO
Super Member
The only amps shown on that site that I've actually heard are the Tube Research Lab G.T.-800 Mono Blocks. They "really do" sound good, as one should expect for that kind of money. Having 800 watts (per channel) on tap will just about eliminate concerns about headroom in any normal listening room. I'd certainly like to own a pair, but I really wouldn't want to lift them!
Best Regards,
TerryO
Best Regards,
TerryO
Thespeakerdude8
Super Member
Who in their right mind is going to actually ever use 20kw on a single pair of speakers?! Maybe for dynamic headroom, which some incredibly inefficient speakers or electrostats I could see 1kw/channel RMS capability. But wow, I sure wish people who had this amount of money would randomly give some of it to me. I have a long list of people that I'd rather give money to than spend $600k on an amplifier.
specialidiot
Break Glass, Smoke Lucky
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TerryO
Super Member
If they have the money, I guess they can spend it on whatever they want. One thing that's abundantly clear however, is that many of those amps are showcase models and often only one or maybe two have ever been sold...worldwide. The Audio Market is pretty small, an awful lot smaller than many seem to realize and in spite of the hype, there are excellent amplifiers that cost far, far less.
Best Regards,
TerryO
If they only made one Technics 1200 (for example) ever, it would cost a few million dollars given the R&D and tooling cost, etc. Just something to think about. Anything that is made, at least if it is made with many unique parts and not assembled from off the shelf hardware, with a production run in the single digits, is going to be costly. No economies of scale equals crazy prices. Not that that is what is going on with all of these amps...but it probably is the case with some of them.
shelly_d
Not An Audiophool
These amps and prices put me in mind of a quote attributed to P.T. Barnum I believe - "There's a sucker born every minute".
The only names I recognize on that list are the Atma-Sphere and Cary. Haven't heard either of them but I have a great deal of difficulty imagining any of them sounding that much better then the really good amps spoken about here on a regular basis.
Give me a Citation II and I would be a VERY happy man.
Shelly_D
The only names I recognize on that list are the Atma-Sphere and Cary. Haven't heard either of them but I have a great deal of difficulty imagining any of them sounding that much better then the really good amps spoken about here on a regular basis.
Give me a Citation II and I would be a VERY happy man.
Shelly_D
shelly_d
Not An Audiophool
They did not hand make the tubes, tubes sockets, any solid state devices, capacitors, resistors, wiring in ANY of those. Sheet metal work and custom round transformers do not $600,000 make.
TerryO
Super Member
Do you think that if Leonardo DaVinci and I were given the same tubes of paint, that my painting would be of equal value with his?
OTOH, I must also say that I find it hard to imagine that an amplifier intended for a home system should cost $600,000.
Best Regards,
TerryO
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Not if you add up the parts cost, even if the rest is custom made. But these aren't production pieces for the most part. They are in the same camp (as mentioned) of artwork, custom cars, hand made furniture, Swiss watches...things who's function can be matched by something cheaper, but that's not why you buy them. You buy them because of what they are more than what they do.
shelly_d
Not An Audiophool
Well, perhaps you purchase them for what they are, I purchase them (or not) for what they do.
If you believe they are ART, then, as with all art, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What I behold is a very pretty piece of electronics that, in my opinion, is so overpriced as to be beyond ludicrous.
Shelly_D
And by the way, I have been to many a custom car and hot rod show and far more then half of those cars don't approach these levels of cost, even with the very expensive, hand work that custom paint jobs cost.
jbryant_77
Active Member
I would bet these are sold mainly in china and arab countrys and bought by the same people that buy gold plated ak's and rolls royce cars :scratch2:
I'm attempting to explain why somebody else would buy it, not you or I. I think the prices are insane. I've met people who collect exotic cars, and once had drinks with a gentleman who could buy a small country if he wanted...there is a lot of money out there and because of that, there are a lot of ways to spend it. If oil on canvas can be priceless to somebody, I'm sure iron and wire on aluminum can be priceless to somebody else.
ducati_EL34
Addicted Member
Well then, you are changing your argument. Earlier you compared these amps to a "one off" Technics 1200 TT. The parts that make up these amps are common. The R&D was done on them over 60 yrs ago. So your argument falls apart...
I also do not think they are the same as priceless art. DaVinci is not producing any more work. However, there are other companies producing these ridiculous priced amps. The website is proof of it.
Why does everything have to be an argument? Can't somebody just try to fathom out-loud why something would cost so much or try to discuss it without it being some audio pissing contest? I really could care less if somebody chooses to drop half a million dollars on an amp that is for all intents and purposes a work of art, and a piece of machinery for which there are, in fact, no economies of scale. There may be nothing in them unique, or their could be, but the particular assembly of parts whether common or not, makes them unique as a whole.
All I'm trying to say is..for my argument to fall apart, it would have to be an argument. I'm just throwing out ideas here and having fun discussing some insanely expensive audio gear.
ducati_EL34
Addicted Member
Ok, replace "argument" with "discussion". It still falls apart.
Yes it is fun to discuss ideas, when you use some form of logic.
Ok, replace "argument" with "discussion". It still falls apart.
Yes it is fun to discuss ideas, when you use some form of logic.
Trying to rationalize the irrational is never easy.
But it's a fun way to pass the time while having a bout of insomnia. Which could explain why several of my 'discussions' on this topic are loose at best. I think probably the most expensive amps I've ever heard were AtmaSphere OTL tube mono blocks, though they were not the ones on that page. I don't remember price but they were in very nice car price territory. They were huge. If I had a gazillion dollars, I probably would have bought them on the spot. As it is, they didn't sound that much better than what I could buy for much less. But that's not to say they didn't sound fantastic, and were truly unlike anything I'd ever seen in a tube amp. I would put them among the best amps I've ever heard, just not 'that' much better in terms of what was much much less expensive. I heard those same amps in a different, smaller room with speakers that were entirely wrong for them and they sounded terrible. Even when I did hear them in better light, they were in a big room with Totem Forests (6.5" floorstanding 2-way), which probably (actually, should read "certainly") weren't showing their true potential either. With very large and truly full range speakers in a large room...it might have been a different story. But this is trying to rationalize a pair of amps that cost maybe 20 or 30k...a lot different than trying to fathom why an amp would be worth 10 or 20 that to somebody. For most things like that, there probably isn't a rational, logical reason. Somebody just wants them, end of story.