tubes 4 hifi

[Ken Boyd]

If tubes 4 hi fi was a significant recipient of U.S. government support: reporting and congressional filings cite roughly $38 billion in contracts, loans, subsidies and tax credits since 2003, with tens of billions more in active contracts projected, they would be shipping out orders by the hour.

As the commentary above acknowledges, running a small specialty business with the government working against you is more a labor of love than a path to early retirement.

I think that many people have a misunderstanding of government contracts. Government contracts is not government support, but rather a customer (US Government) that you bid against others in most cases) for a contract. It is no different than bidding for jobs in the private market except in most cases with much more restrictions, difficulties, and headaches. You can't compare the two, government jobs, verses government support, NASA is government supported, in fact fully government funded. Space X is amazing, while NASA is pathetic. Space X has reduced the cost of delivery of articles into orbit from 25,000 dollars per KG to only 1,500 dollars per KG. You can't say that with regards to any government agency.

For the last few years I have been involved in building parts for the new Artemis Mobile Lanucher. The company I work for was one of the major subcontractors to Bechtel to supply components for the launcher. We built most all of the panels that are on that tower and we built the Vertical Stabilizer (VS) and the Umbilical Arm that provides the commodities to the service module till take off. Bechtel was contracted to build the launcher at an estimated 250 million dollars. At last count they were over 1 billion dollars, Our contracts were fixed prices, so we delivered our products at the price contracted. We delivered the VS, and umbilical arm, and all the panels in the contracted times but we still had a few left to deliver. Recently we were told to just deliver the last panels as is, as they have scrapped plans to use the new Mobil Launcher, they have pushed it to a storage field and gather all the items that had not been installed and put them in a storage area. The one arm for the service module they put in another area as it is the same as the one on the current mobile launcher so it can make for a good spare if needed.

Hiring Space X to fulfill government requirements for NASA is a godsend to the American taxpayer, it will save us untold billions of dollars over most any of the other providers of aerospace contractors. The company I work for also does a lot of work for Space X as well. It is a great place to work if like to work on interesting products.

 

[Lavane]

If tubes 4 hi fi was a significant recipient of U.S. government support: reporting and congressional filings cite roughly $38 billion in contracts, loans, subsidies and tax credits since 2003, with tens of billions more in active contracts projected, they would be shipping out orders by the hour.

As the commentary above acknowledges, running a small specialty business with the government working against you is more a labor of love than a path to early retirement.

Truth.

 

[StepheK]

As the commentary above acknowledges, running a small specialty business with the government working against you is more a labor of love than a path to early retirement.

There is this 10-50% new tax (tariff) load placed on small businesses, above the taxes already being paid, that has been done with complete randomness, no warning, timeline or published plan to understand when, how long etc. They sometimes change daily. It has also been applied to steel and aluminum in random percentages (50% right now), so chassis costs have exploded mainly because of the uncertainty of what materials will cost tomorrow. And yes these tariffs are paid by the American people/companies.

Add on a market where consumers already are complaining about prices being too high because of competition from low quality China products that seem immune to these tariffs. Then add the fact FTC regulations are no longer enforced (i.e. they can advertise on Amazon an amp makes 8W when it actually makes 1W, or it has less than 1% THD when it's actually 10%+) no one should be shocked that people trying to navigate this landscape in the USA are just throwing up their hands and walking away.

So yes, this is 100% a labor of love. I'm going to guess Dan is discovering this reality after buying the company and is stressing out? I'm going to guess things like the cost of the chassis and transformers has doubled, which for a kit is the majority of his costs. Would people still buy an ST70 kit if they started at $2000+? I suspect many of the posters on this forum would call it a ripoff, without understanding the market forces right now.

As far as space-x, let's not ignore the fact they have received billions in direct tax incentives above and beyond regular contracts. A single property tax incentive in Louisiana was worth over 27 billion, that comes from a property tax abatement that impacts school funding etc. Yes, I still think it's a great company, but it has been propped up by these tax incentives, something small manufacturing companies are feeling the opposite of right now.

 

[DirtyErnie]

Gotta imagine the email-to-sales ratio is pretty bad in a business like that.

 

[StepheK]

Gotta imagine the email-to-sales ratio is pretty bad in a business like that.

Likely 100/1 or less. Probably the vast majority are people asking for free tech advice with no intention of buying anything.

 

[wdecho]

I can understand the last two post but when some has already bought something then asks a question it is my opinion a seller should respond with some kind of answer. Nelson Pass of Passlabs says he always answers emails at diyaudio.com and his company is much larger than tubes4hifi. It is his business, tubes4hifi, to run as he chooses though. Appears to be successful. Glad the place is still around for diy'ers.

 

[gadget73]

Just a mention since someone brought up Roy Mottram, he's still around and selling some parts, new versions of the VTA board and a power supply board at least. You can email him to purchase. I found him to be pretty responsive, though I've purchased exactly one thing.

 

[Ken Boyd]

hey

There is this 10-50% new tax (tariff) load placed on small businesses, above the taxes already being paid, that has been done with complete randomness, no warning, timeline or published plan to understand when, how long etc. They sometimes change daily. It has also been applied to steel and aluminum in random percentages (50% right now), so chassis costs have explodedass mainly because of the uncertainty of what materials will cost tomorrow. And yes these tariffs are paid by the American people/companies.

Add on a market where consumers already are complaining about prices being too high because of competition from low quality China products that seem immune to these tariffs. Then add the fact FTC regulations are no longer enforced (i.e. they can advertise on Amazon an amp makes 8W when it actually makes 1W, or it has less than 1% THD when it's actually 10%+) no one should be shocked that people trying to navigate this landscape in the USA are just throwing up their hands and walking away.

So yes, this is 100% a labor of love. I'm going to guess Dan is discovering this reality after buying the company and is stressing out? I'm going to guess things like the cost of the chassis and transformers has doubled, which for a kit is the majority of his costs. Would people still buy an ST70 kit if they started at $2000+? I suspect many of the posters on this forum would call it a ripoff, without understanding the market forces right now.

As far as space-x, let's not ignore the fact they have received billions in direct tax incentives above and beyond regular contracts. A single property tax incentive in Louisiana was worth over 27 billion, that comes from a property tax abatement that impacts school funding etc. Yes, I still think it's a great company, but it has been propped up by these tax incentives, something small manufacturing companies are feeling the opposite of right now.

They took actions to cover the impacts to schools and law enforcement, Space X has to pay a 25 million fee every year to fund police and schools in that Parrish. I wouldn't think that region has a lot of population so schools and law enforcement getting that flat rate cash paid is a windfall to them. But it probably helps explain the reason they didn't move here to KSC. I know also that KSC would not agree to the proposed numbers of launches they wanted to permit for. We already have a lot of launches going on. It wasn't long ago we had three in one day. We don't even bother to watch when a rocket goes up as it happens so often.

But I was just out their Space X has a huge black building they are assembling, and they also have almost completed the launch tower for that big starship. I have been working on some equipment for ULA and I have been watching as that new tower has gone up. So, they must be planning on doing some launches here. We have a great geographic location which allows for good trajectories.

 

[Middle Earth]

Many components are less expensive here. And we don’t pay VAT or other taxes or duties that hit the EU and other markets. It is definitely a mixed bag and having ordered a couple times from LAiV, I would hate to be in the EU if I wanted the new LAiV Harmony 2 which is probably most excellent.
The official European price for the LAiV Harmony DAC 2 is €4,599 EUR (inclusive of Value Added Tax / VAT). European retailers like Audiophonics also list the unit at approximately €4,489 EUR to €4,494 EUR.
Converted to U.S. Dollars (USD) at current exchange rates, the retail price in Europe is $5,145 USD to $5,270 USD depending on the specific country's local VAT rates.

Why is the EU price so much higher?
European pricing appears significantly steeper than the $3,994 USD U.S. retail price due to two main components: [1]

• • Value Added Tax (VAT): European list prices are required by law to include local sales tax, which ranges from 19% to 25% depending on the EU member state. Excluding VAT, the base European price sits closer to €3,740 EUR (~$4,285 USD). [1]
  • Import Tariffs & Logistics: Shipping heavy, high-end audio equipment overseas adds international freight, customs clearance fees, and import duties.

 

[StepheK]

hey


They took actions to cover the impacts to schools and law enforcement, Space X has to pay a 25 million fee every year to fund police and schools in that Parrish. I wouldn't think that region has a lot of population so schools and law enforcement getting that flat rate cash paid is a windfall to them.

I'm actually on a DDA board so I understand what these incentive deals are, that's not a "windfall". That's a small % of what the normal tax revenue would have been. They don't give a tax abatement, and then receive more than the taxes would have been. That's why it's called an abatement.

 

[Ken Boyd]

The added fee is about a 1/4 of the entire Parrish's yearly budget and that is to be collected for 25 years, clearly a windfall.

 

[Ken Boyd]

And that is nothing compared to the additional revenue from all the activity that will take place, and jobs. Now the real issue is will the residents like the impacts that growth will bring to a low density poor rural area.

 

[StepheK]

The added fee is about a 1/4 of the entire Parrish's yearly budget and that is to be collected for 25 years, clearly a windfall.

And instead of collecting 27.5 billion in taxes from Elon, they collect less than 700 million over 25years and this parish will still have to provide services for this growth area/space-X creates. Likely will have to provide roads, water and sewer, which the expansion of that infrastructure will come out of this, building new schools etc. It looks great until you run the numbers on what providing increased services cost. It's why impact fees and property taxes exist.

It's also why they do this stuff in poor, rural areas. The locals see this 25 million a year and feel like this is a great "windfall", until they start paying for all the increased services. Also, federal agencies have proposed waiving 13 wildlife, water and public health laws that would help the project. They put NDA's in place so the public doesn't know exactly what is happening, as well as legal protections for Space-X. The "windfall" is Space X saves $26,000,000 and change, and the government has their back.

My point was: you were claiming Space-X is only getting government contracts, when that's simply not the case.

 

[OBMG74]

Don't forget the resident's increase in their electric bills because of strains on the grid and the stress on water aquifers for cooling.
Consumers basically help pay for these centers.


Sorry for the thread drift...

 

[Ken Boyd]

 

[Ken Boyd]

Does anybody know the status of tubes 4 hifi? They haven't been responding to emails...

i hope they are ok, I paid for some products.

 

[wdecho]

i hope they are ok, I paid for some products.

Ordered from them last week. Shipped in two days, no problem. He just does not answer emails is what I am gathering from members. Maybe if absolutely necessary.

 

[SS904]

Depending on what you're after, he sells on eBay sometimes too. If you just need the VTA driver, bare board or kit, an eBay listing ships fast and you have tracking info and whatever level of protection an eBay sale offers. I've ordered from the Tubes4hifi site several times. Always the same thing. No email confirmation, no tracking number. The item just shows up one day. Not great, but I know that going in and try not to be in a rush to get the item. I have to say though, if I were dropping some cash on an amplifier kit, I'd be a little more concerned than just the cost of a VTA driver or other small item.

 

[Middle Earth]

The web site changed form not taking orders to taking orders recently
Pay with AMEX or a card that will have your back
The ST35 looks nice for $1.1k delivered
I ordered a DAC from ABBAS made it from Ukraine past all the drones and war scape and it was definitely a trust- fall deal
Can’t afford to do that anymore but ABBAS delivered

 

[wdecho]

Depending on what you're after, he sells on eBay sometimes too. If you just need the VTA driver, bare board or kit, an eBay listing ships fast and you have tracking info and whatever level of protection an eBay sale offers. I've ordered from the Tubes4hifi site several times. Always the same thing. No email confirmation, no tracking number. The item just shows up one day. Not great, but I know that going in and try not to be in a rush to get the item. I have to say though, if I were dropping some cash on an amplifier kit, I'd be a little more concerned than just the cost of a VTA driver or other small item.

The driver board last week was purchased using Paypal and they provided shipping number with tracking.