Why do some amps cost so much more?

[West]

They don't come out of the same factory in China //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif

McIntosh was and will always be made and manufactured in New York.

 

[Bettr n' Revrse 5,000+ posts]

They don't come out of the same factory in China //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif

Yep

 

[brodeisel 10+ year member]

I prefer a lot of older amps over modern amps. Just wish i could find my soundstream van gogh 500.4. **** amp of sq god

 

[mast240 10+ year member]

Some of them come out of the same build house n Korea tho:laugh:

 

[galacticmonkey 5,000+ posts]

The same reason a Rolls Royce Phantom costs more than a BMW 7-Series, which costs more than a Honda Accord, which costs more than a Chevy Cavalier.

The same reason some of those cars are cheaper or more expensive is the same reason some amps are more expensive or cheaper. But for most of us, we are perfectly content with the value of an Accord. The same way most of us run middle of the road amps, with a high value for the money.

 

[Bettr n' Revrse 5,000+ posts]

I prefer a lot of older amps over modern amps. Just wish i could find my soundstream van gogh 500.4. **** amp of sq god

I still cant get a hold of that one

 

[Louisiana_CRX 5,000+ posts]

Richard Clark Amplifier Challenge FAQ

 

[phemps 10+ year member]

Richard Clark Amplifier Challenge FAQ

intersting read..

 

[Jmac 10+ year member]

Quality of parts, quality of design, quality of service, research and development, testing, manufacturing efficiencies, advertising budgets, business model, profit margins, etc.

 

[globalminds_ent 10+ year member]

a lot of failure in this post some amps just cost more because of their names and some are just better

 

[mast240 10+ year member]

a lot of failure in this post some amps just cost more because of their names and some are just better

your whole stay here is all failure.

 

[VWBobby 10+ year member]

**to answer your question, some amps are cheaply made, and others are not. Some just have high mark-ups, while others dont...the audio world is full of BS..dont get caught up, just follow your ears and wallet

Some of the best advice I've ever seen posted in this forum! //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif Let your ears be your guide. Find sound walls, installations, etc and demo as much equipment as you can. This will give you a better idea of real world sound than what some guys on the internet say. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

Price is determined by several factors: quality, marketing, retail markup, etc, etc. You usually get what you pay for, the exceptions would be "some" of the underground type equipment.

 

[kramer_212 10+ year member]

Jl audio----->1 watt= $1

 

[CAT MAN 5,000+ posts]

heres a decent amp in your budget...MB QUART ONX4.60 480W 4 Channel Amplifier : ONX460 : $98.95 : VMInnovations.comAnd I've hear Cadence has some nice budget friendly speakers also.

i love this amp. had many 4 channels and this one wins

 

[BnGRacing 10+ year member]

Richard Clark Amplifier Challenge FAQ

No one, and I mean no one, uses amps like that.

The R.Clark challenge is really only proving that a good amp can be dumbed down to sound identical to a bad one. It's when you start to get into some clipping, use the amplifier's processing, and start to drive really reactive loads (or just plain old beat on your system) you start to hear the differences between a good amp and a bad one.

While everyone has already mentioned construction, I'll give another example; the newest amplifier I currently own was made in 1993. At the time, it was a $1200 amp and was 'rated' at 300w. Compared to today's amps, I would have to spend $1200 just to equal its performance. And in another 20 years, today's $1000+ amps will still be kicking and you'll have to spend a bit of coin to replace them w/o sacrificing quality.

Cheap amps just don't last long.

It's kinda hard to describe SQ of an amp on a forum w/o using audio-snob adjectives such as "warm", "airy", "tube-like", etc. But a bad sounding amp - that's easy b/c your ears will let you know it sounds like hell. The big thing, really, is having a reference. If you've never heard a good audio system (home or car) and your only music reference are those white things that came with your iPod...well...a bad amp will probably satisfy your musical needs.