Which country has the best hi fi industry in the world

[Dynamics]

I don't mind. I'm used to people dismissing what I say out of hand

You do something for 30 years you have to learn something. And I'm not one of these people who took a break from the hobby for work or children or whatever. I've been doing it the whole time, even when money was really tight. I don't have ay issue with people who prefer to go to dealers and buy brand new respected badge equipment. Their choice and their money. They don't want to learn all about hi-fi, they just wasn't something good to listen to their music on.

What I'm into is the thrift aspect. How good can you get it without spending top dollar? Much more interesting, much more of a challenge. You have to start learning how it all works. Not to the point where you could design and build it yourself, although plenty of people have done just that, but just to the point where you can make informed decisions about where and how to spend the budget.

I'd agree it's much more difficult. A seriously more difficult question to get £500 speakers sounding like £4000 ones. That's my point which you are making for me. And Id never critique anyone wanting to spend the money and get the most out if it, but that's a different question to best hi fi.

[Macca]

I'd agree it's much more difficult. A seriously more difficult question to get £500 speakers sounding like £4000 ones. That's my point which you are making for me. And Id never critique anyone wanting to spend the money and get the most out if it, but that's a different question to best hi fi.

The trick is to buy the £4K speakers for £400. Or to build some speakers for £400 that compare to the £4K speakers. There is not a lot of moneys worth of parts in a speaker retailing for £4K. Likely about £200 was spent there.

The other trick is not to waste money on things that makes no difference. But that's a whole topic in itself.

[walpurgis]

The other trick is not to waste money on things that makes no difference. But that's a whole topic in itself.

Good point Martin. You should start a thread on that!

[Dynamics]

The trick is to buy the £4K speakers for £400. Or to build some speakers for £400 that compare to the £4K speakers. There is not a lot of moneys worth of parts in a speaker retailing for £4K. Likely about £200 was spent there.

The other trick is not to waste money on things that makes no difference. But that's a whole topic in itself.

I'd dispute that as the £400 one is probably at least ten years old, the tech has moved on now. The stuff is getting old and not so new, you end up replacing the crossovers etc. There is not a lot of money in speakers yes but an awful lot of design and costs and incidental staff costs, and buildings. Stuff that has to go in to designing the speaker. And you cant expect people to believe that someone like naim who have million pound development budgets probably, can't do something better with that than an odd jobber with a soldering iron and no decent design and testing budget. An awful lot goes into developing a hi fi amp I'm sure.

[Macca]

I'd dispute that as the £400 one is probably at least ten years old, the tech has moved on now. The stuff is getting old and not so new, you end up replacing the crossovers etc. There is not a lot of money in speakers yes but an awful lot of design and costs and incidental staff costs, and buildings. Stuff that has to go in to designing the speaker. And you cant expect people to believe that someone like naim who have million pound development budgets probably, can't do something better with that than an odd jobber with a soldering iron and no decent design and testing budget. An awful lot goes into developing a hi fi amp I'm sure.

I'll let Jez answer that but you are really way off beam as to how it all actually goes down.

[Marco]

I'll let Jez answer that but you are really way off beam as to how it all actually goes down.

Indeed. The poor boy has much to learn!!

Marco.

[Arkless Electronics]

I'll let Jez answer that but you are really way off beam as to how it all actually goes down.

I'll just say I own at least double the test gear etc that Musical Fidelity and Alchemist Products (for whom I was Chief Engineer) had between them.... And that it's very often someone like myself, with their own facilities and a one man band, who actually does all the design work at circuit level on lots of big name equipment.
I was once " head-hunted" by a specialist technical recruitment agency on behalf of a well known Salisbury based manufacturer.... How I laughed

[struth]

I'll just say I own at least double the test gear etc that Musical Fidelity and Alchemist Products (for whom I was Chief Engineer) had between them.... And that it's very often someone like myself, with their own facilities and a one man band, who actually does all the design work at circuit level on lots of big name equipment.
I was once " head-hunted" by a specialist technical recruitment agency on behalf of a well known Salisbury based manufacturer.... How I laughed

Naim names then or was it Maplins

[Arkless Electronics]

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Naim names then or was it Maplins

Funnily enough when I asked who this potential employer was I was told that it was confidential... a moment later they said I would need to move to the Salisbury area... "so it's Naim then?" says I... "erm... ah.. well.. erm.. yes" came the reply