Munich Hi End show

All music posts here please.
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CN211276
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Re: Munich Hi End show

Unread post by CN211276 »

I can accept R&D costs in the context of emerging science and new technology. Where audio is concerned this only applies to streaming as everything else has been around for decades.
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Lindsayt (Wed Jun 01, 2022 1:32 pm)
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NVA BMU, P90SA/A80s (latest spec), Cube 1s, TIS, TISC(LS7)
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Re: Munich Hi End show

Unread post by savvypaul »

Lindsayt wrote: Wed Jun 01, 2022 10:13 am If we take NVA as an example. The cost of the initial R&D would have involved Richard trying various designs, listening to them, trying something different, listening etc etc. I get the impression that he never incorporated these costs into the selling price of NVA. Effectively the R&D was seen as a personal hobby / passion / interest and the costs were written off and Richard never directly compensated himself for this time and materials cost.

In the post Richard Dunn era, it seems that this approach has been carried on?

For someone like a Richard Dunn or a Colin Wonfor or a Les W - going into the design of an amplifier, they have so much expertise already that we're not talking about a lot of R&D. They know what they're doing. And it's just a case of going ahead, making what they think will work well, listening to it and going into production if it's good enough for the price.
If a company were to claim that they needed a huge amount of R&D for a minimialist hi-fi product, then I'd be questioning the expertise of the designer. Or his sanity.
For something like a Devialet, I can see why they had upfront R&D costs.

When the Linn Keel came out, there were people on forums saying that the high price was a reflection of the R&D. Seeing as it was produced by a company that had been selling mechanical engineering products for over 30 years, with claims that they were the best in the world at what they did, they should have so much mechanical engineering expertise that coming up with the Keel would be a piece of cake.
We've had some costs that could be considered R&D. Minimal cost for experimenting with different stepped attenuators. More significant costs for developing the case for the new integrated and for prototyping the new Cubes - new drivers and birch-ply cabinet options. Those costs get factored into our overall financial planning. However, our biggest 'hit' to cashflow is the upfront cost of having items made in sufficient quantity to achieve a realistic unit price.

If we only kept the same range, in the same cases, in the same materials, R&D costs would have been negligible. If we wanted to make a new Statement amp from scratch, however, I would be budgeting around £15k to develop a prototype. I know that Richard paid an equivalent amount, back in the day, looking back through the receipts we inherited - which is one reason why the Statement amps were on a multiplier that was in a different league compared to the black box stuff, despite having pretty much the same internals.

If anyone would like to knock us up a Statement case for free, don't hesitate to let me know ;)
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Lindsayt (Wed Jun 01, 2022 1:31 pm) • CycleCoach (Wed Jun 01, 2022 1:54 pm) • NSNO2021 (Wed Jun 01, 2022 3:39 pm) • CN211276 (Wed Jun 01, 2022 3:54 pm) • Wonfor14 (Thu Mar 23, 2023 5:40 pm)
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Re: Munich Hi End show

Unread post by NSNO2021 »

This is John DeVore YouTube clip I briefly mentioned earlier. In this he discusses his approach to designing and building speakers and he also mentions in passing having to buy 1000 super tweeters when he could only ever envisage using 30 - 50 of them. He did buy the 1,000 and then many years later found a use for the remaining stock in the new baby O's

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Re: Munich Hi End show

Unread post by Wonfor14 »

Chassis what a joke the company that made mine in the UK jump up price from £120 each to now over £500 each, criminal and also every time I get them made the sods hang on tooling again , why well because they destroy due to lack of storage the last one, eeeek oh shit more hair out.
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Lindsayt (Fri Mar 24, 2023 11:10 pm)

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Re: Munich Hi End show

Unread post by Daniel Quinn »

It's about time you wrote a book Colin , remember the truth is an absolute defence to defamation , so you can tell it all .

Ps . Sorry to hear about Howard , I spoke to him frequently on the Facebook groups he ran , he was a nice man
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Lindsayt (Fri Mar 24, 2023 11:10 pm) • Wonfor14 (Sat Mar 25, 2023 9:46 am)

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Re: Munich Hi End show

Unread post by Wonfor14 »

I wish I had gone to Munich to see the nice kit.

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