🚀 go-pugleaf

<calcerise@hotmail.com> wrote in message 
news:1121122018.926694.172900@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>
>> >
>> I'll second Trevor on this one.  I'm holding onto a Phillips 880 and 
>> looking
>> for a laser replacement for the same reason.  The Sony is a superbly 
>> built
>> unit.  Back in the day, I did a head-to-head of theat unit, the Phillips,
>> and the top of the line Denon (can't remember the model number).  The
>> Phillips and the Sony ran very close together...the Sony was probably 
>> more
>> neutral and had the signature Sony house sound.  I preferred the Phillips
>> slightly and so bought it, but could have been happy with the Sony. 
>> Nothing
>> being sold below $2000 today is built like these units were.  Replace the
>> optical pickup and it'll be good for another 15 years.
>
> In all consumer products-and many capital ones too-there is a quality
> curve. The best are made at some point where they have the tech pretty
> well down but the pressure to cut costs hasn't set in and there is a
> desire not to monkey with the good thing. Once cost cutting sets in,
> quality goes out the door because given the time value of money people
> perceive that the cheaper one is "good enough" and the delta in price
> can be reinvested to replace it: also, the buyer doesn't understand the
> difference between the new one and the old one and so the new shiny
> warranted one looks pretty good. (How many new car buyers appreciate
> the difference between a well machined heavy sand cast cylinder head
> and a near-net-shape lost foam one, which has virtually no excess meat
> to machine and depends on an epoxy coating to keep coolant out of the
> oil?)
>
> If you cut the cost and hold up the price, you make more profit. Of
> course the price comes down eventually, but as long as cost reduction
> leads price fall you benefit in absolute as well as relative terms.
>
> A lot of this is perception. When the customer perceives that the old
> one was better, he gets conservative and less likely to buy, and our
> economy is set up so you buy, buy, buy. You cannot buy a well made
> consumer-format video cassette recorder new, as far as I know, at any
> price-the well made decks are all strictly professional format. You
> cannot buy a really well-made 35mm camera anymore, except the M Leica,
> and that's been cheapened significantly from early ones. Although much
> high end audio equipment has design flaws or is overpriced, it's the
> only source of reasonably well built audio equipment suitable for home
> use for the most part. (A few pro pieces are suitable for home use, but
> relatively few-and much pro equipment today is really prosumer, e.g.
> anything from Behringer, Alesis, Mackie, and many products of legit
> American companies like Crown.) You cannot buy a portable shortwave
> radio as well made as the Zenith Trans-Oceanics(although certain Sonys
> and Sangeans do outperform themn in some ways).
>
> It's a long and sad list.
>

About two years ago I listed on eBay a video unit that consisted of a top 
quality (circa '82) Panasonic portable video camera, along with a two piece 
portable video recorder.  Picture quality is superb; low light sensitiviy 
was as good as any Panasonic has ever made.  Build quality was 
excellent...this was top of the line gear that together retailed for close 
to $2500 in 1980.  It didn't have autofocus, but otherwise met and exceeded 
in picture and sound quality any tape I have seen made in the last ten 
years.  I put it on eBay at $20, and with no reserve, in a ten-day auction. 
I described it well (much more detailed than here).  I felt sure some 
aspiring film student or amateur videographer would grab it.  I didn't get a 
single bid.

But I won't "throw it".  I simply can't bring myself to destroy perfectly 
good, superbly built gear.