Ohhhhh noooo, not another mains cable question....

[professorhat]

georgejack:Chill, it's only an opinion. It doesn't bother me in the slightest, don't let it bother you. It's just another cable debate that will end nowhere.

I'm not bothered at all - at the time I was just trying to stop the thread going spectacularly off topic as this would annoy me if I'd started it and specifically stated I didn't want it to.

As you can see, my attempts were entirely successful

 

[True Blue]

Back off topic PH, as a fellow "I am going to have a break from the forums to sort out whats important in lifer" welcome back

 

[professorhat]

True Blue:Back off topic PH

Might as well!

True Blue:as a fellow "I am going to have a break from the forums to sort out whats important in lifer" welcome back

Many thanks - been back a while now, though less frequently as I was in order to keep the balance

Speaking of which, think I should really hit the hay...

 

[Messiah]

Each to their own with what you spend your money on but watches is one I never really understand the allure of.

I can understand paying maybe £100 tops to buy something of decent quality but 14k for a watch! It does the job no better. I guess it is just a status symbol kind of thing really

 

[Anonymous]

I think the expenditure and different individual perspectives on value are based around the fact that a watch is an emotional purchase as against a functional decision. I suppose disposable income also comes into it as well.

 

[JoelSim]

It's all about what floats your boat.

 

[Anonymous]

georgejack:professorhat:
georgejack:post regarding £500 mains cables and it's inevitable, you WILL provoke an argument.

Why? He specifically stated he's not interested in hearing views on how power cables are not worth the money. Thus if you think they are, there's no need to post anything since clearly your views are falling on deaf ears. Just leave the man be, let him discuss what he wants to with other like minded individuals - it's not too tricky is it?

Not being a wine connoisseur, I have no idea if there is such a thing as wine forums, but if there is and someone posted about buying a £500 bottle of wine there, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't get loads of abuse from people telling him he should spend it on the poor instead...

Falling on deaf ears? it fell on your's quite easily. Who cares if you could feed eleventymillion folk with the money? I don't, it wasn't my point. My point was surely folk can't be that naieve to think that £500 is a fair price for 2m of copper cable weighing in at around £10 to produce or that it will benefit your system any more than a £50 cable when the other 95% of your supply is of a 2.5mm twin and earth low quality cable. That was all, not too tricky is it?

It's not [just] the cost of the raw materials that is what you pay for. People pay in relation to the benefit they perceive - or require, to make it worthwhile.

Books can be a similar example.

the actual paper making up a book will have a certain cost element to it..... but various books are priced differently. Such as Law books which can cost a LOT more than a novel, or other textbook, for example. You are paying for the value of the information within and what's gone in to producing that..... not simply the paper.

 

[jc.com]

BigAir:georgejack:professorhat:

georgejack:post regarding £500 mains cables and it's inevitable, you WILL provoke an argument.

Why? He specifically stated he's not interested in hearing views on how power cables are not worth the money. Thus if you think they are, there's no need to post anything since clearly your views are falling on deaf ears. Just leave the man be, let him discuss what he wants to with other like minded individuals - it's not too tricky is it?

Not being a wine connoisseur, I have no idea if there is such a thing as wine forums, but if there is and someone posted about buying a £500 bottle of wine there, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't get loads of abuse from people telling him he should spend it on the poor instead...

Falling on deaf ears? it fell on your's quite easily. Who cares if you could feed eleventymillion folk with the money? I don't, it wasn't my point. My point was surely folk can't be that naieve to think that £500 is a fair price for 2m of copper cable weighing in at around £10 to produce or that it will benefit your system any more than a £50 cable when the other 95% of your supply is of a 2.5mm twin and earth low quality cable. That was all, not too tricky is it?

It's not [just] the cost of the raw materials that is what you pay for. People pay in relation to the benefit they perceive - or require, to make it worthwhile.

Books can be a similar example.

the actual paper making up a book will have a certain cost element to it..... but various books are priced differently. Such as Law books which can cost a LOT more than a novel, or other textbook, for example. You are paying for the value of the information within and what's gone in to producing that..... not simply the paper.

Not the best analogy, I think. I don't believe you'd get anyone trying to argue that a law book gives the same effect as a Barbara Cartland masterpiece.

 

[professorhat]

jc.com:I don't believe you'd get anyone trying to argue that a law book gives the same effect as a Barbara Cartland masterpiece.

I know I wouldn't read either...

 

[idc]

I am the first Scottish born of my family from Yorkshire stock. If I tried to buy a mains cable for £500 I would be disowned and if I touched one I would explode. £50 is my maximum. I can't help it. I don't feel as if I am really missing out on anything.

 

[Anonymous]

jc.com:BigAir:georgejack:professorhat:
georgejack:post regarding £500 mains cables and it's inevitable, you WILL provoke an argument.

Why? He specifically stated he's not interested in hearing views on how power cables are not worth the money. Thus if you think they are, there's no need to post anything since clearly your views are falling on deaf ears. Just leave the man be, let him discuss what he wants to with other like minded individuals - it's not too tricky is it?

Not being a wine connoisseur, I have no idea if there is such a thing as wine forums, but if there is and someone posted about buying a £500 bottle of wine there, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't get loads of abuse from people telling him he should spend it on the poor instead...

Falling on deaf ears? it fell on your's quite easily. Who cares if you could feed eleventymillion folk with the money? I don't, it wasn't my point. My point was surely folk can't be that naieve to think that £500 is a fair price for 2m of copper cable weighing in at around £10 to produce or that it will benefit your system any more than a £50 cable when the other 95% of your supply is of a 2.5mm twin and earth low quality cable. That was all, not too tricky is it?

It's not [just] the cost of the raw materials that is what you pay for. People pay in relation to the benefit they perceive - or require, to make it worthwhile.

Books can be a similar example.

the actual paper making up a book will have a certain cost element to it..... but various books are priced differently. Such as Law books which can cost a LOT more than a novel, or other textbook, for example. You are paying for the value of the information within and what's gone in to producing that..... not simply the paper.

Not the best analogy, I think. I don't believe you'd get anyone trying to argue that a law book gives the same effect as a Barbara Cartland masterpiece.

Actually I think it was a perfect analogy on the point of people saying a cable should not cost £500 when the raw materials cannot cost close to that.

Likewise a book can only cost so much in terms of raw materials - but we don't buy the book for the paper - rather for what is written on it and what that is worth to us.

In the same way - we don't buy the cable for the copper/shielding/plug etc ..... rather for the effect it has on the system/music we listen to.

 

[Anonymous]

Cable is extruded by the mile, I have been in a factory that makes copper cable, the cost of the cable is pence, the cost of running the factory including staff, heating, maintenance of the machinery and all other costs as well as R+D is where the selling price of the cable comes from.

 

[shooter]

I bought a 1m Russ Andrews a few weeks back when it was half price when you spent £250 or more.
There selling it at half price and still making a hansom profit but i still went and bought it because i thought it was a bargain???
Regarding quality of product, much better than the Merlin i was using but still not run in yet so looking forward.
Nordost, never tried them.

 

[Anonymous]

sonic dreamer, I need your advice. I bought the Pearl Cd player (BTW off a friend who said it was just as good, if not better than the Mcintosh, albeit he had had the 201).ANyway I have aprimaluna valve amp and I am thinking of getting rid of it to get the matching marantz amp. is it worth it in your opinion? thanks, ben

 

[Sonic Dreamer]

bengoodall:sonic dreamer, I need your advice. I bought the Pearl Cd player (BTW off a friend who said it was just as good, if not better than the Mcintosh, albeit he had had the 201).ANyway I have aprimaluna valve amp and I am thinking of getting rid of it to get the matching marantz amp. is it worth it in your opinion? thanks, ben
Hi Ben,

Well I am very fond of them both as a team. They were designed to work together and they do compliment each other beautifully. I think the Pearl amp is as close in sound as you can get to a valve amp, without it being a valve amp; I love its warmth. Anecdotally, Paul from Jordan Acoustics told me that some key movers and shakers at Marantz thought they had made a mistake to sell the two Pearl units at the £2500 price point, as the components and performance is more akin to equipment at a £3500 price point. One versatility attribute of the Pearl amp is you can use it as a pre-amp with an AV Receiver, so you can use one set of speakers for Hi-Fi and Home Cinema, which is what I do. I've never heard McIntosh though know they were well regarded. Why not try and demo the Pearl amp somewhere before you take the plunge, sound is such a personal thing?

Cheers,
SonicD

 

[Anonymous]

thanks Sonic D I really appreciate you getting back to me and will bear in mind your comments. Ben

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Sonic D. I got the matching Pearl amp to go with the cd player. I am pleased with the sound although I expected to be considering the price. I was surprised to find the comments on page 16 in the handbook clearly stating that the PM-11S2 is a superior product. Considering this sells for just short of £3400 it would be nearly £900 more expensive than the Pearl amp and therefore should be but this wouldmake me question the validity of the comments from Jordan Acoustics about the selling price of the Pearls being at the £3500 price point. Marantz would hardly sell a product which they state is superior at an inferior price.

What do you think about this? Ben

 

[the record spot]

The Pearls were £2500 for the CDP and amp respectively. The 11S2 was originally £3500 but came out before the Pearls I think (the S2 being the latest incarnation at any rate, the PM-11S1 being the original).

I'm interested to know abotu the differences between the Primaluna, in itself no slouch by all accounts. What do you think were the most obvious differences between it and the Pearl?

 

[Anonymous]

I had the prologue 2 first which was a great amp albeit without the soundstaging of more expensive amps. Then I got the Dialogue 1 which was a step up with the soundstaging being more evident. This upgrade was on the back of various others. I had originally started out with solid state amplifcation. All these little steps on the elevator we are on to get to that sound we dream of are often subtle and disappointing in terms of the outlay of money compared with the differences in sound they offer.

The Marantz is without doubt better than the both Primalunas. I am very happy with it. The sound is more high-end and the bass more in proportion to the music. They look a million dollars too which is important to me. The Dialogue looks the business also and has a wonderful rounded valve cage. I have gone back to solid state because I can't quite see what the fuss is about with valve amps. In my limited experience there is not as much difference as one would expect between the two forms of amplification.