This rumor seems to be circulating among some of the forums. I remember when a similar rumor was often stated as fact about ATI and Earthquake Amplifiers. I was a dealer for both and Morris and Joseph assured me that neither made the others amps. They did however share some suppliers.
In the case of the
AVP-18 and "any" other PrePro the suggestion of a rebadge is simply due to the fact that the OEM is shared.
An
OEM, is an
Original Equipment Manufacturer, that builds PrePros. In general very few of even the major manufacturers build their own PrePros these days. They go to an OEM and use their basic box, processor, and maybe some firmware.
Then they have the OEM build the PrePro to their specs, and using their specified parts, case materials, styling, DACs, Volume Controls, Circuitry Boards, Op Amps, Connectors, Power Supplies, Front panel controls, Read Outs, etc, as well as the functional firmware, and onscreen displays.
It only takes a simple look at the AVP-18 to see that it is much different that any of the other models that use the same "platform" from the OEM.
There are lower priced units from this OEM that are priced like they are Lower Level AVR's without the amps, using cost effective parts and offer very nice value.
There are also higher priced units from the same OEM like the
NuFORCE AVP-18 and the
Audiolab 8200AP that are more expensive and higher performance.
I trust that might answer those who proliferate the rumors based on a lack of knowledge and internet chatter. The proof will be in the pudding (or listening and observance of function) for those with a system that can benefit from a higher quality and a performance based goal in the design.
