I wanted to give an explanation for the price increase over that which was indicated in 2019 when I first started this thread.
I had said that I was shooting for a price point of < $1K. It was also intended to be a direct-sale model only, but I have decided to offer it through dealers. The MSRP is now to be < $3K.
I first started thinking about this in 2019 and it was intended to fill the space left when Oppo closed their doors and they were hard to get.
The thought was to have a tube mod that was external and could be used with any digital product. My goal was for it to be simple and inexpensive. The first proto I built was simple and the cost appeared like it would be low. I was also going to sell it only direct. This proto used a hammond transformer, extruded AL project box, a simple supply and a single pari of 6922's that were inexpensive at the time.
It is now 2022, EVERYTHING has increased in cost. I have decided that it will be available to dealers also. I decided to add tube rectification and the ability to use two families of tubes. Tubes have skyrocketed in price. When I added up the Bill of Materials at todays pricing, I realized that the cost would have to be about $3K. The balanced option requires the use of four Lundahl Swedish transformers which are very expensive.
All of our products increased in price at the start of this year by 15%-30% because of all increased costs. The fact that dealers are to be included in the sale of this product also, means it is higher priced yet.
If I was a direct-sale only business model, I would price it lower and it would not be an issue. The conflict has always been that our mods are sold direct and our own products through dealers. Having said that, our Oppo 205 mod was $2500 direct and with upgrade options, easily exceeded $3K.
At the end of the day, I have to make a profit or go out of business. I designed this product with cost in mind, but also intending to offer the best possible performance and value as possible. The enclosure was kept simple, like the PH 9.0/9.0X phono stages. In that product I was able to spend the majority of the budget on quality parts and design.
It was not my intent to mislead anyone and I understand that some will find that this product does not suit their budget.
In the end, I wanted to make a great product!
Sincerely,
Dan Wright