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most of us who have vowed (and some on more than one occasion) "I do" but are now divorced / shacked up / married to someone else / sleeping with someone else.
Huh? Get up on the wrong side of bed today? The topic is "What Audio manufacturer do you like?" Not, "What is your smug, cynical viewpoint of some people who enjoy audio as a hobby." Perhaps you need to start that topic as a new thread.
Demographers say there was increased focus on divorce rates during the 1970s when the number of divorces rose, partly as a result of no-fault divorce. Divorces peaked in 1979 and articles started appearing that claimed 50 percent of American marriages were ending in divorce. A spokesperson for the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics told me that the rumor appears to have originated from a misreading of the facts. It was true, he said, if you looked at all the marriages and divorces within a single year, you'd find that there were twice as many marriages as divorces. In 1981, for example, there were 2.4 million marriages and 1.2 million divorces. At first glance, that would seem like a 50-percent divorce rate. Virtually none of those divorces were among the people who had married during that year, however, and the statistic failed to take into account the 54 million marriages that already existed, the majority of which would not see divorce. Another source for the 50-percent figure could be those who were trying to predict the future of divorce. Based on known divorce records, they projected that 50 percent of newly married young people would divorce. University of Chicago sociologist and researcher Linda Waite told USA Today that the 50-percent divorce stats were based more on assumptions than facts. So what is the divorce picture in America? Surprisingly, it's not easy to get precise figures because some states don't report divorces to the National Center for Health Statistics, including one of the largest: California. Some researchers have relied on surveys rather than government statistics. In his book Inside America in 1984, pollster Louis Harris said that only about 11 or 12 percent of people who had ever been married had ever been divorced. Researcher George Barna's most recent survey of Americans in 2001 estimates that 34 percent of those who have ever been married have ever been divorced. One of the latest reports about divorce was released this year by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). It is based on a 1995 federal study of nearly 11,000 women ages 15-44. It predicted that one-third of new marriages among younger people will end in divorce within 10 years and 43 percent within 15 years. That is not a death sentence, however; it's a forecast.
Company loyalty is like nationalism! You belong to a country, feel for the country and have a strong sense of belonging. Kinship to audio manufacturers is no different. I guess its a natural inclination for people to identify strongly with a product, with the loyalty and trust that follows. Honestly, I feel that way too! So, when I am with product X, everything about product X is great. Any criticism from third parties that otherwise suggests the product is no good naturally gets me on the defense.I've since thought long and hard about this and feel that loyalty should be for the product first, company second. Let me give an example, a hypothetical one first. Product X might have excellent amplifiers but their DACs or CDPs might be less than stellar. in such circumstances, I am aboslutely ok with the fact and will not defend the company if thir DACs or CDPs are inferior (unless of course I know that the facts presented by a third party is wrong, skewed or biased).I think we should all look beyond the company and look at the product in the first instance. Loyalty is for a fine piece of product, well designed and engineered.Best regardsDennis
I can't believe no one has mentioned ARC. Their stuff may not be sexy or cutting edge. They are not cheap either. But you can be sure their stuff will last you a life time if you want to keep them. I liked the no nonsense, unfettered house sound as well.
Thats an easy one for me. Audio Research. Classe and Bryston. Mapleshade.
