The easy way to make a $3000 CD player

avahifi · « **on:** 18 Jan 2010, 12:08 am »

Take a close look at the link below.

http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/high-definition-dvd-players-hd-dvd-blu-ray/lexicon-bd-30-blu-ray-oppo-clone/oppo-inside-lexicon-outside-1

Regards,

Frank Van Alstine

mshan · « **Reply #1 on:** 18 Jan 2010, 12:10 am »

Quote

"Imagine my surprise when I found that not only did the Lexicon share the same boards and transport as the Oppo - it was in fact AN OPPO BDP-83 PLAYER, CHASSIS AND ALL, SHOVED INSIDE AN ALUMINUM LEXICON WRAPPER. As far as we could determine, Lexicon didn't change a single thing in terms of the hardware. Heck, they didn't even lift the boards out of the chassis, opting instead to cut out the bottom of their own chassis to accommodate the venting locations, and putting a darker blue filter over the Oppo's VFD display to give it a slightly deeper hue."

oneinthepipe · « **Reply #2 on:** 18 Jan 2010, 12:34 am »

The folks @ Harmon have some gargantuan cojones and, IMO, disreputable ethics. Harmon must buy the player wholesale, then increase the retail price by 1000 percent. This should be illegal.

I suppose this might speak well for the Oppo's quality, alternatively.

srb · « **Reply #3 on:** 18 Jan 2010, 12:50 am »

Some comments about the Lexicon BD-30 Blu-ray player from a thread a couple days ago...
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=76364.msg719465#msg719465

JerryM · « **Reply #4 on:** 18 Jan 2010, 01:12 am »

Wow.

That's pathetic.

pardales · « **Reply #5 on:** 18 Jan 2010, 01:33 am »

I wonder if this is an isolated case or if many other manufactures do this?

jqp · « **Reply #6 on:** 18 Jan 2010, 01:40 am »

This is a pretty extreme example of using the "audiophile" vibe to gouge unsuspecting buyers, thankfully most vendors associated with AC don't play this game. Also really shows where measurements properly made are important, as I could see someone claiming 'My Lexicon is better than your Oppo'!

drphoto · « **Reply #7 on:** 18 Jan 2010, 02:12 am »

The funny thing is who the hell is Lexicon anyway? They don't exactly make my list of high end icons like Atmosphere, Cary, CJ, etc or even the well know, but insanely overpriced units like Krell and Levinson.

I thought they made digital processors for pro sound applications.

BTW: no offense intended by not mentioning any of our vendors. I think our guys offer outstanding products but tend to fly a bit 'under the radar' in terms of recognition by the public at large.

My entire system, other than my speakers, is either from AC vendors or recommended by AC members.

poseidonsvoice · « **Reply #8 on:** 18 Jan 2010, 02:24 am »

I agree, absolutely pathetic.

Lexicon's marketers (and I hate to blame it all on Harmon since some fine researchers come from there) probably thought that rebadging the unit and selling it for $100 more wouldn't garner enough sales since Lexicon is almost always a 4 figure to 5 figure priced unit. They will sell more at $3K though!

Caveat Emptor! All audiophiles need not be diyers. However, if they were just savvy with a screwdriver, you could return the whole unit back to the dealer upon discovery. But you know those Wall Street industrialists could really give a *&%$, as long as it is from a recognized audio/video brand like Lexicon. Both Mark Levinson w/Red Rose Music and the late Audio Alchemy did the same thing. The ACD II from Audio Alchemy was a rebadged Sony, but at least they only increased the price by something very small like $200. My colleague was absolutely surprised when I told him that it was a Sony with just a bad fuse!

This is nothing new but I think morally it is inexcusable. The argument from the manufacturer's standpoint is that they have incredible warranties!

Anand.

cujobob · « **Reply #9 on:** 18 Jan 2010, 02:47 am »

The Onix CDPs were the same as the Music Hall versions (though the Onix versions were less expensive), this is quite commonplace.

jackman · « **Reply #10 on:** 18 Jan 2010, 03:02 am »

Isn't this the same thing Mark Levinson was doing a couple years ago with Red Rose? He was re-badging some cheap Chinese crap and jacking the price up. At least the Oppo is a decent player, I'd pay an extra hundred for the fancy aluminum face, not 3K!

Toka · « **Reply #11 on:** 18 Jan 2010, 03:10 am »

Quote from: pardales on 18 Jan 2010, 01:33 am

I wonder if this is an isolated case or if many other manufactures do this?

It happens all the time...not just in audio but in any industry you can care to think of. "Name brand" vs. "store brand". Same factory, same stuff, different box, different price.

oneinthepipe · « **Reply #12 on:** 18 Jan 2010, 03:12 am »

Quote from: jackman on 18 Jan 2010, 03:02 am

Isn't this the same thing Mark Levinson was doing a couple years ago with Red Rose? He was re-badging some cheap Chinese crap and jacking the price up.

Mark Levinson is also owned by Harmon. Harmon owns Lexicon, Mark Levinson, JBL, Revel, AKG, Studer, Infinity, Harmon Kardon, Soundcraft, BSS, Crown, dbx, QNX, DigiTech, Becker, and Audio Access.

drphoto · « **Reply #13 on:** 18 Jan 2010, 04:03 am »

Well, the auto industry had done 'badge' engineering for some time Usually not this egregious, however Acura had the balls to ask for +$30K for an Isuzu Trooper! (I'm not necessarily knocking the Trooper....I had 2 of them)

cujobob · « **Reply #14 on:** 18 Jan 2010, 04:04 am »

Quote from: drphoto on 18 Jan 2010, 04:03 am

Well, the auto industry had done 'badge' engineering for some time Usually not this egregious, however Acura had the balls to ask for +$30K for an Isuzu Trooper! (I'm not necessarily knocking the Trooper....I had 2 of them)

Medicine, fashion, everywhere...

srb · « **Reply #15 on:** 18 Jan 2010, 05:47 am »

Quote from: drphoto on 18 Jan 2010, 04:03 am

Well, the auto industry had done 'badge' engineering for some time Usually not this egregious, however Acura had the balls to ask for +$30K for an Isuzu Trooper!

As others have said rebadging is nothing new, although this is the first time I have ever seen a chassis placed inside another chassis.

Besides the fact that the Acura had some additional features and upgraded materials as compared to the Isuzu, if it had the same markup that the Lexicon did, the Acura would have cost well over $100K.

Steve

shipdriver · « **Reply #16 on:** 18 Jan 2010, 07:50 am »

I saw nothing in the audioholics article that indicated that the Oppo was even the Special Edition, which means you can actually get a better player from Oppo. I think what really separates this from other re-badges is the unbelievably HUGE markup (what 6 times the price?). McIntosh's CD/SACD player and Blu-Ray/Universal Player are both Denons inside but the Denons themselves are massive high dollar units (and in the case of the CD player, not sold in North America) and are worthy of the name.

2gumby2 · « **Reply #17 on:** 18 Jan 2010, 11:06 am »

My Yamaha S1800 universal player is the same as the NAD T535. I'm not sure what company originated the design.

sts9fan · « **Reply #18 on:** 18 Jan 2010, 01:46 pm »

Quote

Quote from: jackman on Today at 03:02 AM
Isn't this the same thing Mark Levinson was doing a couple years ago with Red Rose? He was re-badging some cheap Chinese crap and jacking the price up.

Mark Levinson is also owned by Harmon. Harmon owns Lexicon, Mark Levinson, JBL, Revel, AKG, Studer, Infinity, Harmon Kardon, Soundcraft, BSS, Crown, dbx, QNX, DigiTech, Becker, and Audio Access.

He was refering to Mark Levinson the man not the company.
This is nothing new. Glad they were busted. Why should it be illegal? If I want to try and sell my oppo in a new box for $5k whats the beef? Caveat Emptor

Anji12305 · « **Reply #19 on:** 18 Jan 2010, 02:30 pm »

Which is at the core of failing business models.

Admittedly, this is a hobby, but it undercuts consumer confidence.
This is a short side-step from piracy and grey marketing schemes.

If the retailers know about this (and how could they not), they're in collusion.

Small-scale builders that keep things above board should be supported - like AVA HiFi.