JackD201/Kevin Haskins:
My search for information regarding rebadging is hardly a crusade, and is far more pragmatic than idealistic. I accept the reality of rebadging. I accept the reality of outsourcing. I understand that even though a company may base, for instance, an amp on an existing JVC model, that this company may also perform certain modifications that make their particular product sound better than the JVC.
However.
There seems to be an odd sort of circularity to many of the arguments that I'm reading. The general gist is that 1): Finding such information is impossible; 2): Even if it were possible, it would be useless because every product sounds different; 3) Even if the products sound the same, the customer is actually getting higher quality service, a better warranty, or a shinier case for the extra money spent; 4) Even if the customer is not getting these extras, he bought the item for its sound and so should enjoy it anyway; 5) If he doesn't enjoy the item because he, say, paid $3,000 more than he could have paid, then it's his own damn fault for not being a diligent consumer. At this point, we have come full circle and now find ourselves at the first point.
Whatever happened to the savvy, educated consumer? Why so much apology for the Lexicons of the world? How can you pretend to be so business savvy and then turn around and tell me that the only reason we don't have more Lexicon scandals is because you're pretty sure that these all of these tiny little brands driven solely by mystique and few dollars worth of hardware packed into attractive, overbuilt cases have your best interests at heart?
You see, this is why high-end audio continues to die a slow death. Mystique. BS. Pretentiousness. Snake oil. Snob appeal. Elitism. Wishful thinking. Technophilia. Childish bemusement by the magical wonder of new audio gear. You don't have to agree with me, of course. The marketplace is in the process of dragging high-end audio kicking and screaming into the Internet age, and many of the newer, smaller companies are at least somewhat open about which transports they use, which DACs they use, which drivers they use, etc. In the meantime, however, I hardly think it's too much to ask that people have some inkling as to what they're buying.
Knowing just how many of these small companies JVC or Pioneer or Sony makes gear for is far from impossible. In the two industries that I keep referencing - the home appliance industry and the auto industry - consumers are far more willing to dig a little deeper, to trade more information, to - and this is important - have less reverence and more skepticism regarding the manufacturers. They want to know what's beneath the hood or the casing, and they expect more transparency from manufacturers. They're more diligent, more proactive and less gullible.
No, not every rebadge is a straight-up name swap like the Lexicon/Oppo situation. Yeah, sure, maybe each and every tiny high-end brand buys their amps from big companies but changes the power supply and few bits and pieces. I suppose it really depends on what you value. If, for instance, an amp is 90% JVC and 10% Naim mods, is that 10% and the "prestigious" name worth the huge mark-up? Some people have enough money not to care, and I understand that.
In the final analysis, all I can hope for, really, is that the free exchange of information on the Internet will eventually catch up with high-end audio and drag it back to earth. I think it's happening, but I continue to be amazed that more people just don't even seem that interested in having more information at hand to make better consumer choices. It's as though they just don't want to be told that Santa doesn't exist, and that these tiny companies don't all operate out of the goodness of their hearts because they just love the music so darn much...golly.
So, if you want to share any info, please do, and if not, then have a nice day.
