I think that a lot of audiophiles lose their sense of perspective on the issue of what this kind of gear costs and why, let alone the typical consumer who purchases their home entertainment equipment at a big-box - they ain't
nevah going to get their heads wrapped around what we willingly pay for audio...The word "willingly" does play a roll here. Even used, a lot of decent audio gear is not what most (more rational ?) people would consider to be inexpensive or even good value for that matter. The audiophile community on the other hand will
willingly lay down that kind of money for this stuff because in our minds, the value-for-money proposition is reconcilable. Its a question of priorities. That being said, even within our own community, we have different tolerance levels where the value-for money proposition stops making sense. Speaking for myself, I have what many would consider to be an absolutely
stupid amount of money invested in audio and my expenditures pale in comparison to what many of you have spent or could conceivably spend on this stuff if you had a mind to and/or the wherewithal ( or credit limit
) to do so. I am not a major gearhead so as I approach the completion of my system rebuild, to my mind I've built a system which is sufficient for my needs and this will be where I get off the bus for some time to come. I have reached a point where, for
myself, I would have trouble justifying investing much more money into this in terms of what I would get back in return for the investment. For others, that point is further off or may never arrive. So be it. That's
your lookout - enjoy the ride !
Having attempted to establish some sort of context, here are the observations I originally set out to offer, for what they're worth:
1)
In terms of "sticker shock" regarding this level of audio gear in general: Let's remember that these are total
luxury goods although our bias towards great sound makes them
seem like a necessity. To
us. There is always a premium to be paid for luxury. Your ability to pay that premium is what
makes it a luxury in the eyes of others. Can you get from point A to point B in a Chrysler ? Often ( but in my experience, not always ), you can. But if your ride is what you consider to be your priority, you may find yourself lusting after something more in keeping with your priorities. Can you listen to music through a big-box home entertainment system ? Absolutely, but if your priority is an enhanced listening experience, you may find yourself
willingly wading into
this world...Either way, if you should find your butt in the comfy leather seat of an upscale ride or parked in front of a high-end audio system which you own, remember how your butt got there. You
put it there. So no sobbing about what it cost - you could have had the Chrysler ( shudder...). As a wise man I know says : " If you find yourself in such a fortunate position,
appreciate the luxury..."
It should be also be considered that none of this stuff is churned out in massive volume, either. The economies of scale do not apply here because mass-production plays no role here ( Thank God ). While my understanding is that Bryston manufactures and sells a fair bit more product than many manufacurers of audio gear, we're still not talking about anything even approaching Matsushita numbers. I bought my 7B SST2's and BCD-1 last year and the serial numbers were all 4 digits long. This isn't Sony here. That lower production volume plays a role in what this stuff costs for a number of reasons.
2)
In terms of why that sticker is getting shocking : As has been pointed out, right now, the cost of everything is going up and audio gear is no exception. All those good things like copper, rare earth, petroleum, etc. which go into your BP-26 also go into that increased price tag along with the cost of getting those good things to the factory as well other factors like the cost of shipping it to your favorite audio dealer, the cost of actually running the place where it is built as well as the cost of backing it should you have some unfortunate issue ( and the cost of returning it to you -often in a crisp new box- after all has been made right ). Hopefully the good folks who do all this for you are not working for the same wages/salary that they were working for in 1995, either. And let's not forget to build in the additional costs driven by the speculation of stock-market parasites who drive up artificially the costs of many of the aforementioned commodities. So those bastards are in the box too when you unpack your new ( or used ) BP-26. Dispose of them in an environmentally conscious fashion, please.
3)
In terms of how shocking the sticker on that Bryston is...: Going back to that value-for-money proposition alluded to earlier, having looked at what other brands of gear cost against Bryston, in a bang-for -the buck comparison I'd say IMHO you could do worse.
Much worse.And while it is certainly true that prices have gone up recently ( and will probably increase again ), the increases are pretty reasonable in context of what goes on in the audio industry. It's possible to go the other route and try to endlessly absorb increasing costs to keep your pricing down but at some point something's gotta give and you can either dole out a whopping price increase and hope for the best (
Hello EveAnna Manley ! ) or you can pack up the plantation and head off for that great audio Valhalla like so many of these companies end up doing...
Or you can cut your costs by moving production offshore, up your margins and trade on your established audiophile cred until the end-user goodwill runs out, overwhelmed by quality issues (
Hello Arcam ! ).Or I guess you could cheap it up and churn out tinny-looking and -sounding crap , lose the 20-year warranty and flog the stuff at Best Buy as best you can. Whore up the legacy and grab for all you can get for as long as it lasts. Or Hell, why not just sell the whole shootin' match off to some conglomerate , take the money and run ?
Eyyyeeewww.....
I for one would prefer to have my Bryston gear designed and built here by the conscientious and skilled people who have done such a great job up to this point in establishing an enviable reputation for quality. Is it expensive? Yep. But more to the point, is it still good value for money ? Affirmative. In audiophile terms at least...
James : Don't ever change.
And don't go postin' no pictures of your new Ferrari after all this!
D.D.
Full Disclosure: Diamond Dog has owned a Chrysler and is still traumatized by the experience. He has never owned a BP-26 but hears that they're actually pretty good so he's not ruling it out at some point. He checks the "Picture Food Needed" thread in the Bryston Circle regularly for any photos of James Tanner driving a Ferrari. And he does not consider himself to be much of an audiophile but does try to appreciate the luxury of owning good audio equipment... 
