Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/11/13

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Subject: Re: High end audio [Macintosh] and [Leica] photographic analogies
From: Walter S Delesandri <walt@jove.acs.unt.edu>
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 09:09:35 -0600 (Central Standard Time)

While it seem that others can post off-topic drivel and I can't (according to the 
responses I get), here goes again --WARNING-CONTAINS NON-LEICA INFORMATION!!!

While you were selling audio, I was repairing it.  R.E. - Bryston and other small 
high-end companies--  Who's going to take it in for repair in ten years?  
Mcintosh= LONG TERM CUSTOMER COMMITMENT =  LEICA
Bryston,Parasound,Cary,Joe's basement,== who knows in 5-10 years?

BTW, I don't sell or even use Mac -- all my gear is tube, designed and built by me. - 
BUT for the long term consumer, I'll put my money on Mac. (I >did< use it for 
years, but sold all of my collection when I wanted to pay down on my house -- at 
a tremendous profit, I should add)

Final example = God protect me from anything Bruce Moore or MFA ever made.  Would 
YOUR shop take it in for repair?

And golden ears be damned, Mac sounds fine.  (yes, even the solid state junk - and 
it STILL will after you're dead.)

Walt (the don't-buy-what-I-use-buy-what's-good-for-you egotist)

On Fri, 13 Nov 1998 07:18:26 -0500 Andre Jean Quintal 
<quia250249@yahoo.com> wrote: 
> If i may, you will find a lot of up-to-date information
> on very good to excellent to out-of-this-world
> audio through the UseNet group
> rec.audio.high-end,
> also accessible through
> http://www.dejanews.com
> Seldom do McIntosh owners (or would-bes) participate, unfortunately.
> One of the dimensions the McIntosh business philosophy
> espouses caters to the "other needs" of the consumer:
> a need for security, which they call "peace of mind".
> 
> As an experienced former McIntosh salesman and
> store manager, the above is an important fact of life:
> some people do NEED to feel secure about what they
> purchase and are willing to part with much more money
> for a chunk of the "real thing".
> 
> LEICA is one such product.
> The difference, however, is that LEICA products
> have been, are, and will remain a technical reference
> at the forefront of photographic technology,
> while manufactured to stand the test of time.
> 
> McIntosh audio components are very, very well built.
> But, a great number agree, they too often fail to stand their own
> in double blind listening tests, some far less expensive
> equipment often eclipsing the gilded midnight black
> units of the world-famous brand.
> Dependability is no problem, i must add.
> But : that's also true of a Bryston, half the price,
> seen the most in recording and broadcast studios,
> outstanding quality AND sonic performance.
> Many other brands can claim the same, too,
> some with even better sound, obvious from the first minute !
> 
> LEICA originated photos have a general image quality
> that no fool will ever question, on average even.
> 
> The audio world market is dominated by huge corporations.
> BUT the demands of audiophiles, especially,
> have made it viable for smaller excellence-driven
> firms to emerge and survive in a cut-throat marketplace.
> A few younger brilliant music-loving AND business
> oriented engineers have reshaped the high end audio
> marketplace and McIntosh, all incumbent that it is,
> is under pressure to deliver.
> 
> LEICA, with the benefit of almost a Century
> of outstanding products and fairplay business practice,
> has survived the onslaught of mass market gizmo cameras,
> then some pretty hairy non-photo world-market pressures,
> and will still be around 25+ years from now
> simply because there always will be people
> and institutions who require such a product.
> 
> You perhaps will be amused to read that, to me,
> an audio system is only as good as the loudspeakers
> will allow, no matter how expensive the electronics.
> 
> Much the same in photography: put a substandard "production"
> lens on a high end "pro" or "semi-pro" mass-market brand
> camera and your creative work is lost to mediocrity,
> while you get the can't-do-nothing-about-it grin
> from some in-store you-get-what-you-pay-for comic.
> You get spot-check quality from spot-check quality control.
> Specs on paper are one thing, real world performance
> is what you really want.
> Put a LEICA brand lens upfront and it's a known fact
> that this most definitely will not be a limiting factor.
> 
> Still to be realized, soon now, my lifelong LEICA dream :
> focus on photo essentials.
> 
> I love you Santa Claus !
> 
> Andre Jean Quintal
> 
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
> 
> At 04:07 -0500 13/11/98, Custodian@aol.com wrote:
> >Pascal
> >
> >What light?
> >
> >I used McIntosh equipment, both tubed and solid state, and I thought build
> >quality was excellent but sound quality was average. No way did it reach high
> >end standards.
> >
> >David
> 
>