REVIEW: ALO Audio Amphora SS headphone amp - Page 8

So much is made of what a given manufacturer "should" charge for products. The beauty of a free market is that they can charge whatever they want for a product and people will either buy it or they won't. The argument also seems to always be made in terms of cost of goods sold versus asking price, i.e. "it's $10 worth of parts so it shouldn't sell for any more than $20". Where's overhead? Where's opportunity cost? Where's cost of capital?

Finally, what's a fair profit margin? The profit margin on an average pair of sneakers that most of would buy for the gym is astronomical when factored only on the cost of production. What about a bottle of Coke using the same method?

This is like the wooden box discussion in the PS1000 thread. Grado gets points off for not putting them in the wood box and ALO is getting points off for putting the Amphora in a wood box.

I don't get tired of the argument, I only get tired of people asserting that someone else is in error purchasing a product because it doesn't meet their own standard for value.

Like it or not, discussing price/value is also a big part of this hobby. If price wasn't a concern, everyone would have O2/R10/HE90 rigs and there would be no arguing, but since that's obviously not the case, it's good to know what you get for the price that you pay.

Discussing profit margins is quite subjective, I admit, but I don't see the problem in having a good conversation, as long as everyone stays civil. The problem is that some people ARE their gear, and get defensive very fast. So far, I don't see anyone in this thread stating that someone is in error purchasing ALO gear.

Yeah, the nice thing about the internets is that there's cables and gear for every budget, just know that once you buy something you'll always wonder how it'll be if you bought the next step up. People can charge whatever they want and it's up to you to evaluate it all you can and decide. It's the incremental process of indulging one of your senses more and more, hence the whole sorry for your wallet thing.

Man, I am in trouble! I had to sell my civility, intellect, and style in order to afford some new toys. Guess I will not be able to comment anymore! As far as being a shill, well I am one ... of anything that sounds good I will say it to the four winds. So sue me if I get excited of something that sounds this good.

I had no problem getting over 20 hours of operation between charges. I usually re-charged before it went dead so I have no doubt it could go for 24 hours per charge.

I disagree, Skylab has a lot to gain... Yes he gains headaches from all the nay sayers posting negative stuff and calling hin names. In a way I feel double bad, because a long time ago in one occasion I did the same to Skylab, again sorry.

As far as the Amphora sounding better than a Singlepower, well that is not how I heard it. But then my MPX3 has just about every upgrade Mikhail could put in it and it would cost at least 3.5 times the cost of the Amphora so the comparison would not be even remotely fair.

Wow, what a thread!

Havin' fun with this one.

It's a CMOY. It can't not be a CMOY. Here's how I arrive at that analysis.

Take that postage stamp board in there and add up the parts on it. The pic looks like some corporate spy cam shot so I can only get a guess since it is so protected in this review.

7 Caps
4 Transistors
5-8 resisters maybe
an IC

It's an amp circuit, if you only use those few parts, there aren't very many ways with so few parts to make an amp circuit. IT'S A CMOY

It's a CMOY with Jewelry hung on it. It looks like it's going out onto the Red Carpet at the Oscar's! I'll bet there were rounds of chuckles during the design phase. There is dishonesty in the engineering here. Just like the RA-1, and it's a "reasonable" $350! All wrapped up in Mahogany. The RA-1 HAS been dissected and the Schematic drawn, we KNOW it's a CMOY.

I'm shooting pix of some gear I bought. The review will be positive, but believe me, every blemish, wart, and poorly penetrated solder joint will be revealed with a Nikon Macro Lens and a tripod. I think reviews should be done like Car & Driver and Road & Track used to review things in the 60's and 70's. The honesty should have a glare to it.

There is a $10-30 board here with Great parts hung on it. Also, when you analyze the numbers, keep in mind 100 of these were built, at least. That's 200 V-Caps. On the V-Cap web page the costs drop markedly when you start buying at that Volume, almost 50%, and those are public numbers. Same for 100 attenuators.

If ALO wants to sell a $1000 CMOY, that's their business, I don't care. I do think it's my duty to point it out to my buddies to not waste their $$$ on it though. If I bought something like that and one of my Pals told me later how I had been had(while he was laughing his AZZ off), I'd be pretty ticked off about being taken. I'd then look very carefully at who recommended it to me.

You've hung your reputation on this in your review. You made unequivocal bold statements about it. I don't know any other way to look at it.

Most of the time this Audio stuff is so subjective that if you say a $1000 power cord is the greatest thing in the world, it's difficult to argue against as long as the cord is made well or has some modicum of engineering behind it. I usually look at that stuff and go on about my business shaking my head. This gear is beyond the pail though. As much as I hate engaging like this, I have to call this one out. This one is pretty obvious.

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les garten why don't you buy an Amphora, burn it in for about 200 hours and then compare it to your amps. If it is not what you expect of a $1,000 amp return it or sell it. Thus you would know first hand if the sound is good or not.

His point is not whether it sounds good or not, it's whether it's a pimped Cmoy or not.

This is a good read. I, too, seem to have a preference to the lush coloration of Singlepower - seems expensive for well dressed CMOY

But isn't it the quality of the sound why we are here? Who cares if it is pimped or not, is the sound that matters! Otherwise just go out and get a Bose headphone and call it a day.

Les Garten, let me get this straight. You don't think the Amphora is good even if it competes well in the $1000 range JUST because you don't like how it's designed?

Hi Miguel,
Of course I could do that. I am spending $1000 on another Headamp and have made my choice unless I see something else that interests me more, and this ain't it.

I don't have to cut my arm off to know it will hurt. I don't have to shoot the next door neighbor to know I'll get in trouble for it. I don't have to spend $1000 on a CMOY to know it's .....

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I have Zero issue with how it's designed. I have Zero issue with the parts used. I think it is a State of the Art CMOY. You wanted it straight and clear, Howz that?

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That analogy is clearly flawed as there isn't any unknown variable involved in those two cases you mentioned.

You're saying since I know 1 + 1 = 2 and 1 + 2 = 3, therefore, I know X + 1 too.