[mofu]

   
Those fees are your government trying to discourage you from buying things from the US.  Seems like they're working.  lol
 
In all seriousness, I think there are a lot of people on both sides of your dilemma.  For some, the add-ons are amazing and they'd love to see that kind of thing with every amp release.  For others, every penny counts and they'd rather see it stripped to the bone.  You can't please everybody, unfortunately.  :-/

Not every penny counts, but I dislike paying for stuff I will or can not use. Feels like a choice is taken away from me. Probably I would have less of a problem if it were just the amp for $800.
So why not buy it then? I hope that by voicing my opinion, I can change future offers to the better. For all I have heard the Cavalli slope is a slippery one.

Well, when Alex announced the LC first run, in the same post he said that $600 was selling it below cost. That means he was losing money on each amp, not just breaking even.

He said repeatedly that he was doing the project to thank the community for past support, and I think it's fair to say that there were extra expenses on his side in providing tech support and warranty repair. That's no way to sustain a business, even if it hooked several new customers in to upgrading to a Liquid Crimson or other higher-end amp with the Cavalli sound, so his original promise of "any following Carbon runs, if there even will be any more, will have to sell for a couple hundred dollars more" (paraphrased, the threads can be looked at). It's like a Kickstarter... The early birds were last year. Now you're going to pay retail.

I'm personally excited to see what Cavalli is capable of doing now that he has a greater production capacity and some more capital from this LC run and the retirement runs of the LAu, LGlass, and LCrimson. The upcoming Liquid Spark should be really interesting as the first Cavalli battery-powered portable amp...

Price increase does not mean pricing was fixed. In the first post of this thread there is screenshot explicitly mentioning that pricing will be determined later.$800 was only a possibility. probably most people stated that it it would be still amazing at $800 and therefore the final price was set.
 
I totally get, that there were miscalculations and expenses unaccounted for in the first run. Makes me wonder wether the second run is calculated to compensate for that loss. After all Cavalli Audio wants to stay in business and grow.

 

[lenroot77]

The cord is free, the software is free and "actual cost" of the t shirt to u can't be more than 10 dollars. They aren't making u buy that much extra.

You can always post a wanted add is the classifieds... Worked for me and I didn't have to wait 4 months to get my LC.

 

[mofu]

The cord is free, the software is free and "actual cost" of the t shirt to u can't be more than 10 dollars. They aren't making u buy that much extra.

You can always post a wanted add is the classifieds... Worked for me and I didn't have to wait 4 months to get my LC.

Nothing is for free. Why would Audioquest or Sonic Studio give away their products for free?
Or why would Cavalli Audio buy them and give them away for free?

 

[lenroot77]

Nothing is for free. Why would Audioquest or Sonic Studio give away their products for free?
Or why would Cavalli Audio buy them and give them away for free?

Geee I don't know... Advertising? Putting products into people's hands is often the best form.

It's says free in the OP are u calling them liars???

Why would even consider buying from a company you don't trust?

 

[WNBC]

Free stuff happens all the time for the purposes of advertising.  Audioquest can afford to give away these cables.  These companies want exposure.  Why not?  How many of you were going to buy an Audioquest cable or Sonic Studio?  You might like them and some percentage of people might buy future products from these companies.  Well worth these upfront costs to Audioquest and Amarra.  Like Lenroot77, I suspect we're really paying for the T-shirt and the other extras are free to Cavalli.  The rest of the cost is for the amp.  
 
I had a batch 1 LC and I got in on the 2nd batch LC.  I recently sold the batch 1 LC because in the end I don't need 2 LCs.  Thought I did, but then reality set in as I barely had listened to my other amp.  Do I think a Carbon is worth $799 on it's own (no extras)?  Yup.  No doubt about it.  So, in my opinion, forget about the extras.  After reading about the extras, it did not influence my decision to buy at $799.  You are paying $799 for an amp worth $799 and maybe more in value considering how it sounds.  Customs fees are a pain.  Would I pay $999 if that was my cost after Customs?  Hard to say, but I definitely would seriously consider the LC as I've heard amps at that price that I do not like and I definitely like the Carbon.  
 
Not sure if this post helps those on the fence, but I, as many other current/previous LC owners, feel this is an excellent bargain at $599 and even at $799, it is still a great buy for those needing a solid state amp.  I don't think Cavalli would force a cable and software on us for their own profit.  I think they are essential bonuses that are free to us. If $799 is too far a stretch then definitely there are other good options out there.  

 

[Allanmarcus]

 

Nothing is for free. Why would Audioquest or Sonic Studio give away their products for free?
Or why would Cavalli Audio buy them and give them away for free?

Geee I don't know... Advertising? Putting products into people's hands is often the best form.

It's says free in the OP are u calling them liars???

Why would even consider buying from a company you don't trust?

"free" in this context is a marketing term. "Included" is a better term. If the cord, software, and t-shirt were free, I should be able to just have cavalli send me these items at no cost. Obviously that's not going to happen. These items are "included" in the cost, not "free". We have no idea what Cavalli's cost is on these items. We can speculate, but one assumes they are getting a volume discount.
 
 
We should stop splitting hairs here. Cavalli increased the price to cover costs. They probably got pretty darned good deals on the extras, and included them to help incentivize sales. My guess in the extras add under $50 per sale, but add way more than that value for most customers. Sure, some will not want them, but the majority will find value in the extras. As stated above, it will probably be fairly easy to sell the items to recoup a little. I imagine we will see a few cords for $50 for sale, and the software for $20. The T-Shirt is invaluable!  

 

[Stillhart]

  Not every penny counts, but I dislike paying for stuff I will or can not use. Feels like a choice is taken away from me. Probably I would have less of a problem if it were just the amp for $800.
So why not buy it then? I hope that by voicing my opinion, I can change future offers to the better. For all I have heard the Cavalli slope is a slippery one.
Price increase does not mean pricing was fixed. In the first post of this thread there is screenshot explicitly mentioning that pricing will be determined later.$800 was only a possibility. probably most people stated that it it would be still amazing at $800 and therefore the final price was set.
 
I totally get, that there were miscalculations and expenses unaccounted for in the first run. Makes me wonder wether the second run is calculated to compensate for that loss. After all Cavalli Audio wants to stay in business and grow.

 
As I and others have been trying to say, many of us consider the amp worth $799 with or without the addons.  It know of at least two that sold for that price used before this batch was announced.  If you don't feel the amp alone is worth $799, then by all means skip on it.  But It doesn't always work that if they remove the extras the price would come down.  It does work that if you sell the extras the price will come down tho...

 

[lenroot77]

Deleted

 

[lenroot77]

ok... Maybe that wasn't funny???

 

[Allanmarcus]

I'm not sure what stick is up your power port, but I'm just suggesting people stop arguing about what's free and not free. The $800 gets you an amp, a power cord, some software, and a t-shirt. "Free" is a marketing term. This a bundle. Some have suggested they do t want the extras. I'm suggesting they can sell the stuff they dont want. That's all. Heck, I'm hoping someone sells the software for cheap so I can buy it!

 

[lenroot77]

I'm not sure what stick is up your power port, but I'm just suggesting people stop arguing about what's free and not free. The $800 gets you an amp, a power cord, some software, and a t-shirt. "Free" is a marketing term. This a bundle. Some have suggested they do t want the extras. I'm suggesting they can sell the stuff they dont want. That's all. Heck, I'm hoping someone sells the software for cheap so I can buy it!

You're right sir, my apologies. I better get a snickers.

 

[WNBC]

Definitely better than a stick.
 
 
Quote:

You're right sir, my apologies. I better get a snickers.

 

[lenroot77]

 

[gr8soundz]

 
As I and others have been trying to say, many of us consider the amp worth $799 with or without the addons.  It know of at least two that sold for that price used before this batch was announced.  If you don't feel the amp alone is worth $799, then by all means skip on it.  But It doesn't always work that if they remove the extras the price would come down.  It does work that if you sell the extras the price will come down tho...

 
During the 1st run, I remember reading a few complaints about the LC having no power cord or rubber feet. Now that the 2nd run has that stuff (and the price is still exactly as Alex stated a year ago if another batch was made) some people really don't want them.
 

 

[Stillhart]

I'm not sure what stick is up your power port, but I'm just suggesting people stop arguing about what's free and not free. The $800 gets you an amp, a power cord, some software, and a t-shirt. "Free" is a marketing term. This a bundle. Some have suggested they do t want the extras. I'm suggesting they can sell the stuff they dont want. That's all. Heck, I'm hoping someone sells the software for cheap so I can buy it!

 
You know what stick is up his power port, don't act surprised.  And don't be surprised if people who bought the second run LC don't want to sell you bundled items cheap since you ruined their chance at getting a FREE (not bundled) Liquid Gold or Ether C.  You gotta expect a little bit of backlash when you do something like that.