Quote:
Originally Posted by pp312 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
[...]The fact is, most dedicateds are designed and made by miniscule (sometimes one-man) companies which have nowhere near the design resources or opportunities for economies of scale of those producing mainstream integrateds.
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It really depends. They may not have the size to get the cheapest possible mass prices and economies of scale on components and production chain, nor can field dozens of engineers to work on a single product (with R&D costs divided a large number of produced units). On the other side, some of them do have a lot of time, and will dedicate it to testing, experimenting, and perfecting their designs. And when taking DIY into account, we're buying the time and dedicated effort of great designers
for free.
Quote:
| It's a different ball-game, and those who say a $500 dedicated has to be better than a $500 intregrated because all the money has gone into the single purpose of correctly driving headphones are not facing the realities of mass market design and manufacture. The major manufacturers are in the business of squeezing a gallon out of a quart pot, and when you take a hard look at what Rotel or Marantz can offer for a few hundred dollars in terms of component quality and design sophistication you begin to realize what an incredibly inefficient cottage industry the dedicated amp industry is (if it can be so called). I'm not criticising it; I'm just saying. |
On the other side, if they can win $10 per unit by taking cheaper parts for a functionality very few users will consider as important, they will. $10 per unit, that's a $10k gain if you sell 1,000 units, and the more mass-market this is, the higher the gain.
Fact is, the headphone out is a very secondary function for most users of speaker-amps (whether mass-market or mid-end). That's why you can try gaining a few bucks on it, without too many people noticing - by taking a less expensive opamp, by implementing a less expensive topology, etc...
So at the end, you really pay for different things:
- a secondary function, in a product which main goal is another duty, but which price has been squeezed thanks to a larger market and more rational management. As this is a secondary function, you don't know if it's been taken as great care of as the other ones - maybe the company decided to cut some costs there, as those who'd really care are a minority, maybe it decided that everything is as important, even if for only a very small part of their customers.
- a primary function, that has been developed and built by a less efficient company, in a small market where both great makers and overpriced lousy equipment can be found. Design and production cost (per unit) are higher, but you don't pay for functions you don't need.
- a primary function, that has been developed "for free" to you, where the building cost is your own time, plus the price of components - bought in small batch, thus not as cheap as mass-market companies could buy. However, you must have some spare time, know how to use a soldering iron, have the equipment to make a nice case, etc...
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