[pbirkett]

I think it will mean less sales for Perreaux in the US....

However, it wont make one jot of difference in places like the UK, where we have ALWAYS been ripped off for things. I paid the equivalent of just under $500 and its still a bargain comapred to most readily available amps in Europe. And of course, I believe it'll still sell pretty well in Oz / New Zealand.

Edited to say: When the Perreaux first came out, many people agreed it could compete with amps more expensive than what it was available for. If it had been launched with a price like that, people may not have raved about it like they did when it was $350, but we certainly would not be having this conversation either...

I feel that the amps reputation will be damaged by this, and that it wont get recommended any more, even though had it come out at a higher price originally, people may have still recommended it.

OK, I know people mention PPA etc, but people havent stopped recommending Emmelines or Corda's have they?

 

[gpalmer]

Quote:

Originally posted by ipodstudio I think it's a shame that less people will ultimately get to use one, as it will now fall outside of many's budget

For any manufacturer there are always tradeoffs between volume and profit per unit that have to be made in order to maximize profit. In this case it appears that the folks at Perreaux have changed their equations which is a business decision. Let's face it, them selling it for a lower price than it was worth means that they weren't getting all the money they could have from each unit. All that being said, i wished they had decided on a less steep pricing raise.

 

[ipodstudio]

That certainly is one serious leap

It's quite possibly as you said: they weren't turning over so many units so go for max profit on a smaller amount of sold pieces.

 

[gpalmer]

Quote:

Originally posted by ipodstudio That certainly is one serious leap

How is that a leap? That's basic first-year economics. There is a maximizing function which is a function of how many resources you have to use to build and merchandise the product against what you can sell it for. You must also take into account the impact your competitors have as a variable. This funciton is maximized in the middle where you are not selling as many units as you could nor making the most profit on each sale as you could. As an example Microsoft was ruled a monopoly because they could apply the equations directly, they didn't have to concern themselves themselves with the competitors.

 

[ipodstudio]

Quote:

Originally posted by gpalmer How is that a leap? That's basic first-year economics. There is a maximizing function which is a function of how many resources you have to use to build and merchandise the product together with what you can sell it for. You must also take into account the impact your competitors have as a variable. This funciton is maximized in the middle where you are not selling as many units as you could nor making the most profit on the product you could. As an example Microsoft was ruled a monopoly because they could apply the equations directly, they didn't have to concern themselves themselves with the competitors.

I just meant that it was fair leap in price for the average consumer. If someone here had been looking at that amp for a while now, the jump from $350 to $600 would quite possibly be too much to swallow

 

[gpalmer]

Quote:

Originally posted by ipodstudio I just meant that it was fair leap in price for the average consumer. If someone here had been looking at that amp for a while now, the jump from $350 to $600 would quite possibly be too much to swallow

Oops, sorry I misunderstood. I agree with you fully. I regret that that amp which has previously been so strongly recommended around here has gone up in price. Having a high quality amplifier priced at a point where folks would try it is a really good thing for the hobby. It means more and more people getting involved and better manufacturer support.

 

[ipodstudio]

No probs. I guess there are quite a few great amps in this price range, but it's sure sad to "lose one".

 

[kugino]

Quote:

Originally posted by gpalmer Oops, sorry I misunderstood. I agree with you fully. I regret that that amp which has previously been so strongly recommended around here has gone up in price. Having a high quality amplifier priced at a point where folks would try it is a really good thing for the hobby. It means more and more people getting involved and better manufacturer support.

that's right, gpalmer. my foray into the headphone amp world was initiated by the perreaux. sounds great with the rs1, too. but its little bugs just didn't cut it with me and i had to give it up...what a great amp at $275 (demo model from AA). $600? still a great amp, but much stiffer competition. some might say i've actually downgraded since selling my perreaux...come to think of it, why the hell did i ever give it up?!

 

[plainsong]

Ok Kugino, I admit it, I was fished in!

As for price, I'd guess that €370 was always the price, but AA selling it cheaper, and then shipping it badly (mine came from New Zealand very well packed) was costing Perreaux more money and more control than it was worth for them. Just a guess though.

You guys always want something for nothing.

In Europe it's a good price, as has been said already.

I can get a Corda mkII for the same cost, which is also good, or I can really treat myself to a Creek Ob-11 locally. Wow, what a deal.

 

[fredpb]

The new price of the Perreaux puts it out of the market for the "knowledgable" buyer.

It's not worth the price.

Look at the range of Headroom amps available for $600. You can get the Home for just a little more. The Gilmore is cheaper too.

Not smart Perreaux!!!!

 

[ipodstudio]

You tell 'em, fredpb!!

 

[plainsong]

Quote:

Originally posted by fredpb The new price of the Perreaux puts it out of the market for the "knowledgable" buyer. It's not worth the price. Look at the range of Headroom amps available for $600. You can get the Home for just a little more. The Gilmore is cheaper too. Not smart Perreaux!!!!

Have you been able to compare the Perreaux to these amps for any length of time? How does the Perreaux fit into the food chain with them?

But the headroom amps are too pricey for the EU once you add customs fees (you have to _really_ want that specific amp, but at least I think they do have 230V versions). The Gilmores and PPAs are likewise off-limits for us due to power supply issues. Even the older Creeks and the Rega Ears sell for the same price as the Perreaux locally. So how is it a bad buy? Explain...

 

[ipodstudio]

Quote:

Originally posted by plainsong Have you been able to compare the Perreaux to these amps for any length of time? How does the Perreaux fit into the food chain with them? But the headroom amps are too pricey for the EU once you add customs fees (you have to _really_ want that specific amp, but at least I think they do have 230V versions). The Gilmores and PPAs are likewise off-limits for us due to power supply issues. Even the older Creeks and the Rega Ears sell for the same price as the Perreaux locally. So how is it a bad buy? Explain...

Why are the PPAs off-limits? I'm in Spain and have ordered a PPA from Larocco. There are no power issues that I've been informed of...I know the voltage is different but that's an easily solved problem...

 

[mulveling]

Quote:

Originally posted by plainsong Have you been able to compare the Perreaux to these amps for any length of time? How does the Perreaux fit into the food chain with them? But the headroom amps are too pricey for the EU once you add customs fees (you have to _really_ want that specific amp, but at least I think they do have 230V versions). The Gilmores and PPAs are likewise off-limits for us due to power supply issues. Even the older Creeks and the Rega Ears sell for the same price as the Perreaux locally. So how is it a bad buy? Explain...

I've got the Headroom Little, Perreaux, and Gilmore V2. The most obvious difference to me is the degree to which the amps "tighten up" the sound - meaning dynamics, detail, punchiness, and how well they keep notes and instruments from blurring into each other (kind of like the difference with using a soft-focus filter on a camera lens and then taking it off). I am ignoring the tonal differences, which can influence a person's personal sonic preferences. For me the Gilmore is the best at this and the Little is the worst by quite a margin. In fact I've got some equipment where I can't say the Little (being fed from line-out) really improves on the plain old headphone-out jacks. The other two amps are better than any headphone jack I've heard, often by quite a bit. If I were to roughly place the amps on a relative 1-10 scale, 1 being the worst amp and 10 the best, I'd say:

1- Headroom Little
4 - output jack of RME digi PAD soundcard
6.5 - Perreaux
10 - Gilmore

It's probably unfair to include the $260 Little in this comparison, but I did

I don't know how the Home compares to the Little, but the Little is overpriced for what it does, IMO, and it may even do more harm than good. I think the Perreaux was good at $300-350, but at $600 it's overpriced, again IMO.

 

[plainsong]

Quote:

Originally posted by ipodstudio Why are the PPAs off-limits? I'm in Spain and have ordered a PPA from Larocco. There are no power issues that I've been informed of...I know the voltage is different but that's an easily solved problem...

Well you have to get a decent power supply. There's the US company elpac which seems to be popular, but the EU equivelent, and I've honestly forgotten their name... they don't want to deal with consumers. The guy wouldn't even tell me the cost! So I went to their Finnish distributor and they didn't have the recommended model. So it's tough getting decent power, at least locally.

Edit: Does LaRocco not need a wallwart? It seems like most of the other PPAs do.

Second Edit: Ok, the Gilmore lite needs a wallwart that is impossible locally to get a good version. The Gilmore V2 just takes a power cord of your choosing, and it's exactly 100 bucks more than I paid for the Perreaux, plus shipping.

But thanks for the impressions. So in conclusion, I still don't think the Perreaux is a bad buy.