[downsize]

I mean, they offer very nice cosmetics, which costs money. This makes me wonder just how good the amp guts can be for the price ?
Looking at the MKV solid state guts though, looks fairly good.

 

[DGNeo]

They're extremely solid amps. As far as why they're so inexpensive, I couldn't answer that myself.

 

[71877]

1. Chinese part and labor cost is propably cheaper than in Japan, Europe or the US.

2. The enclosures seem cheaper than the enclosures from lets say RSA or Woo audio (at least they look cheaper to me).

3. Less exotic designs?

 

[weibby]

if you buy everything from the source, of course you get it cheaper.
You're not subjected to taxes, shipping and middle man's cut.

 

[krmathis]

I bet most of it is related to the fact that they are built in China.
The fact that they sell directly to the end user helps keeping the cost down as well. Eliminating a distributor/dealer in between and shipping costs. The choice of materials probably play a role as well.

 

[downsize]

I spent this morning reading through abt 86 pages on the MKV ... The insides look awfully nice, with the dual mono design, to be so inexpensive. Many thought it could compete with amps costing in the 500-700 range, but then again I read where it struggles with lower impedence cans ... Kind of strange for an amp with two transformers in it.
It was just a curiosity for me, as i am trying to learn abt these intriguing products.

 

[ford2]

A better title would have been why are all amps made outside of asia so expensive.

 

[PFKMan23]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ford2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif A better title would have been why are all amps made outside of asia so expensive.

Same reasons except on the flip side. Parts and labor costs are higher than they are in China and you also have to deal with shipping and toher associated costs you might not have to when dealing wtih a Chinese manufacturer.

 

[Currawong]

Quote:

Originally Posted by downsize /img/forum/go_quote.gif I spent this morning reading through abt 86 pages on the MKV ... The insides look awfully nice, with the dual mono design, to be so inexpensive. Many thought it could compete with amps costing in the 500-700 range, but then again I read where it struggles with lower impedence cans ... Kind of strange for an amp with two transformers in it. It was just a curiosity for me, as i am trying to learn abt these intriguing products.

As others have said, but it sure does not compete with amps in the $500-700 range by a country mile. I don't believe now it will stand up in comparison to what's available now at its current price. The dual-mono means nothing -- a stereo amp IS (essentially) dual-mono!

 

[El_Doug]

On top of cheap labor and parts, and factory-direct pricing, LD also has a VERY small profit margin.

Drew at Moon Audio was interested in becoming a dealer for LD amps - they flat out told him that this was impossible, as with their very discounted pricing strategy, there was no room for a reseller to make any money

 

[dcpoor]

the Mk V is still ~$290 + shipping, I'm not sure where you got the $200 price from.

 

[ford2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PFKMan23 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Same reasons except on the flip side. Parts and labor costs are higher than they are in China and you also have to deal with shipping and toher associated costs you might not have to when dealing wtih a Chinese manufacturer.

And one very important fact is that most of the Chinese companies are willing to operate at a smaller profit margin than the get rich quick mentality that prevails in the west.

 

[El_Doug]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Currawong /img/forum/go_quote.gif The dual-mono means nothing -- a stereo amp IS dual-mono!

Not true! Though the words seem to mean the same thing, in practice the difference is that a dual-mono uses completely, 100% separate amplification and power circuits, for each channel.

 

[jageur272]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Currawong /img/forum/go_quote.gif -- a stereo amp IS dual-mono!

Technically, not quite. The dual mono is meant to imply that the signal/ground in the LD amps are not shared in the amp circuit apart from being paralleled through the connectors. Balanced is a true dual mono design, where each ground is actually a mirrored (well, negative phase) of the signal which yields double the voltage swing. Regardless, the ground in the MKV is an active ground, where small currents are grounded to the PS ground but large currents (like the return from the headphones) are handled by another channel that sources a constant return to ground.

EDIT:
Also, seperate PS's. Almost forgot about that.

 

[john57]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Currawong /img/forum/go_quote.gif As others have said, but it sure does not compete with amps in the $500-700 range by a country mile. There's a very good reason it only costs $200 as compared to the $300 it cost when it came out: It wouldn't stand up in comparison to what's available now at its original price. The dual-mono means nothing -- a stereo amp IS dual-mono!

That is not correct not all stereo amps are dual-mono. Many stereo amps uses the same transformer and parts of the power supply for both channels. Dual-mono means two mono blocks in the same case which in many stereo amps design not the case.