The AMP II - MK 2 got amazing reviews
Not talking about this amp or any other specific one ...
Selection of highend music components in general
There are thousands of audio manufacturers around the world and it is impossible to select ……… .
The starting point to select components is an advice by friends and catching informations from online and paper publications and whispers inside the scene.
All reliable authors (TAS, Stereophile, HIFI+, sixmoons, ToneAudio etc) are writing the reviews about the components heard in their own reference room. So these guys can write about the differences compared with their own audio gear. There is a tendency to favour equipment from certain manufacturers due to economical pressure (advertisements).
With all this informations you have an idea/ a tendency for the brand/unit you intend to buy (do not forget the WAF), and then the component shall be tested/listened to in your OWN environment.
Prices /Value for money.
I heard someone saying, that the sales price of his unit is just above the material and working investment and his margin is very small. When we are comparing the interior inside / and the research of a DAC for appr. €3.500,00 with the construction of a Soulution 710 the price difference is quite obvious. But the sales price of more than € 28.000,00 for a Soulution 710 is extraordinary and nobody is buying. (The former German distributor for Soulution Audio is advertising his demo units with a high discount without any success since a year)
The highend manufactures have problems with their sales of the expensive units around the world, except in some countries of Asia. The main problem is the distributor, his margin is extraordinary and the profit for the dealer is between 10% and 20% only (without sales discount).
The only chance for the highend industry to survive is to get rid of the distributors, selling the components via AMAZON etc. for a reliable price (the buyer has a 14 days return guarantee by standard already) and to perform REAL HIGHEND DEMONSTRATIONS during the trade shows around the world. Most of the demonstrations at the Munich Trade Show 2011 were not on the level necessary to encourage the visitors to buy. The lack of quality of the highend demonstrations seems to be a major problem on all fairs.
Joachim