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Post by earlyparole on Apr 15, 2014 22:59:47 GMT -5
Is it better to buy the top of the line product in an average quality maker, or the entry level product in a better build company, if the price/service etc. is the same? This can apply to any piece of gear, but I am looking at buying a preamp, probably used.
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Post by Canuck_fr on Apr 16, 2014 6:54:50 GMT -5
That is a very difficult question to answer without specific products. It is very variable. Some people would consider Pioneer average, some consider it Low end. If you try asking a specific question, you will definately get more answers.
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Post by Boomzilla on Apr 16, 2014 8:05:55 GMT -5
No significant difference, IMHO.
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KeithL
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Post by KeithL on Apr 16, 2014 9:22:20 GMT -5
I think the most important thing there is to try and get "a feel" for what the company believes to be THEIR priorities. In audio, it's pretty clear that some companies consider sound quality to be important, while others seem equally convinced that "none of their customers can hear the difference", and so they produce products that are reasonably priced, and have impressive lists of features, but just don't sound very good. (Obviously, if you care about how your system sounds, you want to avoid those - because none of their products is going to sound very good - even the ones with every bell and whistle imaginable.)
One (possible) "downside" of buying the "bottom of the line" from a higher-end company (especially if they have a relatively large product line) is that the absolute bottom product is usually lacking at least a few important features (deliberately omitted to give you a reason to move up the line). How this affects you depends on the manufacturer - and what they consider important - and can happen with both "high end" and "low end" manufacturers. (Our UMC-200 "omits" balanced outputs, while our soon-to-be-released XMC-1 has them, and lots of other cool features as well. Whether you consider this a "serious omission" will depend on how you feel about needing that feature. However, "even" the "lowly" UMC-200 sounds very good - because we consider sound quality to be critical, and so aren't going to scrimp on it with any product with our name on it.)
The downside to buying a "top end" component from a "low end" company is often simply how well the product works. Many low-end companies place features above actual performance. If that's the case, then their "higher end" products may be jammed with extra features, but may share the same poor core performance of their lower end products. (This could happen because they believe it to match well with the priorities of their customers, or it could happen because they are simply incapable of doing better. It also can happen if their "higher" products are simply their lower model with extra features tacked on.)
Personally, I'm inclined to stick with companies who don't have a ridiculous variety of products, and whose priorities agree with mine (for audio equipment that would be sound quality). If I DO decide to buy a product from someone who has zillions of models, I generally avoid the bottom of the line (because it will be the "stripped" model) and the top of the line (because it will be stuffed with silly features I don't care about) and aim one or two models ABOVE the bottom. I like to think that I've found the "happy spot" between the lower units (which probably have important features removed to get me not to buy them), and the top line products (which may have all sorts of extra features that "fluff up" the spec sheet, and raise the price, but which I would never use).
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DYohn
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Post by DYohn on Apr 16, 2014 9:31:39 GMT -5
IMO, it is better to get whatever it is that you want and that makes you happy. Seriously, if you are happy with an average or low-end product, then what does it matter what else is available? And if your personality is only satisfied by knowing you own the very best that is available, then by all means get that one. It's really about preference and personal opinion.
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Post by mshump on Apr 16, 2014 9:40:12 GMT -5
IMO, it is better to get whatever it is that you want and that makes you happy. Seriously, if you are happy with an average or low-end product, then what does it matter what else is available? And if your personality is only satisfied by knowing you own the very best that is available, then by all means get that one. It's really about preference and personal opinion. I agree with dyohn, I would add.. research also. Doing some research can sometimes land you the best bang for the buck also. |
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Post by Cory Cooper on Apr 16, 2014 9:45:34 GMT -5
I also agree with whatever makes you happy. However, when my OCD kicks in, all bets are off.  When that happens, I tend to buy from higher end brands, but a couple of rungs down their product ladder. As always, it's personal preference that prevails. C |
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on Apr 16, 2014 9:55:33 GMT -5
Good question, but it truly depends, as canuck says...
For example, in Magnepan, from their lower priced speakers to their higher end, as you pay more, you get more bass. So, if more of the sweet Maggie bass in desired, pay more to get it. Maggies don't go very low, but if you have the right room - the bass they do produce is very nice to my ears.
Different companies have different lineups and different tradeoffs as you move up/down the line.
Mark
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stiehl11
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Post by stiehl11 on Apr 16, 2014 12:06:46 GMT -5
Some companies will have a "Halo" product or "flagship" to rest their hat on for their top-tier product(s) and expect the name and product recognition will flow down to their lower-tiered products that are mediocre (at best). I learned this when getting into hi-fi/HT back in the late 80's. I asked the sales rep what was the difference between this brand's product for $100 less than this brand's product. He told me "the name". When I looked at him quizzically, he told me to look inside through the grates. When I did, I saw the same layout, the same boards as the lesser priced unit. "The name" was made on their Halo (not to be confused with Parasound) products and consumers were expected to pay more for their lower-tiered products because of it.
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Post by redog on Apr 16, 2014 12:20:26 GMT -5
I think it depends on to many variables to answer your question. I purchased a low end Precor treadmill over the higher end models of other manufacturers even though the Precor model I purchased had far less options. I did this because the build quality of the Precor was significantly higher than the other models. What I didnt get was the attached tv, and other goodies offered on the other treadmills.
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Post by pop on Apr 16, 2014 12:50:28 GMT -5
Are you typically satisfied with the purchases you make or do you always feel like you should have gone one step up? That is the most important question.
Also, top of the line doesn't always mean it is suited right for you. Top of the line products are a lot of times "cult" products. They are very specific and have a very specific following, hence the price. Think about it like wine. There are many $100 plus bottles of single vineyard wines where tons of people prefer the much less expensive $20 blend of all the vineyards. The differences between the two will be small, some will justify the price increase others wont. For some that very small nuance in the more expensive bottle justifies the price increase. Even Emotiva is like this. They offer superior performance/value in their amplifiers. They offer many series, some on paper better than the others. Are the much more expensive amplifiers better? Maybe, maybe not. Is the cost difference enough for you to justify hearing very slight increases in performance? You will even see administrators on the forum recommending the UPA series amplifiers, simply because that is all the user needs to drive their speakers.
Either way, good luck and enjoy your purchases.
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Post by thepcguy on Apr 16, 2014 14:07:11 GMT -5
In between.... there's BIAS!
If it's expensive, we already like it: clothes, shoes...
And we have our own preferences.
I bet the OP already know the answer to his/her question.
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Post by mfeust on Apr 16, 2014 17:50:08 GMT -5
I was actually a little worried to see want this thread was all about. Thought maybe I got onto the wrong forum some how. Not that there is anything wrong with that.
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Post by thepcguy on Apr 16, 2014 18:23:01 GMT -5
I was actually a little worried to see want this thread was all about. Thought maybe I got onto the wrong forum some how. Not that there is anything wrong with that. You mean this:  versus...  |
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Post by mfeust on Apr 16, 2014 18:43:35 GMT -5
I was actually a little worried to see want this thread was all about. Thought maybe I got onto the wrong forum some how. Not that there is anything wrong with that. You mean this: versus... That would be a difficult choice, how about both, top AND bottom. |
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Post by aud on Apr 16, 2014 18:43:40 GMT -5
I'll take the low end please.
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Post by redog on Apr 16, 2014 18:44:01 GMT -5
I was actually a little worried to see want this thread was all about. Thought maybe I got onto the wrong forum some how. Not that there is anything wrong with that. You mean this: versus... Dude! WTF! How did you get pictures of my wife |
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DYohn
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Post by DYohn on Apr 16, 2014 18:55:14 GMT -5
"Top or bottom" has a much different meaning in a gay bar as well.  |
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Post by pop on Apr 16, 2014 19:09:07 GMT -5
^ I'm glad you tested that meaning for all of us. |
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Post by frenchyfranky on Apr 17, 2014 17:51:42 GMT -5
"Top or bottom" has a much different meaning in a gay bar as well. Hey...! How do you know that?  |
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When that happens, I tend to buy from higher end brands, but a couple of rungs down their product ladder.
