Lexicon has an Oppo hiding inside

[donald]

For those of us who own the Oppo Blu-Ray, I thought everyone would get a kick out of this link. Quite the marketing trick. Did Lexicon really think no one would notice? Does anyone want to sell their Oppo and purchase this Lexicon for $3,500?

www.audioholics.com/reviews/tran ... oppo-clone

[donald]

Try this link: Other did not work for some reason

www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/high-definition-dvd-players-hd-dvd-blu-ray/lexicon-bd-30-blu-ray-oppo-clone/oppo-inside-lexicon-outside-1

[jordo]

what a farce, shame on lexicon, I am sure they will sell some units to unsuspecting customers, but just goes to show....high end manufacturers are sometimes no better than affordable audio

[SDMonkey]

Just makes you wonder how many others are out doing the same kinds of things and I'm not talking just about a Blu-ray player.

[Pauly]

Yeah, maybe Levinson uses Onkyo components lol Who knows, maybe McIntosh is made by Yamaha. In all honestly though, hasn't Emo been linked to Sunfire? I know the DMR-1 was pretty much the same thing as the Theater Grand or whatever.

[MikeWI]

Jan 23, 2010 18:09:35 GMT -5 Pauly said:

Yeah, maybe Levinson uses Onkyo components lol Who knows, maybe McIntosh is made by Yamaha. In all honestly though, hasn't Emo been linked to Sunfire? I know the DMR-1 was pretty much the same thing as the Theater Grand or whatever.

I don't own any of their products, but I know McIntosh has their own factory.

Mike

[Pauly]

I know. I think Mac is one of the last companies I would expect to do something like that.

[Pauly]

The more I think about it, the less I blame Lexicon. In this day and age, I would think it would be tough for a high end boutique company to make any money, and money is what it's all about in the end. Some companies start out with passion for the products that they produce. Then eventually it's about staying in business and making money. Sometimes that means taking the easy route, and using somebody else's product and slapping your badge on it. I think most companies are guilty of it at one time or another. I'm not a business owner or anything, but that's just my opinion.

[strindl]

Jan 23, 2010 19:45:18 GMT -5 Pauly said:

The more I think about it, the less I blame Lexicon. In this day and age, I would think it would be tough for a high end boutique company to make any money, and money is what it's all about in the end. Some companies start out with passion for the products that they produce. Then eventually it's about staying in business and making money. Sometimes that means taking the easy route, and using somebody else's product and slapping your badge on it. I think most companies are guilty of it at one time or another. I'm not a business owner or anything, but that's just my opinion.

Lexicon has less of an excuse for that than most though. They are a part of one of the largest audio equipment manufacturers around..Harmon International. Lexicon is used quite a bit by custom installers, so I think they just wanted a blu ray player that the custom installers could offer the well heeled customers that matched the rest of the Lexicon line. The fact that they can make a huge windfall profit on it is a bonus.

As always, let the buyer beware, and there's a sucker born every minute.

[tchaik]

shameless.

sure there is a lot of redundancy out there, but over 3000 for cosmetic changes only?

sheese!!!

tchaik.........

[Deleted]

This really shouldn't surprise anyone. Versions of this have been going on in the audio/HT business as well as others for a long time.

The presumption by many who shop at high end shops is that the product that is priced 7 times more than the one that they see from the online direct company is many times higher in quality and performance. This is of course not necessarily true even if the high priced unit is not a re-badged product or variation from the same factory. If one takes a close look at products from Sunfire, Krell, Lexicon, Sherbourn, Integra, Sony ES, Pioneer, Emotiva and many others you might notice some similarities.

I buy the generic antihistamine, diphenhydramine, from Costco under the Kirkland house brand, 400 tabs for under $4.00. The large 100 tab box of the exact same medicine under the brand name Benadryl at my local Wallgreens is $14.99. That is almost 15 times more money per tab! (Sorry, maybe bad analogy, but I thought if I talked about drugs some of you dudes would catch on )

The primary difference is the method of delivering the product to the end user. Few, even now, understand the huge markups (plus commission) from the factory to the high end buyer. I don't think the profit made by the high dealer or installer (considering their cost including overhead) selling the Lexicon Blu-Ray player is that much more if any than the profit made by a company such as Oppo selling the same unit. Companies are in business to make a reasonable profit. As the audio/HT buyer becomes more educated about the price/performance value advantage of buying from a company such as Emotiva (including some DIY product research involved), I think the direct to buyer market will continue to increase rapidly.

Emotiva and Oppo are simply two of the finest at their craft!

[wynshad12]

I do not mean to rude or attacking any members” opinion!! but what’s the point’ really” how could anyone defend these monsters ” and called it business” (they are robbers and thieves all of those lexicon, Macintosh and other so called high end Vampires who feed on our wallets to keep their hi end game alive)

It’s fair to say that we all get caught paying too much sometimes by jumping on a piece of (gear) as soon as it’s been being launched!! But hello” $3,000 difference” huh” (I’m thinking of the gears I could have picked up from Emotiva with that??!!) That said none of us would want to be in this position….. Where Thirty days after your purchase” you learn that your top of the line (Lexicon BD-30) is the identical rebadged of the (oppo digital BD-83) for seven times the price you have paid. (How is that for an analogy)

The Fact of the matter is” most people aren’t upset about the (rebadged) (as “chuckienut” said this is an old problem by giving an analogy of name brand and store brand drugs) the real killer here IS the extra three Grand!! (Yes) even if you had no intention of buying anything (Lexicon) this would have been a huge mistake to get caught in this one!!

Another thing that I would like point out” is the case of the (Emotiva DCM-1) and the (Carver Theater Grand) Yes” they were pretty much the same rebadged situation (but for two thousand dollars less) you got to love that??!!

[donald]

Very well put Wynshad!

[Deleted]

I don't think anyone including me is "defending" these "montsters." I am just trying to explain the profit/markup situation in a high end manufacturer's initial price from Oppo, the supplier, thru to the end price that the high end dealer sells it for. You might not understand how this can be 7 times higher than the original price that Oppo sells it for but it is very common with exclusive or luxury products.

In your mind it might be "robbers and thieves" but the fact is that no one in the distribution line of the Lexicon Blu-Ray player makes much more profit percentage than Oppo does. It is a matter of direct selling versus selling thru the traditional means of high end retail businesses plus their expenses for specialized name plates and fancy stores. This might be the first time you have ever realized the huge difference between the manufacturers price versus the retail price. Chances are every time you buy at a regular retail store you pay many, many times more for a product than you would pay direct from the manufacturer if it was available for sale direct. That is one reason online sales and warehouse type operations are growing so fast.

Trust me, I never buy from high-end dealers and that is why I'm such a big fan of Oppo and Emotiva and direct online buying. I don't buy Lexicon products or Coach or Louis Vuitton or Rolex watches. I'm just trying to explain the business facts of life and say that this is everyday type of pricing which many are not aware of.

[wynshad12]

chuckienut" (your OK man" and I mean that) I got all pump up, due to the fact that they didn't do on upgrade or anything to the unit... (you know' like the oppo 981 hd) upgrade version sells for up to 3 times more than the regular version.

however they tell you what is the upgrade that have been done to the player!! to justified the upgrade price... and the buyers they seems to be happy with the results that they get from the upgrade!....

so chuckienut" were you able to talk your way out of buying one of those Coach or Louis Vuitton this pass Holiday (smile)

[kensai69]

Lexicon has been using branding other ppl's product as their own for a long time. They used to brand Bryston ST amplifiers as their NT series line.

[Deleted]

Jan 24, 2010 22:08:14 GMT -5 wynshad12 said:

so chuckienut" were you able to talk your way out of buying one of those Coach or Louis Vuitton this pass Holiday (smile)

Oh thank God Wynshad12, that was close! Besides, I buy all my purses at Ross Dress For Less. ;D

www.rossstores.com/sor.aspx

[Deleted]

Jan 25, 2010 0:58:31 GMT -5 @chuckienut said:

Jan 24, 2010 22:08:14 GMT -5 wynshad12 said:

so chuckienut" were you able to talk your way out of buying one of those Coach or Louis Vuitton this pass Holiday (smile)

Oh thank God Wynshad12, that was close! Besides, I buy all my purses at Ross Dress For Less. ;D

www.rossstores.com/sor.aspx

;D

[gordon58]

Jan 24, 2010 9:40:58 GMT -5 wynshad12 said:

I do not mean to rude or attacking any members” opinion!! but what’s the point’ really” how could anyone defend these monsters ” and called it business” (they are robbers and thieves all of those lexicon, Macintosh and other so called high end Vampires who feed on our wallets to keep their hi end game alive)

It’s fair to say that we all get caught paying too much sometimes by jumping on a piece of (gear) as soon as it’s been being launched!! But hello” $3,000 difference” huh” (I’m thinking of the gears I could have picked up from Emotiva with that??!!) That said none of us would want to be in this position….. Where Thirty days after your purchase” you learn that your top of the line (Lexicon BD-30) is the identical rebadged of the (oppo digital BD-83) for seven times the price you have paid. (How is that for an analogy)

The Fact of the matter is” most people aren’t upset about the (rebadged) (as “chuckienut” said this is an old problem by giving an analogy of name brand and store brand drugs) the real killer here IS the extra three Grand!! (Yes) even if you had no intention of buying anything (Lexicon) this would have been a huge mistake to get caught in this one!!

Another thing that I would like point out” is the case of the (Emotiva DCM-1) and the (Carver Theater Grand) Yes” they were pretty much the same rebadged situation (but for two thousand dollars less) you got to love that??!!

So are we to assume that these robbers, thieves and vampires have feasted on you and lightened your wallet without you knowing?

Gordon