You guys are hilarious. I personally like getting my money's worth, instead of the "prestige" of knowing that I spent more. I base the quality of the amp on the quality of the amp alone. If it's cheaper, that just means I got more for my dollar.
The only resounding criticism of the RSD speakers that I have heard is that they don't cost enough
. We all know they are the best bang for the buck out there right now. The press and audio forums have caught on to this, and there are plenty of good reviews of them. I'd say that on the whole it's the best speaker line PG has put together, ESPECIALLY considering the low price point.
As for individual amp part tolerances, I haven't taken an RSD apart, but I do know the Xenon line used better parts than the Ti series at least. So what are you basing that off of Randy? The RSD line was supposed to be a Tantrum level replacement. And it is a big improvement at that price point. We were supposed to get another top-tier amp, but PG ran out of money before it could be released.
While we're ranting, I guess I will express my concerns with PG as of late:
- Blingy cosmetics not befitting of premium amplifiers (this is the only reason I run Ti and not Xenon). A premium amp needs to be classy and understated. Putting the latest offerings against the rest of the premium market is like taking Don Magic Juan to the Nobel banquet. The Roadster 66 showed that PG could still design a sweet, classy looking amp... it really makes me wish they had another chance to create a suitable Xenon replacement.
- High grey market availability. If you're going to leak your amps out on eBay, then you should stop ignoring the elephant in the room, and offer warranties on ALL sales. Include the warranty in the base distributor cost of the amp, which will increase grey market costs, thereby pushing people back to their dealers. They will pay a convenience charge to buy local, but when your amps are available online without warranty for half the price, something is wrong.
- Poor QC on the Xenon line tarnished reputation and made people skeptical of overseas manufacturing.
- Grey market online sales with no warranties on the Xenon amps made for a perfect storm of internet bitching. The market has changed since the 90's, but only because it has moved online. It was argued earlier in this thread that there are no more audiophiles, but I disagree... they just moved out of the car shows, and onto their computers. There is a HUGE grassroots internet audiophile culture. What the internet says about your product is something you can't ignore... this should be your prime exposure medium. The discerning audiophiles are all here or on places like DIYMA talking about individual part tolerances... so if you want to make MS amps again, you need to find them and tell them about it.
- Not making a proper top-line Xenon replacement first, before making a middle-line. In order to remove the Xenon tarnish, PG needed an amp that could re-establish their credibility. Something as technically robust as the Xenon line, while having good reliability.
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