GoodSoundClub - Romy the Cat's Audio Site

In the Forum: Audio Discussions
In the Thread: About the ownership of audio product manufacturing.

Post Subject: Delivering the promise of qualityPosted by jessie.dazzle on: 9/24/2009

I could not agree more.

Above a certain price point, another thing that should be standard procedure is what Lamm has been doing since day one; and that is to establish a file for each component made, recording whenever possible, its history of ownership, geographical location(s), and any servicing the component may have undergone. From what I understand, these files are updated whenever Lamm obtains more information about the component.

Another thing I like about what Lamm does : He builds several clearly labeled test points into the circuit boards, from which measurements are taken and recorded both before and after burn in. These records are kept, and can be consulted and comparred to measurements taken any time in the component's life, allowing quick verification and diagnosis, as well as instructing the selection of replacement parts.

Just as with a classic Ferrari, this exemplary practice helps maintain the value of the object over the passage of time.

Romy wrote :
"...When we by a car we might [not] care if this particular model was assembled in Tennessee of in Tokyo..."

Well, that depends; every single Aston Martin motor used to be, and maybe still is, hand-assembled in its entirety by a single individual, who would then finish the work by stamping or engraving his signature into the engine block. Presumably, if the owner later needed a part for his motor, Aston Martin would, if possible, solicit the same employee to prepare the part.

I decided to see if I could find out if they were still doing this, and discovered that yes, they are, and also that Aston Martin has started using Bang & Olufsen as a supplier of audio components in thier cars; so, can we expect B&O's "Tonemeister" (!!!) to sign the installed audio system?

Well... Bang & Olufsen Marketing wrote :
"...Both companies [Aston Martin and Bang & Olufsen] appreciate the value of individuality, and at Bang & Olufsen there is a very real human element to every stage of the design and manufacturing processes, from the integral role played by the classically trained tonmeister, to the hand finishing of the products. Aston Martin takes the same approach, as each engine bears the signature of the engineer who signed off on it..."

Source : http://www.worldcarfans.com/10712112897/aston-martin-teams-with-bang--olufsen

In the case of older Aston Martins; not only was the motor hand assembled, but every single body was beat from sheets of aluminum using various hammers, tree stumps, and leather bags full of lead shot... Why did they not use the "English wheel" you ask? Because this miracle was entrusted to the hands of some very skilled Italians, in Milan Italy... Who insidentally signed the finished bodies with their badge:
http://metacool.typepad.com/unabashed_gearhead_gnarly/images/2008/08/31/cimg3213.jpg
http://image.automobilemag.com/f/multimedia/photo_gallery/6682535/0604_aston_martin_db5_02_1280.jpg

Btw, one audio manufacturer that does sign and date his work is Gordon Rankin, of Wavelength Audio.

jd*

Rerurn to Romy the Cat's Site