GoodSoundClub - Romy the Cat's Audio Site

In the Forum: Analog Playback
In the Thread: Audio Note new turntable and inflation

Post Subject: Audio Note new turntable and inflationPosted by tokyo john on: 1/3/2010

Audio Note has released a turntable called the Ginga which costs 60 thousand US dollars in Japan. (if you google Audio Note Ginga images you will find it very easily).
My first reaction was pure cynicism, as Audio Note does traditionally price its products aimed at Russian oligarchs, but given how prices of tonearms have gone up so much (prices of Dynavector, SME arms have doubled over the past 10 years), it is possible that it costs a lot of money to bring out a turntable like this today (ok, if not 60k, maybe 25k?).
Limited quantities, precision machining, and the small number of machining companies who will take on the job etc. all make it lot more expensive than 20 years ago to do the same thing. People who own Micros in good condition shoud rethink what price they should ask for when they sell!?

Digressing a bit, I have no idea if the Ginga is as good as a top class Micro, but in the latest Stereo Sound (Japanese hi-end audio magazine), one of the reviewers (and all Japanese audio reviewers are pretty familiar with Micros) said he approached the turntable with great skeptism but was actually impressed by the sound (given the price, he ought to!). Audio Note hardly advertises, so I think there is much less favoritism at play compared to say a product from Sony.
Other thing to note is that the founder of Audio Note, Kondo, has passed away and the company is now being run by people who used to work for him. I have heard how the current folks at Koetsu (son of the founder no less), has a more business-like approach to things and many Japanese swear by the "first generation Koetsus".

Coming back to the original theme, much manufacturing has moved out to China, so until the Chinese get serious about audio, and are able to do very high quality machining, prices of tomearms and turntables have no place to go but up. Since gold has already gone up so much in price, buying a couple of Gingas may be a good way to hedge against inflation :-)

Rerurn to Romy the Cat's Site