What gear you wouldn't buy because of its name or cult status.

[Liya]

Yup, they exist.

Topping? I mean, come on.
What is it? a pizza?

Harbeth, of course you wouldn't like to buy that. If you don't know why, have a look at HUG (Harbeth User Group).

 

[sweetchaos]

The usual suspects:

PS Audio => BS Audio
AudioQuest => BS Quest
Wilson Audio => Wilson BS

When you hear the name of certain companies, you immediately think "snake oil".

 

[SKBubba]

Devialet

 

[Ron Texas]

Topping makes great gear. I have 2 of their DAC's. What's to not like about pizza?

 

[Liya]

The usual suspects:

PS Audio => BS Audio
AudioQuest => BS Quest
Wilson Audio => Wilson BS

haha. Wilson BS made me laugh

 

[Liya]

Topping makes great gear. I have 2 of their DAC's. What's to not like about pizza?

Could call themselves Salami. Equally good

 

[Vacceo]

Pass Labs. Nothing against Mr. Pass, I´m just not interested in colored amps from the factory.

 

[Liya]

Mola mola, sounds like infectious disease.
Denafrips = virus.
Edifier, do the chinese just open English dictionary randomly and pick whatever?

 

[NiagaraPete]

Carver
Hafler
Marantz
Sony
JVC
Harmon Kardon

 

[Liya]

... and you have to be a cult follower to buy anything from Nordost, IsoTek or Tellurium.

I guess this forum, inevitably created its own cult brands

 

[Mart68]

Topping makes great gear. I have 2 of their DAC's. What's to not like about pizza?

I'm going to start a brand called 'Kebab'.

 

[Swtoby]

I agree about Topping. Van Alstine, Ayre, Balanced Audio Technology. In addition, I was once a customer of, but never again: Spectral, MIT, Avalon.

 

[raif71]

Topping makes great gear. I have 2 of their DAC's. What's to not like about pizza?

Double Anchovies Capsicum, what I'd like on the pizza

 

[Vacceo]

I'm going to start a brand called 'Kebab'.

Soon you´ll see the competitors from Gyros.

 

[FrantzM]

My list is rather long and include mostly HEA brands.. (High End Audio)

Wilson Audio... Prejudiced against them even when I was a hardcore subjectivist.
Krell .... Same prejudices, even when I was a subjectivist.
FM Acoustics ... Hated then, same today, because their cult status and their price. Unobtainium, unless you are in Asia and have considerable means
Dar Tzeel ... Nothing that measured so strangely should have such a following and of course price..
Zu... Can't understand that something that sounds so bad has a following either...
REL .... Overpriced subwoofers with pedestrians performance
LAMM Industries... Overpriced, cheap looking products... Mea culpa ... Back in the days perhaps 30 years ago, i heard their 18-watt driving a very high sensitivity loudspeaker and thought I had to have it until a friend had one in his system and ...
AudioQuest .....
Synergistic Research.... Perhaps the quintessential snake oil and BS peddler in HEA. Very well know in HEA quarters, would say a bit more prestigious in those quarters than AQ
Linn Sondek.... Some people actually believe their gear to be superior
Marantz .... Can they take their time and just make their products better?
PS Audio ...... Wellllllllll
Devialet ..... Decent performance but disappointing overall. Push the right maudiophil marketing buttons, better performance can be had for much less...
Harbeth .... A cult IMHO
B&W .... Another cult
Chord .... More cult
NAIM ..... Iconoclasts and Cult
Audio Note Japan and/or UK ... Expensive nonsenses
MIT Cables .... Believe they shouldn't be allowed to sell anything. Pure Snake Oil...
Tech DAS .......... Took the Micro-seiki designs of yore and just made them very, expensive.. H-expensive
---

I'll stop, else I may have to list (almost) ,all the HEA that I know, or know of.


Peace.

 

[Loathecliff]

Li*n, for oh so many reasons

 

[Angsty]

Mark Levinson (sorry Amir).

 

[Timcognito]

Anything with MQA and Magnepan.

Oops I have Bluesound

 

[Astoneroad]

Sam's Club Mono Blocks
Burger King DACs
Spotify... anything.

 

[Ralph_Cramden]

Pass Labs. Nothing against Mr. Pass, I´m just not interested in colored amps from the factory.

Yeah, I'll give Pass a pass.