Hifi Makers aren’t what they used to be,

This is why I use entry level priced gear that sounds doable enough for my ears.

S.

The examples you quote are not a general issue with new hi-fi. I've never been a fan of Rega turntables but have found their arms fine for the cost. My instinct is to avoid slot loading CD players. There are alternatives that perform well and don't have defects out of the box. I think there was a fair share of poorly constructed and finished equipment 30 years ago.

Rega's production is MANY times higher than it used to be, the factory quite large now and they ALWAYS still put the customer first if there's an issue, certainly via their UK dealers. Often the deck faults are with the lid and not the plinth - apparently - and as told me by their UK sales manager - and their home made MM cartridges haven't been entirely successful in more recent times, the cheaper models now either discontinued or suspended for now as regards supplies of parts if nothing else.

I've only seen four examples of current Luxman (three amps and a CD player) and again, all of them had superb fit and finish with no issues as described above and a great sonic to go with the lavish build and finish. I'd suspect the sub standard one would or should have been replaced and a rocket sent to the factory if that was the case.

Pushing fifty years back (OK, forty five), we had a batch of sixteen Cambridge P60's which needed to be returned either for repair or credit and around twenty Aiwa AD1600 cassette decks with terminal faults which all needed to be returned.

What about the copious Naim power amps with snarling mains transformers which apparently was a selling point in having loosely wound transformers or similar. Mission 770 speakers where no two pairs were ever quite the same and definitely no two batched as the designer couldn't leave them alone. Linn's mid 90's electronic production where again, the circuit boards changed almost with every batch (two changes in board and sound in the Numerik at least in 1995 alone I remember).

A pal bought a B&O telly, usually with impeccable finish and found pin sized burst paint bubbles on the gloss black surround. My main boss didn't believe us and came to visit to see for himself!

Shit happens. You just have to buy on trust and hope you've chosen a good dealer if things don't pan out right.

There’s also the fact that before forums, there was no opportunity to see the fails, so I take your point about things being amplified today.

What concerns me with Rega is that this sagging seems to be a design flaw and yet they carry on. I’m also influenced by my previous horror story with a Planar 1. I offered the dealer a chance to check and send a new one and he declined because he said he’d end up opening several to find a good one. That would never have happened back in the day. We sold hundreds and all were 100%.

With Luxman, it’s bad enough that they let something like that slip, but I’d have accepted it as a one off. It wa stone denial that really bothered me. In the face of photographic proof, you apologise profusely and do all you need to make it right.

With the Audiolab, I know they aren’t alone in using a slot loader, but those things have no place in a hifi system. It’s the acceptance of stuff like that by buyers which bothers me most. Especially those who have bought and are now in denial, seeking to defend and recommend the thing.

I guess what I was trying to say was that I’m particularly bothered by what all this says about the low standards of many makers and also the standards buyers are willing to accept. To me it’s dissolving one of the things I see as separating hifi from audio.

As Dave points out, stuff like Cambridge had loads of reliability issues. Many of the UK “hair shirt” makers were excused on the basis of being “cottage industry”. Looking back, many deserved to fail.....and they did. Andre felt that by the 80s, British gear was already declining in build, and I’m inclined to agree.

Rega were never like that, though. You’d bet your house on anything Rega being perfect. I realise they have increased production, but at what cost? There are far too many fails coming out of their factory for me to ever consider one of their products. Others may differ, but to me they have lost what made them attractive.

Of course back when I was young, I wouldn’t have looked at Jap battleship decks and amps, whereas today I see things very differently, I doubt much of what’s made today will live on in the same way. It all just seems too cheaply made and un-serviceable: Full of chips and surface-mounts, with cheap build and casework. Basically another aspect of throwaway society, and that saddens me.

This is the plinth sag I was talking about. Pretty darn serious.

I saw those pictures on Hoffman. If people get a bad product straight out the box they should reject it immediately and sort it with the dealer. The Rega issue is variable and I'm sure it is in manufacturing the foam plinths. One complainant on Hoffman is getting a replacement plinth from Rega. So they will put things right. It's something they need to sort but I can't see this plinth construction ever being perfectly flat - hence their stated 2mm manufacturing tolerance. The slot loading Audiolab I would simply avoid based on those pictures. Even if a sample is issue free it may develop a problem and start marking CDs. I don't consider modern electronics unserviceable but like most modern things surface mount is not something for the amateur. It's similar with cars. You need the dealer computer diagnostics. I'm not worried about anything not lasting 50 years cause I won't be here. Those 70s and 80s amps went wrong more than more modern gear. Only thing I ever have major issues with are CD player transports. I have a couple of late 80s, 90s amps that still work fine but they haven't been in regular use for long periods.

I’ve been very lucky with CD players. Only a Cambridge CD4SE (failed completely) and a Rega Planet (failed servo: a common issue) have gone tits up. Amps have been very reliable, in 35 years and a few hundred amps, only the following.

A Rotel RA840BX2 blew up with a bang. Bought new from Richer sounds when I worked there, the stock all had “second quality” stamped on them, so I wasn’t surprised.
A pair of HFA A12 valve power amps played up and nobody seemed able to fettle.
An Ion Obelisk kept playing up and again seemed resistant to repair.

That’s not a lot at all. No speakers have ever failed, nor has any turntable or arm. One cartridge suspension has failed. An AT32e.

When I see Luxman and Yamaha’s costing several grand failing when under warranty, I am completely put off new kit