Tom Evans is an extremely astute marketeer, smooth talker, and likes using buzzwords very much, the rest of the mag. fraternity seem to enjoy sucking him off, or vice versa.
Silver wire does cost 1000s if its in audionote's tx's,
Yes Andy Grove does pretty much had a big hand in all of wads amps, too. he's a clever guy.
got to question a couple of the points, Dean, as far as I know, Audionote have terminated links with Jensen and are making their own paper in oil capacitors, Its a bit ethically questionable if you forge close links with someone, then terminate them, and start producing the stuff they make. likewise with Kondo, and are now using his names.
Coupled to the fact they absorbed some of the systemdek turntables, use rega arms and goldring cartridges, and absorbed snells speakers in particular, shows that by and large the development and ingenuity are lacking somewhat, and they do in a lot of areas take others ideas rather than using their own. All that together is quite convincing.
Kondo was by and large responsible for the japanese named amps costing 1000s, and the higher end pre's. There were quite a good few, ongaku, gakuon, kegon, m7, m7 line, m7 phono, m10, shinri, kigeki to name but a few The Uk audionote stuff was the lower cheaper and less glitzy stuff. Its doesn't take a genius to realilse if it wasn't for the showy stuff, the 49k amps, audionote would just be another half decent company. No-one judges Audionote on an m2 poweramp, but on the fact they produce the ONGAKU.
Interesting reading as ever, Dean
Actually, reading PQ's stuff, why should he have rights to the name? if kondo created it, that is his, just investing in making stuff doesn't buy you the name, just like investing in making marks and sparks clothes doens't buy marks and sparks name.
PQ says the ongakus 'voice' is a collaboration yet fails to say how or why, not convinced.
If PQ found kondos negotiations hostile, perhaps it was caus PQ had stuff which wasn't paid for, as alluded to, and I can appreciate PQ would cause anyone to lose it.
I also find it hard to believe that the UK can show the japs anything about quality control and product consistency.
I also heard recently from someone who works there said QC left a bit to be desired, and from a retailer who has had problems with the transformers.
Having had a few problems of my own with transformer hum, I can understand how and why it happens, and its no surprise.
And reading the rest, it seems like PQ being the marketeer, is being like a football agent who introduces a footballer, then says, if it wasnt for me, he wouldn't be famous, no, perhaps not, but he is still the agent, not the master.
True ANUK's products may be 80% in terms of sales, that's not surprising, that's like saying bmw 3 series outsells Rolls Royce's 80:20 or whatever.
AN's name and high profile standing came from kondo, yes maybe cash came from PQ. But a bit cheeky to then nick the name caus you put in some cash and claim your stuff is outselling the other. From what I can tell, PQ is the sidekick who benefitted from statement products, created a cheap line, and decided to take the company.
having spoke to PQ, I have nothing against him, but he can be variable, pleasant at times, and ascerbic and changeable ,and moody. I find his explanations unconvincing personally, especially considering the history enlisted above.
