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Post by smashlord on Aug 7, 2024 19:20:02 GMT -6
Anyone see the latest UA price increase?
$1300 in one fell swoop on an LA-2A.
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Post by ab101 on Aug 7, 2024 20:26:13 GMT -6
Audioscape to the rescue!
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Post by bossanova on Aug 7, 2024 20:41:22 GMT -6
Well, I wasn’t likely to get one any time soon but now that’s an even more remote possibility.
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Post by Quint on Aug 7, 2024 20:49:12 GMT -6
Anyone see the latest UA price increase? $1300 in one fell swoop on an LA-2A. Whatever. The prices they were charging were already silly before. Now they're just doubling down on the silly. I kind of wonder how much hardware they even sell these days? UA isn't really a hardware company anymore. They are a tech company. I'll keep buying Audioscape. |
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Post by Dan on Aug 7, 2024 21:42:54 GMT -6
Anyone see the latest UA price increase? $1300 in one fell swoop on an LA-2A. Whatever. The prices they were charging were already silly before. Now they're just doubling down on the silly. I kind of wonder how much hardware they even sell these days? UA isn't really a hardware company anymore. They are a tech company. I'll keep buying Audioscape. UAD don’t want to make modern hardware. The innovation ran out in the 2010s. They’re a “sell the dream” company. They could’ve easily made a cleaned up LA4 like DIYRE did or a “VCA” comp that behaves like an opto like Little Labs did for cheaper but they chose not to. |
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Post by basspro on Aug 7, 2024 21:51:21 GMT -6
Yikes. Who's going to buy these when you can get the AudioScape for just over $1k?
I feel like they were mid $2k like a decade ago
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Post by andersmv on Aug 7, 2024 22:31:04 GMT -6
Holy shit, again? Didn’t they jack up the price significantly last year as well? Who the hell is going to pay $6k for an LA-2A? We’re in high dollar Fairchild territory for two of them at this rate…
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Post by gwlee7 on Aug 8, 2024 5:34:42 GMT -6
Whatever. The prices they were charging were already silly before. Now they're just doubling down on the silly. I kind of wonder how much hardware they even sell these days? UA isn't really a hardware company anymore. They are a tech company. I'll keep buying Audioscape. UAD don’t want to make modern hardware. The innovation ran out in the 2010s. They’re a “sell the dream” company. They could’ve easily made a cleaned up LA4 like DIYRE did or a “VCA” comp that behaves like an opto like Little Labs did for cheaper but they chose not to. I think I am one of the few people on the forum that has a pair of the Little Labs LL2A. They are great set and forget tracking comps. |
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Post by EmRR on Aug 8, 2024 6:15:15 GMT -6
They must think they’re cranking out vintage units with a time machine…..which would BTW deflate the market.
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Post by doubledog on Aug 8, 2024 7:19:09 GMT -6
they can't say it's the opto modules (as Kentek still sells them for $99...)
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Post by Johnkenn on Aug 8, 2024 8:30:43 GMT -6
Don’t buy yet, if it follows precedent, they will be selling them for $39 on Tuesdays in two years.
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eq
Junior Member
Posts: 81
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Post by eq on Aug 8, 2024 8:49:56 GMT -6
Don’t buy yet, if it follows precedent, they will be selling them for $39 on Tuesdays in two years. 😂🤣😂🤣😂 |
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ericn
Temp
Balance Engineer
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Post by ericn on Aug 8, 2024 9:18:08 GMT -6
At this point I don’t think UA cares about selling analog gear, it’s more of “ we still offer it so we can tout our analog roots in the digital world”. They could buy STAM or Audioscape pieces as an OEM at retail and still have a hell of a mark up.
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Post by chessparov on Aug 8, 2024 9:30:39 GMT -6
Don’t buy yet, if it follows precedent, they will be selling them for $39 on Tuesdays in two years. Follows precedent. Hmm...So after this November precedental election then. |
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Post by chessparov on Aug 8, 2024 9:32:19 GMT -6
They must think they’re cranking out vintage units with a time machine…..which would BTW deflate the market. Beware of a balloon payment. |
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Post by Quint on Aug 8, 2024 9:47:29 GMT -6
At this point I don’t think UA cares about selling analog gear, it’s more of “ we still offer it so we can tout our analog roots in the digital world”. They could buy STAM or Audioscape pieces as an OEM at retail and still have a hell of a mark up. At one point in the last year or so, Drew tried to gaslight me by saying that UA was still a "hardware" company because UA sells mics. 🤷 |
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Post by Dan on Aug 8, 2024 10:09:48 GMT -6
They must think they’re cranking out vintage units with a time machine…..which would BTW deflate the market. even the rev F onward 1176 that were mass produced are grossly inflated now. Funny that the mass produced and dark la4 are still affordable but not cheap anymore. Rev F going for 4500 when Daking FET II with all switched controls sit for 1000, the III and the Comp for a little less per channel shows this is all mass hysteria. You could get a new, switched complimiter to butcher the peaks with no detrimental boxtone for cheaper too. |
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ericn
Temp
Balance Engineer
Posts: 16,083
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Post by ericn on Aug 8, 2024 10:35:48 GMT -6
At this point I don’t think UA cares about selling analog gear, it’s more of “ we still offer it so we can tout our analog roots in the digital world”. They could buy STAM or Audioscape pieces as an OEM at retail and still have a hell of a mark up. At one point in the last year or so, Drew tried to gaslight me by saying that UA was still a "hardware" company because UA sells mics. 🤷 They do make interfaces 😁 |
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Post by Quint on Aug 8, 2024 10:47:38 GMT -6
At one point in the last year or so, Drew tried to gaslight me by saying that UA was still a "hardware" company because UA sells mics. 🤷 They do make interfaces 😁 Drew and I were discussing analog hardware at the time, so interfaces wouldn't have figured into it. Though I wouldn't have been surprised if he had tried to claim interfaces as also being hardware, even though we both knew that he knew I was talking about analog hardware. The thing is, I'm fine with UA embracing their digital side and going all in on that. They've clearly made the shift to more or less get out of hardware, other than for occasionally selling a handful of grossly overpriced comps to aspirational dentists. I wasn't buying a LA-2A from UA when they were $4600 or $3200, and I'm certainly not buying one for $6000, so I don't care. UA should do what they want to do and/or what market forces dictate. Just don't gaslight customers. |
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Post by gravesnumber9 on Aug 8, 2024 11:07:59 GMT -6
Real question... is there anything actually different in these versus the clones? I'm not buying it one way or the other but I'm just trying to figure out if there's ANYTHING even coming CLOSE to justifying the price. Like in UA's fever dream world, do they have some explanation for charging $6k for this?
What is actually different about this versus, say, an Audioscape (which I have) or the like? Anything?
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Post by Dan on Aug 8, 2024 11:25:02 GMT -6
They do make interfaces 😁 Drew and I were discussing analog hardware at the time, so interfaces wouldn't have figured into it. Though I wouldn't have been surprised if he had tried to claim interfaces as also being hardware, even though we both knew that he knew I was talking about analog hardware. The thing is, I'm fine with UA embracing their digital side and going all in on that. They've clearly made the shift to more or less get out of hardware, other than for occasionally selling a handful of grossly overpriced comps to aspirational dentists. I wasn't buying a LA-2A from UA when they were $4600 or $3200, so I don't care. UA should do what they want to do and/or what market forces dictate. Just don't gaslight customers. Even the digital side exists to gaslight customers like Waves does after the Waves SSL and CLA. Their plugs do not work as well as the analogue equipment they’re based off of. UAD1 was standard digital textbook stuff that tried to copy the function of it. UAD2 was circuit models. Both failed. They were never like Sonnox (Sony Oxford), Sound Radix, old Izotope pre NI merger, or TDR selling you innovative tools to get the job done. Some of the research they funded was cool but even the AES white papers have dried up in favor of stuff for bedroom guitarists and trying to convince them that they need a fake 1073 for good tone and sell them china pedals that do nothing new for the same cost as the more flexible strymon iridium. And worse than the softube, mercurial, and neural Marshall sims they already own. |
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Post by Dan on Aug 8, 2024 11:31:05 GMT -6
Real question... is there anything actually different in these versus the clones? I'm not buying it one way or the other but I'm just trying to figure out if there's ANYTHING even coming CLOSE to justifying the price. Like in UA's fever dream world, do they have some explanation for charging $6k for this? What is actually different about this versus, say, an Audioscape (which I have) or the like? Anything? No. They are clones too. |
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Post by Quint on Aug 8, 2024 11:42:42 GMT -6
Real question... is there anything actually different in these versus the clones? I'm not buying it one way or the other but I'm just trying to figure out if there's ANYTHING even coming CLOSE to justifying the price. Like in UA's fever dream world, do they have some explanation for charging $6k for this? What is actually different about this versus, say, an Audioscape (which I have) or the like? Anything? If anything, my understanding is that the Audioscape (and maybe some of the other clones) is actually CLOSER to vintage correct than the UA reissues, which would make it all the more silly that UA is charging what they're charging. |
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Post by andersmv on Aug 8, 2024 12:58:41 GMT -6
I get why some clones cost what they do. A Fairchild'ish circuit is a lot of work and a crap load of tubes and transformers. It adds up after the parts and labor, at least to the point where getting to the $5k-$6k per channel cost is understandable when you're a smaller company. Audioscape is a great example, they've figured out how to do things for a very reasonable cost, smaller sized company and great quality (and I guarantee you that their new ASA-6A beast is a much more demanding and technical build, not even counting the parts and it's still around $3k).
For the sake of argument, let's be REALLY snobby here and say Audioscape isn't "boutique" enough to be compared to a legacy company like Universal Audio (I don't agree with that, but let's just roll with it...). I think it would be pretty damn hard to argue that a company like Chandler Limited isn't one of the poster children for the high priced, high quality boutique qualifier. I also wouldn't categorize chandler gear as "affordable" either, especially their rack gear. If Chandler is able to make a mono Fairchild inspired design that's cut down to 3 tubes and some transformers and hand assemble it in Iowa for $3400, what the hell is in the new LA-2A to justify $6k? I'm sorry, it just comes off as extremely greedy and ridiculous...
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Post by Quint on Aug 8, 2024 13:19:55 GMT -6
I get why some clones cost what they do. A Fairchild'ish circuit is a lot of work and a crap load of tubes and transformers. It adds up after the parts and labor, at least to the point where getting to the $5k-$6k per channel cost is understandable when you're a smaller company. Audioscape is a great example, they've figured out how to do things for a very reasonable cost, smaller sized company and great quality (and I guarantee you that their new ASA-6A beast is a much more demanding and technical build, not even counting the parts and it's still around $3k). For the sake of argument, let's be REALLY snobby here and say Audioscape isn't "boutique" enough to be compared to a legacy company like Universal Audio (I don't agree with that, but let's just roll with it...). I think it would be pretty damn hard to argue that a company like Chandler Limited isn't one of the poster children for the high priced, high quality boutique qualifier. I also wouldn't categorize chandler gear as "affordable" either, especially their rack gear. If Chandler is able to make a mono Fairchild inspired design that's cut down to 3 tubes and some transformers and hand assemble it in Iowa for $3400, what the hell is in the new LA-2A to justify $6k? I'm sorry, it just comes off as extremely greedy and ridiculous... Because it IS ridiculous. I mean, the market will bear what the market will bear, so I suppose there will still be an aspiring dentist or two out there who MUST have the UA badge, but nobody who actually makes music will be buying (or could justify buying) a LA-2A for $6k, especially when you could buy six Audioscape Optos for the same price. Who knows. Maybe the whole point is to price these so high that literally no one buys these. At which point, you get rid of staff and the production line necessary to build these, and just continue to have these UA hardware pieces live on as paper tigers, and nothing more. I suppose that would still allow for some level of hardware "mystique" that they could use to market their plugins, without actually having to build anything at all. Or maybe they pay some tech to build five of these a year, and nothing more. I just don't see how UA has any sort of serious volume of hardware sales with these sort of prices. And maybe that's what they want. Either way, I think it's fair to say at this point that UA hardware sales are probably effectively dead in the water, going forward, at least for the LA-2A, but probably some of their other pieces too. $3k for an 1176? 💩 |
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