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Post by kcatthedog on Aug 8, 2024 13:21:19 GMT -6
There was speculation on an earlier ua plug pricing thread that maybe it is being positioned for a sale.
Other then having a faceplate you prefer looking at, why else would someone buy ua HW: just literally throwing away money?
Does UA think it’s HW clientele panache is so entrenched that they won’t do the math ?
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Post by ab101 on Aug 8, 2024 13:41:03 GMT -6
Audioscape for La2a
Wes Audio ng 76 rocks
Likely many other choices
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Post by Dan on Aug 8, 2024 13:43:18 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... Chandler you can open it up and see what you’re paying for. Lots of through hole and point to point wiring. Cool transformers, germanium transistors, and tubes. A manufacturer who builds hardware who is not marketing it towards amateur musicians as a dupe. 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? 💩 The jfets in the 1176 cost under a buck. They use custom tranformers so aren’t paying that much for them. This is all clever stuff made from variable resistors. Yeah they might have to throw 5 of them away but it’s still 1960s tech to make affordable compressors for back then. The THAT chips are more expensive. There are no switched resistors here like in some Chandler gear, Maselec, or the Daking FET II. It’s pots and variable attenuators. They’re selling the 60s to amateur musicians with money. Blues lawyers. Tube dentists. 2000s are coming back into fashion but they didn’t make the Distressor. |
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Post by gravesnumber9 on Aug 8, 2024 13:47:51 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? 💩 My guess is that the purpose is to not sell them. Total speculation but I can see a scenario where it's like "we have 10 of these assembled in the warehouse, we only sell like 50 per year anyway and that barely shows up on our revenue report, let's just raise the cost high enough that we don't have to think about it anymore but without having to deal with the negative press of admitting we're no longer making our most famous products." |
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Post by Quint on Aug 8, 2024 14:03:48 GMT -6
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? 💩 My guess is that the purpose is to not sell them. Total speculation but I can see a scenario where it's like "we have 10 of these assembled in the warehouse, we only sell like 50 per year anyway and that barely shows up on our revenue report, let's just raise the cost high enough that we don't have to think about it anymore but without having to deal with the negative press of admitting we're no longer making our most famous products." Yep. |
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ericn
Temp
Balance Engineer
Posts: 16,083 
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Post by ericn on Aug 8, 2024 15:23:58 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? The answer you don’t want to hear: it depends |
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Post by gravesnumber9 on Aug 8, 2024 15:26:53 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? The answer you don’t want to hear: it depends I'd actually kind of like to hear that there's something tangibly different! |
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ericn
Temp
Balance Engineer
Posts: 16,083
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Post by ericn on Aug 8, 2024 15:39:12 GMT -6
The answer you don’t want to hear: it depends I'd actually kind of like to hear that there's something tangibly different! The problem is some are historically correct, some have taken some liberties, some skimp on transformers. Even UA has at times veered from the original ( when the Allen Bradley attenuator became unobtainable UA built a bunch using a pot instead then went back to attenuator when someone started making them. They didn’t tell anyone) So it’s really hard to say who is exact. At this point you could take the time collect NOS parts and build a true original LA2 or 1176 or use modern parts with closer tolerances like UA so it’s kind of complicated. People will argue over what reproduction transformer sounds better or which is more historically accurate. I get the desire for a simple straight forward answer, there just isn’t one😳 |
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Post by russellcreekps on Aug 8, 2024 19:49:39 GMT -6
Anyone see the latest UA price increase? $1300 in one fell swoop on an LA-2A. Is anything not increasing these days? But yeah, that’s excessive. Damn, pimpin’ ain’t easy! |
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Post by thehightenor on Aug 9, 2024 2:03:34 GMT -6
Anyone see the latest UA price increase? $1300 in one fell swoop on an LA-2A. I never even liked their RI …. to my ears it sounds so vanilla. The Audioscape Opto is not only way cheaper but sounds far closer to the orginal 68 design and vibe imho. |
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Post by bossanova on Aug 10, 2024 13:47:00 GMT -6
On the flip side, I just saw that they're doing a $99 sale on their UAD effects pedals. I don't think I'll be shelling out for it but I did think that the reverb sounded nice.
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Post by OtisGreying on Aug 10, 2024 16:23:11 GMT -6
6 grand……………
No
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Post by smashlord on Aug 10, 2024 18:06:57 GMT -6
I'm no electrical engineer, but I don't see how an LA-2A costs 2x more to hand wire than an RS124.
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Post by Johnkenn on Aug 10, 2024 18:21:08 GMT -6
I went through the Wendy’s drive through the other day…hadn’t had fast food in a while and was in a hurry. These rat bastards quoted me $9.81 for a shitty burger and medium coke. So I said no and drove off.
My point being - nobody’s buying that shit. Pricing that high in this economy is insulting. Could you imagine McDonalds or whoever coming out with an add like “We know it’s tough right now, that’s why McDonald’s is guaranteeing not to raise prices in 202X”.
So that makes me lean towards them NOT wanting to sell them as well…not huge leap.
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Post by Dan on Aug 11, 2024 11:29:40 GMT -6
I'm no electrical engineer, but I don't see how an LA-2A costs 2x more to hand wire than an RS124. la2a is less complex too |
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