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Thread: Is Mark Levinson Using JBL Drivers?

  1. #46
    Senior Member BMWCCA's Avatar
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    Wikipedia explains it this way:

    Mark Levinson

    It was founded in 1972 as Mark Levinson Audio Systems (MLAS), by Mark Levinson, and has since its birth focused on solid-state equipment. The company was originally based in New Haven, CT, where Mark Levinson had begun to develop high end audio systems; his father was a professor at Yale University. In the 1980s, the company was taken over by Madrigal and lost several of its employees and innovators (Mark Levinson, Tom Colangelo, etc.). Mark Levinson himself went on to found or co-found other companies (Cello and then Red Rose Music).

    ". . . as you have no doubt noticed, no one told the 4345 that it can't work correctly so it does anyway."—Greg Timbers

  2. #47
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    I may have been in a bad mood (long day at work) when i listened to the podcast but I found him to be slightly arrogant and a hypocrite. He claims the industry is becoming a "virus" and all about profit yet he's selling 100k speakers. Thats not including the Red Rose amp fiasco. I do agree w/his sentiments on high efficiency speakers but geez there's something about the interview that just seemed off.

  3. #48
    Senior Member jblsound's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BMWCCA View Post
    Wikipedia explains it this way:

    Mark Levinson

    It was founded in 1972 as Mark Levinson Audio Systems (MLAS), by Mark Levinson, and has since its birth focused on solid-state equipment. The company was originally based in New Haven, CT, where Mark Levinson had begun to develop high end audio systems; his father was a professor at Yale University. In the 1980s, the company was taken over by Madrigal and lost several of its employees and innovators (Mark Levinson, Tom Colangelo, etc.). Mark Levinson himself went on to found or co-found other companies (Cello and then Red Rose Music).

    In that interview, Mark most certainly brought that point forward. I have the same thoughts, I've never much liked the sound of tubes.
    One thing I have noticed these last few decades, when a company(any company) gets taken over by another it usually means a degrading of that company. When a company loses its key people, only one way to go.
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  4. #49
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sundown View Post
    He claims the industry is becoming a "virus" and all about profit yet he's selling 100k speakers
    How many is he selling at $100k? I'm not real sure his target is the ninety-nine percenters.

  5. #50
    Senior Member jblsound's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 4313B View Post
    How many is he selling at $100k? I'm not real sure his target is the ninety-nine percenters.
    I doubt anyone on this forum, certainly out of my price range. A pair of Salon2, I might be able to manage and that's less than 1/4 the price.
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  6. #51
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    Quote Originally Posted by jblsound View Post
    I doubt anyone on this forum, certainly out of my price range.
    I don't even think it's a price range thing. It has to be a status thing.

    Look at the JBL Everest II. It's definitely a status thing.

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    Quote Originally Posted by 4313B View Post
    How many is he selling at $100k? I'm not real sure his target is the ninety-nine percenters.
    He's selling enough to stay in business. Personally I don't think it matters who he's targeting for sales but Mark is still perpetuating "the virus" he claims to dislike. Regardless if he's gouging the rich or the 99%, these speakers are way over priced and in essence degrading the audio market he seems to love.


    Just my $.05 (adjusted for inflation)

  8. #53
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    All of this junk is way over priced... yeah, he might be part of the problem
    but the other part of the problem is the idiot who would pay one hundred thousand dollars for a pair of loudspeakers...

  9. #54
    Senior Member jblsound's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 4313B View Post
    All of this junk is way over priced... yeah, he might be part of the problem
    but the other part of the problem is the idiot who would pay one hundred thousand dollars for a pair of loudspeakers...
    The millionaires who can afford to spend, will. As to if a given product is over priced, there are levels of over priced. And levels of quality that are delivered. All here would say Bose are way over priced, as their quality is next to zero. And all these super expensive cables that some are convinced provide better sound than a cable from BJC. Those are two examples of way over priced and zero quality in return.

    If someone buys a pair of Salon2 @ $22,000, K29900 @ $44,000, Everest II @ $60,000, at least there is a quality that can be heard that you will not find in a $2000 speaker. As to if those prices are way over the top...that would depend on the person's point of view.
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  10. #55
    Senior Member tomt's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sundown View Post

    and all about profit yet he's selling 100k speakers.

    Thats not including the Red Rose amp fiasco.


    how much overhead is involved?

    even in the event he got those red rose amps for free,

    commercial / retail space in nyc is Big $ .

    ```````````````````````````````````

    now that he lives/works in switzerland,

    there may not be as much of a break

    in costs.

    in peloton magazine, people on bike tours,

    (in switzerland)

    were paying more than $300us per night,

    each, to spend the night in rural farm houses.

    most of these places did not have,

    'hot running water'.



    ````````````````````````````````````````````
    http://danielhertz.com/


    http://pelotonmagazine.com/

  11. #56
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    Quote Originally Posted by tomt View Post
    how much overhead is involved?

    even in the event he got those red rose amps for free,

    commercial / retail space in nyc is Big $ .

    ```````````````````````````````````

    now that he lives/works in switzerland,

    there may not be as much of a break

    in costs.

    in peloton magazine, people on bike tours,

    (in switzerland)

    were paying more than $300us per night,

    each, to spend the night in rural farm houses.

    most of these places did not have,

    'hot running water'.



    ````````````````````````````````````````````
    http://danielhertz.com/


    http://pelotonmagazine.com/

    I could see a justification in the price if his design was ground breaking in technology but i don't see anything that warrants that cost to have high overhead. He's using a design that's been around for decades. I've never heard the M1's but i have listened to an Everest and I feel confident in saying the Everest would at least match the sound of the M1. The Everest has ground breaking design and R&D.

    The only speaker i know of that can justify in charging a crazy sum is the Focal Grande Utopia EM. Talk about cutting edge technology and design, gorgeous to boot too.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&fe...&v=Pz0L7MWn6to

  12. #57
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    The justification is in the fact that people are willing to pay what he is asking. It's really that simple. If he charged less, people would very probably lose all interest. I know, it sounds really effed up, but that's how these people think.

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    Quote Originally Posted by 4313B View Post
    The justification is in the fact that people are willing to pay what he is asking. It's really that simple. If he charged less, people would very probably lose all interest. I know, it sounds really effed up, but that's how these people think.
    Rolex did the same thing and I think those watches are crap compared to other great watches. Like you said its effed up.

  14. #59
    Senior Member svollmer's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sundown View Post
    I could see a justification in the price if his design was ground breaking in technology but i don't see anything that warrants that cost to have high overhead. He's using a design that's been around for decades. I've never heard the M1's but i have listened to an Everest and I feel confident in saying the Everest would at least match the sound of the M1. The Everest has ground breaking design and R&D.

    The only speaker i know of that can justify in charging a crazy sum is the Focal Grande Utopia EM. Talk about cutting edge technology and design, gorgeous to boot too.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&fe...&v=Pz0L7MWn6to
    Thanks for the link; I love seeing artisans making beautiful things. Here's another (Sorry for being OT):

    http://www.audioaficionado.org/b-w-s...s-speaker.html

  15. #60
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    Quote Originally Posted by audiomagnate View Post
    I saw an interview on "Home Theater Geeks," one of Leo Laport's video podcasts, where Mark Levinson was pushing his M1 speakers for a cool $100K. 100dB at 1 watt. I met him in Chicago in 77 when he was selling the HQD system, but this new speaker looks worse than my butt ugly but great sounding SVA2100s. Does anybody know what drivers he's using? He makes some ridiculous statements in the podcast, equating speaker sensitivity to MP3 bit loss. Another hero bites the dust. He sounds brain damaged, and I'm being kind.

    I watched the entire interview, Mark Levinson's speech was perfectly normal as well as typical for those of high intelligence and who think before they open their mouths

    Thomas

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