[djcxxx]

Originally Posted by daveyf

Like a lot of companies in the high end, it seems ARC believes that the path for survival lies with being able to sell less gear and at ever spiraling prices. Thereby maximizing profit per unit sale. There is a problem with this approach, IMO. That problem is shown in any number of fields where manufacturers of boutique gear followed this business plan--to their demise. The problem rears its head when the customer base has shrunk to such an extent that the number left is too small to support the business...This usually comes about because the cost to value equation is so out of balance that the customer base fails to the see the value anymore...!!
IMHO, we will be seeing a lot of this very real customer reserve in the high end industry in the very near future ( maybe we already are, and the manufacturers have not cottoned on to it yet??)

I believe it is a matter of product focus as the ARC customer base has always been small and in real adjusted dollars the equipment is less expensive than it was in the 1970s. In the past the design esthetic took third place behind the electronic circuit’s sonic quality and the materials required to provide robust service life including repairability.