Rotary Wars...
I think that copying designs in a small market by businesses is something that happens ALL the time. Take a look at entry-level turntables, especially on the underside and in the guts, and you will discover that they all use the exact same parts. I assume they are like milk; all bottled at the same place, and then they have respective labels put on. Anyway, my point is that everyone in this industry rips off designs (although this does not make it alright). Sometimes it is a good thing, and results in a revolutionary product (1620 anyone), and sometimes, in is just a blatant rip off, and cuts the market up (and convinces many to buy shoddy products). The latter case damages things for all of us. The high end gear available to us is great, but you have to realize that if the market was not so small, things would be vastly cheaper and probably better quality. Anyway, the size of the market, and the saturation of gear choices ensure cost cutting and copying. Also, the high end market is not very fluid. People bunker down with their expensive gear and are not willing to part with it for the next new thing. This makes it less lucrative to offer expensive new choices. We are a market full of obsessed tech heads with what would be considered ultra high expectations. As said in previous posts, some companies improve (or re-offer) designs, and some just rip off in order to profit by association. A concerned mass will weed out the **** gear soon enough, and the new classics will be cemented (in relativity).
On to rotary wars
. The Bozak CMA-10-2DL and the Urei 1620 are two examples of the cliché “they don’t build them like they used to”. Those are two hard boxes built by passionate people who are spread too thin and silenced in today’s global economy. Putnam and Bozak and their teams devoted more attention to their products than any robot will ever be able to. They were built in a different time, and the makers probably endured research/production costs and time periods unimaginable to a corporation today. I think it was a sad day in DJ land when the two brands stopped producing. Hopefully, talented individuals will be able to tackle DJ equipment production independent of market parameters again, but until someone has the money and the drive, don’t hold your breath. Anyway, enter into 2003 and you have
the Rane MP 2016, Vestax R-1, A&H V6, and Crest 6210 (not to mention various others). Each one (except in my opinion, the Crest) is a good attempt by a corporation to emulate those good old hand-built days. However, none of them come close to sounding like the older boxes. I believe this is much more an issue of build quality than technology not being able to cut it. The new mixers (I have only used the Rane) seem to be great compared to today’s offerings, but they do pale in sound quality face offs with the old boxes. However, I think there are benefits to this. They seem to be great boxes, and the companies have taken baby steps in the right direction producing them. “It does not sound as good as a Bozak” can still mean that said mixer blows almost anything out of the water. Also, I mixer-quality arms race may have wonderful effects on the DJ market. There are only so many brands who can pull off great mixers anyway, so I do not think that the high end market will get as saturated as the low end, and competitors will be driven to innovate and tighten standards. Anyway, I have been typing forever, I kind of forgot where I wanted to take this, and I am sure very few or you are still reading so I am going to wrap it up. I really need more work to do or something... Feel free to tell me I am an ***. I would love to get in a lively discussion about this stuff.
-Peasant Nikon