By your example of the cast iron skillet, I understand what you've decided to call designed deterioration, but I can't quite accept deterioration as the right word to describe the kind of honest wear you point to. Some things, - leather jackets, levis, work boots - aren't, in my mind, respectable until the new is worn off. Other things like woks and your skillet simply don't work as intended until they are seasoned. Nearly all audio components improve in their functioning after a break-in period. Seasoning simply isn't the same as deteriorating, and putting scratches and dents in new cars or laptops isn't seasoning or deterioration, it's abuse, isn't it?

Perhaps I miss your point, but it looks to me like we have an apples and oranges thing going here.

People get old and deteriorated, beyond being well seasoned....they don't really get better, just worn out. My amplifier sounds the same as it did the day it was made. Amplifers don't get seasoned, a guitar may, it's wood, but then all that was taken care of as the wood dried out before it was turned into a guitar..as soon as you energize a vacuum tube, it's deteriorating, the coating on teh filaments that gives it teh therionic emmison, is being depleted, that's called being used up, not getting better, just liek a fluorescent lamp cathode, emmison material, gets evaorated aas it's turn on and used.

Carl, I'm sure that your amp sounds the same as it did the day it was made - at least I'm sure it sounds that way to you. But, after all, your stuff is special. I was talking about stuff us ordinary folks choose to live with. You have to cut us some slack. Unlike you, most of us are at the stage where we're still learning.

You are right, I'm passed learning, I'm just begining to FORGET it all.....what where you saying? But come on, you know your amp or pre amp ain't changing the way it sounds, really. Did you ever wonder why all this high end gear is so unstable? How come some mass fi stuff is more stable, never hear about people saying how it sounds better after using it for a week or so....what other audiophile myths are just kept being continued? Ever think YOU are changing , mood, weather effects how you feel day to day...the electrical stuff I bet is much the same, it's YOU that's varying....eeesssshhh. If it's high end, it must be always burning in, stabilizng, "setteling in"..Loosening up...becoming more open. In the 21st century, do you think electronics has eveoled to be quite stable and drift free? Those burn in Cd's, yup, that's another audiophile pile of....

Stuff ain't special, just stuff that doesn't have these drift issues, burn in, etc. Ya know components have evolved materials are very stable in capacitors, resistors, etc....what changes as it gets older besies a vac tube begining to FAIL, when it's either getting gassy, or the fil is ready to pop...The getter usually during mfg take care of stabilizing the tube electrical characteristics. Unless you are getting some rejects, that are defective out of the box. Burning in those AC lines cords, is another trip. I think i will go bang my head with a nice heavy seasoned skillet....

Personally, I think if we take more care with the things we own that are valuable and can be damaged, we won't have to worry about damaging them. Just a thought.

As far as technology (like computers and iPhones, etc) becoming obsolete, it doesn't matter what it looks like on the outside anyway, because chip technology is moving so fast, we aren't replacing gadgets because they aren't fashionable looking, but because something that is either much smaller or functions much faster is quickly available that makes our last gadgets look unwieldy, unintuitive and/or slow as a snail in comparison... At least that is what motivates me, not any exterior fashion sense or damage to the gadget.

Quote>> "The author makes a good point regarding the difference between designed deterioration & planned obsolescence..."

Sorry I misunderstood. I took the above to mean you were in agreement with the author regarding "designed deterioration". Should we conclude that you weren't?