RMAF 2012

KT Audio Imports

Stephen Mejias  |  Oct 14, 2012

KT Audio Imports put together a cost-no-object system, comprising: Eventus Audio Nebula loudspeakers ($65,000/pair), a large three-way design with a specified sensitivity of 91dB; Triangle Art (“Design for Perfection) Reference turntable ($16,500); NAT Audio Magma single-ended monoblock power amplifiers ($44,990/pair), rated to deliver 160W into 4 or 8 ohms; NAT Signature Phono phono preamp ($7800); and NAT Symmetrical balanced line stage ($8690).

In terms of appearance and price, this was one of the more audacious systems I heard at RMAF; and, while those looks and that price are not at all for me—I prefer quieter, more modest looks and much, much less expensive products—the sound was nevertheless enjoyable: smooth and inviting.

COMMENTS
Audio Legend's picture
Submitted by Audio Legend on October 14, 2012 - 6:25pm

So now it has been verified that pricing in high end audio is totally arbitrary.
$65,000 speakers and $45,000 amps from a company nobody has ever heard of?

It is obvious they are pulling prices out of their asses.

Event us and NAT? Who?

mrplankton2u's picture
Submitted by mrplankton2u on October 15, 2012 - 7:44am

Without extensive articles from reviewers that go into detail about the effort and expense involved in making a particular high end product and without detailed advertising from manufacturers that also show exactly what's going into their products, it's easy to come away thinking that current "high end" pricing is very out of touch with reality. This is particularly true when you consider that one can readily find world class "high end" competing products that cost a fraction of what others do. If manufacturers and reviewers fail or otherwise refuse to delve into the details, they shouldn't be surprised that certain products wind up with a reputation as rip offs in the marketplace. To its credit, Stereophile has on occasion looked closely at construction and design details that explain why certain high end products are expensive. And occasionally, you'll find manufacturer advertising that helps explain why some products cost so much. But these situations seem to be more the exception than the rule in the high end. And I can't help but think that there are a lot of "high end" products and their "pushers" that would be better off keeping potential buyers in the dark when it comes to justifying high cost.

JohnnyR's picture
Submitted by JohnnyR on October 15, 2012 - 5:55pm

they can slap any price they want on an item. Just because it costs more doesn't mean it's better also. Far from it in a lot of cases. I'd like to see data on how many consumers actually buy the products shown at these shows afterwards and what price range they pay. Not that many rich consumers anymore and what few there are are getting up in age and will no longer be around in the next ten years. I think a few manufacturers are pricing themselves out of business.

domenicofiorentino's picture
Submitted by domenicofiorentino on October 19, 2012 - 1:10am

Hi!

EVENTUS Audio is a 12 years old company and we created the SACC technology. It's very strange you don't know Us!!! ;)

Of course we are not so famous like Wilson Audio (not yet!) ;) but we're working very hard to create the best speakers in the audio market.

Regarding the prices... for our products it's very important to understand how they are built because we use our patented SACC Technology and our private EA-HDR material for the cabinets construction. We don't use MDF or wood we use only our HDR that has special characteristics for the audio performances. The cost of our material is over 20 times than the best MDF! So it's easy to understand why the costs is high. But... are you sure that our prices are high? Do you know the prices of the other brands? Do they give you the same quality in terms of construction and performances?

Of course many other information are published on our website: www.eventusaudio.com.

I hope you'll share your thoughts!

Ciao, Domenico Fiorentino (CEO, EVENTUS Audio)

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