Massive Increase in price for MANLEY products .....

I received this letter from Todd the Vinyl junkie :



Hi All,

This newsletter is a heads-up on some significant price increases coming
next month on Manley Labs products. Over the years Manley Labs has offered
great gear at very reasonable prices - especially considering they are
manufactured in Chino , CA and not China. Apparently with the old pricing
Manley Labs was basically working for next to nothing and, of course, that
cannot continue and expect them stay in business. So EveAnna Manley has
announced new pricing on all of their goods. The new pricing take effect on
Feb 15. If you want to order at the current lower pricing, hurry. Once the
Feb 15th deadline passes the new pricing is in stone. Below you will find
some of our favorite Manley gear with the current pricing and the upcoming
price - hurry, hurry, hurry! We must receive your order by 3PM 2/14/11 no
exceptions.

Manley Stingray iTube - now $34000 but soon to be $6000 or Stingray II now
$3000 but soon to be $5650.

One of our all time favorite Manley products is the Snapper mono blocks. We
have used these in our main listening system for quite some time now and
find them to be nothing short of fabulous. And their current price of $4250
per pair makes it an even more amazing product. The fact that it is going to
soon be $7250 per pair makes getting a pair now a no brainer.Get them while
they are hot and an even greater value than ever!

And the little brothers to the Snappers - the Mahi monoblocks now $2500 will
soon be $4600. These guys put out 40W UL or 25W triode. You cannot find this
quality for this price anywhere else.

And the Manley Jumbo Shrimp Preamp, which we have also used in our system
from time to time, is also seeing its price increased - from $2300 to
$3660. Now that's a jumbo price increase!

The best switchbox on the market also comes from Manley Labs. Not enough
inputs on your preamp? Want to test multiple cables without connecting and
disconnecting? The Skipjack is the product you want. And at the present it
sells for a very reasonable $900 but will soon set you back $1650. If you
have had your eye on one of these, now is the time to act. unless you have
$750 extra buck to throw our way next month...

Other increases include - our favorite preamp from Manley and also a great
headphone amp - the Neo-Classic 300B now $5500 will go up modestly to
$5850, The Steelhead also has a modest increase from $7500 to $8000.

The Neo-Classic SE $7200 to $9200, Neo-Classic 250 $9000 to 12500, and last
but far from least the Neo-Classic 500 $12000 to $14000.

These are great products so get one now and save on the upcoming increases.
You will not regret it!

-----------------------------------------------------------

This sounds almost like some kind of scam .... can there really be such increases in price ???

 

In this economy, such price hikes would seem to be a recipe for disaster, but in the world of high end audio where more expensive is perceived as superior, it'll probably be a good move for the company...

 

The $34,000 price should probably be $3,400.

 

One thing is for sure, the aftermarket second hand prices in the future for those components should really make those owners happy who bought at the old prices .......

 

You are assuming the used market won't reflect the original prices.

 

Man-O-MAN! those are quite large jumps in price. I'll have to ask around and see what is up with this.

 

order by Feb 14th to get the old price.

 

Many of those products go from being a decent bargain to being overpriced for what you get.

 

With the common tendency of people to want exclusive products that have snob appeal these new prices may increase sales.

 

Wow. I guess they soon won't have a choice but to build them in China, not Chino.

 

Thank god she just got married. I hope her husband can support her. I don't think audiophiles will.

 

There were price increase of similar magnitude when B&W's 800 series went diamond.

At that time (a year ago maybe) the local retailer I know said demand hadn't dropped one bit.

Manley probably expects a drop in units sold but with an increase in profit margin the money earned will be the same in end

 

Found this link at Audio Asylum:

EvaAnna Manley on the price increases at Manley

 

Is Manley owned by Green Flash Brewing Company?

 

Very interesting read. I think the main point here is at the new prices Manley gear will now compete with gear like Mac, c-j, VTL, Acoustic Research, etc. The question is will Manely be able to compete in that league or will they be seen as lesser gear that is now trying to compete with the big boys.

 

For me it has all of the appearances of the business not doing well, and tossing out a Hail Mary attempt at an immediate change in product perception in the face of what made them attractive in the first place. If they weren't so desperate, they could gradually shift their product image towards the higher end, and increase prices gradually without confusing and shocking their consumer public.

 

Somehow I think most people that can afford to drop the cash for components at this price point won't blink an eyeball at these increases, especially considering this gears' country of origin.

In today's economy, I am not sure it's a good idea to do everything the traditional way.

 

Here's the complete thread on Asylum (for those who care about such things):

http://www.AudioAsylum.com/cgi/t.mpl?f=amp&m=162045

As a landlord, I wish I could raise rent by that % all at once without changing anything and get away with it. More power to EveAnna if she can make it work.

 

but if its the same in the end, why not keep it more reasonable...if they sell less, they will order less parts which becomes more expensive.

 

I'm not sure about what you are saying about today's economy and not doing things the "traditional" way. I still think it's a perilous risk, and stretch to think you can raise prices by 75% and swing the perception of your product line all at once. Even the snob buyer you refer to above is not going to like the fact that the Manley products are perceived in the industry as 75% lower priced gear. They will want the prestige that goes with the price tag. Manley hasn't created that perception of prestige yet, and they're trying to pass this off all at once. I didn't notice a marketing strategy to shift their product image to the next echelon, just an announcement one day that prices are going up. It's a joke, and I still think this all wreaks of desperation. Either that, or there is some kind of axiom in the audio industry that over priced gear somehow generates better sales in this economy than real world priced gear.

 

Maybe with increased prices will come improved aesthetics. I think Manley gear is beyond ugly.

 

I concur.

 

Overpriced gear has sold well ever since an audio industry has existed (or the automotive industry, clothing business, etc.). Price is a perceived thing, so one person's "overpriced" is another's "Damn that's cheap!"

And: I've read many posts over at AA & elsewhere that for years many audiophiles have thought that Manley gear was priced (relatively) low for the performance you get - now maybe they are simply pricing themselves at levels that finally reflect their true performance & build quality.

 

OK, I get your points. It will be interesting to see how it all turns out.