Jamo & Sherwood

Buddies

I know, in hyper market, one needs to be competitive when it comes to prices...

But, what about quality...???

I have been in this industry from past three years, and i have see N number of Brands...
I know, 90% of them never concentrate on Quality, they want figures, even that is necessary, in order to give something to middle class..

But, now, i am talking about the quality products....
By starting this thread, i dont just intend to figure out the combination of Jamo & Sherwood, but they are just examples...

I have been closely associated with some world class brands, mainly Hitachi, Panasonic, and few more...
And to be very frank, there has been a lot of change in quality in the brands...

Bro, 6 months back, none of these brands use to play with prices, and were happy with the quality sales, though the figure was limited, but, look up now, in order to reduce there prices, they have drastically reduced the quality...

You give 90% to hyper market competition, but keep atleast 10% for quality consious...Anyhow quality does matter...

Earlier whenever we use to get any American, British or Japanese product, we never use to think twice, about the quality, and use to shed a few extra bucks easily for a good product...
But, now, with everything getting chinese, one cannot be even sure, that even if they buy one among the best brands, whats the asurance, that they will be working the next day infact...
Though the service warranty is there for one year, but defect is defect...

That is the point i am trying to consider in this Thread...

hi all,

i beleive there is no direct comparision of Quality with cost..i m sure many of you would agree..

the same package which is under discussion, Jamo SCS406 package, was offered to me at 27,000/- with instalation at home with cables (instead of sherwood amp, I was getting a basic jamo sub) this was some time in June 2006..

I happen to browse thru some websites and found that the same package is being sold at 4500/- rupees equivalent somewhere in france..

To my disbelief, when I visited Bangkok during the same time, it was costing 7200/- indian equivalent ruppees.

For the argument sake, lets agree quality of these speakers are same, there is no direct co-relation between the cost these BRANDS charge and the quality of the speakers being sold..

thnx
vadiraj

good one

Then what is the recommendation of the group here, is it recommended to buy the JAMO SPEAKER S 406 HCS for Rs 14900, or not,

if the same speakers were costing double the amount a few years ago, i dont think that means their quality is bad, just that new models came out and old stock is being sold at discounted price,

Can anyone please answer as to how the performance of this setup is and is it worth a buy at this price, as at most of the place one would only get floor standing speakers for this amount.

Please give advice based on cost to performance base comparison, if it is good to pick them up

sure, let me help out a bit. I started with this very same system which I wanted to buy on a new year deal on 2007 Jan 1st and from then on went to search atleast 40 different brands and have something totally different. So, whats my conclusion?
1. These are entry level systems and there are many times better systems out there but obviously at a different price range.
2. For 14k + 16k (lets say for amp and cables) - thats 30k, is this worth?
I would say they are definitely worth and I like these over the onkyo's and yamaha's i have heard on a similar price range.
But, would I go for this if I have 30k , the answer is strict No. The reasons are following:
1. This is just a beginners system and their is no upgrade path here. For the same 30k, you can put a nice 2 channel system and start upgrading and I know in a year of taking the Jamo's I would want to upgrade and so, no point in shelling out the money on these in this fashion.
2. For the same 30k odd there are some nice options nowadays from LG, Pioneer, Sony etc as well which will give a similar performance but will look lot more classier.
So, unless you insist on a 5.1 channel system and only wish to put 25 to 30k and have a very large room to fill I wouldn't recommend these. And if thats your requirement, I don't think there is even any alternative.
When I first walked into the room I liked their sound. I can't deny that. So, I am sure guys picking these will be happy for sure, just if you have correct expectations from these.

Hi Gopi

Appreciate your honest answer, just to give you a little background,

i am setting up my new room with a home theater and already have a denon 1507 amp, i don't like the samsung and lg systems as they sound rubbish for the price, for me performance matters more than looks, i already have a polk audio 12 inch sub, which i am using with the denon amp, i have a few space audio cubes and one full range main kendwood speakers, for rear i would use bose 301 mark 4 bookshelf speakers,

i have a big room 25 x 19 and want speakers that can deliver bang for the buck, the denon amp has a 7.1 output i can add these and make my system 7.1.

will they be able to handle the denon amp and give good sound, i know the lg, samsung and other HT out there wont, and are not that good, they look good, in the same price range one can get yamaha and onkyo also , but low output systems which are not that good, i have listened to them and they are no in my list

how is the power handling of these speakers, and i wont be upgrading this set up for the next 3 to 5 years at least. i enjoy listening to loud music with thumping sounds, will these be able to handle that,

looking at my requirement what do you suggest ?
Is there any other setup i can go for within the same price range that will work with my current set up.

I dont mind buying second hand speakers too, if i get a good deal on them,

i am saving money big time to buy a PJ and screen, which would cost anywhere around 1.5 lks with cabling.


All suggestions are welcome,

dushie, for a big room you can't use the normal sony and lg. and for your requirement and for 14k, there is just no substitute for the jamo's. If the package you are talking about is the S406 floorstanders and its matching centre and bookshelf rears, then just go for it. They should go fine for you requirements with your denon amps. Do, not mix these with the kenwood or bose. and no need to make these as 7.1 In case you have to, you can get the same bookshelves for few thousands.

If you notice - some of the companies (like Nokia & Samsung for a start - though not strictly pure audio brands but, definitely BIG brands) have started to put on the stickers "Made by Nokia" etc., instead of the location. The companies maintain that their processes "ensure" consistency of quality - irrespective of location of the plant.

To a certain extent I agree with the post - reg the quality of the things made in Japan being better than those made in China, but I attribute this to probable tighter quality control during the initial set-up of the assembly lines before they themselves are exported to china, to make for the rest of the world. Maybe, they want to be doubly sure that the product is first accepted in the market before it is mass-produced in chink-land!

If you also notice - the "chinese" quality for stuff varies as per the geography - you buy the same stuff in the US or Europe, it will be superior to the same one sold in India - both are made in china, but the "tweaking" is done to maintain margins? Cheaper stuff to lower margin markets?!
Even Coke has tweaked the "secret formula" for Indian market - Indian coke is decidedly sweeter - to cater to the needs of the local populace. Similarly cars have different gear ratios to cater to the supposedly bad driving habits of Indians. So tweaking products - incl their quality - is nothing new.

As to the dilution of the brand equity incl., its positioning, the company has to take the call - for example Rolls-Royce vs Merc vs Maruti. Whether they want volumes that can sustain thin margins or take the risk of being "pricey" and be the first to take the knock in case of economic downturns.

Maybe it is like - Apple makes the better computer but only 5% (don't take that number too seriously!) use it while rest of the world uses the "buggy" MS! Ultimately product sales are the only things companies (even if they are the ultra-snobby brands) care.

Ultimately it is a dog-eat-dog world! whatever the cost - incl., quality - only those who adapt survive.

i think one thing a lot of audiophiles forget is that for some people, what they want is a nice big warm sound, and the Jamo 406s do that pretty well. I listened to them a couple of days back and I was quite impressed. so for 30k if he's going to get a Sherwood (or Onkyo, like a friend of mine did) amp/receiver and the jamo 406 speaker package that's a much better option than the alternatives in the same price bracket from Sony, Samsung or LG. Plus it has has the "serious" look of audiophile quality equipment (i.e not too sleek, not too shiny and not too compact)....so that inverse-snobbery is also achieved.....

Mridul, I understand that as a dealer it must pain you to see people lowering the prices, but that is just economics.....demand and supply....the free market....for me it wouldn't lower the appeal of a piece of equipment that it costs less....it would increase it.....because then i'd be able to afford it....IMHO equipment should be judged purely on performance and the value that you get for the money you pay....and on both counts this combination sounds like a killer....

Yes Mridul,
It must be paining for you to see these biggies cut the price so much that individual retailers are unable to sustain.
But I do not agree that high price compulsarily means better quailty.
I mean, if an AVR like, say Denon 1908 is selling for Rs.40K, you are fine with it even though it sells for $350 in the US (i.e.Rs.15K). But the moment a Croma or Reliance Digital lowers its price (I am not even saying match, but just lower it to say 20K), it becomes "cheap" quality? Come on man, a poor guy like me also deserves something better than Sonys, LGs and Samsungs. If they are able to sell at such low prices in US, then why not in India. I would say these companies are fleecing those innocent Indian customers who have lots of money but not much understanding of good AV systems. Reminds me of mobile operators charging Rs.15 for incoming calls, and how Tata & Reliance changed the telecom industry in India (co-incidentally here also it is Tata & Reliance once again)