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Interview with Rondi D’Agostino, President of Krell Industries

“You can’t just pull the price out of thin air, or rely on a parts-cost-to-retail-price ratio. No, the price has to be based on how the heck much did it cost to build the product. You’ve got to account for every last thing—parts, labor, factory space, sales expenses, advertising, and the cost of doing shows like CES [the Consumer Electronics Show]. Oh, and parts/price variability can kill your profit if you don’t watch out. Let’s just say, it’s hard to get rich manufacturing high-end electronics.”

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“The World’s Best-Sounding Power Amplifier” of 1977—Electrocompaniet’s Surprising 52-Year History

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The Voice of Happiness

donotdestroy:

After Bankei had passed away, a blind man who lived near the master’s
temple told a friend: “Since I am blind, I cannot watch a person’s
face, so I must judge his character by the sound of his voice.
Ordinarily when I hear someone congratulate another upon his happiness
or success, I also hear a secret tone of envy. When condolence is
expressed for the misfortune of another, I hear pleasure and
satisfaction, as if the one condoling was really glad there was
something left to gain in his own world.”

“In all my experience, however, Bankei’s voice was always sincere.
Whenever he expressed happiness, I heard nothing but happiness, and
whenever he expressed sorrow, sorrow was all I heard.”

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The Voice of Happiness

donotdestroy:

After Bankei had passed away, a blind man who lived near the master’s
temple told a friend: “Since I am blind, I cannot watch a person’s
face, so I must judge his character by the sound of his voice.
Ordinarily when I hear someone congratulate another upon his happiness
or success, I also hear a secret tone of envy. When condolence is
expressed for the misfortune of another, I hear pleasure and
satisfaction, as if the one condoling was really glad there was
something left to gain in his own world.”

“In all my experience, however, Bankei’s voice was always sincere.
Whenever he expressed happiness, I heard nothing but happiness, and
whenever he expressed sorrow, sorrow was all I heard.”