When reading the latest Recommended Components section and thinking about the ratings A+, A, B, C, D..., products are dropped from the listing when some time has elapsed as well as if it was discontinued by the manufacturer. Although the guiding text mentions that a deletion does not invalidate a previous buying decision one has made, I wonder how the ratings shift over time.
If the ratings are "absolute", similar to the school grading system of 90-100% is an A, 80-89% is a B, and so forth, then an A piece of equipment 10 years ago is still an A now, even though it's no longer listed. On the other hand, if equipment is improving in sonic quality from 10 years ago, then the B rating now may be equivalent to an A rating some time ago.
This brings me to a specific question and a general question. Specifically, if I have equipment rated B 10-20 years ago, would it still be a B today or would it have downgraded to a C, a D or what, if it were reviewed again today?
Generally, how does one then decide if one has purchased a B equipment say 10 years ago and now wants to upgrade to an A equipment for improvement? Should one consider staying within the B ratings (perhaps due to econimic considerations) because the B's now are improved from the B's before, or not?
I'm not referring to the still-controversial issues of analog vs. digital, et al. Obviously, turntable designs have improved over time. For example, an "amplifier ABC" rated B bought 10 years ago, how would one compare it to the currently-rated amplifiers in any letter-rating class?
How do you (members of the forum) interpret/use the ratings?
When reading the latest Recommended Components section and thinking about the ratings A+, A, B, C, D..., products are dropped from the listing when some time has elapsed as well as if it was discontinued by the manufacturer. Although the guiding text mentions that a deletion does not invalidate a previous buying decision one has made, I wonder how the ratings shift over time.
If the ratings are "absolute", similar to the school grading system of 90-100% is an A, 80-89% is a B, and so forth, then an A piece of equipment 10 years ago is still an A now, even though it's no longer listed. On the other hand, if equipment is improving in sonic quality from 10 years ago, then the B rating now may be equivalent to an A rating some time ago.
This brings me to a specific question and a general question. Specifically, if I have equipment rated B 10-20 years ago, would it still be a B today or would it have downgraded to a C, a D or what, if it were reviewed again today?
Generally, how does one then decide if one has purchased a B equipment say 10 years ago and now wants to upgrade to an A equipment for improvement? Should one consider staying within the B ratings (perhaps due to econimic considerations) because the B's now are improved from the B's before, or not?
I'm not referring to the still-controversial issues of analog vs. digital, et al. Obviously, turntable designs have improved over time. For example, an "amplifier ABC" rated B bought 10 years ago, how would one compare it to the currently-rated amplifiers in any letter-rating class?
How do you (members of the forum) interpret/use the ratings?