Re: IIRC Sinclair "pre sold" hardware then used the money to get the mfg running.
Amstrad did have several lines that qualified as Hi-Fi.
I had an IC2000 20W RMS per channel amp and an IC3000 tuner, and they definitely met the Hi-Fi criteria of power, distortion etc, although they were paper covered chipboard and plastic. The design of the electronics weren't too bad, however.
You would not class them as anything other than budget kit, but they were definitely better than the majority of music centers that were available at the same budget.
The problem is that Hi-Fi has become elitist in the past few years, probably because there is no real market for low-to-mid range separates. I picked up a What Hi-Fi recently to look at a 'budget' turntable review, and was shocked to discover that the cheapest turntable they had in this 'budget' review cost something like £350, and it also included 'tables costing in excess of £700. The only way this is budget is if you regard transcription turntables as the norm.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
