2. misc-audio
  3. 133614-3105

2018 exactly what is ‘High End’ audio?

Hello Sports fans!

Is everything listed on these pages actually high end audio? Are all the narratives, reviews, ads, discussions, etc., all about high end home audio?

Or is there a point wherein High End audio leaves the pack behind?

We throw the term “High End” around HERE so often YET WITHOUT ANY TRUE CLARIFICATION OR DEFINITIVE PARAMETERS BEING OUTLINED, I thought I’d see if there was an actual consensus as to what it means to the student body, alumni, and faculty on this forum.

Plenty of terms abound in audio which declare a particular piece or system deserves a lofty or loftier perch on the audio tree. State of the Art. Hi fi. Upper tier. Custon. Cottage industry at its finest. Handmade. High def. High Resolution. Ultra fi. Magnum Opus. Ground breaking. If Best Buy does not sell it. Destination. Signature. Statement. Threshold of diminishing returns. Leading edge. If you can’t buy it at the mall. Bleeding Edge. UNOBTAINIUM. Cantaffordium. If you have to ask how much it is…. If its not a four letter word beginning with B and ending with OSE.

As the very nature of this past time is entirely subjective, where do you believe ‘High End’ Audio begins or should begin?

In broad strokes and your own opinion as to where exactly High end home audio gear can be without question called or referred to as truly “High End.

Price is an obvious indicator for many albeit, price too is subjective.

At the end of the day, how do you decide who is or who is not, in the club?

Thanks all

blindjim

Showing 1 response by bdp24

bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,393 posts
 

As roberjerman stated above, the term High End was introduced to hi-fi criticism by Harry Pearson in the first issue of The Absolute Sound. I found the term to be not to my liking, as it smacks of elitism and snobbery. Plus, implicate in it's use is the assumption that more expensive equals better. At the time of first seeing the term, I did not know it was already in use in regards to other types of consumer products, and in that use referred to price more than anything else.

I much prefer J. Gordon Holt's (founder of Stereophile, and creator of "subjective" reviewing) use of the terms "perfectionist" and "high-performance" in critiquing hi-fi. Those terms address the issue of sound quality, irrespective of price. Any given product may provide perfectionist or high-performance sound quality without necessarily being high priced.

More to discover