Has anyone made the jump to $uper High end and were disappointed?

I wonder what you call super high end?

Frankly I find that 9 out of 10 of the six figure systems I hear (mostly at shows) make me turn tail and walk straight out of the room. And I haven't heard a system at a dealer that I rated more than "Meh" (and i work with some of the most highly regarded dealers there are) but when I get home to my system (which you can inspect in my virtual system listing) it's a completely different matter -- and also an experience I can and do constantly improve (which is what makes this hobby fun)

So what does this mean? It means that "good sound" is an intensely personal affair, and that also it's likely that we all tune our ears to appreciate a certain acoustic aesthetic. Think about the times when you've made a change and thought at first "I hate it" but once you listen through the removal of some prior tonal or temporal distortion you realize that the thing you're missing is just a coloration.

So is there a point of diminishing returns? I've not found it. But careful system balance is the key -- and simply dropping gobs of money on one or more components is not likely to give you the results you want. Careful balancing and tuning of all components, including much time and effort with the room and accessories is essential. There's one NYC based dealer who I won't name who constantly posts pictures of six figure systems installed in acoustically bare, sterile rooms - I hate to think how bad these things sound

If you can take the time to visit and listen to one of those who post here that have had long established systems (Mike Lavigne, Albert Porter etc) then you will gain an appreciation for what we are striving for ... and anyone in the Portland area is welcome to reach out to me to see if they think what I'm listening too is worth it

If I had the money, I would spend whatever I thought was necessary to get the sound that I prefer. I would do it for me, just as I suspect most people do. This is a passion that most of us enjoy on our own, with family, or other audiophiles. I submit very little do it to show off.

Above a certain level which varies from person to person, the differences become mostly a matter of taste as opposed to the actual sound quality. I know I am far from reaching that point since I can still tell when I hear a system that sounds much better than mine. And by better I don't mean just different, I mean I hear more of the music content that was absent in my home system. I think that's part of the fun of being in the audio hobby, you always look for something that makes the music more pleasurable to listen. Of course price plays a key role but for me its the incremental improvements that are most satisfying. For example, I changed a couple of the tubes in my moderately priced preamp last week and the $40 purchase was incredibly satisfying.

Nothing improves a system more than well recorded content. It could be a $500 system or 6 figures. Especially nowadays when proper recording studios are used less and less ( im talking mostly rock/pop) many expect that the $7000 cable will bring sonic bliss with recordings recorded with sm57’s in an apartment or house using protools. Also, many expect a crappy sounding hit album will somehow sound less crappy with mqa or dsd ( not taking a total remix into account).

That’s why I like Zu’s attitude at gear shows. ZU is generally cranking out fun music from all over without focusing on the “audiophile” aspect.

So, as I upgrade, my focus is on the “enjoyment” aspect of the components. Not so much on the scientific part ( although i do understand that matching components is critical).

The main reason I love my new Nuforce amp (it was ordered an in between amp...but loved it so much i decided to kerp it around longer) is it makes me want to listen and it makes listening fun.