Has the cost of HiFi gotten a bit too much?

When I bought an ARC SP-3, D51, and D75 in 1973, they were priced at $595, $695, and $995. Not that much more than the price of mass-market mid-fi components. Sure, the price of ARC products has over the ensuing years risen far more than has inflation, but many would argue so has their sound quality. But $25,000 for a pre-amp?! I lay the blame for the absurd price of ultra high end products at the feet of Mark Levinson, who started the whole high end (I hate the term) "snob appear" movement. He, and Harry Pearson and his accomplices at TAS.

On the other hand, do Schitt products (and Rega, and others) sound better per dollar than did budget components of the 70’s and 80’s? IMO, based on sound quality vs. cost, there are current products which are a better value than at any time in the past. I would now much rather own a pair of Magnepan LRS than a pair of AR-3a’s, which in 1968 cost $500/pr. The same can be said of Vandersteen’s Model 2 loudspeaker, or any number of other beer-budget products.

For those who don’t mind buying used (as with other above, imo THE way to go), one can pick up a Music Reference RM-10 for $1500, an RM-9 for $2000, and an RM-200 for $3000. Better than comparably priced ARC amps, but then no bragging rights. Except to those who value design genius, build quality, reliability, sound quality, and value. The RM-9 is a far, far better amp than is a used $2000 ARC. IMO.

When it comes to value, I will once again point ya’ll to the Eminent Technology LFT-8b, imo the absolute best deal in all of audiophiliadom (an opinion shared VPI’s Harry Weisfeld, who proclaimed the LFT-8b to provide the best midrange reproduction he has ever heard, regardless of price. As the owner of the QUAD ESL, I wouldn’t go THAT far ;-). I expect that advice will be, as usual, ignored. Suit yourself.

Go to a high end outlet. Cruise a few mail-order websites. See what you can get for the total amount you want to spend. Read equipment reviews. Read Audiogon.. Chances are decent you'll be able to put together a system that'll please your ears and not completely decimate your wallet.

The sky high prices are sweet music to the ears of the Chinese manufacturers. They are offering great value at excellent prices. The other hifi manufacturers are just accelerating the process of digging their own graves.

chinese manufacturers  Chinese communist party 

as i see it there is definitely a proliferation of nosebleed priced gear by many makers... i think it is in response, predictably, to the emergence of top 1% ers in society ... if one looks in stereophile or tas the top categories seems to be exclusively populated with just insanely priced gear

that said, in more affordable price tiers, there is also excellent choice of gear, and i would venture to say, more and better choice than ever, and that is where helpful forums like this come in, advice and experiences by real users who live in the real world of money shared openly

a great example i have recently put together has been maggie 17i’s driven by a hegel h190 amp streaming roon... a core computer, a decent network switch, an ethernet cable into the hegel, speaker cables into the maggies... so simple, not too expensive (less than 10 grand in gear at msrp, more like 5.5-6 grand used) and the sound is absolutely, simply superb...

another example is a system recently put together for a dear friend - classic spendor sp1’s, pair of older rel q150 subs, bluesound node 2i streamer into a nuprime ida-8 integrated w dac... 3500 in cost used, sounds just lovely, full range, played soft or loud

the existence and marketing of ridiculous nosebleed gear like $20,000 amps and $10,000 streamers and $30,000 speakers should not dissuade real audiophiles and music lovers living in the real world who still appreciate the value of wisely spent money