@donavabdear wrote:
If your audiophile quest is to get the best sound then buy the best equipment used to make the recordings originally. One of the few things nearly every audiophile agrees about is that you can't make the signal better than the original. So:
Solid State Logic 2 channels preamp 5k$
Meyer Sound Bluehorn powered speakers 2x 140K$
Pro Tools MTRX system 10k$
Mac Studio Computer 8k$
Total about 170k$
How is it possible to get better sound than the best recording studio gear?
I don't know if there really is any such agreement among many audiophiles. It seems it's mostly about harboring whatever satisfies individual goals from an outset of different aspirations, references, budgets, approaches, levels of experience, domestic possibilities, etc.
It's a fallacy however thinking the more experienced audiophile with less limited financial means will necessarily strive for, and achieve a more natural sound as the one found at live acoustic events and what otherwise a closer replicate of the recorded material; I've heard my share of highly expensive setups in overdamped rooms, with garden hose thick and crazy expensive cables, filtering galore, exclusive brands, decoupling and this 'n that, and while they in different ways proved capable at certain aspects in sound reproduction they rarely if ever really sounded natural and coherent to my ears. Those setups were often about an "impressiveness" of something, an effect almost, but natural? No.
In any case, for such a variety of outsets there's often a striking resilience against a range of approaches, not least of which are those represented by the Meyer Sound Bluehorn system with its relatively large size, pro origins brand and look, active configuration and intricately executed DSP section. Add to that their price: $140k/pair, and you have a bunch of fuming audiophiles gathering at the bonfire with pitchforks to see their "antagonist" go up in flames.
I'll say the price is steep, but do you see the same vitriol aimed at the typical, passively configured "high-end" speakers segment in the same price range? No, conversely they're more readily revered, and yet sans amps and any means by which the same level of integration and realization of potential can be achieved by a plethora of users. But we know, or should know what that's about: contrary to the Bluehorns and similar, they fit the narrative - the audiophile narrative.
One of the important takeaways with the Bluehorn system in a home would be approximating, quite accurately, how it sounds with music/movie soundtracks compared to that mixed on the same setup, as well as offering a degree of transparency, accuracy, dynamics, spatial acuity and tonal authenticity that, not least as a combination of parameters, is rarely found elsewhere, and which will therefore be beneficial in a broader context.
The interesting part, and for this to emulate an actual "copy/paste" experience of how it was recorded on this setup, apart from the equipment used, is the DSP-calibration of the active Meyer Sound Bluehorns to their specific environment in regards to phase behavior in particular, which seems to have a precisely outlined procedure linked to it to properly accommodate the eventual integration for an expected, and intended outcome. This way what's heard in your home can actually be said to be a fairly accurate facsimile of a specific recording environment, where the same strict calibration procedure (over the same gear) has been applied.
Should you intend to acquire the Bluehorn system + gear, kudos. Regardless of your premise and how it'll apply here, and what others may tell you, you'll have yourself a unique piece of hardware equipment and integration means that in its sonic outcome is likely to rival, and even exceed most anything "high-end" out there regardless of price. The Bluehorns surely do come with a hefty price tag, but blaming them compared to the competition at least seems unfair.