??? Where Does "High End" Start ???
There are terms we in this hobby use to describe certain characteristics of the components or sound evoked...Without fail,the terms entry level,mid-fi & high end will show up in component reviews or conversations regarding equipment components...
So exactly how do we define these terms in absolutes?I understand there are components that,in this day & age,outperform their asking price in orders of magnitude but even if they do,they will invariably be tagged as entry level,mid-fi or high end simply based on their asking price..
Assuming entry level starts at say $500.00 per component,where does that end & mid-fi start,$2500.00 per component,$3500.00,$4500.00,$5000.00?
How far does that pricing structure go until you consider a component to be "high end"?
What are YOUR PERSONAL thoughts on this subject?
@dayglow “As more posts come in the anger….. becomes more apparent” You may have a good point.
This discussion is becoming more of a comparing willies debate. Can a smaller well designed one that bats well above its weight beat a bigger shinier bendy toy one? It can be quantified with any feedback given for both possible scenarios. If a friend for example enjoyed the performance and eagerly wants to be invited back again.
@willie-t “l found my sweet spot” may have put his finger right on it. |
@horace_durrant Who is to say, if you are happy then it's HE. |
Your friend Mike is right. Incidentally, the top comment featured an interesting observation:
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Luckily for me, I am old enough to remember when "high-end" was not even a thing. I think those words might have become a concept in the 80’s? 90’s? I started buying equipment in the seventies at University Stereo in L.A. I think I spent $500 on an entire system and it sounded good to me. Then I worked at a box store that sold stereo. The guys who worked there talked me into Dynaco book shelf speakers. Well, they sounded very good for maybe $300 for the pair. If I’d heard the word "high-end," I would have thought those Dynacos must have been right up there. I won’t bore you with all the steps I went through: ARC phono preamp, McCormack amp, Apogee Slant 8 speakers. What in the world could have sounded better? As I made more money, I upgraded, and in my mind every upgrade sounded fantastic, so it was high-end to me. I have purchased new and used equipment and even inherited some equipment. I would say the retail value of my system is now around $70K, but again some I purchased used and I have a twenty-year-old amp (Hovland Radia--I love it!) which I inherited. Maybe I’ve spent more than $70K over very many years, selling things I wanted to upgrade. I have no idea, to tell you the truth. It’s just as high-end to me as the $500 system I bought from University Stereo in 1970. Why is it all high-end to me? I love music! I have to have it around me. So anything that produces music and fits my budget has always been high-end. Still, look at me now in my old age having spent so much money on stereo equipment. It’s not the equipment I love, it’s the music it produces. And after all the changes I’ve made, I have discovered a house sound. Not too analytical, but not too sloppy. Enjoy the music. Don’t fret if you don’t have the cash for bigger speakers or more watts per channel. Trust me, if you love music, it’s all high-end. |
