What Does 80 Grand Get You Nowadays?
A system was playing in a shop. I sat down and pretty soon I thought gosh, I’m glad my system sounds better than this.
That system - just preamp, amp, and speakers - cost about $80,000 new.
I didn’t make the speakers at first, because Sabrinas look far better than the usual Wilson house look. They were driven by one of those new high-end Marantz amps, and I don’t think that was a match made in heaven. The Marantz was driven by a Dan D’Agostino pre that looked like a Minion had been crushed in a hydraulic press. Audiophile music was streaming, but I did not catch whence issued those dulcet ones and zeroes.
I suppose that system constitutes high-end for some. Now, it certainly sounded competent, but it also sounded boring. I thought, this is the Audi SUV of audio: competent and boring.
Conversely, I was impressed and pleased to no end that the end sound of my modest system from the last century could play in the same league as an almost-six figure modern system, and do so in a more engaging and fun fashion - to my ears, at least.
I’m biased, of course; and I am certain many high-priced systems out there leave mine in the dust. Still, I would have thought $80,000 guaranteed a better baseline sound.
How about you, have you heard a lot of gear whose sound was way out of whack with its price?
My bucket list is to do an around-the-world travel on a chartered plane, but alas that takes about $125K per person (National Geographic). It comes with it's own personal physician, no long lines and pat downs like commercial flying I'm sure someone will build a new Zeppelin soon to take that around the world trip. Maybe even landing in Lakehurst NJ. |
The room controls can help a speaker at a level which most cannot even imagine.. But no room can save a speakers from his own design "genetic" flaws... And each speakers must be put in the room which is designed for it ... I bet no Wilson speakers sound the same in different acoustics condition, where is design can be helped or impeded or even made atrocious...
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@tomrk in response to @allenf1963 and my $80K system alternative, and your $125K round the bend world bucket list. Yes it is about economics, conned sumer demand and it’s simple. There are those who are willing to pay. “That will be $80,000 sir, thank you, thank you” |
