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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?

 

devinplombier
deep_333
2,442 posts
 

Mike O Neill designed the drivers and everything else for an audiophile speaker which sells for 200k. Guy also made the drivers for his EV pro speakers that sell for 4k. Did he get dumber because the price was lower? He certainly didn’t.

TAD makes the drivers and everything else for the audiophile and the speakers sell for 100k+. The same guys designed the drivers and everything else for Pro Pioneer and it sells for 12k. Did the TAD guy get dumber because the price got lower? He certainly didn’t.

Moral of the story.....Don’t let the audiophiles (wouldn’t pass Econ 101) get within 200 yards of some of the pro stuff or the price may skyrocket..... 

Many audiophiles seem oblivious of the high level of engineering capacity and skill the pro sector really holds.

phusis's avatar
phusis
1,397 posts
 

@deep_333 wrote:

Mike O Neill designed the drivers and everything else for an audiophile speaker which sells for 200k. Guy also made the drivers for his EV pro speakers that sell for 4k. Did he get dumber because the price was lower? He certainly didn’t.

TAD makes the drivers and everything else for the audiophile and the speakers sell for 100k+. The same guys designed the drivers and everything else for Pro Pioneer and it sells for 12k. Did the TAD guy get dumber because the price got lower? He certainly didn’t.

Certainly the design prowess is at full display in both the expensive and cheaper scenarios here (also with woofers that are likely of B&C origins in the Pro Pioneer XY-3B’s, if they are what your are referring to).

What it comes down to (because at the end of the day, pragmatically speaking, flaunting design excellence doesn’t move mountains): if we are to really give people an idea of the sonic outcome of these designs - apart obviously from listening to them for oneself - we need those with actual, unbiased experience with pro segment speakers in a home setting to report on this. 

Although, would it matter? I’m sure many around here don’t trust anyone but Stereophile, The Absolute Sound or the likes to report on the perceived impressions of speakers and audio gear at large (possibly even more than their own ears), and what do you think are the chances of those parties reviewing pro segment speakers, let alone used, more vintage items? We all know the answer to that. 

And so here we are, you and I and few others with our pro speakers that most - contrary to ourselves of course - don’t really give a crap  about. And that’s alright, because as you point to:

Moral of the story.....Don’t let the audiophiles (wouldn’t pass Econ 101) get within 200 yards of some of the pro stuff or the price may skyrocket.....

That’s just it, we don’t want that. But unless we’re speaking a wide scale mentality change and it’s a broader range of stuff that’s no longer made that somehow gains wild traction, I don’t really see that happening. 

sls883
1,058 posts
 

I somehow managed to get an economics major....

 

My son spent a lot of time in a recording studio with his band.  He and his drummer got quite good at music production.  He bought a fairly expensive pair of Barefoot monitors (probably $7k).  Awesome for studio use, but we weren't blown away when we connected them to my two channel setup. 

devinplombier OP
1,677 posts
 

Mike O Neill designed the drivers and everything else for an audiophile speaker which sells for 200k.

@deep_333 

Do you mean Electro-Voice Mike O'Neill? Which audiophile speakers did he design?

 

deep_333
2,442 posts
 

Daniel Hertz (by Mark Levinson)....the M1 system sells for 200k. 

 

@devinplombier  wrote

@deep_333 

Do you mean Electro-Voice Mike O'Neill? Which audiophile speakers did he design?

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