Latest Absolute Sound

There is obviously a market for ultra high end gear. I can't think of a single high end audio company who has not come out with a new top of the line product that cost at LEAST twice as much as their previous top of the line gear in the last 5-8 years. Companies that top of the line was $10K, now have top of the line products selling at $25K-$50K.

Why waste time arguing over what should or should not be?
It is what it is, deal with it.
Enjoy what you have and let other folks do likewise.

The Koenigsegg sounds better than any hifi and evidently feels great too while being a real wild animal. This is the ultimate audiophile rig. I would move anywhere to be able to drive it, but first I would have to learn serious driving, it would be worth it. And the car brakes even better than it accelerates. Quite an achievement. It goes so fast that maybe you could cross the ocean in it, straight from the East coast to Sweden.

If you don't like the heat get out of the kitchen.  Just because we live in a world with Dartzeel amplifiers $102,000, Koetsu cartridges $15,000, Walker and Continuum turntables $100,000, Taralabs speaker cables $42,000, High Fidelity Cables power cords $15,000 doesn't mean you can't find some happiness with some Super Inexpensive System.  My ENTIRE system cost me a grand total of ten bucks.  Not counting tweaks.

Geoffkait,

if you put together a great sounding system for 10k I applaud you. Personally I have a lot more respect for someone that can put a great sounding system together on a budget rather than someone that just throws money at a system because they think it will sound better. 

inna,

I find the statement that you made interesting. I have read the same statement on www.ferrarichat.com. Of course referring to Ferrari's.

No applause necessary, Taters.  And if you re-read what I wrote you'll see I didn't say 10k.  I said 10 dollars.  Whaaaaaat?  Lol

Sorry about that! I thought you said 10k. My bad.

Uh, Taters, I'm waiting for the applause....

I really like the sound of Ferrari under acceleration. It's like an orchestra at La Scala. I've never driven one. If I do I'll want one and won't feel too good. But Koenigsegg appears to sound more primal and powerful, like a message from prehistoric times.

I think extreme high end cars are cool, and I drive things that make me think I'm sporty (turbo Mini, older straight 6 BMW 3 series, slightly modded Triumph Bonneville T100), even if my cars aren't McLarens. This clearly is what my hifi gear is about, and I still think a hobbyist who finds fun, high performance but relatively inexpensive things will have MORE fun than "mister insecure moneybags" who has cables costing more than my car. I collect interesting automatic watches (warning…do not get into this…you're welcome) and recently got a new old stock Oris Titanium diver for about a fourth of the cost of my second choice, a Tudor Pelagos (also titanium, into these because I figured I could melt it down for a future hip replacement)…my Oris is more fun…I swear it is...

I find the inexpensive, high performance systems more fun in some ways, but the big system sure does sound a lot better...

Many years ago I sold high end equipment and was floored at some of the equipment which got glowing reviews in the rags at the time.

It became clear that the reviewers WERE "under the influence", that is, would give glowing reviews when it was in their best interests or in the best interests of the magazine publishing the review.

Two considerations here, 1) after the review the manufacturer offers the items being reviewed to the reviewer at a huge discount, so they can flip it and make a few bucks and 2) would the magazine print the honest truth about an item when they are receiving so much in the way of advertising dollars from the manufacturer?

I like the vibe of the Brit mags sometimes where they may review something using less than astronomically priced accessories and aren't quite as full of themselves as Stereophile and AS writers…I miss Sam Tellig as he was often funny (met him once at a party years ago…cool dude) and his "cheapskate" thing was often fun. I also notice large dumb mistakes like recently when a reviewer noted the Band using a "jews harp" on Cripple Creek when it was a clarinet with a wah…lame, but makes me feel slightly superior. It simply is entertainment and clearly keeps the sales and add revenue rolling…that's life in mag publishing.

I have built my current system over the years with the help of reviews from TAS and Stereophile. I think the reviewers are spot on in their praise of the products which I have laterly acquired - Bryston 28B monos(HP/TAS)), VA The Music(JH/TAS)), Ayre K-5xeMP preamp(JA/S'phile) and Esoteric K-01(AT/TAS). 

Of course, coming to the Audiogon forums here for opinions is of tremendous benefit too. Guido's insights on the K-01 and The Music helped me put together a most wonderful system. It's coming to almost 8 years for the Brystons, 7 years for The Music, 3 years for the K-01 and 1 year for the Ayre pre, and I still love them all, even more today than their very first time in my home.

Nowadays, I still wait patiently for the latest issues of TAS and Stereophile, not because I am looking to upgrade but more because they simply make a good read to keep myself updated with current technologies and also yes, they do entertain in the way they describe sounds emanating from the components under review. And we all know how big those egos can go.

J. :)

Correction: The Band used a CLAVINET with a wah. (Swine spell correction!)…a clarinet with a wah would be illegal in most states.

Right you are wolf. In The Last Waltz it was either Garth Hudson (who was the clavinet player) or Robbie Robertson who described the wah-wah'ed clavinet as sounding like a Jews Harp.

I photograph Architectural for a living. I photograph many luxury ($1,000,000 homes which is really expensive in midwest) every year. I have only seen uber expensive, TAS level systems only a couple of times. One was a Steinway system (yes the Piano company) in a large home theatre. 
Generally, when I photograph a HT, even the expensive installs, It's still usually a hi end A/V receiver. Lots of ROTEL systems in my area (probably due to A/V installers in area).

I do run into quite a few audiophiles and most are still using older 2 channel gear. Every now and then I will see a nice McIntosh set up.

I did recently run into a ZU/Yamaha A-s3000 set up that blew me away (it was playing while I was there). 

I really do miss the old Stereo Review Julian Hirsch style reviews from days past (Hirsch was a little reluctant to "knock" a product, however, I enjoyed reading his reviews).

S&V is a little too "consumer product" heavy, TAS, SP is a little too "over the top premium" heavy. I really like TONE AUDIO 
http://www.tonepublications.com/

I know some great high end interior designers, and some people with too much money and amazing homes (I’m not one of those people by the way…but we get along somehow). As with the general public, wealthy people mostly don’t give a damn about great hifi, and stick unobtrusive ceiling speakers all over their McMansions and control the stuff with iPhones…I’ve been an Arcitectural Digest reader off and on for nearly 5 decades and I’ve seen maybe 2 places featured in that mag with dedicated hifi systems that weren’t part of a large screen media room. A relatively tiny number of wealthy hifi freaks somehow keep the high end ball rolling, and that's simply amazing…Naim Statement amps? (just read a review)…gotta get me some! HA!

Some spend their money on homes, some on audio systems, some on cars, boats, travel, jewelry, etc.
I do have wealthier friends who have larger homes and little interest in audio. I also have some friends in smaller homes who spend a lot more money on cars, (brand new Jaguar XJ), jewelry, and/or travel than I would.

Point is, who cares how folks spend their money?
If you enjoy audio gear, great! If you don't, great!

Exactly jmc !!! 

TAS and stereophile were great for the photos, to know what was out there and descriptions of the equipment. Reviews, taken with grain of salt(never really understood that expression). I mean you did not view playboy mag to see the unattractive women you had a chance of meeting, did you? No that is why you read national geographic. Besides with out them we would not have extremely high price ic and spk cables. Then where would we be?
I'm just say'in ✌️🖖

French_Fries...incremental buying is a sure way of paying way more than you should, and...never be satisfied.

See my discussion on my Mark Levinson 335 troubles:
Of course I studied all the reviews in all the magazines before buying this amp. Although it's not up there with the most exclusive, it was - and still is - pretty exotic for me, price-wise. Turns out so many of this brand  miserably fail and become huge losses to their owners! It is utterly incomprehensible to me that all those 'high end' reviews don't seem to give any consideration to reliability, durability and long term value...

The high prices of components in TAS doesn't bother me. However, TAS does an incredible disservice to the community by covering the SAME manufacturers over and over again.  It's disgraceful actually. 
I would love to know the percentage of brands covered in relation to the amount of brands available.  It would be pretty scary, I think.
It would be like being a spice enthusiast and reading only about salt and pepper every month.

They are only Interested in covering manufacturers that advertise in their publication.

.. from audio to cars, there is no way this thread will end (somehow I suspect taters keeps on digging on those rhetorical Freudian questions)

Expensive cars is all about emotions, let’s be honest, how many of Ferrari F40 owners have driven them on a race circuit?
But for those who appreciate the laws of physics, why not give it a spin?
I had the most fun with a BMW M5 drifting on the Nurburgring (you can also call for the Nurnburgring-taxi and be chauffeured at real high speed) and would do it in a heart-beat instead of upgrading another piece of metal in my setup.

>>audio porn: well not the readers but the reviewers are confused. Some reviews start out like a strip tease, the first paragraphs is just setting the right mood and then slowly, oh so very slowly describing the device, sorry beast, that exuberates masculinity with every pound of its polished and Swiss CNC’ed aluminium body....
Nope, I would rather have the Porsche phallus instead, a 911 would be great but a roadster would do. Thank you!

Some manufacturers are selling a few units each year at mega bucks to keep things going. People are willing to buy them. Reviewers are willing get these demos for 6 months at a time

February issue has Constellation, Hegel and NAD Master Series.
Gee, haven't ever seen those brands in TAS before.
That rag is a disgrace.
Like I said before, reading TAS is like being a spice enthusiast and reading about salt and pepper.
Same old, same old.

I still say we (common) audiophiles need the SOTA gear strictly for its trickle down effect(s) for the rest of us. Personally, I would never need nor require a system more than $100K.

Though I am sure that there are rich audiophiles that can purchase the ultra expensive components and get the most out of them , I can’t help but think many of the rich buying much of same are doing so more because they can, than due to knowing what they are looking for in a system and know how to get there.

I believe much of this hobby is in the knowing of ones preferences, and understanding how to achieve the most toward them within any budget. 

Mesch,
That was very well said. 
J. :)

As you can see by my paltry number of posts I am a noob. I have always loved high-end sound since I wandered into my local hi-fi shop 30 years ago, however, I never had the means to afford it until recently. I hadn’t kept up on the latest gear so I picked up a copy of TAS about a year ago and subscribed and have been reading each issue cover to cover. I was amazed at all the brands I had never heard of like Magico, Constellation and so on. The magazine gave me a chance to educate myself on what is available (brands, new technologies, etc.). More importantly it was another source to read reviews. I began to realize that they did seem to review much of the same gear that is advertised, but hey, that is what it probably takes to keep a print magazine going in the online world we live in. The point is they are just one of many sources I have used during the past year to learn and make decisions.

Now, a number of people have complained about the ridiculously expensive equipment they review? Why, that stuff is cool. Is it worth it? It is to the guy that buys it. If you cannot afford something and think someone is a fool for buying it, that is your right, however, it does not make you RIGHT. One of the things I like about looking at magazines and seeing all this cool schiit is it inspires me to work hard in hopes of having some of this gear. It worked when I was a teenager in the 1980s and I read about the new Porsche 959. I thought, wow, what an incredible car. Guess what, that fueled my love for Porsche and their engineering. Do I own a 959, no, however, I do own a few 911s. So, what is my point? Well, I think all this uber expensive stuff that everyone seems to hate on is like the 959 of my youth. Exotic, impractical and very expensive. But guess what, much of that technology trickles down. AWD, twin turbos? Yup, that is all common in cars today and affordable.

So, my point is you may not like that TAS has become tied to their advertisers but you have a choice not to read the magazine. I personally found it to be very helpful in my reeducation of hi-fi this past year since this was apparent and it was just one resource I used to find cool stuff.

One other thing, people complained they only review hi-end stuff. What about the PS Audio Sprout integrated for $499 or the ELAC B5 speakers for $229 the just reviewed? They raved about both and I actually bought the Elac B5 speakers last week while I am waiting for my new Raidho D1.1s to show up in February. I also just received my Constellation Amp and Preamp Friday. Is it the $100K plus Hercules II? No, the $10K inspiration amp. Will it sound as good as the Hercules II? No, but I bet it will sound pretty great for what I paid compared to their top of the line exotic stuff. Trickle down engineering at its best in my opinion.

Hey mmporsche, you've pretty much proven my point with your latest purchases. When someone reads a magazine such as Magico Monthly....(oops, sorry. Meant The Absolute Sound), all one hears about every month are Magico, Raidho, Wilson. Components like Constellation, Soulution, D'Agostino, etc. It's the same crap covered over and over and over.  It's a disgrace and like I said, TAS is doing a disservice to the community regarding lack of exposure to other brands. Read 6moons if you want the exact opposite of the rags, IMO.

Hello Devilboy,

I am not sure how I have proven your point. I was at RMAF (Rocky Mountain Audio Fest) and heard the Raidho speakers in 2014. As stated, I didn’t realize they were connected to Constellation gear. I spent three days walking the show and listening to as much gear as possible. It my opinion the Raidho room was the best sound I heard over the three days. I couldn’t shake the emotional connection I felt with the sound produced in that room. I discovered it was Constellation after I recently searched YouTube and found the room at the show. Honestly, the ads in TAS for Constellation never caught my eye. Their equipment is rather simple and mundane IMO. I like classic cars, mechanical watches, old cameras and the like and appreciate good design. The Dan D’agostina gear is what caught my eye at the show due to the exterior design. It also sounded pretty good to my ears as well. I never read a review of Raidho D1 speakers in the issues I received to my recollection or the Constellation Inspiration gear. As previously stated, I used TAS as one of many sources of information. It introduced me to newer brands I was not familiar with. I also visited a number of hi-fi shops to see what they sell. I considered VAC, Aestetix, Canton, Wilson, Vapor, McIntosh, ARC, Magico, B&W, PS Audio, Sonus Faber, Classe to name just a few. So, again, I read TAS to educate myself about some of the new technologies and brands and then went out on my own to see what actually appealed to my ears.

On another note, I take issue with people that complain about costs of things (cars, electronics, cameras, etc.). I love the fact that there are companies that produce insanely expensive products that make me dream. I guess some of you would be satisfied with the choice of three beige boxes, "pick one". This to me is a fun hobby and while it has been frustrating to uncover the truth about products that is what living in a free society is all about, choice. Can I currently afford a new Porsche 918? No, but boy are they fun to look at and listen to when I see them around town or on YouTube. I am sure Dan D’Agostina is not selling a 10,000 pieces of gear a year but I am sure he is selling much of what he produces. If he doesn’t, he will have to change his business model or fail. Imagine if there weren’t a bunch of rich people buying this esoteric gear. What would that mean to the equipment that eventually trickled down to us commoners? I speculate that it might be pretty mundane.

I am sure that you can find a system that sounds pretty good to you at a number of different budgets. As I previously mentioned, I just bought a pair of $229 ELAC speakers while I am waiting for my new Raidho D1.1s in February. I love finding great values in this hobby. Do they sound as good as the Raidho? No, but they blow the sound away for the money spent, much higher ROI.

Thanks Jon!

Well, I was one of those who had the expensive stuff - that is, up until 1998, and then I got tired of 'keeping up.'
However, for those who are saying the reviews are due to advertising (and by corollary, the components are not as good as they say: Bull!) I had them: the Versa. The Jadis. The Goldmund. WATT/Puppies. Genesis. Clearaudio. And they were exactly as written. You're free to criticize - IF you had them. Well, you're free to criticize anyway, but you'd be wrong. At least BACK THEN. 
These days, the reviews are far from penetrating. The magazine is good, but not the One-Ring-To-Rule-Them-All journal that it once was. There is no common vocabulary any more: writers use their own language, which makes it hard to know what they mean, since there is no longer a common audio language.
I'm disturbed to see Neil Gader attacked, though, because he's one of the few who writings I can verify when I buy a component he's reviewed. I trust that Harley and Valin are honest (I worked with JV at Fi Magazine) and I know he has a great love for music and the components that produce it, but he also has a bias: he doesn't mention symphonic works as much as he used to, and very few writers mention the music used in the course of the review (which TAS always did, until Mr. Harley came and took over). It's not that it's bad: it's just no longer great. One can read it and put it down with ease. That never used to be the case when they were as a serious as a heart attack with their critiques. Nowadays, the critiques are mealymouthed, so who knows what's responsible for that? I can say the magazine has a great deal more advertising in its pages and that's easily verified. Besides which, at one time the readership revolted because a review was interrupted by advertising appearing in the middle of a review. That started around issue 105. And, sad to say, HP was still at the helm when that happened, although he'd promised, many years earlier, when he first did that - and the readers revolted - that that would never happen again.
It's a nice read, and I've become accustomed to the prices, but you'd expect more penetrating (meaning, more serious scrutinized) reviews, given the increase in cost of the magazine, than one actually gets.
If you joined the mag since 2000, I can understand your seeing it this way. But it wasn't always like that. It used to be GREAT.

@mmporsche: Understood. It's great that you were able to find those brands on your own at shows. However many audiophiles don't attend and depend on the magazines for exposure. That's all I meant.  
I've been to the NY show 6 or 7 times, CES and Rocky Mountain and frankly, they're usually just more of what the magazines cover anyway. It's very rare that I walked into a room to find a brand I had never heard of before. That's what I was going originally. I want more exposure to new or existing brands, and the magazines, while achieving this, seem to cover the same old, same old way too often. 
Like I said before, it's like being a spice enthusiast and only reading about salt and pepper every month.
Good luck with your new purchases.

devilboy: you have some good points.  I am fortunate to live in Denver and have access to an international show like RMAF each October.  

Your comments got me thinking about my process to find gear.  I do admit that I often read about a piece of gear in TAS and then begin my independent search which includes searching the Audiogon forums for said product or class of product.  I then Google "review" of said products as another source of information.  I am often able to find a consensus of people who will say positive things about an item and more importantly describe characteristics I am looking for in something.  Just today I am searching for a "bang for the buck" rack.  I searched Audiogon and was able to find a number of brands I had never even heard of or seen advertised for that matter.  I then reviewed their websites and then found independent reviews.  I was very excited about Symposium racks until I read a few people thought it made their system sound "bright".  That is a characteristic I am trying to avoid so I moved on in my search.  The point is there is no shortage of information and opinions about most anything.  The challenge today is to determine what is truly "independent" and muddle through the vast amounts of information.  I am very pleased I found Audiogon as it has proved to be an invaluable resource for me getting back into this hobby at a much higher level than in the past.

Take care and thanks to all who contribute their experiences on Audiogon.  

"Vienna Acoustics played its top-of-the-line $33k Klimt “The Music” 3.5-way floorstander driven byChord electronics. The combo produced a dark, rich, lovely sound, with good midrange presence and top-end brilliance. A little vague in imaging, a little exaggerated in the bass, and not the last word in transient speed, “The Music” was nonetheless enjoyable to listen to."
- Jonathan Valin's(TAS) report from the CES.  

The key word here is enjoyable, and yes, almost 7 years from the first day in my home, The Music speakers are still very enjoyable indeed.

@mmporsche: If looking for a rack, check out Audio Elegance. I have a three tier, double wide rack called "the lowboy". It's beautiful, IMO. It was far cheaper than some of the other multi-thousand dollar racks I've seen but won't mention here.  However, it doesn't offer any vibration control or absorption. For that I use separate products and put them on the shelf. 
Google the company and you'll see different finish options as well.
You can see it in my virtual systems. 
Hope this helps and good luck with everything!

OK I'm defended Taters in his hip hop thread but now I see his is rabel rousing (politely though)
First I think some of the recent TAS issues have been fantastic.   All gear I wanted to read about or have heard.    I truly enjoy reading (and hearing) cost no object designs.  It's fun to learn about all tiny little things designers attempt to eek out better performance, but I also enjoy leaning about. Electronics and physics.  I'm also a fan of the TV show How it's made.  
The cutting edge designs often find their way into "affordable" products and knowing about the bleeding edge helps one to decide which products in their price range they are Interested in.    Can't afford TAD speakers?  Knowing about them leads you to other Andrew Jones designs that are affordable to the masses.    
Regarding the RH review of the Neolith's, I'm sure they sounded excellent in his system/room even though I thought they sounded quite poor the audio show in Westchester NY recently.
Audio design(with computer  modeling) has evolved so much that most of the products are now quite good and much less colored than in the past.   The best Solid state and tube now often  sound much more similar, as an example.    That's why there are so few poor reviews.   With all the great gear for sale at every price point, why would a reviewer choose an under performer to write about.  

Should we trust RH's ears? I would for now until my own ears get to savor all that has been described so far about MQA.

http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/from-the-editor-mqa-on-the-threshold/

J. :)

Off topic but venting anywAy... A few nights ago I was with a woman (just a friend) out for an evening in my used 2010 911 targa 4S. (Only true sports car with 4 seats and a hatchback I know of) though she’s been in the in car sevral times before, I kept hearing from her the whole night over and over how uncomfortable she felt in a flashy car (it’s black and not at all flashy in my opinion) and out of place it was driving around some night spots in Brooklyn and that she thought everyone would be Looking at us. She also hated the feeling of even mild acceleration, though I was driving quite tamely (for me).

I told her next time she’s taking the train or staying home.

Although I laugh at Bose I think the car’s system sounds decent. I would love to hear (and have the money) for a new one with the Burmeister.

Either she is not happy that she is not in a relationship with you(using reverse psychology to rationalise) or she can't appreciate the finer things in life like your car and most likely the audio too.......

TAS is an empty shell of its former incarnation.  If you go by reviews you will be in for a long and winding dead end road.  You may get lucky...but mostly you will end up disillusioned!  

FYI, you don't need The Klimt to get enjoyable sound...for $35k you should get the BSO IN YOUR HOUSE!  Just saying, we audiophiles often pay way more for gear than what it delivers.  All depends on expectations and what we expect for our $$

What is the BSO?

"BSO" = Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Regards,
-- Al