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Moderately priced audio

So I have been a audiophile for 40 years and in that time I have seen and owned a huge amount of equipment. Lately I have been reading Sterephile magazine and attended the last 2 years of Axpona. My question is what about the people that love the craft and get tremendous joy out of their audio systems that are in the $2-5K price range. Are they to be ignored? I know this hobby holds a lot of enthusiasm by people that have great sounding systems of new and vintage gear that they are proud of and enjoy listening to. While I appreciate the sound and the technology of the systems that cost more than a house I think there is a slice of enthusiast that are silent. Back in the 70s I worked at a stereo store that your average person came in and spent $600-$1000 and got a good sounding system. And we sold a lot of them. Seems a lot less interest today. Could it be the price of what you see in magazines and shows? I am curious to see if you people are out there that love the music and get great joy out of listening to your moderately priced audio equipment. Feel free to share what you have. I know you are out there. 
schmitty1
jamman53
3 posts
 
I agree that you can get great systems easily under 10 K . A thousand dollars spent wisely could get alot ! I have 7,000.00 in my current set .
musicloversaudio's avatar
musicloversaudio
44 posts
 
I have a customer absolutely thrilled with his $2500 Rogue Cronus Magnum II. He has upgraded speakers to the $10k Personas and DAC to the $5k Luxman, but the integrated amp still serves. I think the Parasound Hint6 provides good value for solid state only folks. Cabridge Audio CXA 80 is very nice for $1k.
michaelgreenaudio's avatar
michaelgreenaudio
1,019 posts
 

"The internet has given visibility to what was an obscure market."

That's a big statement and so true that I think we should look at how today offers so much, both past and present.

MG

erik_squires
16,039 posts
 
+1 on the Rogue. I’ve recently heard it and it’s a pretty sweet and good sounding amp.

I did not do extensive listening tests with it, but I think I could be quite happy listening to it for a long time.  I heard it with some moderate sized Klipsch, probably the Fortes.


rwisem
21 posts
 
I have loved music since I was a kid many years ago and I developed an interest as a teen in the science of improving the sound.  I remember being thrilled when I found the first stereo console in a Sears store with separate bass and treble controls.  I had never heard a bass note thump.  When in college about 1965, I walked into a hifi salon and in the sound room they were playing Sinatra at the Sands.  I was stopped in my tracks.  I had never heard such realism, Sinatra was right in the room and I could even hear the tinkle of glasses at the tables. The amp was probably a 30wpc tube model and the speakers were JBL Lancer 44s. I've had better systems, but none impressed me as much as that first experience. There is definitely diminished returns as the price goes up.
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