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The High End for Under a Grand?


I love the way Doug Schneider (an experienced hard bitten high end reviewer) seems genuinely shocked about the high sound quality of a system coming in for under $1000.

https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/opinion/1213-a-feature-rich-fully-modern-hi-fi-system-you-c...

Here’s a quick taster of Doug article or you can simply use the link above to read it in its entirety.

"In the last few years I’ve reviewed some very expensive hi-fi gear (all prices in USD): Constellation Audio’s Revelation Taurus Mono amps ($40,000/pair) and Revelation Pictor preamplifier with optional DC filter ($23,000); EMM Labs’ DA2 Reference digital-to-analog converter ($25,000); Muraudio’s SP1 speakers ($14,700/pair) -- and, still to come EMM Labs’ Pre preamplifier ($25,000) and MTRX2 monoblock ($85,000/pair).

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In short, no audiophile of average income is going to spend $25,000 on a preamp -- but they’re happy to be entertained by reading a review of that preamp. More likely, they’ll be looking for something that costs a lot less -- something for way under $10,000, and perhaps under $2000 or even $1000. It’s reviews of affordable products like these that get read much more often than reviews of most expensive items, as is seen in our statistics. And the average music lover would rather go even lower -- say, an entire system for less than $1000. This is what “normal” folks can actually afford and are willing to spend on hi-fi gear.

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But you might be wondering if it’s even possible, in this era of accelerating price increases for high-end audio, to assemble a good hi-fi system for under a grand.

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I was able to assemble a surprisingly complete, feature-rich, expandable, shockingly good-sounding hi-fi rig with a total US retail price of only $926.95. Its sound is good enough that I think many people would enjoy it -- not only plain ol’ music lovers who just want something that sounds great, but budget-conscious audiophiles as well"


My only concern with this system would be that it’s not full bandwith. As Doug says, it only goes down to about 50Hz.

For me it goes without saying that its almost crying out for better loudspeakers but this article certainly does make me question the relationship between high priced and high end audio.

For music lovers it’s just got to be a great thing to know that high end (near state of the art) sound is well within the reach of almost anyone!

cd318
mahler123
3,283 posts
 
Interesting post, and a corrective to the thread about how much one has to spend to be considered HE.  There are a few variables that would figure in the ultimate price.  For example, if you don’tlisten to vinyl, as I don’t, then no budget needs to be spent there.  If the end user wants a full feature setup, analog, computer audio, SACD, etc. then without buying used equipment that becomes a very challenging price limit.  Then there is the questions of room size ( speakers for a small room won’t do well in larger spaces) and headphones.
  Ultimately the question becomes price vs performance, with the eternal question being at what point does extra cost result in barely perceptible increase in performance.  That point will be different for everyone, but for me it’s surely well north of 1 grand

cd318 OP
2,636 posts
 
Same here, my speakers alone cost 2k used! However for a CD player or headphone system it's certainly possible. Unless of course you don't consider stuff like Sennheiser HD 600s / Grado woodies high end. 

So, as often is the case with audiophiles, it is only a  matter of opinion what can be considered high end. Almost 50+ years later some still consider LS3/5s, or going back even further Quad ESL 57s as being near state of the art in terms of sound quality. I've never heard the 3/5s but can testify that on Opera (with the right recording) at least, the 57s could make the male vocalist sound reach out and touch focused.

Unfortunately for me, they didn't do so well with Springsteen. Perhaps they didn't get on with my Naim setup at that time, or maybe the room etc. 

Anyway, the point is that if we want to use ultimate reference points then it's a good idea to get acquainted with what is possible with state of the art sound quality.

As Doug Schneider discovered, it can be a lot cheaper to get close to it than you might think. 
rodman99999
6,114 posts
 
Some actually believe Little Caesars and Chef Boyardee, taste like Italian food.  Must be nice, to be so easily pleased!  
roberjerman
4,319 posts
 
Only 50 hz! That's better than my Heresy's!
mahler123
3,283 posts
 
I just read the link.  I have to say that there is a fair amount of hyperbole here.  The speakers are the Paradigm Atoms.  I had bought a pair of these about 8 years ago to use for background listening in my office, driven by a Denon AVR .  It was fine during working hours, when I had the system playing barely to the threshold of audibility, but when I was in the office working at oddball times and turned it up to just moderate levels, it frankly sounded bad.  The music was muffled, no bass or highs, and I certainly wouldn’t describe the midrange as rich. At one point I replaced the Atoms with an entry level B&W speakers that I was using as rears in a 5.1 System at home, during a remodeling phase at home when the rears had to be removed temporarily.  I think the B&Ws cost at least double the Atoms but wow, what a difference in sound!  That was one of the most dramatic illustrations to me of how a relatively small increase in outlay could result in a huge performance upgrade.
  Without used components, at that price point I just don’t think a decent system could be had.  Perhaps if there are some decent sounding Active speakers  to be had in the $500 range that cover the DAC and amplification , leaving the rest for a source and cables, but I’m not holding my breath
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