2. amps-preamps
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When someone tells you it's a $40,000 amp, does it sound better?

I've always been a little bit suspicious when gear costs more than $25,000 . At $25,000 all the components should be the finest, and allow room for designer Builder and the dealer to make some money.

I mean that seems fair, these boxes are not volume sellers no one's making a ton of money selling the stuff.

But if I'm listening to a $40,000 amplifier I imagine me Liking it a whole lot more just because it costs $40,000. How many people have actually experienced listening to a $40,000 amplifier.  It doesn't happen that often and usually when you do there's nothing else around to compare it to.  
 

I'm just saying expensive gear is absolutely ridiculous.  It's more of a head game I'm afraid. Some how if you have the money to spend, and a lot of people do, these individuals feel a lot better spending more money for something.  Now you own it, and while listening to it you will always be saying to yourself that thing cost $40,000 and somehow you'll enjoy it more.

 

jumia
ghdprentice
7,093 posts
 

As an example. For the last nine months I have had both a set of Audio Research Reference 160m monoblocks ($36K) and a Audio Research Reference 160s (the stereo version, $22K). There is no question the monoblocks out perform the stereo unit and are worthy of the price.

I have found performance levels are largely in line with cost without discontinuity. Different companies have different house sounds of course. The high end audio amp market is highly competitive… any real anatomy in price / performance would get eliminated pretty quickly.

 

wolfie62
353 posts
 

$40K amp sound “better?”

No. It sounds “expensive.” Expensive doesn’t translate to “better.” Any engineer can design an “expensive” amp. Few can design a “better” amp.

invalid
1,204 posts
 

@wolfie62 

 

so, you are saying that maybe I should choose a company and buy their least expensive amp and it should perform as good as their most expensive amp?

urbie
275 posts
 

let me ask this question, 20,000 amps are already very very good, do you honestly believe that a $40,000 amp is $20,000 better? I highly doubt it, it may be 5% and at the most 10% better is that worth $20,000 more I highly doubt it.

 

urbie
275 posts
 

ghd Prentice, that's not a fair comparison, if you're going to do a comparison compare apples to apples not apples to oranges, obviously monoblocks are going to sound better than a stereo amp so if you're going to do a comparison at least do stereo amp to stereo amp or monoblocks to monoblocks.

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