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What Do You Get When You Spend Megabucks?

It's my opinion that you could put together a high quality system for about $7,500 (MSRP). For those willing to spend more, great systems can be put together for $20,000 to $50,000. I don't think anyone could seriously question the overall quality of these latter systems, but they would in no way approach the state of the art. My question is, what's that something extra you get when you're willing to push the limits as to what is possible in home sound reproduction and spend major dollars (say $250,000+) on a single system? Another way of asking my question is, what do $80,000 speakers do that $15,000 speakers don't?

My question is a serious question and I have no ax to grind one way or another. I have significant experience with components that cost in the $3,000 to $15,000 range, but not much with products costing more. I'm very interested in hearing from those people who have made that rather large financial commitment to music reproduction.
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onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61 OP
5,144 posts
 
Thanks to all those who responded. I started with the premises that it takes a certain amount of money to attain high quality music reproduction and I make an assumption that it's at least possible by spending even more money that performance can be further improved. I also assume that people spending megabucks know what they are doing as far as system matching goes and will address room acoustics, electric power, vibration isolation, etc. issues.

I have a lot of respect for those people who are willing to go all out. In a manner of speaking it takes a certain amount of courage (and money) to put together a state of the art system. There's a huge risk of failure, or at least not attaining performance in-line with the financial commitment, but I imagine that success would be very gratifying.
geoffgarcia
92 posts
 
I hear a whole lotta people knocking mega $ systems...I wonder if any have actually owned them...
I get the impression there is a bit of spite here...
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
No spite or envy of the audio system, But I do envy the money involved. I could buy a really nice airplane.
cdimi
20 posts
 
come on ...who are you kidding...you win the mega-bucks, you'll be the first in line at ces 2005...stop justifying your poor miserable little .... sorry, I could use an up-grade...
stehno
1,453 posts
 
No spite here. As one had put it so simply some time ago, "The best thing one can spend on their system is time."

I believe THAT is the secret to making most any system superior in sonics. Almost regardless of costs.

But then again, I can only imagine what I might be able to do with a larger bank account.

-IMO
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