What Do You Get When You Spend Megabucks?

Meyer Sound X-10/EMM Dac2/CD transport

The following System is competitive with the Kharma, subjective tastes will sway your decision. Better than the X-2 for sure.

ATC SCM200, SCM150, ATC SCA2, Reimyo CDP-777

Those are two under $50,000 systems that for normal domestic applications are virtually unbeatable.

It may be difficult to accept that pro audio companies can make the best speakers, but the technology built into the Meyer for example, makes it almost peerless, and the ATC's aren't far behind.

When the engineering skills are equal an active speaker will always be better than a passive one. no matter how impressive the cabinet is.

Elite level speaker design is valid no matter what the application or market. I am I no way discounting some home speakers but cosmetics tend to drive the price up and many of the best speakers are made by people who are not strong marketers.

Kharma are Waaaaaaaay over-priced in the US which makes the susceptable to these kind of comparisons.

The X-2 should be active, but its not, so it performs like a $30,000 speaker system, not a six figure one. Sure is pretty though.

Thanks for your response. I have only heard the passive ATCs, never had a chance to hear the active. Meyer is entirely new to me. I will see if I get a chance to hear either of these.

I do believe that you end up paying for cosmetics with home speakers, but the trouble is, I have to look at the damn things when I listen!

Agreed :)

The examples given leave little doubt on the performance end, but there are several other options that are good enough to fall into the "subjective" choice category. Even $6000 Quads can do what they do as well as any speaker on the market.

For light jazz, classical ensemble, Quads with subwoofers would really push the best speakers in the world very hard to prove they had clear audio supremecy.

" What Do You Get When You Spend Megabucks? "

Anything you want!

In the real world, if you were led blind into a dark room (rooms) in this case and asked to rate 10 systems of very un-equal price range but all of very good build quality...the " Megabucks " would fair no better than any of the others.

There is a point (I won't try to pick it) where improvement is more a matter of taste even if we factor in Vinyl based systems of which I think may give the greatest bang for buck spent other than the room itself of course.

In the end...if you got it, why not spend it. I know it's all about the music, but most audiophiles are also gear-heads and tweakers...it's in our blood right along with the music...our systems are our hot-rods and our rooms are our garage!

Dave

Sogood, Right on. Very well said.