I'm never going to hear a megaspeaker in a good room am I?


Was thinking about something. There’s a thread about good $40K speakers which made me think that honestly despite hearing a lot of them at shows, I’ve never heard one in a decent environment. Now, perhaps we can argue:

If it doesn’t sound good anywhere, including a hotel room, is it really that good a speaker?


But let’s not go that route. But I am thinking to myself, in well treated rooms the best speakers I’ve heard were merely mid-range Wilsons and Magicos. I say "merely" because they were under $40k, not because of performance. The two best speakers I’ve heard, in medicore rooms were the SF Stradivari and Snell A/III, and top of the line Vandersteen.

All the $40K + speakers I’ve heard have been at shows, and either very badly treated rooms, or in halls so big the first reflection point was like a mountain echo. Am I ever going to get to listen to $40K+ speakers in great rooms anywhere again??

As a result, I’ve developed a severe bias against the performance of mega speakers, because I only ever hear them in terrible rooms and have not heard one I’d spend money for, and honestly that's unfair to them.

erik_squires
I like updates from Audiogon but most of the time pass them by anymore. However this one caught my eye and I have to say I find the audio worlds equivalent of  "The Onion" as entertainment does not disappoint.

  Personally I think unless you have built a dedicated house with a real theater room with meticulous spare no expense attention to detail and stuffed some million dollar speakers in there you have no standing to determine what is good or not. You, OP, simply have plebeian tastes and budgets and as typical for that type of, ahem, discerning audio decision making crippled by lack of ability to choose or judge what is good correctly simply also lack the finances to ever even hear good things.  Some like the Prius but a few with impeccable taste like the Rolls Royce and can afford the better things in life and the same is true with audio. Some have speakers, but we who know have life changing audio reality in pristine audiophile environments that immerse you into what you hear and we are the only ones qualified to speak on what is superior.
Getting back to the original question the answer is you could but you'd have to be willing spend the time and money to search and travel.  Are you really serious about purchasing such a mega-speaker if you heard it in the right environment and loved it ?  or just looking for that experience?   You could call Mike Pedero in the Phillippines--he designs listening rooms and designed Jack and Jim Duavit's two rooms which i've read are the two best listening rooms in the world--and Jack's a dealer but no showroom--just his basement in Quezon City...how far are you willing to go ?
I have hear very expensive speakers and systems in really expensive homes.Thats one of the perks of beginning a private chauffeur who has clients who share there love of music with me.I have also been given  great seats at concerts all over NYC and Long Island .Plus have drivin a few Rock Stars .
  Are you really serious about purchasing such a mega-speaker if you heard it in the right environment and loved it ?

No. I ask this question as an audiophile who likes to listen to all sorts of gear for the fun of it.

My point was that for the average audiophile, the ability to experience these speakers, and feel they command the money is rare indeed.  As a result, if we go only by my experience, megaspeakers are almost never worth the money.  
But what if I could hear them in great environments? Would I change my mind?  That's kind of a similar and complementary question. 


Best,
Erik

I'm with Erik, I would love to hear really over the top expensive speakers just to hear them, just like I would love to drive say a Veyron but I would never buy one (nor could I afford either). It's our hobby so it is cool to know what the really expensive stuff is like. Conversely, I love reading posts about how good a $3000 system can sound. I draw the line at $50 speakers, mostly they are that price for a reason and that reason is not economy of scale.