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Top down or bottom up? Just asking...

This is a purely theoretical question that I’m tossing out just to learn what folks might say.

Consider, say, Magico and Wilson Audio. Their top speakers are in 6 figures, but their ‘bottom’ ones go as low as 10k. Consider, say, Monitor Audio and Paradigm. Their bottom is very low 4 figures or lower; their top in the low 30s.

Now, wouldn’t it stand to reason that other things being equal a 20-30k speaker from Wilson or Magico would be better than the same from the other firms? The upper firms have all that top level technology to scale down, while MA and Para would be at the top of their game in the 20-30 range.

Obviously, there are other issues—personal taste being the most important. And room size and other components.

But ‘all things being equal’ isn’t the answer clear? What am I missing?

P.s. I am a very happy owner of MA PL100II, which I got half price used here at less than a year old. And of B and W CM9 I got 10 years ago. I’m just wondering…


128x128rsgottlieb
steve59's avatar
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steve59
1,779 posts
 
Markup and volume of sales. 
thecarpathian's avatar
thecarpathian
4,470 posts
 
Now, wouldn’t it stand to reason that ’other things being equal’ a 20-30k speaker from Wilson or Magico would be better than the same from the other firms?
Please clarify.
What are all the other things that are equal in your comparison?
If you are simply referring to the price where two distinct speaker brands cross each other at a specific price point, this is a false equivalency.
Cabinet design and construction, drivers, crossovers, implementation, company philosophy, marketing strategy, etc. would all need to be the same for this to be true. Now, if you were to post "considering trickle down technology" in lieu of ’other things being equal’, I believe you would get your point across with more precision.
So yes, it would be reasonable to think that if a company utilizes the strategy of trickle down technology from a higher end product, that product may be superior to another companies at a particular price point that had no such higher end product. Or not. Too many differing variables.
rsgottlieb's avatar
rsgottlieb OP
47 posts
 
'Other things' = first and foremost personal taste. I'm very fond of MA; some people really dislike Magico or Wilson. 
But also there is the size of the room, the kind of music you like to listen to, even the appearance or size of the speaker itself. 
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