More expensive = better?

You are the music while the music lasts.

TS Eliot

A good $8,000 amp will sound much better than a good $800 amp, that’s for sure. Jaw dropping? Only if you were clever/lucky enough to choose an amp that perfectly fits your setup.

Also bear in mind that for your jaw to drop you need 1/ To be sophisticated enough to appreciate a high quality sound reproduction. 2/ To be able to build a coherent setup/room system to give a hi-end amp a chance to show you its’ class.

Otherwise you can buy a $30,000 amp, plonk it on your hi-fi rack, and it will perform to 30% of its capability. Just like a $3,000 amp. So many people have done exactly that and claimed that there’s no difference.

Hyperbole aside, what about the low end and the high end? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Not HYped . Staright shooting. There are no xover style speakers that will surpass a FR in midr5ange, ] This is common knowledge, If you don't get it by now, I'm sorry you have not yet heard the real deal I don't want my mids piped through a midwoofer and a tweeter. Sorry just dont. Now as for more cash better...well ] If we are taliing WAVAC or Kronzilla's $100K++ SET amps,., well yeah more cash the better. But if we are talking other over priced tube amps, well no , . Jadis' KT170 looks very interesting but at $15K+ , ahhh, I can get a good made in China PP tube amp and come very close to Jadis' sound, for UNDER $1500. 10x's better the Jadis,, ahhh I don't think so, Justa nuance, = Not worth it. Go SET, now for $15K I can get a 845 tube will annihilate the KT170.

What I'd love to see is a double blind lineup of various priced equipment in the same category ( preamps, or integrated amps, or speakers, whatever) least expensive to most expensive in a manageable price range played over the exact system and then have folks pick what they like. I wonder what the results would be.

Has anyone seen such a process if so any takeaways? and yea lots of intervening variables at play but this is just down and dirty for sake of discussion.

It is not too hard hearing differences, but it typically takes time to put your finger on what it is. It is a skill. So, provided it is not just switch, a to b to c, and allows lots of time. Some, of course will be immediately obvious, some will take time. Th

 

The reason quick analysis is so challenging is that music is composed of dozens of constantly changing sounds, and your conscious mind ends up flicking from sound to sound… each time it is changing. This is why for most of us the subconscious must be allowed to integrate an impression of the gestalt over time  of similar sounding components.

 

Highly experienced professional reviewers are likely to be very good st this.