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Law of Accelerated Returns

I think back over the many decades of pursuing high end audio and I realize some of the most inspirational were listening to state of the art systems. Systems I could never dream of affording. I occasionally would get up early and drive the two hours to Phoenix in hopes of finding no one listening to the state of the art system in “the big room” at one of the four or five high end audio stores there in the early ‘90’s.

One such time I was able to spend over an hour with the most amazing system I have ever heard: Wilson WAAM BAMM (or something like that… all Rowland electronics, Transparent interconnects). The system cost about over $.5 million… now, over a million… although I am sure it is even better (I can’t imagine how)..

 

But listening to that system was so mind blowing… so much better than anything I could conceive of, it just completely changed my expectation of what a system could be. It was orders of magnitude better than anything I had heard.

 

Interestingly, as impressed as I was… I did not want “that” sound, as much as I appreciated it. It still expanded my horizon as to what is possible. That is really important, as it is really easy to make judgments on what you have heard and not realize the possibilities… like never having left the small town in Kansas (no offense).

I keep reading these posts about diminishing returns. That isn’t the way it works. I recently read an article by Robert Harley in The Absolute Sound called the Law of Accelerated Returns that captures the concept perfectly. March 2022 issue. The possibilities in high end audio is incredible. Everyone interested in it in any way deserves to hear what is possible. It is mind expanding. 

 

 

ghdprentice
emailists
923 posts
 

If anyone bothers to read my posts I have been rallying against the concept of diminishing returns.

Just today I posted about a $95 ethernet cable purchase (2 cables) hoping it makes a nice upgrade.

If the cables (when they arrive) make just a 1 percent improvement, in my system, that would be around a $1000 benefit. Other upgrades are free, like a cleaning tube sockets, or low cost tweaks like a new AC power outlet.

In a lesser system these upgrades might not be audible, but in a high end system the entire experience can be bettered by some inexpensive or modest upgrade.

While my thesis might be flawed in some ways, my point it that the benefits stack up and pays dividends.

cdc
1,677 posts
 

@mofojo

I am in USA

simonmoon's avatar
simonmoon
475 posts
 

@onhwy61

Expensive systems in well designed listening room do scale type things better. They can go louder, sound bigger, thunder in the bass and shimmer the highs. But does that really correlate with listening to music better? Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

 

From the extreme high end systems I have heard, they do a lot more things better than the things you mention.

The most recent I heard was a pair of Estalon Forsa, driven by Pass labs, and besides the things you mentioned, there is an overall effortlessness that most speakers at this price and quality range exhibit, that goes beyond any specific one attribute.

Yes, they produced a realistic scale soundstage of an orchestra as if I was sitting 10 rows back, but they also were able to produce an intimate singer/guitarist performance as if I was I was sitting in the original room with the performer. I could even tell they when they were standing, or sitting on a stool.

This is just the tip of the iceberg.

And of course it is "Sometimes yes, sometimes no". Not every high priced speaker is equal, not every high end speaker works well in a particular room, or with all equipment.

ghdprentice OP
6,423 posts
 

@mapman …

”It’s true the most important ingredient is caring, not money.”

To a point, but caring and money trump either individually. Let me care and choose and implement state of the art equipment and that trumps just one or the other.

mulveling's avatar
mulveling
1,774 posts
 

The "law of diminishing returns" is overplayed to death, usually promoted by guys who:

  • have upgraded poorly
  • have a significant system imbalance or underlying issue which precludes high performance
  • put a system together by reviews and "deals" instead of by ears
  • have a vendetta against expensive gear and people who pursue it
  • have never experienced a what a truly amazing state-of-the-art system can do

I like "the law of accelerated returns"! It can certainly happen when some new component, approach, or an identified weak link helps you bust out of a performance plateau.

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