Is there a ceiling limit on what you are willing to pay for an audio component?


A very informative fellow on youtube reviews high end audio gear. He pays an insane amount of money on ampifiers, speakers and digital sources. He tells you what he thinks about quality, price, customer service and performance on such brands as Magico, Boulder, Wilson Audio and many others.

So here is the question. What are YOU willing to pay for a pair of speakers? An amplifier? A DAC or turntable setup? I am interested in what you WOULD PAY, not what you have paid in the past.

For me, I cannot see myself paying over $5K on speakers and likely not more that $3K on any other component.... even if I had the kind of money Elon Musk has. Am I crazy in saying that?

 

128x1282psyop

That is a loaded question , for example a $4k speaker n average only $1k goes into this including packaging ,this too applies to electronics ,the rest R&D overhead and markup, this why you truly spend what you can afford to spend , That  being said 

after say $50k on a Loudspeaker the differences to $75k maynot be as substantial say from a $5kto $15kLoudspeakers ,  the parts quality gets substantially better .

for $5k that’s a good starting point , you willnot have even average quality Xover parts ,and drivers ,cabinet meaning both speakers are roughly $525  each including the packaging ,sad but true .having owned. A Audiostore  MFG need to make this ,with Audiocables the profit margins on average far bigger . That is why lower priced items can be modded much easier .for Digital for example $5k is bare minimum for a good quality digital front end for example the exception $7k T+A 200 dac is a bargain vs even dacs at 2x the cost. digital cables say 2 Ethernet cables ,and usb$3k a good Ethernet  hub Sonore ,or uptone audio $550+ $750 for  A very  good linear powersupply such as the excellent Linear TubeAudio . + Audiocables another $2500+ minimum  everything adds up ,iam just speaking of a $50 k Audio system To many older audiophiles $50k is not  even close to a top quality sounding Audiophile System.I have been over many professionals homes near the Boston area with systems exceeding $150k , when i owned a store I spent $50k fora$100k system .I am now approaching 65 and just rebuilding and-just over $50k is my cutoff to get exceptional sound quality after That  you can do much better sounding still but ,at a very high cost , $$ diminishing returns . My point is don’t be frugal if you can afford more within reason. 

As many have said the answer is relative to a buyer's intensity for the hobby and financial worth 

with that said, the decisions I regret are not spending too much but passing on a component I really wanted that was just over the financial horizon so to speak 

that typically leads to early disappointment with a purchase and ultimately increased cost

I can afford whatever I want...and what I want is what I have, and none of it is "self indulgent" expensive because I prefer things that sound good to me, and don't care what reviewers or pretty much anyone else thinks about it unless I agree with them. Schiit preamp and DAC, Pass Labs (XA-25, their cheapest amp and maybe their best sounding amp), Bryston Bit 15 conditioner (it has a lot of plugs) and other stuff. Horn speakers with titanium drivers, smoking jacket and those little fancy slippers, etc. Note that expense is relative, but there's great sounding stuff for less than $130,000 speakers that are simply drivers in a box. 

$25k speakers, $12k amps, $5500 Source, $7K BACCH 3D Software, $1250avg per cable, Acoustic Treatments $3500, Headphone Amp $8k, Headphones $6K

I have no regrets, and at 48 in poor health I give no F's