At the top of the line is it really all that different?
I'm writing about my experience with the top of the line bespoke gear. Not the insane one-of a kind that I'll never own but the really good stuff that say $50K each will buy.
I have listened to my personal favorite ARC vs. D'Agistino, vs. Bryston vs. Pass vs. the top Macs (no love lost there). Wilson vs. Sonus, vs. Magico vs. Bryston T-10 vs. Maggies (!) vs. Perlisten.
So many cables that I can't recall the names.
I can tell a difference between the voicing of the products at my dealer but the difference is so subtle that in my home they are "nearly" identical. ( I know, I know but I said "nearly")
I read reviews with all the silly superlatives that make the reviewed item sound heavenly and the "other guys" sound like the AM radio in my '67 Mustang.
I have had my ears checked and my audio sensitivity is "age appropriate" I'm 62.
I have 2 listening rooms- one is a dedicated properly treated room and one is a barn sized great room with anterooms on 3 sides. In my dedicated room I'm all alone with my music which can be really lovely but not often visited vs. the great room with my dogs, kids, and wife. I don't do critical listening there but I love full beautiful sound when the ones I love most are near.
So, I would really appreciate thoughtful guidance to my quandary- is top end gear crowding at the top of the pyramid with very little difference? Are the glowing reviews colored or even deceptively presented? Or maybe I'm growing weary of very little cost/benefit improvements as I climb the audio ladder .....please advise.
@yesiam_a_pirate .....*G* After all the above....feel free to indulge oneself into that which interests you. The only one you need to please is you. regardless of room and the selections that make it work for you. That search is frustrating, given the variables.... One's local Nirvana will likely conflict with others; pay no mind. |
I have had the privilege of listening to several very high end systems where the owners were happy to do A/B comparisons of various cables, amps, and DACs and often the differences between equally high end components are startling. In my more modest, but still very good system, I hear those differences but they are often less dramatic. So the resolution and quality of the rest of the system does matter. Based on my personal experience, I have come to believe that the "audiophiles" that deny cables can make a difference or claim that all normally function amps sound the same are simply factually wrong. But hey, maybe all of us that hear clear differences are simply suffering psycho-acoustic delusions.
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Thankfully, regarding your question of which I was wondering the same thing; the answer is, wait for it... YES! I've been playing around with my 2nd system lately. This gets a little interesting. After the last time I listened to the rig I took out the Scott A 436 integrated to have work done on it. The next time I listened to the rig I came up with a pair of Bose Video Roommate powered speakers and tried to run the turntable through the McIntosh MR-55a tuner which has a phono stage! It's a mono tuner so only one RCA input for the phono. One channel was very quiet and didn't sound great. The next day I picked up a gold plated Y adapter from Auto Zone of all places! I rushed home to hear the results! I was now getting stereo into mono but it still sounded like listening to a hand held transistor radio, maybe not even that good. There was absolutely no bass. My tech confirmed my suspicion that the phono input was probably set up for 78 rpm records and stylus compliance.
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