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In your opinion, what is Hi, Medium and Low end?

Hey All,

I am new to this arena and for all the reading and homework it seems like there is a lot of circumstance out there. It seems that the comment that I see the most is, “…see how it works with your system.” And while this is true about a great many things in life it seems that we are all trying to find a sense for balance for our budget. The other thing that I learned is the spending a lot will not always yield the desired result.

So…regardless of price, here is my question. In your opinion, if your were to put together a system (say something to do it all, as I don’t know about everyone else but I couldn’t afford one for music and one for movies and other activities) in the following three categories: as high medium and low; what would it look like?

Say maybe with the following categories:

1) Processor, Preamp & Amp OR Receiver
2) Sources (CD, Phono or whatever)
3) Cables (Speak, Interconnect and whatever)
4) Power and related products
5) Other tweaks

Did I miss anything? Please feel free to add. :D

There are no motives hear but to learn, I have just bought a bunch of stuff that make me happy and I am just curious or maybe trying to prove that I am not on crack. ;-)

Cheers,

Blu
blu_audio
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,308 posts
 
If I had the budget, I'd probably end up spending more.

But my system fits my current dwelling pretty well. The differences, if any, would be marginal or subjective, IMHO.

If I had a larger house with larger rooms, I would probably be inclined to scale my system up somewhat accordingly, which would likely cost more.

I might go with a fancier CD player, though I'm not sure I would gain much, which is why I am where I am there.

If I weren't turned onto the Ohms, I might have to spend more to match them otherwise, though I think I could find something second hand in the price range that might be in the same league at least.
gogirl
12 posts
 
So,I think by Jax2 and Mapmans reply that it takes a very large investment to achieve high end performance and some either just cant afford the cost or are not into the music that much.If this is true then why cant you boys just say that.Why do some still say they have high end systems if you need something better to make it truly high end.Or is this like having a faster car gets confused with having a better car ?
ngjockey
1,042 posts
 
So, now we have 4 categories: lo-end, mid-end, hi-end, and wretched excess and Albert is the poster boy for the latter. Way to go Albert, I'm jealous.
dcstep
1,518 posts
 
Gogirl, if one is willing to give up full range and go with a 2-way mini-monitor, then high-end can be achieved for four-figures, subject to that limitation. Many people do make that compromise and are quite happy with it for many years. I did that for decades and only moved up to full range in the last year or so. (My investment escalated several fold, partly because I can now afford the best components, but a doubling occured simply to get another octave or so without giving up the all-important midrange and imaging.

I think the definition of high end is defined in sound and not money. The key is that timbre be accurate and that the sound be transparent and stress free. Compromises must be skillfully implemented such that they really don't stick out (for instance, the roll off must be natural and graceful).

Dave
ausjoe
98 posts
 
It's not so much that it take a large investment of money for equipment. Most serious music lovers have more money in software than gear I'd hazard to guess. Take a 1000 lps or cds and compare that to the cost of a system that most members have. It's the time invested in learning about room and equipment interactions and what works with what. FWIW if I became wealthy I'd have a pro design a room made for audio. And if possible involve the equipment manufacturer in the process. Otherwise I might be just be another rich guy with an expensive but crappy sounding system. There are too many to mention but on this thread there are several members with vast experience in audio that it pays to listen too. If I was starting out and had the money I'd find out what they're drinking and hand deliver to their house on serious listening night. Definitely at least worth reading threads some of the more astute members threads to learn before buying anything. You can skip mine!
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