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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
albertporter's avatar
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albertporter
4,949 posts
 
I can't answer maximum dollar invested and still quality as "budget." I think that's the responsibility and opinion of the system owner.

I put together a system for a friend, all used equipment bought through Audiogon. Total was about $1500.00 and sonically it qualifies as high end.

It's been four years since we did that. He plays it every day, all day and has had no reliability issues. A bit of luck here I think :^).

I still get thanks for putting it together, he was about to go to Best Buy and drop nearly that much on junk.
mrjstark
1,112 posts
 
Tough question, and very personal I may add. It depends on who you will talk to ....I guess and what we concider budget minded system. From my perspective ( others might disagree ) and limited experience with most that is out there. I would quess that decent, budget system that I could put together and enjoy, could be put together in around $2000 to $3000 range. Including all components, cables and speakers.
Mid-price - for around 6K
Hi- for around 15K+

These would include components that I am familiar with and performance/price that reflects my preferances, taste and pocket.

Now let it rain........:)
phaelon
1,052 posts
 
Isn't it fun when you can do that for someone Albert? It's a similar thrill introducing someone to your system who you know appreciates live music. They expect it to be be clearer and louder but are unprepared for the reality - they just didn't know what they didn't know. Which leads to my thought on high end: It begins when one embarks on a journey leaving behind the "clearer and louder" criteria as the standard for quality. Furthermore, I believe success is measured by those times when you blew-off something important because you wrongfully thought you had the discipline to sit down and listen to your system for a quick hour.
albertporter's avatar
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albertporter
4,949 posts
 
Isn't it fun when you can do that for someone Albert? It's a similar thrill introducing someone to your system who you know appreciates live music.

Yes, I agree. I must admit there was bit of selfish motive in putting this together. I wanted to "prove" to him that the limited budget he had could put him in high-fi heaven. The little tube amp I choose to drive the Vandersteen 3A is marginal for this speaker, but since it clips so gracefully I'm the only one who notices it's being pressed a bit too much.

It actually sounds very good. The losses it introduces makes for pleasant and emotional listening. Reminds me of my entry level system when I began this crazy hobby.

I think one of the biggest problems in high end audio is our failure to draw in the kids. We set the goal for high end and fun so high, that young people are turned off and just listen to their Logitech computer speakers.

I always try to support forum thread that advocate experimentation, it's a way to get people involved and thinking about what they can do to be part of the music.
jax2
3,031 posts
 
Here, here Albert! The young folks represent any hope of continuing this hobby (and pretty much anything else) with some kind of integrity, and in turn creating higher expectations from the industry (hifi and recording). I ran into a friend recently at the supermarket which I'd done the same thing for, albeit at a very slightly higher budget. He still has the same system and still loves it over seven years later. No problems at all, and a very modest system. I'm pretty sure at the time that he only spent a bit more than $2K all told. I'm sure I could have done it cheaper but that was his budget. It's definitely a whole lot of fun to help folks in that way. There are so many really excellent products out there and the pricepoint keeps getting lower. By far, the majority of folks have no idea what kind of performance is available to them. As you pointed out, Albert, go to BestBuy any weekend to see how many folks are investing relatively large coin into some definitively lo-fi gear.
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