2. misc-audio
  3. 1177277698

Insanely Expensive....and Worth Every Penny

There are many threads which discuss things like "80% of the performance at 20% of the price", how overpriced certain components are compared to others, and how some components fail to hold their value on the used market.

So here is a cheerfully optimistic question:

What component, accessory, set of speakers, or tweak have you purchased - preferably new - that was wildly, insanely expensive, and in your honest opinion really WORTH IT?

Something that was delightful to own, and demonstrably superior to anything less expensive...

(I hope this is not a very short thread.)
cwlondon
jeffreybowman2k
216 posts
 
I nominate the Tron Syren pre-amp. I use it with my Avantgarde Duo's and Audiopax Model 88s. It is hands down the most transformative investment i have made in audio.
What has made it such a worthwhile investment is that it optimizes the rest of my equipment. Since I got it, I have been re-listening to recordings that have been on the shelf for years -- just so i can see what i have been missing
mrtennis
3,295 posts
 
hi cwlondon:

the original quad, the esl, is priceless in its recreation of timbral realism.

thank you 9rw for excellence of elocution.
s7horton
1,077 posts
 
9rw, that was great! Had me laughing out loud!
larryi
4,184 posts
 
9rw,

Sorry, but I think you need to work harder on your impersonation; I sort of understood what you wrote.
puremusic
226 posts
 
Of the components in the system I put together about 15 years ago, the Jadis JA80 tube monoblock amps are priceless. They are still with me. They have survived the major upgrading my system has gone through in the past 2 years. Amongst my new components, the APL Hi-Fi NWO-2.5T CD player is the stand out. Along my upgrade path, it did more to bring me closer to live music than all other components combined. It, in synergy with the rest of the components, has brought Musical Nirvana. The remaining upgrades are also expensive and are well worth it: Kubala-Sosna interconnects and speaker cables, Elrod Statement power cords, Sound Application RLS AC conditioners, and Critical Mass Grand Master isolation/damping platforms. I am now in the middle of implementing Rives' room treatment design for my dedicated listening room. Its shaping to be priceless.
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