Understanding the Audiophiles community.

[stuck limo]

On 4/8/2019 at 12:41 PM, esldude said:

I thought more of this until I owned some AT4033 microphones.  Alan Parsons very most favorite microphone.  He should have spent some time listening to his equipment.  (In his defense he had this opinion when anything better was far more expensive, 4033s were sort of the first affordable condenser that wasn't garbage.)

 

Alan Parsons never said this. It's a fake quote.

https://boingboing.net/2012/02/10/alan-parsons-on-audiophiles.html

On 4/8/2019 at 10:51 AM, mansr said:

 

[stuck limo]

On 4/8/2019 at 9:43 AM, Ajax said:

I have been purchasing high quality HiFi since the late 70’s. My goal has always been “to buy the best sound for the least amount”.

 

I am fortunate that I do not have Teresa’s financial restrictions but I still get a lot of pleasure finding bargains. Sometimes they are new items like my office system, Benchmark DAC + Active Adam A7 Monitors, I purchase new 10 years ago that did (& does) sound amazing for only US$2.5K. I added a $200 Acoustic Research sub I found in a pawn shop that sits under my desk. A simple and space saving system that connects via USB to my laptop.

 

Several years ago I purchased a demo Devialet Ensemble (Devialet 200 with ATOHM G1 speakers) for just $US7K. Source is an Auralic Mini with Tidal sub and a SSD drive installed , which is located in my living room. I then added 2 x SVS SB2000 subs. Under $US10k for serious sound and excellent features.

 

I purchased a Marantz PM5005 integrated amp with a surprisingly good bolt in DAC + Wharfdale bookshelf speakers + 2 subs second hand for $1000 for another system.

 

Anyone can throw money at HiFi gear and have a great system but IMO the art (and fun) is to use your knowledge gained from reviews and forums such as this to get the  best possible bang for your buck.

 

 

I've heard 1.5K, 2.5 and up to 5K systems that sound as good as 10K or 20K systems.

 

The specific 10K system I heard sounded amazing, but vs 1.5 - 2.5k system, I didn't think it sounded 8K better. 8K "different" Maybe/Probably...But not necessarily "better". (it did sound better, but not at 8k worth) It was very enjoyable though. It sounded like a 10k system.

 

The 20K system I heard was technically astounding, and you could tell was high dollar. However, the musical enjoyment compared to a 1.5- 2.5k or even the 8K system I heard wasn't even close.

 

I think about 5K is a sweet spot before the laws of diminishing returns start to kick in hard. That's not to say a 10 or 15k system won't sound like a 10 - 15k system. It just depends on how much further your 10 - 15K will take you vs a 5k system. (probably not a ton, but varying factors will have to be taken into account)