Since Covid, there have been many new audio manufacturers that build expensive equipment that doesn’t sound any better than what is currently out there. We heard $35k speakers at an audio show that didn’t sound any better than my small revels in my 2nd/3rd systems which are 1/17 the cost. I see this more and more.
But I also see legacy audiophile manufacturers making cheaper gear that sounds great. There are some new audiophile manufacturers that build expensive equipment (hundreds of thousands of $$$) that could be called the best of the best. I saw a few million $$$ systems in the last few audio shows that sounded fantastic.
Its great to have choices but not every manufacturer will make it so if you buy equipment from a new boutique company, you might not have support in the future and will have a hard time selling down the road. For example, I had the top of the line Classe monoblocks and when they were in business and then out of business, I got nervous since the amps had a lot of newer technology in them, I sold them at a much reduced discount because the new buyer knew of any future risks, and the amps sounded fantastic