No way. I do not like the sound of NAD amps. I would rather have something else used, (tube gear) for 2-3 times the price of NAD equipment, like you state. but in general I get the 'jist of what you are saying. But why the rant today? Just curious.
Also do not forget DIY projects! Or modified gear!
For uncolored neutrality, I thought the marantz cd, EVS Millennium DAC, Krell 300i, and Magnepan 1.6/qr was tough to beat. Granted it was a tad dry in the midrange, but I thought it was surprising good for the money. In a similar vein my previous acoustats and tubes did flesh out a midrange that very few all-out-assult dealer demos were even able to match, in the midrange.
I think there's a lot of Sun Tsu involoved here. You need to know what you as a music lover need and expect from a stereo. And you need to know what gears in your price range can deliver on those sonic priorities. No offense, but how unboxy sounding are the Europas? Me, I can't stand box colorations so they may not be a match for me. Vice versa. Someone else will hate the magneplanar weaknesses, so likewise they would be a poor match for that person.
But generally it DOES cost good money to get great (what does that mean?) sound. But there are a lot of poor performers out there. Even though some designs are just rehashes of old designs, apparently some (how much?) money has to be thrown at the problem, whether is a part quality swap or a decent power supply, or tweaks , or something.
I don't know. I'm still new at this and and trying to sort through a lot of this myself as I grow as an audiophile.
Also do not forget DIY projects! Or modified gear!
For uncolored neutrality, I thought the marantz cd, EVS Millennium DAC, Krell 300i, and Magnepan 1.6/qr was tough to beat. Granted it was a tad dry in the midrange, but I thought it was surprising good for the money. In a similar vein my previous acoustats and tubes did flesh out a midrange that very few all-out-assult dealer demos were even able to match, in the midrange.
I think there's a lot of Sun Tsu involoved here. You need to know what you as a music lover need and expect from a stereo. And you need to know what gears in your price range can deliver on those sonic priorities. No offense, but how unboxy sounding are the Europas? Me, I can't stand box colorations so they may not be a match for me. Vice versa. Someone else will hate the magneplanar weaknesses, so likewise they would be a poor match for that person.
But generally it DOES cost good money to get great (what does that mean?) sound. But there are a lot of poor performers out there. Even though some designs are just rehashes of old designs, apparently some (how much?) money has to be thrown at the problem, whether is a part quality swap or a decent power supply, or tweaks , or something.
I don't know. I'm still new at this and and trying to sort through a lot of this myself as I grow as an audiophile.