Very interesting article - thanks for posting.
I went to AXPONA in 2017 and then to the Tampa show in 2018. I heard several amazing six-figure systems that I will never aspire to own but the most important takeaway for me was that my system sounds pretty darn good. Not quite up there with the best but certainly in the ballpark. There were also a few megabuck systems that sounded awful but I'll give them a pass due to show conditions. Most of these systems had cabling and power conditioning that cost more than my entire setup.
I lusted after some of that gear but it was encouraging to see that the price/value curve really flattens out at at the high end of the range. If someone has the money to buy a $1.2 million pair of speakers I don't begrudge them for one minute. They are supporting skilled craftsmen making a living wage producing amazing products. But the exciting thing is that we live in a golden age of audio where we have a huge selection of excellent sounding gear - both new and used - that most people who are serious about the hobby can afford and love.
I went to AXPONA in 2017 and then to the Tampa show in 2018. I heard several amazing six-figure systems that I will never aspire to own but the most important takeaway for me was that my system sounds pretty darn good. Not quite up there with the best but certainly in the ballpark. There were also a few megabuck systems that sounded awful but I'll give them a pass due to show conditions. Most of these systems had cabling and power conditioning that cost more than my entire setup.
I lusted after some of that gear but it was encouraging to see that the price/value curve really flattens out at at the high end of the range. If someone has the money to buy a $1.2 million pair of speakers I don't begrudge them for one minute. They are supporting skilled craftsmen making a living wage producing amazing products. But the exciting thing is that we live in a golden age of audio where we have a huge selection of excellent sounding gear - both new and used - that most people who are serious about the hobby can afford and love.