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Does your system sound better than most demo's?

I just got back from a music show tonight and must say that even though I have heard some systems that sound way better than mine, mine sounds way better than many that I hear at shows or in show rooms, and it actually makes me pretty happy.

I heard a new wadia integrated unit (intuition) tonight that retails for somewhere around $8,000 for a class d amp, pre amp(?) and dac all jn one very sexy looking piece, playing through a pair of $20,000 sonus faber's and my system (8,000 total ?) absolutly sounds better. Makes me really appreciate my set up.

On the other hand, the sonus faber amanti's with $34,000 wotth of moon pre, amp, dac did sound fabulous and so did the b&w nautilus with all classe gear (4 of there new 250 watt class d amps), but still, I wonder, and believe that I, could compile a system that would crush either of those rigs had I a $50,000-$100,000 budget like what those cost.

I think part of the fun of this hobby is using knowledge to make up for your lack of funds. It's like showing up to the race track with a stripped out supercharged M3 and spanking all the rich guys in there Ferrari's and Lamborghinis.

I want to go to a show where they are focused solely on sound and not how pretty and shiny the gear is; sure I like it to look good, but more important is the way it sounds because when it comes down to it, when the fun begins, the lights are off and my eyes are closed.
b_limo

Showing 1 response by robsker

robsker
132 posts
 
Perhaps the reality is just this.... there is essentially NO correlation between cost of a stereo system and the performance of the system... at least after a certain level.

I have heard (at shows) $100-200,000 systems (dozens of them)that, on average, do not sound any better than did the average of the 25K systems (again dozens of them). And some 10-15K systems equaled or bested some 200K systems. There are limits to this... but generally, after a 20K system or so... there is no correlation between cost and sound. Cost is, at that point, not correlated any longer to performance... or at best a 2-3% (subjective) improvement doubles the cost. A typical 25K system is 97% of the way of a 50K system and 94% of the way to a 100K system... something like that. And that is on the average... so much variation occurs that again... no correlation.
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