At CES 2004, Dave Wilson was trying to answer this age-old question in a creative new way - he set up a pair of $16,000 competitor's speakers powered by Krell electronics and driven by a very high end ($20k+) transport system.
He secretly drove his $11,000 Sofia's with an iPod, a $1,000 amp and Radio Shack cables. All who listened said the Sofia's blew the other speakers away.
His message: If you have $15,000 to spend on a system, pay $11,000 for speakers (his, of course), use your existing electronics (if possible) or buy modestly priced, quality gear. Speakers make the biggest difference.
Whether you agree or not, I think he showed some guts doing this.
He secretly drove his $11,000 Sofia's with an iPod, a $1,000 amp and Radio Shack cables. All who listened said the Sofia's blew the other speakers away.
His message: If you have $15,000 to spend on a system, pay $11,000 for speakers (his, of course), use your existing electronics (if possible) or buy modestly priced, quality gear. Speakers make the biggest difference.
Whether you agree or not, I think he showed some guts doing this.