Insanely Expensive....and Worth Every Penny


There are many threads which discuss things like "80% of the performance at 20% of the price", how overpriced certain components are compared to others, and how some components fail to hold their value on the used market.

So here is a cheerfully optimistic question:

What component, accessory, set of speakers, or tweak have you purchased - preferably new - that was wildly, insanely expensive, and in your honest opinion really WORTH IT?

Something that was delightful to own, and demonstrably superior to anything less expensive...

(I hope this is not a very short thread.)
cwlondon

Showing 3 responses by larryi

My amps, Audionote Kagekis, are quite "insanely expensive," but I have not heard anything like them, except for some even more insanely priced amps. If considered on a price per watt basis they are truly insanely priced, as I think the amps put out about 6-watts per channel.
9rw,

Sorry, but I think you need to work harder on your impersonation; I sort of understood what you wrote.
Recently, I bought some insanely expensive midrange drivers and horn (Western Electric driver 713b and 12505 horn). These were in perfect shape and well matched. A few months later, another pair went for a MUCH higher price on ebay (who knows the condition?).

I haven't heard midrange drivers I like better, and they appear to be appreciating in value (they were made some time around 1939, so depreciation due to age is no longer a significant concern). There is the possibility that someone will successfully clone the drivers, but, so far, the other attempts at cloning old Western Electric drivers have not been entirely successful.