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...
Of course Mrtennis, you are discounting the value of time and the enjoyment from the purchase until the release of the subsequent component.
The question by it's nature is subjective as worth in its purest form is simply supply and demand. There is nothing else that makes anything have value.
Frankly, when I purchase something it better be worth every penny or I won't buy it, expensive or not. I believe every component that will end up in my system, no matter the price, is worth every penny, or it wouldn't be in my system.
btw, I love that quote above from the OP; it's perfect and my philosophy that I've learned the hard way - buy quality and cry only once.
Years ago I purchased the Levinson top loading transport, the ML31 I think, it was an amazing sounding piece. I was shocked a "transport" could make such an amazingly positive difference in the sound of CDs... More recently, I have been playing almost exclusively LPs. The Boulder 2008 has had the same profound effect on the sound of the music in my house...I did buy the store "demo" so I was spared the "truly" absurd price, but I think the purchase sill qualifies...for me at least.
since no component is perfect, the idea that, regardless of its cost, it is worth every penny is relative, and may be perceived, subjectively, by its owner at a point in time.
thereafter, after some duration, the "very expensive" component may be exceeded in quality by another component, by the purchaser of the original component. Thus, does the 2nd component render the first component, "not worth every penny", once the second component is acquired ?
obviously two audiophiles may differ as to the value or worth of a component.
in addition, supposing the second compoent, cost less than the first component. i would say that renders the first component not "worth every penny", because its value to the owner is greater than the first component and it costs less than the first component
Insanely expensive by my terms, my audio aero prestige which I bought used for a reasonable but still unbelievable price in my world. I'd say however that it is indeed worth every penny. The one component that I would regret to let go.
Of course, being attached to anything, especially electronics is "wildly insane" I should be able to loose everything and be just fine.
My Jadis JP 200MC preamp, which I think retails at about $30K, has been worth every bit of its price (as was the JP80 I owned before it), as are the Lamm ML 1.1s I bought. And the EMM Labds CDSD SE/DCC2SE combination is something that gets better every day I listen to it, well worth its high price. These might not be insanely expensive compared with other products that are out there, but they are to those not in this hobby and they are pretty close to that to my way of thinking too.
"Wildly, insanely expensive" implies madness or folly and by definition this is mainly a pleasure to own for its snob factor or for what it says about the person who owns it (for example, a Ferrari or a wife's insanely expensive diamond solitaire. Both are a statement of commitment/passion/wealth/success and the symbolic meaning is much more important than its actual utility).
Like the peacock's impractical but impressive tail, you only have to look to some tube amplifiers (where the tubes are purposefully displayed) to realize that audio has its fair share of "statements".
My feeling is that those terms are mutually exclusive... i.e., nothing "insanely expensive" is worth every penny! You're lucky if you even get a perceived value of 50 percent when it comes to super-expensive gear.
On the other hand, I have a lot of gear that is incredibly inexpensive that I think is worth at least twice its MSRP in terms of performance per dollar.
I mean who cares how good something sounds if you have to pay over $50k for it? No matter how much you pay, you can't change the basic laws of physics. But as soon as some prescient company offers a unit that can do exactly that... well, that would be worth pretty much any price...
Carver 2000 receiver, I paid $1,500 back in 1983. It was the heart of my sytem for about 20 years.
It's looks and performance was in a class of it's own.
It was definitely the best looking piece of equipment I've owned. There was alway something great about the "Carver" sound that never left me wanting.
I still miss it sometimes.
Also, 3DBX expander, 400 route selector, and single ended noise reduction unit. The three ran about $1,400 back in 1984 and they all still look and work "as new".
"Wildly, insanely expensive", I don't know, but my SP10 wasn't exactly cheap in 1984 terms, close to if not SOTA, and was the core of my main system until recently. Its still worth on the used market 2/3ds of what it cost. Zero regrets.
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