All things are relative in regard to the "high end". Just as long is to short, and shallow is to deep. In this arena we have no measuring sticks, consequently no one knows how tall or how short their system is in comparison to the next system, and brand names alone won't cut it.
I once met an audiophile at a repair shop who invited me to check out his rig. I was dazzled by the equipment, it looked like an add out of Stereophile. He was grinning like a "Cheshire cat" when I walked in. The expression on my face told him I was impressed.
After he turned it on, I was wandering what was wrong; it sounded like a good "mid fi" rig, but nowhere near what those names were capable of producing. Since I was in transit, I didn't have the time to either tell him something was wrong or help to get it right.
Names don't guarantee the sound even when they are new. We no longer have the high end emporiums that you could visit and make a "relativity check"; consequently, who knows what's short and what's tall.
I once met an audiophile at a repair shop who invited me to check out his rig. I was dazzled by the equipment, it looked like an add out of Stereophile. He was grinning like a "Cheshire cat" when I walked in. The expression on my face told him I was impressed.
After he turned it on, I was wandering what was wrong; it sounded like a good "mid fi" rig, but nowhere near what those names were capable of producing. Since I was in transit, I didn't have the time to either tell him something was wrong or help to get it right.
Names don't guarantee the sound even when they are new. We no longer have the high end emporiums that you could visit and make a "relativity check"; consequently, who knows what's short and what's tall.