I think what sets my threshold for diminishing returns lower than many other audiophiles on this forum has to do with unrealistic expectations on my part. Just to throw out a number, I’ll say that an affordable system for me will get me 65% towards what my mind might idealize as the ultimate in reproduced sound. I expect a very high end system in an excellent room to get me to 95%. It instead gets me to 75%. Some of the major shortcomings of 2 channel audio recordings, which are what I listen to mostly, are still plainly evident to me, even on the best recordings. It’s like I’m expecting a $1,000,000 supercar to be able to silently hover and fly me across oceans at supersonic speeds. Instead, it just rolls along on the ground like my Nissan, faster and a lot classier but no where near as fast as I’d really like to go, or expect to go for $1M. A car is a car, not an anti-gravity flying machine. The truth is, $1M isn’t really all that much money in the grand scheme of things. I just don’t have that much so my expectations are inflated.
Law Of Diminishing Returns?
I'm curious about what you enthusiasts think of the product or price that eclipses your definition of "value".
As an example I have a rich buddy that just spent 100K upgrading his (former) Pass 600s / Bryston / B&W Signature 800s / JL Fathom 8 speaker system. I have a discerning ear and cannot hear the difference between the old system and his new S5M Perlistons (4) , Anthem AVN90, ,ATI amp AT6005 (4) and four subs.
This got me to thinking- 80% more money for maybe 20% more sound quality?
Where is the sweet spot for the discerning ear and the affluent but not Billionaire (think Doctor/Lawyer/Indian Chief) budget? Can you get 80% HiFi sound for 20K or do you need to spend 100K to get that HiFi sound?
-Asking for a friend :)