Really expensive systems that sounded great?
I often laugh at megabucks systems ($100K and above) I hear because so often they are just OK, or the presentation is so off in one dimension or another I can barely listen to them for long.
What I’d like to ask now is what megabucks systems have you heard which you felt actually were worth the asking price? I don’t mean incrementally better than your $20k system. I mean leaps and bounds. Anyone?
The best system close to that I ever heard was the top of the line Vandersteen speakers and Vandersteen monoblock amps driven by VTL preamp (I believe) at a show in Oakland. Nothing else I heard in that price range or above sounded worth it to my poor ears.
Lets try to stay wealth-positive here and stick to things we actually LIKED. 😁
Meridien flagship speakers ($125K) with all Meridian electronics at a dealer. If you are spending money as a hobbyist/tinkerer Meridian speakers or active speakers in general are boring. You will not be able to mix and match amps/speakers for the next 20 or so years to enjoy the adrenaline rush of banging your credit card over and over and putting multiple unboxing videos on youtube. If that is your thing I get it. But if you are of the buy once/cry once mindset a matched system using active speakers fed by quality electronics is almost impossible to beat. I find Meridian products to be among the best for those who like that type of approach.
|
Why not start another thread about the secret speaker research from the seventies and anyone using a box speaker is a fool? I love your speaker conspiracy threads, so entertaining. Please don't insult anyone that buys stuff they like, regardless of wheher you approve or not. We don't have access to the secret research that you do. Have you built you flying donut (or balls) speakers yet? Let me know when they are in production so I can buy a pair (NOT).. |
Yes, Meridian supports Atmos through their 271 Digital Theater Controller. Its good you started this thread, sometimes you can get an expensive system that rivals systems costing multiples more. When you spend a lot, you risk a lot. Having a Meridian system that is engineered from the ground up not only removes a lot of that risk, it can go beyond what an equivalent chain can achieve for the same price. Look at the specs on the DSP 8000XE. They weigh almost 250 lbs each and have 1250 watts of internal amplification. As good as the specs are they sounded even better than I imagined, dynamics were shocking and you don’t need a sub for sure: SpecificationINPUT CONNECTIVITY Meridian SpeakerLink connector (RJ45) 1 x co-axial digital audio [RCA phono] supporting up to 192kHz @ 24-bit 1 x optical digital audio [Toslink] supporting up to 96kHz @ 24-bit 1 x USB digital audio [type C] supporting up to 384kHz @ 24-bit Bluetooth via the Meridian B-Link [supplied] 1 x balanced analogue audio [XLR] on IA21 Analogue Input Module 1 x unbalanced analogue audio [RCA phono] on IA21 Analogue Input Module OUTPUT CONNECTIVITY 1 x Meridian SpeakerLink connector (RJ45) PERFORMANCE Peak SPL: 120dB@1m for a single speaker Frequency response in room within 3dB: 18Hz – 40kHz TWEETER AMPLIFIER Class AB, capable of greater than 150W into 4Ω, < 1% THD THD + noise @ 1kHz < 0.005% Bandwidth >100kHz MID-RANGE AMPLIFIER Class AB, capable of greater than 150W into 4Ω, < 1% THD THD + noise @ 1kHz < 0.005% Bandwidth >100kHz BASS AMPLIFIERS Six bridged pairs of Class-D amplifiers - each pair capable of greater than 240W into 4Ω, < 1% THD. THD + noise @ 1kHz < 0.008% TWEETER 25mm beryllium dome with silver voice-coil, steel custom faceplate and waveguide MID-RANGE DRIVER 1 x 160mm with non-conductive voice-coil former and anti-resonance clamp-ring mounting system BASS DRIVERS 6 x 200mm polypropylene long-throw (up to 24mm excursion) with anti-resonance clamp-ring mounting system FRONT-PANEL INDICATOR Blue in Standby, White in use (can also be unlit in use) REAR-PANEL CONTROLS Power On/Off, channel selector switch, input sensitivity switch [on analogue input module] DIMENSIONS / WEIGHT HEIGHT: 1350mm [53.2in] (With feet/spikes) WIDTH: 400mm [15.7in] tapering to 158mm [6.2in] DEPTH 528mm [20.8in] tapering to 210mm [8.3in] WEIGHT: 110.5kg [243lbs] POWER- 1250W max |
Uhhhh.... now back to our regularly scheduled programming. Regarding how luxury brands are marketed, would it make sense for them to sell on Amazon or Ebay? No, they could, but not really suitable. Showrooms? Faded away against direct to consumer brands. Custom installers that typically don’t have a showroom? Check. Audio shows that are coming back since Covid lockdowns? Check. Maybe we will see a NEW marketing plan in line with WOM from other luxury brands:
|
I've heard several 100 $100,000+ systems and most were huge disappointments. If you have to spend $100K on a music reproduction system you are almost guaranteed to be disappointed. The law of diminishing returns kicks in hard. If you got $100K to spend on a stereo want to know how to guarantee it will be worth it CLICK HERE, |
I’ll take this $100K system all day, every day: Mercedes-Benz’s implementation of Atmos looks to go even further, with a whopping 31 speakers scattered around the car (a list that includes six 3D speakers above passengers, four “near-ear” speakers for the two front seats, and an 18.5-liter subwoofer). Each seat also features two hidden exciters apiece (for a total of eight in the car), and everything is powered by two amplifiers with a total of 1,750 watts of power. To start, Mercedes is offering Atmos in its top-of-the-line Maybach model, followed later by its S-Class cars featuring its new MBUX infotainment system. Unfortunately, given the price of both the Mercedes Maybach and S-Class cars, having the hardware to get the full Atmos experience won’t be cheap. The entry-level S-Class vehicle, a 2021 S 500 4Matic sedan, starts at $110,850, and the Burmester 4D surround sound add-on that’s necessary for Atmos is an additional $6,730. Customers of the top-of-the-line Maybach model won’t have to worry, though — the upgraded sound system is already included in the base $185,950 price tag. Now THAT is a system, talk about a Vehicle baby:
|
Some people use a "walkman" for tunes while @tonywinga listens on the go in style |
