2. speakers
  3. 186995-85501

"The Ultra High-End Speaker."

My entire relatively simple high end audio system retails for approx. $70,000, with my speakers alone retailing for approx. $24,000 (Revel Salon 2 speakers).  I've been around high-end audio for over 40 years.  I attend audio shows and visit local and non-local high-end audio shops on a regular basis.  I get to hears a lot of high-end audio speakers and gear all the time.  That said, I honestly believe, along with others who've visited my home and have listened to my system, that my system (speakers) produce that ultra high-end, reference quality sound.  Others would suggest that, when it comes to speakers, that the "Ultra High-End" sound can only be achieved by megabuck speakers costing 50K, 100K, 250k and beyond.  I do not believe that ultra high-end ("Sound Quality") is excusive to those speakers costing a king's ransom.  And, I think my own system is am example of what can be achieved at a lower (not for most people) price point.  I absolutely believe in the law of diminishing returns, especially when it comes to high-end speakers.  What's your definition, idea of, what you consider to be, a "Ultra High-End Speaker, and at what price point does the ultra high-end start?????            

kennymacc

Showing 2 responses by mikelavigne

mikelavigne
2,151 posts
 

my opinion is that you can achieve ultra high end sound with Revel Salon 2’s. given the appropriate sized room, meticulously treated, top notch power grid, solid well matured signal path and superior sources.

there is nothing about a Salon 2 holding you back from musical reproduction nirvana.

OTOH there is a ceiling to ultimate degrees of bottom octave, scale and authority in a system with the Revel 2 Salon’s. and a ceiling on ultimate levels of resolution.

but i would rather have this ’optimized’ ultimate Salon 2 system, than an average level effort with a more capable speaker in a larger room. the Revel Salon 2 is formidable enough to take you far along the path. it’s over the hump into high level transducers.

it’s the sweat equity and high level thinking behind systems that become the difference. and there is more than one approach to skin the cat.

of course; what we mostly find is that someone willing to go all out on the effort side, will probably pay the piper to start with a more capable speaker so the ceiling is higher at the end. but this does not invalidate what the Revel Salon 2 can accomplish.

mikelavigne
2,151 posts
 

Ask Lavigne what role play his room in his sound quality experience and say to him that he throw his money out of the window with his room , all we need is the higher price tag and synergy between components ....

you don’t need a custom designed large room, but a good room is a prerequisite to ultimate performance. something that won’t hold you back.

then.......(1) having the room the right shape and size for the speaker, and (2) tweaking the room to a high degree........is where the code gets broken.

there are quite a few speakers that can be a part of an ultimate system. that just takes a check book. but then it’s up to the end user to chase perfection. it’s not for everyone. but dollars are not the main thing. gear lust will not be the end game. but nothing wrong with nice pretty things. modest systems can sound really great.

i did not have ultimate performance with lots of dollars invested until i figured out how to get the room to work right. so dollars do not equate to success. it can raise the ceiling, but not deliver the promise.

More to discover