What does 90% of the Absolute Best Sound Cost?

A. What does it cost, in terms of components, interconnects, and direct furnishings (e.g., racks, isolation pads, surface room treatments, etc.) to achieve 90% of the absolute best sound possible?

B. What % does $50,000 get you?

A) My system (below video) is the absolute best sound system because it recreates the original sound better than others and 2nd best is far far away. All other systems are just different sounds each other. My system consists world’s best sound components and there is no replacement (no $million component sounds better).

https://youtu.be/i5Rrg0CU-XM?si=rW6VJ--P71JQaeZr

My system costs about $30k.

Wavetouch Antero spkr: $9,500, modded Oppo 95: $5k, Modded Bakoon int amp (3ft IC cable attached): $10k, spkr cable 7ft pair: $2k, 2 power cables: $5,600.

B) For $50k, you can get a whole my system ($30k). For rest $20k, you can buy my world’s best Streamer ($5k), DAC ($5k), or a power conditioner ($5k) from me.

Alex / Wavetouch audio

Sorry, but this is kind of a dumb question.

There is no way to objectively and financially measure SQ.

While it is very true that a more expensive system is not necessarily better SQ than a less expensive one. A well thought out, professionally set up million dollar plus system sounds like a million bucks. To reach 90 or 95% of such a system for $150K is deluded and ignorant.

A well thought out, professionally set up million dollar plus system sounds like a million bucks. To reach 90 or 95% of such a system for $150K is deluded and ignorant.

It's not, though. Not if you bought the ten-year-old million-dollar system for $150K.

I saw a video where a coffee expert was blind tested to see if he could distinguish different levels of coffee. He did really well, and explained that somewhere around $30 / lb the actual quality of the coffee was completely topped out. After that It's just differences that aren't necessarily better, just distinctions he could pick out because he was so familiar with them. So he was able to tell the even higher priced coffees apart because he was familiar with their distinctive characters. That's the boutique effect. When you're talking about $1,000,00 worth of speakers and electronics,  I'd say that's 95% boutique sound if it's just a 2 channel stereo setup that isn't a stadium filling professional concert system. 

@mglik let me fix your comment for you:

I am having a hard time understanding how one can quantify sound quality and scale it against expense.  If anything, it seems a very individual thing.  Moreover, I disagree that cost to quality is an exponential relationship.  But to each his own.

Now, if that doesn't make sense to you, perhaps you should repeat kindergarten.

Kind regards-

The dumb, deluded ignorant OP

Best is individual. Some people desire anachronism while some want all the Silicon Valley names in their solid state gear. Others like sculpted, art pieces like antique clocks. There are big rooms soaking up power and small rooms running on flea watts. And their are mid price value investors like myself owning two different Ice Module amps with my other two amps a Panasonic SA-XR 50 and Peachtree Carina 300. 

My system has eclipsed just over the $165K threshold, and will be rising again shortly with a DAC/Streamer upgrade in the works. Has my system reached 90%, 95%, etc...? It seems more like the equation of y=1/X which never reaches zero. Y becomes a horizontal asymptote as Y=0. All I know, and all I care, is that my system sounds darn good to me, and brings me great pleasure. That is priceless.

My system is about $150K. For me, it is a destination system.

Even though I know that I could do much better.

And I am clear that I am not at 90 or 95% of “the absolute sound”.

If it could be quantified, maybe 50%.

But it is also clear that the law of diminishing returns applies.

Please also understand that ignorance does not imply intelligence.

Only lack of experience.

And delusion is an extremely common state of most audiophiles.

All I know is that my system is way good enough.

The four greatest stereo systems I've heard in my life are

• Magico M6 speakers powered by Luxman electronics. That was about a $270,000 setup.

• Avantgarde Acoustics G3 horns, can't remember the amps or anything else, probably around $300,000 total.

• Focal Grande Utopia Evos with a front end by Naim. Over $400,000.

• YG Acoustics XV speakers driven by Boulder monoblocks  and a Boulder preamp. Including the sources and cables, this setup retails for just over a million.

I'd say that although these four systems didn't sound the same, they were roughly equal in quality. End-level, tip-of-the-top hifi.

What would it take to get to 90 percent of that quality? The first candidates that cane to mind were the Alta Audio Aphrodite speakers, $50,000, with Infigo electronics that were at least another 50 grand.

But in my book, the value champs are the Grimm LS1c active speakers, which start around $24,000. To get super clean bass down to 20Hz, I'd add the integrated Grimm SB1 motion feedback subs, about $13,00/pr.

I've listened to multiple dozens of fantastic systems that cost a lot less and that very much impressed me, but if the goal is to get to 90% of the best performance possible, for me the Grimms are the ticket, and so the answer to OP's question is "around $37,000," not counting a digital or analog source.

Much less than you think.

Not "somewhat subjective" but rather 100% subjective.

I doubt anyone here has heard the absolute best system, as there is no such thing.

The price for quality sound has gotten to the point where if you listen with your ears and not your wallet or eyes, you can get a great set of monos for sub $600.  And I'm guessing other components in the chain would follow the trend.

Just my opinion so please don't let it ruffle any feathers.