I've heard many $100K+ (just table) setups, and they did sound every dollar invested.
"freshly wet cleaned & vacuumed
heavy pressing of "Kind of Blue" "
Not exactly the "best" representation.
Perhaps a pristine 59 press would have been closer to the "truth."?
The thump is operator error- volume knob/mute should be engaged when dropping the needle.
If one doesn’t hear the difference, then your CD/digital setup is proper.
A "premium" setup LP setup deserves an A1 period press to fully experience the WOW!
Just my take.
I get reasonably close with a $10K setup, and of course, the best period press LP’s available. More convincing the typical "great" digital/CD playback.
Original press is the only way to play with LP’s if you listen to music pre 1980 or so.
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I had a revelatory experience with a ~$1 million dollar Wilson / Roland system many years ago. The system was carefully set up… in fact the sweet spot was on a chair on a custom built raised platform. It was a permanent setup in an audio store.
I could fill pages on the incredible three dimensional holographic imagery and micro detail. Individual sounds were holographic with a very distinct width and depth in space… like 2’ spherical… with a detailed and nuanced micro detailed spherical edge. There was lots of space between the sounds… imagine floor to ceiling and nearly wall to wall… and in a big room. It was a religious experience. It was just so over the top. My mouth was just hanging open. I listened to it for a couple hours. every tone was perfectly crafted and even a kick drum would be so accurately located that I could visualize the kit in an incredibly distinct and solid space. It was so far beyond anything I could imagine I was changed forever.
I simply had no idea this was possible. Coming away with shivers and emotional exhaustion I realized how amazing it was but that I didn’t want that. I did realize that if I could have a second system off in a separate room I would love it as my secondary system. But my main system needed to sound like real music (I use that word now, at the time I wasn’t sure how to describe the sound I wanted).
Experiences like this are crucial in developing a deep foundation of understanding of high end audio so ultimately you can create the perfect system for yourself. I can’t thank Wilson and Rowland and the retailer for that experience.
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I’ve heard a lot of expensive systems at shows and most of them left me feeling meh. Among them the original, snail shell B&W Nautiulus driven by stacks of Krell amplifiers and crossovers.
In terms of exceptionally good sounding and too rich for my blood was the top of the line Vandersteen speakers driven by their own amplifier and a CAT preamp.
I’ve heard the CAT in a different environment at Magico and was also really impressed by it. I wish I could have one for a long term review.
Also, and not necessarily very expensive was the Snell A/III driven by Tandberg amps. Wow. Among the very best systems designed for a living room. The Tandberg amps may not be as smooth by today's standards but they did justice to the Snell's bass cabinet in a way few other amps could do then.
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Most expensive probably close to 7 digits. No thanks. Too big and too expensive to ever work in my house. Bigger but not necessary better. Maybe if I lived in a mansion…….
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Big difference between hearing a big expensive system in a hotel ballroom at a show versus a well designed dedicated room. I’ve been in some nice rooms at dealers, but they are rarely optimal as they are often moving different pieces through or having multiple combinations of speakers, amps, sources, etc.
A modestly priced system in a good room can sound better than components costing twice as much or more and a great system in a great room can be an incredible experience that leaves you breathless. It all matters.
I didn't ask how much the most expensive system I've heard cost, it was probably over $1 million, including the custom built room. I've never heard anything close to it before or since.
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The best system I ever heard was all mbl and the cost was not horrible by high end standards. But the thing that helped make it the best was the showroom set up just right for those. Would take a lot of custom work to do that at home.
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Other than in dealer showrooms or audio shows, the most expensive system I've heard was a bit north of $500k. It was in the living room of a wealthy scion, and I spent a couple hours listening. The only specific I remember is Ypsilon Hyperion monos. The imaging, details, soundstage were all remarkable. But I found the whole thing distracting, including his well-intentioned enthusiasm, and I have to admit that I'm very slow to figure out whether I like the sound of a system. It takes me days and sometimes weeks to know how I like something -- even in my own room. Anyway, I didn't leave envious of his system ... but I did covet his art collection...
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Several.
MBL
Van Schweikert
Magico
Acora
Wilson
Estelon
All sounded great and provided what was described above. These systems are not intended for background music or casual listening. They offer an experience of a home concert for 1-2 hours. Then a break is needed. Most of the people able to afford this don’t have time to sit in front of it for 5 hours anyways.
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+1 @tom2015 - demoed many systems at audio shows and showrooms.
MBL consistently sounds great, especially the 101 and above. I’m thinking the 120/126 might be good for a shared space like a family room.
The Gryphon Commander+Apex combo sounded like an end game destination, if it was within budget..
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I will never forget Austin Acoustic 750K set up. It has liveness and musicality. Everyone in the room are shaking their head how good the system is. This is at I believe CES or axpona Westin Hotel ground floor.
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Top of the line MBL. You could walk into the soundstage and the location of the instruments was stable. I’ve heard a few others but none even came close.
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I had the good fortunate to spend an entire day at the old World of McIntosh Townhouse that used to be in SoHo, NYC. The Townhouse was closed, it was the day after an album release event, but the Director gave me total control of all 5 floors and every room, which all had specially designed systems utilizing the McIntosh family at that time (February 2020 -- McIntosh, Audio Research, Sonus Faber, Pro-Ject, Sumiko).
The Main Room (a 2 story living room/reception area) had their famous $1 Million System -- Four XRT2.1K Floor Standing Loudspeakers, 3 amps driving each speaker, multiple Subs, surround speakers, highest end preamps, processors, turntables, CD Players, Streamers...just an insane setup. The gear took up an entire room behind the 2 story bookshelf that you sat in front of to listen.
It was just surreal. An original Banksy was on one wall, and a Klimt was on the other wall. I've never heard sound systems like I heard that day. Every room was mind blowing, but the showcase system was a bucket list item for me. I still contact Franz (the Director) to this day thanking him over and over.
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Convergent Audio Technology is about 15 miles from me, and I get to hear the latest and greatest of the CAT amps and SL-1 occasionally... always very impressive. Usually in the $100K to $200K range, depending on the gear. I’ve heard the Magico S5 MkII a few times, some modified Hales, Avalon and Merlins with CAT amps. I missed out on the MBL speakers when he had them there. Looking forward to hearing his new Clarysis Audio Studio + soon. 
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under $500k mine is very nice, over that price the system at quintessence is Chicago is stunning, the system that burmester did at axpona few years ago, stunning
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$1.5M. Sounded thin to me.
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I stopped over to Legacy to pick up mu last 2 sub. (Foundations). While waiting to be loaded the owner throwed me the keys to his showroom where a pair of Legacy speakers worth 80 grand were set up. My son and I spent 20 minutes alone in there to do whatever we wanted. I can't describe what I heard. Just unbelievable.
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Forget about listening to megabuck system at shows. It's not representative of what those systems can achieve in a more controlled environment.
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Harmon has a very large room at their headquarters in LA I was doing playback on a music video when we finished the technical guy there said you want to hear something special I said of course. He then showed me there full concert JBL system that wouldn’t be out for years, it was used to shock the potential concert sound companies into thinking how good systems could be. It was a completely different level than home systems are capable of. The other system was the same type of thing it was a full concert system of the newest and best equipment in the industry to be seen as product placement on the TV show Roadies. It was ShowCo, and Meyer speakers all networked, we would take this system to stadiums and it sounded great but when it was on the big film stages Huntington Beach Studios it was every bit as expressive as a living room system only it was like the difference between playing with an earth mover or a Tonka toy there is no faking hugeness. Both were several million dollar systems.
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My neighbors system when I was just starting out on my own. I don’t remember the brands used in the components layout but I do remember the Martin Logan towers with the hug top panels and giant bass units. The cables were thick enough to tow a truck. Really too big for the little front room he had them in but he had downsized from a big house with a great room and had taken his setup with him. I don’t know the cost but he drove a Porsche and he said the system cost more than the car! If I ever win the lottery I know what good looks like now.
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I have never been to an audio gear show. I haven't been in an actual audio gear demo salon in many, many years and I don't have any friends who are audiophiles, so my answer would have to be my current system. It's the most I ever spent on gear and I'm very happy with it's performance. Life is a lot less complicated when you are the only one setting the height on the achievement bar!
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I've listened to some very expensive systems at audio shows and even though many sound wonderful, I always find myself wondering is it the system or the recording.
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Our local audio club has some very well-heeled members. One of them built what is essentially a whole house for his system: about 1,000 sq ft, Craftsman wood paneled, designed in consultation with an acoustician. Then he installed about $850K worth of kit: MBL Radialstrahler speakers (yet again!), MBL monoblocks to drive them, etc. etc.
While I agree that those magical MBLs create an aural hallucination—one can walk anywhere in the room and still perceive a stereo soundstage—instrumental timbre was no better (maybe not even as accurate) as my own system, and the whole presentation left me kind of cold. Moreover, attempting to play John Oswald's "Spectre" (performed by the Kronos Quartet) at volume actually shut the system down! In my listening room, the climax of that piece sounds like a 747 taking off.
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When I visit HiFi stores in the LA basin, I ask the consultants not to tell me the price of any of their rooms. I sit and listen and then try to figure out what I like and what is unacceptable. To my ears, tube amplifiers still sound the best, especially the Japanese manufactured ones. But I honestly could not distinguish between the $50,000 and $600000+ speakers in most of their systems. The Acora Acoustical didn’t sound any different to my ears than the Stenheim. My kit is Brinkmann Nyquist, VTL 6.5ii pre and Tube Audio Lab amp.
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The most expensive systems I've heard were audio show ballrooms, the small rooms never worked for me. Would have been nice to hear those systems after hours without all the environmental noise, gotta be 60, 70 or more db background noise levels at shows. I did get to listen to some more modest systems after hours at shows, much superior listening experience, we aren't hearing near full potential of these systems during open hours.
The most expensive home systems I've heard were churner audiophiles, equipment far superior to setup. Informative as to why they were churners.
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Whats a full MBL system cost? Doesn't really matter , I can't afford it but it was pretty awesome.
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Some 4 million dollar Chinese horn based system that sounded like ass...
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At a certain point, price becomes irrelevant. If it sounds good to your ears that's all that matters, regardless of price. I have heard some amazing $10k systems and some $1M systems that sound like crap. So many variables to take into consideration!
I have a very nice system that works for me (for now).
After all, we are audiophiles! 😉
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Listened to a 1M$ system at an audio show. A Nagra system with a 250k$ TT. It was truly amazing. Happy for those who can afford it but it does not take anything away from the fun I have to build my own system to fit my taste and my room at a price point within my budget. That system would not fit my room anyway. Just happy that once in a while I can enjoy different sound and accoustics at audio shows.
I also heard very expensive systems that did not rock my boat. Often too analytic and lifeless. I personally prefer a more organic analog sound, even with its flaws.
Happy listening everyone In this holiday season!
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My first was the Mark Levinson HQD system at a New Haven CT dealer around 1980 - it was incredible....then a few years ago a Wilson system at a dealers, also incredible...I've heard some expensive systems I didn't like, but all the super expensive ones were matched and set up great and sounded incredible...
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The MBL system I heard was at a show 15 years or so ago and it was probably half million then.
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Estelon speakers (probably their top model at the time) and very large Vitus mono amps - auditioned at an exhibition. Can’t remember the source, other than it was digital. Price: north of $1M. Sound: dreadfully dull/uninvolving, flat and dynamically stifled, and that was before I noticed the price of the system. Something told me it wouldn’t sound much better in a home setting..
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YMMV - a friend and I listened to a 250 K set up at an audio show and it sounded like crap. Could have been due to set up or the gear itself but it sure didn't encourage any sales that day. Well, except among that not insignificant portion f the audiophile market that instantly praise the great sound when they are told what something costs - there are a lot of them out there.
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I’ve heard some great systems at my local audiophiles club — I suppose the most expensive was likely a member’s setup featuring a full stack of CH Precision amplification, but hey, I don’t ask — the most memorable experience came at a local dealer. I was wrapping up the purchase of a pair of Magnepans when I heard a jazz combo down the hall. I wandered over and there, in a room-size niche, was a pair of Wilson Alexia speakers playing an LP on a Linn TT. I forget the amp — maybe Audio Research, the dealer in Dallas carried several top brands. I was starting to regret my speaker pick until I approached the speakers and saw the price — I think they were $55K at the time, going on 10 years ago. So I just backed away and sat down to enjoy. The dealer clearly had this setup dialed in. Part of the reason I remember it so well is that it was one of my first encounters with what a finely tuned system can do.
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@jfuquay I've had this happen several times at shows. It's always a well treated room. You can hear how good it sounds all the way down the hall.
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early 1983, at definitive audio in seattle- a pair of magnaplanar tympani IVs [mebbe they were threes, it was a long time ago] powered by some dorm-room-fridge-sized monoblock class A amps, a linear-tracking turntable with a granite base. don't remember any other brand names. the room was acoustically treated like a studio. they played a direct-disc recording of a large organ in a large cathedral. I remember the surface noise on the record seemed to float like a cloud about 3-4 feet in front of the speakers themselves. the sound occupied 180+ degrees of the room around me. it felt like I was transported to that cathedral where the recording was done. the aural picture was only missing the back hall, like I stuck my head into the recording venue, as though through a window. the sound [aside from surface noise] was utterly natural.
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I’ve heard three systems that were roughly $1M (or more) all in at dealers where they were not fighting show conditions.
Wilson with Burmester electronics
Wilson, D’Agonstino preamp/amp and DCS Varese
MBL Extremes MK II and MBL electronics
The MBL was the only system that wowed me. It was truly spectacular - not more so in resolution but in presenting music more like I hear it in real life. The others were revealing but not more musically satisfying than my own system. I came away grateful for what i have. And I don’t need a monstrous room dedicated to monstrous gear that i don’t care to look at to enjoy it. Of course, i know that some would look at my system and wonder what i spent and why I lack common sense so i suppose it’s all perspective and relative.
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Since I got back into audio about 5 years ago, I did not visit any audio stores as I do not live that close to any. I guess the most expensive system is my current one and it really sounds superb to me. I am all McIntosh except for my VPI turntable which is the HW40.
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At Audio Solutions in Indianapolis,Spotify/Qobuz via Lumin T3 driving a six-channel Anthem power amp and two D'Agostino Progression Mono amps which fed the eight drivers of a pair of Bowers & Wilkins Nautilus speakers. At first, I thought the Nautilus way too forward. I became more accustomed as time went by, but in the end, I preferred the sound of a Bryston B 135 P feeding a pair of Focal Aria Evo X No.4 my friend bought.
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2 million plus Von schweikert , vac and esoteric system
best scale, dynamic and live sound I have heard
not great for imaging and soundstage, so mixed feeling about it.
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Whenever I need a high end fix I stop by ProMusica in Chicago and listen to the top of the line Naim system paired with high end Proac speakers. Just incredible in every way to my ears.
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I heard a million dollar system at a Florida dealer this year. It was based 9n Wilson Chronosonics with Burnmeister and Aurender electronics and a VPI table. It's the first system I've ever heard that 'did 8t all'. I listened for 30 minutes and could have stayed there for days. I also listened to 5he new watt/puppies and was amazed at 5he difference. Clearly inferior, though still great. From the differences, I now understand what a black silence means and what it adds. That said, I can't afford the Sashas, much less either of these, but if I could easily, then I would really love having the Chronosonics. In absolute terms, no, it's not worth that much
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I heard a pair of Focal Grand Utopia's 15 years ago, driven by 2 monoblocs with cables the size of a garden hose in a acoustically treated room. Speakers were selling for 250k - thats a lot back then.
Sound of course was tactile and sublime - amazing how hi-fi has advanced.
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Have not heard very many expensive systems beyond the ones I own. The very best was at a dealer in Atlanta. The star was the Wilson Chronosonic XVX with Gryphon Audio and DCS. What I have observed over the years with various systems is they do get marginally better as you move up the ladder when carefully chosen. However after a while the system sound becomes the new normal. Meaning you're not as impressed as when the new component was inserted. I think this leads to an itch to continuously strive for a better system. However it can be a fools errand. As many have said above be happy with what you have.
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Let’s not forget the law of diminishing returns and the placebo effects.
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Been at this for about 65 years so have built a system with the best Conrad-Johnson class A amps, Wilson speakers, dCS digital, Shunyata, etc. With the cables about $140K.
My primary dealer(s) setups with the best Wilsons, D'Agostino amps, dCS stack, the big MBLs, MSB DAC stacks, Constellation amps, big Magico's, Nordost best cables... all systems over $1Million. And they sound really terrific. But no real desire for them. The biggest difference is the scale of the sound, it's really big and everywhere around you. Those systems are great to visit but too invasive for everyday living. I don't want to be cut off from the world in an Audio Cave someplace. When I turn on my relatively modest system it still thrills me every time with its realism. That hair raising feeling draws me into the music for hours. And, I can look out over the beautiful little lake we live on and enjoy nature. So, all good here.
Happy New Year to all...
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"The Law Of Diminishing Returns" is a negative/mythical believe system/barrier for those unwilling to enter the true world of HEA!
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I heard a couple at Sound by Singer.
I didn’t bother to ask about the prices but I guess easily over $500,000 each. They were in treated auditioning rooms
contrary to the previous commenter, I do believe in the law of diminishing returns and my system gets me damn close for 10% of that price.
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