I have been an audiophile for 50 years and have purchased a lot of very good equipment in those years. Motivated by awareness of Floyd Toole's work at JBL/Harman, I just purchased a JBL M2 Master Reference Monitor/Crown I-Tech 5000 system consisting 1250 watts of power to each tweeter and 1250 watts to each woofer by means of active DSP crossover incorporated into the amps. I found the system on discount at the local JBL pro dealer for $11,500 so I bought it on a lark.
I have recently auditioned top of the line speakers from Vandersteen, PSB, Revel, and B&W diamond 3, driven by Mark Levinson, Audio Research, Classe, and the new Vandersteen amp. All are excellent products but my new system sounds just as good for a fraction of the cost. I am particularly smug in knowing that it probably sounds just as good at the ridiculously overpriced top of the line speakers from Wilson. ( which, to be fair, I have not heard) I would single out Wilson as being particularly pretentious. A local high end dealer who considered carrying Wilson and was wined and dined by them in Utah verifies this impression.
I have recently auditioned top of the line speakers from Vandersteen, PSB, Revel, and B&W diamond 3, driven by Mark Levinson, Audio Research, Classe, and the new Vandersteen amp. All are excellent products but my new system sounds just as good for a fraction of the cost. I am particularly smug in knowing that it probably sounds just as good at the ridiculously overpriced top of the line speakers from Wilson. ( which, to be fair, I have not heard) I would single out Wilson as being particularly pretentious. A local high end dealer who considered carrying Wilson and was wined and dined by them in Utah verifies this impression.