Where do you draw the line???

I saw if somone has a 30,000 setup, and somone has a 20,000 setup, with the same number and basic type of components, and the 30,000 system sounds inferior to the 20,000, then i say the owner of the 30,000 needs to pack all his stuff up and ship it to me for evaluation. Mind you, these evaluations can last years.

seriously though, i completly agree with Nrchy.
a 30,000 system better as hell sound better than a 20,000 or else the person who put it together needs to get his butt on Audiogon and start asking questions.

The only instance where i think a 20,000 system could sound better than a 30,000 system, is if the 30,000 has integrated HT and the 20,000 is a straight 2 channel system.
That will throw off the balance because of cash vs. preformance, because you are talking more speakers, more cableing, DVD player, yadda yadda.
Any HT can do 2 channel playback, but a 20,000 2chan system VS a 30,000 integrated HT probably would sound better

But if its the same setup, and some guy has a 30,000 piece of crap, well, then sucks to be him.

Yeah, there are always examples where basic rules dont apply.
Hell, for 1,500 i could assemble a system that a 3000 bose accoustimass couldnt ever touch.

Point is, if you built a system for 10k that does not sound as good as a system that cost 4k, then maybe instead of buying new stuff you should be doing research to find out why the system has so many shortcomings. Chances are something isnt set up right.

As for the 2,400 speaker with the bigger brother that has 1 extra driver and is a little bit bigger, i always kinda wondered that myself. You see that now and again.

I believe a very well thought out 6k system can sound better than a thrown together 20k system, but i would have a hard time believing a well thought out 10k system will outpreform a well thought out 20k system.
its more than just the price tag, you gotta be sure the stuff works together.

"This costs more than that so it must sound better"
Yeah, thats a dumb statement

"This costs more than that, so it probably sounds better"
Is a generalization, and normally is true, and not a dumb statement.

Or can you honestly say that more often than not, spending less gets better quality?
Probably not.
I will however admit that here are always exceptions to the rule, and usually quite a few of them if you look hard enough

I dont think anybody is stating for a definate fact that every piece of gear with a higher price tag sounds better than a piece of gear with a lower price tag.

But the fact remains that it is perfectly appliable as a general rule, that more expencive usually sounds better than less expencive gear.
And it looks to me like everyone who defends that point accept the fact that there are always exceptions.

Not many people on the Gon have a Cost-no-issue wallet, and im sure many people on the gon have heard 5,000 speakers that sound better than some 8,000 speakers. its all preferential, and a matter of taste and opinion.
But i would have a hard time believing that aa $500 pair of speakers would ever sound better than a $30,000 set of speakers. If so, im with NRCHY. Lets all sell the expencive gear because we must have all been idiots to buy it in the first place right?

People who pay alot of cash to buy gear that sounds terrible usually dont even KNOW about alot of the brands that audiophiles love. Usually they buy Bose.
Whats the point of buying a Krell because it is a Krell? Nobody would have any idea what the hell a "Krell is"
People who buy krell do so because they like the level opr preformance offered and prefer the sonic charicteristics of it.

personally from the forums ive read and interactions ive had on this board, i believe that most philes, at least on the Gon and Audio Asylum have the gear they have because they liked the way it sounded. Not because it was the biggest and baddest. And if the equipment they liked had a high price tag, Who cares?

Maybe a $1000 speaker fits a purpose better than the 30,000 set, but i would doubt they sound better.

And what is "Sound better" anyway?
Thats a very personal thing. What sounds better to one person sounds like crap to another.
Just because these guys pay 18,000 for a set of speakers somone thinks sound like crap doesent make them an idiot or have poor choice in thier gear, it means that thier needs might not be the same as yours and those 18,000 speakers will fit better than the 2,400 that sound oh so much better.

I'm sitting here with the cheapest ghetto system on the Gon, but you dont see me sitting here calling Nrchy a fool for having a 30,000 system and praising TWL for having a system under 10k. Nrchy has a rig he likes and gives him a sence of satisfaction, and so does TWL.
I garauntee that TWL's Lowther Voight Pipes are not what would please Nrchy. And im sure Nrchy's more expensive Sonys are not what TWL would prefer.

Taste in audio gear performance is as diversified as taste in music.

So to sum it all up,
there is no BETTER speaker, the one YOU like might be $20, or $200,000. Personal taste determines what you buy.

Well i gotta agree with you there TWL.

I sure wouldnt mind a larger budget either.

all in due time... got to take care of the important things before i can get new toys.