To be honest, I started my high end hobby from circuit city , Best Buy , then to our local high end stores here. Until I met 2 audiophiles who own mark levinsons, audio research, theta , and saw their expensive Audioquest , Kimber , and nice looking cables . The sound and music really is amazing.Then they told it’s high end stuff.
??? Where Does "High End" Start ???
There are terms we in this hobby use to describe certain characteristics of the components or sound evoked...Without fail,the terms entry level,mid-fi & high end will show up in component reviews or conversations regarding equipment components...
So exactly how do we define these terms in absolutes?I understand there are components that,in this day & age,outperform their asking price in orders of magnitude but even if they do,they will invariably be tagged as entry level,mid-fi or high end simply based on their asking price..
Assuming entry level starts at say $500.00 per component,where does that end & mid-fi start,$2500.00 per component,$3500.00,$4500.00,$5000.00?
How far does that pricing structure go until you consider a component to be "high end"?
What are YOUR PERSONAL thoughts on this subject?
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- 84 posts total
@goldenways + 1 |
Intention and sound quality are the arbiters of high end, not name brand or price. I've heard many systems over many decades, high price and brand name don't necessarily result in high engagement factor. Many boutique manufacturers out there, intention off the charts and they have the chops to pull off the execution. |
There is no way to establish parameters for any performance metric, never mind an overall assessment of what is high-end, or whatever level of performance. Dollars don't necessarily figure into this at all. If one's priorities in sound reproduction match a particular product's strengths, it can be reasonably dubbed the "best" even if it is modest in price. For example, the Quad 57 speaker is so captivating in some respects that a lot of people think it is unrivalled even to this day. It has no deep bass, cannot be played very loud, and has a lot other limitations, but, I would not argue with anyone thinking it is the best speaker ever made. There are so many different paths one can take to achieving a personal high end system and no one would agree on all of the choices someone makes. A local dealer who makes custom speakers and electronics as well as selling some quite expensive branded gear, will recommend some gear that others would find shockingly inappropriate in ultra expensive systems. For example, he recommends reconditioned Thorens 124 turntables in systems that are well past six figures in price. Even more shocking is that most of his demonstrations are done from a music server and that server is a Sonos device feeding very nice DACs. When people ask about a server, he recommends that they get a Sonos from Best Buy (he doesn't even sell them). |
- 84 posts total