??? Which Would You Buy ???

Components are not created equal.  Rather than keep this in the theoretical, what exactly  are we talking about?

The only general rule of thumb; buy what is best built ... buy what breaks down the least.  

Rich 

As I watch Summer Slam, my mind ponders this further ... 

Let's say we are considering these 3 integrated amps ... 

1. McIntosh MA5300 Integrated @ $7000
2. Prima Luna Evo 300 Hybrid Integrated @$7000
3. Heaven 11 Billie MK3 Hybrid Integrated @$2750 

It's a bit of a head scratcher, as you are talking different classes of components altogether.  

Rich

Just from my experience of fifty years.

I always figured out why I saved money after the purchase, and invariably spent more money after buying the budget gear and then the good one. If there is one thing I learned... as long as you do your research and know what you want, you get what you pay for.

So, the great inexpensive preamp I bought sounded great... then taught me what grain sounded like. They incredibly will reviewed consumer tape deck taught me what restricted dynamic range sounded like... etc. 

Building a great system is about slowly building a great system. 

To provide a useful answer, would  ask which 3 amps are under consideration specifically, what speakers will it be used with, how big the room is, and how loud must it go?

With any large purchase, some kind of satisfaction guarantee with money back is always desirable.  
 

Cost alone assures nothing. 
 

Not the answer you're looking for but have you considered spending the money improving the room?  They say the room is 50% of the sound.  Buying one piece of equipment is not going to change the whole rig.  But improving the room will.  Just a thought.  Cheers.

Assuming all three choices meet your expectations for sound quality and ergonomic interface, then pick the one likely to have the best resale value. Almost none of this stuff remains in an audiophile's system forever, no matter how often they tell themselves they are buying an "endgame" component.

Jesus people..There is no specific gear in consideration..I thought the premise was pretty straight forward, @mitch2 ​​@rar1 seem to understand the question...
@rar1’s second reply nailed the premise of my post..You have 2 expensive pieces & 1 that is about 1/3 the cost of the other 2,yet it provides roughly 85% of the performance of the other 2..Do you blow the budget on one of the top choices or settle for a bit less performance & bank the change or put it towards another component upgrade...

Then it’s a common scenario.  Spend more and play it safe or spend less and accept some risk. 
 

FWIW With  my current amp, I took some risk and went with a less expensive and lesser known option and it worked out perfectly. 

It’s impossible to answer! No one can answer the question! Why can no one answer?..... It is a trick question!......... Enjoy! MrD.

@freediver -

Hi.  Musings for a Sunday night.  What influences my decisions somewhat these days, is my age (68).  My listening habits have changed (spend less time listening, as opposed to more).  If I were to drop major cash, I doubt I would get the most out of my purchase (s).  I also am convinced that if I were to pass before I whittled my stuff down, my wife would either be filling up a dumpster with equipment, CDs, records, and shirts & ties or paying the super's nephew to drag the stuff away.  

In all candor, I would have thought 25 years ago that I would be owning a Mac or a Luxman or an Accuphase or etc in my old age, but not to be; life got in the way.  I have become content with mid-level gear.  So, if I had $7k to spend, I would most likely buy a few things, as opposed to just one.

Rich 

And I here I thought an example of a trick question was ... have you stopped cheating on your wife?  

You’re talking about putting $7,500 of hard-earned cash into this. That’s not just a purchase, that’s a commitment. But when your "85% performer" gives you nearly the same sonic enjoyment and lets you save $5,000, that’s compelling. Especially if the sonic compromise is more in nuances, maybe slightly less "air," a bit narrower soundstage, or a touch less resolution than in core musicality, like tonality, imaging, and balance.

Given that the rest of your setup is mid-level, it might be worth asking "Would your system even let you hear the full difference between Option 3 and the top-tier contenders?" If your existing chain (room, power, source, speakers) doesn’t extract that last 15%, you’re paying a premium for a theoretical gain. Saving $5,000 could fund another significant upgrade, perhaps a killer DAC, room treatment etc. 

If Option 3’s sonic character sings to you, and you’re not just hypnotised by spec sheets or brand sparkle, I’d go for it. Use the leftover budget to upgrade weak links, or save it for when something truly transformational comes along. But if you’re the person who will always wonder “what if,” then you might need to go for the full-fat option just to sleep better.

@1bitsoul excellent response,thanks..

Not an easy question to answer in a vacuum, but the premise of your question seems to be that you have heard these hypothetical components and to your ears you have the budget to buy one that sounds better and is built better than the cheaper one. Since you have the budget, I'd go for the better built, better sounding gear. You are going to be better satisfied and more likely to keep it in your system. 

For me, this would be particularly true if you're talking about speakers. I think speakers make the most difference and the range of performance across speakers is greater than than with electronics, to my ears. So, I'd  get the speakers that most suit you for the money you have to spend.  

 I’m not very prone to accept compromise in sound quality. I would look for other options at the lower price with 100% of the desired performance.  

Go listen to the components. Most often, with questions like these, the OP has made up their mind which option they want to go with and are posting the question to get confirmation. To be honest, I don’t spend $7500 on any component that others picked out for me. It’s completely my decision and I will be listening to the components not Audiogon members. Only I know how important budget will be, only I know how important sound quality will be, only I will know how important build quality and customer service will be, only I know how much time and effort I should give to evaluate a component before I buy it. 

I’m the last guy who should be commenting, but at 62, after a divorce, for the first time in my life, I put together a half-decent stereo system, that is decidedly mid-level. I did a lot of research and had a friend whose preamp or turntable probably cost twice what I have in my entire system. Do your research, listen to different things and decide if you’re going to be happy at 85% for a third of the cost. And by the way, I found lurking in and reading in the forum was extraordinarily helpful. I found my turntable and speakers in the Audiogon marketplace and the transactions were seamless. My integrated amp was found on eBay, open box, shipped from Germany at 2/3s of new. Also found the CD player I wanted on eBay, but hunted down the retailers and purchased directly. Spent 50% more than first anticipated (not including cables, but that’s for another day) and could not be happier. If you like the less expensive option, you’ll probably be fine. 

The question I would ask myself is spending 3 times as much worth a 15% improvement in sound quality?  
For me I have never been satisfied with the cheap route.  Being an audiophile is all about chasing that 15%, which is significant.  I always go all in.

@bigtwin + 1 - buying the less expensive one and putting the saved $$ towards room treatment might be something to consider. If the room itself is bouncing sound around all over the place, nothing will sound as good as it should. 

Specifically with DACs, the differences are so minute, and preferences so fickle (depends on day of the week, air humidity, and what I had for lunch), I would definitely go with the cheaper one. As I mentioned before, I compared a $5K Holoaudio with a $250 Topping, and neither is objectively "better" across various genres of music and recordings. So you mainly pay for brand name and look. 

If you are a true audiophile (nut) you will never be satisfied for good enough. Go for whatever you think will sound the best, perhaps used?

Anyway, from there as funds accumulate you can then upgrade your other equipment.

ozzy

In my opinion, a component that only has 85% of the performance of the rest of the system leaves a lot to be desired.  If you save $5,000 for another upgrade, what do you upgrade?  The $2500 component is still the bottleneck.

I'd be more inclined to go with a component that offers 95% of the performance if it had a reasonable amount of savings opportunity.  That might be close enough.

Don't know if this is the answer the OP is looking for.  However, FWIW, in my experience over the last 50+ years or so, solid build quality (i.e.  reliability & longevity) and the best sound quality I can afford (i.e.  willing to pay for) are always my top priorities.  I always start with the headset of how much it's going to cost me to get something that sounds demonstrably better than what I have and then start demoing products around that price point.  Once I've established what I think is best within that price point, I then start demoing stuff at slightly and sometimes much higher price points to see/hear how much the extra dough will buy me.  I've virtually never stayed within whatever budget I've started with at any given time.  Once you reach a certain point in building a system, the costs for demonstrably improved sound quality become exponential.   

I will buy the very best which I can afford. I refuse to cut corners on sound, build quality, or reliability for the sake of saving a buck.

All these "percentages" are subjective. What's 85% to your ears might be 95% to mine. And yes, I do believe that last 5 (or 10) per cent is going to cost you dearly.

Iwould bypass the Macintosh not very transparent 

Prima luna decent stuff we have found the unison research hybrids to be excellent the unico 150 is an outstanding piece and bits made in Italy

DAVE AND Troy

AUDIO INTELLECT  NJ

UNISON DEALERS