When someone tells you it's a $40,000 amp, does it sound better?

Listen to enough systems at all price points and your expectations greatly lessen. I've heard many systems between audio shows, dealers, in home, at all price points. The best I've heard are fully sota, every t crossed i dotted, sound quality of these systems certainly reflected cost. I've also heard sota components in systems not fully optimized or containing other non sota components, much less impressed, in some cases very unimpressed. I should also add price alone doesn't make for sota component, this most exposed when all components making up a system from one manufacturer. I've yet to hear sota sound quality from these type systems. Sota components generally come from specialized manufacturers IME.

Bottom line, I know sota sound quality when I hear it, expectation doesn't change reality.

As an example. For the last nine months I have had both a set of Audio Research Reference 160m monoblocks ($36K) and a Audio Research Reference 160s (the stereo version, $22K). There is no question the monoblocks out perform the stereo unit and are worthy of the price.

I have found performance levels are largely in line with cost without discontinuity. Different companies have different house sounds of course. The high end audio amp market is highly competitive… any real anatomy in price / performance would get eliminated pretty quickly.

$40K amp sound “better?”

No. It sounds “expensive.” Expensive doesn’t translate to “better.” Any engineer can design an “expensive” amp. Few can design a “better” amp.

@wolfie62 

so, you are saying that maybe I should choose a company and buy their least expensive amp and it should perform as good as their most expensive amp?

let me ask this question, 20,000 amps are already very very good, do you honestly believe that a $40,000 amp is $20,000 better? I highly doubt it, it may be 5% and at the most 10% better is that worth $20,000 more I highly doubt it.