"The Ultra High-End Speaker."


My entire relatively simple high end audio system retails for approx. $70,000, with my speakers alone retailing for approx. $24,000 (Revel Salon 2 speakers).  I've been around high-end audio for over 40 years.  I attend audio shows and visit local and non-local high-end audio shops on a regular basis.  I get to hears a lot of high-end audio speakers and gear all the time.  That said, I honestly believe, along with others who've visited my home and have listened to my system, that my system (speakers) produce that ultra high-end, reference quality sound.  Others would suggest that, when it comes to speakers, that the "Ultra High-End" sound can only be achieved by megabuck speakers costing 50K, 100K, 250k and beyond.  I do not believe that ultra high-end ("Sound Quality") is excusive to those speakers costing a king's ransom.  And, I think my own system is am example of what can be achieved at a lower (not for most people) price point.  I absolutely believe in the law of diminishing returns, especially when it comes to high-end speakers.  What's your definition, idea of, what you consider to be, a "Ultra High-End Speaker, and at what price point does the ultra high-end start?????            

kennymacc

It seems at 18.000 including dac and amp ,DSP EQ that it is a bargain if the sound is phenomenal...

With a special acoustic room dedicated to them they can be end game ...Especially with the BACCH filters of Choueiri ...But here we must add more money ...

My main interest is the top S.Q. for the least money ... This is the hard part of this hobby : no throwing money ... Anybody can buy 500,000 bucks system and putting it in a pro acoustic room of the same price ...We must learn how to do some part ourself at low price this is the fun part ...before music ...

This review is interesting :

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/dutch-dutch-8c-review.21016/

When it comes to the ultra high-end, some of the very best sound I’ve ever heard was a set of the Dutch & Dutch 8c, carefully set up and EQ’d. I have NEVER heard better imaging and the tonal balance couldn’t have been better. They retail at about $15k/pair, which is pretty cheap for "ultra high-end", but they stand up against anything I’ve ever heard, at any price.

$15k is still a chunk of change, but for that $15k you get a full audio system. Just add a streamer or PC and you’re done. This is a powered loudspeaker with active crossover, DSP EQ and DAC built-in. No need to spend anything on an amplifier, preamp, interconnects or speaker cables. It sits on your Local Area Network as a Roon target and you just connect to it. And then you’re done.

Pretty good value it seems to me.

 

 

 

I admit up front that I do not consider myself a true audiophile. The extreme sensitivity of audiophiles to differences to subtle for me to notice does not justify my wishing to have speakers costing six figures. The music's emotional content and the orchestra's performance is as intense in most systems for me.

However, I make a comparison to luxury watches. A $10,000 Rolex windup watch can be matched by a $10 battery watch. Why would I pay more to tell time the hard way. Cone speakers in cabinets are difficult to get right: the drivers need more complicated crossover networks and filters to compensate for irregular frequency responses and impedances, and the cabinets require extreme bracing steps to prevent the internal sound waves from the cabinet introducing passive speaker element effects. There are even cabinets made with concrete to address this. This is analogous to the Rolex windup watch. Planar magnetic speakers are analogous to the battery watch. They cost far less and have even frequency responses and impedances. They sound more like the live performances in the opera house I go to when I can than $50,000 speakers I heard at a public demonstration at a high-end audio store. The $50,000 speakers sounded better suited to resemble what one hears at an outdoor rock music show than a concert hall. 

My system cost is too low  to be mention  but being embedded mechanically,electrically and acoustically so well in my room/house for my ears/brain  that i am lost in music interpretation or experience ... Sound is no more an impediment for the recording experience ..

Then i am no more an audiophile, if i was one anyway, because i learned acoustic enough to know that the gear prices tags is secondary completely i am no more an audiophile focussed on gear buying collection ...I never was anyway , i was learning how to optimize my gear ...I succeeded...

You are not alone ...

I admit up front that I do not consider myself a true audiophile. The extreme sensitivity of audiophiles to differences to subtle for me to notice does not justify my wishing to have speakers costing six figures. The music’s emotional content and the orchestra’s performance is as intense in most systems for me.

 

I admit up front that I do not consider myself a true audiophile. The extreme sensitivity of audiophiles to differences to subtle for me to notice does not justify my wishing to have speakers costing six figures. The music’s emotional content and the orchestra’s performance is as intense in most systems for me.

It's tricky to find a "keeper" of a speaker for most of us S WE continually search for the next upgrade. I've had some really expensive speakers that were great and some that weren't. Some of the more musical ones were not expensive and considered "high end"- they were Klipsch- Chorus and Cornwall- huge but really musical and dynamic- just a really low Wife Acceptance Factor. Currently I've been really happy with Wilson Sasha 2 which seem to do everything really well.