Are there any real killer deals in high end audio?

Mike

Mike

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Are there any best in category SOTA products in high end audio which are substantially less expensive then their competitors or do manufacturers have to charge a certain premium in order to garner the "if it costs more, it must be better" views?

For example, is there a CD player for $5000 which betters the most expensive $35000 or $65000 CD Players on the market? Sorry, I highly doubt you will find a $50 CD player that betters a $65,000 CD player, but it is possible that a $5000 CD Player betters most $35,000 CD players.

We know there are great "values" - but is there such a thing as a SOTA "best" which costs substantially less than competitors?

I would say the EAR Acute III CD player was something I heard which bettered CD players costing 10 times as much and every CD player I've ever heard.

What examples can you think of?
 
Mike, audio products come and go all the time; they sell for much more than just few years ago, and some sell for much more less and sound better than very expensive ones from five-ten years ago.

You can easily spend a million dollars for a good stereo sound system, and you can also spend only ten thousands, and it will sound like a hundred thousands one! ...Or you can even spend less.
Deals (used good audio gear) are happening everywhere and every day. All the audio forums on the planet have a Buy & Sell section, plus you have places like CanuckMart, Audiogon, More4Less, etc., etc., etc.

I believe that in Audio it is too dependent of people's own perceptions, plus listening tests that are less than conclusive when all things considered equally, that for what one person considers the holy grail, another thinks of it as the holy shit. It is all relative, because no two people have the same emotional experiences in life; and regarding everything, not just sound (audio).
But we all know this here already.

The ultimate sensory pleasure is in the eyes and ears of the beholder. ...Only him/her has the ultimate touch at tasting and smelling whatever goods he/she has access to.

Examples? ...Give me a moment or two ....
 
I would not be surprised if the combination of a Bryston BDP1 digital file player, Bryston BDA2 DAC, and Shunyata digital IC ($5K total) will outperform many CD players costing much more. The benefit of this route is you can upgrade the DAC as better ones become available. You can't do that with a CD player. You are stuck with whatever it comes with.
 
Rogers LS3/5A.....I want one for sure. especially the 15 ohm one. it sounds better than any bookshelf that I heard.
 
Me I would put the Oppo BDP-105 Universal EVERYTHING BD/DVD/CD/SACD audio/video player/DAC/preamp/headphone amp in it, modded or not (tubed or solid-state). ...From $899 (used ones that I saw) to roughly $3,000 (tubed modded with the best tubes and with its own separate power supply).

Comparable and even superior to units costing more than $30,000! ...Depending of its state.
 
I would put the Sanders Magtech amp in that territory. I would choose this amp in mono configuration over a shitload of amps out there.
 
Nah, that's already well over $20 with the upgraded cable and a concomitantly priced cartridge. Although it may compete with Kronos ($30?) and the SME 30/12 ($45?), which are the best I've heard.
 
8-10 years ago I travelled around and listened to lots of gear and could have pointed out lots of great bargains. I've even owned a few. Now I just don't have the time to do it anymore.
It's amazing that what some of those products were selling for used back then , they are still selling for the same price today. Which is a testimony to the manufacturer, who made a great product that is still relative. And still sounds good .
The new market today is also changing alot. All companies are making lower priced equipment and using the same technologies that are in their more expensive models. They save money in other areas to put it on the market at a more attractive price. And sell more of them.
Less profit but more sales usually works out better in the long run.
Not just this industry but its happening everywhere.
My sister is a bigwig in a liquor company. And she is all knowing in wines, and has traveled to and met with the owners of vineyards all over the world. She told me vineyards are taking their most expensive wines and bottling them under different labels and selling them off for $20-$30 bottles because no one is buying wines for $100-$200 anymore. And its better to sell them off than be stuck with them. So your getting the same wine for less than 1/2 the price.

As far as examples in today's stereo, I don't have any . Lol but I agree with bob on the oppo. Not sure the model #'s of what I heard but both blew me away and were way less than I guessed at the price.
The kefs I just sold were $1800 brand new and I'd put them up against any monitor I've heard at twice the price. The kefs had everything but the huge soundstage of the more expensive monitors.
What about cables?? The used market is rough on cables for the seller. But awesome for the buyer. I picked up a 1.5m zen silver ref2 for $350! What a nice looking big fat cable. Even in a crappy CD player I could hear it bettered my aq sky which I sold for $650. $650 is good but not for a cable that would cost well over $2k new.
I better stop now I could type on this subject all day.
Good luck
 
For me a couple come to mind, the AH! Tjoeb CDP that costs about $1200-2000 new and are sometimes found on the used market for much less. With the right tubes they sound as good as many players I have heard for many times more.

While I didn't do an A/B comparison, I still feel that a properly setup AH! Tjoeb will sound in the same league as many of the big boys, including Nagra.

For Speakers, I have to go with Magnepan, but you will need subs to fully appreciate their sonic abilities. Frankly, I cannot think of any $5500 speaker that produces the soundstage, clarity, and finesse of a good pair of Maggie's. My reference of $5500 was for the 3.7's.

Funny thing, many folks who opted for the 20.7's (around15k) went back to the 3.7's!

Again, the branch doesn't fall far from the tree and there are amazing deals to be found with used Magnepan's.

Jim
 
Sonus Faber Venere 2.5/3.0's. Build quality is off the charts. Sound too.
 
I'm not sure it would be better than cd players costing megabucks, but the Marantz sa8004 sacd/cd player is one hell of a killer deal for $999.00. I have one and enjoy it very much:audiophile::audiophile:
 
NorthStar said:
Mike, audio products come and go all the time; they sell for much more than just few years ago, and some sell for much more less and sound better than very expensive ones from five-ten years ago.

You can easily spend a million dollars for a good stereo sound system, and you can also spend only ten thousands, and it will sound like a hundred thousands one! ...Or you can even spend less.
Deals (used good audio gear) are happening everywhere and every day. All the audio forums on the planet have a Buy & Sell section, plus you have places like CanuckMart, Audiogon, More4Less, etc., etc., etc.

I believe that in Audio it is too dependent of people's own perceptions, plus listening tests that are less than conclusive when all things considered equally, that for what one person considers the holy grail, another thinks of it as the holy shit. It is all relative, because no two people have the same emotional experiences in life; and regarding everything, not just sound (audio).
But we all know this here already.

The ultimate sensory pleasure is in the eyes and ears of the beholder. ...Only him/her has the ultimate touch at tasting and smelling whatever goods he/she has access to.

Examples? ...Give me a moment or two ....
Click to expand...
You're amazing Bob! I just had this argument? Debate? Conversation with a friend- salesman of mine. Of course whatever he is selling is usually better. Example - I have a McIntosh 2200. He was trying to sell me a 2300. I told him Frank Gow liked the 2200 better. He told me ah, that's only one guy. Then a few weeks later he's selling a 2200 on Audiogon. Wrote it is preferred by many over the 2300! Guess he ran into a whole bunch of guys all of a sudden......!
 
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