I will state right off, I have never heard the Audience AU24 SX in my system. I have at least three audiophile buddies tell me how good they are. They all upgraded with Audience up to the SX. I did audition the Audience 1+1 v2+ (there might be another superlative in there somewhere) in my current rig. I retuned them. In any case, I have no derogative comments about their products. They make great sounding gear. But it seems their marketing strategy is to upgrade existing products to an unaffordable price point. And no small increase need apply.