Is High-End Audio actually necessary?

[jammy395]

No,I dont believe high end hifi is necessary.
Each and every one of us must live within our means.
But ( If ya do yer sum's ) a damned fine system can be had for a modest outlay.

Sure it would be nice to have to sell one of yer Ferrari's to fund a 100K system, like that (Willy Waving Wanker) Arsebender over at TAS.
But I bet my system aint a boot in the ball's away from his, in the sound stakes

[jammy395]

Can a truly great sound be achieved on a budget?

Yes!
But an awful lot is down to expectation/surroundings/state of mind.

I still have vivid memories of listening to Pink Floyd - Dark side of the moon while camping on Exmoor in my teens.
I had a pair of Sennheiser HD 600's, Sony Walkman (recording version of cassette Walkman - TCS ...? But not the really expensive one), two man tent with flap open on a very dark but starry night.
Tape was recorded from vinyl using a Rega 2 (ADC XLM I seem to remember).

Never had, before or since, such a fully immersed in the music experience.

Guy you've gotta be the Coolest Bishop Ive ever heard of.

[alfafan123]

Years ago I was naive enough to think that if I bought some well respected/reviewed £10K speakers they wouldn't have the faults I could hear in my bookshelf speakers..how wrong I was! Although efficient, they sounded loose and coloured and was told they added body to the sound and they couldn't reproduce a simple beat to save their lives! I quickly wised up and sold them on.

I am not saying there is not a decent high end sound out there but I have yet to hear it.In fact some of the best sounds I have heard have been on really simple systems and some of the worst sounds on the mega bucks stuff. IMHO the difference between a live performance and virtually all hifi is so large as to be laughable...so no it is not worth it in my book.

As my grandma used to say a fool and their money are easily separated!

[Orc 201267]

What was the dope

Bloody good by the sound off it

[Orc 201267]

In the past I've spent stupid money on HiFi and thought is that it ie the sound was not in proportion to cost if that makes sense
And yet my system at the moment cost under £1500 and it far out performs the previously bought stuff
Yes the house \\ room has changed but I don't think that has a lot to do with it
As for bigger rooms bigger watts bigger speakers yes and no to that one it depends on your music taste and whether you are buying new or second hand but yes it tends to cost more the bigger things get like speakers or high powered amps
Like everything in life there's always some one who's willing to take your money and feed you shit whilst taking it
Its down to the individual to make his her mind up if its worth it

[Fretless]

There seem to be points of agreement here.

1) A major factor looks to be - how big is your room and how much volume do you need? This would seem to determine Amp wattage and speaker size.
2) Several have tried expensive components and downgraded from them - but not lost out on quality or enjoyment.
#) High-end is more to do with packaging/profits/image than component quality.

Is there an argument that High-end companies, with money for research and innovation, can create 'better' products ?

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

All the innovation is marketing bullshit. There is nothing new in audio, it is how you do it.

[jammy395]

Is there an argument that High-end companies, with money for research and innovation, can create 'better' products ? (Fretless).

............................................................................................................................................................................

Undoubtedly - But they would much rather "tart the tat up" and flog it at rip off prices, knowing full well that gullible punters will buy said tat.

Naim, Linn, chord, et-al & a thousand other manufacturers.

[guydarryl]

What was the dope

can't remember now, but that is another contributory factor

[guydarryl]

can't edit, but just remembered Sennheiser HD 400's (not 600's) - great little headphone, only packed up last year.