Perhaps we should stick with midfi...

Everyone here is very kind and offering sage, well thought out advice to the OP. You are all to be commended.

I'll still bet that this person is a Troll, although I hope to be proven wrong when he posts some pictures to 1 of his 4 systems.

Again, I contend he's just tossing this group as the equipment he mentioned simply doesnt compute. Krell, Audio Research, McIntosh fronted by a Sony CD player feeding 802d's. Maybe if he would post pictures and describe the setup I would feel less like he's yanking our chain.

A few questions.

Since the exact equipment of the high end system hasn't been stated, how are so many people able to claim it's mismatched?

Getting more detailed, there's only so many logical ways the brands can be assembled. We're only given the specifics on the speaker. The Sony could be a SCD-1 or SCD-777. The McIntosh could be a tuner. Which leaves the Krell/Audio Research combo. Are there no combination of Krell/Audio Research preamp to amps that would sound good when linked to the B&Ws?

Then again could be the Audio Research is a crossover and all the amplification is Krell? Or could the Krell be a D/A and the amp/preamp are Audio Research? Or vice versa?

How do you people know so much when so little info has been given?

How do you people know so much when so little info has been given?
Onhwy61 (System | Threads | Answers | This Thread)

Truth is, we don't know enough to make a good judgment.

All we know is the OP says the combo doesn't sound good to him, and seeing the varied list of brands, I have no problem believing him; admittedly, without technical basis.

What is difficult to debate is the decision to spend a substantial sum of money on an assembled system that was not heard before purchase.

"(for the most part we agree for instance that Bose is crap),"

Ok, audiophiles agree Bose is crap, but who has actually set up a system with Bose speakers the way they would with a popular audiophile brand? Who has selected just the right amp and preamp to make a pair of Bose speakers sing? Who selected the right CD played, turntable and cartridge to get the most sound out of Bose speakers? What about interconnects and speaker cables? Who set up their system with the right equipment and then, with the advice of a so called acoustical expert, treated their room to get the best sound from a pair of Bose speakers?

Has anyone here ever done any of these things? Probably not. Yet everyone agrees Bose is crap.

That's actually a good post, Rrog. I misspoke. Bose is sort of the John Tesh of speakers. Kind of an inside joke amongst the insiders. Yugo; Gallo; Red Lobster. They try so hard to be all things to all people that they become caricature-ized. The funny thing is, I was at the local Krispy Kreme today, and was blown away by the fact that they'd put a pretty expensive Bose setup in the ceiling, and you know what? It didn't sound bad! Of course, my expectations weren't too high!
So I should have said Bose is a joke, not crap.
**My wife is a designer for a local builder, and sells Bose. She however is NOT an audiophile, and will never read this!**