Hall of Shame

Well based on the advice before me I should start all over, I have a new audio bible and can now throw out that crutchfield one I used to use, Thank you Ezmeralda I was so foolish in the past, I actually thought I could hear the difference!

Why is so much of the advise in this forum worse than my spelling? Many of the contribuors here belong in the hall of shame! So many nay sayers and philastines. I do see that there are a few careful listeners with genuine and helpful info here but the rest seem to think that they need to have something bad to say about so many products(based on the fact that they can't hear it,don't know how to measure it or don't "beleive" in it, and probably never herd it at all or not under controlled cercumstances), perhaps to show that they are descerning"critics". These are the same people that in a different time would have been the "critics" that refered to the Expresionist painters animals and paned their work as trash. I applaud the open minded few that give out genuinely helpful advice. The rest I am sure are hopelessly condemened to a hell of listening to their own horrid(and I am sure very thin,edgy,and bright) systems. As it should be!

I do also agree with Ezmeralda except all-tube(I realy love all-tube recorded music back there).

Rather than get into specifics, I simply want to say that when the aggregate cost of an entire system, regardless of brand, design, basis, etc., exceeds something in the area of $10,000, I begin to lose interest, because after that (admittedly arbitrary) price point, the law of diminishing returns seems to set in big time. This does NOT mean, however, that anything above that level is bad-frankly I haven't heard a truly bad piece of equipment in years-but that bang-for-the-buck reduces quickly. (I can't help but wonder how much some of the vehemence on this thread results from the knowledge that the various posters with such strong feelings can't afford the stuff they trash.)

That having been said I don't see why those with the means shouldn't indulge in Pipe Dreams, Wilson, Levinson, Krell, etc., for the same reason that some people will buy a Ferrari rather than a VW, even though the latter will accomplish the same basic objective, i.e., get one from Point A to Point B. Assuming, of course, that the item(s) are purchased as a deliberate, well considered, intelligent and informed choice-or maybe not if you have enough money!

I think that Suretyguy's comments are right on target. There is no question that the law of diminishing returns operates on, perhaps, its highest level in the world of high-end audio. That said, I fall into the camp that has spent way too much on my system (although the end result has been spectacular). I have no doubt that I could have achieved "respectable" performance at a small fraction of the cost, but, when you're hooked, your hooked. BTW, I also agree with his point that one's ability to afford the gear can often color one's judgement in assessing its performance.