Vol wrote:SciFlyBoy wrote:I was reading reviews on monitors (speakers) from $80 to $800,000. The more money you pay the lower the performance actually increases. Above $500,000 and you're looking for a real specific difference in sound.
Hold up.
What possible features could warrant increasing the cost by 10^4?
Well, start with $50 speakers. Turn them on and you get sound.
Increase to $500 speakers. You get sound and the performance is 100% better than the $50. The range is extended, you'll get to a better response on the low end and clearer on the high. The mid sounds crisp and you get more of an even tone through out the spectrum.
Now increase to $1000. You get better sound and the performance is 50% better than the $500. Bass range is extended and you'll get to the low 40hz, muddiness isn't so much of an issue and the crossover between tweeter and woofer is smoother. You'll start to hear the difference between monitors. Some are warmer in some areas, some are cooler.
Now go from $5000 to $10000. The lows get more transparent, crossovers are smoother, you may even have two woofers per box. Better equipment, better materials, you can start to really tell the difference between monitors. But they're only 20%-25% percent better than the $1000.
$10000 to $20000 and you're looking at monitors that are maybe %10 improvement, but at this range you're either a professional in audio or an audiophile. You're now looking for a particular sound. Say that you want monitors that are really smooth between 400hz-1000hz and really bring out the air in 5000hz and higher. By this time you've already invested in a better room to listen in.
$20,000 to $100,000. It's an improvement upon the previous monitors, but only like 5-8%. These just refine the already specific sound you're looking for. For these monitors you're walking in looking for a very, very specific thing from them. You want to have one or two things different from the lower levels that will put these monitors over the top.
$100,000 and up is just the same as the previous. At this time you're only looking for 1-2% difference, but that difference is all the world. I guess it's like working out where you're looking for a specific gain, or to complete a specific movement.
Here's an excerpt from a review I read in 'The Absolute Sound'
Wilson Audio WAMM Master Chronomaster ($850,000)
With the new WAMM Master Chronosonic, an entirely re-conceived version of the legendary original, David Wilson has broken new sonic ground. A vanishingly low noise floor supplies the foundation for the WAMM's sonic prowess. Its scale and dynamic power has to be heard to be believed...the most beguiling aspect may not be its capacious soundstage, deep bass, or seemingly limitless dynamics. Rather, it is the ability the loudspeaker has to draw you into the music, banishing any sense of electronic haze or glaze...It reads like a luxury car review, which is basically what it is.
It's essentially the difference between Bentley's top model and Rolls Royce's. It's only for those whose hobby is this specific thing.
Me personally for what I do, I'd eventually like a good set of flat monitors. Nice even distribution across the spectrum. Maybe $20-$50k range when I have my own studio in 10 to 15 years. My next step is maybe some $500 to $800 monitors, a hefty improvement from my current $300 pair.
