I just aquiered a new CD player. The one I had lost it’s tracking and I figured it’s not worth the price to get it fixed. The “new” player is an old, used one one of my friends was planning to toss in the trash. Price = $0.00.
It got me to thinking though, if I went nuts how much cash could I drop on a stereo? I’m talking the best of everything. Every needless upgrade. Super high-end, worthless cables. The works. How much could a person drop on a home stereo? No stadium sound systems here.
Recomend me some components, speakers and whatnot.
Wilson audio makes a set of home speakers that go for $45000. I believe that is a drop in the bucket though. I have heard that there are some $250,000 speakers out there for home use.
The good thing about one common type of audiophile is that they make homeopaths look like rigorous adherents to the scientific method. No blind testing for them boy and ceratianly no electronic measuring. Only THEY can tell true sound quality.
The holy grail for this type of thing is absurdly expensive peripheral equipment. The “finest speaker cables in the world” mean that the sky is the limit for this type of setup. The cables below are a bargain I think at $7300 a pair for 6 feet. I am sure that we can use many of those. Premium connectors and things can add some nice change as well.
Wow. And I thought that Monster cables were a ripoff :eek:
Be sure to remember the record player. These days, that’s specialty equipment. The Best Buy down the street has one for about $100, but I’m sure that someone will be able to find one for a thousand bucks out there somewhere.
Mine is worth $2500! And it isn’t even worthy to lick the boots of the ELP Laser Turntable mentioned above. But there are turntables that cost a lot more than that.
I don’t know what this one was called, as all my stereo magazines went missing years ago. I remember one that had a linear tracking tonearm assembly that swung over the record and clamped on the spindle. Velocity sensors moved the cartridge assembly across the record in a straight line, on a cushion of air (no mechanical friction or vibration). The tonearm itself was about 50G. The turntable it sat on looked like a device from outer space and it cost at least as much as the tonearm.
From marketing materials for a power cord (between the wall and the CD player)
"THE DIGITAL AC is an excellent cord for any digital based component, creating a smoother, more “analog” environment for audio and video. Uniquely engineered specifically for the elimination of digital based noise, it very effectively eliminates what we call ‘digititus’, the harshness present and very difficult to remove in all digital sources. Computers and so many other noise sources within today’s homes create an invisible shower of high frequency energy which causes today’s sophisticated electronics to error and perform well below their capabilities. Even the finest component’s generate noise, limiting fine detail and resolution.
Using advanced RF engineering, THE DIGITAL AC effectively isolates and ABSORBS any noise within the cord itself, allowing any quality digital component to provide amazingly real inner detail and resolution while offering smoother sounding mid’s and highs, or smoother more life-like video. THE DIGITAL AC is a proven universal winner for over 8 years running as it’s forward thinking design allows an increasing improvement in performance as electronics become faster, and offers universal global improvement on any quality digital based low power equipment including CD, SACD, or DVD player, DAC, transport, digtital based preamp, or home theater multi-channel processor (receivers must use Power AC+, Kaptovator, or Aluminata due to their power hungry amplifier). It also allows for a more lifelike picture when used with a video projector, video scaler, DVD player, High Definition (HDTV) receivers or monitor, flat plasma and LCD display, or any other digital based quality video component which will accept a detachable AC cord. THE DIGITAL AC will also keep other components clean on the same circuit."
Here’s a CD player. The Creek CD MK2 which will set you back $13,450.
And of course you’ll need headphones for when the missus doesn’t want to hear you rock the house with your $229,000 speakers. The Koss ESP-950 goes for a scant $999.
This is all well and good, but you failed to mention that these near-mystical power cords go for $349 a pop. Of course, you’ll want one for every one of your components.
