What follows is an edited version of a post for Patrons.
The majority of hifi designers/manufacturers I know design to a sound not to a set of measurements. Of course the latter are used throughout design and production but the final factor that determines whether or not a product is finished to that original (sound) standard is how it sounds playing music.
If we couple this approach to the fact that there’s no such thing as a universal standard when it comes to the qualities that make a hifi enjoyable, we find that out in the real world—something that’s on display at every hifi shop and show—we encounter tons of gear that sounds different. This holds regardless of price and I might even argue that the higher the price, the more divergent the sound between like devices becomes.
Of course there are some people who claim that a set of objective standards are, in fact, all we need to determine the best hifi and this point of view has real appeal to certain kinds of people. I will point out that the majority of these people have never designed and manufactured hifi gear so their opinions on the matter are, at best, second guesses that more importantly ignore the real world—different gear sounds different. When calling out “Bests” and “Worsts”, second guesses don’t cut it, especially if you have to ignore the real world to make ‘em.
To put it another way, how much value would you place in my observations concerning the objective quality of a sunset? Would those observations hold more weight if I included measurements?
When it comes to price and performance here are 10 things that have become apparent as I gain more experience reviewing pricier products:
- Higher price does not necessarily lead to a more enjoyable experience.
- As designers build costlier gear, they are able to more fully explore their design ideals which leads to even greater divergence in sound (and looks and materials etc) between like components.
- One quality in reproduction that can improve as we spend more on a hifi is refinement.
- Spending more on speakers can bring the most significant change in sound quality.
- In most cases the associated amplification will also play a significant role in overall sound quality, where the wrong amp can make even a great speaker sound mediocre.
- In a general sense, cheaper parts do not perform as well.
- Also in a general sense, removing sonically intrusive self noise, whether in a loudspeaker, amp, or DAC, costs money.
- As we buy gear that is more refined and has less self noise, the quality of every aspect of reproduction becomes more audible.
- Filling a room with music at live-like levels without interference from the room costs money.
- The ideal performance metric when it comes to listening to music on the hifi is engagement over time.
If I can wrap all those individual points up into a more cohesive whole, I would say that the more we spend on hifi the more critical every aspect of reproduction becomes—the quality of the speakers, of amplification, of the source(s), power, cables, rack(s), and room.
This can be a double-edged sword and the cause of frustration for people, like me, who lived with moderately priced gear for years as this critical aspect of system building is much less critical when our hifi is not as refined, not as revealing, not as full range. One easy example, too easy perhaps, is bass performance. As we buy larger speakers or subs that put out more bass energy in a room, the more critical speaker placement (when not using separate subs) and room interaction becomes.
With all that said, I’ll share a personal note—no matter the speakers or amplifiers that come in and out for review, I am always excited to put my DeVore O/96 and Leben CS600X back into play as this pairing allows me to ease back into music with nary a care in the world. While the Leben and DeVore do not sound like the Riviera Labs Levante or Rockport Atria II, to name two favorites among favorites, the qualities my system excels at are those qualities I value most. And it’s fair to say I’ve heard a lot of contenders that cost less and more.
The trick, to my mind, when buying a hifi is to take the time to put together a system that fits your budget and draws you into the music without calling attention to itself. And this kind of system is available for every budget.
Last but not least, time and attention are also critical pieces of the puzzle, which is why I spend about 2 months with nearly every product I review. So I can understand why some people say—after listening to some systems for a few minutes each at a hifi show—that expensive stuff isn’t worth the money. I’m reminded of a related fact—most museum goers spend less than a minute looking at a work of art. In both cases, there is no way to know the value of what you’re hearing or seeing because it takes more time to know these things. At best we’re talking about impressions, fleeting impressions, of standout generalized qualities and if that’s all we’re willing to give to the experience, important and significant factors don’t really matter so they’re easy to dismiss.
There is no doubt in my mind that spending more on a hifi can make for a more engaging experience where reproduction fades into pure music experience. And real full range, well balanced, and refined sound does not come cheap when filling a room with music. Especially so when listening to music is the only thing we’re doing for long periods of time. In my experience this is when sound qualities in reproduction, whether obvious or subtle, morph into aspects of the music performance where every last detail, nuance, and breath are vitally important.
