Really?

[SAPHANA]

I think the folks of AA are among the ones who are most unqualified to point these things out. Any piece of your equipments can be used as a perfect example of the same topic in other places

[DVass13]

Originally Posted by SAPHANA

I think the folks of AA are among the ones who are most unqualified to point these things out. Any piece of your equipments can be used as a perfect example of the same topic in other places

That's very true. As a newcomer to this forum and to the world of high end audio in general (or at least into the world of more expensive audio equipment) I still question the price/performance ratio of power cables and interconnects that are over $100 or items like Stillpoints that can cost multiple hundreds of dollars yet add no functionality to a system (you can't play music with them). Given the very high barrier to entry for these items its not exactly easy to try them out for yourself. Plus, as mentioned earlier in the thread, if it takes an additional $70k of gear to truly appreciate a $12k cartridge then the statement products of this hobby really are a bottomless rabbit hole for the wealthy that mere mortals will never get a chance to understand.

[Mikado463]

Originally Posted by SAPHANA

I think the folks of AA are among the ones who are most unqualified to point these things out. Any piece of your equipments can be used as a perfect example of the same topic in other places

you're wrong......... the folks of 'AA' are some of the MOST qualified ! .........

[crwilli]

This has me thinking of some sort of bracket competition where we put equipment and accessories of like retail pricing against each other. The members vote for the one they feel most warrants that cost.

We start with a ‘Round of 64’.

Of course, after the first round the retail pricing of each competitor will likely vary.

Perhaps make it a winner take all game. Each member/player ponies up $5 and chooses the winner before the game starts...

Eh, nope, too much work and stress in setting it up.

[EfeTe]

I think if we AA people were to give up ALL of our equipment combined then we'd be able to feed Nicaragua or Myanmar or the like for a considerable period of time!

[Cohibaman]

Originally Posted by EfeTe

I think if we AA people were to give up ALL of our equipment combined then we'd be able to feed Nicaragua or Myanmar or the like for a considerable period of time!

[Grasshopper]

I started this hobby with a $3,000 budget....

...If I had ANY idea where that would take me, I'd have likely run away.

Where we all get caught in the snare is the "incremental" upgrade. Little by little if you don't count the costs, a few thousand here and there really adds up. Once you are in "too deep", one more upgrade isn't as hard to justify.

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by bigblue

If the sonic pleasures the product brings is greater than the buyers remorse you get after the purchase - then it is worth it.

bigblue.......I understand your comment and agree. The premise of my original point was not so much the actual cost of any particular audio component in general, but more along the lines of the disparity that exists in pricing between specific items. Pointing to my original example, the amount of engineering expertise, bill of materials, hand assembly expertise and manufacturing technology that goes into a high-end amplifier far exceeds that that goes into building a moving coil cartridge of any caliber, yet in my example both command a $12K price. It leaves me wondering if the actual value of the items have parallels that shed light on the price.

[Canonicus]

Originally Posted by 2fastdriving

If I remember right, there's just one guy who can make the lyra atlas, by hand. He's a "master cartridge maker". I think he makes some lower end models too, maybe even my lowly $3600 kleos [emoji849]

From "The Absolute Sound" (Jan. 2018)
"Lyra’s final assembly is meticulous and personal. The work is carried out by a single man, the nearly mystical Yoshinori Mishima. Mishima-san adjusts and voices every single cartridge Lyra builds."

[SCAudiophile]

Originally Posted by Grasshopper

I started this hobby with a $3,000 budget....

...If I had ANY idea where that would take me, I'd have likely run away.

Where we all get caught in the snare is the "incremental" upgrade. Little by little if you don't count the costs, a few thousand here and there really adds up. Once you are in "too deep", one more upgrade isn't as hard to justify.

Well said, then there are the cross-grades where you definitely lose old money and spend more new money but really never gain much if true difference!