SET Asylum

RE: Audiophile hotbed

1.36.2.22

This Post Has Been Edited by the Author

In Reply to: RE: Audiophile hotbed posted by Wojciech on September 10, 2021 at 20:15:40

The first sign of a racist is lumping everyone into one box. Maybe check that at the door.
So let's take your nonsense point by point. Audiophiles come in all shapes and sizes - the LS-3/5a is hugely popular here because they are small and fit relatively small rooms. They are, as are some other speakers, quite good in small rooms. I live in such an apartment here, while I am here and I have 9-foot ceilings, 13 wide and 17 long - this is not massive but it's fairly close to a typical living room in Canada or the US. Having solid concrete walls, ceilings and floors are superior to a room with wooden walls that sing along with the music. I can choose a larger living space that would yield higher quality sound but I prefer living in the penthouse overlooking the ocean and having access to three clubhouses with three outdoor pools and 2 indoor pools and being a 1-minute walk to the white sandy beach. If I move to a village house I would get more space but no view and no clubhouses. So you make a sacrifice.
There is a limit to the sound that can be generated in small to medium-sized rooms. The ability to generate a realistic dynamic scale that a large horn speaker can offer in a larger room really can't be realized in a small medium-sized room (no matter what system you put it in there). It's a compromise. Albeit most big multiway speakers also have certain weaknesses that tend to bother me. It may impress in a big room at an audio show or a big room at an audio dealer but if it is stuffed into the average room it will probably suck.
As for expense - I bought the Audio Note J/SPe brand new in 2003 for $2500 and I sold it in 2016 for $2917 (+ $417 after 13 years) and that owner could sell it for more than he paid me.
And that was a rush sale as a friend sold it for me - it was also in the worst colour option - black.
I bought my Audio Note OTO Phono SE in 2003 - I can sell it for $400-$500 more than I paid for it.
I sold my Audio Note TT2 turntable in Hong Kong after 3 years of ownership for a couple hundred more than I paid.
So it sure doesn't "seem" too expensive to me. The same day I bought the Audio Note J/SPe - for the exact same price I could have bought the MM De Capo from Reference 3a ($2500). I say a mint condition set here at a second-hand shop for $900.
So which brand is expensive? $2500 down to $900 is a $1600 loss - or the AN J (a much better sounding speaker which is why the value didn't tank) has a $417 gain. The De Capo and AN J both retailed for $2500 but the DeCapo actually costs $2017 more a decade down the road.

Edits: 09/11/21

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