OK, what are the gains and are they worth it when purchasing expensive speakers? Unfortunately this is a VERY dificullt question to answer b/c there are about a thousand variables that influence this question. I could easily write 40 pages discussing the pros/cons of expensive speakers. Personally I have been an audiophile for30 years and my ruling passion is music and our machines that produce it in our cars, home and home-theaters. I have an MBA and worked for Carver/Phoenix Gold in their marketing dept. as well as working at Magnolia Hi-Fi (a high-end audio retailer in the PNW) in marketing. This question is not just an idol thought; but for me answering this question (to one degree or another) was often a day-to-day issue that had to be addressed. I want to cover the most important issues. Alright, let's start at the basics. Obviously expensive speakers (like very expensive cars), are made with the finest components, and these components do not come cheap. To avoid phasing problems due to multiple speaker interaction, it is generally best to use as few drivers as possible. To use a single midrange or woofer (as apposed to two, three or more of each) greatly reduces interaction problems at the crossover points. Also, a 3-way system again helps elliviate this problem as opposed to a four-way. Therefore, a very, very high-quality 10" midbass driver can perform better than a pair of lesser quality 10's OR prevent the need for both woofers and midbass drivers. So, beyond the driver, there is the cabinet. This often is what drives the price of high-end speakers up. Think about it, if your MDF enclosure vibrates in even the slightest ways you have two unwated things: first the energy needed to vibrate the enclosure is NOT being used to generate sound (conservation of energy). Second, the enclosure can produce significant audible output. We never hear it, of course, b/c the sound coming from the speakers drowns out the vibration of the enclosure. However, this small amount of sound can produce interference woth the sound coming from the speakers. This is why VERY expensive speakers are made of metal like aluminum (and weigh thousands of pounds). Lower priced (but still high-end) speakers use VERY thick wood (1" or more), EXTENDIVE internal bracing and so to ensure the enclosure does not resonate AT ALL. And still another component that drives the cost of high-end speakers include very expensive crossover components. Passive components are made to be within certain tolerance levels, perhaps +/- 5 % for high-end components, +/- 10% for lower cost (Radio Shack quality) components. Now this is just fine when building most anthing else (radios, TV's, cell-phones, ect.), but for high-end speakers, it's critical that the passive crossover components be ABSOLTELY identical or, one speaker will have an ever so slight crossover-point difference (which would obviously effect staging), or one driver (tweeter for instance) may be ever so slightly out-of phase with it's twin And we're back at phasinng problems that will effect your imaging and soundstage. Therefore, high-end speaker companies will hand test all passive components to ensure each pair of capacitors (for instance), are identical. And then there is the issue of internal wiring. Electricity travels best over silver (yes, even better than copper or gold, in fact the inly reason RCA and speaker ends are gold-plated is to orevent corrosion). So the best speakers will use ALL silver wiring inside. I hope you can see from what I've written there are tangible reasons why high-end speakers are so expensive (it is not just about "image"). There are many, many other reasons I could go into (some DEFINATELY more important than others), but the last thought I will leave you with is that ROOM-SIZE will often make the biggest difference when comparing a $1,000 set of speakers and a $10,000 set. Some of these SUPER monstrosity high-end speakers (that weigh thousands of pounds) are perfect if the goal is to produce the feeling of a live concert, like a complete symphony, in a very large listening area. I have heard such speakers, Moon Audio's Titans weighing in at 2,600 pounds, actually set up on the stage of Seattle's old Opera house (we recently built a new one). I have to admit, it truly sounded like a concert was being performed. But would I want these in my house? No. Anyone can achieve that same degree of realism in their home for a fraction of what those cost. So it's important to factor in room-size, music listenedto, at what volumes, and on and on. Anyway, these are just SOME of the reasons expensive speakers are expensive, and it is not just about ridiculous markuos. MOSFET
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