Point 2 - budget - well no listening to a $500,000 system doesn't help you in the remotest with a budget of $2k

But audiophiles don't have system budgets of $2k. Just as no serious photographer buys $98 digital cameras, or car enthusiasts buy Honda Civics.

"The average" person isn't interested in audiophile sound quality. Audiophiles are people who tend to care about sound quality and put it ahead of other things spending more of their money on it than everything else. I gave up a car for 10 years to buy my system.

At whatever budget you choose you need to compare what is available at that budget - but you can STILL compare HE/SET to other designs. But let's be realistic - the options are not many. Klipsch is probably still the mainstream HE speaker - and it is pretty much what most people will have the chance to hear - but it's not really great. And even then in 99% of cases in Canada anyway - Klipsch is connected to some receiver at Best Buy or London Drugs. Hardly a great combination. And even then the Klipsch Reference line is not too bad at all for the money - more interesting to listen to than most in this price range - problems? Sure but so what most everything has problems regardless of price.

And finding a SET under 2 grand that is "truly" competent is next to impossible. There are some nice little tube amps out there but they have issues - at least all the ones I've heard so far. Tube amps can be good - Jolida's 302b but while I like it it does have a character about it. For the same money with the same tubes you could get a very different sounding ASL AQ1003DT - sounds punchier and leaner and more "accurate" in the SS like presentation of the term accurate (The Jolida sounds better if you want to listen to more than a few hours). The AN Kit one and Sugden A21a would top my list for budget integrated SET amplifiers to audition and one could make a reasonable judgment on the technology on the affordable spectrum. But to me both are the entry level of that spectrum - price of entry is higher because there are few makers of this stuff. There may be others of course but I have not heard them so I can't say.

But the A21a has been selling for over 40 years. http://www.audioconsult.dk/anmeldels...den/A21rev.htm


Kit One - which has been selling for 20 years+ so it's no slouch. http://www.audionote.co.uk/articles/...w_Listener.pdf

I once again make the same logic base case by looking at one company line-up. Company A makes an amp for $4k, $6k, $10K $15k $22k $50K $90k $250K. The improvements in sound is not subtle. Therefore for each step up or league up or level up you get a very significant improvement in sound. No I am not justifying the insane prices but then to someone with many millions $250k is peanuts. Wayne Gretzsky's rookie card just sold for $94,000. And it doesn't do anything but sit in a piece of glass.

The only relevant thing is making the comparison and hearing the improvements - If the $10k amp is using much more costly parts over the $4k amp - is more labour intensive and doesn't have an economies of scale (since far less $10k amps will likely sell compared to $4k amps) then while the cost of the parts may only double the retail price went up 2.5 times. But regardless of all of that if the latter amp is better sounding and as good or better than competition at similar prices then it is better. Some people will pay triple for subtle better.

I personally would rather compare systems. I personally start with an Audio Note level 2 system and compare every other system to this system and attempt to determine value and quality from that (including other more expensive Audio Note). Which is why personally - I would not spend the money on more expensive amplifiers like the Soro or Meishu. The Meishu is better but the price performance isn't where I like it. And I like the OTO more than the Soro - even though the Soro is more expensive - it's a different "sounding" amplifier and costs more to make which is why the price is higher. But I prefer the sound of the OTO - even if it does have a little more character. So long as I know what the character is and where it errs when it errs then it's a choice since everything errs no matter what they tell you.

You have to have some sort of "baseline" in order to judge. A "reference system" and reference doesn't have to mean best but it has to be "good." I prefer to compare systems because I am less interested in individual technology - I am interested in results. But it is nice to hear the best available systems so you know where your system needs to improve. My system I am comfortable putting up against pretty much anything I've heard at 2-3 or in a lot of cases many more times the price. OTOH I have heard a few systems then come home and kind of wished I stayed in my more lucrative career field than going into teaching because my system lacked in every possible parameter. So be it. Part of the fun of the hobby.