What is your hifi system worth ? (retail price, and NOT what you paid for)

[Florian]

Speakers= Apogee Acoustics Grand (Nr. 7 from 17 pair worldwide) was 230000$ retail in Germany in 1998.

Preamp= Convergant Audio Technology Sl1 Siganture MKII was aprox. 5000$ retail

Midrange amp= Sphinx Project 14 MKIII (13500$ a piece)

Midrange amp 2= Sphinx Project 14 MKIII (13500$ a piece)

CD Player= Sphinx Project 32, retail was 12500$

Cinema Projector, Sony G70-Q, was in Germany 67000$ (used for 34000 in munich)

Magnan Speaker cables, retail 3500EUR in Germany from BT Electronics

Element power cables, retail about 400$ total

and some other stuff.....


Total cost aprox 345000$ IF I WHERE TO BUY RETAIL AT THE PRODUCTION TIME.... lucky for me, i did not :-)

[pixelthis]

HARD ACT TO FOLLOW....


Integra 7.4 receiver...1200

various B&W speakers, around 2,400
(602s2, CC6, DM305 rears, ASW1000)

Cables, all monster, at least 1500

Shure cartrige, 50$, two TECHNICS turntables, in trade

Disc players, samsung DVDAUDIO, SACD upconverter 129 $
SONY DVD recorder 400$
SONY 300 disc changer 250$

computer, home built 400$

VIZIO 37IN 999$


TOTAL 7300$

[OzzieAudiophile]

Florian - I found a photo which has the Apogee Acoustics Grands in cream colour.

Is that the colour you have ? if not what ? I think some of the tallest NBA players are still
shorter than those lol.

I see the amp there, I've seen smaller beds lol.

Wow I hope you have those babies insured :P Do you have plastic bags over the
couch for all the drool from the mates that come over to listen.

Envy is one of the 7 deadly sins isn't it ?

Nice one.

You realise your system is STILL worth over 100K if you took out the Apogee Acoustics Grand out of the equation.

Yeah that gear such as that, you want to dedicate a whole room to it all, the amp on the
floor with plenty of free space, like a cornered lion, just don't get too close

I'd charge admission for people to touch them, you would of got your money all back
by now (just kiddin).

Thanks for sharing that.

[OzzieAudiophile]

pixelthis - I heard a lot of positive feedback about the Integra brand, sounds it has lots of
... integraty. B&W is available in a few stores here in WA, they are very nice too. I had
the opportunity to listen through one of their top of the range, it didn't look too tall, but it
was selling for 35K a pair. Needed the McIntosh pair of MC1200 to power them, yep 35K
monoblock amps :P ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nice system.


Oaqm - nice system too, I have auditioned some Rotel, there's one shop that swear by
them. They do some nice gear.

Mr Peabody - you share a couple of brands that I do. I have the Sennheiser 570 Symphony
they are the model just below the 600's, and half the price. I heard them, they are just on
a different level. I wished I knew about that model at the time, I would of saved up. However
I am happy with the 570s and still use them today. I've had them for a while.

My Dyns are just a series above the Audience, they are clearly the strongest part of my
current system. That is why my other amp post puts me in a dialemma in finding
something good that will drive my Dyn babies.

I'm down to three brands :

McIntosh
Plinius
Parasound

The power amps go between 4K and 10K. It is not hard to guess which one is going for 4,
which one for 6, and which one can go for 10 :P

[Luvin Da Blues]

Flo,

UNF!!CKIN BELIEVABLE. The winner and undisputed champ.

I guess you don't have too many wild parties around that gear.

In they immortal words of Will Smith.."I got to get me one of these".



PS; If I ever make it to Germany, I'm gunna beg for an invite to your place for a listen.

[Florian]

No problem to come over for a listen :-)

I have never seen a Grand in "cream color", just in black and rosewood. Here is a black one, it belongs to Dan D'Agostino of Krell Industries. The rosewood one is mine





This one used to belong to a friend in France. The amps on the side are MBL 9011 ;-)

[audio amateur]

My currnent two channel, converted from UK price.
B&W 686: 550$
Trends Audio TA-10.1: 178$
Firestone Fubar II USB DAC: 208$
Partington Ansa 60 stands: 200$
Speaker cable plus bananas: 100$
Interconnect: 20$

TOTAL: 1256$ This doesnt include laptop which serves as transport

I also have a 1.3K$ theater at parents home.

[Brett A]

I only have one system. It's two channel. I have a couple thimgs that are vintage. Makes it hard to price them, so I went with current market ballpark figure.


Rotel RCD 1070 $700
Audioquest NRG-2 AC cord $100
Siltech New York Interconnects $250
Shanling A3000 integrated $1600
Signal Cable Magic Power AC cord $80
Speaker Cable $15
Pioneer PL-550 ~$150 now-a-days
AT 440 MLA cartridge $140
NAD 3020 integrated used as phono amp. ~ $125 now-a-days
Custom House IC’s $30
ATS Acoustic Panels (I consider these an important part of my system) $150
Grado SR-60 headphones $70
B&W 683 floorstanders $1300

Total: $4710
Paid: $3390

[ken88]

Florian, your amazing system is fit for President Obama and Queen Elizabeth !!!!! I bet you the current system at the White House and Buckingham Palace don't even come close to what you have in your own mansion. Your total costs of $345K cost more than the average price of a house in U.S. and Canada!!!!!!!! BTW, your house must be worth a few times more than what the equipment costs!!!!!!

[ken88]

My current system includes the following:

Main floor:
-Anthem receiver MRX 700: $2,200
-Totem Sttaf used as main front: $1,895
-Totem Mite T Centre: $650
-Totem Mite rear surround: $825
-Mirage sub: $350
-Onkyo Blu-Ray: $400
-Sony VE5: $1,000
-PVR:$400
-various monster cables, etc: $300

Basement:
-Yamaha receiver: $400
-Sony XBR: $4,400
-Mirage front speakers: $750
-Boston Acoustic Centre: $250
-Polk rear surround:$200
-PVR: $400

The total costs come up to $14,420, excluding many used equipment when upgrading to current systems.

This is , for sure, an expensive hobby!!!!!! It becomes worse when you feel the urge to upgrade !!!!!!!!

[audio amateur]

That's why we need to buy local stuff, at least we'll get less raped..
And even you Yanks don't get raped on euro stuff.. what the heck?

[Ajani]

That's why we need to buy local stuff, at least we'll get less raped..
And even you Yanks don't get raped on euro stuff.. what the heck?

That is a major advantage of buying local gear.... no need to pay ridanculous prices. The US/Canada often get equally screwed on the prices of some European brands.

[Glen B]

Two-channel system:

Classé CA-300 amp: $4,250
Classé CP-50 preamp with optional phono stage: $3,190
Classé RC-1 remote interface: $500
Marantz Reference SA-11S1 SACD player: $3,500
PSB Stratus Gold i speakers: $2,699
DIY balanced power conditioner (parts cost): $1,600
Denon DP-59L TT and AT-OC9 cartridge: $1,150
Acoustic Zen interconnects, power cords and speaker cables: $5,157

Total: $22,046

[GMichael]

Two-channel system:

Classé CA-300 amp: $4,250
Classé CP-50 preamp with optional phono stage: $3,190
Classé RC-1 remote interface: $500
Marantz Reference SA-11S1 SACD player: $3,500
PSB Stratus Gold i speakers: $2,699
DIY balanced power conditioner (parts cost): $1,600
Denon DP-59L TT and AT-OC9 cartridge: $1,150
Acoustic Zen interconnects, power cords and speaker cables: $5,157

Total: $22,046

Me like list. Uhg.. Grunt...

[Jim Clark]

Two-channel system:

Classé CA-300 amp: $4,250
Classé CP-50 preamp with optional phono stage: $3,190
Classé RC-1 remote interface: $500
Marantz Reference SA-11S1 SACD player: $3,500
PSB Stratus Gold i speakers: $2,699
DIY balanced power conditioner (parts cost): $1,600
Denon DP-59L TT and AT-OC9 cartridge: $1,150
Acoustic Zen interconnects, power cords and speaker cables: $5,157

Total: $22,046

Dood, I was gonna tell you that you were insane for putting that much into wires for this system. Then I came to my senses and realized that a) it's your money, your life, what do I care? and b) this is retail, not what you paid. Hopefully you didn't actually spend more for wires than you did on your speakers.

Regards,
jc

[Jim Clark]

Some interesting things I've learned in this thread:

If you're not in a hifi friendly country, you'd best be very well off.

If you people are paying anywhere close to retail then you are a salesperson's wet dream. : ) OK, I paid retail for my Oppo but at 199 it was already a steal.

HT people have more expenses to cover, and on the audio side of things probably aren't getting as decent a music system despite investing more. (yep, that includes me)

People are all over the place as to what constitutes their system. TV stands and stereo racks included in the price really jacks up the price of the system. Undoubtedly true but not something I would have included at the start of the thread.

My own tally of the retail of my main system (HT/music) is almost 22K. I more proud of the fact that I didn't spend anywhere near that much so I'm not even gonna bother typing all that junk in. It only needs to impress me.

Regards,
jc

[OzzieAudiophile]

E-stat, nice set up there. Good range of brands of components.

Interesting to note that at least a few ppl around have also used Monster Cable.

Jim Clark - yes very easy for you to sit here and talk about "what you paid retail for this,
retail for that ?".

Like I am going to risk 5 to 10 K to save 1 K to purchase a component o/s, or
interstate, without first auditioning it !!. Besides, even if I could purchase it from the
official site o/s, they would have to build it to Australian standards, then I'll have to
pay in their currency, pay for all of the freight, it is pretty much likely to end up costing
the same.

Secondly certain retailers are the only official supppliers of specific products in
Australia (or a non US/Canada country). Yes you all can go on e-bay and haggle for
second hand gear. I just have a personal preference for brand new gear, and do not have
the money, nor the time to buy someone else's problems, and get it repaired.

There IS NO e-bay market for top-tier hifi components. I knew I wanted a pair of Dyn Audio speakers, and looked for a while on e-bay, pffttt 0 on the Australian ebay, and only the only
ones availalable o/s ebay were models below the one I was looking for.

Besides, I ended up getting a very good deal, so sweet, it is in my best interest not
reveal that.

Main reason being there is a shortage of places people could of purchased it brand new anyway. Plus if the gear is good enough, it wouldn't be on ebay or markets in the first
place

Oh yeah, what about "unwanted gifts ?" ? Hmmm I could not imagine not too many
folks outside the US, Canada, or Europe offloading a 10K component, if it's good enough,
it's a keeper (at least for a few years).

I don't know how many times I've said this before, and how many times some ppl are either
unable, or uneducated to listen, when you're sitting pretty in the US, Europe, or Canada,
you the freedom to bargain because you can pick and choose suppliers/shops/sources
to buy your components. For each hifi making company, there's only what, 10,000
suppliers all over the US.

If we need to buy a car ? Yes we do have the bargaining power to walk out, because
there's plenty of other car dealerships just down the road. Not quite the case with
hifi components (for a particular brand and model).

When you have the choice of one shop and none, your option to 'walk down the road to
buy elsewhere', is not so believable, considering they know which brands they have
exclusive rights to sell. I am not talking about NOT being able to haggle for price and
save money. I know how to do that.

Besides, it is NOT in the best interest of the more reputable top-tier hifi specialists
to try to rip off their customers (at least in Australia), because it is the long-term
business relationship they want to establish with their customer. I have been able to
walk in and be a pest, ask as many technicial questions as I can about specific brands,
and components. They freely give me their open-opinion, and have never made me feel
like I want to walk out, instead ask me to come back any time I wanted. I have not
overly abused it, but what is my business worth to them ? It's not just 1 power amp, it's
the pre-amp, the CD player, blu-ray player, headphones, the list goes on, of all the
other gear that I'm looking for. THAT is what they want.

There's a good reason why these hi-end hifi stores stay open for so long. They maintain
the business relationships with their clientel, good feedback can spread, but bad
feedback spreads like wildfire (especially with a small hifi country like Australia).

It's the shops that sell the low to mid range stuff that they can afford to lose your
business, because there are 1000's of shops like those, and they turn over more in a
week than most people make in a year.

I'm going to be realistic and say there would be no way I'd be able to get brand new
hi end equipment at 20%, 30% of retail price, as I'm sure a few of you guys will start
claiming to be able to, from the US, UK etc... I'd be able to get it for a decent price
lower than the retail.

Besides it would be too pricey, IF possible, and way too much trouble to purchase
gear from overseas, should warranty issues come up. Freight charges, insurance, plus
time without the component. The customer service component goes straight out of
the window. Not to mention I have to wait 1 week or more to receive it.

I'm not so fussed that I'm limited to choice, as I stated in other posts, that there are many
advantages of living/doing business in a smaller hifi product range country.

I'm sure at least most of you will agree, that if you're happy with your choice of
component but paid more than you should, is an easier pill to swallow than being
talked into buying a component you ended up being completely unhappy about, even
though you ended up saving more money in the short-term.

The most reputable hi-end stores don't need to talk sales jargon to make the sale, as if
your 2K purchase is going to make or break their company.

Good luck and congrats to everyone who ended up getting a good deal for their
stuff, I am one of those for the components which mattered the most. Just want to \
make sure all of us are clear we're all here to help each other make the best choice of
"what" component to buy.

I don't want this to end up as a sales course thread.

[ldgibson76]

Hello to All!

I've been reading this thread since it's inception. There are some very impressive systems listed.

My system is as follows:

Component
MSRP / What I Paid

Samsung HP-S5053 50" Plasma HDTV
2799.00 / 2499.00
Belkin PureAV AV24502 HDMI switcher
149.00 / 99.00
Marantz SR9300 AV Receiver
3199.00 / 1000.00
Cambridge Audio 640C v.2 CDP
649.00 / 519.00
Denon DVD2910 Universal Player
729.00 / 425.00
Philips CDR950 CD Recorder
499.00 / 199.00
Yamaha CDC 685 CD Changer
229.00 / 199.00
DLO Homedock iPOD Docking Station
99.00 / 79.00
Apple iPod 30GB
249.00 / 149.00
Panasonic DMP-BD30K BD Player (Newly Acquired)
499.00 / 399.00
Sony DVPNC555ES DVD Changer
699.00 / 268.00
Pioneer Elite DVR-7000 DVD Recorder
1899.00 / 450.00
Microsoft XBOX Gaming System
150.00 / 150.00
Panamax M5400-PM Pwr Ctr
799.00 / 450.00
Panamax MAX5100 Pwr Ctr
349.00 / 300.00
Panamax MAX2 Coax Surge Protector
69.00 / 69.00
Monster Cable SW200 Surge Protector
89.00 / 49.00
(2) Klipsch Reference RF35 Towers
499.00 ea. / 500.00
Klipsch Reference RC35 Center Ch.
349.00 / 150.00
(2) Klipsch Reference RS35 DiPoles
299.00 ea. / 300.00
Klipsch Reference RS25 Dipole
199.00 ea. / 100.00
Klipsch Reference RSW10 Pwr'd Sub
1195.00 / 600.00
Universal Remote MX850 Remote
399.00 / 150.00
Cables (AQ;Key Dig;Monster Mseries)
1500.00 est. / 1000.00 est.
Sennheiser HD535 Headphones
219.00 / 75.00

Sub Total: MSRP: $18611.00 / What I Paid: $10108.00

Regards!

I apologized for the format. I tried to adjust the layout, but I guess the site's parameters wouldn't allow the modifications.

[Jim Clark]

E-stat, nice set up there. Good range of brands of components.


Jim Clark - yes very easy for you to sit here and talk about "what you paid retail for this,
.

You could have read my first point and said, "yeah, you got that right" and been done with it. Sure would have saved you a lot of time and a whole lot of typing but whatever floats your boat. Must suck trying to buy certain gear wherever the L you are. That was pretty much the whole point. Sorry I wasn't clearer.

Wish I had the time to read your whole rant but half time is almost over and the basketball game is ready to start back up.

jc

[Glen B]

Dood, I was gonna tell you that you were insane for putting that much into wires for this system. Then I came to my senses and realized that a) it's your money, your life, what do I care? and b) this is retail, not what you paid. Hopefully you didn't actually spend more for wires than you did on your speakers.

Regards,
jc

Well you are right, its my money. I have been in this hobby for 40 years (while many here were still in diapers I'm sure). My choices have always been based on careful research and listening, not on anyone else's ideas or opinions of what my equipment investment ratios should be. The Acoustic Zen cable products are the best I've had in my system, purchased one piece at a time, with each choice bringing noticeable benefits. To me that is more important than considerations of cost and I believe my purchases are justified. BTW, a significant percentage of the cable cost is based on the fact that my speaker cables are a custom 25-foot pair ($1,900), length dictated by room layout.

[GMichael]

Hmmm... I'll play. But only if no one shows these totals to my wife.

System one:

Sanyo Z-4 HD projector............................3000 (paid 2000)
106" fixed screen.......................................350 (Free with projector)
Toshiba HD-A2..........................................200 (paid 100)
Sony PS3 80GB Blu-Ray & SACD..............500
Yamaha RX-V2500...................................1100 (paid 900)
JVC DR-MX1 Hard Drive/DVD/VHS..............500
Yamaha CDR-HD1300................................800 (paid 350)
Strata Mini's (in piano rosewood)...............2300 (paid 2000)
TITANIC MKIII 15" sub................................600 (paid 500)
C25 center............................................ ....300 (paid 100)
150 surounds & rear..................................600 (came free with the 360's that cost 600)

Total: $10,250 (paid 7550)

Bedroom system:

Sanyo Z-4 HD projector............................3000 (paid 2000)
92" powered screen...................................350 (free with projector)
HTR-5740 Part of a HTIB SYSTEM.............750 (free through on-line questionare offer)
JBL E20's for center, mains & rear..............200 (paid 40)
E10 surrounds......................................... .100
PS12 sub............................................... ..350

Total: 4750 (paid 2490)

Basement system:

Old 2 channel Pioneer receiver (80wpc).......300
4 DIY speakers.........................................3 00
Pioneer CD player.....................................150

Total: 750 (best sounding system in the house for music)

Grand total: 15,750 (actual money spent is about 10,790)

Assorted TT's cassett players and boom boxes left out.

[Ajani]

My Setup before I migrated and got married (that I was about to Upgrade):

Main System -

Rotel RC-1070 Pre-Amp $500
Rotel RB-1080 Power Amp $1,000
Mission V63 Floorstanders $1,500
Marantz CD5001 $330
Mac Mini (Used solely as a music server) $800
Panasonic 52inch LCD Projection TV $2000
Panasonic DVD Player $100

Lying Around -
NAD C352 Integrated Amp - $600
NAD C520BEE CD Player $350

Total System Cost (excluding Cables and Logitech Remote) - $7,180


Current System (since migrating and getting married):

Megavox DVD Player $30
Philips Boombox $40
Panasonic Headphones $20

Total System Cost - $90

[GMichael]

Current System (since migrating and getting married):

Megavox DVD Player $30
Philips Boombox $40
Panasonic Headphones $20

Total System Cost - $90

I feel your pain. The only reason I still have my system is because I sold my Harley instead.

[Mr Peabody]

Old angry dude, how do you like that McCormack?

BFalls, I had one of those Phase Coupled Activators before. I used it with a uniquely high end Kenwood integrated driving Infinity Kappa 7's. The PCA with those sealed 12's did some serious vibrations. We did a lot of pro audio and used the PCA for the crossover but most owners didn't realize that most pro audio speakers didn't play all that low and they'd turn that thing up thinking it would work like a sub or something and throw cones loose from the basket.

E-stat, comes out of the closet with the Polk!

[OzzieAudiophile]

Hey Jim.

Ok, apologies for the misunderstanding.

I just visited another dealer, who has the Cambridge Audio, which I have auditioned
elsewhere a year ago. It's pretty good, but will have to get some prices.

The 840 A and C for starters. Hmmm they're not bad, would need to probably pay
much more for not too much better.

It is clear a lot of you folks have paid some serious dollars, and/or managed to get
some very nice components/systems.

I have just spent 4 hours moving furniture around, and reorganising my CD, DVD, and
video collections :P I still need to disassemble my current cabinet so I can install
the new one that's being delivered tomorrow with my new LCD screen

Grrrr, would of been nice to have a day off for that.

I believe after today, all of my visual needs will be taken care of, apart from a Blue Ray
recorder with 1 TB hard drive (that will take probably about 2 years to be released).