Part-Time Audiophile Best of the Year Awards

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by LeeS, Dec 26, 2017.

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  1. LeeS

    LeeS Music Fan Thread Starter

    Location:
    Atlanta
  2. Mike from NYC

    Mike from NYC Senior Member

    Location:
    Surprise, AZ
    A $95K phono preamp? $300K of wires?

    Damn. I'm sure the pioneers of modern audio from the 1950s are cursing they were born too soon!!!!!!
     
    octaneTom and keiron99 like this.
  3. Dillydipper

    Dillydipper Space-Age luddite

    Location:
    Central PA
    The smartest of inventors always make sure the end products' guaranteed to kick the donors who didn't want to invest, right in the pants pocket!
     
  4. Mike-48

    Mike-48 A shadow of my former self

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    I'd have a lot more respect for a set of awards that ruled out $300,000 wires on principle. IMO, such products are for those in whom wealth and insecurity intersect, in abundance.
     
    edmondbob, jimbutsu, noahjld and 20 others like this.
  5. timztunz

    timztunz Audioista

    Location:
    Texas
    What an informative and helpful post. Thanks for sharing.
     
    Guss2 likes this.
  6. SquishySounds

    SquishySounds Yo mama so fat Thanos had to snap twice.

    Location:
    New York
    Imagine what the full-time audiophile can have in his system.
     
  7. Erik Tracy

    Erik Tracy Meet me at the Green Dragon for an ale

    Location:
    San Diego, CA, USA
    Wow - this thread is like walking thru a cow pasture.o_O
     
    AudioEnz, Guss2, LeeS and 2 others like this.
  8. ralf11

    ralf11 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Earth
    This is a very informative and helpful post for those who might be shilled into wasting their money.

    While there are some wires in various places that might affect SQ, the fixes are usually inexpensive, and other things (like speakers & room treatments) are MUCH more important.
     
    pez, rxonmymind, Hogues and 6 others like this.
  9. rischa

    rischa Forum Resident

    Location:
    Mt. Horeb, WI
    (Shhh...Moderators are listening)
     
    Last edited: Dec 26, 2017
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  10. cyclistsb

    cyclistsb Forum Resident

    Two whole phono cartridges? Both nearly under $1000? They didn't spare a dollar on other gear but once they got to phono gear they decided to go on a budget?
     
    Strat-Mangler likes this.
  11. Yeah but the could buy a house for under 15k. :tiphat:
     
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  12. Ham Sandwich

    Ham Sandwich Senior Member

    Location:
    Sherwood, OR, USA
    I own and like one item on the list. So I agree with this list.
     
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  13. ralf11

    ralf11 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Earth
    which item?
     
  14. Ham Sandwich

    Ham Sandwich Senior Member

    Location:
    Sherwood, OR, USA
    Schiit Gungnir Multibit DAC. They've got it listed at $849, which is the price of the delta-sigma version of the Gungnir, rather than the $1249 for the multibit version. Their awards list wasn't intentionally inflating prices to impress people.
     
    LeeS likes this.
  15. ralf11

    ralf11 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Earth
    I hear it's nearly as good as the Yggy...

    my other guess would have been the LS50 Kef
     
  16. rednedtugent

    rednedtugent Forum Resident

    Location:
    Funk, Ohio
    It is all important. Finally getting the right combo is a witch. :ignore:

     
  17. LeeS

    LeeS Music Fan Thread Starter

    Location:
    Atlanta
    Hey Mike, we cover everything. $95K is crazy for sure but some can afford it. Why not see what the ultimate can do?

    As for the $300K cables, John was just mentioning the upper most end of the Nordost but he also referenced their far more affordable stuff. I give an award to a $500 pair of interconnects from Black Cat which several members here use. So there is much affordable gear on the list across the categories.
     
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  18. LeeS

    LeeS Music Fan Thread Starter

    Location:
    Atlanta
    Hmm, I differ on this one. Really good cables in my recent experience act as a new component in terms of improvement they offer. The "fixes" often involve filters, grounding, etc. and are expensive.
     
  19. sirmikael

    sirmikael Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cedar Rapids, Iowa
    I'm not here to complain about the prices of the gear intended for part-time audiophiles. But damn, I wish I could even be considered a seasonal employment audiophile! :)
     
    Russooll and timind like this.
  20. Bill Hart

    Bill Hart Forum Resident

    Location:
    Austin
    I like the Part-Time Audiophile. I quit reading the audio magazines several years ago, and run across reviews only when I'm searching the Net for information or someone links to a site. I've enjoyed reading the reviews I've seen on the Part-Time Audiophile.
    "Best of" and "expensive" are not mutually exclusive. They did mention some very cost effective components in their "list," one being the Border Patrol DAC (which I don't own), which is a non-oversampling, no digital filter, tube power supply device that I'd like to get in here to listen to, despite my vinyl orientation.
    A lot of the top tier hi-fi gear is crazy money today-- but the challenge isn't even the money- some of the equipment is flavor of the month and fades into obscurity, or is outright dismissed by the "next great thing." To me, the trick, at almost any price point, is to buy something enduring. Think about the vintage stuff that people still seek out 50 or 60 years after it was made. Hard to predict (and I'm not suggesting anyone should buy this stuff as an investment), but money well spent on a serious piece of gear can get you off the treadmill of upgrades, which are, over the long haul, expensive when you add it all up.
     
  21. LeeS

    LeeS Music Fan Thread Starter

    Location:
    Atlanta
    This sounds like unnecessary class warfare. I prefer to think of wealthy audiophiles stretching their budgets to find out what the upper level of performance is.

    I suppose you would find the Wilson WAMM Chronosonics objectionable at $685K plus $100K for the subwoofer towers. I wondered too why they cost so much until I heard them and saw how they were built at the factory. They created such realistic sound, it was unlike any I had heard before. I am currently writing about the experience.

    I am very happy that Wilson Audio's business success allowed Dave Wilson to build his finest possible speaker for the billionaire or centi-millionaire class. Dave and Daryl took their knowledge from the Chronosonic and used it to build the Alexia 1 and upgrade the Alexia 2. So far less wealthy are benefitting.

    You know its funny, I go to car shows and I never see Subaru WRX drivers pop up at Porsche displays and disparage the cost of a new 911. In audio, if you buy a cable that costs more than a monoprice, it is treated as an affront. The difference is that some of the Subaru drivers may have driven a Porsche 911. The monoprice guys almost never have experienced the equivalent. :)
     
    Last edited: Dec 27, 2017
  22. ralf11

    ralf11 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Earth
    I doubt that wealthy audiophiles are buying those cables; instead, they are likely bought by some newly uber-rich non-audiophile person who just says "I'm building a new mansion - put the best sound system in it." to his architect.

    A real audiophile would build a new listening room that is like a concert hall

    There is nothing wrong with aspirational hifi or cars either. Just make sure you aren't dancing backwards
     
  23. missan

    missan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Stockholm
    It's a relief there are components for everyone, and every taste.
     
    No Static and LeeS like this.
  24. Joe Spivey

    Joe Spivey Forum Resident

    I took the plunge on the Border Patrol DAC SE earlier this year and I'm very impressed and happy with the purchase. The gleaming reviews from the PT crew was a deciding factor. Cheers and Happy Holidays!
     
    Bill Hart and LeeS like this.
  25. LeeS

    LeeS Music Fan Thread Starter

    Location:
    Atlanta
    If you talk to audiophiles at audio shows, they do buy expensive cables. They view it as another component because the more you spend, the more resolution you get and you start to hear the differences in cables, line conditioners, and even power outlets.

    The good news is that this is also a Golden Age of affordable audio. The affordable stuff is so much better right now than when I jumped in in 1989.
     
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