Quebec audiophile shows off his new Hi-Fi system, very expensive set up

[BobbyTimmons]

Maybe but then again, probability says that it is unlikely to be audibly different from most of ours assuming a modicum of effort. He certainly seems to like bass.

His system will probably sound better on average than most people in this forum if those acoustics treatments people he hired did a good job as most of us don't have acoustically treated rooms, even though probably most of us in the forum have quite good speakers and amplifiers and some have digital room correction. I have 4 systems in my house in different rooms, none acoustically treated and of course some sound far better than others depending on the rooms they are in.

Although needless to say the main advantage of his system is more those visuals, bragging rights and bling bling.

 

[DonR]

His system will probably sound better on average than most people in this forum if those acoustics treatments people he hired did a good job as most of us don't have acoustically treated rooms, even though probably most of us in the forum have quite good speakers and amplifiers and some have digital room correction. I have 4 systems in my house in different rooms, none acoustically treated and of course some sound far better than others depending on the rooms they are in.

Although needless to say the main advantage of his system is more those visuals, bragging rights and bling bling.

I'm not sure about that. I have treatments and many others have done it as well. Maybe no bass traps but then I didn't see much in his room either. Just looks a typical large North American concrete basement.

 

[@Christo]

At the end of the day, his system is still better looking and probably sounding than most of ours, even if it uses up far more electricity than strictly necessary and wastes thousands of dollars on speaker cables.

Hmm.
Better sounding...
My humble basement..

 

[CleanSound]

Not sure this deserves a thread. It is some high end system, but clairly not "very expensive" for that specific market. I do not see that much of snake oil either (apart from the power conditioner). McIntosh amps are usually (objectively) good, while overpriced. The speakers are not crazy, the REL subs are subperformers at this price. And that's it. Clearly nothing to write home about.

And the cables? I would even argue tubes. Being the jerk that I am, I would even go as far as saying the B&W speaker itself is snake oil.

 

[CleanSound]

I am extremely happy for the guy to do well in life and able to spend this kind of money on a system (and home theater system) assuming he didn't spend his entire life savings on it.

But as always, this is the Internet. . .I bet you his home theater sounds better, he has Revel F326Be. And I won't get into the cables, especially the part when he said Shunyata puts a lot of research into cables, I nearly fell off of my couch when he said that.

 

[MattHooper]

That does look very much like the type of system a high end audio salesman would sell a rich guy.

That said, it's got a fair amount of "wow" factor if you like seeing all those amps 'n such. (I'm not a fan). And the B&W speakers have a great, luxurious fit and finish (and I think they can put out some very impressive sound). As to the choice of speakers, looks like he has a bunch of Revel speakers as a reference in his home theater set up, so it's not like he's unfamiliar with that sound, and apparently very much likes what the B&Ws are doing as well.

 

[Descartes]

Apart from bragging rights and visual symmetry the separate 1200 watt amp for each speaker could seem over the top. In all fairness they give his system an attractive visual symmetry. The oversized heatsinks and dials on the amps give an almost dangerous aesthetic to the system hinting at the potential hazards and risks of overheating and only just averted industrial disaster. It makes it seem more like he is a running a small nuclear power plant down there than playing an mp3.

Editing to add a run down of some of his system which might be helpful for his wife (or future ex-wife's lawyers) if she reads this post.

2 McIntosh MC1.25KW Monoblock Amplifier - $27,000 ​

https://www.paragonsns.com/products/mcintosh-mc1-25kw

1 McIntosh C12000 2-CH Hybrid Preamplifier - $16,000​

https://scottwalkeraudio.com/store/mcintosh-c12000-2-ch-preamplifier/

2 BOWERS & WILKINS 801 D4 (PAIR) SPEAKER - $40,000 ​

https://www.sundownone.com/product/...or-standing-loudspeaker-801-d4-rosenut-803444

2 REL Carbon Special Subwoofers - $8,000 ​

https://rel.net/shop/powered-subwoofers/serie-s/carbon-special/

1 McIntosh MCD12000 SACD/CD Player - $12,000​

https://www.paragonsns.com/products/mcintosh-mpc1500

1 McIntosh MPC1500 Power Controller - $6,000 (!!!)​

https://www.paragonsns.com/products/mcintosh-mpc1500

1 AURAlIC ARIES G2.1 Streaming Transport - $5,699

https://www.audioadvisor.com/acarieg21-blk

Shunyata Alfa V2 Speaker cables - $5000 per 2m

https://shunyata.com/products/audio-cables/alpha-series-audio-cables/alpha-v2-speaker

Shunyata Alfa Power cables - $2500 each

https://shunyata.com/products/power-cables/reference-line-power-cables/alpha-v2nr/

Shunyata Alfa Interconnects- around $3500 per 1m

https://www.dedicatedaudio.com/products/shunyata-research-alpha-v2-xlr-interconnect

Spending $11,000 for cables that is so funny and absurd! What a waist of money!

The rest is cool too bad these B&W are still w curves!

 

[@Christo]

And the cables? I would even argue tubes. Being the jerk that I am, I would even go as far as saying the B&W speaker itself is snake oil.

Did you notice the high end cables that I use LOL

 

[suttondesign]

Hmm.
Better sounding...
My humble basement..

holy moly.

 

[denydog]

Impressive high-end setup.

Neither McIntosh nor B & W are to my taste in sound, from what I've heard, even if I had that kind of money to play with. He likes them though, and that's what counts. He did choose his stuff based on sound, I hope.

 

[BobbyTimmons]

Spending $11,000 for cables that is so funny and absurd! What a waist of money!

The rest is cool too bad these B&W are still w curves!

I think he spent a lot more than $11,000 on cables. I only listed the price for one set of interconnects.

 

[BobbyTimmons]

I am extremely happy for the guy to do well in life and able to spend this kind of money on a system (and home theater system) assuming he didn't spend his entire life savings on it.

His videos include him buying a $250,000 edition of Porsche. Shunyata Research cables and the audiophile industry in general are only getting a small cut from him by comparison to the auto industry salesmen.

 

[Madlop26]

t. . .I bet you his home theater sounds better, he has Revel F326Be.

I was thinking the same

 

[Titmouse]

Ahh his job is car detailing, makes sense as I didn't notice gobs of fingerprints all over everything when they got close, keeps it pretty clean. As he is very much into visual presentation, I'm surprised he went with such short speakers. I think some taller towers would be more proportional to the other elements.

Side note, is there a common reason why people in this budget go nearly all McIntosh hardware except for the speakers? I rarely see them in use when people show off more expensive setups.

 

[CleanSound]

His videos include him buying a $250,000 edition of Porsche. Shunyata Research cables and the audiophile industry in general are only getting a small cut from him by comparison to the auto industry salesmen.

Very happy for him to be this well off, I wish I was in his shoes, since I'm not, I can only route for him. But, having money to spend is not the same to spending it foolishly. But it's not my money, so I can only sit on the side line and critique for this is the Internet.

 

[majingotan]

No cable lifters, fail. Plus, he still has to live in Quebec. For the money he spent he could have gotten a 1/4 share in a run-down studio apartment in Vancouver.

You don't need cable lifters unless you must lay the cables on the carpet /s

 

[ahofer]

ugh. Not my bag.

 

[Ricardus]

Sports car, expensive stereo. Same thing. Making up for some deficiencies.

 

[Chrispy]

My first impression is that he prefers spending money for its own sake over actual performance of what he's buying.....so sad.

 

[VintageFlanker]

His videos include him buying a $250,000 edition of Porsche. Shunyata Research cables and the audiophile industry in general are only getting a small cut from him by comparison to the auto industry salesmen

At least, the Porsche is doing something...

My first impression is that he prefers spending money for its own sake over actual performance of what he's buying.....so sad.

Most high end audiophiles talk more about their system in €/$/£ rather than dB/Hz/%