I own a Kii Three/BXT system (BXT is new). I never tell non-audiophile friends what my system costs. They think anything over a $1000 for listening to music is insane.
And I never comment on their expensive watches and cars.
Not a good example/analogy. Those cheap toasters are DESIGNED to fail after 2-3 years. In addition, many of them don't actually make toast well - they toast unevenly, burn, or undertoast.
Many cheap DACs perform at or near state of the art and last for many years. So different.
A better...
For a piece of equipment like this, that's still sold thru traditional dealer channels, there's a good chance that half or even 70% of the retail price is due to the cosmetics - fancy knob, heavy feet, and the case hand milled from a block of aluminum. You have cost of production, and then...
In audiophile circles, their cheaper ($5k) and more expensive models ($16K) seem to be more sought after: they have a separate 1 bit stage for DSD, so that DSD never is converted to PCM, it's just filtered out to analog. People who like DSD playback and use HQPlayer are looking for that.
There...
They have a new model for about $1200 - the Cyan2. It essentially does the same thing for less. DNR -127
It has more standard parts and PS, not "audiophile" parts.
Wow, my Matrix streamer basically has the same functionality and cost around $1k - and has good measurements
It doesn't have a touch screen, though. I guess that's worth $4k.
A RPi with a nice touchscreen, an "audiophile" case and a good inexpensive pre and DAC would not total more than $$550...
These style speakers have a rep for a certain sound. Don't people buy these style b/c they like the sound - the sound that even on the originals and the licensed ones - isn't anything near flat or accurate? And I think that was intended at the BBC.
Most people don't look at measurements - they...
Kii specifically touts them as made for ATMOS. Both for home and for studio.
I don't know exactly how it is supposed to work, but I'm sure we will find out.
Ripping: Nope buy an SACD/blueray player from Sony, Pioneer et all that can be hacked to rip SACD. It's pretty simple, and you can pick up these models used on eBay for between $25-$100. See thread
https://hifihaven.org/index.php?threads/rip-sacd-with-a-blu-ray-player.3652/
There are specific...
"Plastic" is essentially a meaningless term in this context. There are many kinds of plastic, from cheap and flimsy to expensive and extremely durable.
I've had speakers with very expensive hand worked wood cabinetry, The Kii cabinet is superior and less prone to wear and damage.