The request I have is a bit complicated, hard to explain, and would be far from easy but I think it would be very useful. It is also something other sites don’t address well.
Component performance at certain price points is easy to determine based on your testing but what about system performance? Considering a system is only as good as its weakest link some may think buying a component that measures well will always improve their systems performance, when in fact, if its not improving the weakest link it is probably doing nothing? It would be a real shame if it’s an expensive component and the buyer probably should have spent the money elsewhere in their system to gain real measurable improvement.
I think the way to make this useful is to make a tiered reference grouping separated by cost thresholds. When I look at a review the first thing I notice is the price and if it is something unaffordable to me I may still read it out of curiosity but it’s not relevant to me as a consumer. What is unaffordable to me may be pocket change for another but even then is it smart money considering the price tier of their own system?
I would try to keep it simple (which is not easy) by just grouping basic stereo components like streamer > DAC > preamp > amp> speakers > sub but also with recommendations for cables and interconnects at each price tier (sic). I really don’t know the price levels or quantity of how many tiers would be useful? Maybe a budget level <$1K, modest <$5K, serious <$10, extreme <$20K and bonkers >$20K.
If it is something that proves popular you might expand it into HT system, headphone systems, vinyl systems etc?
IMHO opinion each tier level would pivot on the speaker price. I don’t think this is something that would have to be constantly updated but only if a specific component knocked out another at a price tier level. I also think there is nothing wrong to mention in your conclusion that a reader may want to consIder this component at a specific tier level even if you don’t think it bumps out a previous recommendation.
Of course these recommendations have some subjectivity, and you would not be actually measuring a complete system (although that would be nice) but they would be based objective performance/cost data.
I remember back in the late 60s and early 70s there was a mail order company that only sold stereo components. I can’t remember the name? Stereo superstore, or stereo warehouse or? It was certainly way ahead of its time. I remember it was very useful because they had complete system recommendations at different price points. I don’t think I have seen anything like this in modern times?
Anyway, you asked for it.