What is a "high-end" speaker?

[Rufus T. Firefly]

High end is the one you want but can't afford.

this

 

[sdrichard]

At the end of the day "high end" is a barrier separating people by their economic class.

Isn't that how money works? You buy whatever you can afford.

 

[DavidMcRoy]

I guess measuring well does not necessarily mean it will sound pleasant. So people sometimes prefer equipment that are 'colored.' I apologize if this has been discussed somewhere (I'm sure it has). But why isn't the Harman curve flat? It sure seems to me that people prefer less than perfect reproduction of recorded sound.

FWIW, I think all the Harman curves (for speakers, over-the-ear headphones and for IEMs) sound weird. My background is audio for video in TV broadcasting, so I like a flat, neutral speaker with very low distortion and adequate dynamic range. Boosting the bass and rolling off the highs seems to be what most people prefer, according to Harman's studies, but it isn't neutral. Neutral sources sound dull on such a system, but bright, thin material sounds better when the playback system is curved that way, so I get it. I think the 3kHz boost on Harman's headphones and IEM curves are excessive, but again, I'm looking for "perceived neutrality," not a "preference" that may depart from that In the subjective response of average listeners. I also understand the basshead mentality, but it's not for me. To each his own.

 

[sdrichard]

Neutral sources sound dull on such a system, but bright, thin material sounds better when the playback system is curved that way, so I get it.

Perhaps many recordings are indeed too bright? I also feel there is a significant difference between recorded music vs live amplified music. I rarely heard the shriekiness during live performance that I sometimes heard on recorded music. Am I imagining this?

 

[Nootmuskaatje]

Perhaps many recordings are indeed too bright? I also feel there is a significant difference between recorded music vs live amplified music. I rarely heard the shriekiness during live performance that I sometimes heard on recorded music. Am I imagining this?

Low frequencies dominate during live music, for the few concerts I've been at that's what I noticed. I really enjoy the sound live. Especially the drums sound great, I often find drums lacking in recordings.

 

[MaxwellsEq]

Perhaps many recordings are indeed too bright? I also feel there is a significant difference between recorded music vs live amplified music. I rarely heard the shriekiness during live performance that I sometimes heard on recorded music. Am I imagining this?

The sound of real instruments in a recording studio is quite shocking! There's a great deal more of what subjectivists describe as "bright" and "hard". There's a lot less of what subjectivists describe as "warm" and "smooth".

 

[777]

That's it.

 

[YSC]

it means beside performance, it usually have other things AND a price totally not worth it

 

[Sokel]

To me, high-end means too expensive to be a good value. That doesn't mean don't buy it. If your house is suitable for a feature in Interior Design magazine, or your decor would make it to Architectural Digest, high-end is for you.

A caveat: As a metaphor, if you cannot read polyphonic music or play chopsticks, a 9' Steinway and Sons concert grand is high-end; however it makes a nice statement in your parlor and you can invite Lang Lang to a party there. Place it next to your authentic Eames chairs and perhaps a Chagall original oil or two.

Tongue firmly in cheek.

At least for a small premium you don't even have to know how to play,Steinway will play by it's own for you,all you have to have is an iPad.

Steinway Spirio Player Pianos | Steinway & Sons - Steinway & Sons

Steinway Spirio player pianos are high-resolution self-playing pianos that bring the world’s finest artistry and engineering to your home or performance hall.

www.steinway.com

 

[Mal]

What makes and defines a speaker as
"high-end" vs just good a speaker?
Price?
Performance?
If so, what price? What performance?

"High-end" are tweaked away from flatness to sound good in the showroom/average living room. Get yourself a Schiit Loki and create a high-end speaker from a Wharfedale Diamond 9.0, or other bargain speaker of similar quality. (They are usually quite flat, and a bit shrill in the high end, and thereby don't sound great in the average living room... which is why people then go looking for "high end". Don't do it! Look to equalise...)

 

[bodhi]

In my mind I associate high end with my "that should do it"-level. Using Kef as an example, I think the Reference 3 is the first model at the "that should do it"-level whereas my R5 is just a good value proposition.

 

[Mal]

In my mind I associate high end with my "that should do it"-level. Using Kef as an example, I think the Reference 3 is the first model at the "that should do it"-level whereas my R5 is just a good value proposition.

Given that you need source, amp, dac, & equalisation, that's far from sorted! Do you really need to go as high as Kef Reference 3 to get to "that should do it"?

I have Spotify Connect + KEF LSX and have a "that should do it" feeling with them.

But can't it be done yet more cheaply?

I have high hopes of getting to KEF LSX level with my Wharfedale Diamond 9.0s. My first steps have been to buying an Aiyima A07 amp & Topping 10s DAC (on recommendations from this site and others...) So I think(?) I have the bargain amp & dac stages sorted. Getting a stable equalisation base on my chromebox is difficult... the free apps are flaky & only work in certain contexts... So I'll maybe add a Schiit Loki(?) But with all these boxes the cost is creeping up! And they might all collapse in a heap...

 

[bodhi]

But can't it be done yet more cheaply?

Yes. But that wasn't the point. Disposable income is of course a thing in real life, for some the References would be pure insanity and not worth it. For me, it would be only "ouch, you have a problem"-expensive.

"That should do it" for me is a point where you are already went a bit overboard just to make sure there will be no nagging feelings.

 

[Jim Shaw]

At least for a small premium you don't even have to know how to play,Steinway will play by it's own for you,all you have to have is an iPad.

Steinway Spirio Player Pianos | Steinway & Sons - Steinway & Sons

Steinway Spirio player pianos are high-resolution self-playing pianos that bring the world’s finest artistry and engineering to your home or performance hall.

www.steinway.com

and... the selling price of a 9' Stenway with player mechanism is...
---high end---

 

[Paolo]

Am I wrong thinking that High-end only mean expensive? And that expensive is a relative term?

Of course it imply quality, and of course this is just common sense, and of course the implication is plain wrong wishful thinking.

There are many spectacularly sounding devices reviewed here that will never be considered high-end, as well as poorly performing ones that can only be described as such.

 

[Fregly]

High end is a marketing phrase that makes people spend much more than they need to.

 

[Mal]

"That should do it" for me is a point where you are already went a bit overboard just to make sure there will be no nagging feelings.

But nothing is perfect. Will there not always be a nagging feeling? Maybe it's better to "let go" the nagging feeling at budget speaker level? Of course, there must be limits - if your speakers are very bright then letting go of that is likely to be too difficult!

If you are well off, then just getting an R3 (or LSX...) might be worth it as a quick fix, but I find it an interesting question as to whether I can get to "that should do it" with a budget set up.

Do you need a second system? I needed better computer speakers which got me thinking about creating a budget system that could do two jobs - computer speakers & backup system to the KEFs. Then I got to wondering if I could actually match the KEFs. The quest continues...

 

[melvinjames]

Am I wrong thinking that High-end only mean expensive?

Not IMO. When I think of high-end I think of luxury goods .. Upscale Living.

 

[Paolo]

Not IMO. When I think of high-end I think of luxury goods .. Upscale Living.

You’re just confirming that expensive is a relative term.

 

[sergeauckland]

High end is a marketing phrase that makes people want to spend much more than they need to.

Isn't that so true though, for so much consumer spending? Whether HiFi, watches, jewellery etc etc, it's the brand that makes something 'High-End', not any intrinsic performance. In many cases, certainly loudspeakers and wrist-watches, High End means a worse technical performance than something more 'commercial'.

Fortunately, Business to Business spending is much more price related to performance rather than brand image.

S.