This Is What “High-End Audio” Actually Means

Hi-fi systems, like anything in the luxury sector— wines, cars, boats, watches— come at all price points. The cost of a pair of speakers can be as low as a few hundred dollars, and go all the way up to the millions. (Like the Wilson Audio WAMMs pictured above, that go for a cool $1.5M AUD.) 

Sometimes this makes eyeballs fall out of sockets. If one's experience is limited to a $100 Bluetooth speaker or a $1,000 pair of wireless speakers... then of course, sheer consternation is expected when they find out speakers can cost even $20,000. 

As tempting as it may be to justify the term with dollar signs, this definition is flawed. Like wine, the most expensive bottles aren't necessarily the best, nor are the most affordable bottles guaranteed to suck. 

For myself and my colleagues, a better definition is to call a product or brand "high-end" as a statement about their approach and methodology: A high-end audio brand is one that prioritises the development of products that reproduce music as true to the original recording as possible. 

This is why price is such a loose indicator of high-end status. I’ve encountered plenty of high-priced items over the years, from well-known manufacturers, that were lacking in so many areas. 

Not areas that are subject to taste, mind you, but fundamental areas that all high-end products should cover— like a basic level of audio resolution, simple features, sonic impact, and presence in a room. A lot of hi-fi judgement is subjective, but there is a standard that reveals itself when you listen to enough of it. 

On that note, however, there are also some stellar performers that punch well above their price class. More evidence that price is simply not a reliable indicator of quality. 

That which drives their research and development, quality control, and ultimately, the performance of their creations. 

Of course this begs the question: What should you, the listener, look for in a high-end system? 

In a word: Emotion. 

Music is an art form, created by humans, for humans. It’s a way to express emotions— emotions once felt by an artist, that inspired them to create music. 

From a break-up to the passing of a loved one, from pure joy to anger— all the world’s revered music was born of emotion. A well-composed high-end audio system brings that emotion to life. 

Which brings us onto another topic: Accessibility. 

Let's rewind the years... before the internet, before CDs, before cassette tapes, before vinyl. Before we could even record music, the only way to experience it was to attend a live performance. You had to witness with your very own eyes and ears a live performer expressing their emotions through music. 

Obviously this form of entertainment still exists. Live concerts are as engaging and exciting as ever— perhaps more so, because we get to experience songs we already love (on Spotify, for instance) in vivid reality. Whilst a very engaging medium, a live performance isn’t always practical for most people. Sometimes you want some musical entertainment at home, on a Friday night, with a glass of red. 

That’s why the accessibility of music is ubiquitous. There's a plethora of streaming services all screaming at you for that monthly subscription, and still plenty of brick and mortar stores selling vinyl, tapes and CDs. 

The good thing about this much access is that there are plenty of passionate music listeners out there. The bad thing is that so few of them have access to decent hi-fi, so they’re hearing a poor reproduction of the original sound. And the part that suffers the most is the emotional experience. They’re listening to “compressed” music— it still sounds like the song, but it’s missing the finer details that were originally recorded onto the track. 

Going back to our wine analogy, a low-quality Shiraz will still have the "grapey," tart and tannin notes of a high quality one... but it won't have the depth of flavour, the ebbs and flows of tasting notes, or the flavour length after each sip. 

Now, I’m certainly not advocating against this much accessibility. The more people who are listening to music, the better, for the artists and the music industry in general. But what I am saying is most people are woefully unaware that they’re only hearing half of the music they think they are. 

That’s why often, new customers who visit our showroom and hear their favourite track on one of our systems are completely stunned. They sit there listening to a track they’ve heard a thousand times... and disbelief washes over them as music they thought they knew takes on a second, third or fourth dimension. They become connected even deeper to the track. No word of a lie, I’ve had many grow men cry in one of our demonstration rooms after discovering the emotion behind a song they thought they knew. It’s honestly a very rewarding feeling! 

Of course the next question is, are high-end systems worth the cost? While price is a poor indicator of quality, it’s still a factor. But we must remember that we’re not just paying for a product. A $50,000 Rolex doesn’t tell the time any better than a $20 Casio... and a $100,000 loudspeaker may not sound twice as good as a $50,000 one. There’s more to the story. 

As you explore the limits of what’s humanly possible in any space, hi-fi included, costs go up. You’re not just paying for materials, shipping, and the cost of doing business. You’re paying for decades of engineering and research, and generations of artisanal skill (and I do mean that high-end manufacturers are artisans— check out our Wilson Audio factory tour video and you’ll see how much work goes into producing one of their speakers.) 

And frankly, there are "brand costs” that come with the territory. The reason brands like Wilson Audio or Gryphon are so highly sought after isn’t just because of the performance of their products, but also their status. Status built on decades of outstanding excellence in their respective fields. This promises their loyal customers a guaranteed statement of quality, and exceptional service for decades to come. The latter is something that just isn't true for smaller, less-funded operations that may very well produce a fantastic product, but might not survive the year, leaving you with a product that you cannot service or support.

To drive this point home, consider buying a modern Ferrari over a BMW M3 on specifications alone. Fiscally, it makes no sense. The two cars are almost identical in 0–100 km/h times, braking times, Nürburgring lap times, standard features, and so on. Yet generally the Ferrari is more sought after, for reasons that aren’t pragmatic. And that's completely OK. There should be no need to justify that lustful, emotional desire for something— if you can afford it, and you want it, why shouldn't you have it? Those of us who can't afford something are never served by indulging jealousy and begrudging someone who can. 

The same is true for high-end audio. Too often on forums and social media, keyboard warriors and trolls come out berating someone who’s fortunate enough to own a such a system and brave enough to share it. They spew ridiculous statements like "my $500 speaker I built in my backyard is better" or "you wasted your money on the wrong speaker." Why? Why cause someone else angst out of your own jealously? It serves no one, least of all the trolls who say such things, as it pushes those trolls deeper under the proverbial bridge. Instead, why not join others to celebrate their success, and appreciate their ability to own something nice, something prestigious, and most importantly, something that brings their owner joy?