The world's 77 most expensive speakers...

Never get bored on just drooling these speakers any number of times. Yes, among them, I listened to MBL Radialstrahler 101 E MKII connected to CD- Transport mbl 1621 A, 2 x Mono/Stereo power amplifier mbl 9011 here at Audio People, Chennai. Package cost just 1 C. Sound, i thought am not worthy to sit even in front of them, so silently walked away after few minutes. It seems Sachin Tendulkar loved it while he was auditioning these, and contemplating on getting them. wow.
 
Never get bored on just drooling these speakers any number of times. Yes, among them, I listened to MBL Radialstrahler 101 E MKII connected to CD- Transport mbl 1621 A, 2 x Mono/Stereo power amplifier mbl 9011 here at Audio People, Chennai. Package cost just 1 C. Sound, i thought am not worthy to sit even in front of them, so silently walked away after few minutes. It seems Sachin Tendulkar loved it while he was auditioning these, and contemplating on getting them. wow.

1 C is that 1 crore? If so did they really sound worth 1 crore?
 
Yes, 1 crore. The appearance was not like a traditional speaker - you can see how they appear in their website, glossy black with gold trims, just visually stunning. The sound was even more stunning, just sooo airy and treble sweetest of them all, bass, never heard anything like these before. These speakers don't care where you place them in the room, place it anywhere, in front, back or diagonal, still soundstage is dead center, and speakers totally dissapearing. I can't believe something like this can happen, no wonder they are among costlier speakers in the world.
 
1 C is that 1 crore? If so did they really sound worth 1 crore?

Certainly not. A friend of mine who is a seasoned audiophile and who has listened to 100s of systems, say these babies are completely flat in the low frequencies in spite of their size and power.

At 1 crore, I would expect a system to be as close to perfection as possible. They should deliver all frequencies perfectly and the speakers should disappear completely.

The standing joke about such systems is that every dealer says Amitabh Bachan and Sachin Tendulkar have purchased one of their expensive systems. If that is true, their houses must be an AV Museum, with amplifier and speakers peeking out of every corner.

Cheers
 
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Google shows they look like this...
 
Wilson Audio Alexandria
 

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I think all these speakers are definitely in the category of batshit insane. Would be nice to be able to listen to them though.

And also i was thinking....considering that they're not using like platinum and diamonds to build these things, can you imagine the profit margins on these babies??
 
I think all these speakers are definitely in the category of batshit insane. Would be nice to be able to listen to them though.

And also i was thinking....considering that they're not using like platinum and diamonds to build these things, can you imagine the profit margins on these babies??

I've not heard most of the speakers on the list. But I've heard Magico among others and Focal (which surprisingly is not on the list). While I agree with you that they're not using anything like diamonds to justify the cost in terms of performance they achieve other manufacturers cannot even imagine of. I've yet to hear anything like the Focals that I've heard with a friend. I've heard Ella Fitzgerald numerous times, but after hearing her on the Focals (driven by Krell) I've never heard her like that ever again. Try as I might Ella just does not sound like Ella anymore after the Focals experience. For that kind of experience and hearing what's unheard of anywhere else the cost would be justified I suppose for someone who is crazy about music. The Focals (or something similar) are the first thing I'm going for and that too ASAP.
 
It is really great that such speakers do make a difference to sound quality. The greatest single factor involved would be the room quality and acoustics.

It might be easier to get a very good acoustic space and be better off with slightly less expensive speakers and spend the savings on quality acoustic enhancement. If these high end mega buck speakers are really used they should be used in a properly treated acoustic room.

This is just my humble opinion.

Laksh
 
I think all these speakers are definitely in the category of batshit insane. Would be nice to be able to listen to them though.

And also i was thinking....considering that they're not using like platinum and diamonds to build these things, can you imagine the profit margins on these babies??

This is a big debate going on about the cost of such speakers and whether they are for the product or for pride.

platinum and diamonds.....well, Wilson Alex's cabinet is made of material X developed by Wilson Audio. They claim a cabinet made of material X is as inert as it gets. the cost of R&D, salaries and medical benefits given to employees, all figure out in the price charged for the speakers.

is this over pricing only in Hi Fi? certainly not; some montblanc pens are more expensive than my speakers. motorcycles, yatchs, the list goes on. personally I feel hifi is best of these investments, as one can enjoy it more frequently than pens or yatchs.

best solution for average folks like me to enjoy such pleasures - wait for a used pair ;)
 
Yes they do. Focal speakers use Beryllium tweeters and the sound from them is something that has to be heard to be believed. All the room acoustics will not achieve SQ of that grade with ordinary speakers.

It is really great that such speakers do make a difference to sound quality. The greatest single factor involved would be the room quality and acoustics.

It might be easier to get a very good acoustic space and be better off with slightly less expensive speakers and spend the savings on quality acoustic enhancement. If these high end mega buck speakers are really used they should be used in a properly treated acoustic room.

This is just my humble opinion.

Laksh
 
hey moser the list does contain the JM Labs / Focal grande Utopia. so it does feature a Focal, and the most expensive of the lot.

What I'd like to know for instance is how these would compare to say the Rethm Saadhnas that cost 3.5 lakhs. Now that would be an interesting comparison.

Venkatji, I totally agree with you, many premium products are massively overpriced, i but don't know if I'll ever get around to convincing myself that any such item is worth the money. For instance, if the Rethm Saadhnas can hold their own against even a few of these speakers, then the very existence of an option like that would make those speakers a waste of money.

I've not heard most of the speakers on the list. But I've heard Magico among others and Focal (which surprisingly is not on the list). While I agree with you that they're not using anything like diamonds to justify the cost in terms of performance they achieve other manufacturers cannot even imagine of. I've yet to hear anything like the Focals that I've heard with a friend. I've heard Ella Fitzgerald numerous times, but after hearing her on the Focals (driven by Krell) I've never heard her like that ever again. Try as I might Ella just does not sound like Ella anymore after the Focals experience. For that kind of experience and hearing what's unheard of anywhere else the cost would be justified I suppose for someone who is crazy about music. The Focals (or something similar) are the first thing I'm going for and that too ASAP.
 
well ive heard the focals ( not the one on the list but the electras driven off a 10ch denon receiver music through a chord - bluetooth phone)
im not very sure but they retail at 1L ?
they are superb with their berillium tweeters.
easily the best tweeters ive heard
 
Yes they do. Thanks for correcting me. I was searching under Focal and not JM Labs hence I missed them. I don't think you can compare the Rethms and the Focals at least the Grande Utopia (I think they cost upwards of USD 80,000-100,000). Coming to the Focals I've heard them and I've not heard anything like them. I'm sold/convinced about them for sure.

hey moser the list does contain the JM Labs / Focal grande Utopia. so it does feature a Focal, and the most expensive of the lot.

What I'd like to know for instance is how these would compare to say the Rethm Saadhnas that cost 3.5 lakhs. Now that would be an interesting comparison.

Venkatji, I totally agree with you, many premium products are massively overpriced, i but don't know if I'll ever get around to convincing myself that any such item is worth the money. For instance, if the Rethm Saadhnas can hold their own against even a few of these speakers, then the very existence of an option like that would make those speakers a waste of money.
 
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