Any user, if he is no longer satisfied with the sound of what he is viewing television programs is thinking about changing the audio system (media system). And if the majority of viewers are content with a more modern model, then there are those who never have enough and constantly want even better. Such people are not satisfied with mass-produced devices. What should we call them? Are they aesthetes or pragmatists? Let's try to figure it out, starting with the most expensive audio system models.
Kipnis' Outer Limits Theater
The exorbitant cost of this home (!) cinema by the manufacturers is explained by the fact that the 8.8-channel KSS audio system is improved by Snell’s subwoofers. They are housed together with the highest quality components in excellent quality cases. Not even any large cinema can afford such an acquisition. It’s hard to even imagine how your favorite blockbuster will look at the Kipnis Theater, which goes beyond imagination. Cost: $6,000,000.
Moon Audio's Dark Star Opulence
The striking power of 31,000 W is capable of drowning out the sound of a heavy airliner starting to take off. Ten meters of speakers, coupled with subwoofers, assembled in a very high quality frame can “take down the tower” of anyone. Figuratively, of course. And all this beautiful power is backed by a ten-year warranty. Cost: $2,000,000.
Kharma's Grand Enigma
In the manufacture of a unique audio system, an individual design was used, ordered from a Dutch manufacturer specializing in exclusive audio equipment. Unfortunately, this is all the information that we managed to get about this miracle. Cost: $1,000,000.
Goldmund Epilogue Signature Audio System
And this system is valued at one million dollars. There are only 25 sets of such systems with a power of 3,600 W worldwide. It is impossible to find the flaws that plague most mass-produced high-power audio equipment. This equipment can rightfully be called a work of art. Cost: $1,000,000.
Higherfi Audio Opulence
The complete set of this system weighs one ton when assembled! Only ten of these sets were produced. Very high quality equipment for sound reproduction forced true music lovers to line up behind them - they were so amazed by the delightful sound of the speakers. Cost $925,000.
Wisdom Audio's Infinite Wisdom Grand
This audio system was developed exclusively for royal palaces. The height of the speakers reaches four meters and it can handle not only a large house or a swimming pool, but also an entire castle. Its weight is 2,000 kg, and the waterfall of sound is so powerful that it must be handled with care. Cost $700,000.
Backes Muller BM 100
The unusual shape of this audio system is explained by the introduction of technology that allows the system to draw an ideal boundary between high, mid and low tones. It could well be mistaken for pretentious furniture that belongs in the bedroom beautiful woman. As its creators assure, the system is capable of filling a room of almost any size with sound. And he will choose the most optimal option. Cost $500,000.
California Audio Technology (CAT) MBX
The manufacturer of the presented audio system became famous thanks to projects that are striking in their grandeur. The most impressive examples produced by SAT use hundreds of subwoofers alone, and moreover, more than a dozen channels. Wealthy connoisseurs are willing to pay more than one million dollars for such monsters. But among them there is also an option suitable for home use, for which you will have to pay only $500,000.
Acapella Audio Arts' Sphäron “Excalibur”
To fully understand the 3D effect of the sounding audio system, it is recommended to choose a room measuring 40 square meters or more. Sounds are produced by twelve square meters - this is the surface area of the speakers. And it feels like the sound is coming from everywhere. Cost $380,000.
Dynamikks Ultima!
The extremely powerful speaker produces sound whose range ranges from 150.0 Hz to 23.0 kHz. An expensive case measuring 1m x 1m is used to house the musical heart of the system. Impressive! The price of this miracle is $380,000.
Each person has his own characteristics, tastes, views on life and hobbies. In the world of music, trends continue. Someone set out to collect the entire record collection of the legendary quartet The Beatles, for some, modding acoustic systems from the USSR era has become a real elixir that calms the nerves and delights the soul. There is also a category of people who perceive the quality of music according to the established price tag for playback equipment. In today's article we take a look at the world of the millionaire audiophile. A world inaccessible to the average admirer of good sound.
Of course, in the world of marketing the concept of “price from” can be clearly defined. As a rule, there is no upper limit. You can choose a decent speaker system for $1000, and after you comes a buyer who wants “the same, but with gold legs.”
Due to fluctuations in the ruble exchange rate, prices for devices described in this article will be indicated exclusively in international currencies: dollars or euros. Please check directly with your authorized supplier or company representative for the relevance of all price tags at the time of purchase.
Acoustic system
Over more than a century of history, acoustic systems have evolved from primitive devices capable of reproducing speech only with significant distortion into real works of art. The development of technology, hundreds of laboratory studies and design experiments have made it possible to create not only speakers belonging to the proud Hi-End class, but also loudspeakers, the price tag of which can be equal to the annual turnover of a small company.
In the 21st century, one of the controversial marketing decisions is the category of so-called “organic products”. Company Shape Audio I decided that not only milk, potatoes and household chemicals can be organic, but also sound. In 2007, an acoustic pair entered the market Organic Harmony- a system whose main driver of popularity was its incredible price €5 000 000 . No, these are not just speakers. Organic Harmony are musical sculptures made in 18-karat gold, equipped with a kilowatt Class D amplifier, USB, Ethernet, S/PDIF and XLR ports. The weight of the five-way system is 215 kilograms.
Having decided to take care of fans of other precious metals, the company has planned to release Organic Harmony in silver at a price of €300 000 and a “budget version” in bronze with a price tag of €63 000 .
The manufacturer did not give any comments on the success of sales. The production of acoustic systems is strictly limited: 99 pairs of speakers in bronze, 5 in silver and only a single version in gold.
A “more affordable” model includes a pair of horn speakers Magico Ultimate Loudspeakers, created not only for true admirers of high-quality sound, but also for those who appreciate history. After all, the mechanical reproduction of sound was based on the horn.
The price of Magico Ultimate Loudspeakers is $1.2 million. Perhaps a very worthy amount to evoke admiration from each chord. The weight of one column is 430 kilograms. If you are thinking about purchasing them, keep in mind that from the moment of pre-order to the release of the finished pair, the manufacturer requires 18 months.
Headphones
Headphones have become as common an accessory as a ballpoint pen or a watch. Today everyone has them: closed or open, in-channel or overhead, reinforced or dynamic, wired or wireless. But there is another unspoken criterion for dividing headphones. Expensive and... very expensive.
The average cost of headphones capable of providing a decent sound level (if you have an appropriate playback device) fluctuates around 200-400 dollars. This is the so-called golden price mean. Headphones with wooden inserts, a gold-plated jack and a minimal level of acoustic distortion take their “price starting point” from $1200 .
Until 2012, the most expensive headphones remained Sennheiser Orpheus HE90, released in a limited edition of 300 units. Gold-plated contacts, completely hand-assembled and no less valuable than the headphones themselves is the included companion - a tube amplifier. Cost of the set – $40 845 .
Among the models approved for mass production, it is worth noting orthodynamic Abyss AB-1266 made from a single piece of aluminum. “When you close your eyes and turn on the music, you can feel like there is a whole orchestra in the same room with you,” this is how professionals evaluate the sound of these headphones.
The cost of Abyss AB-1266 is impressive $5495 .
About the sound quality of the company's main brainchild Beats– headphone series Dr. Dre, one can argue endlessly. Having decided to focus not on revolutionary sound, but on luxurious design, the engineers studded the headphones with diamonds, the total mass of which is 114 carats.
It is unlikely that the sound of these expensive accessories should be taken seriously from the point of view of the canons of ideal sound. Rather, it is simply a sophisticated investment in precious stones. The most popular model owners Graff Diamonds Beats are American rapper Lil Wayne and one of the members of the dance hip-hop duo LMFAO.
Amplifier
Getting decent sound requires an integrated approach to the selection of each component of the entire Hi-End system. However, the heart of any audio system is the amplifier. You can spend thousands of dollars on speakers, headphones and a record player, but with a mediocre amplifier, this investment is hardly worth it. It is on its quality that the overall sound picture, the “richness” of the sound, and the most accurate transmission of harmonics depend.
World renowned industrial designer Andrea Pivetta He considers his weakness to be his excessive love of sound. That's why he introduced the amplifier in mid-2010 Pivetta Opera One with unusually accurate sound reproduction. The weight of this “acoustic monster” exceeded 500 kilograms, and the cost is $650 000 .
Deciding that the power in 20 kilowatts may not be enough, Andrea began developing the second generation of his creation. At the end of 2013, an elite electronic amplifier was introduced Opera Only, significantly superior to its predecessor in almost all respects.
Inside this one and a half ton monster there are 6 toroidal transformers, the total power of which is 30 kW. 12 coolers are used as a cooling system. Pivetta Opera Only Power Output – 80,000 Watt per channel with the possibility of two- and six-channel connection. The use of aircraft aluminum, several kilograms of gold and manual assembly were estimated at $2.2 million. If your country house is the size of several football fields, the Pivetta Opera Only could be a really good buy.
Vinyl player
At the end of the 19th century, at the birth of the history of sound recording, the proposed Emil Berliner The gramophone became a real breakthrough on the path to popularizing music among the population. In the 21st century, despite the dominance of digital sound, analog media still receives a lot of attention from engineers. The vinyl record player is not only alive. It is one of the main attributes of a true audiophile.
Having purchased Design Haus Dereneville VPM 2010 behind $650 000 , you will not only get reference-quality sound, but also a lot of pleasure from interacting with this 60 kg marvel of engineering.
The Dereneville VPM 2010 model not only has generally accepted audio interfaces installed, but also has a convenient capacitive screen for more comfortable control (the possibility of remote adjustment is provided).
MP3 player
An audiophile is not only a person who likes to sit comfortably by the fireplace, create an intimate atmosphere, turn on an expensive vinyl record player and, with trembling hands, take out a rare record from a plastic case. A true audiophile is a person who thinks about being surrounded by quality music everywhere. And at such a moment portable MP3 players come to the rescue.
Company iRiver in the world of portable players it occupies a worthy place in the list of leaders. Deciding that the already decent sound of their products would not be enough for the user, the administrative top decided to create a brand Astell&Kern. The image offshoot iRiver has been on the market for only a few years, but Astell&Kern products have already managed to receive the title of “the most expensive mp3 player” in mass production.
Price: €5 million ($6.95 million at the exchange rate on the day of sale)
In 2007, Shape Audio released the so-called Organic Harmony musical sculptures, the most famous and expensive of which is a music system and speaker in one case weighing 215 kg and measuring 1350 by 270 mm, made of 18-karat gold. This musical sculpture broke all possible price records for similar musical accessories. The fact that the system was created in a single copy also played a certain role in pricing: five of its replicas were made of silver and 99 of them were made of bronze, and cost €300,000 and €63,000 per copy, respectively.
The most expensive headphones
Graff Diamonds Beats by Dr. Dre
Price: $1 million
For a long time, the most expensive headphones in the world were produced by Sennheiser - Orpheus HE 90\HEV 90. They cost literally several thousand dollars, and any music lover with average income could afford them. But in February 2012, headphones appeared, the price of which turned out to be three orders of magnitude higher. During Madonna's Super Bowl halftime performance with hip-hop duo LMFAO, lead singer Sky Blu was wearing Beats by Dr. headphones. Dre from Graff Diamonds, a jewelry company that creates and sells luxury jewelry. For registration Beats headphones by Dr. Dre used 114 carats of diamonds, making them the most expensive in the world, and this price limit is unlikely to be broken anytime soon.
The most expensive electronic amplifier
Pivetta Opera One
Price: $650,000
The most expensive electronic amplifier, created by Italian engineer Andrea Pivetta, is such not because kilograms of gold or carats of diamonds were used in its creation. Simply Pivetta Opera One is the best amplifier of its kind in the world this moment, a kind of “king amplifier”. And all the best, as a rule, is the most expensive. Behind the spectacular appearance Pivetta did not chase, and the amplifier’s appearance resembles an old Soviet washing machine cylindrical shape. But this “machine” is assembled by hand in Italy, weighs almost half a ton and has a power of 20,000 watts!
The most expensive vinyl record player
AV DesignHaus Dereneville VPM 2010-1
Price: $650,000
At Analog Forum 2011, an event that brings together leading manufacturers of professional audio equipment and audio systems from around the world, the German company AV DesignHaus surprised everyone. The Dereneville VPM 2010-1 record player model was presented to the public. Its technical characteristics and “pumping” leave many of its competitors behind. It has everything: from a spectacular design that seems to say that this thing was made in Germany, to the latest electronics that control every screw in the player. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Dereneville VPM 2010-1 costs the same as the most expensive electronic amplifier: the price-quality ratio does not raise questions.
The most expensive violin bow
Francois Xavier Tourte, A gold and tortoiseshell mounted violin bow
Bow by François Xavier Tourte with gold and tortoiseshell trim
Price: $182,500
François Xavier Tourte (1747-1835) is known as the “Stradivarius of bows” and his works are considered true works of art. He gained fame among clients as a watchmaker, but when he was already approaching forty, he unexpectedly began making bows for stringed instruments, primarily for violins. Tourt improved, and in fact modernized the shape of the bow and achieved outstanding results in their production. When the bow, believed to have been created by the master between 1820 and 1825, was put up for auction at Cristie's in New York in April 2012, it was estimated at between $150,000 and $250,000.
The most expensive viola bow
Jean ‘Grand’ Adam, A silver and ivory-mounted viola bow
Bow by Jean Adam, finished in silver and ivory
Price: £42,500 ($85,375 at the exchange rate at the time of sale)
Jean Adam was a third generation bow maker for string instruments. He lived a relatively short life - only 46 years (1823-1869), during which he managed to make a name for himself by creating real masterpieces that were not inferior to the works of the famous Francois Tourte, and in some aspects even surpassed them. And the prices for Adam’s bows, which periodically emerge at various auctions, once again confirm this. Owning a work by this master is the dream of many collectors. At a Sotheby's London auction in March 2008, his viola bow was initially offered for "only" £18,000, and the final price came as a surprise to many.
The most expensive cello bow
Eugène Nicolas Sartory, A silver and ivory-mounted violoncello bow
Price: $79,300
A cello bow by Eugene Nicolas Sartori (1871-1946) went under the hammer at the same Cristie’s auction as the most expensive violin bow by Tourte. Like his famous predecessor, Sartori is a recognized master maker of bows for string instruments, and his work is also popular with collectors. Before the bidding began, the bow was estimated at a rather modest amount: from $15,000 to $25,000, but the sale price exceeded the maximum estimate by more than three times - never before had so much been paid for a cello bow! However, the demand for such items is growing year by year, and it is unlikely that such a price maximum will last long.
The most expensive commercial studio microphone
Neumann Solution D-01
Price: from $5,000 to $13,299 (depending on the trading platform)
In 2003, Neumann, one of the leading manufacturers of premium professional microphones, launched the Neumann Solution D-01. This was their first serial studio microphone, which converted analog signal in digital. It immediately gained popularity among recording professionals, who appreciated its technical characteristics, design and high quality sound. Microphones were and are being sold out like ice cream during a hot day, even despite the highest price among similar objects. However, on the heels of this microphone (in terms of cost) are already stepping on the heels of others, more modern models Neumann company.
Kurt Cobain's microphone is the most expensive microphone owned by a celebrity
The Super-Pro microphone model PE505P, sold in New York at Cristie’s auction in June 2009, is completely nondescript in appearance: it is fairly worn and wrapped in electrical tape. There are plenty of similar things at online auctions and regular flea markets. But this particular microphone was used by Kurt Cobain during his last recording session at Robert Lang Studios in Seattle in January 1994. It is thanks to this fact that it became the most expensive microphone owned by a celebrity. Before the sale, it was valued at a maximum of $4,000, but judging by the results of the auction, experts simply did not take into account the desire of Kurt Cobain’s fans to own the thing that the cult musician held in his hands shortly before his death.
The most expensive electric guitar pick
Widmanstatten Guitar Picks
Price: 5,000 Australian dollars ($4,674 at the exchange rate at the time of sale)
In 2008, the Australian company Starpics, which manufactures various accessories and items for guitars, released a pair of the most expensive picks in the world - $4,674 apiece. This price is explained, first of all, by the material from which they are made - the production costs are completely small device for sound production we went... meteorites from Namibia. These heavenly stones have a Widmanstätten structure, that is, they are distinguished by the correct arrangement of structural elements in the form of plates or needles inside the crystalline grains that make up the alloy. Things made from this material look as if they were cut from the hull of an alien ship. Who bought the picks made from meteorites remains a mystery.
The world's most powerful music-playing speakers were created by Bose. The most surprising thing is that this company was not a world-famous brand; before this product, the company remained in the shadows. Such speakers were designed to perform a special task - sounding large open areas such as stadiums. The customer for such an unusual device was Sir Paul McCartney, who needed powerful acoustics in order to organize the largest festival in honor of the Beatles.
If you add up the power of all the acoustics and amplifiers, it turns out that it had the following parameters: power 4900 Watt and maximum volume 139/145 decibels.
It should be noted that the development company stated that 4900 Watts is not the maximum power of the speakers, they could even reach 11000 Watts, but this is already too huge a figure. If you believe the press and media, at least 70 people were injured from too loud sound at this festival. Most of the victims were people who were near the pumps. Within a week of the festival, all of these people had headaches and tinnitus. Such unpleasant behavior nervous system was caused by a powerful sonic boom.
Despite everything, all these people arrived again for the next event a month later. This event took place with the participation of Sir Paul McCartney himself. Also on display at the event was this powerful acoustic system . In fact, there is information that there are more powerful speakers. The fact is that they were manufactured by an illegal Japanese company, and their power can even reach 7800 watts. However, the most powerful sound system in the world is considered to be just Ultra-Slim ARRAY from Bose, because the Japanese product was not registered and put into production through legal means.
At Sir Paul McCartney's festival, a large stage was set up with a set of huge Bose speakers. The sound systems consisted of three long speakers in the center of the podium, as well as two canopies above the stage. There were also two clusters of small speakers at the edges of the stage. That's not all - two large amplifiers were placed directly under the bundles. It is unknown how those people who happened to be on stage felt after the performance.
The Bose company itself liked its invention so much that a new and improved version of this speaker system was announced for 2011. According to the developers, the new speakers have improved frequency range, as well as harmonic distortion. This time the company did not increase the power of the speakers. Firstly, higher power is unlikely to be used anywhere. The current figures are already excessively high. Secondly, the company is worried about possible various damages and injuries to people when listening to music through this system.
