Behold the $860,608 stereo

Clearaudio's 'Statement' turntable

(Credit: Musical Surroundings)

Well that didn't take long. Just after we thought we'd come across one of the weirder pieces of sound equipment seen in awhile, along comes another to beat it out in spades. Not only does this system featured at Berlin's IFA trade show have an exceedingly esoteric design, but it's even more exclusive because of its price: $860,608, to be exact, which makes it the "world's most expensive stereo system" in the estimation of BornRich.

The centerpiece of this monstrosity is the Clearaudio "Statement" turntable pictured here for $137,000, flanked by 5.1 JBL speakers at $68,700 a pair and four Velodyne subwoofers totaling $52,000. The Krell amps alone are worth $163,000, and a Mark Levinson pre-amp is priced at $54,000. Various other components make up the rest of the overall cost.

And here we thought the $150,000 "Transrotor Artus" was expensive; maybe now we'll start seeing it on sale at Costco. In the meantime, ponder this: If the Clearaudio set-up tacked on the "Grand Enigma" audio system, the total price tag would approach $2 million.

[moretroops]

I'm bewildered

I don't even understand these sound-reproducing contraptions. What IS that?
It plays phonographs, evidently. Why it costs that much? No freakin idea.
None. That might as well be a steam iron.

Here's a suggestion: instead of porn fetishing these items, cnet, why not try
and explain to us viewers, in layman's (idiot's) terms, what makes these
things so expensive, why, and then why we should care.

I have some nice b&ws, rotel gear, etc., and even I don't recognize these
things. You can imagine what it's like for most others.

[moretroops]

I'm bewildered

I don't even understand these sound-reproducing contraptions. What IS that?
It plays phonographs, evidently. Why it costs that much? No freakin idea.
None. That might as well be a steam iron.

Here's a suggestion: instead of porn fetishing these items, cnet, why not try
and explain to us viewers, in layman's (idiot's) terms, what makes these
things so expensive, why, and then why we should care.

I have some nice b&ws, rotel gear, etc., and even I don't recognize these
things. You can imagine what it's like for most others.

[dmizer]

JBLs and Velodynes?

I won't even begin to go into all the mumbo-jumbo audiophiles would use to describe the turntable, but despite the evolution of digital music, even a mediocre analogue rig will sound more "real" than a CD. At the end of the day, though, after you've spent $5-10,000 on a complete 2-channel system, the tens of thousands of additional dollars you need to spend to exact marginal increases in sound quality go toward gear catering to people with more money than sense. And truth be told, the people spending that type of money probably don't even know how to appreciate what they have.

That said, how in the world did JBL speakers and Velodyne subs end up in a system with Krell, Levinson and that awesome piece of art (er, turntable)? There are probably dozens of speakers (more expensive speakers, by the way) to complete an "ultimate audio system". I started wondering if they were talking about a 2-channel system or a home theater.

Think the price of the turntable is insane? How about paying $18,000 for a 1M pair of interconnects or $27,000 for a 2M pair of speaker cables? They're out there, friends...

[dmizer]

JBLs and Velodynes?

I won't even begin to go into all the mumbo-jumbo audiophiles would use to describe the turntable, but despite the evolution of digital music, even a mediocre analogue rig will sound more "real" than a CD. At the end of the day, though, after you've spent $5-10,000 on a complete 2-channel system, the tens of thousands of additional dollars you need to spend to exact marginal increases in sound quality go toward gear catering to people with more money than sense. And truth be told, the people spending that type of money probably don't even know how to appreciate what they have.

That said, how in the world did JBL speakers and Velodyne subs end up in a system with Krell, Levinson and that awesome piece of art (er, turntable)? There are probably dozens of speakers (more expensive speakers, by the way) to complete an "ultimate audio system". I started wondering if they were talking about a 2-channel system or a home theater.

Think the price of the turntable is insane? How about paying $18,000 for a 1M pair of interconnects or $27,000 for a 2M pair of speaker cables? They're out there, friends...

[kt2005]

Why does it cost alot?

I'm not exactly sure myself, but I think it's all in the design. Let's say you want some art for your house, are you gonaa spend a few bucks on a junk $50 painting you found at a yard sale, or are you gonna go to the art gallery and spend a few hundred or thousand dollars on a masterpiece. Sure you save money, but comparing those two are like Chocolate and ****.

As for the audio system, it's a piece of art, and function. Hey, it could be worse, noone wants a $150,000 paperweight. As for the audio quality, I think audiophiles will appreciate the sound and clarity of the music. I think the speakers are overpriced, but that's just me, I don't need that much sound. My stereo cost me $1,000, and I only use it for gaming and movies.

[kt2005]

Why does it cost alot?

I'm not exactly sure myself, but I think it's all in the design. Let's say you want some art for your house, are you gonaa spend a few bucks on a junk $50 painting you found at a yard sale, or are you gonna go to the art gallery and spend a few hundred or thousand dollars on a masterpiece. Sure you save money, but comparing those two are like Chocolate and ****.

As for the audio system, it's a piece of art, and function. Hey, it could be worse, noone wants a $150,000 paperweight. As for the audio quality, I think audiophiles will appreciate the sound and clarity of the music. I think the speakers are overpriced, but that's just me, I don't need that much sound. My stereo cost me $1,000, and I only use it for gaming and movies.