November 2026

The Real Meaning Of High-End Audio: Passion, Music, And Personal Choice
From affordable hi-fi to flagship reference systems, enjoying music matters far more than what your audio equipment costs.
Editorial By Alan Sircom

  Sometimes, it's all too easy to lose track of what high-end audio is all about. There's a natural tendency to see expensive audio equipment and to assume it's all about bragging rights. We tend to make the same assumptions about those who have expensive things in general, be they high-end cars, cameras, clothes, or even kitchen knives.

'They' (the ones who can afford such things) aren't 'serious' about the hobby and just throw money around.

At its most extreme, this too is all about the swagger. The boast goes something like this: "Those who spend less than me are skinflints, and those who spend more are spendthrifts!" Mister – and it's almost always a guy – Wonderful might have spent £17 on a Casio watch in 1987, but anyone who buys something that isn't a 1987 Casio digital watch is clearly wrong and delusional.

The extreme is easy to spot, and even easier to ridicule, but this kind of thought process is so pervasive, it borders on a form of cognitive distortion. It's not fallacious reasoning, because ultimately it's a rejection of logic and truth-seeking; you don't need a reason to assume those who spend more on audio than you are simply showing off, or those that spend less don't take their passion seriously enough. It's an argument made to win an argument, not to discover any form of reality.

Some believe this inverted snobbery is a form of jealousy, but I'm not convinced. I've worked in the photo industry, and the same snobbery exists among those who own expensive Leica and Hasselblad cameras, pouring scorn on others with the same gear because they feel they don't 'get it' the way they do.

I've met music lovers and audio enthusiasts who can afford to indulge in their passions in ways most can't. Sometimes, it's balancing priorities; if you can afford to spend Maserati money and decide to buy Magico instead, there's nothing wrong with that. And, someone passionate enough to buy a Maserati is just as passionate enough to buy a Magico... even if the servicing is a lot cheaper with the loudspeakers.

Some are fortunate enough to buy both, and there's nothing wrong with that too. Most of those I've met with ultra-high-end audio systems are equally passionate about music, often to the point of having a recording studio in a nearby room. I find it strange that we don't have a problem with a person who has a seven-figure guitar collection, but get hyped up about them spending more than a few grand on a good audio system. Perhaps if this were a guitar magazine, people would be nerding out over the high-end audio gear, while getting really upset that someone owns more than one Martin D-28.

However much you spend (or don't spend) on good audio, if you enjoy it, there's no need to do anything else.

Alan Sircom, Editor hi-fi+

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