I was contacting a supplier yesterday who, in conversation, assured me that the Caiman SEG is "nothing special".  He went further and said that "£200 DACs will always be [the latest thing] no matter what people do to them".  Whatever the merits of that particular opinion, it got me to thinking about why some people are so stuck with price=quality when it comes to hi-fi.  Of course, there is a general trend that the more an item costs the more likely it is to sound better, but a trend cannot apply to every particular example and it often doesn't.  It also ignores the modding community which can extract so much more performance for relatively little outlay.

I'm going to cite two examples to illustrate my point, although many come to mind.

1. Let's talk about the Caiman SEG, since it was the subject that started the conversation.  Yes, it's definitely built down to a price (approx. £200) yet offers excellent value for money out of the box.  How many re-clocking DACs with an excellent Wolfson chip set do you know that come well finished, sound very good indeed, are well supported by a manufacturer who will answer questions directly (Chinese eBay specials need not apply), have co-ax, optical and USB inputs, and are subject to continuous improvement over their lifetime?

Now let's review what can be done to further the SEG's performance as and when funds allow.  The most obvious is the supercap power supply.  This takes the SEG a shocking (and I'm choosing my words carefully) way up the ladder of sound quality, as everyone who was at the last The ASBO will testify when they heard Stan's demonstration.  There are capacitor upgrades such as Coherent's mods which jump the sound quality further upwards.  Then there's placement and footers, particularly the Black Ravioli I use under mine.  Another useful jump upwards.  Then there are serious mods like my superclock mod which takes its performance up into very serious territory indeed.  The basic SEG is still there and recognisable, but I haven't heard a £1000 DAC that sounds this good and I've heard a few.

2. Magico speakers, particularly the S5 as I have heard it the most often at shows.  It's detailed.  It does quite deep bass.  It sounds as if a lot of materials research has gone into it.  It's also cold and clinical.  Not quite as bad as Wilson Benesch speakers, but certainly going in that direction.  It presents music as if it's a science experiment, ready for dissection and analysis.  I have never yet heard the S5, or any Magico speaker, make music or create an event.  The quiet and reverential air of worship at Absolute Sounds demonstrations of these speakers leaves me thinking "what have I missed?", and I'm damned if I know.  It could be the ancillaries - they seem to be often used with Constellation amplifiers running towards six figure prices.  It could be the cables.  I don't know, but when I later attend a demonstration of Wilson speakers I sigh in relief at finally being able to hear music again, so I know it's not just me having a bad day.

The S5 costs $32,000 which probably translates to £32,000 over here.  My Ushers are now listed at around £19,000 although mine cost me a lot less and leave the Magicos for dead when it comes to music making.  Yet I know a couple of people who have spurned them when listening for their next speaker purchase as apparently they are not expensive enough.

So why are some people stuck with this price perception thing instead of just listening with their ears and forming their own opinions?  Recently I had the chance to hear the little Elac B5 speakers again.  They are outstanding and certainly make great music.  Forget the specifications, forget the price, you could live with these if money is tight or even if it isn't, they are that good.

What do you think?  Give examples!