How can a $1100 AV receiver sound better than a $2000 one?

[MalVeauX]

What it cost to build all of them, was likely very similar.

What they sell for is entirely based on marketing and has zero indication of performance or placement in reality.

Very best,

 

[MalVeauX]

They would not all sound the same, even if they were set up the same.. So you are telling me, if I set up a cheap $150 Sony AV receiver the same as a $4000 Rotel, they will sound the same? BS.

An interesting read would be to check out the Harman studies. Cost of the item does not equate to better sound perceived by the listener.

Here's a start:

https://www.harman.com/documents/AudioScience_0.pdf

Very best,

 

[Pogre]

They would not all sound the same, even if they were set up the same.. So you are telling me, if I set up a cheap $150 Sony AV receiver the same as a $4000 Rotel, they will sound the same? BS.

It depends. On a lot of things. Mainly tho, if both are operated within spec, level matched and you remove any kind of sound processing or dsp then yes. Everything being equal it's unlikely you'd be able to pick which was which under blind testing. Now the $4000 Rotel will likely have more power, better parts, better build quality and the ability to drive more difficult speakers with no issues.


So it's not like you're not getting a better amp. There are reasons to spend more money- to a point. I'd argue $4k is an awful lot to spend on any amp, but some folks take pride in ownership and have the money. At the core tho, most of the competent manufacturers have gotten amps literally down to a science and they all have the same goal in the end. Accurate reproduction of a recording. If you think about it, they should all sound more alike than different. If not then someone's not doing it right.

 

[Bucknekked]

It depends. On a lot of things. Mainly tho, if both are operated within spec, level matched and you remove any kind of sound processing or dsp then yes. Everything being equal it's unlikely you'd be able to pick which was which under blind testing. Now the $4000 Rotel will likely have more power, better parts, better build quality and the ability to drive more difficult speakers with no issues.


So it's not like you're not getting a better amp. There are reasons to spend more money- to a point. I'd argue $4k is an awful lot to spend on any amp, but some folks take pride in ownership and have the money. At the core tho, most of the competent manufacturers have gotten amps literally down to a science and they all have the same goal in the end. Accurate reproduction of a recording. If you think about it, they should all sound more alike than different. If not then someone's not doing it right.

You speak the truth grasshopper.
Put two units within the spec of the weaker unit, eliminate DSP or extra processing, and attach speakers that aren't a problematic load and you'd be super surprised and what you can't detect in a genuine DBT.
We have been conditioned since early childhood to believe that a more expensive item is "better" .
In our hobby however the question of "is the difference audible?" should always ben considered and most times it is discarded in audiophile discussions. Numbers upon numbers get heaped upon us for those high priced items.
Great. That means there's something going on that's good. But is that goodness audible? Not "golden ear" audible, but realistically audible to a real person sitting in a real room playing real music?

There are forums out there who's goal is seemingly to spend as much money as possible to acquire a system and then spend as many paragraphs of purple prose as possible to describe it. The AH is sort of the antidote to that line of thought. Prove it seems to fit the AH. Make a claim? Well, prove it with something solid like measurements.

 

[lovinthehd]

Then again while personal preference is great for one's own taste, may not fit someone else's.....so only so useful.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

I don’t there’s any placebo effect here at all. I think it’s 100%, the RC responsible for the differences.
Also, did we never find out what the “sounds better” actually is?

 

[mtrycrafts]

They would not all sound the same, even if they were set up the same.. So you are telling me, if I set up a cheap $150 Sony AV receiver the same as a $4000 Rotel, they will sound the same? BS.

How do you know they would not sound the same? The testing protocol described is grossly flawed, start to finish. You have no idea what is what.
How about a $300 integrated and a $15k monoblock?
Here is a famous DBT with Steve Zipser of Sunshine Audio in Florida, his wife and a guest comparing that $300 integrated amp to his $15k or more on his speakers in his house:

Amplifier comparison at Sunshine Stereo (google.com)
Scroll down to Steve Maki response, 5th person down, who went down there with Tom Nousaine to test Zipser's claims of Golden Ear status.

Cutting to the chase, all three of them failed to differentiate the 15k monoblock.
But hey, you seem to be sure of so much, enjoy.