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 collection of records of the legendary quartet The Beatles, for some, the modding of acoustic systems of the USSR era has become a real elixir that calms the nerves and pleases the soul. There is also a category of people who perceive the quality of music at the established price tag for reproducing equipment. In today's article, we take a look at the world of the millionaire audiophile. A world inaccessible to the ordinary admirer of good sound.

Of course, in the world of marketing, the concept of "price from" can be clearly defined. As a rule, its upper limit does not exist. You can pick up a decent speaker system for $1,000, and you'll be followed by a customer who wants "the same one with golden legs."

Due to fluctuations in the exchange rate of the ruble, prices for devices described in this article will be indicated exclusively in international currency: dollars or euros. The relevance of all price tags at the time of purchase directly check with an authorized supplier or representative office.

Acoustic system

For more than a century of history, acoustic systems have evolved from primitive devices capable of reproducing only speech 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 loudspeakers belonging to the proud Hi-End class, but also loudspeakers, the price tag of which can be equated 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. Acoustic pair enters the market in 2007 Organic Harmony- a system whose main driver of popularity was the incredible price in €5 000 000 . No, these are not just columns. Organic Harmony are musical sculptures made in 18 carat gold, equipped with a kilowatt class D amplifier, USB, Ethernet, S/PDIF and XLR ports. The weight of a five-way system is 215 kilograms.

Deciding to take care of fans of other precious metals, the company has planned the release of Organic Harmony in silver at a price of €300 000 and a "budget version" in bronze with a price tag in €63 000 .

The manufacturer did not comment on the success of sales. The production of acoustic systems is strictly limited: 99 pairs of speakers in bronze, 5 in silver and just the only version in gold.

The "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 horn was at the heart of the mechanical reproduction of sound.

The cost of Magico Ultimate Loudspeakers is $1.2 million. Perhaps a very worthy amount to arouse admiration from each chord. The weight of one column is 430 kilograms. If you are thinking about purchasing them, please note that the manufacturer requires 18 months from the moment of pre-order to the release of the finished pair.

Headphones

Headphones have become as familiar an accessory as a ballpoint pen or a watch. Today, everyone has them: closed or open, in-channel or overhead, reinforcing 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 level of sound (with the 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 minimum level of acoustic distortion take their “price start” from the mark in $1200 .

Until 2012, the most expensive headphones remained Sennheiser Orpheus HE90, released in a limited edition of 300 units. Gold-plated contacts, completely hand-crafted assembly, and the included companion tube amplifier, no less valuable than the headphones themselves. Kit cost - $40 845 .

Among the models approved for serial production, it is worth noting orthodynamic Abyss AB-1266 made from a single piece of aluminium. “Closing your eyes and turning on the music, you can feel like a whole orchestra is in the same room with you,” is how professionals evaluate the sound of these headphones.

The cost of Abyss AB-1266 is impressive $5495 .

About the sound quality of the main brainchild of the company Beats– headphone series Dr. Dre, you can argue indefinitely. Deciding to focus not on revolutionary sound, but on luxurious design, the engineers strewn 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 in terms of the canons of perfect sound. Rather, it is just a sophisticated investment in precious stones. The most popular model owners Graff Diamond Beats are American rapper Lil Wayne and one of the members of the hip-hop dance duo LMFAO.

Amplifier

Getting a decent sound requires an integrated approach to the choice of each component of the entire Hi-End system. However, the heart of any sound reproduction system is the amplifier. You can spend thousands of dollars on speakers, headphones, and a turntable, but with a mediocre amplifier, this investment is hardly worthwhile. It is on its quality that the overall sound picture, the “juiciness” of the sound, the most accurate transmission of harmonics depends.

World renowned industrial designer Andrea Pivetta considers his excessive love for sound as his weakness. That is why in mid-2010 he introduced the amplifier Pivetta Opera One with exceptionally 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 started 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. Output Power Pivetta Opera Only – 80,000 watts per channel with the possibility of two- and six-channel connection. The use of aircraft-grade aluminium, several kilograms of gold, and hand-crafted assembly were valued at $2.2 million. If the area of ​​your country house is measured by several football fields, Pivetta Opera Only can be a really good purchase.

Vinyl player

At the end of the 19th century, at the time of the birth of the history of sound recording, the proposed Emil Berliner the gramophone became a real breakthrough on the way to the popularization of music among the population. In the 21st century, despite the dominance of digital sound, analog media still receive a lot of attention from engineers. The vinyl player is not only alive. It is one of the main attributes of a true audiophile.

Having bought Design Haus Dereneville VPM 2010 behind $650 000 , you will not only get reference sound, but also a lot of pleasure from interacting with this 60-kilogram marvel of engineering.

The Dereneville VPM 2010 model not only has standard audio interfaces, but also has a convenient capacitive screen for more comfortable control (there is a possibility of remote adjustment).

MP3 player

An audiophile is not only a person who likes to cozy up by the fireplace, create an intimate atmosphere, turn on an expensive turntable and, with trembling hands, take a rare record out of a plastic case. A true audiophile is a person who thinks about being surrounded by quality music anywhere and everywhere. And at such a moment, portable MP3 players come to the rescue.

Company iRiver in the world of portable players takes its rightful place in the leaderboard. Deciding that the already decent sound of their products for the user would not be enough, the administrative elite decided to create a brand Astell&Kern. The image offshoot of iRiver has been on the market for only a few years, but Astell&Kern products have already managed to get the title of "the most expensive mp3 player" in mass production.

We discussed it somehow - everything is very strange there. Exactly like in these expensive acoustic systems. Someone distinguishes the quality as much as they cost?

This selection does not affect speakers produced by special order in the amount of several copies. We are talking only about those acoustic systems that are mass-produced.

German Physiks THE GAUDI MK II - 276,000 euros

Branded omnidirectional DDD drivers with carbon diaphragms, frequency response 16-24,000 Hz, separate bass modules - all according to the canons of the genre. To build up, you need three amplifiers for each band (200 - 350 W), then the speakers will be able to develop sound pressure up to 120 dB.

Zellaton Statement - 300,000 euros

Absolutely tolerant to body resonances, special drivers. The weight of one speaker is 300 kg, 11 'woofers are used, the frequency response starts from 20 Hz. Amplification requirements are gentle - only 50 watts.

Goldmund Apologue Anniversary - $550,000

Do not confuse these speakers with Epilogue (the latter are cheaper). Goldmund Apologue are equipped with built-in amplification of 3600 watts, they can receive a signal over Wi-Fi. In general, everything is fine (if you do not look at the price).

Tidal La Assoluta - 572,000 euros

485 kg of weight of one speaker, diamond drivers are used not only for treble, but also for midrange (unique drivers with a diameter of 135 mm are produced only for Tidal with a circulation of only 20 pairs per year)! Frequency response in active inclusion from 20 Hz, low-frequency woofers 10 '. A work of art, not a technique - that's for sure.

Wilson Audio WAMM Master Chronosonic - from $700,000

skeletonized cases made of proprietary composites X-Material and S-Material, an impressive set of drivers (diffusers made of paper!) and frequency response from 20 Hz. What more could you want?

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The world's most powerful music 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. These speakers were designed to perform a specific task - sounding large open areas like stadiums. The customer of such an unusual device was Sir Paul McCartney, who needed powerful acoustics in order to organize the most massive festival in honor of the Beatles.

If you add up the power of all acoustics and amplifiers, it turns out that it had the following parameters: power 4900 watts and a maximum volume of 139/145 decibels.

It should be noted that the developer 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. According to the press and the media, at least 70 people suffered from too loud sound at this festival. Most of the victims are people who were near the columns. Within a week of the festival, all of these people had headaches and tinnitus. This unpleasant behavior of the nervous system was caused by a powerful sonic boom.

Despite everything, all these people again arrived at the next event a month later. This event was held with the participation of Sir Paul McCartney himself. The event also featured this powerful speaker system. In fact, there is information that there are more powerful speakers. The fact is that they were made by an illegal Japanese company, and their power can even reach 7800 watts. However, the most powerful sound system in the world is considered just Ultra-Slim ARRAY by Bose, because the Japanese product was not registered and put into production legally.

At the Sir Paul McCartney Festival, a large stage was set up with a set of huge Bose speakers. The acoustic systems consisted of three long speakers in the center of the podium, as well as two canopies above the stage. There were also two bundles of small speakers at the edges of the stage. That's not all - right under the bundles were exposed two large amplifiers. It is not known how those people who happened to be right on stage felt after the performance.

Bose itself liked its invention so much that for 2011 a new improved version of this speaker system was announced. According to the developers, the frequency range has been improved in the new speakers, as well as the harmonic coefficient. This time the company did not increase the power of the speakers. First, higher power is unlikely to be used anywhere. Current indicators are already excessively large. Secondly, the company is worried about possible damage and injury to people when listening to music through this system.

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 a speaker in one case weighing 215 kg and measuring 1350 by 270 mm, made of 18 carat 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 bronze, and cost respectively €300,000 and €63,000 per copy.

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 manufactured by Sennheiser - Orpheus HE 90 \ HEV 90. They cost literally several thousand dollars, and any music lover with an 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, his lead singer Sky Blu wore Beats by Dr. Dre by Graff Diamonds, a jewelry company that creates and sells luxury jewelry. On the design of Beats by Dr. Dre took 114 carats of diamonds, which makes them the most expensive in the world, and it is unlikely that this price limit will 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 not so expensive because kilograms of gold or carats of diamonds were used in its creation. It's just that the Pivetta Opera One is the best such amplifier in the world at the moment, a kind of “king-amplifier”. And all the best, as a rule, and the most expensive. Pivetta did not pursue a spectacular appearance, and the amplifier with its appearance resembles an old Soviet cylindrical washing machine. But this "machine" is assembled by hand in Italy, weighs almost half a ton and has a power of 20,000 watts!

most expensive turntable

AV DesignHaus Dereneville VPM 2010-1

Price: $650,000

At the Analog Forum 2011 - an event that brings together the 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 behind many of its competitors. It has everything from a spectacular design that says it's made in Germany to the latest electronics that control every single screw in the turntable. Therefore, there is nothing surprising in the fact that the Dereneville VPM 2010-1 costs the same as the most expensive electronic amplifier: the ratio of price and quality does not raise questions.

most expensive violin bow

Francois Xavier Tourte, A gold and tortoiseshell mounted violin bow

François Xavier Tourta bow with gold and tortoiseshell trim

Price: $182,500

François Xavier Tourte (1747-1835) is known as the "Stradivarius of the Bows" and his works are considered true works of art. He gained fame with clients as a watchmaker, but when he was already in his forties, he unexpectedly started making bows for stringed instruments, primarily for violins. Turt improved, and in fact - modernized the shape of the bow and achieved outstanding results in their production. When the bow, supposedly made between 1820 and 1825, was put up for auction at Cristie's in New York in April 2012, it was valued at between $150,000 and $250,000.

most expensive viola bow

Jean ‘Grand’ Adam, A silver and ivory-mounted viola bow

Bow by Jean Adam, trimmed with silver and ivory

Price: £42,500 ($85,375 at current exchange rate)

Jean Adam was a third generation string bow maker. He lived a relatively short life - only 46 years (1823-1869), during which he managed to make a name for himself, 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 pop up at various auctions, once again confirm this. To own the work of this master is the dream of many collectors. At Sotheby's in London in March 2008, his viola bow was originally listed for "only" £18,000, and the final price came as a surprise to many.

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 in the same Cristie's auction as Turt's most expensive violin bow. Like his famous predecessor, Sartori is an established bow maker for stringed instruments, and his work is also popular with collectors. Prior to the start of the auction, the bow was valued at a rather modest amount: from $15,000 to $25,000, but the sale price exceeded the maximum estimated value 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 mass-produced studio microphone

Neumann Solution D-01

Price: from $5,000 to $13,299 (depending on the marketplace)

In 2003, Neumann, one of the leading manufacturers of premium professional microphones, launched the Neumann Solution D-01. It was their first mass-produced studio microphone that converted an analog signal to digital. It immediately gained popularity among recording professionals, who appreciated its technical characteristics, design and high quality of the resulting sound. Microphones were sold out and sold out like ice cream during the heat, even despite the highest price among similar objects. However, other, more modern Neumann models are already stepping on the heels of this microphone (in terms of cost).

Kurt Cobain microphone is the most expensive microphone owned by a celebrity

The PE505P Super-Pro microphone, sold in New York at Cristie's in June 2009, is quite unattractive in appearance: it is pretty worn and wrapped with duct tape. Similar things are full of online auctions and ordinary flea markets. But that 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 he became the most expensive microphone owned by a celebrity. Before the sale, it was estimated 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 fans to have a thing that the cult musician held in his hands shortly before his death.

most expensive electric guitar pick

Widmanstatten Guitar Picks

Price: 5000 Australian dollars ($4674 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 - at $4674 apiece. Such a price is explained, first of all, by the material from which they are made - the manufacture of a very small device for sound extraction went ... meteorites from Namibia. These heavenly stones have a Widmanstätten structure, that is, they differ in the correct arrangement of structural elements in the form of plates or needles inside the crystal grains that make up the alloy. Things made from this material look like they were cut from the hull of an alien ship. Who bought picks made from meteorites remained a mystery.

It is clear that anything can be installed in a car, on order or for an exclusive project. There would be money. I was also interested in another question. Which production cars have advanced music systems pre-installed? Indeed, in this case, there is no need to “get into” the car yourself in order to install speakers, a subwoofer, an amplifier and a head unit. All this has already been calculated and done by experts.

As it turned out, there are quite a few models with high-quality “sound”, and by no means all of them belong to super-expensive luxury sedans and sports cars. Well, let's go from relatively affordable models to the most expensive ones. Here are the most, in our opinion, the most advanced cars from a musical point of view.

Even compact hatchbacks can boast of expensive music. For example, . As an option, it is equipped with Fender acoustics. The company, famous for its amplifiers and electric guitars, began cooperation with the German automaker in 2010. The car has already been dubbed the "musical bug". Indeed, the Beetle is the most musical of the iconic hatchbacks. Neither the Mini, nor the Fiat 500, nor the Suzuki Swift have such advanced music.

The audio system consists of a 10-channel 400W amplifier, four Fender Deluxe tweeters, two 20cm Fender Twin front and two 16cm Fender rear speakers, and a 20cm Fender Bassman subwoofer.

Interestingly, Fender specialists created acoustics for the Beetle together with another well-known company in the world of music - Panasonic. As a result, the sound turned out so that in the car you feel like in a concert hall.

Another stylish kid, but already playing in the class of crossover hatchbacks, is the Kia Soul, equipped with JBL acoustics. This year the car survived. The system with amplifier and subwoofer is included in the Premium package, and it is only available with a 1.6 GDI engine with 136 horsepower.

JBL tuned every component of the system to match the car's interior, which significantly reduced sound distortion.

As a result, Soul can be called the most musical representative of the class. In Russia, for sure. Crosshatch is a fashion car, and, in fact, it has no competitors. The Chinese do not count, besides, they do not have a premium "sound". Kia, of course, names Hyundai Creta and Renault Kaptur as opponents. But the “Korean” and “Frenchman” have four-wheel drive and are larger in size, so they play in a different league. However, neither one nor the other crossover can boast of expensive music.

Renault has a long history of collaboration with premium audio manufacturer Bose. The result of cooperation was the appearance of special versions of Bose Edition on various machines of the brand. In particular, acoustics were installed on Scenic, Megane, Laguna and Koleos. All-wheel drive crossover Koleos could be bought from us. This car is much closer to the people compared to the stylish Beetle and Soul, which are rather fashion cars, which is why we decided to put Koleos in the review.

Renault and Bose specialists developed jointly. After Renault engineers calculated the body structure and embodied it in metal, Bose specialists took more than a thousand measurements in order to create a general acoustic model of Koleos. Even before the start of mass production, the most suitable locations for each of the seven speakers were determined. As a result, the sound and timbre of each instrument became pure and clear.

If the car had not left our market, Koleos could have been awarded the title of the most musical mid-size crossover. Although who knows: maybe he will deserve this title?

Another well-known car in our country, but already playing in the class of business sedans, is. The acoustics of the "six" consists of four Bose low-frequency speakers and two high-frequency speakers, an active subwoofer, an amplifier and a head unit with a 6 CD changer.

Mazda also has a long history with Bose. And just like with Renault, all solutions are individual for each model: you cannot buy a speaker and install it yourself.

"Six" - the car with the most expensive audio system in the class. Only the Kia Optima with a Harman-Kardon system with ten speakers, an amplifier and a subwoofer can compete with it. Its price is from 1,449,900 rubles. But the Bose brand is still more prestigious.

Lexus is already a real premium. The Japanese brand cooperates with the American company Mark Levinson, which is part of the Harman International Industries Corporation. Interestingly, the Americans are responsible not only directly for the audio system in the car, but also for the soundproofing of the cabin.

Advanced music can be ordered, say, for the IS and ES sedans (pictured). In the Luxury package, the buyer receives a 12-channel 835 W amplifier and 15 speakers with energy-saving GreenEdge technology. The technology allows you to almost double the volume level with the same level of energy consumption.

Why did we select ES in particular? Because this is one of the most affordable and comfortable premium sedans that is designed for the passenger, not the driver. GS, playing in the same class, more driver's car. Lexus has always sought to compete with the German premium. And in any case, he looks no worse than the "Germans".

It has the status of a cult car in Russia, so we could not deprive it of attention. The Land Cruiser 200 is equipped with a JBL Synthesis 7.1 Surround Sound music system, consisting of 14 speakers. In addition to them, there is an 11-channel amplifier with a power of 605 W and a 200 mm subwoofer. Advanced music comes with Prestige equipment (from 4,736,000 rubles).

JBL specialists measured and tuned each speaker at the design stage of the car interior. The amplifier used Greenedge technology (it is the same as the Lexus), and ultra-light materials were used in the production of speakers and other components of the system. This allowed to lose extra pounds of the audio system.

All this gives the right to call the Land Cruiser 200 the most musically advanced frame SUV.

If the Land Cruiser is bought all over the country, then the premium British "rogues" are more appreciated by the urban residents of the central regions of Russia. Therefore, such buyers sometimes have more requirements for comfort, including acoustic. accepts this challenge. Optionally, the machines are equipped with a music system produced by the British Meridian Audio. She has 19 speakers, a 16-channel amplifier and a two-channel subwoofer.

Proprietary Trifield surround sound technology makes the sound surround. She mixes the channels, resulting in a very lively sound - like at a concert. And the Meridian Cabin Connection sound field correction technology adjusts the sound, taking into account the peculiarities of the interior geometry. The total power of the system is 825 watts.

Land Rover/Range Rover has several versions of the Meridian system. The most expensive, the Meridian Signature Reference, is optional on the Range Rover Sport. With it, the car costs from 6,208,000 rubles.

Porsche is a brand that has become a dream. The fruit of the collaboration of two German companies, producing one - sports cars and the second - premium sound, is the high-end Burmester Surround Sound system, which is installed on the Porsche Cayenne, Macan and Panamera.

It consists of a 16 channel amplifier with over 1000 watts and 16 speakers including a subwoofer with a 300 watt amplifier. It uses a number of technologies that come from premium home systems.

Finally, a few words about the famous "German troika". The Danish brand Bang&Olufsen cooperates with Audi and Mercedes-Benz. The company's musical solutions can be found on Audi A6, A7, A8, Mercedes S- and E-classes. But we will single out the SLS AMG sports car because it is a dream car. In a good way, such a car does not need a music system. It is replaced by the sound of the motor, in itself designed to caress the ear. But the Germans decided otherwise and installed the Bang & Olufsen BeoSound AMG system.

The Bang&Olufsen speakers in the SLS AMG sports car are very compact yet powerful.

The Bang&Olufsen speakers in the SLS AMG sports car are very compact yet powerful.

As for another representative of the "big German three" - BMW, there is little information on the "Bavarians". It is known that the company cooperates with the aforementioned Harman Corporation. The top trim levels of the BMW X-series are equipped with a high-end audio system with 16 speakers and a 9-channel amplifier.