IFA 2007: The World's Most Expensive High-End Stereo System

Trade journal Audio presented the world’s most expensive high-end stereo costing € 630,000 at IFA – a must-see for audiophiles and home-cinema enthusiasts alike. THG Germany’s editor-in-chief Uwe Scheffel took a close look at this highest of hi-fi systems, leaned in and listened hard.

£426,000 / €630,000 – that’s how much the hi-fi system presented by Audio magazine costs. Certainly a price tag that will give even hardened computer enthusiasts pause.

The JBL-speakers required for the 5.1 sound alone cost £34,000 / €50,000 – per pair, mind you ! Additionally, four 18-inch subwoofers by Velodyne ensure that the bass-line gets its dues, for the modest price of £26,000 / €38,000.

The amplifier side also consists of the cream of the crop, including five power amplifiers made by legendary hi-fi company Krell (£81,000 / €120,000 total) as well as a Mark Levinson No. 40 pre-amplifier with a surround-processor (another £27,000 / €40,000).

However, it is the record player that certainly fascinates the most : The Clearaudio Statement costs £68,000 / €100,000, including the pick-up.

Click on the image to view the entire image gallery of the £426,000 system.

On an interesting side note, the least expensive components of this ultra-hi-fi system come from the world of computer technology. Pioneer’s Blu-ray player BDP-LX 70 costs only € 1,300, and Toshiba’s HD-DVD player HD-EX1 is almost laughably cheap, considering the other components’ price tags.

However, the SIM2 projector HAT-500 remedies this imbalance, throwing the full weight of its £34,000 / €50,000 price tag into the mix on the side of the digital components.

So how does the world’s most expensive audio system sound ?

Although THG’s editor-in-chief listened very closely, he couldn’t make out any spectacular improvements in the sound quality. Certainly, the listening room in the expo halls doesn’t exactly provide ideal conditions, blocking out only a minimum of the surrounding noise. The room also seemed to swallow most of the bass frequencies.

In the end, most listeners probably think that high-end audio systems are far more spectacular than they really are. After all, the point of these super-hi-fi setups is that you don’t hear the technology involved – you hear the music.