Great sound at any budget

You can get great sound regardless of your budget. That is not a consolation for people with small systems; it is the most useful thing I know about this hobby. It comes mainly from correct system integration, not from price.

My own proof costs $329. The WiiM Ultra came uncomfortably close to a streamer four times its price, and in a $5,000 to $10,000 system I doubt anyone could tell them apart. Price was never what made the difference there; matching was.

Look at the La Scala and the Yvette. I chose the Wilsons, and I still said plainly that the La Scala is an exceptional speaker and the right one for many people, who will be absolutely happy with it. Both serve different people at different stages of the journey.

There is a system for everyone, from a thousand dollars all the way up to infinity, and all of them can sound good given different compromises. Is a $5,000 system a lesser hobby than mine? No. Why? Because the work is the same at every level: match, place, listen, and know what you are giving up.

The budget decides the compromise, not the joy. Mine just has more zeros in its mistakes.