Measuring the Relative Cost of Audio Experiences

On our YouTube channel, we frequently get comments along the lines of “that price is insane,” or “pure extortion,” or “who can buy this stuff?” We, of course have been in the audio industry for a long time, and perhaps we are desensitized, but we wondered if we could do a little research to understand if the wheels have come off or if some people just don’t care about audio and music so for them $1 is too much. Or something.

One thing is certain: the most expensive audio equipment is more expensive than the most expensive audio equipment of, say, 1966. To pick an example, the KLH Model 9 could count as the most exotic speaker of 1966, and it was priced then at $2280 in top form. That is the equivalent of about $22,000 in 2025. Today, there are a number of speakers that top $750,000 in price, so certainly top price levels are higher. There are, of course, bigger and more expensive houses, watches, cars, boats, etc. And it is likely that many upper-range models would outperform the KLH Model 9, although it is hard to know since there are no Model 9s in new condition in 2025.

The Large Advent speaker of the late 1960s provides another useful comparison. It was launched at a price of about $2200 per pair in 2025 dollars. It was an excellent speaker in its day, but it is quite likely that one could exceed its performance for less money today. Materials technology, testing procedures, and acoustic knowledge have advanced since the late ‘60s.