Extreme audio, if money is not a problem

So your Dad has given you a small fraction of the billions of rupiah that he embezzled from his office. He was sent to jail, of course. But he was out again the next morning, so it didn't really matter.

So what do you want to do with that fortune of yours? Well, you want to prove to your friends that no one can beat you when it comes to taste in audio gear. Your first step should be to soundproof your listening room, so that the ringing bells of the Walls ice cream men will not be able to penetrate the walls. Once this has been completed, let us see what you should buy.

Let us start with an amplifier that will produce the power to drive the speakers. A lot of mouths usually begin to water when they hear high-end brands like McIntosh. Although there is gear out there costing US$20,000 and more, McIntosh is still a reputable source for very good amplifiers. So that your share of your Dad's cash does not disappear too quickly, perhaps you had better settle for a McIntosh MA6850. It costs only US$3,500 in the U.S, produces 150 watts per channel and because it is audiophile gear it only has two channels.

For speakers, the choice is as endless as ever. But perhaps you should get the Ascend Acoustics CBM-170 or Gershman Acoustics Avant Garde RX-20. Reviews for both these pairs of speakers have been great. The RX-20 carries a price tag of $4,550. Or if you wish you could go for the Gershman Acoustics Opera Sauvage, which go for more than $16,500 a pair.

Speaking about operas, did you know that there are speakers from Italy that go by the name "Super Pavarotti"? Unlike the famous Italian opera singer, these speakers stand tall and slim and are capable of producing a frequency range of 50 Hz to 20,000 Hz.

And then you can add a subwoofer to create the earthquake effect. Reviewers in Audio Review have praised the SVS Model 20- 39CS, and they only cost $429 for a pair. But you can buy a pair with dedicated amplifiers for a total of $1,149.

For the CD-player, why don't you take a look at the MOON Eclipse. This is certainly not your everyday Discman. It is a modular CD-player, so you can upgrade it as new CD standards evolve. Do you want to know the price? It is only $4,995.

That should be it for now. For most people, the total investment would be staggering, but for hard-core audiophiles this probably would only be regarded as a mid-range system. You will need to add a tuner and a large plasma display or a digital projector. If you have a collection of vinyl records, there will be a need for a high-end turntable as well.

What is interesting about high-end audio components is that they look as beautiful as they sound. They represent the art of design as well as engineering. Most of these components, like the MOON Eclipse CD-player, look like a piece of equipment for the Space Shuttle rather than an audio component.

A good thing about high-end components is that they may be available as second-hand products. You will have to be very patient and alert, though, because not many audiophiles will sell their high-end components. And you will have to know these highly recommended components by heart, because the chance to get one is as rare as finding a truly honest bureaucrat today.

-- Zatni Arbi